Sofia Gomez Villafane (Specialized) dominated the 105-mile Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB on Saturday and went four-for-four in gaining top points for the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda.
Ruth Winder (Trek Bikes) made up more than 4 minutes on the final 27 miles but could not get closer than 1:24 by the time she crossed the finish line at the high-altitude mountain bike endurance test in the Rocky Mountains.
Alexis Skarda (Santa Cruz Bicycles) finished third, 9:15 back while last year’s winner Hannah Otto (Pivot Cycles/DT Swiss) was fourth, seven seconds later. Haley Smith (Maxxis Factory Racing), who was third last year, rounded out the top 5, 2:16 behind Otto.
Villafane’s winning time of 7:09:48 was more than 14 minutes faster than Otto’s mark a year ago. It was also the high mark for the women’s leader in the Grand Prix series in her second trip to the Leadville race, having to take a DNF in 2022. She said she aimed this year to get the top prize, “that damn belt buckle”.
“Having the bar set so low gives me the freedom to take big risks and I am excited to see the challenge that lies ahead,” she posted to social media in her lead up to the race, which included a victory in the three-day Leadville Stage Race.
With the win in a boom town founded 146 years ago for silver mining, Villafane struck gold. She extended her lead in the women’s standings of the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda. Leadville Trail 100 MTB is the fourth stop of the seven-race off-road series, and like Swenson, Villafane has swept all four races. Skarda is in second place, while Strum and Smith are tied for third. Winder moved to fourth overall, a spot ahead of Otto.
All the women in the top 15 are part of the 35-rider women’s invitation-only roster for the Life Time Grand Prix.
How it unfolded
The elite women took positions in the start grid alongside the elite men, many wearing jackets and vests because of cold temperatures, 48°F (9°C) with low, threatening clouds.
The Leadville Trail 100 MTB covers 105 miles (169km) with the Colorado caper high in the Rocky Mountains starting at 10,152 feet (3,094m) and soaring to 12,424 feet at Columbine Mine on the far end of the course. That signals the half-way point, and the turnaround back to Leadville. The out-and-back course has two slight deviations on the return trip to town, including the final three miles using the rock-strewn Boulevard climb.
Skarda and Villafane had separated from the other elite women 11 miles out at Carter Summit. Winder rode one minute back trailed by Sturm another minute later. Paige Onweller led a line of Grand Prix contenders 45 seconds behind Sturm that included Otto, Smith, Jenna Rinehart, Caroline Tory, Crystal Anthony, Ellen Campbell, Catherine Colyn and Anna Yamauchi.
The 3.5-mile climb up Powerline, with an average gradient of 7.6%, is where the race took shape. Skarda and Villafane battled out front with a one-and-a-half-minute margin over Winder, riding solo in third. Sturm trailed Winder by two-and-a-half minutes while Smith fought her way into fifth place, 30 more seconds back. Yamauchi led a group through the checkpoint with Rinehart, Otto, Campbell and Anthony another minute later.
Another 20 miles on came the lowest elevation point of the race, 9,200 feet at Twin Lakes. It was still Villafane and Skarda holding steady at the front for the women.
The course then vaulted skyward for the 7.8-mile ascent of Columbine, the average gradient 8.2% on loose dirt with a section at 19.2%. Villafane hit out on the climb and gained a one-minute advantage over her previous companion. Winder dropped back 4:43 and Smith was another 2:41 back. Otto had moved ahead of Sturm into fifth, but was still more than three minutes behind Smith. The race was unravelling.
After the descent of Columbine and passing Twin Lakes a second time, Villafane had increased her solo lead to two minutes from Skarda, and then more than three minutes to start the long Pipeline section. Winder, meanwhile, was bearing down on second place.
The climb of Powerline, with 25 miles to go, was steeper on the return trip, reaching a maximum of 16.2% across the four miles. Villafane still had close to four minutes on Skarda to start the climb, but Skarda was losing time to Winder, who began the climb only 12 seconds back. Winder made the pass and kept on the gas.
With 16 miles to go, Winder rode in second place and was only 1:33 behind the race leader. Skarda held a podium spot, but was more than six minutes behind Winder. Another two minutes down was Smith, then Otto, less than a minute separating the pair.
Winder gave it her all, but could not make the catch. Escorted by a helicopter overhead and ringing cowbells from fans lining the finishing stretch, Villafane held on for the solo victory.
