For the past three years, Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz) has not only won the Leadville 100 MTB, he has broken records. Last year, he broke the 6-hour mark for the first time in his career, finishing in 5 hours, 43 minutes, and 31 seconds, breaking the record by 15 minutes and 06 seconds.

Such performances are not just about winning times, but also about the difference between the main contenders. Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost) finished second to Swenson in Leadville in 2021, eight minutes off the winning pace. Swenson was 14:30 faster than second-place John Gaston in 2022 and 14:29 faster than second-place Alexey Vermeulen last year. Last year Morton set his best time in Leadville, 2:49 faster than in 2021, but finished ninth, just over 33 minutes behind Swenson.

Morton said it would not be easy to pull Swenson off the lead in Leadville, other than to "cross in front of him."

"Leadville is probably the hardest race to compete against him. It will definitely be a test of fitness. The reigning Unbound Gravel 200 champion told Cycling News and several media outlets at a virtual press conference before the Leadville race last week.

"I think it's going to take a pretty special day, and probably a not-so-special day for Keegan, to beat him. We don't know what's going to happen. He could be unlucky, or he could get a chance.

"At the end of the day, this is a bike race, and a lot can happen in six long hours. [Similarly, Payson McElveen (Allied Cycle Works/Red Bull) confirmed that Swenson will ride for Leadville, providing a path for McElveen to take the overall lead in the Lifetime Grand Prix presented by Mazda Off Road Series The event was to be the first of its kind in the world.

As in the past two years, Swenson will enter the 2024 Lifetime Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik as the overall leader, but only one point behind McElveen, with Matthew Beers (Specialized) in third and Morton, followed by the duo of. [Keegan's performance on this course was, to be honest, hard to fathom, because, frankly, I don't know what to make of it. I'm not sure I understand Keegan's run on this course because, frankly, it's hard for me to wrap my head around it. When you look at his performance in the different sections compared to the others, it's like he's playing a different sport than the others on this course," McElveen told reporters at the same virtual press conference.

McElveen, the recent winner of the 100-mile, three-day Lifetime Leadville stage race, was fourth in the 2021 Leadville, 13:42 behind Swenson. However, he still lost a lot of ground, finishing 11th to record holder Swenson.

Swenson opened the door to a close race on the Grand Prix leaderboard with a 15th-place finish in the 200-mile race, Unbounded Gravel, which Morton won.

"Fortunately, not every race counts when it comes to overall Grand Prix results, as it was the fourth best of six. I might be able to go toe-to-toe with him in races like the Chequamegon (MTB in Wisconsin) and the Rad Dirt Fest (MTB in Trinidad).

"As for how to beat him in Leadville, it's the same thing Lachlan said. At least at this stage, we should be in some pretty serious trouble. I'm just trying to keep chipping away and paying attention to my own performance rather than comparing myself to a generation of talent at 10,000+ feet to get better on this course." "

McElveen, a Colorado resident, used this stage race as a prep for Saturday's "Race Across the Sky." He said of this stage race, "I was reminded of how incredibly hard the 100-mile course is.

In mid-July, when the Crusher in the Tushar was cancelled due to wildfires in Utah, eliminating a possible site for the third Grand Prix, Morton traveled to Leadville to preview the course and inspect new equipment. After several years in Boulder, Colorado, Morton, who now lives in California, returned home for training in July, returning to Leadville 10 days before the competition.

"I'd lived in the high country before this year, so this was my first time taking this approach. I think I'll be fine. Because of the altitude, there's only so much you can acclimate to. It's about getting used to what it feels like, how you race, and the feeling of low oxygen. I'm interested to see how it goes," Morton said.

"It's a race I come back to every year because there's always something I can improve on. At the end of the day, whether it's 45 minutes or an hour, you're going to keep running Columbine. It's tough."

The Leadville Trail 100 MTB is the third of six races in the Lifetime Grand Prix Series, following the Crusher at Tushar Cancel. The elite men's race will start at 6:15 AM ET on Saturday.

For the first time in the 30th anniversary of mountain bike racing, the elite women will start five minutes behind the elite men, with coverage on the Life Time Grand Prix and Leadville Race Series (@ltraceseries) Instagram channels. The race will be broadcast on the Life Time Grand Prix and Leadville Race Series (@ltraceseries) Instagram channels.