Keegan Swenson Dominates at the 2023 Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB Smashing the Course Record by More Than 15 Minutes; Villafañe Triumphs over Winder and Skarda
Leadville, Colo., (August 12, 2023) – The Leadville Trail 100 MTB race witnessed history with defending champion Keegan Swenson’s dominating performance, in which he broke the course record by 15 minutes and four seconds. The new official course record time is 5:43:31 for the famed ‘Race Across the Sky’. Sofia Gomez Villafañe finished in first place in the women’s race, leading most of the day in a close battle with second place finisher Ruth Winder and third place Alexis Skarda.
“I was so short of the record (last year), so this year I just went all in, and if I blew up in the end, I blew up,” said Swenson.“I didn’t want to just get the record by a few seconds, I wanted to make it mine. I just put my head down and gave it everything I had on my way back from Columbine. The conditions were good, the course was fast and tacky, there was a little bit of wind and some rain, but the boys were rolling and everyone was down to ride.”
Keegan Swenson wins the 2023 Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Photo courtesy Life Time
When asked about when he broke open his lead, which resulted in a solo finish 21-minutes faster than his nearest competitor, Swenson recalls, “About a third of the way up Columbine, I knew the pace I had to ride and that was it.”
Sofia Gomez Villafañe wins the 2023 Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Photo courtesy Life Time
When asked about her preparation for the event, Villafañe said, “The Stage Race was a really great way to prepare. I had a really fun time with the guys. I was a little concerned that I was going a little too fast when the guys who beat me were riding with me — I thought maybe I’m punching a ticket that I don’t know if I quite collect on. But yeah, I’m super excited.”
