Melisa Rollins (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) gained the elite girls’s Leadville Path 100 MTB on Saturday in Colorado, crossing the road solo in 7:15:12. 2023 champion Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised) charged again from a deficit of just about 11 minutes with 20 miles to go and completed second, 3:53 again.
Michaela Thompson (Orange Seal/Specialised/Shimano) was overtaken late within the race by Villafañe and completed third, simply 24 seconds behind the defending champion.
One week in the past Rollins gained the three-day Leadville Stage Race, which makes use of the identical course because the one-day mountain bike endurance race. She got here in with high kind at elevation, holding the lead within the race throughout the second half of the 104.3-mile race.
The Leadville Path 100 MTB offered by Kenetik is a part of the six-race Life Time Grand Prix, and have become the third occasion within the off-road sequence when Crusher within the Tushar was cancelled in July.
Rollins will transfer nicely up from her twentieth place within the standings with high factors earned, and look to maneuver into the highest 10 which qualifies athletes for a share of the $300,000 season-ending prize purse shared equally between ladies and men.
Ladies’s general chief Haley Smith completed tenth on Saturday and can add 21 factors to her whole, although it might be one of many two scores she is allowed to throw away. Villafañe will add 33 factors to her third-placed rating and most certainly transfer up. Thompson will make a giant bounce from twenty third place within the standings. All the ladies within the high 10 of the Leadville race are among the many Grand Prix rivals this yr.
The way it unfolded
The beginning in Leadville, sitting at 10,152 ft above sea stage, started at 6:20 a.m. for the elite girls, this yr getting a devoted begin 5 minutes after the elite males, and one other 10 minutes forward of different divisions. This yr’s course was 104.3 miles in size with 12,480 ft of elevation achieve, a brand new singletrack part added close to the beginning and a protracted phase of pavement eradicated.
The vast majority of the out-and-back course remained the identical, with the signature climb to the summit of Columbine Mine, the height topping out at an elevation of 12,499 ft above sea stage, marking the midway level and turnaround.
Thompson, from close by Durango, set the tempo on the entrance in a gaggle of 9 girls who had a 50-second hole over 9 others. The lead group contained Thompson, Rollins, defending champion Villafañe, Erin Huck, Ellen Campbell, Sarah Lange, Deanna Mayles and Alexis Skarda.
Throughout the following 10 miles onto the Powerline climb, Rollins moved into the lead, with Villafaňe falling off the tempo by 25 seconds and Thompson struggling one other 10 seconds again. What was as soon as a compact entrance group was now a shattered line of riders unfold on the climb.
Rollins, Thompson and Villafaňe fashioned a strong trio over the brand new singletrack space and on the primary cross of Twin Lakes they prolonged their result in two chasers by 3:30, Campbell and Mayles.
It was on the climb of Columbine that Rollins put in three minutes to Thompson, and Villafaňe dropped again one other 1:15.
On the return journey of the out-and-back course, Rollins held her result in Thompson. Transferring to inside three minutes of Villafañe was Campbell, now joined by Lange, as Mayles was now in sixth place.
Rollins solely acquired sooner. By the point she pushed on the return climb of Powerline, the 28-year-old, who splits her time with street and gravel, elevated her benefit over Thompson to just about 7 minutes, and 11 minutes to Villafañe.
The chasers reduce into her lead on the ultimate two hills throughout Carter Summit, with Villafañe overtaking Thompson. Nevertheless, Rollins had sufficient time banked to solo throughout the road for the victory.
