Melisa Rollins (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) gained the elite women’s Leadville Path 100 MTB on Saturday in Colorado, crossing the street solo in 7:15:12. 2023 champion Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised) charged once more from a deficit of nearly 11 minutes with 20 miles to go and accomplished second, 3:53 once more.
Michaela Thompson (Orange Seal/Specialised/Shimano) was overtaken late inside the race by Villafañe and accomplished third, merely 24 seconds behind the defending champion.
One week previously Rollins gained the three-day Leadville Stage Race, which makes use of the similar course as a result of the one-day mountain bike endurance race. She bought right here in with excessive variety at elevation, holding the lead inside the race all through the second half of the 104.3-mile race.
The Leadville Path 100 MTB supplied by Kenetik is part of the six-race Life Time Grand Prix, and have turn into the third event inside the off-road sequence when Crusher inside the Tushar was cancelled in July.
Rollins will switch properly up from her twentieth place inside the standings with excessive components earned, and look to maneuver into the best 10 which qualifies athletes for a share of the $300,000 season-ending prize purse shared equally between males and females.
Women’s common chief Haley Smith accomplished tenth on Saturday and may add 21 components to her entire, though it could be one in all many two scores she is allowed to throw away. Villafañe will add 33 components to her third-placed ranking and most definitely switch up. Thompson will make a large bounce from twenty third place inside the standings. All the women inside the excessive 10 of the Leadville race are among the many many Grand Prix rivals this yr.
The start in Leadville, sitting at 10,152 ft above sea stage, began at 6:20 a.m. for the elite women, this yr getting a faithful start 5 minutes after the elite males, and one different 10 minutes ahead of various divisions. This yr’s course was 104.3 miles in dimension with 12,480 ft of elevation obtain, a model new singletrack half added near the start and a protracted section of pavement eradicated.
The overwhelming majority of the out-and-back course remained the similar, with the signature climb to the summit of Columbine Mine, the peak topping out at an elevation of 12,499 ft above sea stage, marking the halfway stage and turnaround.
Thompson, from shut by Durango, set the tempo on the doorway in a gaggle of 9 women who had a 50-second gap over 9 others. The lead group contained Thompson, Rollins, defending champion Villafañe, Erin Huck, Ellen Campbell, Sarah Lange, Deanna Mayles and Alexis Skarda.
All through the next 10 miles onto the Powerline climb, Rollins moved into the lead, with Villafaňe falling off the tempo by 25 seconds and Thompson struggling one different 10 seconds once more. What was as quickly as a compact entrance group was now a shattered line of riders unfold on the climb.
Rollins, Thompson and Villafaňe original a powerful trio over the model new singletrack area and on the first cross of Twin Lakes they extended their end 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 once more one different 1:15.
On the return journey of the out-and-back course, Rollins held her end 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 purpose she pushed on the return climb of Powerline, the 28-year-old, who splits her time with avenue and gravel, elevated her profit over Thompson to simply about 7 minutes, and 11 minutes to Villafañe.
The chasers scale back into her lead on the final word two hills all through Carter Summit, with Villafañe overtaking Thompson. However, Rollins had adequate time banked to solo all through the street for the victory.
