Lance Armstrong, showcasing his cycling versatility, won the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race on Saturday, smashing the course record and ending the six-year winning streak of previous course record-holder Dave Wiens.
Armstrong, 37, third in this year’s Tour de France after nearly a four-year retirement, rode about the final 60 miles of the high-altitude race alone and finished with a nearly flat rear tire in 6 hours, 28 minutes and 20 seconds.
Wiens, 44, finished second in 6:57:02 with Matt Shriver, who set an early front-of-the-field pace, placed third in 7:09:48.
A cold rain fell during the race, but the fast early pace set the tone for Armstrong’s record time. The seven-time Tour de France winner finished second to Wiens in his Leadville 100 debut last year, about two minutes behind.
Armstrong, still under contract to Astana in road racing, wore a kit from Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, the bike shop he owns in Austin, Texas.
“I looked back and there was no one there but Shriver,” Armstrong told VeloNews.com. “I kind of had to decide if I wanted to continue alone or wait for the other guys. I knew it was risky to go alone. I wanted to ride hard because I was starting to freeze.”
Rebecca Rusch (Redbull-Specialized) won the women’s race in 8:15.
Leadville Trail 100 Top-10
1. Lance Armstrong, 6:28:51
2. Dave Wiens, 6:57:02
3. Matt Shriver, 7:09:48
4. Alex Grant, 8:10:54
5. Len Zanni, 7:11:21
6. Max Taam, 7:16:56
7. Travis Brown, 7:22:05
8. Manuel Prado, 7:35:27
9. Mike Hogan, 7:35:35
10. Jason Tullous, 7:35:47
You can visit leadvilletrail100.com for more information.
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