Focus. Just before the start. Nate Whitman (Herbalife24 / Cynergy) went on to finish 9th overall. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Alban Lakata's Leadville-winning bike. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Top three bikes from the top three men. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Colorado based rider, Scott Tietzel (Specialized), finishes a respectable 15th and appears just a little tired. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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This is what it looks like if you are a rider coming for the finish...1 hour before the winning men's rider finishes. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Trapper Steinle searching for O's at over 10,000 feet above sea level. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Leroy Popowski (Juwi) making his way back to the Pipeline on the return to Leadville. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A Herbalife rider making his way up the singletrack to the Pipeline. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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With a scenic view, Alban Lakata (Topeak-Ergon) Christoph Sauser (Specialized), and Todd Wells (Specialized) make their way back to the Pipeline on the return to Leadville. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Alban Lakata (Topeak-Ergon), Christoph Sauser (Specialized), and Todd Wells (Specialized) making their way back to the Pipeline on the return to Leadville. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Gerry Cody (Herbalife24 / Cynergy) leads the second pack of pro men down a rocky descent from the Pipeline, chasing the race leaders several minutes up the road. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Rebecca Rusch finished third at Leadville, a race she has won four times (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Greg Krause, Alpha, riding the single track for a top 10. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A few riders on the single track making their way into the top 10. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Alban Lakata,Christoph Sauser, and Todd Wells on the singletrack on the return trip to Leadville. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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The unsung hero...moto ref. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Soon to be newleyweds Rich Bucher and Julie Bass on their way to the highest point of the race to tie the knot. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Sally Bigham, Topeak, on the descent along the Pipeline. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Dana Weber (Stage21) descending along the Pipeline... and don't stop no matter what. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Tha human race on two wheels. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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From Japan with love. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A Topeak rider from Japan making his way on the single track. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Sally Bingham on the singletrack. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Allison Powers making her way to a 2nd place. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A father and son crossing the finishline together. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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The Leadville 100 medals to those who finish. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A happy Alban Lakata shortly after taking the win. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A wasted, but happy Alban Lakata shortly after taking the win. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Alban Lakata (Topeak Ergon) takes the win after shattering the previous record by over12 minutes. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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A confident Alban Lakata during the final few miles on his way to a win. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Alban Lakata during the final few miles on his way to a win. Looking back to make sure. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
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Alban Lakata during the final few miles on his way to a win. (Image credit: Dejan Smaic / SportifImages)
The 20th edition of the Leadville 100 MTB Race became a milestone for both racers and event organizers. New course records were set for both the men's and women's fields, with Alban Lakata (Topeak-Ergon) smashing Levi Leipheimer's previous record of 6:16:37 by over 12 minutes, and Sally Bigham (Topeak-Ergon) shattering four-time winner Rebecca Rusch's (Specialized) previous record of 7:28:06 by over 11 minutes.
Approximately 2,000 registered racers lined up at 10,152 feet above sea level in a typical Colorado crispy, clear, cool 39-degree morning before heading out in the mass start for the 100-mile race. After the customary rifle blast signaling the race start, a sea of riders began to make its way out of town, with the elite riders leading the way.
The first climb of the day made the winning men's race selection of trio Austrian Lakata, American Todd Wells (Specialized), and Swiss Christoph Sauser (Specialized), who is the current marathon world champion.
The trio stayed together until the Powerline climb, splitting the group through the finish, with Lakata soloing across the finish line with a time of 6:04:01. Sauser finished second at 6:05:07, and Wells rounded out the top three in a time of 6:18:47. All three riders were visibly cooked from the record-breaking pace, with Sauser determined to come back in 2014 and try to win it.
In the women's race, there was another record-breaking effort with Sally Bigham (Topeak Ergon) putting distance on her field going into the Pipeline. Bigham maintained her winning gap over a chasing 2013 women's criterium national champion Allison Powers (Herbalife) and Rusch. Bigham crossed the finish line with a record-breaking time of 7:17:02, followed by Powers at 7:21:57, and Rusch at 7:35:27. After the finish, Rusch, who had lost a close cycling friend in an accident a few days prior to the race, was swept by emotion and closed out the 2013 Leadville 100 with tears.
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