Keegan Swenson is unbeatable in the Life Time Grand Prix. With all due respect, Swenson absolutely destroyed the competition in the latest round of the GP, Crusher in the Tushar. In fact, Swenson could’ve stopped at the side of the road for 10 minutes and still finished on the podium.
Swenson set the course record at this year’s Crusher in the Tushar: 3 hours 56 minutes 42 seconds. Peter Stetina finished second in 4:02:36, Matthew Beers rounded out the podium in 4:04:53, and the next group of riders finished in just under four hours and eight minutes.
After finishing 8th in the 2022 edition, Sofía Gómez Villafañe bounced back to win Crusher in the Tushar in a time of 4 hours 49 minutes 43 seconds, nearly three minutes ahead of second place, Lauren De Crescenzo.
Also read: The staggering power numbers of Pogačar and Kwiatkowski up Grand Colombier
So what made the 2023 edition so much faster? Let’s take a closer look at what it took to break the men’s and women’s course records at the 2023 Crusher in the Tushar.
They call it the hardest gravel race in America, so you might be surprised to learn that Crusher in the Tushar is only 111.5 kilometers (69 miles) long. But the course is unlike any other gravel route in the world. In that 111.5km, there are 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) of climbing in just two major mountain passes.
Crusher in the Tushar starts at 1,800m elevation, and that is the lowest point of the entire race. Both climbs top out around 3,100m (10,170 ft), including the finish line atop the second climb. Crusher in the Tushar is one of the highest-altitude bike races in the world, and it might be the highest gravel race in North America.
Swenson is a Utah native and an absolute pro at living and training at altitude. As if he wasn’t already the strongest rider in the Life Time Grand Prix, the high-elevation Crusher in the Tushar course was perfect for him.
In 2022, Swenson was solo by the bottom of the first descent and less than halfway through the course. He went on to win in a time of 4 hours 2 minutes 24 seconds, more than 11 minutes ahead of last year’s podium, Cole Paton and Griffin Easter.
Swenson – 2022 Crusher in the Tushar
Time: 4:02:24
Average Power: 280w (4.4w/kg)
Normalized Power: 308w (4.7w/kg)
The 2023 edition of Crusher in the Tushar wasn’t much different for Swenson. When he attacked on the opening climb, only Peter Stetina could follow, but the former WorldTour rider dropped his chain at the beginning of the first descent. Thus, Swenson was solo again less than halfway through the race.
In just the opening climb alone, Swenson was nearly two minutes ahead of his 2022 pace, despite going the same speed on the steepest section of the climb. In the 90 minutes of the race, Swenson’s average power was already 20w higher than what he did in 2022. There’s no doubt that Keegan Swenson has never been stronger.
Swenson – First KOM at the 2022 Crusher in the Tushar
2022 Time: 1:17:10
Average Power: 295w (NP 319w)
Steepest section of first KOM: 23’ 12” at 359w (5.5w/kg)
2023 Time: 1:15:36
Average Power: 315w (NP 333w)
Steepest section of first KOM: 23’ 15” at 358w (5.5w/kg)
Villafañe made the front group in the women’s field after beginning the climb with a massive 10-minute effort, especially given the high altitude.
Villafañe – First KOM at the 2022 Crusher in the Tushar
Time: 1:29:04
Average Power: 220w (4w/kg)
Peak 10-minute power: 272w (5w/kg)
After the crest of the climb was a 20-plus minute descent down into Junction, Utah, where the riders would complete the loop of the lollipop before heading back up to the finish.
Side note: this descent included the longest consecutive coast that I’ve ever seen in a race-winning power file. Swenson coasted at 0 w for four minutes 27 seconds on the last part of the descent at an average of 68.3kph (42.4mph).
It’s funny that this coasting session was immediately followed by a flat 17km section that included five turns and aero coasting. This portion of Swenson’s power file makes it looks like he’s doing an ERG mode workout on the indoor trainer. Now that’s what I call steady-state power.
Swenson – 17km flat section
Time: 23’ 52”
Average Power: 310w (4.7w/kg)
Swenson didn’t go significantly faster on the flat section compared to 2022, but that all changed when he began the final climb. In the next 37km, Swenson cut two more minutes off the course record time, averaging 312w for nearly an hour and 40 minutes. The average of that effort was around 2,800m (9,185 ft), by the way. Most of us mere mortals would struggle to pedal our typical Zone 2 power for 90 minutes at that elevation.
Swenson – Second KOM at the 2022 Crusher in the Tushar
2022 Time: 1:40:04
Average Power: 308w (NP 319w)
Steepest section of second KOM: 25’ 32” at 335w (5.1w/kg)
2023 Time: 1:38:06
Average Power: 312w (NP 325w)
Steepest section of second KOM: 25’ 04” at 339w (5.2w/kg)
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about Keegan Swenson by watching, observing, and analyzing, it’s that he is dialed in. Swenson knows exactly what tires he needs to ride, how many water bottles he needs to carry on his bike, how many grams of carbohydrates and sodium he needs each hour, and how much power he should be doing on the first climb versus the second climb.
Keegan Swenson is putting together a string of race results that would make most riders’ careers. And he hasn’t stopped yet. The Life Time Grand Prix continues with the Leadville Trail 100 MTB on August 12, another high-altitude epic.
Sofía Gómez Villafañe built up a healthy lead in the women’s race, so much so that she took it “mellow” in the last couple of miles, unaware that she was on record pace. Despite the relaxing end to a brutal race, Villafañe still took more than six minutes off the women’s course record, finishing in a time of 4 hours 49 minutes 43 seconds.
We can really see where Villafañe’s pace dropped off in the final half hour of the race. After holding more than 210w on the steep climb, she backed off to 150-200w for the remainder of the race. Especially at altitude, it is easy to blow up in the final hour of a hard gravel race. But as the temperatures climbed past 27°C (80°F), Villafañe held on to her lead and extended her gap in the Life Time Grand Prix with a win at Crusher in the Tushar.
Villafañe – Second KOM at the 2022 Crusher in the Tushar
Time: 2:11:11
Average Power: 194w (NP 205w)
Steepest section of second KOM: 34’ 11” at 212w (3.9w/kg)
***
Power Analysis data courtesy of Strava
Strava sauce extension
Riders: