Published August 13, 2011 03:08PM
LEADVILLE, Colo. (ST) — Todd Wells and Rebecca Rusch (both on the Specialized team) won Saturday’s Leadville Trail 100 on a sparkling clear warm day in the Rockies.
Wells, who was third last year after having a mechanical early in the race, rode most of the second half of the 100 miler alone; he briefly appeared on track to match the course record set by Levi Leipheimer last year, but faded in bit in the last 15 miles.
Former marathon world champion Alban Lakata of Austria was second. He had a flat in the first quarter of the race and, when his inflator malfunctioned, was forced to push his bike for a way to an aid station.
Rusch shattered the course record she set last year, by nearly 16 minutes. In fact, the top four women across the line finished ahead of the old record. 2007 Leadville winner Gretchen Reeves, of nearby Avon, Colorado, was second, followed by endurance specialist Pua Mata and Gunnison, Colorado’s Jenny Smith.
Mata had gone on a solo attack early, and Rusch at one point was almost three minutes behind. But Mata suffered some mechanical problems and Rusch poured on the speed up the Columbine climb and held off the chase in the final miles.
Please check back soon for complete results, photos, videos and race reports.