Paton Scores Podium at Leadville Trail 100!

Paton, a privateer who races as part of Giant’s gravel collective, rode a superlight Giant XtC Advanced SL 29 hardtail to conquer the legendary Leadville course with his fastest time ever. Following months of preparation, the Washington native rode a smart race to achieve his goal of a podium behind repeat winner Keegan Swenson and second-place finisher John Gaston.
 
A second member of Giant’s privateer collective, Australian Brendan Johnston, also had a solid result, finishing 14th to preserve his high position of sixth overall among the pro men in the Life Time Grand Prix series. In addition to their XtC Advanced SL 29 race bikes, both Paton and Johnston also rode with Giant XCR 1 30 WheelSystems and Rev Pro helmets.
 
Leadville marked the third event in the 2024 Life Time Grand Prix, a series of six gravel and XC marathon races in the U.S. with a $300,000 prize purse among the pro men and women. This year’s series includes three MTB races and three gravel races (one gravel race was cancelled due to forest fires), and riders’ overall rankings will be based on their top four finishes.
 
“I’m really proud of my third place at Leadville,” said Paton, who now sits eighth overall in the series at the midway point of the year. “There’s been a lot of anticipation for this weekend, and I’ve trained really hard at high altitude for the past couple months to be ready. I raced with confidence, and I bet on myself when the lead group broke away early in the race.”
 
The 30th edition of the Leadville Trail 100 got off to a fast start for the pro men as they left town at an elevation of 10,152 feet for a grueling 104-mile race with 12,000-plus feet of climbing in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains. A four-man break formed early, while Paton stuck to his pacing strategy in a chase group of eight, less than a minute back in the approach to the day’s big climbs.
 
“I stayed committed to my pacing strategy and over the span of a few hours I was able to chase back to the front,” Paton said.
 
Swenson, who owns the course record from his 2023 win, separated himself off the front on the decisive Columbine climb, while Paton continued to look strong up the ascent to the summit of 12,500 feet. He put his off-road skills to use on the descent back down Columbine, making up time and joining up with John Gaston in their pursuit of Swenson.
 
Those two battled to the finish, holding off fourth-place finisher Lachlan Morton, winner of the previous Life Time Grand Prix event, Unbound Gravel in Kansas. In the end, Paton finished third with a time of 6:06:40.
 
“I had a super lightweight setup on my XtC that performed flawlessly,” Paton said. “I’m proud of how I was able to trust in myself and clock my fastest time yet.”
 
The Life Time Grand Prix continues next month with the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, a 40-mile marathon MTB race September 14 in Wisconsin, followed by the Rad Dirt Fest September 28 in Colorado.  The series concludes with Big Sugar Gravel, October 19 in Bentonville, Arkansas. With their current point standings, both Paton and Johnston are in solid position to finish in the top-5 overall.