Hundreds Hit the Rockies at 2021 Stages Cycling Leadville Stage Race

August 2, 2021

Colorado’s Rachel Beck and California’s Alex Wild Secure First Place Titles; Duo to reunite and take on the Leadville Trail 100 MTB on Aug. 14

Leadville, Colo, Aug. 2—From July 30 to Aug. 1, nearly three hundred devoted cyclists descended upon Leadville, Colo. for the sold-out Stages Cycling Leadville Stage Race. They came from 37 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico to tackle the famed Leadville Trail 100 MTB route over the course of three days.

“The camaraderie within our Leadville Race Series family over the past 3 days has been a thing of beauty,” said Ryan Cross, Off-Road Cycling Marketing Manager at Life Time. “On a three-day event, athletes really settle in and get to know one another on and off the bike. The event is three epic days of riding, but the community feel is truly what makes it special. Congratulations to all of our athletes who took part this weekend!”

Overall Female Top Three:

• Rachel Beck, 42, of Woody Creek, Colo. with a time of 7:55:20
• Mary Dannelley, 53, of Newport Beach, Calif., with a time of 8:33:19
• Shaneis Kehoe, 31, of Eagle, Colo., with a time of 8:34:10

Of her win, Beck noted, “Today was my son George’s 19^th birthday and since he was racing too, my whole family came to watch stage three. He is going off to college in the fall so it was really special that we got to race together in Leadville.”

Overall Male Top Three:

• Alex Wild, 29, of San Jose, Calif., with a time of 6:09:37
• Jimmy Smith, 27, of Boulder, Colo., with a time of 6:20:05
• Nicholas Jenkins, 22, of Colorado Springs, Colo., with a time of 6:20:09

Wild noted, “It was a great weekend to test gear and pace for the Leadville 100. It was awesome to see the Leadville family again, with so many people pushing their limits and all the hard work paying off.”

Wild and Beck both took wins in all three stages and are set to take on the infamous Leadville Trail 100 MTB in two weeks’ time. In the fight for the podium spots, it came down to the final day’s racing as places 2^nd through 4^th were separated by a small margin in both the men’s and women’s fields. In the men’s race, an untimely mechanical at the top of the Powerline climb forced 19-year-old Toby Hassett out of contention and off the podium while Jimmy Smith and Nicholas Jenkins sprinted it out for 2^nd and 3^rd overall, separated by a mere 4 seconds.

In the women’s field, Shaneis Kehoe and Mary Dannelley put in huge last-day efforts to fight for the 2^nd and 3^rd positions, separated by less than a minute over the course of three days of racing. Rachel Beck put together a clean race and extended her winning margin to nearly 40 minutes leaving her mark in dominant fashion in the 2021 Leadville Stage Race.

Stage One Winners– Lake County Rodeo Ground to Twin Lakes Dam, 40 miles (July 30):

1. Rachel Beck, 42, of Woody Creek, Colo.
2. Shaneis Kehoe, 31, of Eagle, Colo.
3. Lyndsey Larson, 42, of Denver, Colo.

1. Alex Wild, 29, of San Jose, Calif.
2. Toby Hassett, 18, of Golden, Colo.
3. Nicholas Jenkins, 22, of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Stage Two Winners – Out-and-back Columbine Climb at Twin Lakes Dam, 22 miles (July 31):

1. Rachel Beck, 42, of Woody Creek, Colo.
2. Mary Dannelley, 53, of Newport Beach, Calif.
3. Shaneis Kehoe, 31, of Eagle, Colo.

1. Alex Wild, 29, of San Jose, Calif.
2. Toby Hassett, 18, of Golden, Colo.
3. Jimmy Smith, 27, of Boulder, Colo.

Stage Three Winners – Twin Lakes Dam to Lake County Rodeo Grounds, 41 miles (Aug. 1):

1. Rachel Beck, 42, of Woody Creek, Colo.
2. Shaneis Kehoe, 31, of Eagle, Colo.
3. Mary Dannelley, 53, of Newport Beach, Calif.

1. Alex Wild, 29, of San Jose, Calif.
2. Jimmy Smith, 27, of Boulder, Colo.
3. Nicholas Jenkins, 22, of Colorado Springs, Colo.

An approachable alternate to the single-day Leadville Trail 100, the Leadville Stage Race offers cyclists the chance to tackle the entire length of the LT100 MTB broken up over three days. Each night, athletes congregate for group meals, awards, and live music. With small field sizes, shorter days and off the bike experiences built in, the Leadville Stage Race is one of the most unique and revered events on the Leadville Race Series calendar.

The next race in the Leadville Race Series calendar is the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB taking place Aug.14. The event is a true test of endurance and grit, as athletes will traverse 100 miles across the high-altitude and extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies. Additionally, for those who wish to attempt it, the LeadBoat Challenge invites Leadville Trail 100 MTB racers to also compete in the 144 mile SBT GRVL Black course the very next day for the ultimate test of endurance and athleticism. The final two cycling events in the Leadville Race Series are Barn Burner in Flagstaff, Ariz., Sept. 18 and Austin Rattler MTB, Nov. 6.

Other cycling events on the Life Time off-road events calendar include Chequamegon MTB Festival in northwest Wisc., Sept. 18, ‘Rad Dirt Fest in Trinidad, Colo., Oct. 2-3 and Big Sugar NWA Gravel in Bentonville, Ark., Oct 23.

To learn more about Life Time’s athletic events, visit: https://my.lifetime.life/athletic-events.html

The Leadville Stage Race is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned by the company, including Garmin UNBOUND Gravel, Verizon New York City Triathlon, Life Time Chicago Triathlon and the Miami Marathon.

About the Leadville Race Series

Started with only 45 runners as the Leadville Trail 100 Run in 1983, the Leadville Race Series now consists of seven running events and four mountain biking events, plus six events in the Leadville Qualifying Series. The Race Series stretches across three months, and hosts thousands of racers on foot and on mountain bike in some of the world’s most iconic events. Endurance athletes worldwide now make the pilgrimage to Leadville, Colo., with the single goal of competing in “The Race Across the Sky.” Visit www.leadvilleraceseries.com for more information.

About Life Time®, Inc.

Now nearing its 30th anniversary, Life Time is a wellness pioneer reshaping the way consumers approach their health by integrating where we move, work, live and play – digitally and physically – all with the primary objective of delivering the best experiences and programs in the best places by the best people and performers—inspiring healthier, happier lives. With more than 150 destinations in 41 major markets across the U.S. and Canada, Life Time operates luxury athletic resorts, owns and produces iconic athletic events and is expanding its brand though Life Time Work premium coworking spaces and Life Time Living high-end leased residences. For more information visit lifetime.life.

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