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The overall winners of the men’s and women’s 2026 Grand Loop race have wrapped up their rides, and event organizer Tim Tait snapped a few photos along the way. Learn more about Rocky Gingg’s and Alyssa Secreto’s impressive rides here…
Words and photos by Tim Tait
Overall, the 2026 Grand Loop dished up great weather for the riders. Night one brought a bit of snow, hail, and cold temps for those who found themselves up on the Uncompahgre Plateau. There’s always a chance of this, and often riders think they’ll be further along and back down to a lower elevation before nightfall. But that same storm front brought spectacular weather for day two in Fruita, with the mid-70s and overcast conditions that helped keep riders from getting totally shelled through the low-desert traverse. No mud reported, either.
Rocky Gingg took the overall/men’s win on Sunday afternoon. He chased Kurt Refsnider’s FKT dot for two days, coming in as the second fastest recorded time on the Grand loop at 2 days, 3 hours, and 21 minutes. Here’s what Rocky sent to me after he finished: “I knew as soon as I finished last year, I’d be back for another loop. It’s such a beautiful and burly route that humbles you to the core. The coin flip the night before the race required a little more homework, but it was a fun wrinkle and kept us all on our toes. The weather was much better than last year, and the full moon was great for night riding.”
Earlier this morning, Alyssa Secreto was the first woman to finish the 2026 Grand Loop with a time of 3 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes. Alyssa rode consistently each day, got her period in Bangs Canyon (she said we could share that), and enjoyed the loop and what it threw at her. It was only in the final 10 miles into Nucla where things unraveled. She ran out of lights in the final miles, bonked hard, and became disoriented, ultimately waiting until morning and daylight to finish out the final three miles. Alyssa finished the Grand Loop with a nosebleed.
General themes from other riders: more challenging than expected, progress not as fast as expected, ran out of food, etc., but absolutely stunning scenery and immense solitude. The start and finish in Nucla and the Vestal House make the loop that much more special.
Further Reading
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