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For the third consecutive year, Nicolette Jones is the first woman to complete the 2026 Colorado Trail Race. She finished in just 4 days, 21 hours, and 45 minutes, taking sixth place overall. Learn more about her impressive ride here…
Words by Alan Jacoby, photos by Eddie Clark
Nicolette Jones made it to Durango in the wee hours of the morning with a winning time of 4 days, 21 hours, and 45 minutes. This makes her the first-place woman at the Colorado Trail Race for the third year running. She arrived just a few minutes behind singlespeed winner Matt Annabel, which also earned her sixth place overall. Call it a hat trick. A trifecta. A three-peat. However you say it, Nicolette now has back-to-back-to-back wins on the Colorado Trail Race. Not to mention that before racing, she’d also toured it, through-hiked it, and cross-country skied it in the winter. And did I mention she also owns the FKT heading northeast, and that she’s the only woman to go sub-five days, which she’s now done in both directions? Mic drop.
The 27-year-old former soccer player came into the race in top form with her eyes on the prize. She took second place at the Highland Trail 550 in May, which was a great fitness test and shakedown for the CTR. Nicolette’s bike of choice for that race (and all three CTRs) has been her Vassago Optimus Ti hardtail. If they’re not sponsoring her already, they should be!
Jones survived and thrived in the smoky and hot conditions as best as possible. She finished 14 hours faster than her rookie win in this direction in 2024, making this by far the fastest women’s effort heading southwest. However, it won’t count as a record because of the Willow Fire detour. Alexandera Houchin’s time of 6 days, 2 hours, and 33 minutes from 2022, which she achieved on a singlespeed, still stands as the official women’s record.
Congratulations, Nicolette, and we hope your legs and lungs recover quickly! There are a lot of riders still on the route, braving it out until the end. Keep cheering for them on Tracking, linked below.
Check out the 2026 Colorado Trail Race Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, and stay tuned in for more event coverage. Find it here.
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