2026 Colorado Trail Race

Latest Updates

• 12 days ago

  Cruz Blue is the Youngest CTR Finisher!

  by Alan Jacoby

  Photo by Eddie Clark

  With a time of 6 days, 17 hours, and 49 minutes, 17-year-old Cruz Blue from Flagstaff, Arizona, is the youngest rider to finish the Colorado Trail Race. In a hot and smoke-riddled year where 39 out of 68 starters have already scratched from the race, his feat is especially impressive.

  

  The teenager is no stranger to finishing grueling bikepacking races. His first event was the 2024 Pinyons and Pines at age 15, where he finished 14th. In 2025, at age 16, he became the youngest solo rider to complete the Arizona Trail Race 800. Two months ago, Cruz finished the Tour Divide in just 19 days, 11 hours, and 6 minutes. Funny enough, he wanted to quit mid-race, but didn’t have cell service to call his dad. So he kept riding and overcame the urge to scratch. By completing the Colorado Trail Race, Tour Divide and the Arizona Trail Race, the youngster now has all three bikepacking Triple Crown races under his belt—well before his 18th birthday. Congrats, Cruz!
• 12 days ago
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  A Photographic Look Back at the 2026 Colorado Trail Race

  by Eddie Clark
• 15 days ago

  The Men’s Podium is Complete!

  by Alan Jacoby

  Rocky Gingg finished at 8:42 p.m. last night with a time of 4 days, 16 hours, and 42 minutes to secure third place and snag the final podium spot from 21-year-old Jacob Hora, who crossed the line a couple of hours later in fourth place. The two had been dueling back and forth and breathing, or should I say coughing, down each other’s necks. Around Coney Summit, Jacob hit a wall, where he was heavily affected by altitude sickness and a lingering cough from smoke inhalation. He managed himself pretty well considering, but once he watched Rocky ride off, the two never saw each other again.

  Rocky’s tracker wouldn’t take a charge and died at Cathedral Ranch Cabins. This made it confusing for dot watchers, since he continued on, but his dot stayed put. Funny enough, both Rocky and Jacob live in Durango and were riding similarly decked-out Pivot Mach 4SLs. I’m sure they’ll get together in the next couple of days, once they have rested up, to rehash their rides. Congrats to both on their super fast finishes!

  

  On another note, Brandon Bettes (Gnar Nasty) had a bad crash about 30 miles before reaching Cathedral Ranch Cabins, where he decided to end his race. Multiple riders also scratched at the cabins because of the poor air quality. The Elk Fire has been blowing in barbecue-level smoke conditions. Dylan Disarro was struggling with a cough from the smoke and decided not to go on.

  Singlespeeders Joe Grant and Justin Bell also suffered from the smoke up at higher elevations and decided to retire from the race. An example of camaraderie among racers is that Alex Kowalski, who scratched earlier in the race, made multiple trips with his vehicle to pick them all up. We hope everyone recovers quickly. For those racers still out there, stay safe!
• 15 days ago
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  Matt Annabel is First Singlespeeder at the 2026 Colorado Trail Race

  by Guest
• 15 days ago
  5

  Nicolette Jones is Fastest Woman at Colorado Trail Race for Third Year in a Row

  by Guest
• 16 days ago

  Xavier Chiriboga Finishes in Second Place

  by Alan Jacoby

  Photos by Eddie Clark

  With a time of 4 days, 11 hours, 18 minutes, Xavier Chiriboga just nabbed second place in the 2026 Colorado Trail Race. Not a bad follow-up to his win in 2024. The 44-year-old farmer and cheesemaker from Quito, Ecuador, wasn’t even sure he would feel strong enough to start the race this year. After his impressive sixth-place finish on the Tour Divide, he was plagued with a bacterial urinary tract infection contracted out on the route. His prolonged recovery and subsequent limited training for Colorado were severely hampered. You’d never know it, given the performance he just delivered.

  

  

  Xavier intends to complete the Bikepacking Triple Crown this year. With the Tour Divide and the Colorado Trail now in the rearview mirror, he’ll be setting his attention to the Arizona Trail 800 Race in October, where he’ll surely be a fan-favorite podium contender once again. But first, some well-deserved rest and recovery are on tap.

  

  Looking at Eddie’s photos, Xavier literally jogged to the finish, unable to ride with a flat rear tire. After he finished, Eddie and Xavier enjoyed some beers and got chatting about bike racing.

  Congratulations on a stellar ride, Xavier!
• 16 days ago

  Jacob Hora's Day Three Recap

  by Miles Arbour

  Still sitting comfortably in third place, Jacob Hora has been posting daily recap reels from this year’s Colorado Trail Race. His day three update includes scenes from Sargent’s Mesa, finishing with a stop at Cathedral Cabins.

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Jacob Hora (@jacob_hora)
• 16 days ago
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  Alex McCormack Wins 2026 Colorado Trail Race

  by Guest
• 17 days ago
  1

  2026 Colorado Trail Race Day 3: Smokin’ Fast and Smoky

  by Guest
• 18 days ago

  Day Two Scratch Report

  by Alan Jacoby

  We’re 48 hours into the Colorado Trail Race, and the scratches are starting to pile up. Altitude, heat, wildfire smoke, and mechanicals have caused many Grand Depart starters to officially retire from the race.

  Probably the most notable is Brian Elander, who was giving Alex McCormack a run for his money at the front of the race. He took a hotel room at Copper Mountain and noticed he cracked his carbon Allied BC40 frame. So sad! If you want to see his amazing stats of going from Denver to Copper in 22 hours with only 2 hours of total rest time, check out his Strava file here.

  

  Ezra Ward-Packard ended his ride at Kenosha Pass. He was throwing up and tried to sleep it off. But that didn’t help. The damage was done, and he decided to pull the plug.

  

  Tanner Frady reported that both of his Shimano XT brakes stopped working at the same time, about 45 miles before Breckenridge, making for a lot of walking. He even tried adding water to the lines, but it didn’t help. He left the route before climbing Georgia Pass, which would’ve made for a miserable descent without working brakes.

  Singlespeeder Justin McKinley hadn’t been feeling well at all on day one. He tried to sleep it off, but the altitude and heat got to him, so he scratched at Hwy 285 before climbing up to Georgia Pass.

  

  Jocelyn De La Rosa, a potential podium threat, also retired from the race around route mile 193, near Leadville. All in all, 12 out of 68 Grand Depart riders have ended their race early at this point. Interestingly enough, no women have scratched thus far. Only men. With that said, onward and upward to day three!
• 18 days ago

  Jacob Hora's Day One Recap

  by Miles Arbour

  21-year-old Jacob Hora is currently sitting in third place overall, just 17 miles behind Xavier Chiriboga. He posted a day-one recap on Instagram, sharing his stats, which included 145 miles of riding and 20,000 feet of elevation gain. The best part? He was late for the grand depart by a few minutes. Watch his reel below.

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Jacob Hora (@jacob_hora)
• 19 days ago
  4

  Rigs of the 2026 Colorado Trail Race Stats Analysis

  by Miles Arbour
• 19 days ago
  3

  2026 Colorado Trail Race Day 1: And They’re Off!

  by Guest
• 21 days ago
  15

  2026 Colorado Trail Race Preview: Here’s What to Watch

  by Guest
• 22 days ago
  33

  Rigs of the 2026 Colorado Trail Race

  by Miles Arbour