Lachlan Morton and Alex Howes dominate leaderboard in Old Man Winter Rally 

The WorldTour pros are topping the leaderboard in the tough gravel event 

Lachlan Morton (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Lachlan Morton and Alex Howes are currently dominating the top of the leaderboard in the Old Man Winter Rally.

The WorldTour pros, both riding for EF Education-Nippo, have taken on the brutal 100km off-road event in their home state Colorado. 

Reigning US champion Howes and team-mate Morton made a last-minute decision to enter the socially distanced race, completing the course in the fastest time so far with four days still remaining in the competition. 

The elite level riders as well ahead of their nearest contender, setting a time 24 minutes faster than third place.

The 2021 edition, which features a 50km and 100km off-road rides or a 10km run (or both), sees competitors given a nine-day window to complete the course and then upload their GPS file to be included on the leaderboard, with the winner being declared after February 14. 

Morton, 29, currently sits top of the 100km bike event with a time of 2-29-57, with Howes second at 2-30-00. Third place is currently David Sachs with a time of 2-54-12. 

The women’s competition is currently led by 2019 winner Erin Huck, who finished the course in 2-57-01. 

We wanted to get out there and put time on the board. We also just wanted to show our support for the event and the Colorado riding community,” Howes said. 

“Normally Old Man Winter is a great opportunity to see and spend time with many of my riding buddies here in Colorado. I was bummed to miss out on seeing everyone, but we still had a great time this year.” 

Howes and Morton only decided to enter the contest on Thursday (February 4), just two days before the event started.

When Howes text Morton asking if he wanted to race, he received a thumbs up emoji from his Australian team-mate and the date was set. 

The pair made it through the challenging 100km course with a puncture and a crash for Morton, but they still set the fastest time. 

Riders and runners traditionally face all kinds of challenges on the day in the Old Man Winter Rally, based around the city of Lyons, including rain, snow and hailstorms. 

The 100km ride is a challenging course featuring gravel roads, some tough climbs, fast tarmac and the infamous Rowena trail.

Split into two timed segments, this year riders can choose to complete the two segments on the same day or split them across different days. 

The last bike event held was in 2019 (after the rides were cancelled last year) and the fastest male finisher was Yannick Eckmann, with a time of three hours and 30 minutes, just four seconds ahead of second place Ken Benesh. 

>>> Mark Cavendish will make 2021 Deceuninck – Quick-Step debut this week  

Erin Huck was the fastest female finish with a time of four hours, while Trek Segafredo’s Ruth Winder came in second.    

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.