After a fantastic season opener win at the Landrun 100, Payson McElveen decided to tackle one of the most iconic records in American cycling: the White Rim MTB Trail. On Wednesday, March 27th at 7:39AM McElveen charged through the start line on his Orange Seal Off-road Trek Top Fuel Mountain Bike and sprinted deep into Canyonlands National Park for a near six hour sufferfest in an effort to break Andy Dorais fastest known time of 5:59:34. McElveen rolled across the finish line in an incredible 5:45:16.
“The only way to get better is to explore your boundaries, and I knew tackling this epic loop as fast I could would push me to my absolute limit. Also, as long as I can remember, the payoff of effort and struggle has brought incredible happiness to my life. If I’m in a beautiful place, I just naturally find myself wanting to see what’s around the next turn or over the next rise. Those places seems to call for us to give our full effort—it feels natural to celebrate these places by giving nothing but your very best.”