BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. – Most Epic riders would agree that if there were one stage nearly impossible to dominate from start to finish, it’s the Circumnavigation of Mt. Guyot. Measuring 40.5 miles with more than 7,000 feet of climbing – a bunch of it above tree line, up and over the Continental Divide twice – Stage 3 is considered the quintessential showcase of wild yet well-rounded riding.
However, there was one athlete who led from the first climb through every ensuing moment of the race, for 3 hours, 26 minutes and 54 seconds. His name is Cassius Anderson.
“I kind of had a slow start the first two days and didn’t sleep well at all last night,” the 23-year-old Californian said. “Then I got on the bike and felt good on the first climb. I kept with it. It’s pretty great. This is probably the most epic stage. It’s definitely the hardest.”
Racing in his second Epic, Tuesday marked Anderson’s first stage victory. It didn’t come without pressure, though. Around the last few miles of the course, Anderson glanced over his shoulder to find GC leader James Kelly hot on his tail.
“I had probably slowed down a little bit. I pretty much had to dig really deep to hold him off,” Anderson said. “I was like, I didn’t just ride really hard for three hours to be caught in the last five miles.”
Kelly flew across the line just four seconds in Anderson’s wake for second place, cushioning his gap in the GC.
“If there were maybe 100 meters left, I might have caught him,” Kelly said. “Cassius led off the front the whole day, so he deserves the win. My focus coming into this stage was not breaking anything.”
The 31-year-old Australian is making his Epic debut this week. After hearing about Guyot’s rocky terrain, he upped his tire pressure, but said the 36-tooth chain ring was the wrong pick for the steep, technical climbs over French and Georgia Pass.
“I regretted my chain ring choice, but I got through with a touch of walking,” Kelly said. “We had a good little group early on with Taylor [Lideen] and Macky [Franklin]. I went for a bit of a solo time trial to try to catch Cassius, which is the sort of riding I like to do. I ride harder and push myself more when I’m riding solo.”
The social group of top riders started day one. It continued on Monday, when Franklin was keeping pace with Lideen and Kelly, but stopped for several minutes to help Sam Brown, who took a nasty spill and injured his shoulder.
It was just Cassius Anderson alone with the views (and some Skittles) until James Kelly almost caught him in Stage 3. Photo by Nate Abbott
Medal of Honor and another podium for Macky Franklin
It was Franklin to round out the podium Tuesday, finishing only 1 minute, 22 seconds off the winning pace as Lideen, who trails Kelly the most closely in the GC (back by almost 8 minutes), came in fourth, nearly three minutes behind Franklin.
Franklin’s altruistic efforts in Stage 2 cost him valuable positioning in the GC, but his attitude remains winning.
“I stopped and waited until the medic showed up and then kind of worked my way through the field,” Franklin said. “It was fun because I got to see everybody in the field, but it was not a great result. I’m just glad Sam’s gonna be okay.”
Racing in his eighth Epic, the 39-year-old from New Mexico is nonetheless notching his best performance yet.
“What’s been fun is, I started off racing cross-country, and then I raced enduro for a long time, and then I came back to cross-country. Now I race a bit of everything. I’m fitter now than I was when I was in my 20s, so it’s kind of fun to improve year over year,” Franklin said.
With his smoldering Stage 3 performance, Anderson now sits in third in the GC, trailing Kelly by about 15 and a half minutes. Cory Wallace is fourth, about 25 and a half minutes back, and Stefano Barberi fifth, 32 minutes back.
Mayles is proving unbeatable
Regardless of which stage is the queen stage (it’s up for debate between Mt. Guyot and Wheeler), a true queen is emerging in the pro women’s field and nobody seems able to touch her.
Deanna Mayles dominated for the third day straight Tuesday, handily winning the Circumnavigation of Mt. Guyot in 4:02:15 – more than 9 minutes ahead of her closest competitor.
Racing in her first Epic, Mayles, 32, revealed after winning the first two stages that she had left some reserves in the tank. However, thanks to an early tear by Julie Momber (who ended up second) on Tuesday, Mayles had to put the hammer down sooner than planned.
“I think Julie just woke up and was like, this is the day. She started off with the guys and I was like, I don’t really want to go with those guys. But she was there on that first climb, so I was like, alright. Here we go,” Mayles said.
Staying in the saddle for the steep, loose climb up the creek bed on Little French, Mayles and Momber did some yo-yoing before they hit the first singletrack. That’s when Mayles found another gear.
“Basically, these are almost like my backyard trails and this is my backyard race. Coming into it, I was hoping to win,” the Colorado Springs rider said. “I mean, there are three days left. You could be really tired one day. You could get a flat another day. Anything could happen.”
For Momber, who lives in Prescott, Ariz., and took third overall in the 2025 Epic, there’s no chasing down Mayles once she pulls ahead.
“She’s so fast that I’m not trying to catch her,” Momber said. “After putting in a little effort going out, I just tried to keep it steady. Getting to the top of French Pass is a highlight, because it’s just so epic. That descent is super fun, too. It was just a really cool day in general.”
Momber is now runner-up to Mayles in the GC, trailing by about 24 minutes. Boulder athlete Leah Van Der Linden, who won the Epic last summer, sits in third, less than three minutes behind Momber.
Veteran rider and former Olympian Erin Huck rounded out the Mt. Guyot podium, finishing Stage 3 about 16 minutes off Mayles’ winning pace with fellow Coloradan Siri Krum around the corner in fourth and Van Der Linden a beat back in fifth.
Stage 3 scenery. Photo by John Hanson
Former Olympian is in it for the fun
Huck, who competed for Team USA in the 2020 Olympics, claimed the Epic crown the last two times she was here, in 2017 and 2023.
Now 45 and mother to a 4-year-old, the Boulder rider has a fresh outlook on the event.
“It’s just an entirely different approach,” she said. “The last two, I was going for the win and treating it pretty seriously. Now, I just want to have fun out there. I want to leave a little bit left in the tank so I have enough energy to spend time with our son and make it through the six days. If I’m going to be a long-term athlete, I want to make sure this is fun.”
Still in the mix despite taking things less seriously, Huck mostly enjoyed the journey to the podium on Tuesday, although she did twist her handlebars in a crash on the Colorado Trail… and also found herself dreaming that the finish line was a touch closer.
“After the crash I felt like I wasn’t seeing straight the rest of the day, but it was because my handlebars weren’t straight. Otherwise, it was great. It was fun. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if Mike just cut off, like, the last two miles every day.”
Stage 4 Aqueduct
Heading out of downtown Breck beyond the golf course and out to the Keystone back ranch, Stage 4, as Mayles points out, “feels like more climbing than you see on paper.”
Even on paper, it’s pretty hefty. The uphill measures just under 6,500 vertical feet over the 42-mile course.
Racers launch at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Overheard in the finish area:
“I never look behind me. When I do, I hit a tree.”
“That gravel road was so annoying.”
“The descent off of Georgia, I thought my hands were gonna fall off.”
“I passed two guys who are always ahead of me. I was like, I can’t believe I just did this.”