BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. – Making her Breck Epic debut this week, Deanna Mayles was in a league of her own from start to finish.
Following the cancelation of Stage 5 on Wheeler due to forecasted thunderstorms, racers were jonesing to pedal in Friday’s final stage on Gold Dust.
The 32-year-old Colorado Springs racer started the day with a 34-minute gap on her closest competitor, 2025 Epic champion Leah Van Der Linden. Blazing through the fastest course of the week, Mayles bagged her fifth and last consecutive win to close out the Epic as new champion on Friday, but Van Der Linden kept her close. Mayles was the first woman across the line Friday in two hours, 29 minutes and 23 seconds. Van Der Linden fired through 37 later.
“I went out pretty hard and saw Leah for quite a long time. She was my main challenger today,” Mayles said. “We got to the Continental Divide, where we had a cool descent through Gold Dust. Then it was a long slog back to the Continental Divide. I saw Leah with three or four miles to go. I lit it up and made it to the top first and got to enjoy the downhill.”
When it comes to bike racing, Mayles is a late bloomer. Her first two-wheel competition wasn’t until 2020, but she was instantly hooked. She spent a couple years racing in the Life Time Grand Prix Series, taking 10th overall in 2023. Becoming choosier about her competitions in recent years, she’s won or podiumed in every race she’s started over the last several months. Her family has a timeshare property in Breckenridge and she considers the Epic trails her backyard. This race has been on her bucket list for a while.
With a winning five-stage finish time clocking in at 17:42:29, Mayles arrived with the goal to win. Now that she’s crossed that off her list, and in seriously commanding fashion, she has yet to process how the performance sizes up among her competitive accomplishments. She does know that it feels pretty good.
“It’s awesome to win,” she said. “I didn’t feel my racing career was complete until I won this. It’s really special. It’s still sinking in.”
Deanna Mayles won every stage of the 2026 Breck Epic to become reigning champion. Photo by Nate Abbott
Although Van Der Linden gave up the Epic crown, she powered through for second place overall, pleased to finish strong.
“This is why we come here, to get to ride these trails and get to be in this community and ride with amazing people from all over the world,” the 32-year-old Boulder athlete said.
Former Olympian Erin Huck, Breck Epic 2017 and 2023 champion, entered the 2026 event for sheer fun, but ended up on the podium, taking third overall, 30 minutes behind Van Der Linden. Lakewood rider Siri Krum pedaled up the ranks to take fourth overall, 20 minutes behind Huck. Arizona rider Julie Momber, who was giving Mayles a run for her money in the first half of the race, broke her derailleur in Stage 4, causing a major hit to her GC time. She still managed to take fifth overall, finishing the five stages in 19:23:50.
Kelly keeps leader’s jersey until the end to earn Epic crown; Pelton hammers to stage victory
Things were much tighter among the pro men’s field. Also making his Breck Epic debut along with his inaugural visit to the United States, Australian James Kelly made his mark.
The 31-year-old who juggles bike racing with being a full-time lawyer, flew through Stage 1 first to claim the lead on Sunday. Although the men’s podium saw a rotating cast of winners throughout the week, Kelly never gave up the pink jersey. He earned the Breck Epic crown with an overall time of 15:17:42, edging out runner-up Taylor Lideen, who kept it close, finishing with a five-stage time of 15:21:30. Cassius Anderson rounded out the overall podium in 15:33:29, while Macky Franklin was fourth a hair back (15:33:40) and Keegan Pelton took fifth (15:47:53).
Breck Epic organizers credited Franklin and Anderson for their lost time in Stage 2, when both riders stopped to help fellow racer Sam Brown after a bad crash.
Nonetheless, nobody could catch the Aussie, who is somehow, someway, going on to compete in the Leadville 100 on Saturday.
It’s not for lack of trying, though. The Gold Dust course was a hammerfest on Friday. The top five male riders all powered across the line within 13 seconds of one another. The mob was led by Pelton, who, racing in his first Epic, won the final stage with a time of 2:07:12.
“I went for the front group for the first time all race,” Pelton said. “I suffered all the way up the singletrack, hung on for dear life on the fire road climb. Paul [Hauser] was attacking and attacking. We did a little cat and mouse on the downhill into the singletrack. I managed to get ahead into the final part of the singletrack and pedaled as hard as I could up every climb to keep Macky away.”
Franklin crossed the line a mere two seconds after Pelton Friday, followed by Adam Oliver, who rounded out the final stage podium with Anderson in fourth and Lideen in fifth.
Other than one soggy day, a canceled stage and a few broken parts (both bike and body), the 18th annual Breck Epic might have been the best yet. At least top five. Maybe top 10.
See you all in 2027.