Catching up with Cole Paton after Marathon Mountain Bike Nationals – The Durango Herald

The defending champions had a difficult time in Alabama

Cole Paton rides during the 2024 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships on June 15 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Tyler Phillips)

It wasn’t the national championship defense Durango native Cole Paton had in mind. After winning the 2023 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championship, Paton had a disastrous race last Saturday in the 2024 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championship at Chewacla State Park in Auburn, Alabama.

After starting in the lead group for the first 30 minutes of the race, disaster struck when Paton’s spoke on his wheel broke, causing a flat tire. He rode flat for about nine miles during the race. Paton finished 10th in the men’s elite race.

The 27-year-old called it a “mechanical accident” and said it was caused by a stone flying into his rear wheel and breaking one of the spokes in half.

Paton crossed the finish line in 3 hours, 47 minutes and 2 seconds after finishing the 47-mile race. The riders completed the first lap around the 6.6-mile starting loop and then two laps around the 20.9-mile course.

Carson Beckett won the race with a time of 3:24:58.

“So it was kind of a disaster,” Paton said. “I did my best to do my best that day, given the circumstances. That was my main goal even before the race, to put my best foot forward no matter what happens. When you defend a title, there is always a lot of pressure. So that was my mantra on the day and when things really went wrong I stuck to it.

Paton described it as a technical course with not much climbing, but lots of cornering and flat speed. He said it was very mentally demanding because of the number of turns.

Cole Paton stops during the 2024 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships on June 15 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Tyler Phillips)

“The biggest challenge of the day was actually the heat and humidity,” Paton said. “Many riders had run out of fluids and it was just super hot. I think we finished and it was about 95 degrees. I’m not sure what percentage of humanity is there, but it’s very humid.”

Although the course did not suit Paton’s strengths, he trained hard outside Girona, Spain, to prepare to defend his title. He also took part in the Nové Město World Cup marathon race to prepare for the national championships.

Paton said a big part of mountain biking these days is adapting to different trail styles so you can compete well on all trails.

Next up for Paton is the Crusher at the Tushar in Beaver, Utah on July 13. This is the third round of the Lifetime Grand Prix series and is a 69 mile gravel race.

Paton thinks the Crusher on the Tushar course suits him well because he is a smaller boy, loves climbing and the four-hour duration suits him perfectly.

Because gravel racing is not an Olympic discipline, the season does not have an Olympic break. That’s why Paton can’t go to Paris to support his fiancée Savilia Blunk at the Olympic Games.

Blunk wants him to stay and focus on his agenda while she goes for gold.

“We both decided that the most important thing is that we stay focused on our big goals and support each other when we really can,” Paton said.

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