Leadville 100: Lachlan Morton goes beyond slammed

Leadville 100 is always a breeding ground for Frankenbikes as the nature of the course lends itself to both gravel bikes and mountain bikes. In recent times we have seen these composite bikes become more common, cherry-picking elements from each discipline to help riders maximise efficiency and maintain control through the technical sections.

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Lachlan Morton in action during this year's edition of Leadville 100

For those unfamiliar with the course of the 100-mile mountain bike race, Leadville takes place in Colorado with all of the course being at altitude. It is characterised by its long, brutal and steep climbs, single track and long periods of riding on paved surfaces. The very nature of this race makes selecting the right tool to do it all a big ask.

At this year's edition, which took place over the weekend, EF Education-EasyPost rider Lachlan Morton took the idea of slamming his stem and turned it up to 11. Using an FSA Varius Adjustable Stem, Morton set his 120mm stem in the most aggressive position possible, perhaps going beyond the recommended -40 degrees maximum setting.

This position is not commonplace in mountain biking but it does allow for a natural aero position to be adopted without putting undue strain on the arms and shoulders. This position looks to be similar to that of riding in the drops on a gravel bike. Morton decided to pair this rather extreme position with a 640mm carbon bar to solidify the bike's aero intentions.

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The set-up clearly worked well for Lachlan Morton who rode to ninth place on the day.

Although this position looks very unusual for a cross-country set-up, it clearly worked for Morton as he rode to a respectable ninth-place finish aboard his Cannondale Scalpel HT Hi-mod.