Stage 7 · Twin Lakes to Leadville
Finish: Twin Lakes to Leadville
A short final stage on valley gravel back into the highest city in North America.
Indicative candidate route, not a final course. Lines follow real public roads, but the final course depends on land-manager permits, the safety plan and the landowner. Distances and climbing are approximate.
The route
The stage starts in Twin Lakes, heads north on County Road 24 along the west side of the valley, crosses to County Road 10 and the Lodgepole Flats roads, and joins County Road 11 near Halfmoon Road. It crosses Colorado 300 below the National Fish Hatchery and climbs into Leadville on gravel County Road 36, finishing on Harrison Avenue.
| Distance | ≈ 22 mi (candidate line) |
| Climbing | ≈ 1,700 ft (sum of gains, USGS elevations) |
| High point | Leadville finish, about 10,150 ft; highest sampled point 10,156 ft |
| Surface | Mixed. County roads on the west side of the valley, Lodgepole Flats gravel, Halfmoon Road and County Road 11, then gravel County Road 36 into town. About 45% unpaved by OpenStreetMap surface tags. |
| Start | Twin Lakes village (transfer from Leadville, about 22 road miles) |
| Finish | Leadville, Harrison Avenue |
| Aid, cutoff, crew and alternates | Race operations for this stage, below |
Map and profile
Google's driving route through the stage waypoints, Twin Lakes to Leadville on the west side of the valley.
Elevation profile
Miles (x) and feet (y). Elevations sampled every 300 m from the USGS 3DEP elevation service along the candidate line. Approximate.
ProposedPlanned aid
Every location below is a candidate, subject to permits, land-manager approval and the safety plan. The proposed support model is self-supported with neutral aid, fully swept: riders carry what they need between aid points, aid stations are neutral, and a sweep follows the last rider.
| Candidate location | Approx. mile | Services | Crew access |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Road 11 near the Halfmoon Road junction (candidate) | about 13 | Water, food, mechanical | Yes |
| Colorado 300 crossing below the fish hatchery (candidate) | about 16 | Water | Yes |
ProposedCutoff basis
Candidate cutoff at the finish. This stage stays in the valley below treeline, so the cutoff is a finish cutoff, set generously so the whole field can finish the week together on Harrison Avenue. Times will be set in the course design with the medical plan.
IllustrativeTo show the scale: the finish is about 21.9 miles into the stage. If a cutoff there fell 3 hours after the start, a rider would need to average about 7.3 mph, stops included, to make it. That window is an illustration for planning, not a proposed cutoff time.
ProposedCrew access
Candidate crew zones, subject to permits and road access. Some high sections will have no crew access. The table above marks which candidate aid points a crew could reach by ordinary vehicle. See crew and support for how crews would work.
Under considerationGetting to the start
This stage starts in Twin Lakes, about 21 to 22 road miles from Leadville on US 24 and Colorado 82, roughly 30 minutes by car. Whether the race runs an organized transfer from Leadville or riders drive themselves is under consideration. Either way, the start time would allow for the drive.
PendingFire and closure note
The route passes the edge of the 2026 Willow Fire closures: Lake County listed the fish hatchery area as closed, and Halfmoon Road reopened in August 2026. No closure is known to affect this stage's roads as of September 2026, but conditions for 2027 are unknown. Like every stage, it follows land-manager closure orders and the smoke and air-quality go/no-go described on the course page.
Sources: VeloNews on the 2026 LT100 MTB reroute, Vail Daily on the Willow Fire, Forest Service closure order, Lake County fire page.
Under considerationBad-weather or closure alternate (candidate)
Leadville town finish. If the valley roads near Halfmoon Road and the fish hatchery are closed, the Twin Lakes start is dropped and the last stage becomes a short circuit on the Mineral Belt Trail, the paved 11.6-mile loop around Leadville, finishing on Harrison Avenue. Racing on the trail would need city and county permission. Any alternate is subject to permits, sanctioning and insurance, and the rules for shortening a stage are in the rules and policies.
ProposedGPX
Indicative candidate route, not for race-day navigation. The line follows public roads from OpenStreetMap data and will change with permits and the safety plan.
How it races
By the last day the general classification is usually settled, so this stage is about the stage win and the ceremony. The route climbs gradually for most of its length, from about 9,200 feet at Twin Lakes to the finish in town.
The gravel run on County Road 36 is the last place to attack. The finish straight on Harrison Avenue is where the overall is presented.
History of the road
Lake County, one of Colorado's original 17 counties in 1861, takes its name from the Twin Lakes. The Twin Lakes District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.
The route passes below the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, established in 1889 and listed on the National Register in 1980.
The finish is in the Leadville Historic District, a National Historic Landmark since 1961. The landmark covers the Harrison Avenue corridor, with buildings such as the Tabor Opera House, and 67 mines in the district east of town, up to the 12,000-foot level.