Peter Stetina, who finished 5th in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB and 3rd in the SBT GRVL this weekend, was delighted to win the men's Leadboat Challenge.

The prize for his outstanding effort in the 250 miles of off-road racing over the weekend was an attractive, if a bit blingy, denim waistcoat and the honor of winning the inaugural Lead Boat Award.

The girls' prize went to Sarah Sturm, who wore matching denim with Stetina.

"I won the lead boat," Stetina told Cycling News by phone shortly after finishing third in Steamboat Springs behind Alex Howes and Ian Boswell. [I was fifth in Leadville and third in SBT. I don't think anyone knows what Leadville really means yet. These two very prestigious one-day races are a combined 250 miles, off-road all the way, and 21,000 feet of vertical climbing. I was racing with well-prepared, focused people who had never run the Leadville 100." Stetina, who has spent most of her career on the World Tour and has competed in races such as the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, admitted that the two off-road races she entered this weekend were harder than any two days she endured on the road

.

However, after a shaky start in the SBT GRVL, he got his legs back before attacking.

"I wasn't at my best on Saturday and struggled with fueling. I treated it like a stage race, but I'm glad I'm in a one-day race most of the time now. I definitely suffered this morning when the fresher guys were running in the early hours of the race. But I took advantage of all the little tricks I learned on the World Tour about fueling, and as the race went on I got better and better.

"It was harder than any of the races I've run two days in a row in the Grand Tours, and it confirmed my power file.

The winning moment in the SBT GRVL came when Stetina attacked on the last downhill. Only Boswell and Howes responded, and the three rode the final 12 miles together.

In a three-way sprint for the win, Howes held off Boswell and Stetina finished third.

"I attacked on the last downhill called Cow Creek. After that, Ian Boswell and Alex Howes came up to me. They were close friends of mine and Alex was a groomsman at my wedding," Stetina explained.

"We soon realized that it would be exciting to collaborate and be on the podium together. There was no chance I could match them in the sprint, but I am very happy to have won my first title in Steamboat."

Stetina also explained that she was "very happy to be on the podium with my husband, Alex.

Stetina's 2021 gravel campaign is not yet over with the Lead Boat Challenge crown.

He will compete in the TransRockies Gravel Royal next weekend before heading to Rebecca's Private Idaho. Then comes Stetina's Paydirt, Stetina's own event in Carson City.