As one of the younger members of the peloton, Cole Paton has stamped his authority on the endurance racing community. See what he has to say about this shift in focus and what his season has taught him thus far.
How has the addition of the LTGP impacted your season and experience this year?
Entirely. My whole season has been planned around the Lifetime events. I’ve been doing other events to compliment my fitness, but I’ve been trying to hit every one of them at peak fitness. It became a good platform to plan my whole season around.
LeadBoat. What was that experience like?
It was so hard. Leadville was awesome and I was really proud of that ride. I felt prepared because I had spent so much time training at altitude and preparing for those long climbs; at Steamboat, I felt “whatever I have, I’m just going to put it all out there” and I definitely surprised myself. Last year, I would have never even considered doing both, but this year I beat my previous [SBT GRVL] time.
What are you doing to be consistent throughout the season?
Rest days! I actually had a big setback earlier in the year when I had a stomach bug. I had to set out Unbound and, at the time, it felt detrimental to miss it. It gave me a lot of time to rest and maybe it kept me from digging too deep a hole in that race.
What are some highlights of your year?
I think I’ve proven to myself, and found, this new thing that am having success with. Last year, I really didn’t know where I fit in with the professional cycling scene. My ride at Midsouth was one I was really proud of. Additionally, the consistency I’ve had this season (especially as a younger rider) has been a highlight for me.
Another highlight was going back to US MTB Nationals and getting to see everyone that I miss so much. I feel like I’m part of two cycling bubbles now and it’s great to get to go back and forth between them.
What's Your Fueling Philosophy?
I have a goal on every training ride of what I’m going to hit for carbs per hour. I usually mix it up in training but I typically aim for 90-120g/hr. I have a little alarm on my Garmin that goes off every 20min as a reminder to eat and drink, so that helps keep me on it.
