If it weren’t for Keegan Swenson, John Gaston would be a Leadville legend.

Heading into the 2026 Leadville Trail 100 MTB, the Aspen athlete — known mostly for his ski mountaineering exploits — held three second-place finishes over the last four years, picking up bronze in his only other appearance. In Saturday’s swan song, the 39-year-old did what he’s always done: ignore the prerace narrative, quietly hammer out a new script and — eventually — steal the show.

“Gaston is an animal. I have the utmost respect for that guy,” said Keegan Swenson, who captured his record-tying sixth straight title in a time of 5 hours, 20 minutes and 26 seconds. “He just does a couple bike races a year (and) he comes out and just beats on us out here in Leadville. He’s an absolute engine and he’s always great to race with.”

In a race billed as a matchup between Swenson — the course record holder and reigning cross-country marathon world champion — and Tour de France star Quinn Simmons, Gaston once again became the unsung hero of the race.

“Just here to throw down and it was fun,” said Gaston, who challenged Swenson in the final climbs and even took the lead with about 10 miles to go before finishing fourth in 5:20:51, one second behind Bradyn Lange.

“Obviously it’s a little bit of a bummer to finish off the podium, but at the same time, it was the most I’ve gotten to race head-to-head with Keegan and the front guys ever,” he continued. “In that respect, it was probably my best ride here, even on a course that wasn’t all that well-suited to me.”

Simmons, who decided last Friday to ride the race, told Ryan Simonovich his training was “nonexistent” between the Tour and Leadville.

Ever the roadie, the Trek rider donned leg warmers at the start. Simmons peeled them off two hours later as 33 anxious riders arrived together at the base of the famed Columbine ascent.

“Then they went really fast, and I didn’t. That was the end of the race for me,” Simmons told Simonovich.

“Bonk Bros Podcast” star Drew Dillman earned some TV time with an early breakaway, but eventually, Swenson moved into the limelight on his signature slope. By the top of the 7-mile, 3,100-foot climb, he’d built a 30-second lead.

It didn’t hold.

“They kept me close enough that I saw them coming on the way back,” Swenson said. “So, I kind of waited up for them because otherwise I was just going to be dangling by myself.”

German Andreas Seewald, Swiss rider Simon Pellaud and New Zealand’s Matthew Wilson as well as Americans Cole Paton, Bradyn Lange and Gaston latched on across the plains.

“Everyone seemed to be cooperating for the most part. So we just rolled turns,” Swenson said. “Without Powerline, it’s basically just a flat, rolling race all the way back. There really wasn’t much elevation. It was a pretty tactical, tricky race to the finish.”

The modified course, with roughly 3,000 fewer feet of climbing, made it so Swenson couldn’t pull away for another double-digit minute win. But it also didn’t allow Gaston to express his best physiological qualities.

“I think I needed a bit more vert to wear these guys down,” Gaston said. “Because as you saw, when it gets a little tactical at the end, I got no sprint.”

Aware of his limitations, Gaston laid it all on the line across the harrowing St. Kevin’s descent, pulling Swenson over multiple hazardous drops along the narrow, rut-filled mining road. Even though he never even so much as tapped his brakes, the aggressive riding wasn’t enough. Around a large switchback before the last drag-out descent, Gaston heard the sweet hum of Lange’s freehub from behind.

“I guess I didn’t realize just how close they were. I don’t think Keegan did, either,” Gaston said. “The top six are all just ripping descenders. It’s hard to overstate how good Matt and Bradyn are. They caught Keegan and I — and we were moving.”

Lange and Wilson reeled in the lead pair along the lower, much safer section of St. Kevin’s. All four poured back onto the pavement and proceeded to look around, wondering and waiting to see who would strike first. Wilson went on the flat of The Boulevard with 2.6 miles to go, taking Swenson with him all the way to the line. Gaston and Lange enjoyed a dramatic sprint finish, too. When Gaston crossed the line, he looked unsatisfied.

“My last go at this, I was really hoping for one last shot at that six-hour mark on the usual course,” he said. “And I think I had all the tools for it this year — the fitness, the bike handling, the nutrition. It was on point.”

Gaston, who likely would have become the third athlete other than Swenson and Alban Lakata to dip under the fabled 6-hour mark last year if he hadn’t been taken out by a TV crew halfway through the race, knows he’s strong enough to contend next year. His decision to hang it up isn’t about ability, but rather, priorities.

“I always kind of in the back of my mind told myself I wasn’t going to do this into my 40s. I’m 39 right now, I’ve got three kids, my oldest is 9½. And you know, I love this event, I love these guys and I love being this fast and being able to compete with the best,” he said. “But at the same time, endurance sports, especially at this level, are a pretty selfish pursuit at the end of the day. And I don’t think it’s fair to my family honestly to keep doing this.”

Eventually, Gaston remarked, you just have to “close the chapter.”

“I mean, I definitely got another one in me, but at a certain point, you just got to call time,” he added. “Ride bikes with the kids, be a bit more present for the school pickups, work — life. Stuff kind of moves on.”

Gaston said even though he couldn’t quite win the race, he’s proud of what he’s accomplished in the Cloud City, consistently whittling his time down and always willing to fight with the elite, more seasoned cyclists.

“These guys are the best in the business, both uphill and downhill,” he said. “And I think I got the most out of me today.”

Gaston said he’d be game to come back and ride the Leadville 100 with one of his kids if they want to down the road. But right now, he’s not interested in showing up just to participate.

“And that’s the crux of it, too,” he explained. “I could train half as much and still probably be pretty fast, but you get a taste of what it’s like to be with these guys at the top — you don’t want to go back.”

Even though his tenure coincided with Swenson’s unmatched dominance, Gaston’s grit makes him a worthy Leadville legend. As for his Leadville legacy?

“I don’t know,” Gaston said with a smile. “A pretty fast guy that never quite got there.”