Racing The Infamous White Rim MTB Trail! | Payson McElveen's Standing Man

After a fantastic season opener win at the Landrun 100, Payson McElveen decided to tackle one of the most iconic records in American cycling: the White Rim MTB Trail. On Wednesday, March 27th at 7:39AM McElveen charged through the start line on his Orange Seal Off-road Trek Top Fuel Mountain Bike and sprinted deep into Canyonlands National Park for a near six hour sufferfest in an effort to break Andy Dorais fastest known time of 5:59:34. McElveen rolled across the finish line in an incredible 5:45:16.
"The only way to get better is to explore your boundaries, and I knew tackling this epic loop as fast I could would push me to my absolute limit. Also, as long as I can remember, the payoff of effort and struggle has brought incredible happiness to my life. If I’m in a beautiful place, I just naturally find myself wanting to see what’s around the next turn or over the next rise. Those places seems to call for us to give our full effort-it feels natural to celebrate these places by giving nothing but your very best."
For more on Payson McElveen, check out www.redbull.com/int-en/athlet...
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[@davealtabird1]

I've done White Rim a few times, 3 days not sub-6 hours. Potato Bottom, Murphy's, Airport. Fully supported riding a few hours with friends, beer and camp. Can't imagine doing what you did. Especially the parts where you're just sinking into the sand. Cheers.

[@ccmmrrnn]

Amazing production quality. Epic cinematography and editing. Great emotional choice establishing the father-son relationship. And Payson seems like such a level-headed and decent dude. What an amazing production.

[@RedBullBike]

Glad you like it!

[@petemtb5537]

Seriously? Trek paid & made it all. It’s marketing. Was that even really his dad? How would you know?

[@ccmmrrnn]

@@petemtb5537 Okay, let's assume it's not his dad, even though it is, and sure, Trek paid for it. That still changes nothing about my comment, which was on the quality of filmmaking.

[@petemtb5537]

@@ccmmrrnn Agreed, it's an effective commercial.

[@Tigford]

@@petemtb5537 You're funny. I've raced against his dad in past TMBRA series. Yep, that's him but with more grey in his hair.

[@lambooy]

I never knew Freddie Mercury could ride a bike so well!

[@RedBullBike]

@Daniel Paulson Best comment on the internet.

[@petemtb5537]

Freddie Mercury never needed his dad’s help.

[@CCWclassic]

@@petemtb5537 stfu

[@pauloh4571]

I saw Freddy too.

[@Davide_sd]

Seriously impressed by the effort!!! Big kudos to Payson. Although I don't understand how you can ride 160km on dusty roads with only two water bottles. Seriously impressed.

[@slampsonite]

it requires a camel hump. Payson hides his camel hump in his left butt cheek

[@OneWheelLess]

I think his mustache gathers moisture from the air as he rides 🤔

[@adventuresona700dollarhard5]

@@OneWheelLess 😂😂😂

[@Karpiel73]

@@OneWheelLess moisture in the southern Utah air? PREPOSTEROUS!

[@mangoshake]

I've done 100km on 1 bottle (absolute hell). I forgot to refill the only bottle I brought at a quick stop and rode 50km, while filtering through traffic, at noon, without drinking at all. I had a searing migraine and hyperacidity for some reason when I got home lol.

[@MataGyula]

Didn't know Dr Disrespect could ride so well! On a more serious note, mad props, I got cramps just watching. Congrats!

[@FesteringRatSub]

6 foot 8 champ would do it in under 3 hours, in a flat tyre.

[@petemtb5537]

Seriously? It’s all he does in all he has to do, when’s the last time he paid a bill?

[@ploglet]

Howie sighting at 6:20. Great video on an amazing ride. Well done!

[@benjamin_Kraushaar]

Hell yeah Payson! So glad I was there to witness this legendary effort!

[@MudSweatGears_TT]

A true testimony of grit and determination. The editing really brought out the emotional content of the story as well..

[@jayrex690]

“Going through hardship mentally, as well as physically, is key to being successful at anything.” - Payson McElveen

[@PorterMTB]

Well done Payson, so rad. Great video as well, I love seeing the connection with your dad, and inspiration.

[@cokebottles6919]

Absolutely insane, and that's a great dad. I've done White Rim in a day and it took everything just to finish, much less focus on putting in a fast time.

[@hbars]

Current FKT Times for White Rim: Keegan Swenson: 5:28.17 Peter Stetina: 5:28:23 Payson McElveen: 5:33:58

[@basecampmontanezone]

Keegan and Peter start/stop where Payson did? Seems starting at bottom of Shafer makes it a different ride and therefore different FKT's might apply.

[@hbars]

@@basecampmontanezone Yes they all start and stop from Horse thief Campground. It is an actual strava segment and they all use the same start/end point for the FKT

[@jcombs2266]

WOW! Paso, you are a STUD! Love ya bro! That's my nephew!

[@andrewonermaa]

Hell yeah Payson, stoked to see the footage! I think it's your calling to chase a few more epic FKT's

[@pauloh4571]

I can't imagine you see all of these posts, Payson but I had to say this to you. I've never heard of White Rim and I watched you ride it 3 times today. Extraordinary!!!!! I don't own a mountain bike at the moment but I soon will and White Rim is now on my bucket list. Thanks, Man. Think about this, Payson. When simply being who you authentically are inspires others to be their better selves you are doing exactly what you should be doing.

[@tamasstrezi]

van der Poel: Hold my bier! Seems like a great ride, having proper competition would help to appreciate it even more ;)

[@geoffreyanderson4719]

bring it!

[@mr.d7429]

Yup, if you have a bike, strong will and supportive family you have everything! Good work!

[@nathanielmah3914]

Seems like a perfect ride for the super caliber, surprised he went top fuel. Awesome video, great athlete!

[@mikeytek]

old video

[@mikeytek]

well did it a while ago

[@dergardn3497]

Great video!!! The quality is insane!

[@tgoods5049]

2 water bottles for the whole thing?! Holy cow man that’s nuts!

[@petemtb5537]

Um, you know sometimes reality TV is fake, right? They don’t actually buy those houses on house hunters you know.

[@tgoods5049]

Pete Mtb wow thanks for the insight, my wife will be so upset about truth of the house shows... And I believe Payson actually used 2 water bottles; just because you couldn’t do it doesn’t mean jack.

[@petemtb5537]

@@tgoods5049 Almost anyone could do it, if that was all they had to do.

[@tgoods5049]

Pete Mtb yeah sure “almost anyone” can ride 100 miles with 2 water bottles. Love the geniuses like you in the KZbin comments section.

[@petemtb5537]

tgoods504 Thanks for the genius comment but it’s probably best not to make snarky comments. And any seasoned rider could do the hundred miles on 2 water bottles if they absolutely had too. No one would actually choose to do that of course, including Payson.

[@mtblover]

Well done. Stunning video.

[@otowncolby]

Excellent video! Props for making it a point to go solo and unsupported (and putting Shaffer at the end)!

[@sierra2401]

Incredible accomplishment!

[@robertkarlsson7238]

Such an inspirational video!! 👊👊👍👍

[@caylanwojciechowski8233]

animal!! I've been waiting for this. inspirational.

[@ChlorophyllCrusher]

Spectacular rendering of the ride, Payson! I’m getting pretty amped about FKT possibilities, and I want to ride this route now!

[@mooNylou]

amazing video!! great work

[@hardtailparty]

absolutely incredible.

[@suraj07lama]

Very much Inspiring ! Guts & Glory 🤙🤙🤙

[@vivekrbs]

Awesome video payson . This video brings memories of my father

[@knewal7050]

I have been riding mtb for the last 15 years and never reallised i could hold the front wheel like that.

[@dakotalee9980]

Dude same

[@Poopoobrigade]

Hold it like what? Timestamp?

[@knewal7050]

@@Poopoobrigade 3:13

[@Poopoobrigade]

@@knewal7050 that's pretty cool but why would you want to? I feel like that would be really uncomfortable/dangerous lol

[@budycelyn]

@@Poopoobrigade super low aero position, some of the xco mtb riders use the position, anika langvad for one, also seen kate courtney doing it

[@jacobkrumm5919]

Awesome video. Loved it!!

[@bike_somm]

This Made me cry.. Great hopeful tears that if i really want to put my mind to being better.. I CAN! Thank you guys!

[@nixonkutz3018]

Dad is an awesome dude - I hope I am as supportive of my kids' ambitions as he is

[@anthonys9754]

I’ve ridden the entire white rim on a bike. A dirt bike, with 4 liters of water. This is mind blowing.

[@Montblanc1986]

Sweet video!

[@ciachetti]

Inspiring video. inspiring ride.

[@meh11235]

Awesome, now we have Two races on one trail and the battle is on... I love this. Second,.. Great production...! Red Bull Bike, let's work?

[@stevepodraza6363]

Amazing kid! Great vid!

[@Kev.in-Bike]

Great video

[@fullfaceridermunichfullfac223]

Nice Videos Love Red Bull

[@davegibson2810]

Impressive! I did it over three days for a bachelor party and it's not east by any means.

[@BikeLifewithRob]

Good video!

[@Mr229357]

Nice ride 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@kathryndougherty412]

That’s awesome

[@martindoersch]

Respect!

[@CCWclassic]

Awesome 💪

[@lostman65]

i did the white rim trail in the spring... took me 12 hours. 5:45 unbelievable

[@calvinmoe8465]

11:40 Magnetic hat

[@soy_leche]

What the heck is going on there?

[@finnsteele8305]

Awesome

[@simenbrekke2832]

WHAT A BEAST

[@Opp5151]

Wowww respect brother

[@x3r0x0ul]

Great achievement. I wish there was another word for riding what's basically a long fire-road rather than a mountain bike trail, though. This is definitely not in my wheelhouse.

[@WilliamNesse]

If you crouch down and look at the road surface, you'd see those desert 4x4 roads are every bit as technical as any single track. People romanticize buff flowy single track made by a ski resort staff, but old school MTB is about riding every terrain on a bike. Most famous desert trails in Moab are old 4x4 roads too.

[@x3r0x0ul]

@@WilliamNesse I sort of get your point, but I don't necessarily agree with it. When I talk about mountain biking, I'm not always talking about flowy singletrack. Flowy is a treat. I'm talking about hard-fought climbs over roots and rocks, drops from a few feet up, rock gardens you couldn't walk through with ankles intact, and rooty descents you couldn't ride on a cross-bike. Mountain biking, to me (and, I suspect, to a lot of commenters here), is a whole different animal to what I'm seeing here.

[@spamcatchington1771]

What a machine...

[@saracicoz4418]

Your dad loves you for sure. What kind of dad would name their son payson.

[@terencesorronda6378]

So the singer from Portugal. The Man also shreds... nice

[@campbellsyme2677]

good on ya mate

[@andreasdahl717]

Congrats! awesome shirt by the way! anyone know what brand it is?

[@robertkarlsson7238]

After 1 minute I became a subscriber👍👊

[@johnblocker4277]

Tried the TT fork hold this morning on the way to the trail. Not over rated with a head wind!

[@rumblefish4568]

It's hard enough to "regulate" Strava KOM / QOM times. How in the world will you regulate a FKT with all the e-bikes around? I don't see why FKT's would be popular with no way to confirm if someone used an e-bike (or dirt bike, Jeep, etc.) to ride the trail system. Now, just riding that trail system & recording the miles & elevation sounds awesome...

[@kuebel321]

OMG Unlike Pluto in the Backround 😍

[@edwardo123]

I don't know what is making me sweat more, that beautiful top fuel or the mustache?

[@MrJviner1]

Feeling humbled & inspired. This world would be a much better place if all dads were like this one.

[@gcavy1]

we always do the loop in the other direction. I wonder why this way is faster?

[@geerhead60]

Wow. Fantastic ride for both Payson & Quinn! Crazy fast, brilliant riding. 2 bottles - bold!!! A plea for future adventurers - There is an actual start to the White Rim trail. It is not what either of these guys choose. There is a gate, a big sign .... it is the official start. This is the top of Shaffer, right by the park entrance gate. People may be avoiding this to skip the park fee - don't do that! Support your parks. The other start points are faster, especially starting at the bottom of Shaffer or Mineral Bottom. Those are cool rides, but for record setting a standard should be the actual trail head. (FYI - probably the fastest route is starting on the river at the bottom of Mineral Bottom & riding CW. All the hard climbing is done in the first 20 miles).

[@vxluka998]

I wonder if he got that on Strava

[@OneWheelLess]

The adventure stache in motion:)

[@sebagesche]

is it on strava? Any power data we can see?

[@cyclingcotton3569]

Andy dorias didn't know he was racing anyone ...

[@WilliamNesse]

I think the FKT culture is more about paying respects rather than beating others as per Peyson's comments. But AD's effort is all the more cool because I don't think AD spends that much time on bikes. I'm sure he's stoked to see it improved upon.

[@danielwhitmire34]

phil gammon of mtb

[@choanlpoto]

Nice perf and video, but just by watching the film it seems than it Probably could go faster on a gravel bike with drop bar and thinner tire no ?

[@deverenfogle3201]

On that terrain, the rolling resistance could tip the balance to the mtb and wider tires.

[@dimensionsofearth]

The guy who beat the time two months later is obviously fit and committed but doing it with different start and end points doesn't really compare the two times.

[@travischapman6763]

Was there on a different white rim? A ton of it is very non-technical dirt road that's usually barely single track. Easily done on a gravel bike. Red bull hyped this up. Very hard, but not quite like portrayed.

[@brittbatterton5415]

So where did he exactly start and finish? He raced it counterclockwise?

[@Yardstick401]

So Mr Steele is riding mountain bikes now?

[@johnburmeister7167]

Keegan Swenson is the current record holder now I believe.

[@caveboy9988]

Great looking trail. Why are his ears tucked into his cap?

[@mattorie6703]

Paul Robertson you never now when he needs the extra aerodynamics

[@youtubiefun]

Triumph is delicious.

[@davidbarrett4586]

snek- no step

[@jaygriffin5965]

Who is Quinn Simmons? If it's not on Strava, it didn't happen. Nice ride Payson!

[@n8m837]

11:39 "REK" (almost looks like REX)

[@jrbechthold]

Amazing dude! Almost makes me want to grow a mustache.... 😜

[@jrbechthold]

Crying is ok. ❤️

[@FalcoBikes]

Man you need a gravel bike.

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

Averaged 28 km/hr. Wow.

[@henriamesse-morrish8276]

Yuuup just think that a man ran a marathon averaging 21kph. Either way incredible accomplishment this man achieved

[@nickwooden2103]

I wonder how fast he would of been without the moustache? Or maybe it helped?

[@cesar0610]

good job Quin Simmonds

[@mikecriss7217]

What was the total number of miles.

[@yzedf]

Mike Criss 99.7

[@normadicn5700]

100milea

[@FaiscaaaH]

Where is the strava data ?? No strava it didn't happend ...

[@goldendogboydan]

Agreed

[@billz410]

Very impressive. HOWEVER...'a lot of people have died out there'... I take this to mean that a lot of people have died on the White Rim Trail. I would question that statement a bit.

[@windmillcancersurvivor2568]

Why does everyone of these FKT episodes start with a Sprinter? Why?

[@jjjensen9493]

Silly Nice effort

[@ximenacarpio9351]

Go

[@raceace]

As much as this attempt should be genuinely respected especially self-supported on a self imposed fluid limit, that is NOT rocky terrain. But Respect.

[@bubbastard]

Record didn't last long did it?

[@williamdavis9471]

Who broke it?

[@bubbastard]

@@williamdavis9471 A roadie. He also just won the junior world road championship. Quinn Simons

[@jimbenning2814]

@@bubbastard yah Quinn rides road bike but check his Leadville 100 finishes for MTB cred

[@bubbastard]

@@jimbenning2814 Leadville is run on double track fire roads. Hardly a race to give you mtn bike cred. Also been won multiple times by strictly roadies.

[@hedleykerr3564]

To let people know who Quinn Simmons is he just took 4th in the Junior World Championships TT in GB! Beside taking 2nd in the 2019 Leadville 100!

[@2one665]

He took 4th in the Time Trial, and won Gold in the road race...

[@hedleykerr3564]

@@2one665 I wrote this the day before the RR I meant to come back and add it thanks!

[@markwu3121]

2 Bottles water for 5 hours 45 mins? Extreme thirsty

[@williamdavis9471]

Ever heard of pee

[@Observations67]

Full rig present and no basic tools?

[@on1ytheb3st]

McLovin

[@shmerickl2249]

He reminds me of Freddie Mercury 🤷🏼‍♂️