Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA-RCC) set a new fastest known time, FKT, on The White Rim trail in Utah on Tuesday, knocking 4 minutes, 54 seconds off the previous record held by Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road) since 2021.
The clocked stopped at 5:23:27 for Jones on the unsupported FKT ride recorded on Strava and confirmed by Scott Sports USA.
“It’s about five minutes of it [the record]? It’s a hard thing to race around. The bike was so good,” Jones said to the Scott Sports USA videographer at the finish.
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The 100-mile (160.70km) challenge with 7,414 feet (2,260 metres) of elevation gain is set across remote desert terrain outside Moab, Utah, with much of the route passing through Canyonlands National Park. For an FKT, whether unsupported or supported, riders proceed in a counter-clockwise direction, the start where Mineral Bottom Road intersects with Island in the Sky Road.
Skies were clear for Jones’ attempt but the wind became an issue. A headwind in the first half of the loop saw him trailing Swenson’s record by almost four minutes at the half-way point.
“It was quite windy in my ride. I had timing written down on my top tube handle. At the timing split, I knew what time Keegan got past that distance at, and so I could keep track of how I was progressing. And at the halfway point, I was four minutes behind, even after pushing quite hard,” he told Cyclingnews on Thursday.
“But I knew I had to sort of stay optimistic that if I was putting up with the headwind early, then it would then turn into a tailwind eventually. So yeah, it was quite a mental game as well, staying positive and optimistic that it would work out in the end.”
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Prior to the attempt, Jones completed one-hour acclimation rides on each end of the jeep track, checking the terrain as well as the scenery. He said the best recon he did was a call made to women’s FKT record holder Hannah Otto, who lives in Utah and also a fellow Scott Sports athlete. Both compete in the Life Time Grand Prix.
“The night before I made a phone call to Hannah Otto, who is another Scott athlete. She gave a heads up on a section at about the half-way point that was extra technical, and some extra care should be taken. So that was valuable information,” he noted.
“It was a few line choice sections where there was sort of rock shelves and gullies where you could fall into if you went the wrong way.”
He used a full suspension Scott Spark RC frame fitted with drop bars as well as Industry Nine wheels and Schwalbe tyres. Details on the bike check will follow in the coming days from Jones on social media.
Jones became a household name in racing last year when he used the victory at Unbound Gravel 200 to ignite his campaign in the Life Time Grand Prix and secure the overall title in October. He unseated three-time series winner Swenson in the process.
He started this year by winning the first-ever Oceania Gravel Championship for elite men, overcoming a puncture and a fast field to go second at RADL GRVL, which was won by Frenchman Romain Bardet (RCC). After going second in a three-rider sprint at The Mid South in Oklahoma, he traveled to Utah for the FKT.
The route is open for recreational cyclists and most excursions are taken for bikepacking trips, which take three to four days to complete on a mountain bike.
“It’s quite a popular loop for people to do, just as an adventure ride with families. There were lots of family groups out there riding it when I did it.”
US rider Otto completed the loop in 6:37:44 last year. She took just over 15 minutes off the previous women’s mark, which had been held for four years by Grand Prix athlete Alexis Skarda.
The White Rim record gave Otto a trifecta in FKT achievements for western US trails – the 55-mile Whole Enchilada in 2022, 140-mile Kokopelli in 2024, followed by the 100-mile White Rim. All three are considered tests for mountain bike skills and endurance.
“I’ve got a few things I want to do at some point, probably not this year, like spending some time in the area. There’s the other two [FKT routes] near Moab, the Kokopelli and the Whole Enchilada, but no real plans at the moment,” Jones admitted.
“My next race is Sea Otter in two weeks. As one of the Life Time races, it’s super important to perform well. It’s one of the more technical gravel races, so my mountain bike background helps there. I think having been in New Zealand over the summer is an advantage, so I should be in good form.”
The 2026 Life Time Grand Prix series begins at Sea Otter Classic, with the 90-mile pro gravel races held on Thursday, April 16 in Monterey, California.