Cole Paton discovered his love of mountain biking while working at his family’s sporting goods store in Cashmere, Washington. Following a successful collegiate racing career at Fort Lewis College in Colorado, which included four national titles, Cole began a professional racing career with the Giant Factory Off-Road Team. He later chose the privateer route, still supported by Giant, and began focusing on gravel racing. He finished fourth overall in the inaugural edition of the Life Time Grand Prix series in 2022 and had an even stronger 2023 season with podium placings at the Sea Otter Classic, Leadville Trail 100, and Chequamegon, improving to third overall in the LTGP series. Cole also added to his stars-and-stripes jersey collection in 2023, winning the U.S. Mountain Bike Marathon National Championship.
| Team | Gravel |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Cashmere, Washington |
| Main disciplines | Endurance racing, gravel and mountain bike |
| Top results |
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| What drew you to this type of riding | Exploring the mountains on two wheels and challenging myself with technical terrain. |
| Ideal training ride | With my girlfriend and a solid group of good buddies. Somewhere deep in the mountains where you don’t see any other humans. Smash together up the climbs and ride on the edge down the descents. Stop for snack breaks along the way and maybe even jump in a lake or river, too. |
| How do you push through suffer sessions | Refocus the mind and find the flow state. |
| Ideal race | The more technical the better. |
| Favorite place to ride | Girona, Spain |
| What you bring on every ride | Food and water |
| Favorite CADEX product | Cadex AR 35 gravel wheels |
| Tips for aspiring racers | The process takes patience. Cycling should be fun. Chase the extraordinary moments and don’t forget to enjoy the ordinary ones. |
| Life motto | If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space. |