This weekend I completed my third Leadville 100 MTB race in as many years. It was much the same as my previous two completions, but also very different. I finished in 9:46, my slowest time to date.

Last year, I accomplished my all-time goal of earning “big buckle” by finishing under 9:00 (8:55). Unfortunately, by that time I had already won my entry to this year and paid for it. It was solely to serve as a backup for that goal, but with $400 invested in entry, I couldn’t not go.

Last year’s [big] buckle with this year’s. It’s cute.
What was the same?

  • The pain. Regardless of speed, this is a long day on a bike. It hurts everywhere, especially in my lower back and head.
  • The altitude. Walking down the street in Leadville (elev. 10,151) can put you out of breath. Now, start a race there and pedal your way up and down from that elevation to 12,5000 a few times.
  • The love. This race is not about beating the guy next to you, it’s about beating yourself. That is universally accepted and is shown in the camaraderie and acts of kindness found on the course.
  • The team. Big thanks to my Dad and Karen for crewing. So wonderful to see familiar faces every few hours. Rebecca took the year off to attend her bachelorette party, but did take the opportunity to surprise me at the finish (they were in the area)! She also got a photo with Lachlan Morton!
Pretty much art. Also I hate the TSA – damaged bike by poor repacking twice.

What was different?

  • My shape. Last year left me wrecked. My body was tired for a month and I had no motivation to continue riding the final third of the year. This year, I did not diet or put together any sort of training plan. I entered the race 14lbs heavier than in 2018. We also only got to serious elevation two days before the race. I felt sluggish.
  • My care. Well, relatively, because it’s an insane day no matter what. Instead, I pedaled a little softer, joked with others a bit more, looked up and enjoyed the scenery often, and spent some time at the aid stations with the family rather than trying to operate as efficiently as possible. I didn’t even cry at any point so that was an improvement!
  • My skills. This was my 3rd proper mountain bike ride of the year. Oops! They’ve all been races. 19 hours worth. Portland really needs more mountain biking closer than 45 minutes away because I hate driving to rides. Maybe there’s hope?
  • My nutrition. I experimented with a mostly liquid fuel this time around. Absolutely foolish, but why not? I mean, I rode three hours on the trainer with it once so I was pretty sure it’d be fine… And it was. Maurten was the stuff. It’s a carbohydrate hydrogel that is being used by some top-class athletes and was even used for Breaking 2. I supplemented it with a few Shot Blocks (something I’m used to – I concluded last year I can’t do true solids beyond a few hours of racing) stuck to my top tube and Endurolytes, which I still need discover a smooth way to transport. No cramping for the first time (first year was mile 60, last year was mile 100). Was close a few times and dialed it back, but probably would have given a full effort. Regardless, I’m sold. I went through 200oz of water (mixed at ~10cals/oz), 2 packs of blocks, and a nut butter bar that took me all day to get through. Total calories taken in = ~2650 or 271/hr. Science says the human body can only absorb 150-360 calories per hour so I was handily in that range, felt fine, and finished very strong. Very happy to have dialed this so well.
  • My pack. I did the middle 20 miles of the race with my running hydropack. These middle miles are an insanely long bike and hike, which makes it difficult to eat or drink from bottles. With a tube in my face carrying liquid and nourishment, this was made a lot easier. Highly recommended for even the fastest riders. I would love to experiment with the pack for a full race, but refilling or swapping bladders would be so much slower than bottles. I could definitely see using it for races three hours and less.
  • Me now. I can tell my legs are a little fatigued, but even the day after the race I was feeling fairly normal. I don’t know if the added weight gave my body more to feed on resulting in it wrecking my muscles less or if it’s that I simply dialed it back from the limit. Regardless, I’m actually excited to get riding hard again.
  • Our stay. Having spent a few weeks in Leadville over the years, it was time to see something new. This year we booked an AirBnB about 45 minutes south of town in Buena (pronounced b-Yew-nah) Vista. It’s a slightly larger town with some better food options that I was familiar with from a rafting trip last year. I did feel a bit removed from the festivities, but given I was working full-time, that may have been a good thing. Highly recommended lodging option. We also spent a few days in Boulder prior to heading to the really high elevation. Big thanks to Mary for the free stay!

Next year I’ll be looking for another destination mountain bike or gravel race, but it’ll be easier, within driving distance, and a vacation destination. Any ideas?

I will do Leadville again, but it might be a few years. It’s expensive, and takes a lot of both planning and out of you. The 1000 mile buckle (30% there!) is a neat goal and I’ll tentatively say I’m going for it, but I really did get lucky getting in three times in a row so it may take a really long time unless I can schedule more time in town and volunteer for the running race the following week (near guaranteed entry the next year). I’m pretty certain I’ll go volunteer for either the ride or run next year; Leadville is in my blood now.

Up next for cycling is cyclocross season, which I haven’t been able to give any energy in the past two years. I may take a day or a few easy before building a short plan (season technically starts in two weeks) and getting serious. I’m super pumped and hoping to be competitive in Cat 2.

Now that you’re done here, check this story. It’s rad. I foresee the race record (5:58) dropping in the near future.