Yeah… I think I’m going to be taking it easy on my test rides!
I don’t need to be travelling nearly 5,000 miles and taking myself out like that.
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I’m working on putting together a pacing plan based on info shared as well as data from bestbikesplit. One factor that I don’t have a good estimate of is how much traffic slows down riders in the back. I’m unfortunately starting from Brown so almost everyone will be in front of me.
My estimate for Columbine has me at 1:30 up but that is based on a clear steady effort which I doubt will be possible. How much buffer should I add in for walking on all the major climbs? My concern is making a pacing chart based on ideal scenario and then being stopped on the climb behind all other riders.
Corral placements have been updated with 2024 Stage Race times. Looks like no change from 2023 cutoffs.
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I estimate I lost about 20 minutes due to getting stuck behind people.
That was vs my fasted pace on the climbs, which I’m usually capable of beating come race day.
Edit - I should note that I’m a very strong climber, but awful on the flats.
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In 2022 I started in White 2 and finished in 10:38. My sense was that traffic slowed me by 5 minutes up Kevin’s and then after that there was no impact. Take that for what it’s worth.
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Any recommended bike shops in the general area? I’ve had some really bad experiences transporting my bike so I like to be as ready as possible.
I know of Cycles of Life, but obviously they’re going to be crazy busy. Possibly a few in Aspen which isn’t too far away if it comes to an emergency?
Pending what you need your best bet will be going to Absolute Bikes in Salida or heading over Freemont into Summit. I was telling @webdev511 that there isn’t much xc tires over here in Summit.
You won’t find much if any XC specific tires like Aspens, Racing Ray/Ralphs here, but you may come across an Ikon. I live in Breck and do not use any of the local shops to be honest. The guy I go to has a thing above his garage and his hours vary. He’s the best and I’ve followed him to every shop he’s worked at until he started his own.
There isn’t anything in Copper minus your generic bike rentals for tourists - which is what most bike shops cater to since it’s a gold mine renting cruisers and ebikes to people to use on the bike path. Bike Shops out here are basically Ski Rental shops that pretend to be bike shops in the summer, ha.
Avalanche Sports in Breck is great. For Frisco, maybe give Pioneer Sports a look.
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To @DMC 's point XC is tough to find. DH, Trail, yeah.
Cove outside of Dillion has actual mechanics if you need someone that could be skilled. Hard to say much about the ones in Sliverton/Frisco as they seem to be setup for the rental market.
Rebel in Frisco does have 120 TPI Maxxis Aspens in a 29 2.4 and Recon Race in 27.5
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I totally forgot about Andy at the Cove Bike Shop!! He’s great and honestly, probably the best along with Clay at Neighborhood Bike. It’s a drive from Leadville, but probably worth it.
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Thanks. I’ll be coming out with spare tyres so that’s not an issue, I am however expecting to have brake / fork problems as I did last time for some reason.
Regardless of corral, you can get ahead of traffic pretty quick (way before sugarloaf or columbine) if you are pacing fast enough. And conversely, you could start with the pros and end up in the columbine conga line if you are riding at an 11+ hour pace. I’m not saying corral doesn’t matter for traffic (particularly on kevins before the first turn), but it’s just not as critical as the pace you’re doing.
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This has probably been already mentioned elsewhere, but a blake bleed is a very good idea if coming from sea level to elevation. The difference in air pressure will make minor/trivial amounts of air in the system much more noticeable.
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Looking for info from those that have started in green.
I’m in the green corral and given that you need a sub 9:00 in the 105 to get in green (and they’ve tightened up other qualifying races for corrals in the last few years) do you think starting at the back is a good idea? On the first couple of climbs I’d rather be a few minutes slower than I want versus 1-2 minutes faster. I’m assuming most people in green will be riding sub 9:00 pace and being anywhere near the front is a sign for me that I’d be pushing too hard.
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I hope those of you shooting for the big buckle get it. Starting in brown with the lofty goal of 12 hours, with the first target of making the Twin Lakes Outbound cut off as it’s the most aggressive.
For me in brown making the cut off in 4 isn’t a sure thing, but damnit, I’m going to put it out there and hopefully not damage another rim in the process. If I can make the cut off, I’m confidant that I can make the rest and cross the line. small buckle? maybe. Finish? I haven’t spent the better part of a year chasing blue blocks across the screen, dialing in nutrition with professonal help, and the pile of money for acclimation to DNF, but no one plans to do that, now do they?
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Having done many events where I’ve barely been able to stay ahead of the cutoffs, I wish you the best. It’s quite the feeling to scrape through a checkpoint and know there’s absolutely no way you can ease up and still make the next one.
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I’ve started in green 2x. I wouldn’t focus too much on where you line up (if that’s what you mean by “start”). The long downhill out of town and the dirt road over to Kevins give you plenty of chances to adjust position as needed. Unless you are interested in fighting for the very front, it doesn’t take much effort to move around. I never have any specific agenda before Kevins other than staying safe in the pack and doing as little work as possible to maintain decent position (front group, but not front of the group). There are a few rollers on the way to kevins where people will smash, but it’s mostly pretty easy and a lot of flat/downhill before Kevins. And you should be able to climb at your own pace on Kevins regardless of where you are entering the climb. I’m not a strong climber and I’ve found that most riders are doing a similar pace, but there is room to slide back or pass people as needed for most of the climb. A few rough spots with limited line choice, but most of it is pretty open with multiple lines available. And it’s only a ~12 minute climb until the first turn where it levels out a bit and gets wide and smooth (a good time to grab some fuel). Still climbing St. Kevins for another ~10 minutes, but after the turn there is no traffic issue.
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Yep, based on start time I need an average speed of 10.1 mph from when the brown corrals start to make the first cut.
On the outbound portion it’s that first stretch of Kevin’s before the hard left that’s gonna be a bear. I’ve been acclimating and after the pre-ride I’m pretty sure I can tempo+ my way to the top and bomb down the paved descent. Tempo again up the paved and that first bit of Sugarloaf before the chonk starts to come out, then just not kill myself or destroy a wheel (again) going down Powerline. It’s not home free on the way to TL cutoff, but I can engage unbound aero mode and 
get in a group. Also wave to Keegan somewhere between Outward Bound and TL. 
If it was easy everyone would do it.
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Not your typical race cutoff, I think a lot of folks are forced to go out a bit hot to get through twin lakes. Much tougher than any other “recreational” race cutoff I’ve seen, but I understand why they do it with the afternoon weather risk in the high mountains.
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I hope we get to hear some good race reports from all of you and that everyone here gets the buckle they’re aiming for, whether big or small. I unfortunately had to defer to 2025 because some life things derailed my training enough that I realized at the Silver Rush that it definitely wasn’t going to happen this year. While I’m not in terrible shape right now, I haven’t been able to put in the hours or the long rides that I feel I need to be successful as someone who is in the sub-12 hopeful bucket and would likely be fighting to make the cutoffs. Hearing everyone talk about their prep has been really informative though (and has me cheering for you all), and I’ll be looking forward to hearing how everyone’s race went and what people may have learned from race day itself.
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Columbine is no flippin joke. Things that are ridable even at 9,000’ are a big nope from me at 11,500+ Just keep moving. stop to eat and drink if really necessary, but KEEP MOVING.
I did that today and while the lungs were feeling it, I was right there with fuel and hydration.
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