Struggling a bit with post event depression. Need to get over it and back to training, but have no motivation right now.
Unrelated, saw this analysis earlier which was interesting.
Were Drop Bars Actually Faster at Leadville 2024? - Velo (outsideonline.com)
Funny, we were in Crested Butte at the same time (I have a friend that lives there). Will likely visit again one day as apparently the mountain biking there is good (my bike got bagged after the event, and remains there).
To save others time I’ll quote author’s conclusion here in this thread:
Looks like the answer is use what works for you. It takes a faster, longer, race before aerodynamics becomes more significant.
I think it would be hard to make conclusions on drop bars this year. The course was slower than last year, Keegan flatted, DJ took a different strategy / pacing and blew up a little. Too much noise.
My inclination is for the right person, they’re faster. The descents weren’t all that much slower, if any. And then look at the time someone like Keegan spends solo for the day.
Doesn’t mean I’ll run them, I’d probably kill myself coming down Powerline which I’m fairly certain would be slower 
Hang in there. I always get a bit of that after my last “target” race of the year, regardless of whether it went great or crappy. What helps me is to get something else on the calendar. Not something I’m going to seriously train for, but just having something on the calendar is enough to keep energy levels and motivation from falling in the crapper. And in some ways, I look forward to these events more because there are typically zero expectations and I’ll use them to try new things. And it doesn’t even need to be cycling. This year, I signed up for a rowing class with my wife in late Sept. Something I’ve always wanted to try. And I’ve got a gravel race schedule for Oct. and MTB marathon race in November. I’ll train/prep as much as I feel like (usually no structure), but these events are primarily about fun days on the bike, not results.
I’ve got a repeat of the hardest event I’ve ever done coming in October, so I definitely need to get my head together!
Yep, and that velo article looked like a pretty lazy approach to answering the question. From what I saw, they didn’t even include power data in their analysis (just times). Keegan posted power from this year and last and I did a bit of digging into the numbers after the race. Nothing stood out to me that would indicate drop bars being measurably faster for him. When he was slower on a segment, his power was generally lower that last year. For the fast descents where aero should matter, nothing stood out. I’m not saying drop bars aren’t faster for him, I just couldn’t see it in the data.
I’ve considered trying drop bars on my scott for years (pretty much since AXS came out), but just couldn’t figure out a good remote suspension lockout option (and didn’t want to screw with the brakes). Flight attendant suspension makes that remote issue go away, so I may consider again in the future if I ever put FA on my current bike.
I think drop bars might save more for an old man amateur like me compared to the pros. I don’t have the flexibility/strength to get in a crazy aero position for hours like many of the pros can. I tape my center bar (and run wireless blips) and use that position quite a bit, but it’s not nearly as aero as what those guys are doing even without the drop bars. The pros get a lot of attention for their crazy power numbers, but I think holding those aero positions on the bike for hours at a time is just as impressive. I really focused on holding aero (in aero bars) for long periods prior to Unbound this year and it paid off big time at that race (and in races leading up). Leadville wouldn’t be as dramatic, but I bet I could find 10+ minutes on the leadville course with more discipline in my position, something to think about for next year.
@Textuality I took my Leadville fitness and went to PR my local climbs around the area. Highly recommend it to keep things interesting! There was a 20min climb that I had at 20:03 last year and with the hemoglobin from 11,000ft, was able to do in 18:23 on Saturday. YEA!!!
+1. Plus you need to take into account course conditions, course changes, weather… There are just to many variables to compare year to year.
I am in week two of two weeks completely off the bike. I’m starting to do a little light lifting this week, mostly to get back into the swing of things. Next Monday, it’s back to chasing some KOM’s and having fun around here. But I find that the 2 weeks really does me well - I stole two on the first day back last year despite being completely off and letting some of the altitude acclimation go away.
I’m also going to hop on the road bike and go do a loop of a local TT Course that I’ve only ridden in training. Curious what I can do on the fast bike and really trying. Then fun and base rides, maybe a local XC race, taking another couple of weeks off at the end of September and then it’ll be back to base and training in October.
Also have some bike fits and bike work to get on the calendar too.
Same here…took last week off, did a few recovery rides and some weight lifting maintenance and started a 2 week break today. Have a local gravel race mid-September but going to stay away from intervals until October. I will start the WUKAR 12 week gym plan in September and repeat that into the new year.
Weights tonight, though I’m tempted to throw in some short / hard intervals so I don’t feel like I’ve completely given up.
Edit - Oops, my warm-up interval session killed me. Ended up skipping the weights. lol
DJ figures drop bars for him save 6 mins on the Leadville course. That’s not a huge amount of time, so not too surprising it’s not easily visible in performance data.
Not that I’m planning on returning (unless I win the lottery), but can anyone recommend places to stay in the general area? I’d have loved to stay where I did in 2017 but they no longer do rentals. The Mount Elbert Lodge was really nice, but I have to work when I’m away and the internet connection there was basically unusable (things which would normally take seconds were taking me upwards of 5 minutes). Plus it meant a 15 minute drive to get even basic provisions (which I’m sure isn’t unusual in America, but horrifies me as a Brit!).
Probably wouldn’t want to stay in a hotel / motel as there’s too much risk of noise disturbing sleep.
Use AirBnB or VRBO and stay in Copper or Frisco. 25’ish minutes away, cheaper than Leadville, great access to stores, etc. Lots of options at Copper especially as it’s a ski mountain in summertime.
I considered doing that, but with the test rides I’d likely just end up driving as much to get to Powerline / Columbine etc (which are obviously the other side of Leadville).
Would arguably be better off being in Buena Vista then moving up to nearer Leadville for a couple of days before the event. Though the elevation at Buena Vista isn’t optimal.
Short answer is, there are no real good places to stay in Leadville unless you book real early. Too busy, too expensive, and the quality of places leaves a lot to be desired for what you’re paying.
Or, you just pay through the nose if you find a nice place.
We stayed ~10 minutes outside of town this year and rented a big place that could be split 3 ways, and booked almost a year in advance.
Agree. Copper is a pretty quick drive and is pretty reasonably priced to get a nice condo. I usually stay in Copper during the Stage Race and its very convenient. It still sits at over 9000 feet but i do tend to sleep better in Copper compared to Leadville.
My favorite place to stay when there for longer periods of time is Avon/Beaver Creek. Its a longer drive toLeadville, about 45 min over Minturn. Lots of great places to eat and good riding around Avon.
I see the attraction of being that side, I just can’t see me being happy with the 2 hour round trip to do Columbine. I guess it’s possible there are some options in Twin Lakes itself, but yeah, I’d expect them to be expensive.
I ended up paying through the nose last time anyway as tbh I completely didn’t expect to get in, so didn’t book until after the places had been awarded (makes much more sense booking a cancellable property in advance of the draw).
Honest Q….how many times do you really need to ride Columbine before the race? Or more importantly, how many times should you really ride Columbine before the race?