Well it took me longer than expected to ge this Vlog out after the laptop broke but here you go. It was uneventful and perfect … until it wasn’t. Enjoy!
17 Likes
Great video. Congratulations on finishing after that gnarly looking crash
1 Like
True grit. I’m pretty certain I watched you come over the finish line.
Glad I wasn’t the only one that struggled to find an aid station!
Edit - A crash like that is the reason I never take my glasses off any more. I’d also previously lost more than a few pairs that way too.
For anyone who doesn’t follow the leadville podcast, this episode is worth a listen in my opinion. Women’s winner going through the race, strategy, etc. with a lot of transparency and probably more relatable for normal people compared to your typical pro interview.
I particularly enjoyed the discussion of whether her approach to winning is applicable to amateur age groupers who are just trying to do their best time (ie - racing the clock vs. racing others). It really had me thinking about my approach to this race, it’s the only race I do that often doesn’t feel like a race as much as a pacing exercise. There are benefits to both approaches, but at some point my conservative approach to pursuing a big buckle is probably keeping me from getting my best time and finishing position. Without having a realistic shot at the podium at Leadville, maybe that’s the right approach, but it’s missing some of the juice and satisfaction I get from other races where it’s a fight for position all day.
5 Likes
Not an important question, just curious. When do the finishers sweatshirts generally arrive after the race? Also, were we supposed to pick up a leather belt for our buckle at the finish line? If so, I forgot to do that. Can we still get the belt if we contact the Leadville folks. Thanks!
Early October last couple years if I’m remembering right.
I got one at the stage race in 19, but have never gotten one at the 100. Unless I’ve missed them the last 4 years, they aren’t included. I remember seeing them in the race store in leadville, I assume you can buy them online as well, but not positive.
You need to buy the belt yourself if you want one. The retail store had them.
That’s sort of funny. You get a belt at the finish line for the stage race but not the 100 apparently. I got the belt with my finish last year at the stage race, so I thought perhaps they did the same thing for the 100, but apparently not.
I’m thinking about my next athletic goal and as a Denver resident who bikes, Leadville seems to be a natural next step. It doesn’t hurt that many of my friends have done it and are trying to convince me to do it.
Is it reasonable to do Leadville on roughly 10 hours of training a week? I’m currently at a 300 FTP, roughly 4 w/kg. On the bright side, I live in Denver, which helps with the altitude a bit, but on the downside, most of my training has to be indoors since I have a young family, and I feel kind of guilty leaving my wife alone with the kids for extended periods of time. I’m coming from a road/gravel background, so there’s that aspect as well.
With 10 hours and 4w/Kg you should be focusing on a big buckle.
4 Likes
I think my main concern is my inability to get a lot of longer, on bike miles in. I can tweak my schedule a bit, and I’ve done things like the Triple Bypass (120 miles on the road), longer gravel races, etc, but Leadville seems like it’s a level above.
It’s not. It’s hard yes, but not impossible. If it were at sea level it wouldn’t be very noteworthy. It’s not at sea level, but you are at 5280 feet. You’ll be fine.
2 Likes
If you can execute decent on race day, that’s big buckle fitness with room to spare. That’s about where my sea level FTP has been for all of my attempts. And if you’ve done long gravel stuff (fueling, pacing, drafting, etc.) and have any kind of MTB skills, Leadville should be right in your wheelhouse.
1 Like
I think that’s the entire point, the stage race primarily exists as prep / preview of the 100 so you get the belt there as motivation to add the buckle thereafter.
If you are already at 4 w/kg in Denver then you have nothing to worry about so long as you have acceptable mountain biking skills and can practice longer day nutrition a few times before the event. I’ve done big buckle on closer to 5-7 hours in Denver area with never riding more than 3-4 hours outside of a few odd prep events like Bailey Hundo, Silver Rush, and Triple Bypass.
1 Like
When I rode my first 24 hour event the longest ride I’d done was 4 hours.
You don’t need to replicate the event length, and at 4w/kg (especially at altitude) you’re more than fit enough to give Leadville a decent sub 9h shot.
1 Like
Guys when is LT100 2025 date?
I’m looking to Tahoe Trail date for 2025 too if anyone knows.
Should be a day before this years race. So likely August 9.
Yes! I’m at 5k feet with an FTP of 3.8 and just went 8:42 on 5 hours of training. I have little kids as well. You can easily big buckle.
If you can up your hours just a hair, you can probably go sub 8 on a good day.
1 Like