New podcast is live! Keegan Swenson joins us to break down every detail on his 5th Leadville win, the one he is most proud of, and how it compares to an average athlete’s performance to put it all into perspective.
Live now on YouTube and all podcast apps. Watch, listen, and share!
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(00:00:00) Welcome!
(00:00:26) Keegan’s Race Strategy and Goals
(00:02:20) Bike Setup and Equipment Choices
(00:16:15) Nutrition and Hydration Strategies
(00:26:06) Power and Performance Analysis
(00:38:33) Powerline to Columbine: Group Dynamics and Aerodynamics
(00:39:23) Conquering Columbine: Climb Strategies and Challenges
(00:42:51) Navigating the Descent: Techniques and Obstacles
(00:51:40) Powerline Climb: Mental and Physical Endurance
(01:03:40) Final Push: Turquoise Lake and the Boulevard
Great podcast covering a couple great performances. Even though the race can be very different depending on your goals/abilities, there is still a lot common whether you are Keegan or rolling in after 12 hours. Hearing Keegan talk about how hard it is to eat/drink on Columbine hit home for me. This was my 5th year doing the race and I screwed up my fueling and hydration bad going up columbine. Just so hard to force yourself to ease off for a minute to catch your breath to get some food/hydration in. I know better, but just let it get away from me this year.
Was Columbine particularly hard this year? Doing it this year, I feel like I realized how great the course conditions were in 2019. It was SO different!
I think the whole course was harder than both the last two years. There are sections it doesn’t matter that much, especially early, but as the day goes on it starts to catch up. (point of reference - I was less than 2 minute faster, but placed 121 spots higher and then it was posted in the race thread 259 big buckles this year as opposed to 396 last year, and then they ran out they had so many the year before)
My opinion was Columbine was rougher and looser. Across the day drier and more loose over hard, dusty / dry more slippery. And, sections that just felt slower. Then, breathing dust all day and bad AQI. Lots of serious accidents this year - I think I saw 4 people down HARD being tended to by EMS or course staff.
I can’t help myself - I’m trying to find a way to get back next year, and praying for 2023 weather!
First off - major kudos to get the pod out so fast. Between post race daze, fatigue, travel, family, and work for you and Keegan - this was such an amazing surprise to see pop up on my walk last night. Secondly, that was a great listen from both accounts on the day. So, thank you.
The wind here (Breckenridge) has been brutal the last month or so. Same old song and dance. Very chill in the morning, then picks up around 11 into the early afternoon. Monsoon season has been nonexistent. I can’t remember the last time it rained in Breckenridge.
Thanks. There were a couple chunky spots up on the goat trail that had more loose rocks than typical, but I didn’t think any of it was abnormally bad. I got held up by walkers more/earlier on the goat trail this year, but I think that was just bad luck as much as the conditions.
None of that is an excuse for my poor fueling on the ascent. I just totally brain farted and got a little too comfortable and had my mind on other stuff. I knew I under fueled a bit at the time, but didn’t realize how bad it was until I got back home and looked at how little I had consumed from my Columbine Pack/Flask. I should have taken 200g+ during that segment and it was well under 100g.
Ironically, the day before I was talking to a rider doing the race for the first time and she asked me for my #1 tip. I told her that eating on the way up Columbine is hard, but critical to performance later in the race. So yeah, it was a pretty dumb mistake that I had not made in any of my prior attempts.
Really enjoyed hearing you both reflect on the race! As an added bonus, it would be great to hear how Pro riders tackle some of the real technical sections that can catch out us ‘average riders’ at the mind boggling speeds they ride at.
It can be perplexing to descend at what feels like a good pace in XC events, only to get lapped by an Elite rider and gapped in seconds on the descent
I also like the podcast to have a truly average rider talk about their experiences at Leadville, or even occasionally on other episodes. It would be really interesting to hear how a normal person handles their training load into a big event like this, and the different (or same) ways they handle the obstacles thrown at them on a large event.
I thought conditions were much more challenging this year from last year. Here is my break down of what made it more challenging.
Air Quality and dust! I have asthma to begin with and the poor air made it challenging. I did use my inhaler before the start and had an inhaler at each aid station but did not use it at aid stations. Plus, the dust was crazy and made it difficult to see, especially going to Powerline or when in pace lines on Pipeline section. I think it is the first race I did where riders were using face mask.
Much more loose! Couldn’t believe how much Powerline descent changed from riding about a week prior. Was super loose and with poor vision made it difficult and sketchy. I am just glad I got through safe and with no flats! Goat Trail was both more challenging and easier for me this year. It had gotten much more loose and rocky from when I road it a few weeks prior making it challenging both up and down. I think it was more rocky as on the descent compared to last year. What made it easier for me was fewer riders on the goat trail both up and down. Last year I had changed my second flat at the cabin and was deep into traffic making it much more challenging for the goat trail section.
Wind!!! The return trip had a significant headwind compared to last year. There were parts I couldn’t believe the power I was putting out and barely moving. This required much higher power outputs from Twin Lakes until Powerline which just burned more matches before hitting the “Type 2 Fun” climb up Powerline. My NP from Twin Lakes to Powerline ended up being only a few watts below my NP for Powerline climb and Carter Lake Climb which is not ideal.
Very intentional. My activity levels dropped significantly during collarbone recovery. I shifted my macros to be much more protein heavy but didn’t meaningfully drop my calorie intake outside of not taking in nutrition while training (since I wasn’t training, hehe), but I went from 156lbs up to 163lbs and by my Index scale and the mirror, that was all body fat with muscle loss as well.
I got back to measuring my food for a week and that reset my awareness, made sure to avoid processed foods and food with refined sugars wherever possible (except for drink mix or gels when training), and then ramped up training volume again.
I really focused on placing my carbohydrates in the right spot throughout the day:
If recovery or easy ride: “Very low” carbohydrate intake (ie: 0.0-0.5 cup of rice or no carbs) in 2 meals prior
If Sweet Spot or Threshold: “Medium” carbohydrate intake (1-2 cup of rice) in 2 meals prior
If big endurance day: “High” carbohydrate intake (1.5-3 cup of rice) in 2 meals prior.
After the rides I prioritized a recovery drink, but then usually ate a low carb meal as my next meal.
Then for the final 3 weeks leading into Leadville I did 2-3 18hr intermittent fasting sessions per week that had me doing easy spins or strength sessions in the morning in a fasted state either skipping or delaying breakfast. I didn’t follow this on race day at Tahoe Trail 100, obviously, but it was easy to follow otherwise as my training was mostly tapered and not too demanding.
It’s been 31 weeks now since the collarbone injury, and 22 weeks since I was able to start training again. In the last 22 weeks, according to my index scale, I’ve lost somewhere around 14lbs of body fat and gained about 5lbs of muscle, resulting in a total 9lb loss coming into race day at Leadville.
Thanks for laying that out. All situations are unique and what you just described makes total sense and sounds completely appropriate for your particular circumstances.
