Fun podcast with Hannah talking about her Leadville, answering some of your questions, and then jumping into her White Rim FKT!
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(00:00:00) Welcome!
(00:00:47 Hannah Otto’s Leadville Experience
(00:02:14) Leadville Race Strategy and Preparation Insights
(00:04:31) Leadville Equipment and Nutrition Choices
(00:07:12) Leadville Race Dynamics and Challenges
(00:25:27) Listener Questions and Bike Computer Setup
(00:37:26) Understanding Power Data and Performance
(00:38:51) Listener Question on Pacing for Gravel Worlds
(00:46:54) Listener Question on Stage Racing Tips
(01:03:51) Hannah’s White Rim FKT Experience
As great as I’m sure it would be to have Hannah as a cycling coach, it would be even better just to have her as a life coach. Every time you have her on, she says things that I can apply not just to my training, but to my overall approach to and outlook on life. Thanks!!!
@20202020:55 might be one of my biggest frustrations when racing mountain bikes. I don’t really understand why so many racers make passing in a mountain bike race into such a big deal.
I understand if you’re in a race long battle with some one going back and forth that you might not want to just yield a position, but when someone catches you rapidly from behind. Why is it such a big deal to just move over and let them by? I feel like I always have a sense of when I’m being caught from behind and just automatically yield the position without even needing to be asked. I always figure, if I’m being caught THAT quickly, it’s better to slot in behind and see if I can hold the wheel than it would be to hold the guy up.
The number of times I’ve caught someone and repeatedly asked “Can I get by when you have a chance?” just to be completely ignored and then actively blocked is infuriating. I always feel like a dbag when I eventually force the issue, but when I don’t get so much as an acknowledgement, I’m not really left with any other option.
Even if someone doesn’t feel comfortable with passing, they could just say something along the lines of “hey man, I’ll let you by at the next climb when things slow down” or “just wait until the next opening and I’ll let you through”, the silence is what really drives me up a wall.
Same thoughts when Jonathan mentioned people locking bars and challenging each other up the first big climb. Like… why waste so much energy so early. It’s a 105 mile race on a fire road. What’s the end game here?
Yeah, i was surprised when I heard that. I’ve seen a few random folks racing aggressive on Kevins, but usually it’s mostly chill riding up that first climb. But to be fair, the fastest corral I’ve started in was Red (before they combined red with silver), so maybe the fighting early is just a phenomenon happening at the more competitive end of the race. For the folks in silver, I can absolutely see them fighting for position early in the race. At that pace, you are potentially in the hunt for AG podium spots and being further forward in the race (and staying with your competition) probably matters much more than for those of us just fighting the clock.
And while it’s a lot of fire road, there are extended sections where there is one primary line and passing can be really inefficient (so it’s best to be as far up the road as possible prior to those pinch points). I found Sugarloaf to be particularly single-threaded this year with people riding wheel to wheel in a long line. I had a big group of ~25 riders right in front of me making the turn onto sugarloaf and figured I’d be able to pass at will on the climb like I usually do, but it wasn’t worth it with the course conditions and congestion. Might have just been bad timing getting caught behind that group, but I wish I had pushed a bit to get some clean space in front of me going into that climb this year. For me, Leadville is a race where pushing up the field early can buy you some “cheap” time as long as you don’t push too hard. Less congestion at the pinch points and better chance of getting in strong/smart groups on the flatter segments out to columbine.
