Yesterday I finished my first ever bike race, the Silver Rush 50 in Leadville. My goal was just to gain experience and finish, I ended up crossing the line at 6:36, and definitely learned a lot along the way.
Aside from the last climb, I felt pretty comfortable holding around 180-190 watts which is right in the middle of zone 2 for me. Considering it’s above 10k feet the whole time, that may be the very top of my zone 2 or even low tempo. I didn’t push my pace, tried to stay “conversational” that’s not to say I wasn’t hurting at the end, especially on the last climb.
The Leadville 100 will be longer, but from what I understand not as steep and chunky (lots of hike a bike in SR50). For those who have done the SR50 and Leadville, is mid/high zone 2 (not factoring elevation) a realistic pace for the climbs? Also, I am thinking of setting my stretch goal at sub 10 hours for Leadville. I know I can push the pace harder than yesterday, is that doable based on my result, or should I reconsider my goal?
Thanks!
Alex