I’m a solid 4w/kg (sea level) on race day and have done it twice running 32 w 10-52 eagle (and 10-50 after a wheel swap at twin lakes last year). No way I’d go higher and I’d consider lower but 32 is the smallest I can run on the crank I have. No issues spinning out. I’ve never really tried to clean columbine (even in pre-ride) and I’ve only cleaned powerline once on a pre-ride just to prove I could. There is no way I’d try to clean it on race day with 80 miles in my legs. The first steep section on powerline takes me into the red, it’s very low cadence grind even on fresh legs. Not worth the risk of cramping at that point in the race for me. I compared a couple pre-rides with one walking vs. the one riding and it was a difference of less than a minute for the first steep part where most walk (the rest of the climb is pretty manageable, just a couple chunky sections where some folks might put a foot down).
I’ve started both years in green and my experience is that the vast majority are walking on 2-3 loose/steep spots near the top of columbine, but it’s not that much time walking. I can’t remember if I was actually forced off due to traffic or just made the call on my own, but it’s not a big deal either way. On the way down, you can see that the walking has dramatically increased in the groups behind and the conga line congestion just leads to more folks having to dismount as passing becomes harder. I’ll be in red corral this year, so the walking I do should be by choice. Both of those walking sections are just survival mode for me and they really aren’t that long (so don’t let them get in your head). The course always wins those spots, no point it pushing too hard and digging a hole for the rest of the race.
While I agree, I think there’s 2 different sets of advice. For the 4ish W/kg athlete will you walk? Most likely. Will it be a big deal that will cost you a lot of time? No.
For the middle and back of pack you can end up walking far more frequently than goat trail and powerline if you have bad gearing. Clearly bringing a 30T or even 28T isn’t going to make them suddenly clean the goat trail, it’s about being able to spin through other climbs which can cumulatively make a big impact.
I’ll be riding out of the white corral since I got in with a charity spot and won’t be participating in a qualifier. I’m thinking I’m somewhere at or below the 10-hour mark. Anybody here gone sub-10 from white? Any tips or recommendations for me?
I’m assuming there’s plenty of other riders that lotto’d in and will be targetting that kind of pace. I assume that, like me, they’re going to try to get towards the front of the corral. What kind of chaos should I expect even just trying to get up front in the corral?
I did 10:10 out of white 2 years ago, so not exactly sub-10 but close. I made sure I was there early to get to the front of the corral and tried very hard to get as close to front before the first climb. Obviously don’t burn too many matches that early in the race but there is definitely congestion on that first climb. Other first timer tips I would share is really try to get into pace lines as much as possible. I wasn’t able to get in one on the way home and it really hurt. Also, be sure to save some gas for power line on the way back. That was a much harder climb than I expected. Also be mentally prepared to walk some, especially from white. I wasn’t prepared for that and it didn’t help my mental game at all.
Okay thanks for that! Where on the course did you have to walk that you didn’t expect to? Because with your finish time, I’d imagine I’ll experience the same.
And as for a pace line “on the way home”, are you calling that from TL Dam all the way in? Or after the PL climb back in?
Powerline on the way back is such a critical part of the race and agree 100% that it catches so many people off guard - not just people in the White corral but all levels right up to the pros. Listen to people being interviewed about their race and invariable Powerline inbound is mentioned and how tough it was. It’s steep, it’s usually pretty warm, and most people are walking the steep part. After being softened up the first 80 miles it requires some next level grits, guts, and determination to make it up. Coming in mentally prepared for this is key. Don’t get discouraged walking the steep part, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will knock it out. Once you get up the steep lower section it does get a little easier. You still have a ways to go, but put it in a low gear and just keep pedalling steady. Make sure you know your distances so you don’t get fooled by the various false flats. Once you get on the big descent back down you’ll have some time to recover before the long paved climb to Carter Aid. By then, the worst is behind you.
+1000 on this. I use Powerline as a big motivation for my long saturday training rides. If I’m on sub 9 pace at leadville, I want to be hitting powerline about 6:30 into the race. In the last month or so leading up to the race, my saturday rides are right around target race wattage (altitude adjusted) and the 6:30 mark is my measuring stick (usually near the end of my ride). I’ll ask myself - “could I get up powerline right now?”. If the answer is “no way”, I’m not ready. If the answer is “maybe”, that’s as good as it’s gonna get. I figure if I can be at a “maybe” in training in the Texas summer heat, I’ll find a way on race day in leadville. Having the endurance/fitness is critical, but the mental aspect is big as well.
Mostly from the TL dam to powerline, especially the road sections. Kuttermax’s post just above really sums up the power line climb well, got nothing to add there.
As far as where you should be prepared to walk: the first part of the goat path tends to be a line of walkers unless you are really FOP, also the very steep part of power line, there are one or two short steep sections by Carter aid on the way back in that I had to walk. Had I been mentally prepared for them I would have been a bit faster, I got a bit demoralized TBH
If you can, try to pay attention to those areas on your outbound leg so you can be a bit more prepared for them. As Kuttermax said about be aware of your distances so you don’t get fooled by the false flats. What I did in addition to having the milages memorized was to have the upcoming elevation profile on my computer (I’ve got a wahoo, but I believe Garmin has something similar) so I had an idea how much further I had. Also, most of the descents are pretty fast especially the road ones. Having the route on my computer was unexpectedly helpful for this as I knew when the turns were coming and how sharp they were.
I set my computer up with 3 screens that were easy to toggle: My usual screen with power, distance, time etc. A ‘climbing’ screen with power data and the upcoming profile, and then a third with just the map and route for downhills when I didn’t care so much about tracking my power numbers.
Even if you know better people have the tendency to significantly underestimate the difficulty remaining post Columbine. You get back down, go through TL aid and get energized by the crowd then are on to flat roads for a while. Usually you’re working with a group and there’s this sense that you’re on the express route back to town.
Then there’s Powerline. It’s not just the very steep section, the climb goes on for quite a ways after including the most techy climbing sections of the day. Then people think oh thank god it’s over, but you’re climbing again up to Carter before you know it. Carter should be the easiest climb of the day but I’ve never not been there and thought “how is there still more climbing???”
Then of course at last comes the cruelty of the Boulevard. Truthfully it’s not that bad once you get past the initial loose and steep section, but if you haven’t pre-ridden and think you are basically at the finish line it’s a real kick in the balls.
Been listening to Fattie and Hottie and they’ve mentally prepared me for the Goat Trail and the steeper portions of PL. Had not considered additional walking inbound near Carter Aid. But just so I’m understanding from a post further up…am i mentally preparing to walk these sections because I’m 80+ miles in and the legs are toast, or because I started in the white corral and there’s people walking on sections that might have otherwise been rideable? I was assuming that post-Columbine it’s the former not the latter. Is that more or less accurate?
After Columbine there really isn’t anything that you have to walk because of traffic. Even the steep part of Powerline “could” be ridden if you wanted to and most people will move to the side for you.
That being said, most people not in the very early corrals will walk the steep part of Powerline, but you will get the occasional person who decides to ride up in the other corrals. As mentioned above by everyone, be prepared for Powerline inbound. It’s a brute but it is conquerable. Just like @grwoolf said, think about it in training and put in some hard efforts late into long rides to get a sense how your legs feel. On race day, this section more than any other benefits from constant forward movement, whether walking or pedalling, just keep moving forward and the miles will tick away.
The section after Carter Aid (after the paved road climb) has a couple of short but steep sections. They can catch you off guard late in the race. One of them is the section where Ken and Merilee are at early in the day when you are outbound. You make a sharp left heading inbound and it gets quite steep for a short bit. There are one or two more of these short sharp kickers. I’ve found the main thing here is being in the right gear when you hit them so you don’t have to put a foot down. This is also the part where you will be thankful for a smaller front chain ring. Ultimately if you get off and walk, its only a short section. I wouldn’t get too worried about this part, just be aware its coming but also know that you are getting real close to the nice St. Kevin’s descent and then the final stretch home after that!
This came up elsewhere when they first announced it, but I haven’t heard if they clarified yet whether InnerBarEnds or similar are/are not allowed? Pretty sure they would be.
On the Pod it was kind of insinuated that it’s no extension. But they’re not going to be aggressively witch hunting people on the start line, for example normal bar ends on the ends of your bars would probably be ignored
Nothing insinuated about it. They are out, all extensions of any sort. They only gray area would be a bar that had a built in front hoop or something like that that was not removable in any way and part of the bar. Drop bars, etc. are still fine.
You are correct they said they weren’t going to go looking for people, but if you had them and got pointed out you could have an issue.
Bummer. I rode with them the last two years at Leadville, and everywhere else. I use them on my MTB, most of the time, they are so much more comfortable and still allow control over shifting and brakes. 80+% of my time on the bike is where I find them being used.
Agree that the inner-barends actually give you better control when holding the inner portion of your bars. If they disallow those, then they would also need to disallow something like TOGS too.
I suspect there will be some more discussion regarding this as the race approaches.
