I did both Stage race and LT100 last year. I would go all out on the stage race and not worry about blowing up. If you have been training hard your endurance is good it will carry you the full 2-3 hours for each stage and it is perfect timing for the LT100. That was my approach last year and it worked out very well for the stage race. My IF looking back was .85, .84 and .82 for the three days but it was not something I payed attention to.
The LT100 was another story as I flatted on both Powerline and Columbine outbound and had over 40 minutes of fixing flatsā¦but still pulled off a big buckle at least.
I personally hate hike a bike and would always rather spin than hike on powerline and upper columbine, but itās kind of a pointless debate because the choice of whether you could ride upper columbine wonāt be yours to make for 98% of people on race day regardless.
By that I mean that once the pointy end of the field starts coming down and thereās bi-directional traffic it only takes a single person to put their foot down and the conga lines start to form, then everyone is walking whether they want to or not. Itās not some wide expanse up there, thereās usually a relatively narrow rideable line on each side and if people are hiking on the right and people are coming down on the left thereās no place for you to go even if you wanted to ride it.
All that said, I still think the majority of the field should be on 30Ts for this race, 4 W/kg people should be on 32T, and no one who is going slower than 8:30 should be even thinking about 34.
Thanks. Yeah, I certainly have read enough discussion to grasp that aspect of it not being a choice on raceday. Iām not doing Leadville this year, would like to some day. My comment/questions were more general in nature, because Iāve been doing an annual trip into the GA mountains with some really steep climbing, and Iām trying to decide if I should bump up to a 34T because I donāt spend much time in the middle of the cassette anymore (at home, 99% of the year), though I also donāt spin out in the 10T either (hills are short, everything else is flat here and Iām spending more and more time in the 10T with my ftp in the 300w range right now).
I usually donāt get this many responses, so I didnāt reveal earlier that Iām not asking specifically about Leadville . Iām really interested in this race, though, and love all the discussion about strategies and following along, and am working toward being able to do such an epic ride. So, sorry and thanks. Yeah, Iām also averse to hiking, with an old tib/fib break and lots of foot arthritis, walking uphill is brutal, but I can ride it with a lot less discomfort. Maybe someday.
Chainring and Tiresā¦the two Leadville topics that can open a big can of worms.
With that said, road from Twin Lakes to Fish Hatchery yesterday and back. Was loving the 34t chainring on that section but still thinking of going back to 32t. I did love the 2.4 Dubnital on front as it definitely felt more āsecureā on loose stuff and single track section compared to 2.2 Race King.
All good, as @DamonM said it doesnāt take much to spur a good debate about chainring sizes.
As someone who was born and raised in FL, but has lived in CO for the last 10 years and done LT100 multiple times, riding a 32T at the top of Columbine is like riding a 36T in GA ha. I wouldnāt worry about going to a 34, the difference between riding near sea level and 12,000ft is incomparable until youāve done it.
Have tried to find this answer but havenāt come across much. How much did the corral spacing help for the back corrals last year on congestion. I am going to be in the 2nd to last corral because I was sick for Silver Rush and just gutted it to the finish line with a slower time than my capacity, but I am a 4 watt/kg rider. Iām curious if the corral is going to hamper me as much as it has historically with walking and congestion from back there?
. Iām really interested in this race, though, and love all the discussion about strategies and following along, and am working toward being able to do such an epic ride. So, sorry and thanks. Yeah, Iām also averse to hiking, with an old tib/fib break and lots of foot arthritis, walking uphill is brutal, but I can ride it with a lot less discomfort. Maybe someday.