Not a bad idea. Little air bubbles that don’t affect braking can turn into large air bubbles that do when you go to high altitude. I always bleed mine before going and I still had to rebleed mine one year after arriving leadville (I clearly didn’t get all the air out). And I’ll usually put fresh pads on as well if there is any noticeable wear. If you run organic pads, the course can be pretty brutal on them in a couple spots depending on how you descend.
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I descend like a scared bunny! So switch out the Sram Organic to something like swissstop 35RS?
I run the SRAM sintered pads. I don’t know if there are better options, but I find them much more durable and less prone to fade. Also, work much better in wet conditions. But more prone to squeal than organic (really only an issue when the get wet).
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Oh man, what a bummer. And here I was feeling bad for myself due to the minor cold I caught this week (also racing SR50). Good luck with a speedy recovery.
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Appreciate all the kind words. I live in CO and have checked all the Leadville series off my bucket list in the past so I’m not devastated from missing out on my only shot. I’ll be back.
In the 20 years I’ve been riding I’ve never broken a collarbone or honestly had any serious issue other than breaking ribs but man have I broken some ribs. They remarked in my x-rays that multiple of my ribs on the right were fused from previous fractures, now I’ve completed the set with the full left side for symmetry 
Good luck to everyone who will be at SR50 this weekend, may you always keep the rubber side down
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Where were you riding? Fellow CO Front Range here
I wouldn’t hesitate to run those if that’s what you’re comfortable on. The RR front may not be the fastest but it’s got solid grip and is durable and both of those things can be worth prioritizing if it’s right for you. I like STs a lot and think that’s a solid option for the rear.
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Heal up quick
@tgarson Hope you heal quickly
Question on spare tyres. I am travelling from the UK. I am aming for Sub 9 but my main aim is to complete it and get any buckle. I am at 4.3 w/kg so sub 9 should be well in my capacity.
I have a couple of spare Continental Race King 2.2 (ill be running 2.4 Dubnitals). Would you bother putting one each drop bag (so one going to Outward Bound and one going to Twin Lakes.). My thought is I might as well - if I damage a tyre that bad It might mean I can still make a 12 hour goal even with having to change the tyre. I am running inserts but would be able to get it off. Ill have tyre boots and plugs on me plus some latex spare tubes (running tubeless). Are the spare tyres just overkill and unnecessary? Ill still put at least 1 in the suitcase in case of some sort of damage during shipping. I was also going to put a spare tube in each drop bag as well so covering all eventualities!
I’d run the tires you are most comfortable on at this point. Sure you can save some watts switching to a faster tire, but they likely won’t handle the same as what you are running now. The Rekon Races have a lot of grip on the side knobs and going to the Ricks it took me a while to get used to not having that.
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Can I get some advice on my nutrition plan? 11-12 hours goal time.
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2L pack with ~270g of carbs from start to Twin Lakes Alt. 2 empty bottles in my frame just in case, maybe 3-4 30g gels in my top tube bag in case I’m doing a bad job hydrating.
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Drop pack with my wife at Twin Lakes Alt, grab two full bottles at 90g each for Columbine. Refresh gels if needed. Probably get through two bottles on the climb, fill a bottle quick at aid up top, take some swigs, descend.
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Meet wife again at Twin Lakes Alt. Grab my full pack with ~270g. Replenish gels. Not sure what to do with bottles here. Do I grab one full and leave one empty just in case? Grab two with just powered mix in them to fill with water at Outward Bound or Carter?
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Send an “emergency” drop bag with drink mix, gels, a tube, co2, spare AXS battery, etc… to Twin Lakes just in case my wife gets held up and I don’t see her. Everything goes well, she will have my truck at Twin Lakes Alt with anything I could possibly need.
I do 90-120g/hr of carbs from a mix of bottles and gels pretty regularly, past 12 hours even. Also have used neversecond C90 before will good results, just don’t want to rely on on aid for nutrition 100% because things happen and supplies run out.
If you’ve got the space, I don’t think it’s a harm to put one in each of your drop bags. I had a guy last year borrow my spare wheelset from my crew because he cracked a rim coming down Powerline (Another reason why I like Inserts and tell people not to “Just send it” on the downhills). But his day would have been over without that, and he still finished around 10 hours if I remember…
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Wow you really saved his ride. Hope all the good bike karma comes your way!!
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In general - don’t try something new at this point unless you have a chance to test it on a long hot day in advance over the next couple weekends. That goes for grams per hour, types of fuel, etc.
But, Remember it’s going to be COLD at the start, could be in the 30’s. You’re not going to want to drink much, and may not drink much during the first hour or even two. You’ll be freezing trying to warm up. If you’re using liquid fuel - you run the risk of being behind on fuel, or drinking too much and needing to stop and take a leak. The latter is the lesser of two evils, but keep this in mind and you may need to force fuel down so you don’t get behind. I like having gels, especially at this time of the day.
This has come up many times in this thread. I think there’s a risk for relying on liquid fuel and hydration combined. It works well a lot of times, but you may need to force yourself to over-hydrate like above, but later in the day if your stomach starts to go south it’s also nice to be able to pound fluids without the sugar to catch up.
So, I personally would say have some gels you’re used to. And, have access to some “Electrolyte Only” bottles or packs from your crew, or empty bottles to get hydration only from neutral aid. Straight Ice Water bottles are gold too to pour on yourself. By the time you get to Powerline inbound - hydration and keeping yourself cool could be a big deal. As cold as it gets first thing, it can feel like you’re baking in an oven on portions of Pipeline and Powerline if the weather’s sunny and warm.
I personally will be doing 125g/hour of all gels for the full distance. But can back off if needed. Hydration will be a mix of bottles and packs and spare empty bottles. The longest stretch is Twin Lakes Inbound - I like to have empties to refill quickly at Outward Bound or Carter.
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He was a friend of a friend and we were all using the same crew, so wasn’t a total random. But at the same time - I believe in karma, so I’m glad it saved his day!
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This is nothing new for me besides a long day at elevation. So good there. I’m in Michigan, so pretty used to cold morning starts and getting 90% of my nutrition from bottles, just trying to see if I’m missing anything unique to this race I guess.
But heard on the keeping up with nutrition when it’s cold. I’ll pack a few extra gels just in case from the start.
It’s also in the upper 80s with dewpoints in the 70s in Michigan right now. Temps in the rockies will be a joy at this point 
Yes, Rockies are absolutely a joy. I’m in Boston and we’re alternately getting 60’s and rain, followed by 100 degrees and humid as hell. Seriously, F*** this place - can’t wait until I’m rolling into Leadville two weeks from Sunday.
But something about the late afternoon, 10% humidity dry full sun at Elevation hits a little bit different. It can feel way hotter than it is and it is super easy to get dehydrated late because of how dry the air is too that you’re breathing in on every breath. Force down your hydration and fuel, especially when you leave twin lakes inbound - use that next hour to get caught up and ahead.
If we get cloudy and cool (cross our fingers) at least we’re prepared!
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Yeah interval days have sucked lately.
Cloudy and cool will certainly help my time goals. I’ll even accept a light sprinkle
My preference is a full pack and 2 empty bottles coming back from twin lakes (or alternate). Sometimes with dry mix in the empties, but usually just empty. And if I fill both bottles at Outward Bound, one will usually be mix and one straight water (either for dumping on myself or just having something without sugar). That’s at around 9 hour pace, so you may err on the side of more fluids between twin lakes and OB at an 11 hour pace. I’d probably make a game day decision on that based on weather, have 3 bottles ready at twin lakes and either grab a couple empties or an empty and a full. If any doubt, grab a full bottle, there isn’t a ton of climbing between twin lakes and OB.
On a warm day, the toughest stretch on the course for hydration is Outward Bound to Carter. Can be tough to do on 2 bottles if you’ve drained your pack before OB. I like to have a partial pack and 2 full bottles pulling out of Pipeline/Outward bound if it’s gonna be warm. It’s only ~1.5 hours to carter from the bottom of Powerline to Carter at 9 hour pace, but it’s a pretty brutal stretch and you can be baking on both the climbs with little air moving to cool yourself. There are sometimes people handing out cold cokes and towels at the bottom of the road climb back to Carter (so good if hot), but you can’t count on it.
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Yep, cloud cover pretty much guarantees we won’t be baking at that altitude.
But in my experience, if there is anything falling from the sky, it’s usually uncomfortably cold at Leadville. It will go from sunny 80F+ (which feels hot at altitude) to rain/sleet/hail and 40’s in minutes. Those weather events are usually brief and isolated, not even worth pulling out a rain jacket, you just suffer for a bit. Knock on wood, we haven’t had a real bad weather day in a least the last 5 years.
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Thanks for that intel. I usually carry a jacket when I ride in the mountains, but wasn’t sure if I was gonna carry one on the day. I know forecasts are kinda useless and stuff can pop up anytime.