If you had something smaller, you could easily set up shop on USFS and bounce around every two weeks around Summit County and Chaffee. That’s what I would do.
Something that size, you could look into Tiger Road RV Resort in Breck. RV/hookups fill up pretty fast over the summer in Lake/Summit County I have to imagine. You’ll be competing against Texans/Kansas/Nebraska and locals looking to camp and set up shop especially at developed camp grounds.
If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, I would look into getting a spot/bouncing around in Frisco at the peninsula campgrounds and BV/Salida. Both areas will offer much better mountain biking, grocery stores, and other things to do. There are a lot of great climbs to do in Breck that mimic what you’ll see in the race.
In for the lottery, first time I’ve entered and first time I feel like my fitness is where I can finish under cutoff. Knowing that I probably won’t get in the lottery, I guess I’ll do a charity entry since life is short and I don’t know when I’ll be this fit again? Such a PITA, but I love the town and I’ve felt the calling to race since I learned about it like a decade ago.
Just getting in the lottery would obviously be the easiest, ha.
I’m full of intrinsic bias, but I can say from an abundance of experience that nearly every person crossing the finish line in Leadville is grateful for the experience. Bike races are more than a start and finish line, they’re defined by the culture around them, and most importantly - the people behind them. Leadville is a storied event for good reason, if you decide to take it on yourself, you’ll see why.
I’ll be riding for my first time after many, many, years on the other side of the barriers. Looking forward to sharing the journey with some of you.
Well said. More than any event I’ve been a part of, Leadville has made a pretty big impact on me. I think it caught my eye ~2016. I was travelling for work, not really enjoying myself at at a conference in Atlanta and stumbled across the “Race across the sky” movie while sitting in my hotel room. I was strictly a roadie (and hated climbing) but got sucked into the “epic-ness” of doing something way, way out of my comfort zone. Got a MTB (plus-tired long travel bike), did the local Rattler qualifier race a few times and raced Leadville 100 for the first time in 2021. This year will be #5 in a row. It’s become an annual summer vacation as much as a bike race for us but the race still motivates me enough to stay in decent shape. Love the town and have met a bunch of great people. I have never pushed myself that hard in a bike race (or anything) like I did for my first Leadville in 2021. I’ll probably never duplicate that feeling of crossing the line the first time, but I still really enjoy the race vibe.
Some give Leadville a bad rap. It’s a gravel race. It’s too big. It’s too corporate. At sea level it would be easy. All true, but that misses the point. It’s a BIG challenge. I did the run in 2015. I had zero confidence I’d finish. Most of us were in the same boat. Everyone was nervous, but everyone was incredibly supportive. For me that was the unique thing about it. Everyone, racers, crew, spectators, and locals all came out and cheered for everyone.
I finished in 2015 (and got engaged in the finish shoot). I did the bike in 2022 (10:39:45). This year I’m back in the lottery for the run. If I don’t get in, it’ll be doing Breck Epic. So my summer is booked either way. Good luck everyone.
Congrats to everyone who got in. I have lost track of how many times I haven’t been drawn but I know it has been 8+ years. Always get discouraged with the email as the race has been on my bucket list for years and I am at the point that my best years aren’t ahead of me.
My credit card is grateful that I was rejected. Now I’m going to swap and try to do the Maah Daah Hey 50. It’s within a week of Leadville I think, so it swaps well.
Western states has a great model. Ever you enter the lottery, the # of tickets you get doubles. Pretty much as long as you enter every year, you’ll be guaranteed an entry eventually.
Does anyone have any inside scoop on how many qualifying spots they’ll be giving out at qualifiers this year? I wonder if the closing of the Lifetime Online membership option has opened up more slots that they’ll fill with more conventional approaches.
Several years ago, there were a good number of slots available at qualifying events - I got in twice that way at Silver Rush. Wondering if it’s worth my while trying that approach again, or if they’ll give out slots only to something like the top 3 in each group… which I will not be in!
Same here. I’ve applied for the lottery many years and have never been chosen once. And I have been applying before Lifetime purchased the event. It’s not my race but there’s got to be a balance somewhere. You’ve got people who’ve done the MTB and/or run many, many times, and then there’s those of us who have never had a chance. I understand why someone would be happy bragging about “this is my Xth time finishing Leadville” but it just irritates me and all I think is “come on, give someone else a chance to get a spot”.
No inside scoop, but I think it was 50 spots available at the Rattler last year (just a couple months ago). Maybe they will do more at other events, but I wouldn’t count on it. 25 of those were based on finish times (top x finishers based on size of age group, but at least 1 from every category). The remaining 25 were random draw for anyone who finished under the cutoff and stuck around to the end. But I bet there were 200+ folks waiting for their name to be drawn. 5+ years ago, the odds were decent if you stuck around for the drawing at the end, not so much anymore. I’ve done that race most years for almost a decade and my number has been called once (the very last coin that year). It’s a low percentage chance (at least at the Rattler) unless you are fast enough to be in the top x finishers for your age. I got in once with a podium finish, but that was covid year with a shallower field than usual (but I still claim it).
Shutting down the online Lifetime membership path should free some spots up, but I still think it’s a low percentage chance for lottery entry or at the end of races. The race size is capped at pretty small numbers compared to other “bucket list” events and demand dramatically exceeds the number of spots available. And they are adding another qualifier in the southeast this year and you have little sugar as a qualifier now as well (so more spots going to those events).
I think the race is capped around 1800 riders and I think that includes the pro field. With all the qualifiers, the camp, charity spots, volunteers, leadman participants, etc., I bet there are less than 500 spots available for the general lottery. And I’d bet there are 3k+ putting their name in the hat for those ~500 spots. That’s pure speculation on my part, but I know the hit rate is low based on people I know that have tried to get in.
