What was the impact on your time? And do you mind sharing how your power compared last year to this year during the race?
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Sure, here are some of the stats comparing the 23 race to the 25 race to my stage race this year. The IF is not adjusted to altitude ftp. My FTP for the 25 race was 1 watt higher than in 23. That is about 4.2 w/kg currently where I live in MN. As luck would have it, bad luck for me/good luck for this, I ended up doing almost the same exact NP. That was due to me getting sick the week before the race and not being in the same condition I was when the stage race happened. But you can see that the same NP got me done about 16 minutes faster in much tougher conditions. Had I felt like I did at the stage race or had the conditions been like 23, I probably could have gone 20-30 minutes faster. Usually the math is to add about 30 minutes to your stage race time. I finished that in 7:53.
| 2023 | 2025 | 25Stg1 | 25Stg2 | 25Stg3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:05 | 8:49 | 2:46 | 2:09 | 2:58 |
| .61 IF | .62 | .69 | .70 | .68 |
| 174 NP | 175 | 197 | 199 | 194 |
| 122 AvgHR | 126 | 127 | 127 | 130 |
| 11.7 mph | 11.9 | 14.4 | 10.3 | 13.8 |
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Worth a watch, makes me ready to line up again
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They covered some of this on the pod today. Go check it out
I was out riding my MTB yesterday and tried grabbing the fork crown like KC did. I can now admit that was not my problemā¦
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Watched this last night, really well done and enjoyed it. So pumped for Kate.
Since I feel like Iāll find a similar crowd here, Iām curious what the crowd things my optimum training strategy might be if I get an entry for Leadville 2026. Iām turning 40 next year (yikes), and considering doing Leadville for the first time. I live in Denver and Iām around 4w/kg on roughly 7-8 hours of training per week. Typically most of my riding is indoors, with an outdoor ride once a week or so due to time constraints/kids/work/etc. Iām considering throwing my hat in the ring for either Leadville or the Unbound 200, having a slight preference towards Leadville since itās closer and I could potentially do the camp that would guarantee an entry.
How would people approach training, if my goal is to finish sub 9 my first time out? How many hours/week, keeping in mind most of it will be indoors?
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Iām surprised that Kateās position (hands on fork) has gotten so much attention. That position has been around forever in the XC world, but most riders prefer hands bars near stem. Specialized did a wind tunnel test years ago on XC aero positions and I think the hands on center bars actually tested faster than hands on fork crown (or they were very close). Iāve tried the hands on fork crown and find it sketchy compared to hands near stem. But my skills are just a bit lacking compared to Kateās.
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I was just joking, though I did try it and was immediately wondering how good my dental coverage was at work. The Bicycle Station just did a video on it, because apparently people on the internetā¦. thought it was a slow position.
Agreed. Iām also surprised at people knocking itā¦I use it occasionally and find it way more stable than forearms on the bars with āpuppy pawsā.
I think all the commentary about it being too sketchy is a little overblown. Keegan is doing puppy paws and super trucking descents, I find it hard to suggest this is meaningfully different - Iām all for them finding speed in whatever way makes sense for them.
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Try and raise your FTP as much as possible using TR, use the trainer for all your structured intervals and shorter workouts. The more volume the better, but has to work for you. Get a comfortable bike fit on your trainer, plenty of music, podcasts, netflix, whatever.
But, in June and July - commit to starting to incorporate longer days and longer rides on your MTB, even if on the road. Those big days, and even big back to back weekend days during specialty pay dividends for a race like Leadville.
Then, hope for weather like we had in 2023 
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Sounds like you are trying to race it and not just finish?
Do you have more time available on weekends? Even if once a week (or every two) a good long ride is going to be essential. I think intensity can be fit into a 1 hour session but for a race that long a long endurance ride is the cornerstone to success.
Being in Denver it might be worth the drive to get on the course. Take some friends and make a day of it. (Pro tip: see if your partner wants a day - or weekend - to themselves as well. Pay it forward before you cash in. Or better yetā¦ get a house for a weekend and hit up Vail with the family in the afternoon).
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Yup, trying to make sure I finish in a reasonable time. I do have some time: I can do an outdoor ride one day/week pretty easily, and on the weekend, I typically do a 2 hour session on the trainer at least one day saturday or sunday.
The tough part is that living in Denver, I have to drive 30 minutes to find good mountain biking, which is an hour that I could be riding indoors instead.
And yes, we do occasionally rent a place in Vail. Awesome riding!
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Some of the best Leadville Training is hopping on your MTB and grinding it out on flat roads for 6 hours where you never stop pedalingā¦
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+1 on @BCM ās comments on hitting the road on the MTB and pushing long steady tempo. I usually try to get a little time off road prior to leadville, but the vast majority of the training volume for leadville happens on the road on my MTB. I basically did zero time off road on my MTB this year prior to arriving in Leadville. I just stick some old gravel tires on my MTB to avoid wearing down my MTB tires and also run a 38 chainring for road speeds. Iāll even do local fast group rides on it, an XC bike with a 38 chainring and fairly fast rolling tires isnāt going to hold you back in most situations.
And for indoor training, Iāll do a bit of zwift riding to pass the time. There is a 100mile BMTR ride every saturday morning that is the best quality training I probably do indoors. Itās basically 4 hours at tempo with some surging into threshold, incredible fitness builder for events like Unbound and Leadville where you have to put out the power for hours on end.
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Yeah itās definitely been around for a while. I used to do it when I lived in Michigan and would ride my MTB on the gravel roads to the trails.
IMO, assuming a constant upper body angle, the hands near the stem is probably more aero and has maybe a bit more control. However, it puts much more strain on your triceps and shoulders to hold you in that position. So over the course of a 7 hour race (for KC) itās unlikely that you could hold that hands near the stem for that long. So the tradeoff is a bit less aero with hands on the fork crowns but much more comfort over the long race.
Kinda like how the drops on a road bike arenāt as aero as horizontal arms on the hoods but you can basically sit there all day while most people canāt hold the more aero position for too long.
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At 4W/kg in Denver, youāre in good shape fitness-wise to go sub 9 at Leadville.
The biggest things to work on will be nutrition, hydration, pacing and being comfortable on the bike for 9 hrs.
To dial these in, thereās no substitute to doing longer rides. 1-2 hrs on the trainer wonāt really help you prepare on these fronts.
FWIW, Iād choose Leadville over Unbound. Itās more epic IMO. Although I believe Unbound is easier to get into via Lottery.
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It helps a lot that you live in Denver. We have similar w/kg and I have done LT100 that last two years breaking 9 hours both years. I loosely followed Trainer Road and mixed in some long rides. During winter I would try to do once a week a 2-3 hour pacer group zone 2 ride. I did a lot of these this winter and worked up to where I could do the 3.1-3.2 w/kg for 3 hours and keep my HR in zone 2.
Come spring I would start doing at least one long ride a week outside and work on nutrition/hydration which takes time to dial in. I live south of Denver and the Cherry Creek trail system is great for long zone 2 rides which is likely near you. I would also try to have one big climbing day a week in Boulder or the mountains. I did a lot of 3-4 hour rides this spring on Fridays in Boulder that had between 6-8k climbing each ride. This is not part of Trainer Road but the other thing I did that helped a lot with checking durability the month before the race is I did two long 4-5 hour rides with a hard 10-15 minute Threshold effort on the hour. It is great check on durability if the last one at hour 5 has similar power to your first one.
The last thing is try to stay up there for a week in late June/July and pre-ride on weekends as much as you can. This will help huge in knowing the course and where you can eat/drink. The more you do will also help get an idea of what watts to hold on climbs without blowing up. You can also gauge where you are at on segments with others which helped. If you can do the Stage Race that is a big bonus as the timing is great for LT100 and to do the course at race pace. Good Luck!
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Not sure where youāre at in Denver, but High Line Canal Trail, specifically the section heading south through Cherry Hills Village and beyond, is a nice way to get some long rides in on gravel. Iām fortunate to live right off the trail, so Iāve done a lot of long rides there.
I also ride the highline canal and ride all the way to the Colorado trail at the top of Waterton Canyon.
You can ride as long as you have time for and barely be on the road. The highline is 71 miles long on way. It also connects with the C-470 Trail and the platte trail.
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