It was a super thin sidewall cut about an 1/2 inch long. I couldn’t even find it the first time I stopped and assumed the tire had just burped some air. Pumped it up and it seemed fine. About 10 minutes later I could feel it going soft again. It was my first experience with a tubeless setup (2014), so it was uncharted territory.
Pulled out the pump the second time it got low and then found the cut. Hindsight… should’ve put in a tube and boot right then, but it would seal nicely and seemed fine when I was sitting still and there was no pressure on the tire.
This was about 5 hours into the race and “race brain” was in control, there was no logical function going on upstairs.
BTW, I do think that a Racing Ralph (F) and Thunder Burt (Rear) with the snakeskin is a fine Leadville setup. Need a little tread/side knobs up front, especially for the Columbine decent switchbacks… I saw a few guys wash out coming down fast and then hitting the loose over hard turns.