Chinertown
Other Resources => After The Ride => Topic started by: Vipassana on August 25, 2015, 12:49:40 PM
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I know this should probably go in the Ride Containment thread, but I think Leadville is perhaps a bit different than normal rides.
I rode the Leadville LT100 this past weekend and I finished.
It was very hard; easily the most mentally and physically draining thing I've ever had to endure on a bike, but I felt good and never fell into a bad atitude. I train at ~1800 ft, sometime as high as 8000 ft. I've done 100 mile rides with >12,000 ft of elevation gain. This race made all of that look like child's play. This race occurs between 10,200 to 12,600 ft, with something like 11,000 ft of elevation gain.
I finished in 11:01 (actual ride time of ~10:38). Fortunately, no crashes, mechanicals, or poor weather. I nailed my nutrition and actually finished stronger than I started. I dominated a couple of the climbs compared to other riders with me (but nothing compared to the Pros there that day!) I was not prepared for the amount of traffic there was on the course which caused a lot of slowing on the start and at the summit of Columbine.
The crowds, fans, and support crews were the best I've ever encountered and the whole event was the best experience I've ever had on a bike and probably ever in general. I rode with a friend (though we ended up separated) and we were supported at the aid stations by our SOs that did an amazing job of following us and attending to our needs.
The whole event was surreal. Both painful and rewarding. The sense of accomplishment I felt crossing that finish line is completely unrivaled. I finished off the night with beer and pizza in a hot tub. Good times.
I would recommend that everyone try this race at some point in their life.
A shot from the pre-race meeting. There were some neat speakers and various causes that were there to raise money or achieve goals. The Leadville race series brings a lot of money to the town of Leadville and actually provided scholarships for higher education to every high school senior that graduates. In a town that was decimated by the big mines closing, this is a big deal. Ken, the founder of the race, spoke and it was neat. He's a very neat character who wants nothing but your best and lets you know that.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/PANO_20150814_110612.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/PANO_20150814_110612.jpg.html)
The city of Leadville; its a great time of year to be in CO:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150814_105258.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150814_105258.jpg.html)
The downtown area is filled with vendors and sponsors for the weekend:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150814_103709.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150814_103709.jpg.html)
SRAM was out with all their cool new tech. They were giving free cleanings and tune-ups to anyone with a SRAM drivetrain. You didn't hear it from me, but a 10 to 44T XX1/X01 cassette is in the works...
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150814_103639.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150814_103639.jpg.html)
At the starting line at ~6:25 waiting for the gun to go off. It started clear and brisk at ~45 degrees. We ride down into some fog as we left Leadville. The start is chaos with something like 2000 riders:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_062301663.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_062301663.jpg.html)
Me at the 50 mile mark at the top of Columbine (~12,600 ft). This is the halfway/turn-around point with an aid station. The views were incredible.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_122408.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_122408.jpg.html)
Aid bags at the top of Columbine. Dat view...:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/PANO_20150815_122444.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/PANO_20150815_122444.jpg.html)
Other riders. This was at about 6:00:00 into the race:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_122519.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_122519.jpg.html)
Us (mere mortal riders) coming in and going. The Pros had come and gone hours ago.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_122530.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_122530.jpg.html)
Some race pictures:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/bazu-6781024.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/bazu-6781024.jpg.html)
Almost everyone walks at some point; traffic, elevation, fatigue dictate it. No shame.:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/bazu-6783481.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/bazu-6783481.jpg.html)
At the finish line, I sprinted home:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/bazu-6777269.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/bazu-6777269.jpg.html)
The bike weighed at least 60 lbs in this picture... or so it felt:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_173936624.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_173936624.jpg.html)
My buddy and I. He finished 27 minutes ahead of me (10:38). This is is second finish and shaved an hour off his previous time. He crashed 3 times though and busted his finger up badly.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_174344855.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_174344855.jpg.html)
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_180224.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_180224.jpg.html)
The trusty chinese bike that brought me there. No real mechanical issues except for some sloppy shifting towards the end of the course. The chinese saddle is finally, after a year and thousands of miles, starting to get some stress cracks in the plastic. Not bad for $9. No flats. My air fork and tires were super stiff and the rocky sections beat me up badly. I think this may be due to the elevation screwing with my pressures? At least that's what I was told. Also my rear brakes were the slightest bit soft probably due to an air bubble in the line. Again, elevation may have played a roll. Without changing a thing, the bike already feels different back here at ~1200 ft in Phoenix.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_182059.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150815_182059.jpg.html)
Us with all of our swag.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150816_101923.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150816_101923.jpg.html)
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According to my GPS, the total elevation gain for Leadville is 12,083 ft over 103.7 miles.
Here was my HR profile for the ride:
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/Leadville%20HR%20amp%20Elevation.png) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/Leadville%20HR%20amp%20Elevation.png.html)
I really started pushing at the end to finish strong. HR data reflects that. I rode pretty conservatively otherwise to avoid blowing up and to avoid crashes. I would ride harder next time, especially in the beginning.
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Oh, and I had an issue on the trip to Leadville with the bike... the exhaust on my wife's Accord is a straight tip and it melted my carbon rim while climbing into the mountains. Ouch. Thankfully I brought a second set of backup wheels identical to my first set (borrowed from a friend)! I ended up moving the bike to the further back spot on the rack and then replacing the wife's exhaust pipe cover with an angled one from Autozone. Temporary of course.
The straight tip, coupled with high RPM into the mountains seems to have melted the resin which then caused the fibers to buckle under the stress exerted by the spokes. The tire lost it's bead and deflated.
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150809_191004.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150809_191004.jpg.html)
The temporary fix. :lol: :
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/kpluiten/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150810_114309.jpg) (http://s176.photobucket.com/user/kpluiten/media/Leadville%20-%202015/IMG_20150810_114309.jpg.html)
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Good stuff. Nice write up. Congrats and thanks for sharing.
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You aren't the first person to melt a carbon wheel because of hot exhaust, mine was in traffic. I've since changed bike racks.
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That's awesome! I couldn't even think about doing that in my current conditioning!
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Thanks guys. Reading this post now, I realize I'm bragging quite a bit. Sorry for that, I'm just super pumped about the finishing as I trained for 9+ months for this; hours of bike time a week for weeks on end.
I spotted one other confirmed Chinese carbon build out there, an 057 build. He finished the race as well.
The vast majority of bikes were very high-end carbon rigs. There was an insane amount of S-Works bikes. Bike eye candy everywhere. I'm sold on Chinese carbon, but our paint jobs and graphics have nothing on the big guys.
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I'd be bragging too. At the finish I probably would have told everyone that I built it for half the cost of a name brand frame, along with other delirious ramblings.
Do you have an easy estimate of how much you rode each week, and how many long rides you did? I doubt I'll ever try anything like Leadville, just interested in how much time it takes to prepare.
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Thanks guys. Reading this post now, I realize I'm bragging quite a bit. Sorry for that, I'm just super pumped about the finishing as I trained for 9+ months for this; hours of bike time a week for weeks on end.
I spotted one other confirmed Chinese carbon build out there, an 057 build. He finished the race as well.
The vast majority of bikes were very high-end carbon rigs. There was an insane amount of S-Works bikes. Bike eye candy everywhere. I'm sold on Chinese carbon, but our paint jobs and graphics have nothing on the big guys.
Granted the paint isn't always the best. It's very good on my 057, not quite as good on my 036. If I had it to do again, I would just have the vendor do a metallic base coat and gloss top coat over the entire frame rather than trying to only paint some areas to show off the carbon weave. I find the biggest difference between my frame and the big brands is the paint finish though. If the Chinese Direct Vendors ever start producing frame with that high level of finish, more people would flock to the $400 carbon frames.
BTW, brag all you want, you deserve it! Anyone who rides that race is tops in my book.
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Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and agree that you can go right ahead and brag. Awesome job! Great photos, too.
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Congrats on the buckle! Not an easy feat!
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Dude, it's not bragging at all. If I rode and finished that I'd be posting that everywhere!
But speak for yourself on the paint jobs!!!
(http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy230/325racer/Bikes/Carbon%20Hardtail/DSC03317_zps18af414b.jpg)
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Congrats man! Good write up too. That is no easy feat, so go put that buckle on the mantle!
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Well done!!
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Belated congrats and thank you for all the valuable info. The only thing that I find to be missing is how much time if any did you take for the altitude aclimatization. I'll be riding Leadville this year in 10 days from today. I am superpumped mentally, switching between profound doubts and sheer euforia several times a day. Hell I hate waiting! I wish I was already there riding!
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@seahog, aren't you this furious rider on our Strava group that almost climbs the equivalent of the Everest every week ?
If so, don't worry, you'll be fine :)
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I wish "being fine" was all I need to be happy. Unfortunately, I am one of those ultracompetitive idiots who tend to push as hard as they can and sometimes harder. Which is what makes me worried. So I just keep telling myself that this is not really a race for me, only a challenge. Well, obviously. I am almost 50 and never was good enough to win a race of this magnitude anyway, even when younger. And I am not worried about the distance nor the climbing. The only thing that makes me wonder is the altitude. I've been higher in my life, significantly higher actually, so I think I know what to expect and how to handle it. But still, the acclimatization process is a rather unpredictable thing in my experience.
Oh, before I'm done with my rant, yes I am that guy with most elevation gain every week. That is mostly by default though. There is not piece af flat land in a 100 mile radius from where I live.
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It looks it will be harder than usual: http://www.bicycling.com/training/health-injuries/altitude-101 ( after a quick google search, interesting read )
Maybe you will only be able to do the Mont Blanc then :)
Good luck for the race!
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Good luck Seahog32!
I did a 50 miles/8000ft raid last year. It was tough, very technical. When I finished I told myself I'd never do this again. 4 month later I had registered for the race again :)
Training was key. It went a lot better this year (even though I was so much faster downhill that I crashed twice). I can't picture myself into a raid that is twice mine... impressive. What I found interesting is that Vipassana paused only about 20 minutes over the entire race. How can that be? I paused about 15 minutes every 90 minutes to get some food, stretch.
I knew about Leadville 100 from Scott Jurek (Born to run, Eat and run) but had no clue it was also a bike race.
Reading Vipassana's report it looks like you should pay attention to your pressure (tire and fork) to offset the altitude.
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Absolute air pressure drops about 4.6 psi from sea level to 10,000 feet, so if your tires were at 20 psi gauge pressure they might measure close to 25. This would definitely affect the feel, but why wouldn't you air up the tires right before you ride?
I'm not convinced it would have any effect on the fork, since the force on the fork depends more on the absolute pressure inside the air chamber as you're compressing it. It may sag a little bit less, giving you an extra mm or 2 of travel, but I don't know if it would be noticeable.
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Absolute air pressure drops about 4.6 psi from sea level to 10,000 feet, so if your tires were at 20 psi gauge pressure they might measure close to 25. This would definitely affect the feel, but why wouldn't you air up the tires right before you ride?
I'm not convinced it would have any effect on the fork, since the force on the fork depends more on the absolute pressure inside the air chamber as you're compressing it. It may sag a little bit less, giving you an extra mm or 2 of travel, but I don't know if it would be noticeable.
Frankly, I personally don't believe any of this can have any significant effect on my(!) riding. Especially not on this very non-technical course (even from this roadie's point of view). This is 95% or more dirt road riding even if some of those roads are quite rough. The whole course can be viewed on youtube if any of you have nothing better to do for 10 or so hrs. I myself had spent numerous hours watching those videos while sweating in my basement riding the trainer last winter. Where the atmosperic pressure will really play a role though is when it comes to solubility of oxygen in blood. But it won't botther me too much even if I am wrong in my opinion on the effect of the altitude on the tire pressure. I like them harder than most mtb riders anyway.
Thank you all for the wishes of luck. I am unlikely to write a detailed report here, i am afraid, but anyone interested will be able to see the GPS, barometric altimeter and HR data on Strava. That is, if I live to tell the story ;)
Now it is time to start packing (that is, when I finally get home from work today) and then bound for Colorado tomorrow on daybreak!
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How'd you do? I hope all went well for you!
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All went quite well. I mean no crushes, injuries and such. Finished in 10:05 which was just a little bit disappointing as I was aiming for time under 10 hrs. I had one flat. A piece of wire got stuck in my rear tire causing an annoying slow leak. And I had a problem with my drinking system (a kink in the hose). If not those it could have been under 10 hours easily. However, poor downhill riding skills cost me at least 30 minutes I'd say so no reason to bitch about 5 minutes. I just felt like I was too far from home to take any risks that I could possibly avoid. Broken collar bone (or worse) would have made for a damn bad trip. Just for illustration, I was in the 502nd position overall at the Colombine aid station and finished 583rd (or something like that) and only 3 riders passed me on the uphill sections on the way back to the town that I did not catch and pass later on. On the other hand, I've been passed right and left on the downhill sections as if I was standing still. Also, I did carry too much water and food. Should have relied more on the aid stations. And my tires were a little too much on the slick side for the terrain. It looks like it had been quite a rainy summer down there and quite a few riders were saying that they did not remember the trails/roads being that rough. I personally found the Sugarloaf descend to be the harshest, though fatigue probably played some role in that. On the other hand, the feared Powerline descend was quite easy in my opinion, even from a roadie's point of view, although the traffic was still quite heavy there on the way out and the pace quite slow.
To wrap it up, it was quite hard. Not the hardest, physically speaking, day in my life but in the hardest let's say 15%. And those 5 minutes over 10 hours keep bugging me even if I play it cool (OCD, no doubt!) so I may try to go back at some point in the future to rectify that unfortunate situation. Maybe in 2 years when I will be 50 to take the advantage of being at the "young" end of my age group.
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Congratulation! That's a great time. Finishing is an accomplishment on its own.