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.
The city of Leadville; its a great time of year to be in CO:
The downtown area is filled with vendors and sponsors for the weekend:
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...
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:
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.
Aid bags at the top of Columbine. Dat view...:
Other riders. This was at about 6:00:00 into the race:
Us (mere mortal riders) coming in and going. The Pros had come and gone hours ago.
Some race pictures:
Almost everyone walks at some point; traffic, elevation, fatigue dictate it. No shame.:
At the finish line, I sprinted home:
The bike weighed at least 60 lbs in this picture... or so it felt:
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.
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.
Us with all of our swag.
