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Leadville 100 Advice

15K views 45 replies 24 participants last post by  sdcadbiker 
#1 ·
There are a lot of Leadville threads out there but I'm going to boil my questions down to this:

For those who have participated in the past, what 3 pieces of advice would you consider most valuable for someone like me getting ready for the race for the first time? The advice can be in the form of prep or race day knowledge. The more responses the better.

I have a deep base of experience to draw from with many completed 100's and over 20 solo 24's but I'm a little apprehensive about Leadville's altitude. I've raced ok recently to 10k feet but never 12500.

Thanks and I'm really looking forward to the day and a successful race. :thumbsup:
 
#14 ·
As a middle aged Marylander and working professional - I.e. flat lander with limited training time - I have found that Leadville is difficult, potentially soul crushing, and unbelievable rewarding when you finish. I have five starts, three finishes, and one buckle. In response to the OP's question, here's my $.02:

1) if you're going for a sub-9 finish, then the corral may matter. If not, do not worry about the extra 5-10 min you'll spend ascending St Kevin's outbound. A guy started at the very rear of the race and raised money for charity with every rider that he passed. I believe he easily went sub-9.
2) I like knowing the various distances between significant race points. For example, top of St Kevin's is 10 miles from the start, the paved downhill from St Kevin is approximately 4 miles, the paved uphill to Haggerman is 1.1 miles, Haggerman is 3 miles, etc. The top 2 miles of Columbine will take you about an hour if you walk the whole thing; do not allow the people above you and closer to the turn around be the source of discouragement. You'll be there in no time.
3) keep moving forward, even if that means walking. Every pedal stroke and every step, no matter how small, gets you closer to 6th & Harrison and the red carpet.

DO NOT QUIT.
 
#15 ·
This is mostly good advice for Leadville first-timers except for the last sentence. The last two times I was there my wife worked in the medical crew out on course until ~3pm then back at the recovery tent outside the Leadville courthouse. Both times she told me about cases of dire medical emergency caused by some riders refusing to quit even when it was obvious that carrying on would be a significant health risk. It's just a bike ride... it will still be there next year.
 
#23 ·
I started in the green corral last year and I don't remember more than a person or two stopped or walking on the climb up St Kevins. I would have liked to have gone a little faster, but we were all practically handlebar to handlebar across the trail and the only option was to ride the same pace as the group. However for a race like Leadville, it's definitely better to go out a little slow than to go too fast and burn our early. And there will be plenty of opportunities to pass in the sections ahead.
 
#34 ·
Thanks everyone for the great advice. I finished Leadville on Saturday and am the proud owner of a buckle.

I had mechanical issues on the St. Kev's climb outbound after I torque-snapped a spoke which caused my rear wheel to wad up. Fortunately I was carrying my Park multi-tool and I was able to remove the dead spoke and re-true my wheel trailside. I had the Mavic neutral support look at it before Pipeline outbound and they stated my finish on the wheel would be iffy. They also had no replacement spokes available. I rode the remainder of the race lightly but the wheel did allow me to have some minor fun down Powerline.

The important thing is I kept my head in the game and finished. While it was not in the time I wanted the ultimate goal was met.

The Leadville experience overall was fantastic and I'd like to do it again for time.

Now that I have one under my belt the only other piece of advice I'd lend is to begin the race on the left side of your corral. There are two right hand sweepers leaving town that pinched some riders who were too far right.

Now on to the next adventure!
 
#2 ·
1. Don't haul a Camelbak that's filled to the brim up the Columbine climb.
2. Pass 600 people before St. Kevin's and you'll do just fine ---> a fellow racer who finished a few times gave me that advice as she knew I didn't want to have to walk St. Kevin's due to traffic. Worked out in my favor. Didn't have to work and got away from a descent amount of the non-mountain bikers before the Powerline descent
3. Full suspension. I'm so happy I listened to my gut and NOT the internet when it came to bike choice, and rode my Epic vs. S-Works Fate hardtail. I was able to climb faster on rougher, rockier lines and pass a lot of traffic, and it cut down on my body's fatigue as the miles wore on. There's a weird rumor that "you won't finish if you ride full suspension," which is... clearly just wrong.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Leadville will be a piece of cake for someone who has done the amount of endurance racing you have. This is by far the easiest of the hundies that I have done (Shenandoah, Wilderness, Breck) and sort of a starter race IMO.

The ONLY things to worry about are the crowd at the start and the altitude (everyone is different so results may vary). I am from VA and simply geared down a cog or 2 on the early climbs and sort of rode into my pace.

The race is all double track and smooth enough for a hard tail if you want to move fast. Good time // good luck!
 
#5 ·
Leadville will be a piece of cake for someone who has done the amount of endurance racing you have. This is by far the easiest of the hundies that I have done (Shenandoah, Wilderness, Breck) and sort of a starter race IMO. The ONLY things to worry about are the crowd at the start and the altitude (everyone is different so results may vary). I am from VA and simply geared down a cog or 2 on the early climbs and sort of rode into my pace. The race is all double track and smooth enough for a hard tail if you want to move fast. Good time // good luck!
I agree on this assessment! Its a starter race. Roadies love to brag about their times and the fact that they've ridden it and are now "endurance MTB racers" when infact LV 100 can, and has been done on CX bikes.

1. get a good start, those congo lines up st kevins and columbine will kill your time
2. more of a techy gravel grinder with a lot of climbing than a true MTB 100, I've done SM 100 3x and its a real deal MTB 100.
3. altitude effects everyone differently. I've done it 3x and every time i went up on thurs and spent the night in denver, fri in the mountains or at lvill, race on sat. and i was living at sea level.

everybodys got good advise except i think a hard tail is the weapon of choice for this IMHO
 
#4 ·
1- You have to qualify. Did you?
2- I consider myself heavy at 165 so I went 2x10. Epic 29.
3- To acclimatise I came in a week early. Sunday was awful, Monday easier. On Tuesday I went up Birdseye gulch very easy because the turning point is 12600. The scenery is awsome! I continued to walk up to mosquito pass to about 12800 then back down. I felt great all day so I knew I was going to be ok for the race.
 
#7 ·
4-time Leadville veteran here, and 2015 I was 9th overall Female time of 8 hr 45 min (and 4 hard years to break the 9-hour barrier)...j

1. Visit Leadville and ride the course. Ride the climbs at a good tempo/race pace and record your times. Do some math and come up with comparable split times. Stick these on your top tube for race day or memorize them. Key climbs are start-St. Kevin's, Columbine, and Powerline on the way home. Know your goal finish time and adjust accordingly.

2. If you can swing it (and assuming this is your first Leadville) get into a qualifier if you haven't done so. A qualifier finish will assign you a higher corral and better start position, which is HUGE for positioning up the first climb which bottlenecks. My corral was the 3rd, or red corral, and that made all the difference. I didn't have to fight for position at all.

3. Train at altitude if you can. Learn how you feel when oxygen starved. I live at 6500' but immediately shut down at 10K. Knowing what that feels like and knowing how to adjust my pace and mental aspect was huge.

4. Bonus. Eat more than you think you need to (but not so much you get nauseous or bloated). Drink more than you think you need to (same caveat).

5. Have FUN. Enjoy. Talk to your neighbors. Revel in the moment. This is a truly special race, and not everyone gets the chance to do it.

Good luck!!!!
 
#8 ·
4-time Leadville veteran here, and 2015 I was 9th overall Female time of 8 hr 45 min (and 4 hard years to break the 9-hour barrier)...j

1. Visit Leadville and ride the course. Ride the climbs at a good tempo/race pace and record your times. Do some math and come up with comparable split times. Stick these on your top tube for race day or memorize them. Key climbs are start-St. Kevin's, Columbine, and Powerline on the way home. Know your goal finish time and adjust accordingly.

2. If you can swing it (and assuming this is your first Leadville) get into a qualifier if you haven't done so. A qualifier finish will assign you a higher corral and better start position, which is HUGE for positioning up the first climb which bottlenecks. My corral was the 3rd, or red corral, and that made all the difference. I didn't have to fight for position at all.

3. Train at altitude if you can. Learn how you feel when oxygen starved. I live at 6500' but immediately shut down at 10K. Knowing what that feels like and knowing how to adjust my pace and mental aspect was huge.

4. Bonus. Eat more than you think you need to (but not so much you get nauseous or bloated). Drink more than you think you need to (same caveat).

5. Have FUN. Enjoy. Talk to your neighbors. Revel in the moment. This is a truly special race, and not everyone gets the chance to do it.

Good luck!!!!
This^^

The main point is to know how your body reacts at high altitude; I know some awesome racers who were humbled at Leadville because of it. One key for me was to use a qualifying race to get a good (red or better) starting position to avoid the crush on St Kev's, you can lose a lot of time in the queue that's hard to make up later. Lose some weight, be as lean as you can, this will help on the long climbs. Don't use tires with lightweight sidewalls, the first part of the powerline descent is fast and chunky, I crashed out one year with a front tire blowout there. The rest of the course is pretty tame except for some minor chunk coming off columbine and maybe the sugarloaf descent inbound if it's raining.
 
#9 ·
For those who have participated in the past, what 3 pieces of advice would you consider most valuable for someone like me getting ready for the race for the first time?
First, this is a hard race if you treat it as a race. If you treat it as a 100 mile supported ride, ehh...then not so much. Doing the kilometer on the track is painful as hell if you race it, and it's nothing (if you don't slide down the banking) if you just "ride it". I've done it 4 times and raced it the last 3, and those 3 were hard.

Advice:
(1) Ride the lightest, fastest rolling bike in your stable, which probably means a hardtail. I say that because...
(2) This race is all about the climbs. Do whatever training you have to, do whatever "resting" you can during the race so that you can crush the climbs. Don't worry about the downhills, no one makes up much time there but lots of people lose time there (crashes, usually on Powerline outbound). On the flats between climbs, get into a paceline if at all possible. There's really no "flat" section of the course where you can't benefit from the draft of another rider. In my experience there's always some big guy without any road experience who's willing to burn himself out pounding a big gear and not caring if anyone else pulls through. I remember trading grins with another racer (one with obvious road experience) as we got pulled along the flats at 25 mph after the Powerline downhill by an ox who burned himself out before the first aid station.
(3) Despite saying that you want to crush the climbs, if you have the experience (and it seems you do) I think it's best if you can aim for a negative split. I know experienced Leadville riders for who doubling their time at the Columbine Mine aid station/turn-around was a pretty good reflection of their finishing time. I always managed to get back to the finish line in about 90% of the time it took me to get to the half-way point. Saving that extra 10% to use in the second 50 miles comes in handy when the wind picks up, the thunderstorms roll in, or you have to push the pace on your own.

YMMV

Good luck!
 
#10 ·
First, this is a hard race if you treat it as a race. If you treat it as a 100 mile supported ride, ehh...then not so much. Doing the kilometer on the track is painful as hell if you race it, and it's nothing (if you don't slide down the banking) if you just "ride it". I've done it 4 times and raced it the last 3, and those 3 were hard.

Good luck!
That's exactly how I am treating this. Just a long day in the saddle!

question on current snowpack.. does anyone know where I can find out if Columbine is open from snow yet? Have heard it isn't. I a going to be in Aspen next week doing a ton of road riding, some trail riding & wanted to head over to Twin Lakes & ride columbine...

any sites I should be checking?
 
#12 ·
Thanks everyone for the advice so far and keep the knowledge coming.....

I plan to ride my carbon Stumpy hardtail that rolls super fast as it has all-day comfort and climbs slightly better than my Epic.

I have done a Leadville Qualifier and if things remain consistent, I'll be in the 3rd stable at the start. I figure as noted that this will be an advantage, yet I do plan to get a good start and like most will attempt to get out ahead of as many as possible before the climbing starts.

I have done enough racing up to 10k in altitude that I know when and how to push it without blowing up over the long haul. That said I do realize from backpacking there is a large difference as you go higher and things can become more difficult exponentially.

I'm very excited about the race it is sort of akin to the mtb version of running in the Boston Marathon. Call it a bucket list adventure.

I have one other question. I am staying in a VRBO in Copper Mountain and would like an hour to prep on site before the starting gun. Locals: How early should I leave Copper to account for driving, traffic, parking, etc.

Thanks so much everyone and if you make it out my way (Northern CA) and need any Downieville or other advice, hit me up.
 
#13 ·
It's about a half hour from Copper to Pb. There are plenty of side streets to find parking. If you are already assigned a corral, getting there stupid-early isn't a huge issue, but people do start getting in the corral spaces as early as an hour before the gun. Each corral is a different size, 50-100 for Gold and Silver, and then they get bigger from there.

One other thing I would add about training that I wish I did in hindsight: if you can, join a regular competitive group road ride. I trained primarily on my mtb, but where I suffered was from pedal-fatigue (if that is a thing). This really is essentially a road race, in that the only time you are not actively pedaling and pushing wattage is the long descent on Columbine. I would get into strong groups of men in a paceline, and would eventually get spit out the back because I couldn't generate the power. Could be a 115-lb girl problem, could be an altitude problem... regardless I was wishing I had more training time on the road.

Keep reading these posts and I am so sad to miss out this year!! Ah well, I'll be down the road at the Breck Epic instead. Again, good luck and enjoy the journey.
 
#16 ·
This thread is very helpful and echos what I've heard from many friends that have done the race. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I thought I could ask a slightly more direct question here, without creating an entirely new thread.

I've read the advice to gun it from the start to pass slower riders, if you are starting in the white corral. The only people I know have either started in the white corral or the gold corral. My question is how do you recommend starting if you are in the green corral (4th back from the front and 4th up from the white?

I assume the racers in these corrals will be of similar fitness and skill, so it would seem less important to spend extra energy to move up before the climb. Since I haven't done the race before, I'm unfamiliar with the pace of this race and the level of competition somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Any advice would be appreciated!
 
#17 ·
My question is how do you recommend starting if you are in the green corral (4th back from the front and 4th up from the white?

I assume the racers in these corrals will be of similar fitness and skill, so it would seem less important to spend extra energy to move up before the climb. Since I haven't done the race before, I'm unfamiliar with the pace of this race and the level of competition somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Any advice would be appreciated!
Just to be clear, the race rules state that the that first couple miles are "neutral", with no passing allowed. However, as long as you don't go nuts (using elbows, cutting in, etc) then you likely won't get yelled at. The first two miles on pavement are pretty quick, some people don't enjoy the pace; if the guy in front is going slower than you and it's safe to pass, pass. The main thing is to not f*** up anyone's race by being a dick. It's a lot safer being up front; anyone who is in a colored corral has earned the right to be there, has raced before and knows the protocol. Once you get onto dirt and the real race starts though, the gentlemanly behavior tends to stop too; the scariest part of the race for me is the jockeying for position that occurs on the run-up to the first climb. but that's another story...
 
#24 ·
Leadville 100 X 10, Leadville 50 X 5 here.

Lot's of great stuff in this thread.

Copper VRBO is a great plan. It has always worked for me. I'm a bit OCD, always leave the condo 90 minutes prior to race start. Parking is easy on a side street close to the start.

I live in the desert, but riding at 11K feet with 2% humidity makes cramps an issue for me. I learned early to have Endurolytes available.

There are only 2 finishes, under 12 hours and under 9. If you are going for the under 12 then St Kevin's is just plain not an issue. You will have lots of "personal space" to do whatever after that.

Doesn't sound like you will get the chance, but knowing the course was big for me. What about flying out in July, renting a bike in Frisco/Breck/Leadville and at least taking a look at the first/last 15 miles. Land at DIA at 9-10 AM, be in Leadville at 1 PM for a spin.

Go for it!
 
#25 ·
Some things not mentioned

For those who have participated in the past, what 3 pieces of advice would you consider most valuable for someone like me getting ready for the race for the first time?:thumbsup:


1) How are you at changing flats or fixing a chain while covers with mud in an ice cold shower with lightening around? Don't underestimate the potential for bad weather and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Quick links for your chain can save your day!

2) sure the course is "easy" and not "technical" - but being the Rockies, there are...rocks. The lightest and fastest tires can sure go flat fast, sometimes both at once. How smooth are you after 95 miles and seeing spots and shivering? Have confidence in your equipment!

3) it's not 100 miles. I've heard lots of cursing before the final climb when the computer shows 100 miles, but the finish is nowhere in sight.

Have fun!
 
#26 ·
3) it's not 100 miles. I've heard lots of cursing before the final climb when the computer shows 100 miles, but the finish is nowhere in sight.

Have fun!
# 3 is so true! whats the final mi., 104? That threw me off the first time and is sooo disheartening when you hit 100 and your still slogging along. Everybody talks about preriding the start. I think the start is pretty straight forward, Yes its nice to know when the peel off is for the dirt and start and the first real dirt climb but at that point its so crowded that unless you have a real good spot in the starting grid you're just doing what the rest of the heard is doing.
Know the finish is key. You might be battling it out with that guy thats been bugging you the whole 98 miles and knowing the finish will give you the beta to know when and were to dig and drop that guy/gal.
 
#31 ·
Just did some rides in Leadville the past 5 days. Most of the course (at least the sections we rode) was dry. Sugarloaf had 4 sections with snow, but by Saturday, there was room to ride around the snow. Columbine has snow up high, so we didn't try to ride all of it.
 
#35 ·
Reviving a bit of an old thread to ask what is probably a pretty dumb question... but assuming pretty much everyone rides clipless at Leadville?

I'm doing Silver Rush in a few weeks and I'm not a diehard over any particular style. I ride clipless for any easy stuff or trails that I know well, but usually throw flats on if I'm riding a lot of technical stuff or trails that I'm just not familiar with. Even though I live in CO I won't be able to pre-ride any of the course ahead of time, but everything I've heard it sounds like the majority of the race is doubletrack where the efficiency of clipless would outweigh any extra speed and confidence I'd get from the technical bits or downhills on flats.
 
#38 ·
Reviving a bit of an old thread to ask what is probably a pretty dumb question... but assuming pretty much everyone rides clipless at Leadville?

I'm doing Silver Rush in a few weeks and I'm not a diehard over any particular style. I ride clipless for any easy stuff or trails that I know well, but usually throw flats on if I'm riding a lot of technical stuff or trails that I'm just not familiar with. Even though I live in CO I won't be able to pre-ride any of the course ahead of time, but everything I've heard it sounds like the majority of the race is doubletrack where the efficiency of clipless would outweigh any extra speed and confidence I'd get from the technical bits or downhills on flats.
Silver Rush has more tech than the LT100. However, I wouldn't consider using flat pedals due to all the climbing; being clipped in provides more torque on the climbs which equals less fatigue over time.
 
#36 ·
tgarson: There is not much technical on the Leadville course. Columbine inbound after you make the turn and start to drop has a bit of rutting, cobble and scree but it clears up after a while. The downhill on Powerline outbound is deeply rutted but the line is fairly smooth. Other than that and in general I would not consider the course technical and last year I saw all varieties of bikes, including a few on CX steeds. Go clipless as the efficiency benefits over 104 miles far outweigh the few sections that are even slightly technical.

I suggest watching all the video segments you can find on YouTube that shows the entire course. Scroll through and you can see all you need to regarding the composition of the trails and roads. It helped me prepare for last year.

Good luck and I'll be out there for year two.
 
#41 ·
Will be doing the Silver Rush 50 for the first time in several days. How hard to I have to run up the hill to not get stuck behind too much traffic. Do I have to sprint?
I made that mistake last year. sprinted up the hill, and maxed out my heart rate in the first minute of the race. not ideal. I wrote about my experience with the silver rush here: https://thebottlecage.wordpress.com/2017/03/22/first-blog-post/

Get to the starting location early and get a good spot close to the front. Others around you may be sprinting up the hill, but if you walk/jog at a modest pace, you'll get to the top in a decent position, and should be able to avoid any bottlenecks on the first climb - other than the very top, where you'll likely be doing some hike-a-bike in a line with others.
 
#42 ·
I'm curious as well but my gut tells me that sprinting to the top of a hill carrying / pushing your bike at ~10k ft of elevation is almost always a bad idea. Typically redlining your HR is not the best way to start an endurance event.

I could be completely wrong since I've never done this event before, but subjectively I'm not too worried about starting in the back of the pack. I've done a lot of endurance events before and people almost universally go out too hard. Between everyone who thinks they're ricky racer for the first half of the race before popping and the large sections of double track, I suspect I'd be far better suited to pacing myself and picking off people on the second half if I'm able to.
 
#43 ·
Thank you guys! Great write-up Bigwheels7. Yeah, I will get to the start early and just jog up the hill- try not to get the HR up too high.

Bigwheels7- all you had was a jersey for the entire race? Was it cold at the starts or on the downhills (it looks as though you had no rain)? I remember at the start of Leadville when I did it, it was 33 degrees when I was going to the starting corral (that wasa way earlier start than the SR50 though).
 
#44 ·
The SR started at 9am - by then it was in the 50s, and warmed up from there. The weather stayed good, no rain, and even at higher altitudes it was warm in the sun. Wasn't cold at all on the downhills - actually was a nice chance to cool down. This year looks like higher risk of some rain, so I may bring another layer.

The LT100 starts at 6:30am, so it'll be colder, and I'll probably have another layer on, or at least some arm warmers. Will make a call when I see what the weather looks like on the day.
 
#45 ·
Reviving my old thread as there is a ton of good advice in here.

I'm looking forward to my second Leadville 100 next week. The weather could be interesting this year as there appears to have been a lot of monsoonal moisture and general thunder storm activity recently and more so than leading up to last year. Hopefully this localizes and stays off the route on race day.

As has been stated, prep for the worst and be pleasantly surprised if it does not materialize.

Good luck to everyone racing this year, only 10 days to go.....
 
#46 ·
The weather could be interesting this year as there appears to have been a lot of monsoonal moisture and general thunder storm activity recently and more so than leading up to last year. Hopefully this localizes and stays off the route on race day.
It's Colorado... it will either rain or it will not rain regardless of what the forecast says. In 2013 we were all warned at the pre-race meeting that the weather was going to suck but next day the sun was out all day. Be prepared for the worst but don't sweat it until it actually starts raining.
 
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