The Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race ("LT100") is one of the oldest 100-mile marathon mountain bike races in the Country. The first Leadville 100 MTB was run in 1994 with only 150 riders. It is an outgrowth of the popular Leadville Trail 100 Run which began in 1983 and made household name by the book "Born to Run." Both races we founded by local Ken Chlouber as a way to bring money to the out of work mining town.
What makes the Leadville Trail 100 unique is that Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the U.S. with an elevation of the 10,200' above sea level and the race tops out on top of the Columbine Mine at 12,570'. The race includes nearly 12,000' of elevation gain.
The Leadville Trail 100 MTB race became mainstream in 2009 when they created a documentary of the race titled "Race Across the Sky" featuring none other than Lance Armstrong's return to Leadville after coming in 2nd place in 2008. This is significant as Lance credits the LT100 for inspiring his return to the Tour de France in 2009. Weeks after a 6th place finish the le Tour, Lance returned to Leadville and won the race in record time finally dethroning six (6) time champion Dave Weins.
If you're in search of inspiration, you can watch the original "Race Across the Sky" on Youtube. Life Time Fitness became the title sponsor of the race in 2010 and created "Race Across the Sky 2" which is more about the race than the rider, and can be purchased on Amazon Instant Video.
Please check out my previous blog posts to read about my journey to Leadville and the week leading up to the race.
Race Day
Start
The start of the race is
similar to that of a marathon in that you are placed in a starting corral based
on your qualifying time. We arrived Leadville as the corrals were
opening at 5:00 AM to beat the crowds. I was placed in the Green corral with
about 300 of my closest friends. It was only 43 degrees but felt
great outside due to the dry climate.
The race started on time promptly at 6:30 AM and I rolled across the start line at 6:32:38 AM. The street was lined with spectators on both sides and we were riding elbow to elbow. The pace heading out of town
was said to be a "slow roll" but we were hammering at 26 - 28 MPH the
entire way to St. Kevins (pronounced "Kee-vins").
St. Kevins (Mile 10)
St. Kevins is the first major climb of the race and gains 1,000 ft in about one (1) mile. I climbed St. Kevins the Sunday morning after the Silver Rush 50 and had to get off and walk a couple sections, so I was a little skeptical nearing it on race day. The words of advice are "you can't win the race on St. Kevins, but you sure can lose it." Much to my surprise, I fell in line on St. Kevins and pedaled at a good pace straight to the top. That was a HUGE boost in confidence.
From the top of St. Kevins, we followed a couple miles of single and double track to the Carter Summit Aid Station. We jumped back out onto the paved highway for a speedy descent down Hwy 9 around Turquoise Lake in which I topped out at 42 MPH passing everyone I could. After a small climb we turned off the pavement and onto a smooth gravel fire road up Sugarloaf Pass to the top of the infamous Powerline descent.
St. Kevins is the first major climb of the race and gains 1,000 ft in about one (1) mile. I climbed St. Kevins the Sunday morning after the Silver Rush 50 and had to get off and walk a couple sections, so I was a little skeptical nearing it on race day. The words of advice are "you can't win the race on St. Kevins, but you sure can lose it." Much to my surprise, I fell in line on St. Kevins and pedaled at a good pace straight to the top. That was a HUGE boost in confidence.
From the top of St. Kevins, we followed a couple miles of single and double track to the Carter Summit Aid Station. We jumped back out onto the paved highway for a speedy descent down Hwy 9 around Turquoise Lake in which I topped out at 42 MPH passing everyone I could. After a small climb we turned off the pavement and onto a smooth gravel fire road up Sugarloaf Pass to the top of the infamous Powerline descent.
Powerline Descent (Mile 23)
The descent down Powerline is
the most technical section of the entire course and is notorious for causing
flat tires and crashes. Many riders are overly cautious on the descent,
however, I tend to excel riding downhill and used this as an opportunity to
make up time while navigating the ruts, rocks and other riders.
At the base of the Powerline
we jump back out on the highway for the only long-flat section of the
course. The secret to this section is to ride in a pace line and not get
strung out on your own. I felt really good here, dropped down into the
aero position (former triathlete) and did the majority of the pulling until we
hit the dirt path headed to the Pipeline Aid Station.
The ride from Pipeline to
Twin Lakes was pretty uneventful. There was one section of single-track
but mostly gravel roads where we could keep the pace high.
Twin Lakes Aid Station (Mile 40)
Twin Lakes Aid Station (Mile 40)
Pulling in to Twin Lakes, I knew I was well ahead of my pace yet I hadn't burned any matches so I felt amazingly well. Twin Lakes is at the 40 mile mark outbound and I made it there in under 03:00:00 which had me on a sub 09:00:00 pace. The Twin Lakes aid station is indescribable....tents and people lined both sides of the course for what seemed like a mile. Cowbells, whistles, music, screaming, cheering, etc...it's got to be one of the most unique experiences in cycling.
I knew exactly where Kylie and my parents were so I was able to ride straight up to them. I had given them written instructions assigning each of them with specific tasks upon my arrival (ie. replace water bottle, gel flask, fill CamelBak, feed me PB&J, etc...). I also wrote out a list of questions for them to ask me to see what else I may need (ie. Tylenol? Chamois Buttr? Chain lube? etc...). I also instructed them to not let me hang out and talk so they did their jobs and then my Dad gave me a push to get me moving again. This pitstop outbound lasted less than 60 seconds which was perfect.
Columbine (Mile 50)
Next up was the famed 10 mile long climb up to the top of the Columbine Mine at 12,600' in which we gain over 3,000' in elevation, including four (4) miles above the treeline. Knowing I made it to Twin Lakes well ahead of schedule, I was fearful of blowing up on the climb so I settled in and took my time on the climb. I was tempted to push harder as I was being continually passed but all I wanted to do was make it to the top and I didn't care how long it took. I made it to the top in 05:05:07 which still had me on pace for a 10 hour-ish finish.
I knew exactly where Kylie and my parents were so I was able to ride straight up to them. I had given them written instructions assigning each of them with specific tasks upon my arrival (ie. replace water bottle, gel flask, fill CamelBak, feed me PB&J, etc...). I also wrote out a list of questions for them to ask me to see what else I may need (ie. Tylenol? Chamois Buttr? Chain lube? etc...). I also instructed them to not let me hang out and talk so they did their jobs and then my Dad gave me a push to get me moving again. This pitstop outbound lasted less than 60 seconds which was perfect.
Columbine (Mile 50)
Next up was the famed 10 mile long climb up to the top of the Columbine Mine at 12,600' in which we gain over 3,000' in elevation, including four (4) miles above the treeline. Knowing I made it to Twin Lakes well ahead of schedule, I was fearful of blowing up on the climb so I settled in and took my time on the climb. I was tempted to push harder as I was being continually passed but all I wanted to do was make it to the top and I didn't care how long it took. I made it to the top in 05:05:07 which still had me on pace for a 10 hour-ish finish.
The descent down Columbine
was some of the most fun I've ever had on a bike! Of the 100 people that
passed me on the way up, I probably passed 30 of them on the way down.
It's not often that you ride 10 miles without really having to pedal.
Don't get me wrong, I was pushing myself to the limit both mentally and
physically....white knuckles, oh shits, etc...as I bombed the straight aways
and then locked up the brakes heading into the corners.
To put this climb and descent into perspective, it took me 02:14:03 to climb the 10 miles from Twin Lakes to the top of Columbine and only 00:39:40 to make it back down!
Twin Lakes Aid Station (Mile 60)
I made it back to Twin Lakes
at 05:44:47 which was right on my goal pace. Kylie and my parents did
awesome once again. I wanted to tell them all about the ride up and down
Columbine but they did exactly what I asked of them and pushed me back out on
course. The one thing I wished I would've asked for was some Tylenol as my right hand was hurting/cramping, but oh well.
The ride from Twin Lakes back to the Pipeline Aid Station was once again pretty uneventful. I'll admit that I wasn't pushing nearly as hard as I could have. I knew that I was well ahead of the 12:00:00 cut-off and the coveted belt buckle was well within reach.
Powerline Climb (Mile 84)
Nearing the base of the Powerline Climb, I passed Kylie and my parents parked on the side of the road. I had a good pace going and didn't want to break it up so I rolled right by not bothering to stop. This turned out to be a crucial mistake as my water bottles and Camelbak were nearly empty and there is no aid station for another 8 miles at the Carter Summit.
Nearing the base of the Powerline Climb, I passed Kylie and my parents parked on the side of the road. I had a good pace going and didn't want to break it up so I rolled right by not bothering to stop. This turned out to be a crucial mistake as my water bottles and Camelbak were nearly empty and there is no aid station for another 8 miles at the Carter Summit.
The Powerline Climb was
arguably the hardest part of the race for me. The base of Powerline is
around mile 84 and is mentally defeating as you look up and see everyone
walking their bikes up the steep slope. Additionally, there are a handful
of false summits as you near the top...you think that you just conquered the
final climb only to crest it and see yet another. The 5 mile climb up
Powerline took me nearly 1.5 hours alone. I rode where/when I could, but
it was primarily hike-a-bike to the top.
On the backside of the Powerline is a good descent down Sugarloaf Pass before jumping back out onto the pavement. At this point my fuel tank was empty as I had drank and eaten everything I had on me. Nearing the bottom of Sugarloaf, I came upon a cooler on the side of the trail...I slammed on the brakes and opened it up to find a couple half drank water bottles. I was beyond the point of despair and immediately began taking drinks from the bottles. I cannot tell you what was in them or what they tasted like, all I know is that it was cold and wet...exactly what I needed!
At the base of Sugarloaf Pass, you jump back out onto the pavement for the smooth ride around Turquoise Lake. Still running on fumes, I stopped at a car on the side of the road where a guy was about to put his cooler in the trunk. I begged him for anything that he had. A couple other riders pulled up begging for the same and he said he was empty so they rode off. Just then, he opened the cooler and handed me the last can of Coca-Cola...this was truly a Godsend!
Carter Summit Aid Station/St. Kevins Descent (Mile 92)
That one can of soda gave me enough energy to make it to the Carter Summit Aid Station which I treated like an all-you-can-ear buffet! I took my time eating and drinking everything they had to offer. With only 12 miles to go, I knew I had secured a sub-11 hour finish so I made extra certain my body was fueled for the final leg.
A short section of single-track lead us back to the top of St. Kevins. I once again made up time on the descent down St. Kevins passing everyone in sight. This also served as a good recovery requiring minimal pedaling and allowed my body to digest all of the food and hydration I took in at the Carter Summit Aid Station. At the bottom of St. Kevins, I pedaled smooth on the gravel all the way out to the pavement.
The Boulevard
The Leadville "100" is deceiving in that it's actually 104 miles long and they sneak in one final climb as you're riding back into town call "The Boulevard." The 500' climb wasn't too bad but there was a long false flat once on top that was completely demoralizing...one last kick in the nuts before they let you finish! This was the hardest part of the course for me mentally...I knew I was going to finish in under 12:00:00 but I wanted nothing more to just be done and get off the bike, but it seemed like I was pedaling but not moving forward. I eventually made it to the top and then made the turn by the high school onto 6th street.
The Finish
The ride up 6th street was
surreal as you crest a small hill and see the finish line a half mile
away. On both of the Race Across the Sky movies, they kept the crowd
behind railings on
both sides of the street so I envisioned riding up to my
family, helping them over the railing and then riding across the finish line with
them in tow. Much to my surprise, as I approached the finish, there was a
tunnel of people a 100 yards long lining both sides of the red carpet with
barely enough room to ride down the middle. This was one of the most
exonerating experiences of my life! As entered the tunnel, I looked up
and saw Kylie standing at the end taking photos. As I rode up, Avery and
Kirby began running next to me while Kylie was running carrying Rigs....this
was the moment I had been dreaming about.
While Kylie and my parents were busy chasing me around the course, we had help from one of our old neighbors from Byron who now lives in Denver, Jennifer Madai, who was kind enough to make the drive up to Leadville to babysit for the day. My one regret from the Ironman was not sharing this experience with Avery and Kirby but this moment more than made up for it. The sacrifices your family makes during training for an event such as this are indescribable, they are just a much a part of this as I am.
Every time I view this picture of me crossing the finish line it literally brings a tear to my eye. You can see my mom and dad in the distance (mom in turquoise shirt/black pants and dad in blue shirt/khaki shorts), Kylie running with her camera while carrying Rigs, Avery r(orange) running beside me and unfortunately, Kirby (green) got cut off but she was right there with me. If you zoom in on Avery's face, the shear look of pride and astonishment is the reason I chose to do this race...this one photo that will last a lifetime.
I crossed the finish line in 10:39:03 almost exactly as I planned. Sure, I may have a little envy for those who finished in under 9 hours and received the large belt buckle, but I earned this buckle and will wear it with pride and a smile!
In the end, there are too many people to thank to list them all...Niner Bikes, Tailwind, Maxxis Tires, Performance Chiropractic and Sports Medicine and Competitive Cyclist for the rockin' black and pink kit! Thank you to my employer, Skanska, who afforded me with the work/life balance necessary to put in the hours training. I also want to thank my parents for once again serving as my pit crew on race day.
This race turned out to be everything I wanted it to be and then some. The documentaries are spot-on as the sensation and environment that is Leadville cannot be put into words.
Lastly, the greatest thanks goes out to my wife Kylie for allowing me to pursue this dream. She encouraged me to register, tent camped with me at the Austin Rattler where I received my gold coin entry, and selflessly managed our family/life while I was training 15-20 hours/week. My endurance lifestyle would not be possible if not for her. When I'm down, she's always there to prop me back up and provide the confidence needed to continue on. Thanks Babe!
**It's with a heavy heart that the 2015 Leadville Trail 100 MTB suffered its first ever fatality in its long history. Scott Ellis, 55, of Johnstown, CO was racing in his 19th Leadville 100 MTB when he suffered a heart attack on the Powerline Climb. Despite athletes' and officials' efforts, they were unable to revive him. One can only hope to go out doing what they love. R.I.P. Scott