Hello-
I decided to give a Leadville 100 MTB race a shot. What do I need to qualify to Leadville? Which race event should i going to? I am located in Colorado. What training should I do? I’m a roadie. I ride about 130-150 miles per week. Also, which bike should I get? Such as Hardtail or XC Full Suspension race type. What else should I know to prepare for Leadville? Please feel free to give me feedback about this race. Thank you
Search Ask a cycling coach podcast - pretty sure ep 169 and 170 has a lot of info about Leadville. It is also on Youtube livestream.
I’m not an expert. I qualified for Leadville at the Austin Rattler last year. I really don’t know much about the other races. Rattler was non-technical and good for a roadie, but this year it will be a new course. On the old course, I used a FS Epic. A hard tail would have been fine. In general, i think most riders that come from a road background will be faster on a FS. It takes less skill to go fast.
Leadville has different corrals. The lottery folks start in the white corral at the back. It’s WAY back. You don’t need to start in Gold, but trying to get in one of the first 3 corrals would be good, or else you’ll be stuck behind a long line of hike-a-bikers on the tough climbs.
Leadville itself is not technical. If it was at sea level, it wouldn’t be that hard of a race. But, at 12,000 feet, nothing is easy. Almost everyone has to walk a little on the course. I finished with in like 8:26 I think (i got the big gold buckle). I walked up a small part of Columbine and walked almost all of powerline. I tried riding powerline the day before. It was doable fresh, but I knew ahead of time that i’d be walking it on race day.
I was glad to have a FS at Leadville. I know a lot of people say HT is faster there because a HT is lighter, but i’d take the extra cushioning and confidence over weight. If you have the budget for it, I would go full suspension XC race bike.
I’ve done LT100 6 times. I’ve ridden both HT and FS. My times didn’t very that much between the bikes. I like a HT better because it’s saves a bit of weight. I rode a Trek ProCal last year.
Lutsen 99’r is a fun Qualifier. Roadie course for sure. I’ve seen some ride CX bikes on it. Neat area. I wanted to go back to LT one more time and went up there to get in. I still go back and race because it’s fun and the area is beautiful.
Ride lots and be prepared to suffer. I’m from Iowa and the altitude bothers me a bit. Should not bother you as much though. Your starting spot isn’t a huge deal. The whole thing empties out in about 7 min. But if you’re a good climber you will be stuck in line on the first climb and a little of the second. Just keep moving forward throughout the day. Stop, get your supplies, and move on.
Since you are a roadie why not use a gravel bike? Several people have done the race on drop bar bikes. Salsa Warbird, Trail Donkey etc.
Since you are a roadie why not use a gravel bike? Several people have done the race on drop bar bikes. Salsa Warbird, Trail Donkey etc.
I considered this. I had a 3T Exploro, and thought it might be a good bike based on how the course is frequently described. It was probably about 3 or 4 pounds lighter than my epic. I’m extremely glad I didn’t go that route. On over half of the course it is the perfect bike, but descending powerline and Columbine would be miserable. A mountain bike with some suspension will more or less float through the rocks and ruts on the top half of columbine. On a gravel bike, you’d have to either run really high pressure to not flat, and/or really choose your line carefully. My upper body was pretty tired at the bottom of columbine on a FS XC bike. I would have been wrecked on my Exploro.
Plus my Exploro had eTap, so my gearing choice was limited. a 34x36 wouldn’t have been enough for me. I would have had to walk more sections on a gravel bike.
Having said all that, I did ride with a guy on a Rodeo Lab Trail Donkey from about mile 60 to mile 70. He seemed to be having a good time.
I guess it’s all about what your goals are. If you only care about finishing, the bike doesn’t matter a whole bunch and neither does your corral. Kind of like an IM in that respect. If you have good fitness, you can start in the back of the swim and ride a garage sale bike and still finish. But, if you want to maximize your placement, get the gold buckle, or have a time goal, then in my opinion an XC or trail FS bike is the way to go.
Since you are a roadie why not use a gravel bike? Several people have done the race on drop bar bikes. Salsa Warbird, Trail Donkey etc.
As a Colorado guy who rides gravel A LOT, and is considered to be a pretty strong climber, I would NOT ride gravel at Leadville. I rode a pretty light FS (Yeti ASR) when I did it. Yes, its doable on a gravel bike, but on the descents the vast majority of people will be happier and safer on wider lower pressure MTB tires and lower center of gravity. The upper part of Columbine descent is pretty rocky and bumpy. My 0.02 cents…
I would also not recommend a gravel bike. I did it on a hardtail 29’er with bontrager xr1 2.0 tires (tubeless) and would choose that exact setup again. 2x gearing 36/22-I used every stinking gear.
I’m also mostly a roadie but I do ride mtb. I was flying past people on the descents, and I wouldn’t consider myself a fast descender on the mtb. A FS is overkill unless you really hate hardtails or your bike handling skills are poor. The descents are not technical, but technical enough where a flat bar, big rotors and some sort of suspension are going to make you a lot faster and safer in the second half of the course.
I witnessed several crashes. Don’t be those guys.
If you are trying to break 9 hours, a faster corral is pretty important. Probably necessary to break 8 hours. If you just want to finish, then it doesn’t matter. Just ride, do some moderate intensity and you’ll be fine. I think nutrition and gearing are just as important as training for Lt100.
For a 1st timer. I’d highly recommend doing the 3 day stage race in July there. You see the entire course over the days which will set you up well if you get in the race. Also they have raffle for Leadville slots after the event and the odds have been in one’s favor if one wants in! Seriously a great chance to expedience the race and if you are out state, well worth the trip!
i’ve been thinking about doing this event one year…so if i read correctly, one needs to qualify for this race? but slots are raffled at events prior to Leadville 100?
Lottery and slots/ raffle. At all the qualifiers it is worth your time to hang around!
Hello-
I decided to give a Leadville 100 MTB race a shot. What do I need to qualify to Leadville? Which race event should i going to? I am located in Colorado. What training should I do? I’m a roadie. I ride about 130-150 miles per week. Also, which bike should I get? Such as Hardtail or XC Full Suspension race type. What else should I know to prepare for Leadville? Please feel free to give me feedback about this race. Thank you
Did you get in or try? I finished this year in 9:26. Last year in 10:28. I am shooting for 8:50 next year. Conditions were perfect this year but I need to work on my descending.
Couple of thoughts-
-It’s an amazing experience/race and the support/people are awesome
-coming from 500’ 10k’ is awesome. 12.5k’ is different but not all that taxing if your lung capacity is sufficient
-you will suffer but the views make it worth it
-I have only ridden HT and while I think I want a FS for about 6 miles of the 103miles I won’t get one to save the 3+ pounds
-a gravel bike seems like a good idea until you have to race down Powerline outbound, the top of Columbine inbound or Sugarloaf inbound. These descents are not terrible but I would not want to be on a gravel rig on those
-Bring a crew! That was something I didn’t understand when I registered but luckily learned quickly. Crew is vital.