Road to Leadman: Leadville Mountain Bike 100 “Race Across the Sky” Race Plan
I have the draft of my race plan for the legendary Leadville Mountain Bike 100 "Race Across the Sky" up a the link below. It's likely to undergo revisions as the race approaches, so this will get you to the latest and greatest version.
Race Plan: Leadville Mountain Bike 100 “Race Across the Sky”
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhrqS7wa__Ka_UvJfnIaxCNbQOdb
Race Plan: Leadville Mountain Bike 100 “Race Across the Sky”
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AhrqS7wa__Ka_UvJfnIaxCNbQOdb
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1-the attitude is first class "here to learn."
2-solid goals, humble in fact. Set your bar higher, I went there
- without the MTB experience you've racked up in the last year
- without the altitude training and living you enjoy(most people who have altitude issues come from sea level, not living at 6000')
- three weeks after the IM of my life
you are coming in- Fresh
- trained
- altitude trained, and with altitude race experience from the leadman series
even holding back to preserve the legs for the following week's run (you can walk the 10k on sunday if you need to) you will likely finish in 9:50-10:30the glaring hole I am seeing in your plan is food or for that matter a lack of it.
I know i shared my plan with you which was devised by a friend who did leadville 2x as his A+++ race both times.
should have a PBJ or a half of one at both pipeline and both twin lakes stops
I had planned for a GU every hour and 4 cliff bars for the race
should have some protein (I used a half of a muscle milk) at each stop
why are you carrying 8 packets of tailwind? they should be in your drop bags where you need them
you should have a mirror of your 2 bottles in your Twin lakes bag. Crew should mix them while you are up on columbine and swap your bottles when you roll in both ways.
why aren't 20oz bottles pre filled with H2O? less moving parts. are you using these to refill current bottles or swapping bottles? they should be full. you should probably have 4 bottles at each station, 2 for the way out and 2 for the way in.
Carter summit - you won't stop here outbound, I didn't even see it on my way out..
Pipeline inbound, you will want to eat anything you can find. plan for that, PBJ, Snickers, etc.
do not underestimate the need for food, this is a long endurance bike ride, think 10-11 hours in the saddle, what would you want on your road bike for that length of time? (think like you are going out for a 150+ mile road ride)
you will not only crush this, but do awesome on the run next week. You've gone about this smartly.
btw, curious about where Wiens walks strategically
The template you supplied was awesome! I used it to calculate my fuel and should hit around 3500 calories for the race and about 320 per hour. I think there is a link to it in the race plan. I can get 80-90% of my calories from Tail Wind. I can drink it all day as my primary fuel source. Your advice is definitely headed. I'll throw a couple Uncrustable PB&Js in my drop bag for Pipeline and carry some Gu Chomps in my bento box.
The Tail Wind packets don't take up much space, so they're easy to easy to stuff in my pockets. I'll mix them up with water from the aid stations. I've done it on long training rides and runs. It gives me peace of mind knowing I have most of my calories for the day in my back pockets. Marvin Sandoval gave me the idea. He gets most of his nutrition from his bottles and carries packets to mix at each aid station.
The bottles in the drop bags are pretty much for an emergency, such as ejecting and losing a bottle. Since I have to drop them off the day before, I thought it would avoid the contents getting nasty by not putting in water. I can just fill them at the aid station.
Dave Wiens walks up Pipeline inbound in the movie Race Across the Sky. Lance was the only person to ride the whole thing.
I hope you're right about my time! We'll find out soon enough!
btw, as i read this over coffee this morning, i realized that I can probably do the entire leadman by taking up residency in leadville sometime in the next three years... when I get to Utah, which isn't happening in August as planned, we will have to discuss this over beers!
LMK if you want to speak more.
looking forward to your RR, sounds like it was a brutal day compared to last year.
I probably won't get my race report out until after the Run 100. I rode with a guy who had five buckles and he said this was the toughest year he's done. The thing that got to me was the constantly changing temperature. It was freezing at the start (to be expected), warmed up to being hot from Pipeline to Twin Lakes, cold again at the top of Columbine, hot from Twin Lakes to Pipeline (where I puked), cold up Powerline, and then topped off with freezing rain descending Sugarloaf (and I made the mistake of giving my rain jacket to my crew at Twin Lakes because I thought there was no way it would rain because it was so hot).
1). What type of pacing should be executed for leadville? Basically which zones for what parts of the races should I do so that I don’t burn to many matches? (If mile 18 of the run in IM is the focus, what is the focus for Leadville MTB?)
2) Nutrition insights and with that... comes directing my family to the best places to get what I need. Suggestions?
3) With in EN I know there are probably race reports, podcast, and other good resources for me to read listen to as I prepare for Leadville. Can you send me links to where those are?
4) Is there a group me thread for Leadville MTB EN members that has been started? Would like to join.
I look forward to learning who else is doing the event this year and supporting you in whatever way I can.
I may try to get out there for a weekend in early July anyone else?
note that JW while the master of long days in the saddle, never did the LV MTB which is a different animal.
- listen to my podcast with Coach R after my race in 2016
- read my race report
- schedule a call with me
happy to help and support you in any way I can.I would highly recommend going to Leadville in advance to pre-ride the course if you can swing it. I live at altitude at about 5k ft and did rides around 8-9k ft. There is just no simulating the effect of riding all day at 10-12k ft but to got out and do it. I'd be happy to introduce you to my coach, Marvin Sandoval, who I met through the Leadman. He lives in Leadville and is on the podium every year for the Leadman. You could hire him to pre-ride the course with you. He knows every inch of the course. It would cost less than the MTB camp and be more valuable.
Hello gentlemen. Above is my results from an event I did this weekend. It was a 96 mile event with 7,000 ft of climbing. Nothing like Leadville but a good sample. Was very happy with the results. Feel even better about it knowing I went into it with 180 miles under my legs last week to complete my big bike week training. I also am landing on some dates to get to Leadville July 12-14 or july18-21st. Is one date better to go than the other? I’ve been reading and listening to everything you sent me. I’ve also been listening to the Leadville podcast and reading the Leadville Facebook post where people ask questions. Feeling like I’m starting to dial it in. I was curious if either of you use a nutritionist or have a specific diet you follow while training? I should start filling out my race plan?
Any other thoughts other than I need to chat live with the two of you?
You've probably already locked in your dates. If not, I'd suggest the earlier dates so you have time to test any changes you make based on your experience in Leadville. Probably the biggest wild card is how you handle the long hours riding at elevation, which may change your nutrition strategy. It's still the only time I've ever puked in a race.
Like I offered before, I'd be happy to introduce you to my current coach Marvin Sandoval. He can take you through the entire course. He knows every inch of the course.
Thanks for all the words. No I
My husband is planning to race Leadeville again but this time to get the buckle. He did 12:35 in 2016. This all depends on how his training goes the next two weeks. Lucky him ... I am a Sports Dietitian in private practice. I'd be glad to look over your fueling plan. Support crew duties, ect.
@Gabe Peterson
Does Marvin Sandoval have a website?
@scott dinohofer thanks for your tips.