Keep calm and climb on...
Once I finish writing this post, I’ll start packing my things for the drive up to Leadville, CO. I’m more nervous for the Leadville Trail 100 than I was for Unbound Gravel! I’ve never raced Leadville before, so I’m venturing into the unknown, which is always scary.
The climbing and the high elevation also worry me. Long extended climbs have never been a strength of mine, and after blowing up at Silver Rush 50, I’ve realized that racing above 10,000 feet will require a level of restraint and discipline that I might lack. Plus, after getting my butt kicked at a few races this year, I’ve had to reevaluate my current goals and expectations.
One thing that has helped put my mind at ease is all the fun training rides I've been able to do in the Colorado high country with my amazing co-workers:
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My Leadville 100 Time Goal: Sub-10 Hours
Unlike my other major target of the year, Unbound Gravel, I never put out a time goal on the TPC Blog, social media, or anywhere else. A big reason is that I had no idea what to target. Since this is my first time doing Leadville, I have no past results to improve on.
When I did the Unbound Gravel 200 for the first time, my only goal was to “beat the sun.” For many riders, this benchmark serves as a solid target. Leadville has something similar — the big belt buckle — which riders only earn by finishing under 9 hours.
The Big Buckle... yeah, I wish...
When I got into Leadville, I figured going for a sub-9 finish would be reasonable. Now that I’ve tested myself at Silver Rush though, I’ve realized that it might be a bit out of reach.
My Silver Rush 50 finish time was 5:37. Riders can estimate their Leadville finish time by multiplying their Silver Rush time by 1.8x. By doing that, I estimated that my Leadville 100 finish time should be close to 10:06. My heart sank after realizing how far off of 9 hours I was. I’ll also be starting in the Orange corral, which means I’ll likely encounter a lot of traffic on my way to the finish.
So my goal now is to finish in 10 hours or less. I think sub-10 hours is realistic for my first Leadville attempt. As I said, I blew up spectacularly at Silver Rush, so if I actually pace things properly this time, it should be well within reach. Of course, a small part of me still wants (and hopes for) that magical sub-9 finish, but it might take a miracle for that to happen!
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My Leadville 100 Pacing Plan: Go Comically Slow
Columbine climbs 3,100 feet in 8 miles. It will require solid pacing. Photo: Pete McBride Photography
The big mistake I made at Silver Rush 50 was going out too hard, too early. Above 10,000 ft, I can’t recover from hard efforts the way I can lower down. I burnt several matches to stay with faster riders on the first two climbs, and I had nothing left for the second half of the race. I DO NOT want to make the same mistake at Leadville.
I talked to some local coaches about adjusting my power expectations. A general theme I heard was to adjust my power zones down by 10-12% or more (since I’m going from ~5,000 feet to 10,000+ feet) and to avoid going into the red (i.e., above threshold).
For most extra-long (8+ hour) endurance races, I aim to maintain a normalized power of 200-210 watts (I did an NP of 211 watts for 12 hours at Unbound). For Leadville, I’ll be shooting for a normalized power closer to 175-185 watts. To me, that sounds comically low, but it’s what I have to do.
I’m not going to be staring at my power meter the entire race though. I’m going to be relying a lot on my perceived exertion. From the start, my goal is for my pace to feel “too easy.” If I do it right, it should feel like I’m out for a chill endurance ride. On the opening climbs up to Carter, Sugarloaf, and Columbine, I’m going to try my best to not push myself. I’ll keep it easy and walk if I have to. That way, I’ll have plenty of gas left in the tank for the second half.
One small goal I have is to clean the Powerline climb on the way back. My co-workers who have managed sub-10 and sub-9 hour finishes all successfully cleaned Powerline. If I can do that too, I think it will mean I paced things properly.
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My Leadville Mindset: Being Fast Isn’t Everything
A soul-crushing DNF can still be a great adventure and story.
Even though I’m super nervous, but I’m pretty sure I can finish before the time cutoff of 12 hours. Really, my nerves stem from a deeply rooted need to “prove myself.” I love cycling for a myriad of reasons, but a lot of my sense of self-worth is tied up in my cycling performances. Good results make me feel proud. Bad results make me feel ashamed. I think that’s normal for any rider with an ego.
When I realized I likely wouldn’t achieve the benchmark sub-9 hour finish, I honestly felt like crap. I hadn’t even done the race yet and I was already moping about my performance. But performance is relative, and realistically, unless you’re getting paid to race, results are pointless anyway.
I need to remember why I’m doing this. I race my bike because it’s FUN. I want challenges. I want adventure. I want to experience everything I can on two wheels before my time is up. Who cares how long it takes for me to finish? Who am I trying to impress? What do I stand to gain? The right answer should be no one and nothing. Let’s just send it. Hopefully, I see you all at the finish!
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