11 August, 2001
Leadville, Colorado
I've raced on and off for
over 20 years, and only a handful of my races can be counted as "perfect
efforts". Most of those
efforts have come this year – principally the Lung Burner 10K Skate Ski
Race and the Horsetooth Half-Marathon.
The 2001 edition of the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race was also one of
those “perfect efforts”.
I was able to make myself hurt for 8 hours, 28 minutes, and 57
seconds. I went as fast as I could
have on that day – I left nothing on the course. That in itself made the race a
success. My observations below are
pretty much focused on myself, as there are 611 stories to be told and I would
not presume to try and tell theirs…
There had been a lot of rain
the week before, but we were spared on race day. I was seriously nervous on the start line and on the
procession out of town. I really
would have like to have been closer to the front on the starting line (200 or
so back in the field of 611), or try and move up during the pavement stretch,
but I was pretty jittery and unsure of my true fitness. The ride through the cloud bank that
surrounded Leadville at the beginning of the race made for a surreal start and
actually helped me relax. As I
expected, the entry onto the dirt revealed that the course was muddy, soft, and
comparatively slow. I had my typical slow start -- excluding the effort of the
winner who rode away from everyone from the get-go, I lost most of my time over
the first half of the race on the sprint to the first feed zone (where I was 49th
according to www.trail100.com).
The 15 minutes I finished back from Kurt, my friend/neighbor/training
partner who finished 10th, can largely be accounted for in that
section and the downhill from the high-point and mid-point of the race,
Columbine Mine. Did I also mention
that I’m a lousy downhiller?
I tried to do some speed training this year, hoping for a better start,
but it apparently didn’t take… I expect that many of the people in this race would whip me
in a 20 to 30 mile race. I race
those short distances at the same speed I ride the entire Leadville race. I don’t know if it’s the
way I train, mental weakness, or genetics, but I find it extremely difficult to
crank it up over short distances.
After the first feed zone I didn’t necessarily feel
“good”, but every group I was in seemed slow when we headed uphill
– which I took to be a good sign.
I rolled into Twin Lakes in 35th. The climb up to the turnaround went well , but it was still
plenty painful, and I hit the top in 20th. I hadn’t realized I was as well placed as I was until
the leaders started coming down from the turnaround, and I was surprised to
find so few in front of me. After
the Twin Lakes feed zone outbound, I never again shared the pace with anyone,
riding alone for 60 miles. On the
rolling stretches, I kept looking over my shoulder wondering where the
pacelines were, wanting a chance to draft. I am pleased that I held off everyone behind me, but I sure
suffered on the Power Line climb and kept expecting to be passed by hordes of
riders. I really had a tough time
with granny gear climbs all day long, but I managed to turn it over pretty good
on middle ring climbs. I only saw
two riders on the way back, catching one on the paved climb up Saint Kevins and
one a little way into the dirt section before heading downhill for the last
time. Like last year, I ignored my
watch and even my speedometer for almost the entire way, noting the time only
when the pavement of the finishing stretch was in view. Volunteers and spectators had been
relating my overall place on the way back, so I was working hard to keep a good
position, knowing time would take care of itself.
Kurt’s father crewed
for us, but I still took my liquids from the Trail 100 people. I knew that he would have his hands
full trying to keep up with Kurt, and the Trail 100 folk do a good job. I rode with two large bottles, one with
water and one with sports drink. I
started with them full, filled the water bottle at Twin Lakes outbound, topped
them both off at the Columbine turnaround, and filled them both again at the
Fish Hatchery aid station inbound.
That worked out really well this year, but if had been hotter I would
have needed more. As I’ve done
in the past, I only ate Cliff Shots – but I sure was sick of them by the
end.
The crowds were great -- lots
of cheering and support. I knew about 8 or 9 people in the race on a first name
basis, and I think they all cheered me on my way back down from Columbine, and
I regret I was so focused that I didn't really acknowledge them and cheer them
on as well. My wife and kids were
hanging out with some Leadville locals, so they were able to motor to various
vantage points quickly. I have
never been too keen on having my family witness my races as I consider it a
hardship for them to stand around all day waiting for me to finish, and
I’d just as soon not be worrying about them. But I must say, it was awesome to have them hooting and
hollering at different points in the race. Coming through the aid stations I
got really energized by all the cowbells and cheering -- I felt like I was
racing a stage of the Tour! I wore
a University of Wyoming jersey, and got a big charge out of the yells of
“Go Wyoming!”.
Kurt rode a strong race,
finishing 10th. He was
in the front group all the way to Columbine, but suffered a bad stretch for a
couple of miles on the climb. He
recovered well and finished strong.
However, his first words upon crossing the finish line were “Sell
the bike”. By the next day
he had changed his mind…
The only thing about this
race that isn't quite perfect are the course markings. Last year I came within
a whisker of riding off into the wilderness because of inadequate markings.
This year a friend and a few folks in his vicinity (including the defending
woman champion) rode off the course for a couple of miles, and I heard of one
woman who did an extra 9 miles because of a lack of signage. It's an
out-and-back course -- they really only need to mark 50 miles of road/trail and
there aren’t that many alternative routes -- they could do a better job.
I ended up 17th, 2nd in the
40-49 age group, got the big buckle, an inscribed miners pan, and a North Face
2-man tent. Doesn't quite pay back the $600 in entry fee, hotel room, and
general travel cost -- but it helps!
And when I factor in the
fun and memories – the race is a bargain!
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