Today is my 49th Birthday and I found out a few days ago that’ll I’ll be racing the Leadville 100 MTB Race. This and future articles will be part of a series called 100 before 50, Chasing the Leadville 100 as with work with Lifetime Fitness and others to share the Leadville 100 experience.
Bucket List Event
Ever since watching Lance Armstrong race and win Leadville in 2009, it has been a bucket list for me. Call it a midlife crisis or a well timed opportunity, either way, I will be lining up in Leadville, Co on August 13th to tackle the 100 mile mountain bike race. I personally like to think of it as a way to justify a new bike, but don’t tell that to the wife.
Birthday Ride
As cool as it would be to say I found out about getting to race Leadville on my Birthday, that was not the case. I think the news came a few days beforehand . Either way, I usually try and knock out a Birthday ride (weather permitting), I like to think of it as a way pre-burn off all those calories I will consume.
But this ride also is a way of gauging where I am fitness wise, since my Birthday comes in the spring. While riding today I was thinking that I’m in shape to knock out 50 miles, heck I am pretty much there, then I realized I just spent 3 hours at 20 feet above sea level and absolutely no climbing. Yeah, Strava says 430 ft of climbing but I am gonna so that is not correct. At least it was on my mountain bike so I did have to do some work.
So What’s Next?
So over the next 4 plus months we’ll be talking Leadville, other Lifetime events, training, nutrition and more. While I would like to think I this should be pretty straight forward, I am thinking that is not the case. First thing I have learned is this is not going to be cheap, and that booking a room in the small mountain town is not as easy as you would think.
Part of our 2022 Leadville 100 MTB coverage will include the following:
The History of the Leadville 100
Where am I? Riding East Rim, Bedford, East Rim and Hampton and home.
Podcast: Figuring out Nutrition with with Tailwind Nutrition
My bike for the Leadville 100
Gravel Unbound or Lake Placid Whiteface
Podcast: Logistics and what the hell to expect
Podcast: The race and what to expect
One month out, July’s big ride
Photo Essay: Leadville, a crazy town this time of the year
The Leadville 100 experience and would I do it again