Leadville, The 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race Podcast p/b Shimano

Dusty conditions. Gusty Winds. Record Times. New Tech. This Leadville Trail 100 MTB had a lot to remember it by. We cover it all and then some in our annual Race Recap Show. We kick things off by checking in with racers at the startline. Were there nerves? Yes. Was there optimism? Sure. We then go out on course and out to Twin Lakes Alternate which was the busiest it's ever been. Fatty talks about...

We're out of time for the big gains. The training is done. But between now and race day we can find ways to save time on the Leadville course. One of those ways is to maintain your momentum even when the course tries to slow you down. In this episode we will emphasize some basic mountain biking skills and overlay them onto some crucial spots of the Leadville course: The top of Kevins, the Pipeline...

There's a lot to training for an event like Leadville: The miles, the intervals, the weeks of wondering if you're getting it right. But what about those last couple weeks. For this year we're talking about the days between July 26th and August 9th. This is the time most coaches will outline a training taper. The idea sounds straight foward: back off all the miles, keep some intensity, and allow yo...

When it comes to the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race, tires are the most hotly debated tech topic. The participants' page and other forums are littered with discussions on what tire to run, what tire is best, what tire is the lightest, and so on. These discussions can be somewhat beneficial but what most of them lack is real data. Well we found one tech head who is putting XC tires to the test to com...

After 190 episodes of the show that breaks down, builds up, gets you ready, and freaks you out for the highest and hardest one day mountain bike race in the country, we've reached our red carpet, our 6th and Harrison. We want to wrap up by talking about other places you can learn about this race, our top advice, and our favorite episodes.  Everyone, we've loved doing this show and are grateful for...

Two of the big, recurring themes on this show have been fueling and hydration. It's an eating and drinking contest disguised as a bicycle  race after all. In this interview, Hottie is joined by Andy Blow of Precision Fuel to take a sweat test and get some insights into the hydration equation.

Melisa Rollins joins us for an hourlong deep dive into what it's like to love this race as much as we do, and to truly give it everything you've got. For everyone who has turned themselves inside out racing the LT100 and wondered, "what if?," this episode is for you.

After the race, it's time to share stories. While we can't tell everyone's, we CAN share quite a few. In this episode, we hear from nervous racers before the gun goes off (and how their races went), how the new course segments, shuttling and crewing rules worked out, have a great finish-line conversation with the LT100 racer on a handbike, talk with the first winners of the LT100, get to know the...

As we get close to the main event, we complete our conversation with Jeff Waldmuller, whose story should inspire every racer on the course. Be sure to listen to last week's episode (S7E23), and then enjoy this one as you put your feet up and rest up for the big race.

We've got 2 great interviews in this episode. First, Andy Blow—Founder/CEO of Precision Fuel & Hydration—joins us to talk about his well-considered framework for endurance fueling, as well as how you might want to include Precision products (available on-course this year) in your plan. And then, part 1 of a two-part interview with Jeff Waldmuller: as you're getting close to race day and looking fo...

It's one thing to tell people abstractly how they ought to do the LT100. It's a completely other thing to actually describe your own plan. In this episode, Fatty & Hottie detail how they're going to walk the walk in 2024, from bike setup to clothes setup to nutrition to split times to crewing plan.

When should you come to Leadville for the race? How should you manage the course and crewing changes this year? How do you stay warm before and after the shotgun blast? Where should you burn matches? What do we wish we knew the first time we did this race? We answer all these questions and more with listener (and host) favorite and 21-time finisher Nate Whitman!

In times past, we used to say you could safely ignore power numbers at Leadville. The tech and understanding of power meters have come a long way since then, and now, properly incorporated, a power meter can really benefit your race. In this episode, Coach Hunter Allen, who has worked with Jeremiah Bishop and dozens of other Leadville athletes, will help you get our FTP converted to something we c...

Show favorite Hannah Otto joins us for a second time this season to share her top tips for a successful day on the Leadville course, and Fatty gets obsessive over what you should do to ensure your GPS is a help -- not a hindrance -- on race day.

The people who say "age is just a number" are either very young or are not paying attention. Age matters, but so does experience, attitude, motivation, and training — and our guest Bob Graham is bringing all of those to the starting line this year. This is a great conversation with a great athlete, no matter what age you are (but especially for those of us who know that age is one of the factors t...

Hottie and Fatty turn the mics over to the mother-daughter power duo Lisa & Melisa, who have 23 LT100 finishes between them. This is an episode for women and by women, although we definitely encourage everyone to listen. Also be sure to listen to Fatty's Finishing Tip on how to turn a big mistake into a learning experience.

What comes down must first go up. This universal truth has a terrible price you're going to pay this August in this out-and-back race. As you climb Kevens, Sugarloaf, Columbine, the Powerline and more, it will be painfully obvious that you've got to carry every single pound up every single climb. So how do you take the sting out of this equation? Lighten up, obviously? The question is, is the obvi...

We are getting deep into the second half of the season, and that means it's time for you to start working on your Leadville 100 dress rehearsals. In this episode, Fatty walks you through his first dress rehearsal for this year's race. This is a can't-miss tip for anyone who wants to succeed at this demanding race. Hottie and Fatty then share their first reactions to the new course, corral, and cre...

Life Time has just announced some significant changes for the Leadville 100 that will likely impact your race. And if you have a crew coming along, these changes will DEFINITELY impact their day. Race Director Tamira Jenlink joins Hottie and Fatty to lay out the what and why for these changes. 

Many of us have been captivated by the first three seasons of the "From the Ground Up" video series, following new mountain bikers as they work to race The Leadville 100, with only a few months to prepare. Alexey Vermeulen and Ryan Petry are the creators of this project, and in the three seasons they've guided novice racers, they've learned a lot of lessons worth sharing. Also, be sure to listen i...

It stands to reason that being a little lighter will help you get up Columbine and Powerline a little bit easier. Dr Kyle Pfaffenbach joins the show to give great guidance on how (and whether). You'll also want to be sure to listen in to our Fatty's Finishing Tips segment, where Fatty gives you 4 practical pointers for doing well on the hike-a-bike portions of this bike race.

It is new bike day on the show. We went to the Sea Otter Classic, roamed the expo, in hopes of finding a bike – or bikes – that are Leadville worthy. We found four. One that spares no expense, one high value full suspension, one hard tail with a recent Leadville win, and one that promises not to break the bank. For sure there are other brands and models that would make a great choice for Leadville...

Every Leadville racer has the same question: "What will be my finish time?" And there was a time when that question was a real mystery. Now, however, if you are willing to fill in the variables, Best Bike Split can give you an astonishingly accurate prediction. In this episode, Best Bike Split ambassador Dave Schell joins us to explain how. And be sure to listen to Fatty's Finishing Tip in this ep...

Ray Landry is quite simply the friendliest and most Leadville-knowledgeable guy you could ever ride with. He obsesses about this race every bit as much as Hottie and Fatty do, and has absolutely top-notch advice for Leadville racers. He's shared his wisdom at the Leadville Camp each year for several years, so we jumped at the opportunity to ask him what he hears as the most common questions and co...

An interesting — and confusing — story came out in the Leadville Herald Democrat late last week. In this episode, we untangle the story and lay out our best guesses for what significant changes are actually in store for the 2024 LT100. Then for our main feature we bring back show favorite Dr Justin Ross to talk about what it really means to dig deep, and how understanding this very real phenomenon...