Leadville 100

Freezing at the start line

I was really sad on Friday after Breck Epic ended. It was such a fun race, amazing trails, amazing people. I wanted to ride more stages. After finishing Leadville, I am happy to report that my legs are toast, my bottom is scabby, and I am very happy not riding my bike for a very long time!

Leadville is the exact opposite of Breck. Breck feels personal, Leadville feels corporate, Breck is all about singletrack, Leadville is all about dirt roads, Breck focuses on trail stewardship and being nice to everyone else who is out racing, Leadville is heads down hammer pace.

We arrived in Leadville at 9pm on Friday evening after the post Breck banquet and awards. We stayed in the happy hippie tie dye house, which is one of the most interesting air bnbs I have stayed in. Each room is equipped with rolling papers, a glass pipe, and ashtrays for your 420-friendly stay. Floyds of Leadville is right across the street. 

The Happy Hippie Tye Die House

Alarm went off at 4:30 am. I stuffed a couple of cliff bars down my throat, we got our hardtails ready, chains lubed, numbers on. Then we sat in the car with the heat blasting until 6am. It was freezing out. We had to check into our corral (silver) by 6:15 and so begrudgingly got out of the car. We were both tired and feeling the fatigue of 6 days at Breck. 

At the start line

The gun went off at 6:30 and it was an all out sprint downhill for about 3 miles. My fingers and toes were completely numb. Last year, for High Casacdes, Jeff and I bought goodwill jackets to leave at the race start and not care if we got them back. We have retrieved them from a lot of races, but I think mine is finally gone for good. I rode the 1st 3 hours in it and then ditched it at one of the aid stations once the sun came out and it warmed up.

Things that were fun about the race:

1. There were a lot of people out on course cheering for you. Every 8-10 miles there seemed to be some type of aid station with tents set up and people cheering you on.

2. The guys on the powerline climb who were pouring ice cold water onto your head and neck and the one guy who filled up my water bottle with cold water for me while I was hiking up.

3. Passing so many people on the downhills. I am not a fast descender compared to other mountain bikers but compared to roadies/triathletes on mountain bikes, I am a pro. I was passing so many guys on the downhills. It was awesome!

4. The views from the top of Columbine climb were incredible. It was a long partial ride, partial hike up to 12,500ft, but the surrounding mountain views were pretty awesome. 

5. The cold wet towels that were being handed out at the bottom of Carter climb felt amazing.

6. Finishing sub 9 hours, which was my goal. I finished in 8:29, 5th overall female and 3rd in age group. I crossed the line, sat down on the pavement and did not move for about 30 mins. Then I drank some beers, cheered for Jeff finishing, and basked in the glory of having nothing to do for the next 24 hours.

Relieved to finish!

7. The pre race swag sucks but the post race swag is really awesome. Belt buckles and quality finishers jackets with your name and finishing time printed on the sleeve. They make over a thousand of these sweatshirts overnight so we get them at the award ceremony at 7:30 am the next morning.

We got our buckles!

Things that were unimpressive:

1. Packet pick-up. Every year, Breck happens either before or after Leadville. You would think that the Leadville people would understand that and make accommodations for racers paying to do both races. But no. They insist that packets must be picked up in person and they make you drive to Leadville either on Thursday night in the middle of the stage race or on Friday night and make you miss the post-Breck banquet and awards ceremony. Jeff and I drove 2 hrs to Leadville and back to Breck on Thursday night, but it was super annoying to have to do that in the middle of a stage race. 

2. The course. It is out and back course. The course is challenging because of the climbs but it is boring. I knew it would be a dirt road race, but at least make it a loop!

3. There are too many racers on the course. It is a conga line of people snaking up the climbs and descending off of them. It does help for drafting and working together on the flats, but would be more fun I think with fewer people out on course. 

4. The cost. Over $425 to register (after paying for a qualifying race) and there is no payout for the pros. If you want the race to be about the love of biking and the sport, then make the registration fee reasonable. 

At the finish with Jeff

What I would change for next time. This is a one and done race for me, but this is the advice I would pass on to others: 

1. I think you really need a 2x11 drivetrain. This is a race where you need more range than a 1x eagle offers. I ran a 34t front chain ring with eagle, but I needed more power for the flats and more low end for the climbs. I think a hardtail is ideal, I rode my Trek Procal; having a front fork definitely made the chunky rocky descents faster and more tolerable. 

2. I would probably put on aerobars. I spent a lot of time with my hands and forearms draped over the handlebars and aerobars would have made that position more comfortable. 

3. I would ditch the camel pack and I would recruit someone to run support for me at a few aid stations and hand off bottles. They make the aid stations very accessible to support crews and lots of racers around me never had to stop moving to refill bottles. 

4. I would have fresh legs! Breck definitely helped me adjust to the altitude but 6 days of fatigue in the legs made the race extra challenging. 

The awards ceremony. So many racers!

Overall, I am glad I have done Leadville, simply because it is a famous 100 mile bike race and having the belt buckle is pretty cool. There were a lot of fun things about the race, which made it worthwhile to be at. But, I think any of the NUE races are more fun than Leadville, many are more challenging, and all have way more singletrack riding!

Women's 30-39 podium. Larissa Connors in 1st and Chase Edwards in 2nd

Breck Epic: Stages 5-6

Thursday Stage 5:

Photo taken by Jeff

Wheeler Pass today! What a ride! What a hike! Today's stage definitely would have been better with hiking boots and a dropper post. We started today in 10 person waves based on GC standings, each wave was separated by a minute. I was in wave 6 and Jeff was in wave 20. We immediately started climbing up singletrack which turned to a rocky fire road and eventually turned to steep singletrack and the hiking started. We hiked for miles up to 12,500 ft. The views were incredible. We crested a peak and then there was some rideable rocky singletrack across alpine meadows surrounded on all sides by craggy peaks and towering mountains. More hiking along some switchbacks, and we crested Wheeler Pass. I got some more skittles and there were also bacon and fireball handups, which Jeff enjoyed. After a short descent, it was back to climbing and hiking for another long time over a mountain pass coined by Rich Dillen as Mt Gawdammit, which I have to agree with him, was a slog. Then we descended off the pass on a super rocky, steep, technical, switchbacky, jaw chattering descent. I rode it with some curses thrown in, Jeff loved it. Jeff says he loved it so much he can't find the words to describe it. Then we rode ~7 miles back to Breck on Peaks Trail, which starts off with a punchy climb with roots and rocks thrown in and then gets more fast and flowey with some fun log bridges to roll over. And then we were at the finish! Kathy and her son came to the finish to say and it was fun to catch up with them. Last stage tomorrow. Legs are holding up, it is getting a little harder each day to sit on the saddle but we are still having a blast being here!

At the race start

Coming into the finish. Photo by Chris M

At the finish with Katrina. We climbed up there today! Photo by Chris M

Friday Stage 6: 

Today was the last stage. It was called Gold Dust. It was definitely the easiest stage of the race and a fun course to end on. We started in waves again based on yesterday's results. I moved into wave 7 and Jeff had a great day yesterday and moved into start wave 11. We started up a singletrack climb that had some technical sections and some sections with smooth berms. We climbed up through aspen forests that were really pretty in the early morning sunshine. I did really enjoy by 30t front chain ring for the initial climb. Then we popped out onto a road that carried us up to Boreas Pass.

Jeff and I climbing Aspen Alley today. Photos by Donald

Then we descended a trail called Gold Dust. It starts out as a steep rowdy downhill and then turns into a smooth flowey S-turn trench trail that is fast but seems pretty flat. Then we climbed a forest road back up to Boreas Pass and from there it was about an 8 mile descent back into town and the finishing area. I was lucky to have a 40 min gap going into today's stage. My goals for today were to ride smooth, avoid crashes and mechanicals, enjoy the ride and save my legs as much as possible for Leadville tomorrow. Goals were accomplished! Katrina caught me on the last downhill so I didn't win the stage, but I still can't really believe that I won the overall race. Coming into the finishing line was the coolest thing ever. I got to take some photos with Jeremiah, who won the pro men's race and Gordon/Elliot, who won the men's duo race. It was a great year at Breck Epic for Virginians! After the race, we celebrated with crepes and I got a massage at Blue Sage Spa which felt awesome. Then we went to the post race banquet, got our belt buckles, and headed to Leadville for the Leadville 100 tomorrow. It is definitely going to be hard to come back to reality after this!

Climbing to Boreas Pass

Virginia representing. Beast Coast. Photo by Chris M

We did it! Photo by Chris M

Breck Epic 6 -Day Women's Pro Podium

I have a lot of people to thank for this and wouldn't have been able to do this without their help. First, Joe's Bike Shop who has supported me for years since I first started racing. East Coasters Bike Shop in Roanoke has been helping me with bike maintenance for the last year and helped get my bike dialed for High Cascades and this race. I ran Ardent Race tires by Maxxis, and their tires have never let me down in a race. No flats despite lots of sharp rocks out on the trails this week. ESI grips kept my hands comfy and blister free. Rudy Project kept my head protected and Huma Gels kept me fueled. Kathy was kind enough to transfer me her race entry. Maybe most importantly, my coach, Chris Beck, talked me down from wanting to quit racing completely a few weeks ago and helped me recover properly from some severe mid-season fatigue. And also Jeff, who is my partner in crime and crazy enough to agree to do Breck and Leadville with me in the same year!

If you have ever thought about doing Breck, you should do it! If you still aren't convinced, you can watch all the race videos here: https://youtube.com/user/BreckEpic/videos

Breck Epic: Stage 3-4

Tuesday Stage 3: 

The climb up French Pass

What an amazing day, by far one of the most fun days I have had on the bike. We climbed up over 12,000ft and crossed the Continental Divide twice! I felt a little bit better at altitude today, breathing is still an issue, but my legs felt like they had a little bit more power in them. The race started up a dirt road climb out of the town and then we ducked into a bench cut singletrack along the side of the mountain with a steep drop off on the right and sharp rocks to navigate across. After a fun descent, we started the climb up French Pass. It was a steep climb with a bit of hiking involved but the views were incredible. You traverse an alpine meadow surrounded on all sides by mountains and you can see a string of racers stretching out all the way in the distance, snaking up out of the bowl and descending down the other side. There were some guys at the top of the pass handing out skittles, and I ate a handful before starting a super fun descent down. Jeff already had a puncture and a sidewall gash in his rear tire by that point and took some extra time at the top to capture the views.

Jeff at the top of the pass

The next climb was up over Georgia Pass which was a grind, but the descent down the Colorado Trail from there was super fun with some tricky rocks at the bottom. Then there were some more punchy climbs that seemed longer than advertised on the elevation profile and some more traversing rocky bench cut singletrack until the finish. 39 miles, 6,600 ft of climbing.

A view from the trail. Photo by Jeff Brown

Libbey, Jordan, Jane and me after Stage 3. Photo by Chris M

Unfortunately, Amy Beisel, who was leading the pro women's field, crashed on stage 2 and broke her collarbone. (She also finished that stage with a broken collar bone, which is super bad ass). I really wish her all the best for a speedy recovery. It did mean that I was able to move into 1st place today. I have never gotten to wear a leaders jersey before and it was pretty cool to be on the top step. I never in a million years would have thought that was possible.

Women's Pro Podium

There was a fun east coast contingent at the race including Libby and Chris, Gordon, Jeremiah Bishop, Brian and his wife, Alicia, Jordan and Jane (although not an east coaster), and it has been really fun getting to hang out with all of them.

Jane and Jordan on the final podium for the 3 day race

Brian and Alicia finishing Stage 3

Wednesday Stage 4: 

At the stage start. Photo by Chris M

Today's stage was called The Aqueduct. It was a challenging stage: 41 miles, 6600 ft of climbing. The climbs today were steep. The singletrack was sandy. The descents were smooth, fun and fast (and sandy!). There were definitely fewer rocks on the trails today. There were several hike-a-bike sections at least for me. I heard Jeremiah rode everything, which is insane. I had a headache this morning and my legs definitely had some fatigue. I am finding it difficult to sleep at night. I can fall asleep easily but I wake up multiple times in the night, probably from the altitude. I tried to stay within my limits today, and was still able to get the stage win! It was super awesome to share the podium today with Libbey who finished 3rd! My legs definitely feel better this evening so I am hoping to push the pace again tomorrow. I also decided with the advice of some present and past racers to trade my 34 tooth front chain ring for a 30 tooth, so I am excited to feel more spinny on the climbs tomorrow. Jeff says the stage was awesome. He enjoyed himself.

Coming into the finish. Photo by Chris M

One of the volunteers handed me this Coke! Photo by Chris M

Stage 4 podium. Me and Libbey representing the east coast!

Breck Epic: Stage 1-2

Thanks Kathy!

I feel super lucky to be able to do this race and to share the entire experience with Jeff. The pictures that I saw from this race last year looked incredible, fun singletrack, big pine trees, huge mountains. Definitely a bucket list item. I owe an incredible thanks to Kathy, who gave me her entry for this race, and I wouldn't be here without her help.

The 2 things I was most nervous about was #1 the altitude and how it would affect me and #2 getting caught on a mountain pass when a storm rolls through and freezing to death. So far, #2 hasn't happened and #1, well, I am dealing with it!

The race vibe is pretty awesome. There seems to be a lot of local support for the race, which is cool to see. There are only 3 rules, which mainly boil down to be a good person and a good steward for the sport, and Mike, the race director, seems super friendly and is really excited to share the trails around Breckenridge with all of us racers.

Getting our race numbers

We are staying an Beaver Run, which is where the race headquarters are, and I would highly recommend. From the resort, it is a downhill ride into town for the race starts, you can walk to the morning bag drop and nightly race meeting, and there is a free shuttle into town as needed for dinners. Also hot tubs, and we have a full kitchen to keep up with healthy eating!

Sunday: Stage 1

Jeff, me and Libbey before the start

The race start was delayed due to storms rolling through in the morning. Instead of starting at 8:30, we started at 10:30 and instead of a mass start, we started in waves based on our category. The course was also shortened due to the weather conditions, so instead of 32 miles, it was only 17. I was a little bummed about not getting to ride the full race route, but I've also learned that in stage races you have to just roll with the punches, so I grabbed a couple hours of extra sleep and got psyched to finally start racing. I started in wave 2, which included pro women and 40+ cat 1 men, and Jeff started right behind me in wave 3. There was short road climb, and then we immediately ducked into the trails. There was some rolling singletrack, some forest roads that we climbed and descended and climbed again, and then a pretty fun singletrack descent down to the finish.

As expected, my lungs were absolutely burning the entire race. I had a cx cough by the end, but I kept pushing as much as my lungs would allow me to and ended up getting second in women's pro category, which was definitely unexpected. I waited at the finish for Jeff, who unfortunately frayed his shifter cable and got stuck in 34x10 and had to hike a bunch of the uphills. There was about a 5 mile descent back into town which we rode together and then started recovering, washing and fixing bikes, eating and getting prepped for stage 2.

A view from our ride back to town

Women's Pro Podium. Super excited to make it up here

Monday Stage 2: 

The real racing started today. 41 miles, 6500 ft of climbing, mass start in downtown Breck. We immediately started climbing up a paved road that turned to gravel and then hit a fun narrow singletrack that wound down the side of a mountain. After a short gravel road descent, we spent the next several miles traversing a narrow spine through the woods with little sharp rocks and roots littering the trail. Then we hit the Colorado trail, which was awesome. It took us through big pine trees and we climbed it up to 11,200 ft and then descended off of it down to ~9000 ft. The views on the descent were incredible, through alpine meadows with beautiful open vistas of the mountains in the distance. After the descent, we hit some sandy, dusty trails and had 3 more 2-3 mile climbs and fun bermy descents back to the finish.

Hanging out with Libbey after Stage 2 and sharing race stories

It was amazing singletrack today, I only wish I felt better riding it. My breathing was better probably because I was going slower, and I felt like I had absolutely no power in the legs. Ah altitude! I did the best with what my legs gave me, and very excited to still be in 2nd place! Jeff had no comments about his experience today (lets just say he suffered a lot out there) but he finished and is feeling better after a burger this evening!

Jeff and Chris. Chris unfortunately injured his arm and can't race this year. But it has been awesome to have him at the finish lines cheering for us and giving us jackets to keep warm 

ORAMM

With Chris before the race. Photo credit to Tarah

ORAMM was a great weekend. It's fun traveling across the country to races but nothing quite beats seeing so many friends at east coast ones. The highlight of this race for me was getting to catch up with friends and teammates. I drove down to Asheville with Chris and Tarah, who are riding friends from Roanoke. Tarah is a badass horse vet and has very entertaining stories about predicaments that horses end up in. We ate dinner on Sat night before the race at this great restaurant called Avenue M with JBSRT teammates Chris, Jen and Britt (highly recommend this restaurant, beat salads, tofu curries with fresh veggies, very yummy!). For years, everyone has been telling me how fun ORAMM is and how challenging the downhill trails are. ORAMM is always the same weekend as Wilderness Trail 101 in Penn. I have done Wilderness at least 3 times, so I decided to finally check out ORAMM instead. The course was shortened slightly this year due to a road washout, but Blue Ridge Adventures put on an amazing event nonetheless. 

The race start. Photo credit: Tarah

The race leaves from the small town of Old Fort, NC and after riding out of town, the course climbs up a road to the start of Kitsuma. I felt pretty good on the opening climb. There were 2 closed access gates and a large downed tree on the climb that created 3 bottleneck points, but I fought through and had a good position going into the 1st singletrack. The descent down Kitsuma was so fun. I have ridden that trail once before with some friends from Chapel Hill, but it was in the late fall when all the leaves were down and you couldn't really see what you were rolling over. The conditions on race day couldn't have been better. It had rained early in the week but the last 3 days had been dry and sunny, and the trails were perfectly dry without being too washed out or dusty. 

I finished the descent with a few other guys and pushed the pace through the flat roads back thru the town of Old Fort, and then we started the climb up Curtis Creek. I knew the climb would be a long one. I ended up with a rider named Z who had a good pace going. I just focused on staying on his wheel, listening to my music and keeping a smile on my face to make the time go by faster. I kept thinking how awesome it is living in Roanoke and having climbs just like this one to train on. Bring it on climb! The gravel road wound up eventually to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where we kept climbing on pavement for probably another 20 mins. 

Then there was a short hike-a-bike back into the woods followed by the descent down Heartbreak Ridge. It is a steep, narrow, rocky, rooty trail with a cliff drop off on the left and then tight switchbacks towards the bottom. I just focused on not dying. Definitely wish I had my FS bike for that trail but alas, it was still in Jeff's van somewhere in CO. I did go over my handlebars at one point but luckily did not break anything on my bike or my body except for some top tube paint scratches from the shifters. 

Almost at the finish line. Photo credit: Tarah

After Heartbreak, there was a gravel road climb back up the entrance of Kitsuma, which I was really looking forward to riding again. The descent down Kitsuma was so fun, I felt like I was flying on the pro cal. After finishing the descent, it was all power on the road back to the finishing line! I finished in 4:21, 1st overall for the women. It was really fun having Tarah at the finish line cheering and taking pictures.

The bridge was washed out in one of the recent floods so we finished going thru the river. It was fun cheering for finishing racers while soaking in the water

Chris coming into the finish. Photo credit: Tarah

I carried a camel pack and 2 bottles on my bike so I didn't have to stop at any of the aid stations and Huma gels kept me fueled. Afte the race, there was food, beers, a river to cool off in and then the 3 hour drive back to Roanoke. Everyone from Joe's had a great race: Chris Lane got 2nd in the SS, Jen got 1st for master women, and Britt got 3rd overall. Chris had a strong finish and will work on his nutrition plan for next race :-) Definitely will be back next year to tackle the full mileage of ORAMM!

Women's Open Podium

Singlespeed Podium

Master Women's Podium