Breckenridge 100/Leadville 100

[donkey]

It's coming up fast.....anyone else planning on making the trip out there? I'll be flying out on the 18th.

Also.....Leadville. Who's in and how are you feeling in terms of preparation?

B

[dstepper]

No but I might do the Big Bear 15 this weekend...if it is not too hot!

Dean

[Zippy]

No, but the CB Classic is on my list of "to do" races. 2009?

[Koke]

Leadville 100 for me (and 3 other guys on my mtb team).

My training started a month ago. The last 4 weekends I rode 6 hr mtb ride, 7 hr mtb ride, 8 hr mtb ride and last Friday I did a 9 hr mtb ride (from Ladera up Tijeras Creek to Trabuco Creek rd to Holy Jim to Indian TT down to the firestation off the 15 fwy to fill up the water bottles, back up Indian TT to West Horsethief to Trabuco Creek rd to Tijeras Creek back to Ladera).

Between long weekend mtb rides I've been doing about 120-140 miles a week on the road. I'm feeling like Leadville should go well and meet my goal of under 9 hours.

Aliso Viejo Grand Prix this Saturday and GMR Sunday. The following weekend will be another 9 hr mtb ride in the Santa Anas. The following two weeks will be tapering of 6 hr mtb ride and 4 hr mtb ride then race in Leadville!

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by Koke

Leadville 100 for me (and 3 other guys on my mtb team).

My training started a month ago. The last 4 weekends I rode 6 hr mtb ride, 7 hr mtb ride, 8 hr mtb ride and last Friday I did a 9 hr mtb ride (from Ladera up Tijeras Creek to Trabuco Creek rd to Holy Jim to Indian TT down to the firestation off the 15 fwy to fill up the water bottles, back up Indian TT to West Horsethief to Trabuco Creek rd to Tijeras Creek back to Ladera).

Between long weekend mtb rides I've been doing about 120-140 miles a week on the road. I'm feeling like Leadville should go well and meet my goal of under 9 hours.

Aliso Viejo Grand Prix this Saturday and GMR Sunday. The following weekend will be another 9 hr mtb ride in the Santa Anas. The following two weeks will be tapering of 6 hr mtb ride and 4 hr mtb ride then race in Leadville!

you ever raced at that elevation? Under 9 hours is pretty ambitious!

[donkey]

Likewise......I've been wanting to get out there for that one for a few years.

I think next spring/summer will be all free events for me. Kokopelli/CB Classic/Vapor Trail. That'll be a nice change of pace after all the money I've spent racing this year!

B

Originally Posted by Zippy

No, but the CB Classic is on my list of "to do" races. 2009?

[lukewiens]

dang man, i can barely afford to drive to end of the block let alone fly to CO. maybe next year when gas prices are 9 bucks a gallon....lol!

i will be looking forward to your RR's. you still planning on the tahoe sierra 100?? they just posted the course info on the site.

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by donkey

Likewise......I've been wanting to get out there for that one for a few years.

I think next spring/summer will be all free events for me. Kokopelli/CB Classic/Vapor Trail. That'll be a nice change of pace after all the money I've spent racing this year!

B

Awesome! You, me and Luke should put together a road trip for the CB Classic.

[Koke]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

you ever raced at that elevation? Under 9 hours is pretty ambitious!

I've never raced over 9,000 but I've done a lot of trail riding at 9,000-10,000 and take to the elevation fairly well as long as I don't redline the heart rate (shouldn't be redlining in a 100 mile race anyway).

My race plan and training have centered around a steady pace and HR of below 170.

[donkey]

Originally Posted by lukewiens

dang man, i can barely afford to drive to end of the block let alone fly to CO. maybe next year when gas prices are 9 bucks a gallon....lol!

I got lucky on Breckenridge......I already had travel arrangements for a Specialized dealer event in CO that weekend so the airfare was already paid for. Otherwise there's no way I'd be doing Breck and Leadville.

For Leadville we'll be driving out and staying with friends and at the Leadville Hostel to keep costs down.

As for the Sierra-Tahoe.....I'm going to play it by ear and see how I feel after Leadville. I'm really looking forward to a break......but it looks like a great event. We'll see......

B

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by Koke

I've never raced over 9,000 but I've done a lot of trail riding at 9,000-10,000 and take to the elevation fairly well as long as I don't redline the heart rate (shouldn't be redlining in a 100 mile race anyway).

My race plan and training have centered around a steady pace and HR of below 170.

Good luck!

[Wrecker]

Good luck you guys, and have fun! I'm looking forward to reading your RR

[JoeTruth]

What a moron you are!

Originally Posted by kaos5000

[cryan]

Originally Posted by donkey

I got lucky on Breckenridge......I already had travel arrangements for a Specialized dealer event in CO that weekend so the airfare was already paid for. Otherwise there's no way I'd be doing Breck and Leadville.

For Leadville we'll be driving out and staying with friends and at the Leadville Hostel to keep costs down.

As for the Sierra-Tahoe.....I'm going to play it by ear and see how I feel after Leadville. I'm really looking forward to a break......but it looks like a great event. We'll see......

B

Since the guy brought it all back, I'll add in my two cents... If it's for the Specialized event I take it you are staying at Copper? That's a good place to be if you're doing both the Leadville and Breck events. They've also got cheap hostel style housing if you need - "The EDGE," which is full on employee housing in the winter but may have rooms for cheap in summer.

I can't say much about the Leadville race, but the Breck course has some really fun stuff. Loop 2 being my favorite, but I think that one will feel like the most climbing. I haven't "officially" done the event but have ridden the entire course a couple of times. Loop 3 is road for the most part, gradual climbing but really smooth. The singletrack off of that road (Gold Dust and Baker's) will mix things up a bit so it's not that bad. Climbing out from Como does suck just a little bit. Loop 1 will be a blast, with the Peaks Trail being one of the funnest after work trails to ride in Summit. Riding up Breck, not so much but the view before going over the other side toward Copper is pretty amazing.

If you are looking for a nice warm-up ride, the Colorado trail from Copper to Kokomo is great. Lots of climbing and up above timberline for the end. I think you'll get to about 12,300 feet before descending. You'll probably see a shorter version listed as a Specialized group ride for that event - In my opinion it's one of the better xc options out of Copper.

As for altitude concerns, as long as you're in good shape and hydrated, it's fine. I would say that it's not so much the breathing but the dehydration headaches that would affect someone who is fit. People from all over go up there and do just as well as any of the locals. You'll probably notice at first, but your breathing will adjust after a few miles.

Alright, can you tell that I'm homesick yet? There is some really good riding up there. I think it gets less attention because it's under snow 9 months of the year.

[donkey]

Well.....Breck was freakin hard. WAAYYY harder than Leadville. I'd say it's on par with the Cascade Creampuff.....maybe a tad harder.

I finished in 11 hours. I met my goal....which was to finish the thing and keep my HR in Zone 2 the whole day(figured that would be a good idea with Leadville coming up).

The course wasn't marked nearly as well as it should have been. There were quite a few times where I found myself standing at an intersection looking for tiretracks.....arrows....something!

The course was a good mix. Lots of singletrack and just enough fireroad to let you recover from what can only be described as some of the most demanding ST I've ever ridden. At one point we were traversing a very steep slope(one of the upper ski bowls at Breck), covered in snow.....at roughly 12k feet. That was awesome and scary. Definitely made me feel alive.

All things considered......Breck 100 is a must do. It doesn't have the cache and recognition of Leadville.....but it's a much more entertaining course and the scenery couldn't be beat.

[CPATCRASH]

Wow! Sounds like a blast. I would do it in a minute if they would divide it up over four days.

Congrats on meeting your goal Brian!

[biglimey]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

Wow! Sounds like a blast. I would do it in a minute if they would divide it up over four days.

Congrats on meeting your goal Brian!

Or 5...

[donkey]

Just a few more days!

[Burner]

Originally Posted by donkey

I met my goal....which was to finish the thing and keep my HR in Zone 2 the whole day

wow, I think I hit zone 2 when I get out of bed in the morning.

hope everything goes smoothly this weekend.