UltraRob's Adventures

Last Saturday I headed out to do my century ride for August. Although I did a little better in July, once again for August this would be about as much riding as I had done the whole rest of the month.

It had been a few months since I had ridden to Sedalia so I was thinking of going there. Once I got to Palmer Lake, I thought it was late enough in the summer that the Renaissance Festival would be over so I could take a little different route and go through Larkspur instead of just going out and back on 105. I've never been in Larkspur during the Renaissance Festival but I've seen traffic jams on I-25 from traffic backing up at the off ramps so I can only imagine what it's like. Fortunately I was right about it being over and it was just a small quiet town.

Last week was very stressful at work which had left me drained. It had affected me enough physically that I felt drained even on the bike but it was good to be riding. I've also been on antibiotics for 2 weeks for a sinus infection. The antibiotics were really messing my stomach up which also didn't help energy levels. Since then I came to my senses and finished up the bottle of iFlora that I had and I'm taking Digest Caps until my order of more iFlora comes. My stomach and energy has been better the last few days.

I was moving slow and I needed to be back to meet my family on the north end of town so I didn't make it all the way to Sedalia. There's no where to get water along 105 so I usually need to make it to Sedalia. Since I had gone through Larkspur, I had filled up with water there so I was fine turning around.

I didn't get a full 100 miles in but I got in the required 90 miles to count toward the UMCA Year Rounder. I got in 90.3 miles with 3960 feet of climbing. It took me 6:17 of ride time. I did finish my ride a few hundred feet higher than I started but it was still slower than it should have been. It was still better than not riding.

Road Bike Handlebar FSA RD250 Road Bike Handlebar 318 x 40cm 2014 T6 Price: $22.99

Mighty Bike Accessory Road Tool Mighty Bike Accessory Gift Pack w Road tool Price: $42.99

Road Bike Pod Price: $69.00

Labels: century ride, cycling, UMCA Year Rounder

I now have uploaded the Leadville 100 pictures for Powerline inbound and the finish. You can see the pictures from earlier in the race by going to 2007 Leadville 100 mountain bike picture page.

Related Links: Dave Wiens and Floyd Landis | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB Entrant List | 2006 Leadville 100 Mountain Bike pictures | Views from the Top of Columbine Climb | Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race Lottery

Pearl Izumi Pearl Original Sleeveless Bike Jersey Womens Regular Price: $59.95 $41.97 on sale

Pearl Izumi Pearl Original Jersey Cap Sleeve Womens Regular Price: $69.95 $48.97 on sale

Pearl Izumi Womens Pearl Original Cap Sleeve Jersey Price: $69.99

Labels: Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

I have added pictures from the bottom of the Columbine Climb outbound and inbound. I had already uploaded pictures from the start and from the Powerline outbound.

I still have pictures from the Powerline inbound and the finish to upload. When I get them uploaded there will be a link from the 2007 Leadville 100 mountain bike picture page.

Related Links: Dave Wiens and Floyd Landis | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB Entrant List | 2006 Leadville 100 Mountain Bike pictures | Views from the Top of Columbine Climb | Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race Lottery

CAMELBAK HYDRATION CLEANING KIT Price: $19.99

CamelBak 50 oz Hydration Reservoir Price: $25.00

CamelBak StoAway Hydration Bag Price: $34.95

Labels: Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

I have uploaded pictures of the Leadville 100 Pre-Race and Start and of the Powerline outbound. Since I have so many pictures, I'm breaking them up into the different places I was on the course. I will add more links to the 2007 Leadville 100 mountain bike picture page as I get time.

Sram PC 971 9SP Chain Price: $25.00

Sram PC 991 9SP Chain Price: $32.00

Sram PC 951 9SP Chain Price: $22.00

Labels: Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

It's been a busy week and I haven't had much energy so I haven't written up more about the Leadville 100 yet. My sinuses have been painful for the last couple weeks. Yesterday I commuted by bike and every time I hit a bump I had pain shoot through my teeth. Today I went to the doctor and they did a CT scan. They said they've seen worse but I have a pretty bad sinus infection.

There are a lot of good blog entries, articles and pictures about last weeks Leadville 100 mountain bike race. I'll start with a few of them and keep adding to this post as I find them and have time. Feel free to add more links in the comments or send an e-mail to me and I'll add them to the list.

• Trust But Verify did a good article on Leadville with lots of links


• The Fat Cyclist wrote about his race in 4 parts. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, His Wife's Crewing Experience


• Great article on Mountain Flyer with great pictures of the action above timberline on the Columbine climb


• Heath had a couple posts about his Leadville Race. Post 1, Post 2


• Ed Rowell wrote about his DNF. I had ridden with him before the race to let him pick my brain about the race. He was very disappointed to not finish.


• Ibrahaim Wafula, the one legged Kenyan had chain problems and missed the cut-off at Twin Lakes


• Cycling News Article about Leadville


• Max Taam finished 4th in his first race over 25 miles. He's only 24 so hopefully we'll see more of him.


• The Drunk Cyclist has several Leadville pictures


• Good Article by the Vail Daily


• Glendora Mountain Road has a couple good posts with great pictures - Finish Line Update and Leadville Reflections

Ergon GX 2 Barend Price: $99.99

Ergon Pro Grips Regular Price: $39.99 $29.99 on sale

Ergon GX1 Grips Price: $38.00

Labels: Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

Last Thursday night Lance Armstrong was in town for a fundraiser for Kids on Bikes. Our local paper had an article about his visit. Why did Lance start riding a bike? He said, “I didn’t really learn how to ride it until the girl next door who was the same age as me learned how to ride it. That day, I rode.”

Lance went to high school here in town for a couple years in the late 1980's while he was on the U.S. junior team. I'm only a year older than him and I rode some with the junior team but I think it was probably after Lance was here.

Local sports columnist and fitness trainer, Milo Bryant, wrote that he thinks Lance should save cycling. I always like reading Milo's articles since he isn't afraid to say what he thinks. He also tries getting people to be more active instead of sitting in front of the TV.

The Lance Armstrong Performance Program By Lance Armstrong an Chris Carmichael Regular Price: $15.95 $13.99 on sale

The Lance Armstrong Performance Program Price: $15.99

The Lance Armstrong Performance Plan Price: $15.95

Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, Lance Armstrong, mountain biking

Updated: Wiens won again in 2008 and Lance Armstrong was 2nd

Unofficial 2007 Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Results

Dave Wiens and Floyd Landis Chat Before Their Big Face-Off

The pack rolls out at the 2007 Leadville 100

Dave Wiens Descending Powerline at the Leadville 100

Floyd Landis Descending Powerline at the Leadville 100

Dave Wiens at the Bottom of the Columbine Climb at the Leadville 100

Dave Wiens and Floyd Landis After Columbine Climb at the Leadville 100

Dave Wiens at Water Crossing at Bottom of the Powerline

Landis Thinks He Can Ride the Water Crossing at the Bottom of the Powerline

Landis Finds He Can't Ride the Water Crossing and is a Few Seconds Slower than Wiens

Dave Wiens Wins Leadville 100 in Record Time

Wiens' Time Was 6:58:46. I Was a Few Seconds Slow Taking the Picture

Landis Comes in 2nd at the Leadville 100

Landis' Time Was 7:00:30. I Was a Few Seconds Slow Taking the Picture

Landis Left More Than Just His Energy on the Course

Related Links: 2007 Leadville 100 MTB Pictures

Maxxis Columbiere Road Bike Tires Price: $43.95

Michelin Pro 3 Race Road Bike Tires 700x23mm Price: $56.95

Continental Mountain King Tires Price: $61.95

Labels: Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

The Tour is Won on the Alpe Alpe dHuez and the Classic Battles of the Tour de France Price: $21.95

Le Tour de France 4 Poster Set Price: $69.00

Le Tour de France Going for the Green Poster Price: $19.00

Labels: Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

The plan is for rider standings to be updated during the race. Go to the unofficial results page. You will be able to review results by aid station or a specific racer. The aid stations results will be uploaded in batches and may take a few hours to get updated so don't panic if one of your friends doesn't show up in the results for a while. The finish line results shouldn't take so long to get updated but could still be delayed for a while.

Deuter Rain Covers Rain Cover II Price: $20.00

Deuter Rain Covers Rain Cover III Price: $22.00

Deuter Rain Covers Rain Cover I Price: $18.00

Labels: Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

I drove to Leadville this afternoon and arrived at the 6th Street gym a little before 7. There were still a few people hanging out after the pasta feed but most people had already left. I did see "Piglet" who crewed for me at the Race Across America last year. He's doing the Leadville 100 for the 8th time. I also saw Ed and Tom who are Leadville newbies. Since they live in the Colorado Springs area and had seen some of my post on the LT100 Yahoo group they had wanted to get together and ask questions about the race. Several weeks ago we did an easy spin on the Santa Fe Trail at lunch time.

I spent the evening helping set up and network the computers for the timing people. They hang out in the cramped Lake County Assessors office at the court house. Once everyone's through an aid station the call the results in.

I haven't seen Floyd Landis but was told he is here. The timing people say if Lance is doing the race, it's a well kept secret because they haven't heard that he's here.

Iron Horse Maverick 45 Mountain Bike Regular Price: $749.99 $549.97 on sale

Iron Horse Maverick 15 Mountain Bike Regular Price: $299.99 $199.97 on sale

Iron Horse Warrior 35 Mountain Bike Regular Price: $899.99 $849.99 on sale

Labels: Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, mountain biking

Everyone has their reasons for doing Leadville. They want to be fast. They just want to get an official finish. Some to get a message out. Kenyan Ibrahim Wafula wants to send the message that disabled people can do tough things. He's not just trying to finish in 12 hours to get an official finish. He's trying to finish in under 10 hours. Let's all wish him luck with that.

He has been riding and racing in Kenya with one leg. He recently got a brand new prosthetic leg. The Denver Post did a good article about him and the Leadville 100. Earlier this gwadzilla saw him and took some pictures and wrote about him.

There's another one legged mountain bike racer, Brett Wolfe although I haven't seen anything about him the last couple of years. According at an article I found, he's had a kid and isn't able to race as much. I have 2 and it certainly makes it hard to juggle everything.

In 1999 I was racing the 24 Hours of Moab solo. I passed Brett during one of the night laps just before what we call nose dive hill. The course drops really steep into a rocky gully and then it's steep up the other size. It's something I could ride but I feel the chance of crashing is fairly high during the middle of the night when I'm tired and can't see as well.

I had gotten off and was walking down when Brett came flying down on his bike. He doesn't use a prosthetic and just hops on one leg when he's off the bike. It probably would have been hard to hop down. I was really curious to see how he'd get back up the other side. To get up out of the gully there are a couple rock ledges. I'd through my bike over one shoulder and use my other hand to help pull me up. Brett threw his bike up on the first ledge and then used it to pull himself up. He did the same for the next ledge. I was very impressed.

I did 11 laps. I actually could have gone out for a 12th lap because I finished my 11th lap just before noon. I couldn't see how doing another lap would change my placing so I just waited a couple minutes to roll across the line right at noon. I finished 9th. Brett did 10 laps a and finished 14th out of 23 racers in the solo category. Very impressive!

Ergon Enduro Grips Price: $31.99

Ergon GE1 L Enduro Grips Regular Price: $40.00 $29.98 on sale

Ergon GX 2 Barend Price: $99.99

Labels: cycling, Leadville 100, mountain biking

It would be impossible to describe my current job situation better than this Dilbert cartoon. I'm not sure how but it has to change soon. My health and my family are too important to let it continue. If you wonder what I do for work, you can look at my LinkedIn profile.

Trigger Point Massage Ball Price: $24.99

Trigger Point Total Massage Package Price: $129.99

Nalgene Bottle Kit Heat Stress Regular Price: $17.99 $15.99 on sale

Labels: job, miscellaneous, stress

Update: he didn't race in 2007 but Lance Armstrong has entered for 2008.

A few weeks ago I posted the reasons it seemed that Lance Armstrong was still going to race the Leadville 100 this year. A Bicycling article the next day basically confirmed it. Since then a post on the LT100Bike group said that someone that had ridden with Lance at RAGBRAI had asked him about the Leadville 100. According to the poster, Lance said he wasn't doing this year but he wants to race and win it next year.

Someone also posted a link to a VeloNews article. In it Mark Higgins, Armstrong's spokesperson, was quoted saying that Lance still has a scheduling conflict and won't be doing it this year. Joe Polk also posted today on MTBCast that he had talked to Ken Clouber this morning and Ken hasn't heard anything from Lance. Ken did confirm that he has Floyd Landis's race application

With him being here in town Thursday night, it really seemed like he was planning on racing. We're only a 2 1/2 hour drive away. It's possible he just doesn't want people to know he'll be there. That seems unlikely since there was a lot of publicity about him doing RAGBRAI and the New York Marathon. Ken should also have heard from him.

Related Links: Floyd Landis Sightings | Leadville 100 Mountain Bike 2006 pictures | Views from the Top of Columbine Climb | Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race Lottery | Leadville 100 MTB Entrant List

The Lance Armstrong Performance Program By Lance Armstrong an Chris Carmichael Regular Price: $15.95 $13.99 on sale

The Lance Armstrong Performance Program Price: $15.99

The Lance Armstrong Performance Plan Price: $15.95

Labels: cycling, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

I've been hearing rumors that Floyd Landis has been in Vail training for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race this weekend. Biking Bis reported that Landis rode the Copper Triangle on Saturday. It's a 78 mile road ride that goes over 3 passes and goes through both Vail and Leadville. Howard and the group he was with got pictures with him.

Someone posted to the LT100Bike group this morning that they had seen Landis yesterday above timberline on the Columbine climb. It seems like he's taking Leadville seriously. He'll need to have gotten a lot faster since Vail Teva Mountain games if he wants win. Dave Wiens was fast in May for the Kokopelli Trail Race and then endurance mountain bike specialist Nat Ross is also on the Leadville entrant list.

With Landis being at the Leadville 100, my friend says he's going to dress up like the devil at the Tour de France complete with a pitch fork. He'll be on some of the climbs and run along racers. He thinks I should dress like a chicken. I haven't found a chicken outfit though. Maybe it's because I haven't looked.

Chicken outfit or not, my current plan is to go up and spectate. The last 6 years I've either raced or crewed so it would be fun to be able to get around on the course and see more of the race. I haven't been up to Leadville yet this year and we own an old mining claim a few miles out of town that I should check on.

Related Links: Leadville 100 Mountain Bike 2006 pi