Changing Aspen Leaves

A couple weeks ago my friend Rich called to see if I wanted to ride from Florence up Hardscrabble Pass and over to Bishop's Castle. Of course I wanted to. I knew I wasn't in shape to do it but that didn't matter.

I've ridden Hardscrabble Pass a few times. It's a tough climb. I rode it as part of long rides when I was training for the 508 and RAAM. Those times I rode from my house instead of driving the 45 miles to Florence.

Rich choose last Sunday for the ride in hopes that the aspen leaves would be changed. The aspen seem a little slow changing this year. This coming weekend will probably better for the aspen but they were still pretty last weekend.

The ride from Florence to Wetmore is a deceptive climb. Although it doesn't look like you're climbing much, it climbs 1,100 feet in about 10.5 miles. After Wetmore the climbing begins in earnest and lasts for about 7 miles and 1,800 vertical to McKenzie Junction. The top of the pass is a couple miles farther but only climbs gradually.

Rich is a small guy and always seems fit whether he's been riding much. He goes up hills with ease and is surprisingly fast for his size on the flats and downhills. His friend Lori also came along and she went up hill very well too.

Even if I had been feeling good, I would have been suffering up the climb but a cold a couple weeks before had turned into a nasty sinus infection. The doctor has me on strong antibiotics for 21 days. Between the infection and the antibiotics messing up my stomach, I've been really dragging. Last winter sinus rinses worked well to prevent sinus infections. This time I was already having trouble from all the pollen and dust from some remodeling. The cold on top of that was too much.

By the time I got to McKenzie Junction I was feeling pretty wiped out. If I had some flats to spin on, I might have recovered. Instead the climbing continues after turning left toward Bishop's Castle.

Rich and Lori said they were also getting tired. They were probably just tired of waiting for me. We turned around a few miles after the turn after we had ridden 23 miles and climbed 3500 feet. Then it was a fun downhill back to the car.

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Technorati Tags: colorado | cycling

Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong Leadville Videos

August 9th, 2008, Lance Armstrong competed in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. Even most non-cyclists know who Lance is. Five time defending Leadville 100 champ, Dave Wiens, is less well known.

Even though Dave Wiens is less well known than Lance, he had a very successful mountain bike career. He won 2 World Cup races and numerous NORBA races. Dave was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2000.

During the early 90s, I saw Dave at many races in Colorado. Before mountain biking grew in popularity, often the Pros and Experts would start together and I'd be close to him on the start line.

Dave's wife, Susan DeMattei, was also a top pro mountain biker. In 1996 she won a bronze medal at the Olympics in Atlanta. In 1994 she won the silver medal at Worlds. She was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997.

Here are several videos of what became a race between Dave Wiens and Lance. Course conditions were great from rain leading up to the race. With the good course conditions and by working together they shattered the course record Wiens set in 2007 when Floyd Landis raced.

Note: I've had trouble with YouTube video stopping after 2 seconds with FireFox. Upgrading to Flash 10 beta seems to have fixed it.


Lance Armstrong and David Wiens talking at the pre-race meeting.


Closer view of Lance Armstrong at the pre-race meeting.


Closer view of Dave Wiens at the pre-race meeting.


Great summary video of the 2008 Leadville 100.


Another good summary video that shows some different spots.


Good video of that start that shows just how many racers there are. The race is so popular that there's a lottery to do it.


Another video of the start.


Lead riders go through the Pipeline aid station outbound.


Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong hike-a-bike up the "North Face".


Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong come into the Pipeline aid station on the way back.


Dave Wiens wins his 6th Leadville 100 with a new record of 6:45:45!


Lance finishes the 2008 Leadville 100 almost 2 minutes behind Dave Wiens.


Lance after he finished. It looks like he's in the medical tent and shows his bloody elbow from his crash.


Lance calls Dave Wiens a stud at the awards ceremony and also mentions he may race Leadville again in 2009.


Lance gives a few thoughts on the race.


This video isn't of Dave Wiens or Lance Armstrong but shows more of the course from a flip video camera on one of the racers.

Related Links: Lance Armstrong Pre-Leadville Videos | Leadville 100 MTB FAQ

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Dave Wiens | Lance Armstrong | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

Dave Wiens Wins 6th Leadville 100, Lance Armstrong 2nd

Update: Watch videos of Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong at the 2008 Leadville 100 | Complete unofficial 2008 Leadville 100 mountain bike results


Dave Wiens won the Leadville 100 mountain bike race yesterday. Lance Armstrong hung with him until about 10 miles to go.

Even though I'm 35 lbs over my race weight and only started training 6 weeks ago, I managed to finish in 11:21. That's over 3 hours longer than my best time.

It was a long, painful day for me. It certainly wasn't fitness that got me through the race. I just kept crawling along and probably was stopped less than 5 minutes the whole race.

Usually aid station splits are updated during the race and finish times posted and racers finish. They don't seem to be posted this year except for unofficial results for the top 24.

1 Dave Wiens 6:45:45
2 Lance Armstrong 6:47:41
3 Manuel Prado 7:20:52 
4 Ethan Passant 7:27:54
5 Jonathan Scholnick 7:30:16
6 Max Taam 7:32:26
7 Nate Whitman 7:39:14
8 Jim Lehman 7:39:35
9 Kevin Andrews 7:42:18  
10 Kimo Seymour 7:43:31
11 Jake Rubelt 7:44:31
12 Chuck Gibson 7:44:31
13 Dax Massey 7:45:54
14 Garth Prosser 7:48:52
15 Jim Silverman 7:49:21
16 Ted MacBlane 7:49:37
17 Joel Mischke 7:51:27
18 Kent McNeill 7:56:17
19 Keith Collins 7:56:18
20 Bill MacFarlane 7:57:02
21 Yuki Saito 7:58:10
22 Paul Gorbold 7:59:03
23 Jeff Wardell 7:59:51
24 Ryan Hamilton 8:00:31

Related Links: Leadville 100 MTB FAQ | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | 2006 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | Views from the Top of the Columbine Climb

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Dave Wiens | Lance Armstrong | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

Only a Few Hours Until the Leadville 100

The Leadville 100 starts in the morning. I'm about to find out if I can finish when I'm 35 lbs over my race and only trained for 6 weeks. I'm still giving myself a 50/50 chance of finishing.

Both Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong talked a bit at the racer meeting today. Dave talked about how he's been coming to Leadville since he was young. One of his first races was the Mosquito Pass race here.

Lance downplayed how well he'll do. He said he'll be happy to be within an hour of Dave. Somehow I don't believe that. He did say he'll be showered and had meal by the time Chris Carmichael finishes. He rode the Columbine climb last week and said it was really tough.

One of the Trek guys had Lance's bike out near the start. It is one sweet bike. Of course it's more the engine than the bike.

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Dave Wiens | Lance Armstrong | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

Lance Armstrong Pre-Leadville 100 Videos

Here are a couple videos of Lance Armstrong when he was at Leadville last week pre-riding part of the Leadville 100 course. When I got some parts at Colorado Cyclist on Saturday, I talked to a guy whose roommate had gone up with the Carmichael Training Sytems group to ride with Lance. He said Lance was looking fit.

The 2nd video is of Lance and a couple other guys starting up the Columbine Climb. I recognize the spot at the end where the dog is barking and it isn't very far up. At that point you're close to the lowest point on the course around 9,000 feet and from there you climb to the high point at 12,600 feet.

Update: Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens race videos





Related Links: Race Videos of Dave Wiens and Lance | Will Lance Show at the 2008 Leadville 100? | Leadville 100 MTB FAQ | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | 2006 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | Views from the Top of the Columbine Climb

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Lance Armstrong | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

New Tires for Leadville 100 MTB

Since I haven't been racing, I've just been riding with worn out tires on my mountain bike. Actually they're more than worn out. They're really worn out. I've had a couple times when the front tire started sliding out when I wasn't cornering very hard.

With the Leadville 100 this weekend, it was time for some new rubber. I put a brand new Hutchinson Python tire on the rear. I had a new Gold Elite one lying around but I don't think they're available anymore. I also replaced the very worn front IRC Mythos tire with a new one.

This is the tire combination I've used on my previous 4 Leadville 100 finishes including the year I finished 17th in 8:18. I've been very happy with the setup. I figure it's best not to change it now.

The Python has low rolling resistance and works well on the hard packed jeep roads. Some guys also run the Python on the front. I like the little more traction that the Mythos gives me and it seems to also roll well.

I've always liked to wear down the Mythos a little since the knobs were a little taller than needed for Leadville. When I put the slightly worn one on Sunday, I discovered it had dry rot. The new one has slightly different tread pattern and the knobs aren't quite as tall. I think it'll be at least as good as the old one.

Related Links: Will Lance Show at the 2008 Leadville 100? | Leadville 100 MTB FAQ | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | 2006 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | Views from the Top of the Columbine Climb

Hutchinson Python NG Airlight Tire 26 x 20 Regular Price: $50.00 $45.00 on sale

Hutchinson Python UST Tubeless Tire Regular Price: $60.00 $29.98 on sale

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

No Leadville 100 MTB Course Change

There's been talk on the Yahoo Leadville 100 MTB group about a possible course change for the race this year. The BLM has closed what race veterans know as the North Face to vehicles and there was talk that we might not be racing on it this year. I certainly wouldn't be sad to see it go.

Racers that aren't good bike handlers haven't liked it outbound. That hasn't bothered me. I've just hated walking up it on the way back. Normally the sun is beating down and there's no shade.

When I rode it last week, it didn't say anything about no bikes. Although boulders have been used to block it, there's plenty of room to ride between them. Unfortunately a few jeeps have driven through the sage brush to go around them.

Fourteen time finisher, Ricky, talked to race organizer, Ken Clouber, on Friday about the North Face. He said we will be racing on it this year but it will be the last time.

The BLM has also cut in some water bars on the steepest section. This combined with vehicles not keeping it packed has left it very loose. I was able to ride it but it wasn't easy. I would suggest anybody not comfortable with it to get off and walk down. Just stay off to the side if you walk so you aren't in the way of those riding it.

Mark Wallace was also riding the course last weekend. He shared GPS of the current North Face and a possible alternate route. Ken also mentioned something about working with IMBA to put in a singletrack. I don't know if that will happen since it would only be used for the race.

Related Links: Will Lance Show at the 2008 Leadville 100? | Leadville 100 MTB FAQ | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | 2006 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | Views from the Top of the Columbine Climb

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

Will Lance Armstrong Show at the Leadville 100?

Update: Lance finished 2nd in the 2008 Leadville 100. See videos of Lance and Dave Wiens at the Leadville 100.

In January Lance Armstrong did the Miles of Discomfort mountain bike race. He dropped out from cramps 43 miles into the 52 mile race. The word was that he was training for the the Leadville 100.

In March Biking Bis reported that Chris Carmichael, Lance's long time coach, said Lance was planning to do the Leadville 100. Since then I haven't been able to find anything about Lance doing the Leadville 100 until today.

Today Ken Chlouber announced that Lance has entered the Leadville 100. Early last year, it appeared there would be a battle between Lance and Floyd Landis. Soon after Landis announced he'd be racing, Lance said he had a scheduling conflict. In July Lance rode part of the course and it seemed he would be racing. In the end Lance didn't show but Landis did race and finished 2nd to Dave Wiens.

Ricky, one of the very few that have finished every Leadville 100 MTB race, has posted on the Leadville 100 Yahoo group that Ken had also told him about Lance racing. Lance told Ken he wasn't in that good of shape but thought he could still finish in the top 10. Of course he'll have to actually show up.

I doubt we'll see a race between Lance and Landis this year. Although Landis was going to be racing the National Ultra-Endurance Series this year, he hasn't done any of them since CAS ruled against him in his 2006 Tour de France doping case.

Related Links: Leadville 100 MTB FAQ | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | 2006 Leadville 100 MTB pictures | Views from the Top of the Columbine Climb

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | Floyd Landis |Lance Armstrong | Leadville 100 | mountain biking

116 Miles Instead of Silver Rush 50

Over the last couple weeks, I debated whether I should go do the Silver Rush 50. It would have been just for training because I'm still in no shape to be competitive. The best way to push hard is to do a race. I can go harder in a group than by myself and I can go even harder in a race.

I ended up deciding not to do it. One of the reasons was that I wasn't sure I'd feel like riding on Sunday and wanted to get 2 days of training in. Other reasons were the cost and time driving.

Instead I decided to ride up to Denver on Saturday to see my brother-in-law that is in the hospital with lung cancer (More about him here). It was a hot day but the ride was pleasant on 105 to Sedalia. From there I took 85/Santa Fe to less than a mile from the hospital. Once I got past C-470 to where there was lots of asphalt and concrete, the heat became almost unbearable. The sun was beating down and the temperature on my computer was reading 102 degrees.

My wife and kids had driven to the hospital. We stayed for a couple hours before heading home. Since it was about 10 miles farther to the hospital than I had guessed, I was going to run out of daylight on the way home. I had my wife take me back 18 miles to Sedalia. That way I also avoided the least pleasant part of the ride.

Some clouds had built up by the time I started riding again and I got a couple drops of rain. The good part was that it was cooler. The bad part was that I had a strong headwind.

Just a couple miles south of Sedalia I was surprised to see a herd of over 30 elk. They were running through a field as thought they had been spooked by something. The herd was made up of females and young.

The Saturday before, I had gone up to the hospital with my wife and then just rode home from Sedalia. Even after already riding nearly 70 miles, I felt better this time. I was also slightly faster even with a stronger headwind.

The ride was 116 miles with 4403 feet of climbing in 8:02. Average speed was 14.5 mph. I'm guessing the extra headwind on the way back balanced out descending slightly more than climbing.

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Technorati Tags: Colorado | cycling | mountain biking

Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 4 Photo Dump

The 4th and last day of our camping trip near Lake City, CO didn't involve any mountain biking or hiking. My brother rented a jeep and wanted to 4-wheel the Alpine Loop which goes over Cinnamon Pass, through Animas Fork and back over Engineer Pass. We also drove into Silverton. The first day when I rode Cinnamon Pass, I would have done the Alpine Loop if I had been fit enough.

Lake San Cristobal, Lake City, CO

American Basin

Cinnamon Pass

Cinnamon Pass


Valley Near Animas Forks, CO

Animas Forks, CO

Animas Forks, CO

Animas Forks, CO

Duncan House at Animas Forks, CO

Duncan House at Animas Forks, CO

Blue Columbine



Train in Silverton, CO

Train in Silverton, CO

Train in Silverton, CO



Engineer Pass

Engineer Pass

View from Engineer Pass

Engineer Pass

Cabin on Engineer Pass

Cabin on Engineer Pass



Whitmore Falls Near Lake City, CO

Whitmore Falls Near Lake City, CO

Whitmore Falls Near Lake City, CO


Related Links: Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 1 | Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 2 | Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 3

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Technorati Tags: Colorado

Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 3 Photo Dump

I didn't spend as much time on my bike on our 3rd day camping near Lake City. I only got about an hour spin. We also did about a 4 mile hike to Thompson Lake. I had my 3 year old in the backpack so I got a good workout.

My brother that is 6 years older than me was the one that got me into backpacking and mountaineering when I was a teenager. He now lives in Ohio. He and his family arrived in Lake City late the night before. His family and my parents came out to where my sister's and my families were camped for dinner and a marshmallow roast.



















Related Links: Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 1 | Camping Trip Near Lake City, CO Day 2

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TENT KANDERSTEG I FAMILY DOME