UltraRob's Adventures

Last night was the showing of the Race Across the Sky which is about the 2009 Leadville 100 mountain bike race. The movie was sold out in many locations across the country. It was planned as a one night showing but because of it's popularity, there is going to be an encore on November 12th, 2009.

There were 1400 racers entered in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race with some racers taking over 12 hours to finish. That makes for lots of interesting stories to be condensed down to about an hour and a half. Not surprisingly the focus of the movie was on Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens and a few of the other top racers.

In typical Dave Wiens style, he thanked the volunteers at the top of the Columbine Climb as he went by. It was entertaining to watch Lance Armstrong trying to fix his flat late in the race. In the short panel discussion shown before and after the race, he admits he can't fix a flat to save his life. At the finish line, Dave Wiens said, "Last year Lance was just off the couch, this year he was just off the Tour de France."

Although the movie focused on the leaders, there were shots of average riders throughout the movie. Riders farther back were shown suffering as they pushed their bikes up the Columbine climb. There was an emotional scene as riders that were too slow missed the time cut-off at the Twin Lakes aid station and were forced to stop racing.

The emotional and inspirational story of Roxanne Hall was highlighted. Last year she was hit by a car while training for the Leadville 100. Her back was broken in several places and she had many other life threatening injuries. Not only did she fight back from her injuries but she raced this year.

Grace Ragland chatted briefly as she hike-a-biked up the Columbine Climb. She was diagnosed with MS 20 years ago if I remember correctly.

I saw about a a dozen racers that I know. One was Ricky McDonald. He's one of a handful of racers that have finished the Leadville 100 MTB all 16 years. We used to race shorter NORBA races together back in the '90s. He's still riding the same bike and riding in his Team Huffy Fred shirt.

Overall I thought the movie was great. It gives family and friends a glimpse into our experience that we have when we race it. Sure it doesn't give the full feeling of being there racing or crewing but it would be impossible to portray it all in a movie.

There were some complaints about the video and audio quality and the soundtrack on the Yahoo Leadville 100 list. I thought the video was plenty good although there were some water drops on the lens a couple times and occasional video shaking on the rough roads. I'm not a good judge of music. It would have to be really terrible for it to bother me. There were also some complaints about focusing too much on the leaders.

Maybe I'm not enough of a movie critic, but I enjoyed the Race Across the Sky for what it was. My biggest complaint would be that it doesn't show how steep and tough the climbs are. I was with a group of 16 people and I only heard talk about it being great and no complaints.

Don't Go to the Encore If ...

• You're looking for a compelling story line
• You don't want the movie to be about Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens
• You don't like to hear Bob Roll's wild descriptive phrases
• You want it to be about your Leadville 100 experience
• You expect Hollywood quality filming

If none of the above apply and you missed the movie last night, you should go see it on November 12th. Locations aren't listed yet but check the Race Across the Sky encore info page soon for details.

- UltraRob

Related Links

• Leadville 100 Mountain Bike FAQ
• 2009 Leadville 100 Photos
• Full 2009 Leadville 100 Results

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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

Update 9/25/09: Leadville 100 mountain bike movie tickets are now on sale

Last week Citizen Pictures posted the trailer for the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike movie they're producing. It shows some of the awesome views you get during the race. Not that I notice much during the race but I know them well from training rides. Since they had a helicopter, they show a great bird's eye view of the Columbine Climb.

The movie is to be in theaters next month. I haven't found any info yet on when and where. I certainly hope it'll be here but I'd drive to Denver to see it. I talked to them briefly the day before the race but didn't get any more info than to keep checking the website.

I'll post more info once I get it.

- UltraRob

Related Links

• Leadville 100 Mountain Bike FAQ
• 2009 Leadville 100 Photos
• Full 2009 Leadville 100 Results

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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

The Leadville 100 mountain bike is a special race. Six of the last 8 years I’ve lined up early on a Saturday morning in August with hundreds of other mountain bikers. The 2 years I didn’t race myself, I was there to crew and spectate.

I finished the last 5 times I raced the Leadville 100. Some years I was fast and other years I was slow. This year I was in no shape to be fast but I thought I still had a good chance at finishing. Instead of finishing this year, I was sick from a stomach bug or something I ate the day before and dropped out after only 16 miles.

While I was having my issues near the back of the race, the lead group of riders was flying toward the Columbine Climb. It’s the longest climb of the race and tops out in thin air at 12,600 feet. Lance, taking a page out of his road racing, brought 4 late entries to help pace him to the bottom.

By the start of the climb only one rider was left with Lance. Six time winner Dave Wiens was just behind since he had made a quick stop at the Twin Lakes aid station which is just before the Columbine Climb. Lance was concerned about riding alone the rest of the way but was cold from the freezing rain so he went hard to warm up.

I arrived at the bottom of Columbine in plenty of time to see Lance come flying down. It was nearly 10 minutes before Wiens was down and another 7 minutes for 3rd place.

Next spot for spectating was the bottom of Powerline. Although the Powerline climb isn’t as long as Columbine, the very bottom is very steep and comes about mile 80 so it really hurts.

Between Lance being so fast and all the cars getting to the Powerline, I was still down close to the road and hadn’t gotten up to the steep part when he came through. It was amazing seeing a few hundred people lined up on the Powerline to see Lance. He said in some ways it was like the climbs in the Tour.

I was told, not surprisingly, that Lance rode up the steep part. I was on the steep part when Dave Wiens came through and he walked part of it. Very few people ride all of it and most that do don’t go any faster than those that are walking.

Rather than go from the Powerline to the finish line, I stopped just outside of town where the Boulevard comes out to the pavement. I knew there was a big crowd at the finish line and I’d probably not get any where close.

From the Powerline to the finish, Lance kept extending his lead. He got a leak in his rear tire a few miles out. He put air in it but it went flat again. He said he’s terrible at changing tires so he just kept riding.

Lance won in 6:28:50. This smashed the record of 6:45:45 that Dave Wiens set last year. Wiens came in for 2nd place with a time of 6:57:02

Wiens didn't win but he said, "He’s Lance Armstrong. And he’s just off of the Tour," Wiens said after the race. "Last year he was just off of the couch. That made it a pretty fair fight for he and I. This year I rode fantastic today. I’m happy."

Lance said at the awards ceremony that he loves the race and plans to be back next year. I also plan to be next year and to finish for my 6th time.

I have some Leadville 100 photos uploaded. Superhuman magazine has once again created a great Leadville 100 video.

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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

With Lance Armstrong fresh off his 3rd place at the Tour de France, lots of people think he'll win easily over Dave Wiens at this year's Leadville 100. I agree Lance seems in much better shape than last year. It also seems that finishing 2nd last year got under his skin so he's motivated.

Dave Wiens has won the Leadville 100 six years in a row and holds the course record. He knows better than anyone how to race the Leadville 100. He has also been training hard this summer. I put together a fun list for MTBR of the top 10 reasons Dave Wiens will beat Lance Armstrong this Saturday.

10.) Twin Lakes is going to have its annual Coloradoans vs Texans tomato war a couple weeks early. It won’t go well for Lance.

9.) Dave won’t crash in the creek crossing at the bottom of Powerline like Lance did in a Winter Park race in 1999.

8.) Dave is from Colorado and not a transplant from Texas

7.) Dave has figured out how to use the electricity on Powerline to climb faster.

6.) The Tour de France wasn’t a good way to train for the Leadville 100

Go see the article on MTBR to see the rest of the top 10 reasons Dave Wiens will beat Lance Armstrong in the 2009 Leadville 100.

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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100

This Saturday morning well over a 1,000 mountain bikers will line up on 6th street in Leadville. It will still be dark and very chilly when they show up to secure their starting position for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race.

Many of the racers will be attempting to finish in under 9 hours to receive the coveted "big buckle". Many more will be there just hoping to finish under the 12 hour cut-off. At the front will be a handful attempting to beat 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Dave Wiens, 6 time Leadville 100 winner, has the best shot at beating Lance Armstrong. He accomplished it last year by just under 2 minutes. This year though Lance has been back racing in the Pro road peloton so I expect Wiens will have to ride faster to keep his winning streak alive. Tinker Juarez should also do well.

So with all the buzz from Lance racing the Leadville 100 for the 2nd time, you might be wondering how you can watch the Leadville 100. I don't know of any race day TV coverage although Citizen Pictures is planning a television show.

There will be a live webcast with 4 segments throughout the day. It will cost $5.95 for all 4 shows.

If you live close enough, you can view some great mountain bike racing and Colorado scenery. There are 3 good spots for watching the race. They are the Start/Finish, bottom of Powerline and on County Road 10. Another great place to watch would be at timberline on the Columbine Climb but the road is closed on race day since it's the course.

I have a Leadville 100 course map that'll give you an overview of the course. There are camera icons on it. Clicking on the icons will pop up a photo of that part of the course. It's a live Google Map so you can zoom in and pan around.

Start/Finish

The Leadville 100 starts at the corner of 6th Street and Harrison Avenue. Harrison is also Highway 24 and the main route through Leadville. Harrison is closed the morning of the race. Near race time it's hard to find parking within a few blocks.

The race starts at 6:30 AM. It's interesting to hang out and see everyone getting ready. A little before the start, I recommend walking about 5 blocks down 6th Street so you're up on a little hill and can see the racers stretched out for blocks when the start.

If Lance breaks 6 hours like he thinks is possible, he'll be back to the finish a little before 12:30. I doubt it'll be much before 1:00 but you never know. The largest number of finishers will probably be coming in around 4-5 PM. The last riders will be rolling across the line as late as 7:30 PM.

Here are slideshows of Leadville 100 pre-race and start and finish in 2008.

Bottom of Powerline

Directions and Larger Maps

The bottom of Powerline is a flying descent on the way out and a brutal climb headed back toward the finish. There's also a small creek crossing at the bottom that can be an entertaining spot to watch.

The Google Map above marks the dirt road that cuts back to the Powerline. The big cut running straight up the mountain is the Powerline. The paved road past the dirt road to the Powerline is closed race day because it's part of the course. Park along the road before that and walk in. Pay attention and stay out of the way of the racers.

The lead riders should be coming down Powerline just before 8 AM and be heading back up around 11:15. The last riders inbound will be a little after 3:30 PM.

Here are slideshows of racers coming down Powerline and of them heading up Powerline.

County Road 10

Directions and Larger Map

County Road 10 is about 8 miles south of Leadville on US 24. It's then almost 2 miles to the intersection of County Road 24A. This is where the racers will be coming off the new singletrack and onto the road.

I expect the lead riders will be through around 8:30 AM outbound and coming back around 10:45. Likely there will be a few racers still headed outbound when the leaders return. The last riders will be back through around 3:00 PM.

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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

In an interview on VeloNews, Lance Armstrong says he is bringing Levi Leipheimer to the Leadville 100 in August. He says the Tour de France and his other races are just a build up to Leadville. He says "seriously" and then he gives a big smile. This years race is August 15th.

He thinks with a strong group of racers they can bring the record down close to 6 hours. Dave Wiens set the record last year at 6:45 with Lance at 6:47. In 2007 Wiens set the old record of 6:58 with Floyd Landis pushing him. My personal record is 8:18.

Dave Wiens has won the last 6 years. He's a Colorado native and is a huge favorite of the racers and fans. I'm sure he'll come in top form and I hope he makes it win #7.

I'm sure I'll just get glimpse of the top riders on their way down as I start my crawl up the Columbine Climb. I'll be going to my 6th Leadville finish.

Related Links: Leadville 100 FAQ | Preliminary 2009 Leadville 100 Entrants | 2008 Wiens and Lance Leadville 100 Videos | 2007 Leadville 100 Photos

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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100

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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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

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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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

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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Labels: Colorado, Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

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

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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

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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.

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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

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Labels: Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Leadville 100, 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

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

Update: Lance didn't race in 2007 but did in 2008. See videos of Lance and Dave Wiens.

There's no official word yet but everything points to Lance Armstrong racing the Leadville 100 mountain bike race on August 11th. In December he said he had a scheduling conflict and bailed on doing the race.

In April my doctor told me that a Leadville local had told him that Lance was doing the race on a new Trek bike. A little over a week ago he rode 45 miles of the Leadville 100 course with Chris Carmichael. From what I can tell, they started in Leadville and rode to the bottom of the Powerline or a little farther and then rode back.

Today someone posted to the Leadville 100 Yahoo group, that Lance was going to be here in Colorado Springs 2 days before the race for a charity event. I tracked down that he'll doing a fundraiser for Kids on Bikes at the Broadmoor Hotel the evening of August 9th after doing 2 kid's bike rides in the afternoon. The timing of the fundraiser here is perfect for him to be in Leadville for the race. We're less than a 3 hour drive away from Leadville.

Floyd Landis still says he's still racing the Leadville 100. Unless he's in a lot better shape than he was at the Vail Teva Mountain games he won't be a threat to Lance for the win. I have my doubts that Lance is in the kind of shape either to win over Dave Wiens but it seems we have a good chance at finding out.

Update: A Bicycling article says Lance is doing Leadville.

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

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Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, Dave Wiens, Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

Picture posted by ssperl on Mtbr.com

The Kokopelli Trail Race sort of happend last weekend. The BLM had e-mailed Mike Curiak and then Adam Lisonbee saying that a permit was needed even though there was no registration. They contact Adam because he proposed the date on Mtbr.com. The BLM showed up at 11 o'clock Friday night and after a lot of discussion fined Adam $275 for not having a permit. About 50 other riders had shown up and pitched in to cover the fine.

As the discussions were taking place some of the riders started out. Since it's pretty much self timed and not really organized, it shouldn't have affected the finish. Dave Wiens hammered the 142 miles in 12 hours and 45 minutes. There are several great pictures posted of the Kokopelli trail posted at Mtbr.com. The Denver Post also did an article on the race. The Kokopelli Trail Race is something I'm interested in doing so I'll have to see how the permit issue shakes out.

The pictures have me all excited for my ride of the Kokopelli Trail over 3 days starting tomorrow. I'm also nervous since I really haven't done any serious mountain biking in the last year. In fact I just took of my rigid fork this week that I had put on before Race Across America last year since I had my mountain bike in case I needed lower gearing on the climbs or something happened to my 2 road bikes.

Labels: Dave Wiens, Kokopelli Trail Race, mountain biking

After Lance Armstrong ran the New York Marathon, he made mentioned being interested in doing the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race. There was some speculation on the LT100Bike Yahoo group but I don't think very many thought he was serious. Bicycling has posted an article based on a question and answer session last week at the opening of his new Lance Armstrong 24 Hours Of Fitness in Austin, TX. It says that he has a bet with Chris Carmichael about doing it. There's also an article on the Carmichael Training Systems website.

Before he can do the the Leadville 100, he'll have to make the lottery. I doubt Ken and Merilee will just let him in for being a celebrity although they certainly give preferential treatment to volunteers and some others in the lottery. If he keeps talking about doing it, I'll guess a lot more people will enter the lottery which will mean a reduced chance of getting in. If he really wants a challenge he should try the Durango 100 or Montezuma's Revenge.

My first job out of college, I worked with a girl that thought Lance was the greatest. That was before he had cancer and I always told her how arrogant he was and I didn't care that he could ride fast. She was dating Carmichael and probably could have figured out a way for me to meet him. She was to one of his birthday parties. Now she and Carmichael are married.

The only time I was close enough to talk to him I nearly made a complete fool of myself. It was in 1999 and I was finishing warming up for the Tipperary Creek MTB race near Winter Park. There was this guy in full Postal kit riding slow near the start finish area and messing with his shoes. He was in my way and wasn't exactly riding a straight line. I just about said, "Why don't you poser stay out of the way while you adjust your shoes." Instead I just rode around him. Just after that I realized he was the real Lance.

There's a pretty good creek crossing that is barely rideable when the water isn't too high. That year the water was high. I think even if the creek bed had been smooth the current would have pushed anybody over that tried riding. My wife was standing there when Lance came through and he tried riding it. His bike got swept out from under him and he and the bike started going downstream. My wife had a camera but she wasn't fast enough to get a picture. I was very disappointed that she didn't. If I recall correctly, he finished 2nd in that race. I know he didn't win.

He was training for the Mercury Tour the following weekend near Steamboat Springs. I've ridden the trails where the race was held. They are single track and a bit rocky but not what I'd call really technical. He crashed a couple times and dropped out. I think Dave Weins could beat him unless he's mountain bike skills have improved and is really focused on training for it. A long mountain bike is really different than staying at a moderate intensity for most of a Tour stage and then going all out for the last 20 minutes for a mountain top finish. To do well in a mountain bike race you don't have to have quite as much top end but you need to be able to sustain a really hard pace to the entire time.

Update: Lance wimped out of racing the Leadville 100.
See all my posts on the Leadville 100.

Labels: Dave Wiens, Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking