UltraRob's Adventures

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 for the 2008 Leadville 100

Before the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, there was some buzz about Lance Armstrong's sweet bike after VeloNews had a short article on it. It's full suspension and was under 22 pounds without bottle cages, computer and seat pack. Even with those is was still under 23 pounds.

I got a close look at it the afternoon before the race. The engine is more important but I sure wouldn't complain if I had his bike. Here are the specs for Lance's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 for the 2008 Leadville 100 according to Ben Coates post on the Trek blog and the info he provided to VeloNews.

• 19.5 inch Trek Top Fuel 9.8 frame with long seat cap
• SID World Cup fork w/handlebar lockout
• DT Swiss rear shock w/handlebar lockout
• Avid Juicy Ultimates with 140mm rear Stan’s rotor
• Bontrager Race X Lite wheels
• Bontrager Jones XR Team Issue Tubeless Ready Tires
• Bontrager XXX Lite Riser Bar
• 120 mm Bontrager X Lite Stem
• Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon Bottle Cage
• Shimano XTR Cranks
• Shimano XTR Derailleur (rapid rise on rear)
• Shimano XTR Cassette
• Shimano XTR Shifters
• Shimano XTR Chain
• Shimano XTR Pedals (VeloNews listed Crankbrothers 4 Ti Candy pedals)
• Nokon cable housing
• Bontrager Race Lite lock on grips
• Bontrager Inform saddle

For those of you that want to drool a bit more, here are some closer pictures of the components.

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Drive Train and Rear Shock

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Handlebar

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Fork and Front Tire

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Front Disc Rotor


Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Saddle

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Crankset and Rear Shock

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Cassette and Rear Derailleur

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Rear Tire

Lance Armstrong's Trek Top Fuel 9.8 Suspension Linkage

Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop Sticker


Related Links: Lance Armstrong and Dave Wiens Leadville Videos | Leadville 100 MTB FAQ | 2007 Leadville 100 MTB pictures

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Labels: Lance Armstrong, Leadville 100, mountain biking

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

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

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

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

Hutchinson Python 29Er Tire Price: $56.99

Labels: Colorado, Leadville 100, mountain biking

As part of my preparations for the Leadville 100 this coming weekend, I kept my bike washers busy today. They got my bike all shiny and clean, at least as well as you can get a well used 9 year old bike.

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Labels: Leadville 100, mountain biking

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

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

Hutchinson Python 29Er Tire Price: $56.99

Labels: Colorado, Leadville 100, mountain biking

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

I've worn glasses or contacts since I was in 4th grade. Without them I can't even make out objects half-way across the room. I've had my eyes test many times by the eye doctor. Sometimes mountain biking is like going to the eye doctor.

When you go to the eye doctor, they ask you if you can see better with #1 or #2 as they flip lenses back and forth. There are times when mountain biking also offers choices. Below are 2 choices I had on one of my rides in the San Juan mountains which was on the Lost Trail Creek Trail. Which of the 2 ways looks like a better way to cross the creek, #1 or #2?

#1 has plenty of logs bobbing in the snow run-off. #2 has logs well above the water with a rope to hang on to but one of the logs has already cracked.





Below are 2 choices that I'll have in another month at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. Go through the bushes and over a slippery plank or blast through the water.





Other times you have the choice of going for it or turning back. Some of my friends say I have poor judgment and don't know when to turn back. Below is another picture from the Lost Trail Creek Trail. I tried finding a better place to cross but couldn't find one. The water was mid-thigh and swift but I made it Ok.

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Labels: Colorado, Leadville 100, mountain biking

The beginning of February each year is when hundreds of mountain bikers what impatiently for a little piece of paper to come in the mail. That piece of paper means they have a lot of training to do in the next 6 months.

That little piece of paper means they made the Leadville 100 mountain bike lottery. I really didn't expect my card for another couple days. A few others on the Colorado Front Range reported on the Yahoo Leadville 100 MTB group that they had also gotten their cards.

I'm still working on the Leadville 100 MTB FAQ. I'm working on how to train. The problem that I'm having is that I doubt people that are looking for training information will know what LT and VO2 Max intervals are without some explanation. I'm just trying to make it understandable to people that haven't been racing for 15+ years.

Update: I guess the days of the cards slowly spreading acroos the country to notify lucky particpants is over. The preliminary Leadville 100 MTB entrant list was posted this evening.

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Labels: cycling, Leadville 100, mountain biking