Christopher Smith THANK YOU so much! I love it! I saw myself and i finished right there with you. Great day. No better way to describe the weather and grueling climb than to be on your handlebars. Thanks
thanks for sharing this. that must have been really stressful to descend with racers walking up and so many rocks you were forced into to avoid the "uphillers." now i understand how my son passed 25 riders on the columbine climb...... well done, christopher.
Cool video! I'm actually in the red jersey with yellow backpack at the front of your group at the turn around. You caught and passed me again at 22:52. I was feeling pretty miserable on Columbine! Great job! Our finish times were about 4 minutes apart.
The route is MOSTLY the same year-to-year, this year there were quite a few tweaks to get around some private property, but its still mostly the same as its been all along. Yep, its open for riding all year round. This year's reroute means you should be able to ride the whole thing any time.
The section with all the walkers is shortly before the halfway turnaround and is a very steep and long climb after 50 miles of racing has taken Its toll on the legs. It can be walked at as fast or faster pace than ridden thru much of it. Avg gradient is 8% with 24% max, 3,118 ft climb maxing out at an oxygen deprived 12,540ft.
Right - and don't forget, there's another 45 miles to go after this climb, and this isn't the hardest climb of the race. Spending all your energy to stay on the bike is digging a hole you'll never be able to get out of.
Hey @@mike3ike ... I got them a few years ago and couldn't' tell you the make/model, but they're very very basic, probably a cheapo Amazon pickup. Yes, 100% - they provide another 3-4 hand positions, which are welcome for the long stretches, but they are also more aero than the normal grips, but provide more control than just grabbing the handlebar near the stem.
Sorry, I bought them a long time ago, but they're nothing special, just cheap aluminum things. Yep, wouldn't race this race without them, as dorky as they are :)
Knowing that there are miles and miles of walking the bike, does anyone stow running shoes in their pack? Seems like it could be worth spending a minute changing shoes that you can walk/run more comfortably in.
The problem is you're on-again/off-again, so you might only walk for 150-yards, then ride for 500, then walk for another 150, so it'd be time-consuming to swap shoes back and forth. Personally, I use cyclocross shoes which are made to scramble up embankments - stiff sole but flexible toes, and they hold toe spikes, which are a great advantage in the dusty soil.
not everyone walked..... my son never got off his bike until the end (where a camera man waiting at the finish almost ran over him trying to get to rose grant. fortunately, my son was more aware than the cameraman was.......
Christopher Smith THANK YOU so much! I love it! I saw myself and i finished right there with you. Great day. No better way to describe the weather and grueling climb than to be on your handlebars. Thanks
Thank you for sharing. Great to see this perspective.
thanks for sharing this. that must have been really stressful to descend with racers walking up and so many rocks you were forced into to avoid the "uphillers." now i understand how my son passed 25 riders on the columbine climb...... well done, christopher.
Cool video! I'm actually in the red jersey with yellow backpack at the front of your group at the turn around. You caught and passed me again at 22:52. I was feeling pretty miserable on Columbine! Great job! Our finish times were about 4 minutes apart.
Wow! We must've been riding together most of the day then. Nice job on finishing this monster!
@@Blindguyonabike and I'm the guy behind @Ray in the blue jersey and Flo-yellow. Brutal day.
SICK! Only out west!
Very, very interesting! Congrats!
nice. I saw myself in this video. COOL
Is the Leadville 100 trail route the same every year? It the route open for public riding throughout the riding season (i.e. not during the race)?
The route is MOSTLY the same year-to-year, this year there were quite a few tweaks to get around some private property, but its still mostly the same as its been all along. Yep, its open for riding all year round. This year's reroute means you should be able to ride the whole thing any time.
I didn't see a clock at the turn around point. That was always nice to confirm time, but maybe wave starts they didn't put it in.
Yeah, but even then, you know what time you rolled out, and even at 12k-ft you can do the math. Bummer
But I'm glad there's no clock in the video so y'all don't see how slow I am 😂
Is it a bike race or a walking race. Unreal the amount of people walking
The section with all the walkers is shortly before the halfway turnaround and is a very steep and long climb after 50 miles of racing has taken Its toll on the legs. It can be walked at as fast or faster pace than ridden thru much of it. Avg gradient is 8% with 24% max, 3,118 ft climb maxing out at an oxygen deprived 12,540ft.
Right - and don't forget, there's another 45 miles to go after this climb, and this isn't the hardest climb of the race. Spending all your energy to stay on the bike is digging a hole you'll never be able to get out of.
Thanks for the video! What bar ends are you using and did you find the alternate hand position good for this course?
Hey @@mike3ike ... I got them a few years ago and couldn't' tell you the make/model, but they're very very basic, probably a cheapo Amazon pickup. Yes, 100% - they provide another 3-4 hand positions, which are welcome for the long stretches, but they are also more aero than the normal grips, but provide more control than just grabbing the handlebar near the stem.
You try riding a bike at 12500 ft after riding 50 miles and a 3000ft climb in the previous 8 miles.
what brand and how you like those aero bars?
Sorry, I bought them a long time ago, but they're nothing special, just cheap aluminum things. Yep, wouldn't race this race without them, as dorky as they are :)
Knowing that there are miles and miles of walking the bike, does anyone stow running shoes in their pack? Seems like it could be worth spending a minute changing shoes that you can walk/run more comfortably in.
The problem is you're on-again/off-again, so you might only walk for 150-yards, then ride for 500, then walk for another 150, so it'd be time-consuming to swap shoes back and forth. Personally, I use cyclocross shoes which are made to scramble up embankments - stiff sole but flexible toes, and they hold toe spikes, which are a great advantage in the dusty soil.
not everyone walked..... my son never got off his bike until the end (where a camera man waiting at the finish almost ran over him trying to get to rose grant. fortunately, my son was more aware than the cameraman was.......