Leadville Trail 100: I'm In

About two weeks ago I got the email telling me I had a place through the Lottery. I paid $15 last year thinking if I get a place, cool if I don't, I don't. This year I was already planning to Colorado to visit family. So I am over the bloody Moon as you might be expected. It's not the best race in the World but if I'm in town I sure as hell would love to do it. Riders I know who have done it say it's good but the Alpine Odyssey 100 out of Crested Butte is a better one so I thought I'd do that as well.

With my entry done online the chances of getting in via the lotto were slim. I thought it would be great to try and qualify through the Alpine Odyssey 100 which was on last day of July in 2011. Unfortunately in 2012 they had moved it to mid September the very same day as the Montane Kielder 100 and I would be back in the UK for almost two weeks for sure.
Anyway I got a Leadville entry and I am super happy.

Map of the course (click to see full size)

 I've been training hard for the 24hrs of Exposure. I will have great endurance but if you have a look the Profile below the highest point of the race is at 12,612ft. Now I live at sea level. I've never stood on ground that high let alone ridden or race a bike that high.

Lucky for me I have some family (distant through marriage) that live at about 8,000ft. Ethan Passant who has finished the leadville in the top 4 in the past in 7:27:50 and was 3rd to the Mexican Border in the 2011 Tour Divide just happens to be married to my brother in law Thomas's sister. Well the nice chap via Facebook has kinda agree'd to give me a bit of a hand with my training. 12,600 ft for God's sake. This is going to be fun yeah?

Profile of the course (click to see full size)

So how do you train for a race that is at Altitude? One thing I have is a bit of time out there before the race. About 2 weeks. I will be staying near Boulder for most of it which is high enough itself I guess. One bike my Scott Scale 29er. I guess I will slap some road tyres on it and get out on the road a bit in the mountains.

Not only do I have to ride 100miles at Altitude I can't hang about. I don't know if it's a good thing but I will probably have a bus to wisk me off to Vegas straight after the race. I'm trying to get my Brother in Law Thomas to do the Leadville 10k run the following day so I don't have to rush away.

The Leadville is steeped in American MTB history I guess. It's been running since 1994 which was about when I got my 1st MTB and there have been some pretty famous chaps racing it. Floyd Landis came 2nd in 2007, Lance came 2nd in 2008  then won it in 2009, Levi Leipheimer won it in 2010 and Todd Wells last year. In fact last year it seems lots of the quicker American XC racers turned up. Under 8hrs used to get you in the top 20. Last year that was the top 80. Rebecca Rusch seems to be winning it a lot in the ladies race. One thing I've noticed or not noticed is many Brits doing it. Well there is one this year and he's a Welshman. I guess I better take a massive Welsh Flag with me.

But before this I have hundreds of miles of racing to do. But can I beat 8hrs at the Leadville 100?

Leadville 100 Website

Feel the burn: Swain's Lane

After work I decided that I'd head to Regent's Park for some Chaingang action then do some hill sprints up Swain's Lane. The plan was to do an hour or so getting to the Inner Circle and around it and then head up to Swain's Lane. John my mate and I were lucky to join in with some of the London Pheonix club who where were doing quite a well drilled ride. It wasn't too hard but we knew the climbing later would be tough.
Coming out of the wrong gate (it all looks the same) we took the wrong turn and ended up going up a massive climb (for London).

The plan was to do 5 flat out (well as near as flat out as possible) climbs of Swain's Lane. It's Evil what ever speed you ride it. We scrubbed one go so we were down to four as we had just done the big climb to Hampstead.
The last time I did repaeats of Swain's Lane was the very last ride before I got Swine Flu. The pain was back.
The first one was evil. My legs were screaming before I'd even got to the halfway point where it gets steeper. 2nd time I just couldn't ride so hard at the start. Going through the steep bit I felt OK and this was the pathetic one. The 3rd was better as I went hard over the top. The 4th and final just felt terrible. I knew this was the last so I sprinted going over the top slightly cramping as I got to the last speed hump. Oxygen debt is an understatement. I couldn't talk. Just how it's supposed to be.
Back for more next week but with my PowerTap to see how pathetic my legs really are.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/73504640

7 weeks to go for the big one

Just looked at the calendar and much to my horror I realise I only have 7 weeks to go to my first 24hr solo. Great Scott! Now there's another thing. My Scott Scale 29r Pro should arrive sometime soon. Six or so weeks should give me enough time to get it dialed. It's a big move for me. From fullsus to hardtail and 26" to 29".
The training has been going well for the past few weeks. Accommodation and plans on how to get there sorted.
The big test of what food & drink is best is yet to be done. Should have that sorted by the end of the month.
Bring it on!

One thing I don't need more of right now is....

MOTIVATION
I have plenty of this
I don't think I have been as motivated as I have been over this winter for this coming season. Keen is a word I'd use. I haven't been this motivated to train hard for a long time. Never so with cycling. When I was in Uni I pretty much up gave up road cycling as I had lost motivation. I was pretty crap as a junior and my 1st year as a senior was terrible. I turned to rock climbing. I really tried my best get get to a very high level. Training was something I was very good at for this. I was like a machine. At 9st 7 I was stupidly strong and had a body that had no fat and muscle only where I needed it.
Since I started my comeback (I should say restart on the road) four years ago I have learned to suffer, something I never did in cycling before. I'd give up too soon. I guess I learned to suffer when rock climbing. You don't have a lot of choice. 5 weeks off the bike is the longest I have had off since. I had a double knee op three years ago and only had 3 weeks off. A broken collarbone was only a week as I was straight on the Turbo Trainer. 5 weeks seemed like a long long time. I'm glad I put a lot of miles in before Christmas
Last night I re started my training. It's damn good to be back. I only did 2.5hrs last night but it was quality. I left my Powertap at home as for my 1st ride back I didn't really want to know how I was doing I just wanted to enjoy it. A big Gym session this morning and now I'm feeling it.

YES!

Can't See The Wood For The Trees

All I can think about at the moment is when I can get back on the bike and start training. It's driving me mad. Three weeks off the bike. I feel a lot better and I can ride my bike but no training. I now have Bronchitics which I know for past experiences with my body will take a few weeks to shift. I have to think of this years as a whole. I'm not going to risk trying to get riding in time for a XC race in a weeks time when I can mess up my season by keeping this bad chest for longer.
Time to step back and sit this one out. I will be ready to train when I am ready. My focus on the season was 24hrs of Exposure on the 1st weekend of May. Christ I'm still riding that as my first 24hr race but with no illusions on a sterling performance.
I remember as a junior I had this small stage race just outside Bath that I had planned to do for months. Two weeks before I managed to get a bad chest. I was taking all sorts of mediation to shift it. Well the day before the race felt OK. I finished the short prolgue TT coughing up little bits of blood and came last way way down on the rest. I've never done so bad in a TT and never felt so shit on a bike. I'm not letting that happen again.
I'm desperate to test myself over 100 miles off road and by now I'd expected to have already ridden the length of the South Downs Way. I have a nice family break in Spain this month. I'm sure I will come back from that fully fixed.
Then we will 'AVE IT!

I feel like all I do at the moment is moan about not getting out on my bike.

Twrch Trail Winter Nightride

Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day. The training has to be done though. The plan was to get up early and get out on the bike before me wife goes to work. Normally I have to get back by 11:30 so a decent ride is possible but I woke up to find my dog wasn't feeling too good. He's been sick. by the time I'd checked he was OK and cleaned up the mess it wasn't worth it. I'll be honest I didn't get up super early either.
I took the kids out on the bike midday when I could have been watching the Manchester United v Liverpool game. My eldest on her little 20in MTB and the other behind me on the trailer bike. However much fun it is it's not training.
When my wife got back from work I cooked the dinner, found the Moon with my daughters telescope, washed up etc.. All this takes time and delays the start of my ride. 8:30 after reading my kids a story I manage to get out.  Lights charged and ready I was off to Cwmcarn for two laps. It was very cold. The days have been mild for the past week but as the sky was clear the temp dropped. No idea how cold but was below freezing I'm sure. I was dressed OK so I would be fine. I was thinking of riding up off road up the canal path but I guessed it would be better just to get there do my training and get home.

Lighter, Brighter, Faster? Diablo/Prolight Combi

I was going to use my Exposure Diablo for the first time. On my Giro Prolight helmet I don't think you can get as much power for such little weight. My helmet with light probably weights quite a bit less than quite a few helmets on their own. Hopefully will be an excellent combination for racing. Coulpe d up with my Hope 4LED it was out riding (hope replace this with an Exposure MaXX D asap).
By the time I got to Cwmcarn it was just past 9pm and there was not a soul in sight. The puddles in the carpark were already starting to freeze and there was an amazing frost. With my bright lights shinning on it it looked like someone had tipped a massive tub of glitter and spread it on everything. As I know the trail pretty well and the lights were good found I could ride pretty much as quick as I could in the day. I shot up the first few climbs up to the top. Some joker had randomly stacked rocks around the trial. Some were un-naturally balanced so there is no way they would have landed like this. This was all over the trail pretty much every section. I found it funny. I wonder what time some would have bothered to have done it. I probably wasn't the only person to have ridden in the dark but was probably the last person to have that evening. At the top on my 1st lap I must have had a good mobile signal and received a few texts and Twitter alerts. I stopped and answered and then carried on. The down hill was good fun in the dark. I'm not the quickest in the day but felt like I could go just as quick.
Starting my 2nd lap I put in a big effort. This was today's training. I might as well make it quality training. Big efforts on the climbs then take it easy on the down hills and as quick as it was safe on the flat. It feels a bit odd being out on your own so late. All you can hear is your heart beat most of the time. Anything that is reflective is a distraction. Sheep are just plain spooky at night, all you see is their eyes at first. Someone had dropped their Specialized thermal Winter Glove. You'd never see it in the day I'm sure but the reflective bits were clear as day with my lights shining on them. On my second lap just as you get to the concrete bit that you some times have to walk up if its a bit damp I totally shat myself when I caught a glimpse of what I though was some random person just standing there. I'd never noticed it before. I hadn't seen it on the previous lap as I'd put the bike in the granny ring and ridden up the concrete. this time I got off and walked. So I saw the big wooden statue for the 1st time. Spooked with my pulse racing on I went. I went a bit quicker on the final downhill bit knowing where the jokers had left the balanced rocks. I finished the lap just after 11pm. It was really cold so I stopped and put my Goretex jacket on. One very swift ride home on the road and it was time for a well deserved bath. Really impressed with the Exposure light. I can ride with confidence with it.

Lower down the trail.

A View from the top
Not a very impressive pic but the view looked fantastic to the eye

The Spooky Wooden Man

First (& Second) Ride of the Year

The first ride of the year was on New Years Day. I got out for an hour with my eldest daughter. She is 7 1/2 and rides a pink Specialized Hot Rock 20in Mini MTB. We are lucky that there is a disused golf course not far from out house where people walk their dogs. I've been teaching my daughter to ride off road here. It's not bad at all. Some single track and lots of different paths to follow. The Golf course has long over grown but you can see clearly from the Google Map shot what it once was. It would make a great venue for a cyclo cross race but it would never happen as it's private land and I'm not sure your allowed to walk your dog there let alone ride a bike there.

What was Tradegar Park Golf  Course

The scond ride of the year was on my own. I had planned to ride the South Downs Way on the Bank Holiday Monday but plans don't always work out. I stayed in Wales a day longer and headed out to Cwmcarn like I do often. I had planned to get a good six hours plus in but feeding my children and a quick rebuild of my Crankbros
rear hub meant I got out of the door a full two hours later than planned.
Over the New year the temperature outside was quite mild. I was in my garden fixing my bike and it felt OK. So I headed out in leg warmers, clubs shorts, no overshoes, one thermal top my Assos Jacket and a Gilet. I'd only ridden about 2 miles and it had started to snow. my buttocks were pretty damn cold. Why spend £175 on winter tights if your not going to use them. Riding fast to keep warm down the canal tow path that runs from Newport all the way to Cwmcarn and I was OK.
Getting to the Trail Centre car park the snow was like the slight dusting on the top of a Victoria Sponge cake. The lower sections of the trail were still very muddy like they had been a few days before. It was quite slippy over the rocks but that adds to the fun right? With my legs getting cold as I stopped for a drink and a chat in the car park I decided the training starts now. I hammered it up each climb like I was in a race.
My legs felt very good. You get enough of a breather in between climbs to recover quite well. On my second lap the snow was coming down quite heavy. The Trail was pretty much covered white now. Just brown where the tyre tracks we pushing the fresh snow down into the wet mud. The massive snow flakes were annoying as I had forgotten my Jawbones (glasses) and the odd one was hitting me in the eyes. On one occasion I closed my eye, hit a tree route and went over the bars. So glad I didn't hit anything hard.
Second lap was the same as the first. Fast up the climbs recover on the flat and downhill bits. Third lap wasn't quite as fast but only 90 seconds down on the previous two but it wasn't down to a lack of effort. The snow was getting pretty heavy and it was getting a little slippy out there. I don't think I have put my foot down so much apart from when we had the solid ice. A muddy ride back home on the canal path. Long bath and relax.
A good days training. I felt a lot better than I did on the ride a few days before. Time to get back on the road bike and get some miles in.