Foggiest of Days

Man, was it foggy out this evening. So crazy. I haven't seen fog this thick ever since we moved here. It's a good thing I brought along my tail light, which I immediately turned on before setting out on my adventure through the park, up to and over the Presidio, looping around the Headlands and back. It felt great to shake out stress from work and pound on the pedals through the fog. It was like riding through a thick white cloud. Unfortunately I couldn't hammer the whole way through as one of my cleats worked its way loose, but not completely coming off.

A friend of mine from work has been having bad braking issues. I didn't quite understand why he wasn't getting enough power from his brakes, which were cantilevered cross brakes. He lives out in the Sunset neighborhood and I suspect it's quite a bit more foggy than where I live/commute. Coming down the backside of Hawk Hill, with its 18% downhill grade I experienced that same loss of power. I think it has something to do with riding through thick fog, the moisture acting as a constant lubricant between the brake pads and rim. That's my only explanation. Anyways, it can be frightening going down something so incredibly steep and not having complete control.

As the days get darker and darker I'm sad to see less and less riders out on the road. I saw a fair amount going up Hawk Hill as I was descending, which I found surprising, but in general the roads felt lonely.

Project Leadville - Niner Air 9 Carbon RDO

So I've been thinking a lot about my Leadville race, and what I'd like to do differently for next year. One big consideration I've been toying with is the idea of building up a super lightweight hard tail, something sub 20lbs. I could go with another Specialized, but I love custom builds. My heart is slowly leaning towards the Niner Air 9 Carbon RDO.

Why? I've already got a great set up for general trail riding and cross-country racing, but I've learned that my strong suit is climbing, not descending. If anything my Epic is too fast for me to handle going downhill. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing climbing machine, especially with the Brain platform, but dropping another 3-4lbs would be a huge advantage, especially for a race like Leadville where it's not entirely too technical.

The Niner Air 9 Carbon RDO frame is in the 2.5lb range, coupled with a Rock Shox Sid XX and some super light wheels I could easily get it under 20lbs. The company itself specializes in 29er geometry so I'm confident it handles like a dream. I'm going to wait and see what they release in the next month or so after the trade shows have passed. In the meantime I'll be posting regular build specs as I continue to research parts.

6:15am Wakeup Call

I was excited this morning to get out of bed at 5:45am to join up with my weekly riding buddies out to the Marin Headlands. There were four of us total on our weekly loop in the mountains. I was looking forward to sharing my experience at Leadville, but it turned out to be a fast paced ride, leaving me with few words as I gasped for air.

If anyone's interested in going us we meet at the Golden Gate Bridge visitors center, Tuesdays (usually), 6:15am sharp. Were a fast group so no newbies please.

Mondays

Not much going on with me this Monday. Still recovering from yesterday. Still thinking about Colorado and Leadville. Can't decide what to do with this blog now that goal I set a year ago is accomplished. Daily posts? Weekly posts? Not sure, but I think I can't stop because it's become a routine. Hope everyone still enjoys it.

Railroad Grade

Today's ride felt like the first fully recovered from Leadville ride all week. I rode through Mill Valley and connected to the old railroad grade that goes up to the top of Mt. Tam. It's a monster of a climb topping out with 2k of climbing over five miles. It's not steep, but it's gradual and long.

I escaped the San Francisco fog and was greeted with glorious sunshine the moment I crossed into Marin. I was burning up, and by the end of the day I acquired a new sun tan, the helmet vent tan line. I thought it was dirt at first, but I had been in the direct sunlight for so long it burned a nice little pattern on my forehead.

Having my full-suspension was great, and it made me think twice about having a hard tail again, but there were many moments where I wish I had a lighter rig. However, the Coastal View descent was not one of them. I was flying today. At around mile 30 I started to feel the fatigue in my legs and decided to back off the power a bit. I really threw myself on the railroad grade.

Feels good to have my power back in my legs. Just need to recover a bit more after this ride, and I should be back to top shape. The racing season is coming to a close. September has a bunch of races in the area, but I don't know how many I'll be able to do. One or two more would be great.

Wearing it With Pride

I picked up the official Leadville Race Series jersey while I was in town. It's a nice fit from the Hincapie brand. I hate wearing anything with a bazillion logos, but this one is well designed and not too overbearing. I went on a morning ride with my wife into Mill Valley and back. It was foggy on the way out, but beautiful and sunny as soon as we crossed the bridge.

We were going at such a comfortable pace the whole way through the ride, but I had some pent up energy towards the end and snagged myself a KOM on the uphill to our place. Not much to brag about, but I was really surprised. My right Speedplay cleat was squeaking and finally came loose, sliding forwards and backwards. Luckily it didn't come off while sprinting.

Keepin' it Easy

It's strange to not put in many miles during the week, like something is missing in my life. I have been commuting to and from work, but those are just short stints. I have been eating really well, making sure I'm stretching and getting enough sleep. I'm hoping to get in some good easy rides this weekend.

Project Leadville - 2013 Race Rig

It hasn't even been a full week since Leadville, and I'm already thinking about next year. Overall I think it's a wonderful race series, so I'm hoping to do all of them. That means a lot of expensive traveling, but having done the Tahoe qualifier as well as Leadville I think it's worth it. I'm realizing I'm more suited for endurance/marathon racing. I also realized that races are won in the climbs and lost in the downhills, having most of my downfalls going too fast downhill. Having said that, I'm thinking about changing my Leadville/2013 race rig back to a hard tail. I'm hoping to get something sub 19 pounds. Right now I have my eyes on two bikes, a Santa Cruz Highball Carbon and a Niner Air 9 Carbon RDO. Both frames come in at 2.5 pounds, and have both received great reviews. I'm gonna do a custom build, hopefully with the new SRAM XX1 drivetrain and perhaps their new SRAM Rise 60 wheelset.

It's just a thought right now. I'm not looking to build one up till next spring, but it's always fun to build a virtual dream race bike. Having done Leadville I think having an Epic is perfect, however it is a bit more weight to carry up and over the hills. It's super comfortable and reliable, but I think I could shave off considerable time if I were on a light hard tail.

What say you? What do you guys think of either brand? Any other frame sets I should keep on eye out on?

Foggy Return

I did an early morning Marin Headlands ride. Seeing if being at altitude for so long had an affect on my riding. It sure did! I set a new personal record going up the Miwok trail, almost besting my buddy Steve's time, even on a full-suspension mountain bike. It's only been a few days since Leadville, and I should be doing more active recovery rides, but oh well. It was fun anyways. However, I suffered the rest of the day, trying to stay awake.

Processing

It's been a few days since the race, and I'm still high from the entire experience. I keep replaying the decisive moments of the race where I either made up or lost time, what could I have done differently, what was the best bike choice, did I drink/eat too much, too little? These are all important things to think about leading up to my next attempt at a sub 9 hour Leadville, and hopefully under 8 hours. Nutrition is a key factor as I didn't feel 100% dialed in that day. Regardless of all these things running through my mind I'm still enjoying the post race glow. I'm still working on a full race recap. I just need to find more time.

Back to Work

After a long day of driving and flying I'm finally back home in foggy San Francisco. I'll be off the bike for a few days to help speed the recovery process. Right now my thighs are completely wasted as well as the majority of the muscles in my back and arms. I'll probably do some easy spinning just to pump out all the bad lactic acid built up in my body. Monday is a work day, but I doubt I'll be all that productive. I'm very excited to share my trip with everyone at work, who've all been very supportive.

Big Buckle

If you finish the Leadville Trail 100 in under nine hours you get the big gold & silver belt buckle. Having your name called to come up and receive one was quite special to me. I'm already looking forward to earning my next one.

Sub 9 Hour Leadville (8:21)

I finished the Leadville 100 in 8 hours and 21 minutes! 103 miles with close to 12,000' of total climbing. I've been training for a sub-nine hour race and beat my expectations by a long shot. I felt great all day and thought I could go under 8 hours, but got cooked with 20 miles left to go. I managed to ride the entire Columbine climb as well as Powerline coming back. I finished 120th overall out 1,700 finisher (a bunch more still out on course), 37th out of 350 in my age category alone. I had the best crew support with me and had a great day overall. Stay tuned for a full race recap. Time for a celebratory beer!

Wish Me Luck!

Eat, sleep, ride, repeat. This has been my entire week leading up to today. It's been incredible spending this much time in Colorado, acclimatizing, riding and meeting new people along the way. The race is about to unfold, and all the training, all the hours put into this past year is about to pay off. Stay tuned, and hopefully you'll hear from me in less than nine hours.

Jersey Contents - Race Day

I'm putting the final touches on my race day prep. I've got my tools and nutrition all laid out. There are plenty of aid stations along the way, so it's not crucial I carry everything. I'm racing with bottles rather than a hydration pack. I want to be as comfortable and light as possible over the course of a 100 miles.

I'll have Hammer energy drink as well as GU Brew for sodium/electrolyte replenishment, GU Chomps to snack on and maybe a Clif Bar or two to tide me over before I get to the Twin Lakes aid station where I'll swap for fresh bottles and restock my food supply. It's also the perfect place to bring my lunch to the top of Columbine where it's the best time to eat solid food. No point in making my stomach work overtime, taking precious blood flow away from my legs. The descent down and the relatively flat section on the way back will be enough time to digest without feeling weighed down.

I've decided to race with my Rapha kit instead of the one provided by Carmichael Training Systems. It just has a better fit and  I haven't ridden with the other jersey before, and I'm somewhat superstitious of racing with new gear for the first time. This means I won't be able to rely on their support, but honestly the entire race is well stocked with everything I need.

My support crew will be waiting at the Twin Lakes aid station where they'll have extra food, water, clothing and tools if need be. It's a first time for everyone, but I'm pretty happy with our way of identifying each other come race day. Since my bike and kit are an all black & white color scheme, we've coordinated in which they'll be wearing white with black polka-dotted shirts. I'm so grateful and excited to share this experience with them.

Leadville Course Recon - Day 4

Today was the last day I'd be able to pre-ride the Leadville course. I decided to take it very easy, spinning most of the way though. I started on 6th (race start), and made my way up to the top of St. Kevins, back down and to the inbound finishing trail, which proved to be more difficult than I had thought. It starts out as dirt road, then to a rocky double track, then a long gradual climb up a rocky road before turning back to dirt road, then it's on to the finish.

On my way back into town I spied the Specialized race tent. I'm pretty sure these guys are staying in the same lodge as I am in Breckenridge. I know for certain Christoph Sauser is around, having seen his laptop name pop up on the lodge network, but no actual sighting of the legend. I did see his old team-mate Alban Lakata on course yesterday. I think the race is going to go to either of them.

I came into town early so I could pick up my race packet and do the on-site medical check-in. To my surprise the line went clear around the block. The line moved quickly where I was able to pick up my race number (#519). I'll be starting in the silver corral group, just behind the pros near the front. I achieved this placement because of my qualifying time at the Tahoe qualifier.

Leadville Course Recon – Day 3

Leadville course recon complete! I rode the section from Powerline down to Twin Lakes and back, 40 miles and a couple thousand feet of climbing. While it may not look like much on paper it's actually a rather grueling stretch of road, double track and single track. It does offer some recovery after the first third of the course, and will provide some moments to draft off people.

Having ridden the entire course I can put my mind at ease. Stringing together the entire course mentally will play to my advantage. I now know when and where I can push my pace. I'm still sticking to my game plan of riding conservatively all the way to the top of the Columbine climb and see what I have left heading back to the finish.

I tagged along with a nice couple from New York. It was their first time doing Leadville, too, but they've volunteered the year before. We got turned around a couple of times because the course wasn't well marked. I relied heavily on my Garmin route to show us the way. We split off once we got the Pipeline aid station.

The flat expanse of Colorado is so amazing to look at. The weather has been amazing the entire week, and I hope it stays that way. The rain from a couple of days ago helped with trail conditions, but there were quite a few huge puddles to navigate around.

There's a fast and tight single track just a few miles outside of the Pipeline aid station. It's not very long, but it's really fun and fast. I'm wondering how it'll go down when we've got the leaders going up as the rest of the thousands of riders are going down.

The ride back was great. I figured most people were either pre-riding Columbine or St. Kevins pass, having passed only a handful of riders, granted it's the middle of the week. Today was also the first time I feel like the acclimation is turning in my favor. My breathing has returned back to normal, but I can feel it whenever I push myself beyond tempo.

There's not much more prep I can do. Today I picked up my race day nutrition, consisting of a lot of Hammer Gel, Gu Chops, Gu Brew and energy drinks. I stopped in at the Leadville race headquarters and picked up a nice Leadville commemorative jersey. I'll be back in the morning to pick up my race packet and do the medical check-in.

Breckenridge - Wheeler Pass

Breckenridge has got to be the mecca for mountain biking. Every corner of the city has a trailhead to one great ride after another. I'll definitely have to consider the Breck Epic stage race sometime in the future. Unfortunately is starts the day after the Leadville Trail 100. This morning I did Wheeler Pass and climbed 4,400' over 28 miles. Peak 9 ascends 2,757 in just 5.4 miles. What was supposed to be an easy day for me turned into an epic ride up and over the mountain pass.

The climb up was really hard. Staring with a gradual grade up a ski slope I found myself not fully acclimated or recovered from the past couple of days. The view is amazing, though. I was happy to see other riders out and about, two of which were trying to catch up to me.

The gentle grade gradually turned into a rocky steep series of switchbacks towards the top. I dialed my suspension a littler softer, which really helped smooth out the ride and grip the loose terrain. This is definitely harder than the Columbine climb from yesterday.

The clouds are quickly rolling in, and I'm worried I came unprepared, concerned for being caught in a rain or hail storm. It's really exposed, and the temperature dropped at least ten degrees, but I'm almost to the top of the ridge line where I can drop down the other side into the safety of trees.

I came across a photographer who mistook me for someone who was pre-riding a stage of the Breck Epic. He was actually waiting for the pair of riders just behind me, photographing them for the website and promo materials.

The single track on the backside was really fun. It was long and very technical. My hands started to cramp up from braking so much. It was hard focusing on the trail with the incredible view of the mountains to my left. The end of the descent intersects a rather long paved bike path that runs all the way from Breckenridge to Vail. I'm about a third of the way through my ride. Frisco is just north before turning onto the Peaks trail back to Breckenridge.

The ride back was somewhat punishing. It's a rolling technical single track 10 miles north of Breckenridge. I took my time and soaked in the scenery. The rain from yesterday really packed the soil down making trail conditions exceptional.

I'm four days out from race day, and I'm feeling better and better everyday. Tomorrow I hope to preview the flat section from the Powerline descent over to Twin Lakes. From there I'll be able to mentally piece together the entire Leadville course.

This trip so far has been quite incredible. Eat, sleep, ride, repeat for a straight week. Nothing to do but focus on my fitness, nutrition plan and race course. I'm excited for my wife and good friend to fly in on Friday.

Leadville Course Recon - Day 2

Today I rode up the dreaded Columbine climb. It starts at 9,200' and tops out at 12,400' in five miles. It's a long and tortuous gradual climb where the air gets thinner and thinner as you go up. My heart rate was telling me one thing, while my breathing was telling me something else. I do feel better than I did yesterday, but I know I need to keep my effort low. Easier said than done.

This is the halfway point of the Leadville course. I plan on riding conservatively up till this point, hopefully leaving enough in the tank to get me home and under nine hours. Having pre-ridden most of the hardest sections of the course I'm feeling a shaky about my finish time. As long as I continue to acclimate and ride strong throughout the week I'll be in a good place by Saturday.

It starts out somewhat exposed before the climb picks up at the base of Columbine. The landscape just keeps rolling as far as the eye can see. The majority of the climb follows a tree-lined fire road, gradual at first, but really picks up towards the end, ranging from 6-17% grades.

You're completely exposed to the elements once you're near the top. It isn't easy getting up here either. It's really loose and rocky. I managed to ride up the entire way without hiking any of the sections, but that's with somewhat fresh legs. Who knows what will happen come race day. Also, since it's an out and back format, everyone has to stay to the right, regardless of terrain.

A storm is approaching and I'm just about to the turn around point. The view up here is spectacular, and I'm glad I got to enjoy out without the stress of racing.

All smiles here, for now. My riding buddy, Dereck, took this picture of me. I met Dereck yesterday on our way down St. Kevins. He came in second place overall at the Leadville qualifier in Wilmington, NY. Impressive! He's super fast and has been a great riding partner.

The downhill back was so much fun. Really sketchy at the top, but thankfully I have full-suspension to help me through the rough spots. I just pointed straight down and let it rip. My tire choice is perfect for the entirety of the course, fast and grippy. My plan is to eat as much solid food at the top before the long descent down.

The ride was perfectly timed, having beat out a storm that just started as we were finishing up.

I've been enjoying my Subaru Outback rental. Lots of capacity and power.

However, this has got to be the coolest ride I've seen in Colorado so far. Classic.

Tomorrow I may take a rest day, but I'm compelled to ride the flat section from Powerline to Twin Lakes. It's the only section I haven't pre-ridden, but I may just save myself for later and try riding some local trails here in Breckenridge. I wish I had another week to see it all.

Leadville Course Recon - Day 1

I made it to Leadville this afternoon and pre-rode the first third of the course. I definitely wasn't the only one out on the trail today. I ran immediately ran into a group just before the first dirt road outside of town, and made friends with a guy named Scott from Arizona. It was also his first time doing the Leadville 100. We did St. Kevins before running into two more guys pre-riding the course. We all rode up Sugarloaf Pass and down into the Powerline descent.

My bike is solid, with the exception of a few squeaks here and there from a dry drivetrain. Everyone I talked to about race-rigs agreed that my Specialized Epic was the way to go. While not the lightest setup amongst the group it was definitely the fastest and most comfortable on the descents, something that'll be a major factor over the course of a 100 miles.

I forgot my heart rate monitor strap at the lodge, so I couldn't record my effort. All I know is that I was definitely in zone 4 for the majority of the ride. The altitude is really affecting me. I started the day with a minor headache and shortness of breath. I could tell my heart-rate was elevated, which means I have to back off on the power and spin more.

The long descent from St. Kevins, followed by a short climb up to the start of Sugarloaf pass. This will be a make or break section on the way back.

Off-roading gone wrong. These guys were trying to drive up a steep stone grade and got stuck.

Turquoise Lake stretches below, separating St. Kevins and Sugarloaf Pass. It was really beautiful and exposed to the elements. The climb up Sugarloaf was really loose and rocky. While not as steep as St. Kevins it makes up for being more technical.

Just before the Powerline descent. It turns out to be a lot more gnarly than I thought. It's loose, and extremely fast. You have to make sure to pick the best line, otherwise the deep ruts will swallow your front wheel. I'll be riding down this very conservatively, giving the guy in front of me enough room. That way I'll be able to see the right line.

The course so far lives up to its name. There's a lot of climbing right off the bat, and it'll be important for me to pace myself early on. Some of the steep descents, such as the road descent from St. Kevins and the Powerline, will be daunting being towards the end of the race. My plan is to race conservatively all the way up to the Columbine mine climb, gauging to see if I have enough to push harder through the second half. Tomorrow I'll be previewing the Twin Lakes aid station and climbing to the top of Columbine.