Leadville, The 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race Podcast p/b Shimano Fatty & Hottie

Many of us have been captivated by the first three seasons of the "From the Ground Up" video series, following new mountain bikers as they work to race The Leadville 100, with only a few months to prepare. Alexey Vermeulen and Ryan Petry are the creators of this project, and in the three seasons they've guided novice racers, they've learned a lot of lessons worth sharing. Also, be sure to listen in to Fatty's Finishing Tips, as he walks you through the finer points of managing the dozens of packets of food you're going to need to manage as you eat your way through the Leadville 100. 

It stands to reason that being a little lighter will help you get up Columbine and Powerline a little bit easier. Dr Kyle Pfaffenbach joins the show to give great guidance on how (and whether). You'll also want to be sure to listen in to our Fatty's Finishing Tips segment, where Fatty gives you 4 practical pointers for doing well on the hike-a-bike portions of this bike race.

It is new bike day on the show. We went to the Sea Otter Classic, roamed the expo, in hopes of finding a bike – or bikes – that are Leadville worthy. We found four. One that spares no expense, one high value full suspension, one hard tail with a recent Leadville win, and one that promises not to break the bank. For sure there are other brands and models that would make a great choice for Leadville but this was fun exercise and one we hope can help you narrow the field as you search for that Kevins, Sugar Loaf, Columbine, Powerline eating machine. 

Every Leadville racer has the same question: "What will be my finish time?" And there was a time when that question was a real mystery. Now, however, if you are willing to fill in the variables, Best Bike Split can give you an astonishingly accurate prediction. In this episode, Best Bike Split ambassador Dave Schell joins us to explain how. And be sure to listen to Fatty's Finishing Tip in this episode: he's emphasizing a crucial part of your your training and preparation that you otherwise might be neglecting.

Ray Landry is quite simply the friendliest and most Leadville-knowledgeable guy you could ever ride with. He obsesses about this race every bit as much as Hottie and Fatty do, and has absolutely top-notch advice for Leadville racers. He's shared his wisdom at the Leadville Camp each year for several years, so we jumped at the opportunity to ask him what he hears as the most common questions and concerns. Enjoy the episode! 

An interesting — and confusing — story came out in the Leadville Herald Democrat late last week. In this episode, we untangle the story and lay out our best guesses for what significant changes are actually in store for the 2024 LT100. Then for our main feature we bring back show favorite Dr Justin Ross to talk about what it really means to dig deep, and how understanding this very real phenomenon can help you have a successful day on the course. There is a TON of info every racer needs in this episode; don't miss it!