My Leadville 100 MTB Story

This is the first post in my Leadville 100 MTB series. This is a full breakdown of how I went from detrained, 30+ pounds overweight, and three years off the bike to finishing the Leadville Trail 100 in 8:46 and earning the big buckle.

My goal is simple: share the honest, practical, no-BS roadmap I wish existed when I started training for one of the most iconic endurance mountain bike races in the world.

Whether you’re preparing for your first Leadville 100, trying to understand the training demands, or just curious what it actually takes to race at altitude for nearly nine hours, this series is for you. I’ll cover the entire process: choosing the right bike and gear, building a training plan that fits real life, dialing fueling and pacing, navigating race-day decisions, and the mental side that matters more than anyone admits.

I'll link each post here as they go live. Quick table of contents will be as follows:

• My Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Story (this post)

• My Leadville 100 Training Plan

• Leadville 100 Bike Setup & Gear

• Leadville 100 Fueling Plan

• Leadville 100 Race Strategy

• Leadville Course & Race Breakdown (with Power Analysis)

• Cooldown: How to Race Leadville Faster?

If you're planning to race Leadville or you're just trying to get fitter, healthier, and more intentional with your training I hope this series gives you clarity, confidence, and a few shortcuts I had to learn the hard way. Whether you're training for Leadville or anything else, Racepace can help.

Why Did I Race the Leadville 100?

I had no business racing the Leadville 100 MTB this year.

I am a 33 year old dad, (former) venture investor, and athlete. I often joke I majored in rowing in college (not Psychology) and once I hung up the oars I dove into cycling. Fitness wise, I'm not a scrub but I'm far from elite and my best days are behind me. I was a 6:17 2k lightweight rower in college and my best 20-minute FTP test ever was 355 watts (~5.0 w/kg) in February 2017. After a crash-filled 2017 road season I had a long layoff: work, life, and other interests got in the way. After 3 years of virtually no training I got back on the bike in July 2024. I was nearly 200 pounds (30-40 pounds above my healthy weight), out of shape, and needed a big goal to motivate me to get healthy, get fit, and become the Dad my kid can be proud of.

Going into training my first FTP test to start 2025 was 300 watts (316 raw), or about 3.3 w/kg. This was after 3 months of ~5 hours a week of Zone 2.

While I didn't explicitly set a goal to go sub-9, in the back of my mind I knew ~4.0 w/kg at sea level with proper fueling, mindset etc. would be key.

I had a metaphorical mountain to climb.

What to Expect in this Leadville Blog Series

When I was accepted into Leadville I started to nerd out right away and prioritized the problems to solve.

• What XC mountain bike should I buy and what gear do I need?
• What training plan is the best fit for me?
• How to I stick to my training plan with my busy life?
• Should I spend any time at altitude before the race?
• How do I fuel for a 9 hour race at 10,000 feet?
• What are the insider tips and tricks to know about the race?

For such an historic race there was little to no quality content addressing these questions or others. This is my love letter to fellow Leadville hopefuls. I'll pack everything I learned into this series, with no detail left out from tire choice to how to prepare mentally (hint: visualization is key). I'll also be sure to add in a very detailed race analysis with power data overlaid to give you an idea of what worked for me, and I hope it can be helpful to you.

My Leadville Results

I won't bury the lede: I got my big buckle and finished with a time of 8:46. About 6 months into training I had already accomplished my original goal. I was training regularly with nearly 100% adherence to the plan (save for the days I got sick or traveled), I was down to 165 pounds, and I was fit again.

My mindset shifted and the new goal was sub-9 hours for a big buckle? What else did I need to know?

Want to read more? Part 2, Leadville Training Plan is available now.

If you're planning to race Leadville (or any race) and want to access coaching for the monthly price of Netflix, Join the Racepace team today. You can read more about what we're building and more about us too.