Leadville Stage Race

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Cool race, but the big news is that Melissa Rollins and Kate Courtney (a local to us), just got 4th and 5th overall, overall. Not just women, everybody. That is badass on an entirely new level. https://www.athlinks.com/event/167004/results/Event/1076615/Course/2625200/Results?page=1

 

[jmdirt]

I'll hijack your thread to mention that several of the racers at Leadville 100 are using road pedals (to go with their drop bars I guess).

Three men up front at 1.5 hour mark...two...chit-chat heading to 'the climb'...and then there was 1...

Same for the women...now five...lots of talking...now six,,,games...seven...three...one

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbE8gIOTt60

 

[jono]

Are there any real disadvantages to using road pedals on a non-technical course like Leadville that is barely a "mountain bike" race?

 

[jmdirt]

Are there any real disadvantages to using road pedals on a non-technical course like Leadville that is barely a "mountain bike" race?

Only if sh*t goes sideways (literally and figuratively).

I'll flip your questions though: is there an advantage?

The advantage used to be the stiffer road shoes, but several companies offer the same construction in their top end dirt shoes now (basically the road shoe with rubber gription glued on).

Leadville is an endurance mountain bike race. Its not 'barely' anything, its just one of many formats, IMO. Would it be cool if it was 100 miles of technical single track? Sure, but that's not what Leadville is. I could argue that the WC courses aren't mountain biking anymore, but...

 

[jmdirt]

Congrats KS and KC!

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Keegan did as expected; it's the race which seems to suit him more than the others. High altitude with lots of climbing, and tricky descents - he's almost unbeatable there.

Kate was a surprise; obviously helped by the Leadville stage race a few weeks ago, which was basically a 'recce' for the event. But out on her own for so long was seriously impressive - really pleased for her; and her interview was good.
Back to the World Cup, MTB Worlds, and XC Marathon Worlds.......

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Something I knew about, but had never really seen was the descent off Columbine; that's a little 'interesting' to say the least. With riders still climbing up, there isn't much margin for error if you get it wrong......I think it's a little more technical than is given credit for.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I had a good long for me ride earlier today, but going aero with hands on the fork tops seemed to have passed me by.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

I had a good long for me ride earlier today, but going aero with hands on the fork tops seemed to have passed me by.

It's something you often see in the Cape Epic - and from memory, Annika Langvad named it the 'Sussi'.....

 

[jmdirt]

As a dare, I rode a 1962 Schwinn Corvette in a regional TT and decided that hanging on to the front rack would at least get me out of the wind. I didn't regain feeling in my fingers (and some other bits) for at least an hour!