If you're ever at a Leadville Party and the energy starts to lag, you know with 100% certainty you can jumpstart the conversation by asking, "So what tires are the best for Leadville?" In reality, though, that question doesn't really make much sense until you understand the anatomy of tires: their composition and performance characteristics. That’s what we aim to do in this show. To help us, we have recruited someone who has no brand loyalty or connection: Velo and Pinkbike Sr Tech Editor Troy Templin. Get ready for some Tire Talk! In our LFAQ section, we focus on another hotly-debated topic: weight. There's a temptation to get as thin as possible for the LT100, and it makes intuitive sense: there's a lot of climbing in this race, and the less you have to drag up to 12,500 feet, the better. But Hottie and Fatty have both tried the "get as skinny as possible" approach and have some different opinions.  This is a practical episode you can definitely use for a better day on the course; don't miss it!  

We're excited to have Dylan Johnson back on the show to talk about how to approach the big X-Factor in the LT100: altitude. Dylan puts thought into every race and every situation and in the case of Leadville, he worked very hard at getting his arrival to high altitude right.  He’s here to share his approach and how the citizen racer can figure out how to lessen the blow of Leadville’s biggest challenge: it’s lack of air. And for our LFAQ, a question sure to spark controversy: is it possible to have your chainring be TOO small?

When you roll up the long red carpet at the end of the LT 100, chances are you're going to hurt. How much you hurt and where you hurt are -- to a degreee -- up to you, but a lot of people certainly experience hand soreness and numbness. In this episode we take a good hard look at this important contact point and get some great expert advice on your grips. 

Dr Allen Lim knows more about sports nutrition than most of us know about...well, anything. And he knows the Leadville course, too. We have a feeling this is going to be one of those episodes that people refer back to, over and over. We also get into the question of how much time we've shaved (or in Fatty's case, increased) between our first and second years of racing the LT100, along with how much time course knowledge buys you. Don't miss this episode!

There was a time when the choice between hardtail and full-suspension bikes at the Leadville 100 was obvious: hardtail if you wanted to be fast and efficient, full-suspension if you wanted to be slow and comfortable. Times have changed, and full-suspension bikes can now be a no-compromise solution for the Race Across the Sky. In today's episode, we get expert advice on setting up your suspension for the Leadville 100, and take a first look at the new Specialized Epic World Cup, arguably a strong contender in the "perfect LT100 machine" contest.

The white corral is not an easy place to kick off the Leadville 100 MTB. There are thousands of riders ahead of you, there’s anxiety, there’s uncertainty, and there’s a HUGE question hanging over your head, probably playing back in a never-ending loop: “Can I get back to 6th and Harrison and get a buckle?” In this episode we will take a look at what the numbers say about that question. Don't miss this conversation with Jeff Dieffenbach and Mark Wolfgang, two supernerd Leadville racers with the math chops to do a deep analysis of historical finisher data.

Dylan Johnson put pacing to the test in one of the biggest off-road events in the world. It wasn't easy to do, but it was incredibly successful, and the lessons he has to teach may well be the difference between a bad day and a good day for you at the Leadville 100. This is a must-listen episode!

Many endurance athletes have turned to wearables to monitor their sleep and recovery. In this episode we take a look at this growing trend with Dr Kevin Sprouse to find whether — and how — regular racers can use these devices to recover smarter and faster. We also take on a great listener question in our LFAQ segment: "What 5 things do you wish you had known the first time you raced the LT100MTB?" We think first-time (and second-time, and third-time, and tenth-time) racers will find a lot of good hard-earned wisdom in our answers.

We're excited to welcome back Chad Timmerman: head coach and co-founder of TrainerRoad to talk about heat: how to leverage it during and after training (and how much it helps), as well as how to beat the heat on race day, and why it's important to do so.  You can't change the weather conditions outside, but you can be smart about how you react. This episode is full of great advice from a real cycling thought leader; you will not want to miss it!

Dr Dan Smilkstein was the oldest person to finish the Leadville 100 MTB race last year. This recently-retired doctor — and father, and grandfather — is way more than just a badass cyclist. He's a runner, a skiier (both cross-country and Alpine), a rock and ice climber, a mountaineerer, a backpacker, a hockey player, and more. He's an offroad unicyclist, for crying out loud. Our point is, Dr Dan has a lot of great stories to tell, both about the LT100 and his other adventures (including the fact that he's delivered 600+ babies). We guarantee you're going to enjoy this episode.

CJ and Jaxon have no right to be racing the Leadville 100 this smart. After all, in 2022 these brothers were just 18 and 20 when they raced the LT100 for the first time. While they wouldn't claim to have raced a perfect race, they certainly avoided a lot of the mistakes most first-timers make, while still learning a lot, challenging each other, and collecting the first of what we'll assume will be many buckles to come. Enjoy this episode with two young guns we expect you'll hear more from in the years to come.

If you're planning on racing the LT100MTB this year — or any year in the future — you will not want to miss this episode. We pepper (in a nice way) Life Time's Ryan Cross with questions about how the race is changing (no aero bars or anything like aero bars for example as well as what we'd like to see changed (the 3x White Corral), and even stuff you probably haven't even thought of (why is there no Pipeline Alternate aid station?). Ryan's game to keep answering our questions, so let us know what we should ask next time! 

If you've ever ridden with Mark and Sara, you're already good friends with them. And if you haven't, you'll feel like you have after this episode. They raced both the Stage Race and the 100 last year, both for the first time, and have an amazing and gutsy story to tell. Enjoy this episode  

Winter can bring on a slump in fitness, both from a physical and mental point of view. In this episode, TrainerRoad's Jonathan Lee joins to help give us a kick in the seat, as well as some encouragement and a strategy for success. Also, Hottie and Fatty kick off our new "LFAQ" show segment: Leadville Frequently-Asked Questions. In this episode, we talk about our 2-week and 1-week pre-ride recommendations, along with the importance (or not!) of a light bike for the race.  It's a great episode, don't miss it!

We love a good Leadville story, and John Gaston is a great storyteller. And it doesn't hurt that the only guy who could beat him in the 2022 LT100MTB was some guy named Keegan.  The crazy thing is, racing bikes is not really what he's into. They're more of his side hustle -- his off-season way to stay sharp and in shape.  But that doesn't mean he doesn't sweat the details, and it for sure doesn't mean he doesn't know his way around the course.  Enjoy John's story, and join us in relishing that an essentially unsponsored rider can get out there and absolutely crush the competition.

Throughout Season 5, we walked you through the entirety of the Leadville 100 MTB course, going into detail that only 30 combined finishes could provide. This is the collection of each of those segments, from the starting line to the Columbine Mine...and back. At nearly four hours long, this should keep you company for at least a couple good long training rides (or your next road trip). Enjoy!

This is it -- the final episode of Season 5: Fatty's recap of the 2022 race. He goes into what went right, what went wrong, what he learned (yes, you can still learn things the 24th time you do this race) and whether he'll ever race the LT100 on a singlespeed again.  Thanks for listening to our show, and we'll see you next year...on the starting line!

While you were racing (or crewing, or spectating) the Leadville 100, there were literally thousands of other people on the course, each having a remarkable experience. Hottie was out there, with a mic, capturing those stories. Whether you were in Leaadville or just wish you were, you do NOT want to miss this episode!

Fatty and Hottie join a wide array of experts to talk you through your final prep for the big race. Merilee and Ken welcome you to the family, two-time-defending champion Rose Grant describes her race strategy and why it doesn't change depending on others, Tamira Jenlink and Ryan Cross underscore the most important things you should think about for the race (including the weather), and two of the smartest and most-experienced cycling minds we know of -- Josh Poertner of Silca and pro racer Jeremiah Bishop -- give you tips for the best, most successful race you can have this weekend. This is a can't-miss, information- and inspiration-packed episode!

Fatty's a lucky guy: not only is Hottie an amazing podcast co-host, he's also an experienced Leadville racer and crew chief. When you add to that the fact that both he and Mrs Hottie are detail oriented and fast on their feet, well...you've got a LT100 crew that dreams are made of. In this episode, Hottie and Mrs Hottie share their secrets for crewing success. You -- and your crew -- will not want to miss it!