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

This is it: the season's final episode. Like in other seasons, we end with Fatty's race report...but this was no ordinary day on the course for Fatty. In this episode, he talks about what it's like to do his 25th Leadville 100...less than three months after a C2-C5 spine fusion. 

The 2023 Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race is now behind us and it's time to look back at the day. Hottie and Fatty talk about and with scores of racers, chatting about Keegan's record-breaking day, how numerous former guests did, and even a few surprising statistics. Enjoy this 2023 retrospective!

Hottie and Fatty talk about their Top 15 Tips -- five each for racers, crew, and spectators -- as we get close to race day. Whether you're out there on your bike trying to get yourself to the red carpet, taking care of your (let's face it) crazy cyclist, or just hanging out at Twin Lakes Dam watching this incredible race unfold, this is an episode you do not want to miss!

Nate Whitman joins the show to answer a whole slew of your questions about preparing for, executing, and recovering from the Leadville 100. We're also incredibly excited to have details on this year's podcast group ride. Don't miss this episode!

We've never raced the Leadville 100 with a power meter, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. There's a lot to be learned from racing with power, and a good case to be made for it. Coach Jonathan Lee of TrainerRoad joins us to make that case.  We also take on the question of whether it's worth the time and travel for flatlanders to spend less time in Leadville, and more at a midway point (altitude-wise) like Denver. For once, Hottie and Fatty actually agree on the answer. Astonishing!

LT100MTB Race Director Tamira Jenlink joins the show to catch us up with what's changed, what's new, and how to be have a great day on the course. We ask her about course changes, crewing, parking, shuttles, road closures, new aid stations, weather and smoke problems, qualifiers, aero bars and bar ends, and much more. It's a packed hour of info you need to know; don't miss this episode!

At some point, you're going to wish you'd listened more closely to this episode. And we're betting that point is as you're riding inbound from Pipeline to the base of Powerline and confronting a headwind that can charitably be called "evil." The fact is, we all think about iconic climbs when we think of Leadville, but you'll spend far more time on rolling and flat terrain than you will on Columbine and Powerline. So: being aero matters. And this episode, we have two true experts to help you cheat the wind on race day.

This podcast has always been about regular people who are racing the Leadville 100: real people with real jobs and families, who find a way to do something big and bold: ride the highest and hardest one-day race in the country.  Natalie Dyksterhouse is doing exactly that. She has a career (as does her husband). She has two young children. And this year, she will be racing the LT100 for the first time.  But while ANYONE who does this race (especially the first time) is doing something pretty amazing, Natalie is upping the ante: she's planning to win it. No, she's not going for an age group podium, she's going for a straight-up win. We love this big goal, and you'll love this dark-horse story. Don't miss this episode!

Not everyone has dozens of crewpeople available to deposit at each aid station along the course, so in this episode Hottie and Fatty give their advice for where to situate your crew if you have one person to help you. We also bring back Dr Kevin Sprouse for practical guidance on being fast by staying cool. Don't miss this episode!

Dr Allen Lim joins the podcast for a second time this season, this time to guide us through race day nutrition strategies. We also talk about one of the key factors in this race: altitude. You know that all of the LT100 is way up there, but how much time do you actually spend at what altitudes? The answer may surprise (and encourage!) you.

A lot of living happens between lottery registration day and race day, and sometimes that means you have to make a decision: do you line up and race, or do you defer? Fatty's confronting that question right this second, so obviously we get into it -- plus we have info about the deferral policy that we're pretty sure will be news to most people. We're also EXTREMELY pleased to welcome Alison Tetrick back to the show, with her story of racing the LT100 for the first time. While Ali's one of the fastest people we know, she's also about 10X more genuine and relatable than most pros; we guarantee you'll love and identify with her story.  This is an episode about making tough decisions. Don't miss it!

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!