No Matter What it Takes
Notoriously unyielding and not for the faint of heart: Leadville Trail 100 MTB calls those willing to dig deep and push their minds, bodies and souls to their absolute limits.
Our squad of women and men made us proud last weekend. These are their accounts of the big day out.
Sarah Lange
5TH
"I am so excited to have snagged the last podium spot and end up 5th at my first Leadville 100 MTB! Mountain biking is new for me and I am continuing to improve my technical skills so it is rewarding to see the progress I have made. I felt strong on the climbs and used that to work my way up through the field and make up for time lost on the descents. Eager to swap back to the more familiar gravel bike at SBT this weekend and see if I can continue to feel strong at altitude!"
Shop Sarah's Luxe Bib Shorts
Deanna Mayles
7TH
"I was excited for the women's only start for Leadville, which was the first time this happened in the history of the race. It was hard to imagine all the different scenarios of how this could play out, but I was determined to race at the front no matter what it took.
Although the start was slower than the previous year, the effort was much harder as there was fewer drafting opportunities.
Once we hit Sugarloaf about an hour in, the group dwindled down from 40 to 6. The first significant downhill of Powerline, I let a gap form and that unfortunately defined the day. It was nice to have a racing companion in both Ellen Campbell and Sarah Lange to and from Columbine. "
Shop Deanna's Concept Jersey
"The last two hours of the race back up Powerline were all about staying motivated and positive in order to finish strong. Mental strength is the most important factor this late into Leadville. Overall, I had a great day and a 7th place result gives me hope and opportunity for improvement in the next edition. "
Lance Haidet
16TH
"Leadville is a special race. So much history, an amazing energy and atmosphere, and a truly brutal course at elevations that most living creatures struggle to survive. This was my second year racing, and man, it was even more painful than I remembered. I tried to conserve the effort a bit on the first two climbs, hoping that the race would come back together before Columbine.
Unfortunately, that was not the case this year. I put in a solid effort up Columbine and made up a few places but found myself solo for the 25 miles of flat, headwind back to the Powerline climb. I dug deep to try and hold onto my position from there to the finish and ended up coming across the line in 16th (13th in the Grand Prix). I was hoping to land a bit higher on the results sheet, but honestly can’t be too bummed, as I beat my previous time by right around 10 minutes. Already looking forward to giving it another crack next year!"
Shop Lance's Concept Bib Shorts
Alex Howes
25TH
"Leadville was a mixed bag. A hard start and a very frustrating flat that took a full 6min to fix put me on the back foot early. I cried myself a small river then got swimming. It sucks when luck doesn’t fall your way, but the gratitude soars when the body does what’s asked of it. Killer views, good sensations and all those gritty Leadville vibes have me riding a Rocky Mountain high off of a day that looked to be starting off as a real low.
Fist bumps & high fives to all the hero’s that finished today. Hugs & praise to all those crazy enough to toe the line."
Shop Alex's Ultralight Jersey
Up next SBT GRVL
But that’s not all, friends. We’re in the truck bound for Steamboat, CO. with Rosie the Airstream and will see you at SBT GRVL this weekend. Come pay us a visit!
