It’s 4:50am. Less than two hours ’til the race begins. I’m making final preparations. Like eating breakfast. making weather-based clothes decisions. And this:
Because you never know when you might want a packet of mayonnaise.
Don’t worry, there’s another packet on the other side, for balance and artistic symmetry.
As you can see, I’m taking this race very, very seriously, as befitting a very, very serious racer.
The top 100 returning Leadville riders get a red, white and blue
wristband, allowing us into a special starting area at the front of
the line. So I’m showing this off at every available opportunity.
Too bad I’m too fat and slow this year to put this to good use!
Elden
Before I begin, there’s something I want to make clear, so you don’t think I am afraid of climbing a few stairs: My office is on the fourth floor of an office building, and I always take the stairs. Several times per day. Without really getting winded.
But the stairs at the Delaware Hotel in Leadville, Colorado, completely clean my clock. And not just my clock. Everyone’s clock. Kenny’s clock, for example, just got cleaned when he climbed the stairs.
There are two reasons.
1. The altitude. We’re at 10,200 feet here. That takes some getting used to. I’m not certain why climbing a couple sets of stairs leaves us panting where several miles on a mountain bike at the same altitude doesn’t, though. Maybe it’s the suddenness. Yeah, let’s go with that.
2. The stairs themselves. Really, the stairs speak for themselves:
Stairs to the second floor: 
These stairs make me wish I were a better photographer, because then I could more accurately depict how incredibly steep they are. Believe me: they’re ridiculously steep. Vertigo-inducing, even. Could someone who’s climbed these stairs give me an "amen" on this?
And now, the stairs to the third floor: 
Really, these shouldn’t be called stairs at all. They’re more appropriately called "The Demon Spawn of the Union Between Stairs and the Ladder From Hell."
I’m always really happy when I get a room on the second floor. This year, naturally, I got a room on the third.
We’re headed out to Leadville now. Kenny’s wearing his belt with 8 buckles showing his sub-9-hour finishes.
Not available on stores, sadly.
PS: i’ll be posting using the iPhone during the Leadville trip. So expect shortish posts with embarrassing pictures of my friends. And some bad spelling.
Tomorrow I’m headed to Leadville. It’s a simple sentence, but one that makes me go a little bit light-headed.
Why?
Because the Leadville Trail 100 — the race and the days leading up to the race — is my favorite weekend of the year.
Consider how many friends of mine will be there: Kenny, Brad, Bob, Gary, Rick Sunderlage (not his real name), Racer, Bry, Mark, Serena, Lisa, Rich, Jilene, Mike, Dean, Dave, Sam, Nick, and Bill.
And there’s the race directors: Ken and Merilee. After all the help they gave Susan and me last year, they’re friends. The staff of the Delaware Inn are friends of mine. And there are more. Lots more.
Seriously, the Leadville 100 is like a big family reunion for me. Except I know more people at Leadville than I do at family reunions, and I don’t have to try to understand when someone explains that they’re my grandfather’s brother’s half-niece.
At Leadville, on the other hand, the relationships are simple. We’re all friends and riders.
Anyway, every year I like to obsess a little bit about how I’m going to race this high-altitude (12,600 feet at its highest point) 100-mile mountain bike race, and this year is no different.
Well, actually, it’s quite a bit different. For example, I haven’t trained.
But I still like to obsess about it.
So here’s my plan.
What I’m Riding
With my separated shoulder, I have no business trying to — for the first time — ride the Leadville 100 on a single speed.
But I’m going to anyway.
My reasoning is simple: I want to. Also, because I love my WaltWorks bike. It’s a beautiful, lively, simple, and comfortable steel mountain bike.
Shimano XTR cranks (175mm, cuz my toes keep rubbing the front tire when I use 180mm cranks), Magura Marta brakes, Selle SLR saddle, big fat Geax Saguaro tires set to 20psi, and a pink Chris King headset to remind me of who’s tough.
As a concession to my shoulder, I have replaced the carbon fork with a Rockshox Reba suspension fork, set to 60mm of travel.
And a special mention goes out to the On-One Mary bar, which has been a life-changing component. It is incredible: my hands no longer go to sleep, even on long rides. I’m putting this bar on every mountain bike I ever own, for the rest of my life. Respect to Brant and crew.
Feel free to take a moment to leave a mention in the comment section how sexy my bike is.
My Objectives: Plan A, B, and C
Each year, I bring a time goal for the race — an objective I can achieve, provided I really give it everything I’ve got.
This year, though, my primary objective isn’t to finish fast. My primary objective is to finish at all. My secondary objective is to finish fun. Here are the possible fun finish scenarios:
What I Will Eat
On the trail, I will eat Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans, caffeinated watermelon flavor, since the Jelly Belly folks were so kind as to send me a box of them. And because they are super-delicious.
It just occurred to me, by the way, that someone should find a way to add caffeine to real watermelon. I would pay extra for caffeinated watermelon.
I will drink CarboRocket, because it’s the only sports drink in the world that I can consume for 11 hours straight without getting barfy. Brad’s a genius.
And when I finish, I will hustle over to the ice cream store around the corner and buy a big dish of ice cream. Nothing in the world is as delicious, post-race, as ice cream.
Afterward
After the race, I’m going to go take a shower. And then I think I’ll eat some more ice cream. And then a burrito. And then a cube of cheese. And then a hamburger. And then I shall take a nap. And then I will eat again.
See why I love this race?
PS: Free Shipping on Mary Bars! The On-One folks noticed my love of the Mary bar and are celebrating with worldwide free shipping of this bar for a limited time. Pretty darned cool, if you ask me. More details here.
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