The Talk

Phil and I haven’t yet had “the Talk.”

The “are we doing the Leadville 100 again in 2010” talk.

As you may recall, previously we made a deal that we wouldn’t try to ride Leadville (and more importantly devote ourselves to the necessary training) every year. We were on an every other year schedule: 2005, 2007, 2009, etc.

Phil’s broken ribs and resultant scratch from the 2009 edition of the race puts us in a quandary.

The Lottery
Entry into the Leadville 100 is dependent on a lottery. You send in your money and your entry form, and 6 weeks later you find out whether you are one of the chosen few. Lance Armstrong’s participation in the event, and the ensuing publicity, has made those entry slots hard to come by.

However . . . the lottery isn’t exactly a straight-up-blind-pull-the-number-out-of-a-hat deal.

First, riders who have completed 5 or more Leadville races seem to get priority placement. The race directors seem to understand those folks are going for the 1,000 mile buckle (which is bigger than your head). [If you finish 10 Leadville races you get the 1,000 mile buckle. Our friend Chris got his this year – it is a huge accomplishment and a coveted trophy in the mountain biking community.]

Second, people who volunteer at the Leadville events get priority, too. [The race directors are darn smart. They have this event with more people who want to do it than slots available. It is an event that requires lots of people to support it. Bingo. You want in? Volunteer. It creates a built-in feeder pool of volunteers.]

Third, if you had an entry slot in the race – say in 2009 – but were unable to race due to a legitimate reason – like several broken ribs – you may be given priority in the following year. This priority may not, however, extend for 2 years.

So . . . if we decide to race in 2010 we are 99% sure we’ll get selected in the “lottery.”

If we take 2010 off, and try again 2011, our chances of getting in the race are about 50 – 50. We would certainly volunteer at the 2010 edition of the race (it is a lot of work, but it is fun and energizing, too), but volunteering only gives some priority – it isn’t a guarantee of entry.

We’ll have The Talk after Labor Day. Any bets on what we’ll decide?