[Big news from the Leadville race organization - those of you who want to see the action live can do so for $6 - how can you beat that?]
Historic First for the Leadville Trail 100
For the first time in its 27 year history the Leadville Trail 100 will be hosting a LIVE stream web cast of one of its ultra endurance races. On August 15 an international web audience will know who the 2009 LT100 MTB champion is the moment it happens. The action, tension and drama of the world’s toughest 100 mile mountain bike race will be captured in 4 live web casts throughout the 12 hour race.
Versatile Productions of Carbondale in conjunction with Leadville video producer Karen Rinehart will produce 4 live 1/2 hour video segments of the race: at the starting line, 3 hours into the race, as the first racers cross the finish line, and at the 12 hour cutoff.
They will specifically cover the progress and finish of celebrity riders such as 6-time LT100 champion, Dave Wiens, as well as international biking legends Lance Armstrong and Tinker Juarez.
In addition to all the race action, the production will include: profiles of Leadville and Lake County, LT100 founder interviews, "Man on the Street" interviews and stories, local color, as well as race results, and LT100 sponsor interviews. Not only is the live stream web cast a first for the LT100, but also for Leadville.
So, if last year’s mountain bike race was touted as the “David and Goliath” showdown, tune in online August 15 to watch the sequel: “David and Goliath II: The Return of Lance.”
In 2008, Wiens successfully defended his title by beating Armstrong by just under 2 minutes and setting a new course record of 6:45:45. But before the bikes were wiped down and last year’s awards were presented the whisper had already begun: who will win in 2009?
LT100 organizers decided to answer the whisper with a roar. In fact, last year’s race demonstrated how significant a role the internet played when over 90,000 people logged on to the LT100 web site within a 24-hour period to see the race time results. Imagine that number when viewers can see the event live!
“When we started the Leadville Trail 100 twenty-seven years ago, our singular purpose was for the Leadville community to benefit financially from the races. That goal continues to be met by assisting local businesses with today’s economic hardships by bringing people into town,” says LT100 President Ken Chlouber. “This live stream web cast will benefit our local community in monumental ways, allowing thousands and thousands of people to tune in live to see the race, as well as what a great town this is!”
Versatile has been in production for several months now, interviewing racers and volunteers, in addition to community leaders, students who received a LT100 Legacy Scholarship and LT100 participants who have chosen to make Leadville their second home.
Racing enthusiasts interested in subscribing to the live stream web cast may do so by signing up at the LT100 web site: www.leadvilletrail100.com The cost is only $5.95 for all FOUR live streams and purchases my be made through the security of Pay Pal at the Trail 100 web site. Don’t delay, get online and order yours today. Be a part of this historic once-in-a-lifetime event!
Thank You,
Kathy Bedell
Public Relations Manager
Leadville Trail 100
(719) 486-3502
www.leadvilletrail100.com
Monday, August 3, 2009
I was doing GREAT…
I was doing GREAT…until I WASN’T!
[Guest blog # 2 by Phil Kriz]
Laramie Enduro – 111K or about 70 miles
This weekend Joanne and I took a road trip up to Laramie, Wyoming to participate in our favorite mountain bike race – the Laramie Enduro.
The Leadville 100 is the race that we train for all year and Leadville is by far a tougher endurance challenge, however since we use the Laramie Enduro as a training race it takes the pressure off and ups the fun factor!
Combine less stress over our performance with only 400 racers, wonderful race volunteers, incredible beautiful views, and the fun factor goes WAY up!
Joanne has said several times that it is too bad that it is a race, because she would like to just stop and enjoy the views - beautiful grass pastures with granite outcrops. Since we are racing, I have never stopped to take a picture, however I have noticed several racers stopping to do just that.
Driving to Laramie
If you have not taken the road from Ft Collins, Colorado to Laramie, Wyoming in the summer – it is definitely worth your time. Rolling undeveloped grass lands with cool granite outcrops heading into the Eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains.
As in years past, we drove into an incredibly ugly looking rain storm perched over Laramie and the low mountains to the East where the race is held.
We drove straight to the Fine Edge bike shop that hosts the race and registration. It was raining and looked like it was going to get really nasty.
Watching the rain, I kept thinking how lucky we were that we could afford a nice hotel rather than camping like many of the racers!
This year the registration process was totally dialed in compared to years past and there was no waiting in line to get registered - which was good for my ego. There are some pretty fit people that do these races, and it can be pretty intimidating standing in line with them and comparing my legs to theirs . . .
Friday night it rained hard until about 3 am, but true to the weather forecast we woke up to clear and sunny skies!
Race Day
We woke at 4 am to get breakfast early enough for it to digest before the race started at 7 am. We drove up to the race start/finish eleven miles East of Laramie and found a great parking spot. We set up our trainers to practice our coach’s race warm-up routine and proceeded to make a ton of noise with our knobby tires on the trainers. I felt sorry for the people parked next to us who were getting ready in quiet solitude until we showed up.
After warming up and changing to non-sweaty clothes we only had 15 minutes to get to the starting line - which eliminated a lot of standing around nervous time for me.
Right before the race started Joanne told me she was going do the race as a long tempo ride and not get caught up in the race part of it. I said I was going to push it, but not try to blow up.
So, we started a little more forward than in the past when we have purposely started close to dead last. I was hoping to not get caught up in slow lines on the beginning single track as in prior years.
About ten minutes into the race I noticed that Joanne had gotten ahead of me. So much for not getting caught up in the race! I kicked it up a little harder and managed to get ahead of her and then concentrated on trying to put some distance between us.
The First Fall
I was feeling great and climbing pretty well. We got off of some jeep trails and headed into single track in the trees. By this time, I had managed to put some distance ahead of the people behind me. (Keep in mind I am not even close nor never will be close to the front of the pack – to be in the front of the back 1/3 is good for me!)
The single track in the tree section was wet from the rain and criss-crossed with lots of tree roots. I noticed my “fast” small block Kenda tires were slipping on the roots and I really started concentrating on avoiding the roots or hitting them as square as possible. Just then a nasty root attacked and WHAM - I was down on my left side.
The first thing that went through my mind, was “GREAT - that didn’t even hurt! Hey, the bike is fine – quick get going before the next person catches you!” So, I took off no worse for wear and feeling quite lucky!!!
The Seven Mile Hill
The Laramie Enduro has a steep jeep trail at the seven mile mark that historically hurts a lot of people. Last year this hill caused 5 broken collar bones and one broken back. The hill is pretty much straight down and looks pretty harmless, until you notice that you are going over 30 mph and the road is covered with small round eroded granite pebbles.
Then come the ruts and then bad things happen very, very quickly.
Since we have done this race several times before, I rode the brakes the whole way and prayed Joanne would do the same.
Whoop-Dee-Doos
The next seven miles have some very fast sections with water control berms that I call Whoop-Dee-Doos. You have to make sure you are off your saddle or they can buck you right over your handle bars.
A guy passed me and was jumping off of them, so I started to do the same thing. It was a ton of fun! But after about eight of them, I figured I had pushed my luck far enough and it was time to start riding more in control.
Mile 14
So, next I am riding down a smooth gravel road that is slightly downhill pedaling about 25 mph. Feeling great, glad that it is the best weather we have ever experienced in this race, and thinking I am really going to kick Joanne’s butt this year!
My front tire hits a soft spot in road, kicks right and WHAM - I fly-swat onto my left hip and back, slamming both elbows into the road and blowing a hole in my Camelbak.
I am laying there with the breath completely knocked out of me wondering: “Did I break anything? It is going to totally hurt trying to get my breath back. Is someone going to run over me?”
Then several racers came up and got me out of the road. The gal who helped me to my feet said “The leg is weight bearing – doesn’t look broken.” The guy who got my bike out of the road said “Good job – sacrifice the body to save the bike!” The second guy brushed dirt off me, saying “nice war wound.”
I told them to keep going with their race, and took several minutes to try to tell if something was broken and get my breath back. I could tell immediately that my collar bone was OK. But I was worried that I might have cracked ribs or a messed up vertebrae up high in my back on the left side (really painful under the left scapula).
Since it was downhill at that point, I got back on my bike and started easy pedaling to further check out the pain level. I was still pretty shook up when I hit the aid station at 18 miles, and I decided to keep going.
Big Mistake.
I just felt worse and worse from that point, but I then had to keep going to aid station #2 at 32 miles before I could quit. I was really having trouble breathing and steering was causing a lot of pain. I knew I was going to crash again if I kept going.
Just Plain Lucky
A volunteer at aid station #2 drove me back to the start/finish and on the drive back she said she was a massage therapist and needed to get back there to set up to start working at 1 pm. I quickly asked is she minded starting working earlier …. on me!
She said no problem, and worked 1 hour and 45 minutes on me - that really, really helped. I still felt like I might have some cracked ribs, but she was able to loosen up part of my back, my hip and shoulder.
I then took a nap, and got to cheer on my team mate Joanne as she came in 6 hours after I crashed. She looked fresh and ready for even more riding. She is clearly ready for Leadville!
I am Hoping . . .
Today (Sunday), thanks to the massage and a lot of icing I have a somef range of motion back, but it is limited and I still am in a lot of pain.
Rolling out of bed is almost impossible, but once I am standing I feel pretty good.
I can lift a bike up on the rack with some pain, however the pain makes me light-headed; trying to to bend over to pick anything off the ground takes my breath away it hurts so bad.
So, here's hoping 10 days is enough recovery time to tackle a 12-hour mountain bike race!
[Guest blog # 2 by Phil Kriz]
Laramie Enduro – 111K or about 70 miles
This weekend Joanne and I took a road trip up to Laramie, Wyoming to participate in our favorite mountain bike race – the Laramie Enduro.
The Leadville 100 is the race that we train for all year and Leadville is by far a tougher endurance challenge, however since we use the Laramie Enduro as a training race it takes the pressure off and ups the fun factor!
Combine less stress over our performance with only 400 racers, wonderful race volunteers, incredible beautiful views, and the fun factor goes WAY up!
Joanne has said several times that it is too bad that it is a race, because she would like to just stop and enjoy the views - beautiful grass pastures with granite outcrops. Since we are racing, I have never stopped to take a picture, however I have noticed several racers stopping to do just that.
Driving to Laramie
If you have not taken the road from Ft Collins, Colorado to Laramie, Wyoming in the summer – it is definitely worth your time. Rolling undeveloped grass lands with cool granite outcrops heading into the Eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains.
As in years past, we drove into an incredibly ugly looking rain storm perched over Laramie and the low mountains to the East where the race is held.
We drove straight to the Fine Edge bike shop that hosts the race and registration. It was raining and looked like it was going to get really nasty.
Watching the rain, I kept thinking how lucky we were that we could afford a nice hotel rather than camping like many of the racers!
This year the registration process was totally dialed in compared to years past and there was no waiting in line to get registered - which was good for my ego. There are some pretty fit people that do these races, and it can be pretty intimidating standing in line with them and comparing my legs to theirs . . .
Friday night it rained hard until about 3 am, but true to the weather forecast we woke up to clear and sunny skies!
Race Day
We woke at 4 am to get breakfast early enough for it to digest before the race started at 7 am. We drove up to the race start/finish eleven miles East of Laramie and found a great parking spot. We set up our trainers to practice our coach’s race warm-up routine and proceeded to make a ton of noise with our knobby tires on the trainers. I felt sorry for the people parked next to us who were getting ready in quiet solitude until we showed up.
After warming up and changing to non-sweaty clothes we only had 15 minutes to get to the starting line - which eliminated a lot of standing around nervous time for me.
Right before the race started Joanne told me she was going do the race as a long tempo ride and not get caught up in the race part of it. I said I was going to push it, but not try to blow up.
So, we started a little more forward than in the past when we have purposely started close to dead last. I was hoping to not get caught up in slow lines on the beginning single track as in prior years.
About ten minutes into the race I noticed that Joanne had gotten ahead of me. So much for not getting caught up in the race! I kicked it up a little harder and managed to get ahead of her and then concentrated on trying to put some distance between us.
The First Fall
I was feeling great and climbing pretty well. We got off of some jeep trails and headed into single track in the trees. By this time, I had managed to put some distance ahead of the people behind me. (Keep in mind I am not even close nor never will be close to the front of the pack – to be in the front of the back 1/3 is good for me!)
The single track in the tree section was wet from the rain and criss-crossed with lots of tree roots. I noticed my “fast” small block Kenda tires were slipping on the roots and I really started concentrating on avoiding the roots or hitting them as square as possible. Just then a nasty root attacked and WHAM - I was down on my left side.
The first thing that went through my mind, was “GREAT - that didn’t even hurt! Hey, the bike is fine – quick get going before the next person catches you!” So, I took off no worse for wear and feeling quite lucky!!!
The Seven Mile Hill
The Laramie Enduro has a steep jeep trail at the seven mile mark that historically hurts a lot of people. Last year this hill caused 5 broken collar bones and one broken back. The hill is pretty much straight down and looks pretty harmless, until you notice that you are going over 30 mph and the road is covered with small round eroded granite pebbles.
Then come the ruts and then bad things happen very, very quickly.
Since we have done this race several times before, I rode the brakes the whole way and prayed Joanne would do the same.
Whoop-Dee-Doos
The next seven miles have some very fast sections with water control berms that I call Whoop-Dee-Doos. You have to make sure you are off your saddle or they can buck you right over your handle bars.
A guy passed me and was jumping off of them, so I started to do the same thing. It was a ton of fun! But after about eight of them, I figured I had pushed my luck far enough and it was time to start riding more in control.
Mile 14
So, next I am riding down a smooth gravel road that is slightly downhill pedaling about 25 mph. Feeling great, glad that it is the best weather we have ever experienced in this race, and thinking I am really going to kick Joanne’s butt this year!
My front tire hits a soft spot in road, kicks right and WHAM - I fly-swat onto my left hip and back, slamming both elbows into the road and blowing a hole in my Camelbak.
I am laying there with the breath completely knocked out of me wondering: “Did I break anything? It is going to totally hurt trying to get my breath back. Is someone going to run over me?”
Then several racers came up and got me out of the road. The gal who helped me to my feet said “The leg is weight bearing – doesn’t look broken.” The guy who got my bike out of the road said “Good job – sacrifice the body to save the bike!” The second guy brushed dirt off me, saying “nice war wound.”
I told them to keep going with their race, and took several minutes to try to tell if something was broken and get my breath back. I could tell immediately that my collar bone was OK. But I was worried that I might have cracked ribs or a messed up vertebrae up high in my back on the left side (really painful under the left scapula).
Since it was downhill at that point, I got back on my bike and started easy pedaling to further check out the pain level. I was still pretty shook up when I hit the aid station at 18 miles, and I decided to keep going.
Big Mistake.
I just felt worse and worse from that point, but I then had to keep going to aid station #2 at 32 miles before I could quit. I was really having trouble breathing and steering was causing a lot of pain. I knew I was going to crash again if I kept going.
Just Plain Lucky
A volunteer at aid station #2 drove me back to the start/finish and on the drive back she said she was a massage therapist and needed to get back there to set up to start working at 1 pm. I quickly asked is she minded starting working earlier …. on me!
She said no problem, and worked 1 hour and 45 minutes on me - that really, really helped. I still felt like I might have some cracked ribs, but she was able to loosen up part of my back, my hip and shoulder.
I then took a nap, and got to cheer on my team mate Joanne as she came in 6 hours after I crashed. She looked fresh and ready for even more riding. She is clearly ready for Leadville!
I am Hoping . . .
Today (Sunday), thanks to the massage and a lot of icing I have a somef range of motion back, but it is limited and I still am in a lot of pain.
Rolling out of bed is almost impossible, but once I am standing I feel pretty good.
I can lift a bike up on the rack with some pain, however the pain makes me light-headed; trying to to bend over to pick anything off the ground takes my breath away it hurts so bad.
So, here's hoping 10 days is enough recovery time to tackle a 12-hour mountain bike race!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Laramie Enduro 2009
In 2005 and 2007 we rode/raced the Laramie Enduro as a final fitness test before Leadville. We decided to stick with that routine this year, too, so Friday found us loading up our gear and heading out for the 3 hour drive to Laramie.
The Enduro is by far my favorite cycling event. The field is small – between 400 and 450 riders. The course is unique – as the race organizer describes it:
Situated in the Laramie Range of Southeastern Wyoming, this course covers some of the best mountain bike track in the region. The course is a fast and extremely fun loop, covering no ground twice. It includes virtually every kind of trail and surface a mountain biker is likely to encounter in the Rockies, from wildlife trails to single track to dirt roads.
The course is a challenging 70+ miles which climbs over 8,600 vertical feet, all at elevations over 7,500 feet. You race over high grass plains, through serene aspen and pine forests, and through the renowned rock-climbing venue of the Vedauwoo (pronounced Veda-Voo) Recreation Area.
It was only when I got back to the car (climbing that steep hill, yet again) that I found out he had crashed at mile 14 and was forced to drop out of the race at the second aid station (about mile 32).
The Enduro is by far my favorite cycling event. The field is small – between 400 and 450 riders. The course is unique – as the race organizer describes it:
Situated in the Laramie Range of Southeastern Wyoming, this course covers some of the best mountain bike track in the region. The course is a fast and extremely fun loop, covering no ground twice. It includes virtually every kind of trail and surface a mountain biker is likely to encounter in the Rockies, from wildlife trails to single track to dirt roads.
The course is a challenging 70+ miles which climbs over 8,600 vertical feet, all at elevations over 7,500 feet. You race over high grass plains, through serene aspen and pine forests, and through the renowned rock-climbing venue of the Vedauwoo (pronounced Veda-Voo) Recreation Area.
Friday evening it rained. It was the kind of rain that makes you look around for Noah and an Ark – sheets of water coursing down for several hours without respite. Luckily, we knew that the course is very sandy, so while there would likely be puddles and some boggy sections, most of the course would be rideable.
Saturday morning we were up at 4 am in order to get bikes and gear loaded and breakfast eaten (bagels with peanut butter – our pre-ride staple). We then drove out to the race start at the Hidden Valley picnic area off of I-80, got parked, set up our trainers and did a 25 minute warm up. Toweled off, geared up, and checked in for the 7 am race start – with 20 minutes to spare – just time enough to stand in the port-a-potty line – whew!!
My plan was to use the event as a high-intensity, long duration training ride – not to actually “race.” So I hung back at the start and let the folks who were in a hurry take off. There is fairly steep, short climb right out of the gate, so I ended up passing quite a few people on that – we have learned this year how much being warmed up before the start helps in those first few minutes. After about ½ a mile of climbing on the county road, the course takes a sharp right onto single track – and things start to get messy because there is a big jam up of riders. Eventually it sorted itself out, and we were off.
Phil was behind me on that section, but when the single track ended and we got back on a two track, he took off. I kept him in sight and just rode my own pace. At mile 7, there was a sketchy downhill section - very steep, rutted, very loose granite material and reclaimed 2-track. Phil pulled away a bit at that point and I let him go.
From that point on I settled into my all day pace – just a little bit harder than comfortable, but not so hard that I would blow up. I felt really good all day – I rode several sections of the course that I’ve had to walk in prior years.
I kept my eye out for Phil all day, but didn’t see him. I assumed he was just having a killer day and was crushing me. I was even sort of okay with that, because I knew he planned to “race,” rather than “ride.”
When I came off the Headquarters Trail ½ a mile from the finish line, Phil was there to take pictures. [I didn’t know it was him at first, and there was big dog charging at me too, so my expression is kind of weird. Hey, gimme a break, I just spent almost 9 hours riding my mountain bike 70 miles. At that point I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.]
I said “how long have you been waiting for me?” I expected him to say 45 minutes, or maybe even an hour. He said “6 hours.” I still had to ride to the finish, so I just thought “smart ass” and rode by.
Saturday morning we were up at 4 am in order to get bikes and gear loaded and breakfast eaten (bagels with peanut butter – our pre-ride staple). We then drove out to the race start at the Hidden Valley picnic area off of I-80, got parked, set up our trainers and did a 25 minute warm up. Toweled off, geared up, and checked in for the 7 am race start – with 20 minutes to spare – just time enough to stand in the port-a-potty line – whew!!
My plan was to use the event as a high-intensity, long duration training ride – not to actually “race.” So I hung back at the start and let the folks who were in a hurry take off. There is fairly steep, short climb right out of the gate, so I ended up passing quite a few people on that – we have learned this year how much being warmed up before the start helps in those first few minutes. After about ½ a mile of climbing on the county road, the course takes a sharp right onto single track – and things start to get messy because there is a big jam up of riders. Eventually it sorted itself out, and we were off.
Phil was behind me on that section, but when the single track ended and we got back on a two track, he took off. I kept him in sight and just rode my own pace. At mile 7, there was a sketchy downhill section - very steep, rutted, very loose granite material and reclaimed 2-track. Phil pulled away a bit at that point and I let him go.
From that point on I settled into my all day pace – just a little bit harder than comfortable, but not so hard that I would blow up. I felt really good all day – I rode several sections of the course that I’ve had to walk in prior years.
I kept my eye out for Phil all day, but didn’t see him. I assumed he was just having a killer day and was crushing me. I was even sort of okay with that, because I knew he planned to “race,” rather than “ride.”
When I came off the Headquarters Trail ½ a mile from the finish line, Phil was there to take pictures. [I didn’t know it was him at first, and there was big dog charging at me too, so my expression is kind of weird. Hey, gimme a break, I just spent almost 9 hours riding my mountain bike 70 miles. At that point I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.]
I said “how long have you been waiting for me?” I expected him to say 45 minutes, or maybe even an hour. He said “6 hours.” I still had to ride to the finish, so I just thought “smart ass” and rode by.
It was only when I got back to the car (climbing that steep hill, yet again) that I found out he had crashed at mile 14 and was forced to drop out of the race at the second aid station (about mile 32). He may have cracked a rib, we’re not sure. At the least he strained the ligaments between his ribs. He is in a lot of pain – especially if he draws in deep breaths.
For now it is day to day on whether he’ll be in any condition to ride at Leadville.
He is trying to keep a good attitude, but he’s worried. I’m preaching patience, ice and Advil. I’ll keep you posted.
As for me – the Enduro was a great experience. I don’t know what my time was at Laramie in 2005 – I was just glad to finish the ride. I had never done anything like that – a “real” mountain bike race with single track and technical stuff. In 2007 I finished in about 9 hours and 20 minutes. This year I finished in 8:53:27.
So, as a fitness test – I’d say I’m ready. Let’s just hope my buddy gets to ride, too!
He is trying to keep a good attitude, but he’s worried. I’m preaching patience, ice and Advil. I’ll keep you posted.
As for me – the Enduro was a great experience. I don’t know what my time was at Laramie in 2005 – I was just glad to finish the ride. I had never done anything like that – a “real” mountain bike race with single track and technical stuff. In 2007 I finished in about 9 hours and 20 minutes. This year I finished in 8:53:27.
So, as a fitness test – I’d say I’m ready. Let’s just hope my buddy gets to ride, too!
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