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

In just a few weeks, Jeff Leenhouts is going for his 25th finish at the Leadville Trail 100. And despite a rather...unique...approach to training and fueling, Jeff has an amazingly consistent record at the Race Across the Sky.  If you're looking for great stories from a guy who loves this race and the people who race it, look no further. You're going to love this episode.  

If you're looking for inspiration, this is the episode for you. Roxanne Hall — a Leadville local, businesswoman, athlete, and artist — has finished the Leadville 100 more times than any other woman...in spite of chronic pain from a terrible crash years ago. In this episode, Roxanne shares amazing stories, motivation, and practical advice based on her decades of racing experience in Leadville and around the world. Do not miss it!

Leadville is a legendary place to most of us, so what does it mean to be one of the local legends there? Marvin Sandoval would know.  He's consistently a sub-nine-hour finisher of the LT100, has raced the Leadman nine times and has won the series twice. Along the way he's collected a lot of great stories and valuable information for anyone who races the Leadville 100. Enjoy!

In endurance racing, little improvements can add up to big differences. That's why we have Adam Kerin of Zero Friction Cycling as our guest. He runs an entire testing center dedicated to chains and lubrication. We asked Adam to focus on the conditions we see in the Leadville Trail 100 and how we can save valuable time with some smart drivetrain choices.

Earl Walker knows how to get around on two wheels. He's been a pro downhill mountain biker. He's completed the Leadville ten times.  And if you've raced the Leadville 100 in the past nine or so years, you've no doubt noticed him at some point in the race. That's because Earl is riding the moto, out in front of the lead racers. From there, he has the best seat in the house of the race, and he's got a million amazing stories. What it's like to tear down Columbine at 50mph while clearing the way for cyclists going nearly that fast. Doing impromptu traffic control. Things he's seen up front that nobody else has ever seen. Earl's a great guy with a unique vantage point, and you are going to love his stories about the race we all love.

Heath Speckman is a Leadville State Trooper, an Air Force Veteran, and a one-time MMA fighter. And those are the things we hardly even touch on in this episode. Because Heath is also the guy who Everested by riding up and down Columbine over and over. And Heath is the guy who rode the Leadville course every week for 8 weeks last summer. And in short, Heath is the nicest guy who will ever tear your legs off in the race. 

You may know Peter Stetina from his World Tour days. Or you may know him from his fourth-place finish in the 2019 Leadville 100. But we connected with him because we heard he had a great story to tell about his very recent attempt to set a new record on the 142-mile Kokopelli Trail (Moab-Loma). It's a great story on its own merits, but a ride of this distance for a pro like Pete is also hyper-relevant for Leadville racers...because that means Pete was out riding about as long as many of us take to do the LT100. Enjoy this story—and learn a ton—from a guy who makes a living doing crazy-long rides.

We’re joined by the host of the popular Youtube channel Hardtail Party for this episode. Steve has a deeper understanding of the pros and cons of hardtails as your everyday ride than just about anyone, and has some extraordinary recommendations on how to select your next bike (but you may be surprised what he recommends for a Leadville racer). Enjoy this episode with an incredibly smart guy with a very smart channel and a really great riding philosophy.  

John Croom has NOT raced the Leadville 100. Yet. But that’s about all he has not done. He’s on Team USA for track cycling, was an Olympic hopeful, and holds the national record in track cycling’s team pursuit competition. And now — like the rest of us — he's getting ready to race the Leadville 100. Unlike most of us, however, he does not own a mountain bike. Somehow, we don't think that's going to stop this inspiring racer.   

This episode is an answer to a question many racers have asked a number of times: is the Leadville 100 actually a great GRAVEL bike course? Well, we found a guy who — along with a few friends — has taken this question way beyond the “thought experiment” stage. Stephen Fitzgerald of Boulder Colorado — owner of Rodeo Adventure Labs, a small bike company with some VERY capable gravel racing bikes — set out to race the Leadville 100 on his Trail Donkey...not just to finish, but in search of a sub-EIGHT race time. Whether you're actually interested in trying this course on a gravel bike or just flummoxed by why anyone would try, we guarantee: you're going to LOVE Stephen's honest, insightful, and hilarious telling of his race.