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

This podcast has always been about regular people who are racing the Leadville 100: real people with real jobs and families, who find a way to do something big and bold: ride the highest and hardest one-day race in the country.  Natalie Dyksterhouse is doing exactly that. She has a career (as does her husband). She has two young children. And this year, she will be racing the LT100 for the first time.  But while ANYONE who does this race (especially the first time) is doing something pretty amazing, Natalie is upping the ante: she's planning to win it. No, she's not going for an age group podium, she's going for a straight-up win. We love this big goal, and you'll love this dark-horse story. Don't miss this episode!

Not everyone has dozens of crewpeople available to deposit at each aid station along the course, so in this episode Hottie and Fatty give their advice for where to situate your crew if you have one person to help you. We also bring back Dr Kevin Sprouse for practical guidance on being fast by staying cool. Don't miss this episode!

Dr Allen Lim joins the podcast for a second time this season, this time to guide us through race day nutrition strategies. We also talk about one of the key factors in this race: altitude. You know that all of the LT100 is way up there, but how much time do you actually spend at what altitudes? The answer may surprise (and encourage!) you.

A lot of living happens between lottery registration day and race day, and sometimes that means you have to make a decision: do you line up and race, or do you defer? Fatty's confronting that question right this second, so obviously we get into it -- plus we have info about the deferral policy that we're pretty sure will be news to most people. We're also EXTREMELY pleased to welcome Alison Tetrick back to the show, with her story of racing the LT100 for the first time. While Ali's one of the fastest people we know, she's also about 10X more genuine and relatable than most pros; we guarantee you'll love and identify with her story.  This is an episode about making tough decisions. Don't miss it!

If you're ever at a Leadville Party and the energy starts to lag, you know with 100% certainty you can jumpstart the conversation by asking, "So what tires are the best for Leadville?" In reality, though, that question doesn't really make much sense until you understand the anatomy of tires: their composition and performance characteristics. That’s what we aim to do in this show. To help us, we have recruited someone who has no brand loyalty or connection: Velo and Pinkbike Sr Tech Editor Troy Templin. Get ready for some Tire Talk! In our LFAQ section, we focus on another hotly-debated topic: weight. There's a temptation to get as thin as possible for the LT100, and it makes intuitive sense: there's a lot of climbing in this race, and the less you have to drag up to 12,500 feet, the better. But Hottie and Fatty have both tried the "get as skinny as possible" approach and have some different opinions.  This is a practical episode you can definitely use for a better day on the course; don't miss it!  

We're excited to have Dylan Johnson back on the show to talk about how to approach the big X-Factor in the LT100: altitude. Dylan puts thought into every race and every situation and in the case of Leadville, he worked very hard at getting his arrival to high altitude right.  He’s here to share his approach and how the citizen racer can figure out how to lessen the blow of Leadville’s biggest challenge: it’s lack of air. And for our LFAQ, a question sure to spark controversy: is it possible to have your chainring be TOO small?

When you roll up the long red carpet at the end of the LT 100, chances are you're going to hurt. How much you hurt and where you hurt are -- to a degreee -- up to you, but a lot of people certainly experience hand soreness and numbness. In this episode we take a good hard look at this important contact point and get some great expert advice on your grips. 

Dr Allen Lim knows more about sports nutrition than most of us know about...well, anything. And he knows the Leadville course, too. We have a feeling this is going to be one of those episodes that people refer back to, over and over. We also get into the question of how much time we've shaved (or in Fatty's case, increased) between our first and second years of racing the LT100, along with how much time course knowledge buys you. Don't miss this episode!

There was a time when the choice between hardtail and full-suspension bikes at the Leadville 100 was obvious: hardtail if you wanted to be fast and efficient, full-suspension if you wanted to be slow and comfortable. Times have changed, and full-suspension bikes can now be a no-compromise solution for the Race Across the Sky. In today's episode, we get expert advice on setting up your suspension for the Leadville 100, and take a first look at the new Specialized Epic World Cup, arguably a strong contender in the "perfect LT100 machine" contest.

The white corral is not an easy place to kick off the Leadville 100 MTB. There are thousands of riders ahead of you, there’s anxiety, there’s uncertainty, and there’s a HUGE question hanging over your head, probably playing back in a never-ending loop: “Can I get back to 6th and Harrison and get a buckle?” In this episode we will take a look at what the numbers say about that question. Don't miss this conversation with Jeff Dieffenbach and Mark Wolfgang, two supernerd Leadville racers with the math chops to do a deep analysis of historical finisher data.