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

Dylan Johnson put pacing to the test in one of the biggest off-road events in the world. It wasn't easy to do, but it was incredibly successful, and the lessons he has to teach may well be the difference between a bad day and a good day for you at the Leadville 100. This is a must-listen episode!

Many endurance athletes have turned to wearables to monitor their sleep and recovery. In this episode we take a look at this growing trend with Dr Kevin Sprouse to find whether — and how — regular racers can use these devices to recover smarter and faster. We also take on a great listener question in our LFAQ segment: "What 5 things do you wish you had known the first time you raced the LT100MTB?" We think first-time (and second-time, and third-time, and tenth-time) racers will find a lot of good hard-earned wisdom in our answers.

We're excited to welcome back Chad Timmerman: head coach and co-founder of TrainerRoad to talk about heat: how to leverage it during and after training (and how much it helps), as well as how to beat the heat on race day, and why it's important to do so.  You can't change the weather conditions outside, but you can be smart about how you react. This episode is full of great advice from a real cycling thought leader; you will not want to miss it!

Dr Dan Smilkstein was the oldest person to finish the Leadville 100 MTB race last year. This recently-retired doctor — and father, and grandfather — is way more than just a badass cyclist. He's a runner, a skiier (both cross-country and Alpine), a rock and ice climber, a mountaineerer, a backpacker, a hockey player, and more. He's an offroad unicyclist, for crying out loud. Our point is, Dr Dan has a lot of great stories to tell, both about the LT100 and his other adventures (including the fact that he's delivered 600+ babies). We guarantee you're going to enjoy this episode.

CJ and Jaxon have no right to be racing the Leadville 100 this smart. After all, in 2022 these brothers were just 18 and 20 when they raced the LT100 for the first time. While they wouldn't claim to have raced a perfect race, they certainly avoided a lot of the mistakes most first-timers make, while still learning a lot, challenging each other, and collecting the first of what we'll assume will be many buckles to come. Enjoy this episode with two young guns we expect you'll hear more from in the years to come.

If you're planning on racing the LT100MTB this year — or any year in the future — you will not want to miss this episode. We pepper (in a nice way) Life Time's Ryan Cross with questions about how the race is changing (no aero bars or anything like aero bars for example as well as what we'd like to see changed (the 3x White Corral), and even stuff you probably haven't even thought of (why is there no Pipeline Alternate aid station?). Ryan's game to keep answering our questions, so let us know what we should ask next time! 

If you've ever ridden with Mark and Sara, you're already good friends with them. And if you haven't, you'll feel like you have after this episode. They raced both the Stage Race and the 100 last year, both for the first time, and have an amazing and gutsy story to tell. Enjoy this episode  

Winter can bring on a slump in fitness, both from a physical and mental point of view. In this episode, TrainerRoad's Jonathan Lee joins to help give us a kick in the seat, as well as some encouragement and a strategy for success. Also, Hottie and Fatty kick off our new "LFAQ" show segment: Leadville Frequently-Asked Questions. In this episode, we talk about our 2-week and 1-week pre-ride recommendations, along with the importance (or not!) of a light bike for the race.  It's a great episode, don't miss it!

We love a good Leadville story, and John Gaston is a great storyteller. And it doesn't hurt that the only guy who could beat him in the 2022 LT100MTB was some guy named Keegan.  The crazy thing is, racing bikes is not really what he's into. They're more of his side hustle -- his off-season way to stay sharp and in shape.  But that doesn't mean he doesn't sweat the details, and it for sure doesn't mean he doesn't know his way around the course.  Enjoy John's story, and join us in relishing that an essentially unsponsored rider can get out there and absolutely crush the competition.

Throughout Season 5, we walked you through the entirety of the Leadville 100 MTB course, going into detail that only 30 combined finishes could provide. This is the collection of each of those segments, from the starting line to the Columbine Mine...and back. At nearly four hours long, this should keep you company for at least a couple good long training rides (or your next road trip). Enjoy!