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

Rose Grant brought both extraordinary strength and strategy to the 2021 Leadville 100, besting her already mind-boggling winning time from 2019. We're lucky to have her tell her story and share her practical advice any racer can use. 

Melisa Rollins (full disclosure: Fatty's daughter) got bit bad enough by the Leadville bug that she moved to Leadville for a couple of  summers to train for the race. Like most racers, she's steadily improved her finish times. Unlike most of us, this year she finished in under 8 hours and then went to Steamboat Springs and put in a blisteringly fast time there, too. Her dark-horse podium finish for the Leadboat Challenge caught the eye of Team Twenty24, opening a new chapter for this young pro. Enjoy this tale of how the Leadville 100 has literally — and recently — changed her life.

Before there was a Leadville podcast, there was FatCyclist.com, where Fatty gave big ol' hairy race reports. The blog is gone (or at least dormant) but the tradition continues here. Fatty (obviously) loves this race, and it really shines through in his telling of his 23rd LT100 finish.

The 2021 LT100 Mountain Bike Race is in the books, and now it's time to start unpacking it. There's a lot to talk about in this episode: whether the course changes made the race faster or slower, whether we liked the wave starts, and how much the heat affected us. We hear from several experts and begin to recap the day. If you raced it this year — or plan to race in a future year — you'll definitely want to listen to this episode.

We're just a few days away from the big race, and we've got a LOT to talk about.  - Details for the podcast group ride on Thursday at 9am - First-person impressions from Fatty on the course changes and how they will affect your race day (our opinions have changed) - 10 tips for race day: practical, tactical, and very personal things you should remember as you get ready to line up  - A BONUS tip (yes there are 11 tips in our list of 10 tips) with important things you should remember about each section of the course - A great interview with one of the winners of the From the Ground Up project

Payson McElveen — pro MTBer, Leadville podium-er, and host of The Adventure Stache — joins us to answer the questions you (and we) have about Leadville. From where to go potty on the course (you've got to hear Payson's story) to where to eat and hang out in Leadville to mistakes even experienced racers still make, Payson, Hottie, and Fatty show that they're willing to take on all things Leadville.

You've got a lot of Leadville 100 questions (enough for two full episodes, in fact), and Payson McElveen — pro racer and host of the Adventure Stache Podcast — joins us to answer them. We've also got racer course impressions from the Stage Race, and a little (with more to come) on a Leadville Podcast group ride next week. 

In S4E15, Mike Melley walked us through the wave starts and course changes for the 2021 LT100MTB race. We've had almost a week to think about these changes now, and the two of us have some thoughts. Be sure to listen, and then let us know what your opinions on these revisions are too.

The 2021 Leadville Trail 100 will feature a new start format and new turns out on course. Race Director Mike Melley joins us to detail those changes. Melley also explains why these changes were necessary and the impact on race times. 

There are a few pro cyclists revered as iconic Leadville 100 MTB Racers. For our money, Todd Wells belongs alongside Rebecca Rusch and Dave Wiens on the Leadvillian racer equivalent of Mount Rushmore. (Who else belongs? We ask him.) Self-effacing in victory and gracious in defeat, Todd has great stories to tell both from the front AND the middle of the pack. Don't miss this episode!