course in review

Again from a 28 time rider
Re: [LT100Bike] LT100 course review

Nate:

I'll give it a try, since I just rode the first 50 miles or so last weekend.
(Warning: long email ...)

There are Leadville locals on this list, I think, so they can keep me
honest.

You pretty much got the start: mostly downhill (there's a little uphill
in town, but with the adrenaline, who notices?) You follow the pack
(or the escort, if you're at the front), until what's known as Leadville
Junction. That's where you leave the pavement, and cross what
you called the puddle. It seems there's a puddle and a big group
cluster-flick (er, you know) at the puddle, since it usually rains
like heck the night before. (;o) Last year, I tried to hike-a-bike around
the puddle and the group, but the bushes are worse. Get to the puddle
first, or get in line.

Then you continue, slightly up most of the time, until you join the creek
and head up proper (near an abandoned mine, on the right). You continue
up until what's known as St. Kevins (pronounced Kee-vins), at which
point you more-or-less flatten out. You continue on some cool double-
track until you hit the pavement, and a mini-aid-station. (Last year
was the first time for this mini aid station, but I'm assuming they'll
continue
with it this year.)

You head down on pavement, hitting speeds of perhaps 35 MPH (I'm
going so fast, I don't have much time to check the speedometer!) When
you reach the bottom, just continue on! Up the pavement until you hit
a dirt road to the right. I forget the name of this road, but it heads over
some pass if you stay on it. But you only stay on it perhaps 3-4 miles, then
hang a hard left. Now you get the benefit of not only thin air and a climb,
but lots of loose baby-head and fist-sized rocks. (It's *really* loose and
rocky this year, more than I remember it in the 4 years I've been doing
this.)

It gets better though, near the top of this climb to Sugar loaf. (Wipe
the drewel off your face, here, since there's usually a photographer here!)

After the Sugar loaf climb, you're ready for a big downhill, and the power
lines give it to you. Be careful of hot brakes (I have a front disk now
because
of this and the Columbine descent), other folks, and loose stuff 2/3 of
the way
down. I usually have to try to pass 3 or 4 folks here: little help, since
they usually pass me back later.

You hit pavement again, and head right, past the Fish Hatchery, site
of previous years' aid station, but no more. Keep going. When you're
about 2-3 miles (??) past the hatchery, now heading east, take
a right on a dirt road. This takes you due south, towards the
holy Columbine climb (still 25 miles away). You veer left
off the paved road onto a dirt road (where the cars continue
straight). In about a mile or two you come to the pipe line
aid station. You continue from there along the pipeline road,
turning off of it right before the 3rd (I think) gully. (I missed
this last weekend, after having ridden it at least 3 times before!)

You head over to a local road, with a couple of downhills, one of which
can be treacherous (though short). Coming back, this hill is called the
north face (shameless plug for you-know-who).

On the local road, you continue south again, until a really yucky
looking uphill, which you thankfully avoid by turning west. This
is where you come in the back way to a housing development that
is near twin lakes. You continue on a nice fast (but not too steep) paved
downhill until you reach the highway just in front of twin lakes.

You cross this highway (there will be somebody controlling traffic), and
enter some single track that parallels the highway. You head east on
this until you hit the crushed-gravel trail that crosses the damn. (This
is closed other than race day, for 9-11 reasons.)

The aid station on the other side of the lake. If you're lucky, your
pit crew made it here faster than you from the pipe line. (some don't)

Now you take double track along some pipe line, on private property
(only legally ridable on race day, though many seem to ride it all
the time anyway), and come out on the Columbine Mine road.

You have about 1 or 2 minutes before the suffering begins. As others
have pointed out, the bottom part is some of the hardest climbing (not
counting the very top). I'll let other better rides describe this climb.
For me,
it's about 7 miles or riding and 3 miles of hike a bike. (No kidding, the
first year, I really walked at least 3 miles!) If you're in good shape,
you might do anything from ride the whole thing to ride most of it,
perhaps dismounting in 3 or 4 places.

There's a wrecked tractor about 1/2 way from Twin Lakes to the top,
so watch for it on the left.

About 2-3 miles from the top, the road becomes a torture trail: more or
less 4x4 trail, with ruts that could eat a VW. This always adds to the
fun of no air and a steep climb.

Near the top, you can look left and see the Columbine aid station (about
a mile away?). You actually climb a little above it, then descend to it
about
200 yds or so. WARNING: try not to stay long up here. There ain't no
air! If you ever get to see video of John Stamstead and the first LT100,
he didn't even stop at Columbine: he just rolled in a circle and kept going!
(My hero!)

If you think you might get really cold on the descent from Columbine,
you can leave a drop bag here. (PIT crews are not allowed up here.)

Let the nice folks refill your water, sports drink, get your drop bag,
etc. (They're very nice there! Does anybody remember what
group mans this station each year? I think it's some rescue group?)

Head down, and try to go as fast as you can w/o overheating breaks,
crashing into some really slow person (like me), or going numb in
the hands. If you've dressed warm for the descent, you're likely going
to cook when you hit the bottom: it just gets warmer and warmer.
When you get in the open and head back north again, you'll have
to stop and take clothes off (if you have any extra!).

The return trip is mostly just the reverse. Watch out for north
face: just plan on waking up it (and panting a lot). You're just
about back at pipe line. At this point, you're body is past hurting,
and your brain is trying to talk you into quitting.

To be honest (and it really hurts to be honest in this case), I've never
made it past pipe-line returning, in three attempts. In some fairness,
for one of those attempts, it was raining, with big ol' lightning bolts
coming down. And one of those years was my first, at which time
I was lucky I made it 50 miles let alone 100 miles (I was completely
unprepared for how hard it was.)