I’ve been called crazy a few times in my life. OK, probably more than a few... thanks to the somewhat insane races I continually find myself lining up for. First, it was Unbound XL, which happened to be one of the most meaningful days on the bike in my life. And now, more recently, it was the Leadboat Challenge. Leadboat was a wild idea schemed up by the promoters of the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race and the 140-mile SBT GRVL gravel race held in Steamboat Springs. Both race directors realized they had planned their 2020 races on the same weekend in August and that riders were going to have to choose between these two highly anticipated Colorado events. Instead, they created something that would not only allow but actually encourage riders to do both events in one weekend. Crazy! I was unfortunately sitting at the dinner table with both race directors when this plan was hatched, so when they asked if I'd ever consider participating, of course, I said yes. For better or for worse, I was committed at that moment. Well, the 2020 Leadboat didn’t happen for obvious reasons, and I breathed a big sigh of relief. That is, until the email came that they would continue this challenge in 2021, so get ready! All kidding aside, I was really stoked for this double race weekend. I knew it would be painful and miserable at times, but with those types of events, you also often get the highest highs. And not only that, but I would also get to line up against some of the fastest, most inspiring women in both mountain biking and gravel racing across the weekend. Hands down, Leadville was my highlight of the weekend. I was really excited to finally try my hand at this iconic race, and for once, I actually felt pretty prepared. Last fall, Nick and I moved to Nederland, a small mountain town up the canyon from Boulder. We live at 8,700 feet in elevation, so I was banking pretty hard on being well acclimated to the altitude at Leadville. I even found a really sweet local climb to 12,000 feet that I hit a couple of times in preparation for the Columbine climb. But maybe most of all, and I know this is cheesy, I was really excited to race my Firefly Hardtail. This bike has been such an exciting bike to ride the last year and I’ve had a blast training on it. You know when you get a new bike, and it just fits? It just jives with you? That is my Hardtail. So, with great vibes about my preparation and my favorite bike under me, I hit the Leadville 100 so happy and excited to race. And it really worked out. I raced an incredibly steady race, sticking to my nutrition and hydration plan, staying calm in the hectic places, and smashing those high-altitude climbs. I came away with an 11th place finish overall and sub-9-hour time that secured the big belt buckle – have I mentioned I really like prizes? But I didn't have much time to bask in my self-congratulations for too long. Nick quickly pushed me off my bike, loaded everything up, stuck a bottle of recovery drink in my hand, and we hit the road to Steamboat. For the two-hour drive from Leadville to Steamboat, I sat in the back of the van trying to choke down as many calories as my stomach could handle while using the Normatec recovery boots to try and pump some feeling back into my legs. Once in Steamboat, it was time to refocus and get my plan together for some gravel racing. I had originally planned on just riding easy, well as easy as you can for 140 miles, at SBT. But once I realized I was in the top 5 for the Leadboat competition, I knew I had to suck it up and race as much as I could to hold that position. SBT isn’t really a great type of race for me as it doesn’t play to my strengths. It’s too short... I know how ridiculous that sounds... and it’s too fast and too aggressive at the start. Even with fresh legs, I knew I’d struggle with the accelerations. So, with Lead(ville) legs, I knew this was going to be a long day. Just as expected, the race started hot and heavy, and I was quickly dropped as I chugged my way up a climb and watched the lead group fly past. Time to settle in, stick to wheels as much as possible, and just keep moving forward as efficiently as possible. Thankfully, my Firefly Gravel Adventure bike and I are used to that steady pacing after so many epic long rides together. I had a little time to work with thanks to my strong ride at Leadville, but I knew the ladies sitting in 6th, 7th, 8th were charging hard. I found some good folks to ride with, kept focused, and was able to gut things out to the finish and hold my 5th place in the Leadboat overall. Whew, glad that’s done. What an incredible weekend of racing and pushing the limits. Leadboat is certainly a very special race that takes so much focus and planning and just guts to get through those really dark movements. But in the end, that's what we signed up for. We chose to do this, and it's a great reminder that the things that are uncomfortable or scare us a little often make for the most rewarding moments when you realize what you've done.
People keep asking if I’ll do the Leadboat double again. My answer, four days post-race, is still an emphatic no. We'll see what I say in a few months. In any case, I'm sure I'll be signed up for some intriguing and slightly crazy event soon, which one, who knows!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2022
Categories |