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Riders crossing the Twin Lakes dam Ride Photos: click here for ride photos LEADVILLE TRAIL 10K: click here I found myself in Leadville Friday evening thanks almost entirely to the Fat Cyclist. If you're a cyclist who isn't a regular reader of his blog, what are you waiting for? And if you're not a cyclist, same question? Fatty first appeared on my radar screen during the 2009 Triple Bypass. I came across a decidedly not fat cylist wearing a Fat Cyclist kit. I asked, he laid out the basics, I checked out the blog, and have read every word since. (And many prior--check out Fatty's excellent first book, Comedian Mastermind.) I first met Fatty in Austin in 2010 at the LiveStrong Challenge--I wrote a bit about him in Heroes, the first of four posts related to that ride. (Note: I've since had to demote the other hero from that write-up to "fraud" status.) I had the pleasure of hosting Fatty and the Hammer in Boston before their 2012 Marathon. I met them for the Friday evening carbo-load dinner. We ate, I wished them luck, and I headed back to the rental apartment I shared with Tom (Chicago) and his uncle, Red (Atlanta) to get ready for my Saturday volunteering stint at the Twin Lakes aid station. (More on Tom and Red in a future post.) I arrived at Twin Lakes around 6:45a, met the volunteer coordinators and the other volunteers, and got to work. My primary task was helping get "drop bags" to riders who weren't fortunate enough to have a crew supporting them. In addition, I handed off Gu to riders not willing to take the time to stop for more leisurely replenishment. And, I took on various odd setup and takedown tasks. Awesome experience! People volunteer for things for different reasons. Yes, I like to help out, and getting to do so at such an epic event while getting to catch up with friends was no small prize. But I'll be honest, another reason was boosting my odds of gaining entry to the 2015 edition of the race. I've missed out via the lottery the past 3 years, so here's hoping volunteering, luck, and turning 50 to "age up" a race bracket do the trick. From afar, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race is daunting. I've read Fatty's accounts of his rides (this year was his 18th). I've heard others tell their tales (Doug B, I'm looking at you). I've watched Race Across the Sky. All of that said, being here in person, getting the lay of the land, and seeing riders in various stages of strength and distress has signficantly reduced the daunt. 2015, bring it. The Route: click here for RideWithGPS  
The Results: click here for Results
The leaders come through Twin Lakes [31s] The leaders come through Twin Lakes: a second view [22s] A trio of riders comes through Twin Lakes: a second view [08s] A rider inbound to Twin Lakes [5s] Pit crew [1m 23s] |
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