Our man in the field, UltraRob ( www.ultrarob.com/blog/ ) survived illness, a hard drive crash, and dodgy internet reception to provide us with this glimpse at the Lanceville, I mean, Leadville 100.
Hope you feel better soon, Rob, and thanks for the pix!
Lance on Powerline:
Packed Racer Meeting:
FatCyclist and UltraRob (for a truly inspirational story, please check out: www.fatcyclist.com )
More photos>>
Read the rest of this entry
submitted by Mtbr member “feltbee”
“Once you are midway up Columbine, it’s every man for himself.” This is a quote by Lance Armstrong a day or two before the race. While he surely believed this would be the case, I’m sure he never knew just how true it would be. In a race with a field of 1,628 strong he would ride alone for 60 miles; tested physically, mentally, mechanically, and finishing the last mile on a flat tire.”
“The morning started off with a few rain showers, cool temperatures, and a buzz in the air. The words on everyone’s lips and everyone’s minds were the same – In this David vs. Goliath touted rematch, who would be the victor? I set up camp at the Twin Lakes Aid Station and waited. When the riders crossed Lance was in the lead pack consisting of Max Taam, Manuel Prado, and Len Zanni. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the great Tinker Juarez, but later found out he had to abandon the race because of a broken seat clamp. It was a couple minutes later that David Wiens would cross.”
Lance Armstrong has handily won the 2009 Leadville Trail 100. He did set a new course record, but he did not break the 6 hour mark. Dave Wiens was second and Matt Shriver was third.
# 1. Lance Armstrong, 6:28:51
# 2. Dave Wiens, 6:57:02
# 3. Matt Shriver, 7:09:48
# 4. Alex Grant, 7:10:54
# 5. Len Zanni, 7:11:21
# 6. Max Taam, 7:16:56
# 7. Travis Brown, 7:22:05
# 8. Manuel Prado, 7:35:27
# 9. Mike Hogan, 7:35:35
# 10. Jason Tullous, 7:35:47
***Please be sure to read ALL our Leadville 100 Coverage:***
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/category/leadville-100/
**Race Photo Gallery (courtesy of UltraRob):
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/leadville-100-photo-gallery-courtesy-of-ultrarob/
**Race Report with Photos (courtesy of feltbee):
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/leadville-100-race-report-lance-armstrong-wins/
**Racer’s Diary (courtesy of kc):
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/leadville-100-a-racers-perspective/
From VeloNews:
“Lance Armstrong (Mellow Johnny’s) won Colorado’s Leadville 100 on Saturday, knocking more than 15 minutes off of the old record, about a half hour ahead of six-time winner Dave Wiens. ”
http://www.velonews.com/article/96668/armstrong-wins-leadville-100
From Yahoo Sports(AP):
“Lance Armstrong can’t remember the last time he raced 65 miles by himself.”
“I don’t know, maybe when I was a young, young kid,” he said. “You would never do that on the Tour, so none of the Tours I won.”
“Quite literally in those Tours, excluding time trials, I probably rode alone for 20 miles. … It’s been a long time since I was time trialing for that long.””
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=ap-leadville100&prov=ap&type=lgns
Official Event website: http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/
(Photos courtesy of “rocco1109″ and “Chasintrane” from this forum thread: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=546852 )
The Leadville Trail 100 is an ultra endurance mountain biking event this Saturday August 15 in Leadville, Colorado. This year is a rematch. Dave Wiens has won the event for the last 6 years in a row. Last year he beat Lance Armstrong as they dueled it out. The two rode together for much of the race, but Wiens pulled away towards the end of the race to a decisive victory.
This year, Lance is in much better shape, coming off of his third place finish at the recent Tour de France. Many think he will handily beat Wiens this year. He is leaner, more fit, and he is bringing a team member or two to help him. He will be without his expected lieutenant though, since Levi Leipheimer broke his wrist and ended up dropping out of the TdF.
(Dave leads Lance up a climb during last year’s race.)
With so many people predicting an easy victory for Lance, we wanted to provide a different view. The following list is courtesy of UltraRob, an outdoorsman, racer, blogger, and mountain biker ( http://www.ultrarob.com/ ) .
10.) Twin Lakes is going to have its annual Coloradoans vs Texans tomato war a couple weeks early. It won’t go well for Lance.
9.) Dave won’t crash in the creek crossing at the bottom of Powerline like Lance did in a Winter Park race in 1999.
8.) Dave is from Colorado and not a transplant from Texas
7.) Dave has figured out how to use the electricity on Powerline to climb faster.
6.) The Tour de France wasn’t a good way to train for the Leadville 100
5.) Rabid old school mountain bike fans will cause Lance to pass out from dope smoke clouds on Columbine. France will rejoice that Lance is caught ‘doping’
4.) Johann won’t be following in the team car to give Lance information over race radio
3.) No 3G reception up on the divide, Lance can’t Tweet like he can in Europe and panics.
2.) Dave is man enough to ride a hardtail
1.) Dave has more balls than Lance
Please be sure to read ALL our Leadville 100 Coverage:
http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/category/leadville-100/
Last year’s Life Time Fitness Leadville Trail 100 (LT100) Mountain Bike Race was touted as the “David and Goliath” showdown, pitting seven-time Tour de France Champion, Lance Armstrong, against Dave Wiens, Gunnison local and five-time LT100 MTB Champion. David (Wiens) came out on top. This year’s 16th Annual LT100 Bike Race is gearing up to be just as exciting if not more so. Not only will the David and Goliath variable repeat itself in the form of Armstrong and Wiens at the starting line, but biking legend Tinker Juarez and a host of other top-notch cyclist will be joining them.
The Life Time Fitness Leadville Trail 100 MTB, held this year on August 15, begins and ends in Leadville, and runs through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The race is run on a 50-mile out-and-back course, starting and finishing in downtown Leadville at 10,200 ft elevation. Major climbs include 3,000+ feet, with total elevation change nearly 14,000 feet. This year’s Life Time Fitness Leadville Trail 100 ultra marathon is presented by Vasque.
First run in 1994, the USA Cycling-sanctioned Leadville Trail 100 MTB has become the premiere ultra marathon event in mountain bike racing. Race participation is determined by lottery held February 1. Race entry is a cherished feat in itself. This year thousands of entrants vied for the 1,000+ coveted slots.
“Every one wants to ride with the man,” states Race President Ken Chlouber, referring to Armstrong’s participation in last year’s race as well as his commitment to be at this year’s starting line.
In 2008, Dave Wiens of Gunnison successfully defended his title by beating 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong by just under 2 minutes and setting a new course record of 6:45:45. Wiens has won the “Race Across the Sky” every year since 2003.
Last year was Armstrong’s first finish in a competitive bike race since he retired following his seventh straight triumph in the Tour de France. Armstrong will be back at the start line in August after his participation in the 2009 Tour de France in July.
“Lance may be the only racer I know of who used the Tour de France to train for the Leadville Trail 100,” jokes Chlouber.
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