I enjoyed my first high alpine mountain bike race this past weekend in Leadville, Colorado. The Silver Rush 50 miler was pretty impressive. It has about 7,900 feet of elevation gain, all above 10,000 feet with some pretty technical climbing and descending, in which you inevitably have to hike a bike.

I was able to ride most of it, which was my goal but I definitely spent some time on my feet. I felt good, not great but that was the plan. I am a bit behind in my training. My goal race for the year is Breck Epic, a 6 day mountain bike stage race, beginning on August 15th, in Breckenridge, Colorado. I needed to play a little catch up so my volume of training was high the week leading in, with no taper.

I wanted to over reach a bit but not dig a hole that I couldn’t get out of. The plan was to pace myself throughout, ride efficiently and practice. I focused on breathing, staying relaxed and calm on the bike, timing my nutrition and hydration as precisely as the course allowed. I stayed with GU Roctane Gels throughout and some bananas at the mile 24.4 aid station.

I had one good fall that I captured on video. Many of the descents were very dry and layered with loose rocks the size of marbles, to the size of softballs, and this would go on for miles.

It was great to be back racing again. I haven’t been around people much. This was my first race since the 2019 Vermont 50. It was a very well run event, with fantastic volunteers. Search & rescue and medical were awesome!

More to come from Leadville!

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