Now, just to remind you guys: Leadville 100 MTB race (a.k.a. The Race Across the Sky) is tomorrow. I passed through Leadville, CO last week and cannot wait to see/hear/read about the rematch of the last year’s race between Dave Wien and Lance Armstrong. Lance looks lean and mean (from his Twitter pics) and after winning the 12 hours of Snowmass Colorado MTB championship he means business. If luck is on his side (no mechanicals), he’ll be hard to beat. With decent weather the winner might even come under 7 hours again, even break the last year’s record of 6:45:45. But I wonder if someone else decides to sneak up on the two heavy favorites and snatch the trophy away… I’m rooting a little more for David Wien. Lance has his 7 Tour de France wins, I want Wien to get his 7 consecutive Leadville 100 trophies too;) Whoever wins, it’s gonna be a helluva interesting race. Definitely a huge publicity boost to MTB marathon racing in the U.S. Some links for more:
Enjoy the race;) I hope that one day I will line up on the start and ride this race as a personal challenge…
RESULTS (08/15/2009): No surprise here, LA demolished the field and won in a new course record of 6:28:50, David Wiens ended up second in a little under 7 hours. (Singletrack.com: Armstrong wins Leadville in record time) It was really fun following it on Twitter as the webcast was a complete waste of time, at least according to folks who subscribed to it.
Just to keep myself reminding of what will be an amazing documentary. Thanks to Mike Dion and Hunter Weeks. You guys rock for piecing this production together!!!
Jay and Tracey Petervary - 18:13:50 (New Tandem record)
Chris Plesko - 19:00:21 (New Single-peed record)
Leighton White - 21:05:15
Blaine Nestor - 21:05:15
Steve Wilkinson - 21:10:34
Joe Meiser - 21:10:34
Eric Bruntjen - 21:11:54
Alan Goldsmith - 21:12:59
John Fettis - 21:12:59
Cannon Shockley - 21:12:59
Jill Homer - 24:07:24 (New Female record)
I just checked the SPOT leaderboard and Jamie Thomson crossed the finish line a few hours ago, too. Despite the worst weather there has been lots of finishers this year, 15 so far (with 6 more possibles still out there biking). I guess it should not really surprise me given that there were 42 (!!!) starters. I wonder what 2010 will be like? 100 starters!!!
The still-out-there racers are the trio of Trevor Brown, Paul Howard and Per Nilsson Eklof riding together and are about to hit the Gila National Forest; the other three are cycling individually somewhere in upper New Mexico: Brad Mattingly, Deanna Adams and Michael Komp. The seventh rider, Bruce Giroux, is still pedaling in Colorado, albeit in a touring mode.
Deanna Adams is especially worth to watch as she will be the FIRST EVER fixie finisher and she deserve special respect. To ride this monster of a ride on a fixed gear bike is just unheard of!!! Unbelievable feat!!!
Finisher’s final words (all of those who left some):
PS: This will be likely my last post about the Tour Divide 2009 race as I will be heading out on my own Tour Divide adventure ride in seven days. I will not be updating my blog during the ride but will definitely make a serious effort to post something when I get back. Until then. Tailwinds all the way;)
More racers are crossing the line in Antelope Wells, NM. Currently, five of them are done (unofficial standings):
Matthew Lee - 17d23h45m
Kurt Resfnider - 18d11h30m
Jay and Tracey Petervary- 18d13h50m (new tandem record)
Chris Plesko- 19d0h21m (new single-speed record)
Congratulations!!! You guys are an inspiration. With weather still throwing fits of rage, the rest of the field seems to have slowed down a bit. The chase group of 8 riders has been split up. They are making their way through the Gila National Forest, the last big obstacle on the course before reaching Silver City and making the mad dash for the border.
Plus, there were more pullouts in the last few days. The longer this race goes, the harder it becomes to stay mentally focused and keep going… For the current race status, see the race report by Mary Metcalf. In the report, you’ll find out more about an accident Pete Basinger, one of the legends of the Great Divide racing, was involved in. Luckily, he is OK but had to give up on his stealth attempt to best Matthew Lee’s record. Based on his split times, he really was flying on the route. And don’t miss the Jon Billman’s interview with Matthew Lee, a really insightful read about what it takes to win the Tour Divide, mentally and physically.
Matthew Lee hit the border in Antelope Wells, NM as the first finisher of the Tour Divide 2009 edition, some 2 hours ago, @ 9:45am MT. The time: 17 days 23 hours and 45 minutes!!! He rode straight through the night just get get this sucker over with. TRULY AMAZING!!!
Awesome ride in this year’s atrocious conditions. Matthew mentioned in his call-ins that out of the 18 days there were only 3 (!!!) that he didn’t get wet from rain, hail, sleet and snow. Add to that the longer and more arduous section in the Flathead valley of the Canadian Rockies and his new record gains more respect.
UPDATE (June 30th, 09): The things are lighting up on the production of the Ride The Divide documentary. Currently, the movie is in the final two months of post-production. GREAT!!!
Yes, another week behind us and the Tour Divide is nearing its finish. At least, for its leader Matthew Lee who is rapidly closing on Silver City. He should close it out some time tomorrow night. The battle for the second spot is still going on between Kurt Refsnider and the “Loveshack” tandem of Jay and Tracey Petervarys. Chris Plesko isn’t far behind in the fourth place and provided he finishes at his current pace he will shatter single-speed records for both, the Great Divide (held by Kent Peterson from GDR ‘05) and the Tour Divide (by Jen Hopkins; TD’08) races. After these guys, there is a main “peleton” of 8 with almost 3 days behind led by Joe Meiser.
Rather than re-iterate what’s been already posted over at the Tour Divide website, let me just provide you with links where you can get the complete scoop on the race:
Welcome to my blog where I share outdoor adventures, travel experiences and random musings from home and faraway places alike... My current plans: 1. [Summer-Fall 2010] Vagabonding alongside the Silk Route: It’ll be me, my bike and wide-open spaces of Western China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan for 2-3 months... 2. [2011 or 2012] Motorbiking from Alaska to Patagonia: Just started thinking about it. Plan: Find a used thumper and hit back roads exploring this classic route all the way from the Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay, U.S. to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Plus, practice and improve my Spanish, too...
