What I Learned From the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race

Dream race. The structured training, long rides, and backing off on gym volume had me incredibly bike fit heading into the race.

August 19, 2026

Hey gang!

Here’s some take aways from my race

Lesson 1: Specificity matters

Historically, I’ve gone into Leadville with little structured bike training and a 4–5x/week gym routine. That’s led to several big belt buckles, but I’ve always faded late.

This year, I prioritized long rides and threshold intervals because that’s what the fastest guys do. There are no shortcuts. If you want to get really good at something, you have to say no to a lot of other things. Go narrow and go deep.

Lesson 2: You’ll get it back

I used to worry that backing off the gym or running meant I’d lose everything I’d built.

You will lose some of it. But you’ll get it back much faster than it took to build the first time.

That gave me the confidence to focus completely on the bike without worrying about what I was giving up elsewhere.

Lesson 3: Everyone needs a quest

In my 20s, I trained for an aesthetic. I wanted a big chest and big arms, but I didn’t have much purpose beyond that.

When I found triathlon, that changed. Suddenly, I had something I was working toward. An obstacle to overcome. My first Ironman.

That’s why I keep coming back to Leadville. I love having a big quest in the middle of summer that forces me to train with purpose.

I’ve written a pre-race plan and post-race report for almost every major race I’ve done since my first triathlon in 2009. Visualizing how I want the race to unfold, then immediately documenting what went right and wrong, has become one of my most valuable tools.

I can pull those notes up every year and remember what to do, what not to do, and why I’m doing it in the first place.

You can watch the full Leadville experience pre-race, race, and post-race thoughts here:


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Hope yall find your own quest,

Eric