Leadville 100 MTB RACE

Today is August 14, 4:00 AM. My alarm on my cell phone goes off, then my watch and then the bedside clock. I crawl out of bed and start my pre-race routine starting with breakfast: 1 banana and 1 cup yogurt as I put on my race kit. By 4:30 AM we are on our way to Leadville from Vail which is a 45 min drive. Not much is said along the way, just going over the plan with my support crew (my wife Jennifer and son Dekker).  As we start to get close to the race venue, Dekker said “I have a headache and my stomach hurts.” (5:15 AM Leadville elevation 10,200).  I find a parking spot and start unloading my bike. Just as Dekker gets out of the car he starts vomiting on the sidewalk, and the nonvomiting half of my support crew is taking care of him. In my head I am thinking  “Do NOT Panic!" Jen looks at me and says "he’ll be fine, it’s just the altitude".  I jump on my bike and start riding to the start, as I turn the corner, I meet an ocean of people and the line of bikes in the start shoot that is already 300 yards deep. My first attempt is to push my way near the front of the line.  This actions was met with much opposition. One guy said, “I got here at 3:00 AM to get this spot and there is no room for anyone else”.

I look around and see about 50 riders giving me a nasty looks. If these people got here at 3:00 AM, I wouldn’t let me in either. I move back about 50 yards and sneak my way in and lean my bike up against a light pole and find a coffee shop. To my surprise, I find Jen and Dekker in the coffee line and Dekker is not looking near as green.

5:45 AM - We all sit down on an old couch to relax for a few minutes, and talk over were I will be at what time. 6:15 AM - It’s go time, I find my bike and push my way in a little farther. As I watch the clock wind down,  I wait to I hear Ken’s [Chlouber] double barrel shotgun and think I’ve waited months for this, show them what you got. I start passing people from the gun, 10 riders, 20 riders and then the first 10 miles are a blur. As the climb begins, the pack thins and everyone starts to get into their own rhythm. We start up the backside of Powerline, a endless climb on a very nice surface, at this point I think I’m about 150 – 200^th place.  We crest the climb and start down Powerline. Going down was no picnic, giant potholes the size of  VW Bugs all over. As we descend I’m thinking, we have to go back up this?!  I try not the think about it too much, and keep riding. The terrain flattens out as we ride into the first aid station, about 26 miles. OMG there are so many fans, crew and cowbells here you think you’re riding in the Tour de France.  Keep going!  Stick to the plan!  I tell myself.  I ride right through.  From here to the next aid station it’s kinda flat.  I jump on my tiny arobars and start driving the pace.  I start riding though people like crazy, mountain bikers have no idea how to draft or ride the flats like we do in Ohio.  We crest a little hill and see the 40 mile aid station.  There are twice as many people at this aid station than the last.  I start looking for my support crew - “I will never find them in this.”  A mile of people on both sides of the road.  There, a little face I know, DEKKER, I was so happy to see them.  Not much was said, they were all business, 2 bottles out, 2 bottles in, 1 protein drink, 2 kisses, gone.  Less than a minute, NASCAR, eat my dust.  At this point, I’m still on time to make my goal of sub 9 hours.  Looking ahead I see the daunting task right in front of me, a 3000 foot climb over 8 miles.  About a half hour into the climb I see the leader coming down the mountain. It’s JHK and he is flying. You had to be there to get a feel for the speed a pro descends.  About a minute later, Levi Leipheimer.  He had both wheels locked up trying to slow down for a switch back.  Oh boy, I get to see Levi crash!  Wrong. He lets off the brakes at the last second and whips it around the turn like it was a walk in the park.  As the leader start steaming past, I start slowing down. The endless climb and altitude was really taking its toll.  By the time I reach the tree line I’m walking.  Yes, I said WALKING.  It felt like I was on the moon.  The air was so thin my legs just wouldn’t make the peddles go round.  Now there are people passing me like I was sitting on the curb.  I think every one of the couple hundred riders that passed me on the way up that climb passed along words of encouragement.  I just wanted to tell them to stick it up your bottom bracket, but the air was so thin I couldn’t get the words out.

Half way and the elevation is 12,700 feet.  Who knows what time?  I point my bike down on the hill and tell myself, “don’t kill yourself on this descent”.  I cruise down and back into the 60 mile aid station where my semi-worried looking crew is waiting for.  My crew tells me I look good, but they have know idea.  Two bottles out, two in, one protein drink, I tell Jennifer PRAY I make it, and I am  gone.  Another great stop.  I crawl my way to the powerline climb.  This was more of the same.  This was much steeper walking and was lined with people the whole way.  At one point I stopped to lean over my bike to catch my breath.  A woman came over and said, “I’m not going to ask how you are doing, I can see”. She holds my bike and gives me a drink of ice cold water.  She offers me food, power gel, everything you would ever need to get you to the finish.  I politely declinced.  She helps me back on my bike, gives me a hug, looks my right in the eye and said, “You can do this.”  I say thank you.  She gives me a swat on the butt and a push to get going.  I never looked back. I rode, walked and crawled my way to the top of that climb.  From this point on I ride a tourist pace to the finish.  I drug myself across the finish line in 10 hours 38 minutes.  I sit down in the finish aid station and say “NEVER AGAIN WILL I DO THAT!”  It only took twelve hours or so for me to change my mind as I started to think about my next bike race…….

Matt Thourot

Maumee, Ohio Elevation 550 feet

See the Toledo Blade Article here http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100908/NEIGHBORS03/9060374/-1/NEWS