Two HPT Athletes' Perspective on the the 2024 Leadville 100
By The Feed.
We reached out to a variety of our HPT athletes following the 2024 L100 MTB Race to get some perspective on this year's event. From fueling to equipment, we got two different takes out of it from Cole Paton and Melisa Rollins.
Melisa Rollins: L100 Champion
Q: You WON the Leadville 100. How are you feeling about this and how did the race break down?
Winning the Leadville 100 has been a multi-year goal of mine that has taken so many pieces coming together to become possible.
This dream started 8 years ago when I entered the Leadville 100 via a charity slot. I finished that year in just over 10 hrs and swore it was the hardest day of my life. I was a 20-year-old college student who wanted to pick up an outdoorsy hobby. However, that August day in 2016 lit a fire in me, and this simple hobby quickly turned obsession. I continued coming back to Leadville year after year with one simple goal— to beat my previous year’s time.
In 2021 this goal led me to my first pro contract. I had a great ride and finished 6th and shortly after signed with Team Twenty24. Over the course of 2.5 years with the team, we helped develop [myself] into someone with the tools win. I was thrown into road stage races to help build a strong foundation. We explored time-trialing efforts to help develop my engine. I went into multi-week crit camps to expose myself to a crash course on race tactics. Everything was done with Leadville in mind.
This year, in 2024, on my 7th time lining up, and after spending thousands of hours working on my weaknesses, I made it to the start line with confidence. I had done the work and had a team who supported me. I knew I had perfected my start, found my limits at altitude, practiced my nutrition, and tested my equipment. All that was left was to follow my legs.
The race started hard but I was able to make it into the lead group of 8 over the first climb of the day, St Kevins. We descended the May Queen road and approached the Sugarloaf Climb. I knew being to the top of this climb in the lead would be my safest option, as the descent down the other side (power line) is quite technical. I wanted to limit any chance of mechanical or flatting, and I had a strong feeling that a lead group may be solidified at the bottom.
I made it to the bottom of the descent in the lead with a small gap to 2nd place. I sat up and was soon joined by two other girls, and I was ready to work to keep this group away. We eventually made it to the bottom of the infamous Columbine climb ( an 8-mile climb averaging 8% and topping out at 12,600ft) with a 2-minute advantage on the chase group. This is where I made my move. Just after mile 40 and pretty close to the bottom of the hour-long Columbine climb, I upped the pace and rode away from the two girls in the lead group with me. I felt confident, even knowing that I was pretty far from the finish tackle the rest of the ride solo.
As I made my way down the Columbine descent, I got my first glance at how much of an advantage I had gained on my competitors. I couldn’t tell exactly how much time I had, but I knew it was close to about 5 minutes. On the descent I focused as much as I could on staying aero and safe. At the bottom I learned that I had 6 minutes on the next girl.
I continued on to the pinnacle of the race, the power line climb. I was really hurting at this point with cramps beginning to set in, but I was desperate to give it my all. I knew that if I could make it to the top of the power line climb with a lead, there was a chance I would be able to hold the others off until the finish.
When I made it to the top of power line I hadn’t been caught so I focused on pushing every amount out of my body until the finish line. It wasn’t until I could actually see the red carpet of the finish line that it started to set in that I was going to win the Leadville 100. When I crossed the finish line I was met with so much compassion and love from my friends and support crew members. It was euphoric and I’m still living on a high from that moment.
Leadville is much more than a race to me. It’s my cycling origin story, my purpose when I don’t feel like training. It’s my why. To have a special day like this come together is hard to put into words. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey and this special day. I get to share this win with so many people and it means the world to me.
Q: What is it about Leadville that makes it special?
I think what makes Leadville special is its inherent ability to allow you to improve against yourself. Making it across the finish line is the first big hurdle you need to get over. But most don’t stop there. Leadville brings you back year after year so that you can improve. It preys on the obsessed mind full of marginal gains in tech, fitness, nutrition, and becoming a well-oiled race machine. And this goes beyond the amateurs. Even the pros at this race are obsessed with their finish time, and spend many hours debating over how to make the most ideal bike for the day.
Q: What were your priorities on how you chose an optimal gear setup?
I went for a pretty standard setup at Leadville. No specific modifications that I wouldn’t use on any other mountain bike course. I think being comfortable on descents is one of my strengths, so I didn’t want to jeopardize that in any part of my setup. I went for a fast rolling tire, the Kenda Rush 2.4, but with enough grip that I could still descend well and not have to worry too much about flatting. I also chose to run a 34-tooth chainring, but in hindsight would probably have preferred a 32.
Q: Is there anything specific to Leadville that you did to adapt your typical fueling and hydration? (fueling plan here)
I used a pretty simple fueling plan at Leadville. I like to keep things simple at altitude, most calories/carbohydrates coming from gels and drink mix. For me, it’s almost impossible to get a bar or chews down at altitude because of such a high respiratory rate. I ended up having 6 bottles of First Endurance High Carb drink mix mixed at 90 g carbs, 1 bottle of Skratch Hydration drink mix, and 8 First Endurance Liquid Shots (30 g of carbs). I did also carry an emergency Styrkr Bar in my pocket, just in case my plan started going awry and I couldn’t take on any more gels.
I planned to consume around 120 g of carbs per hr by having 1 bottle EFS high carb + 1 EFS liquid shot. It didn’t go exactly as planned, but I was pretty close!
Q: How did you prepare for, or manage, the altitude factor at Leadville?
I arrived in Leadville 17 days before the race to acclimate! Doing this definitely jeopardized my ability to sleep and perhaps my ability to recover during those 17 days, but it worked out in the end. I actually started feeling pretty adjusted to the altitude around day 5, and am not sure if I would stay the full 17 days again in preparation for the race.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering attempting the Leadville 100 for the first time?
Make sure you don’t become too focused on the stress of the race to forget to take in the beauty of the course on race day. My favorite part of the day is on the way up Sugarloaf climb in the morning. The sun is just rising and you get to see it begin to brighten up the bowl of mountains surrounding you. It’s amazing!
Cole Paton: 3rd Place
Q: How did Leadville go for you? Brief race breakdown.
I had a great ride in Leadville. I’ve learned that pacing is so important at this race and I really committed to riding within myself and sticking to my pacing strategy. It took a lot of confidence to allow other riders to go up the road in the beginning of the race and I rode the majority of it alone, but in the end it paid off and I finished in my fastest time and best result.
Q: What is it about Leadville that makes it special? (can be “good” special or “bad” special…)
Leadville is arguably one of the most prestigious MTB races in North America and attracts athletes from all over the world. The course spans 105 miles with 12,000ft of climbing and has a peak elevation of 12,600ft above sea level. It’s a massive effort and is respected by athletes all over the world. It’s extra important to me because it’s one of the stops in the Lifetime Grand Prix which is a 6-race series that I’ve been targeting this year.
Q: What were your priorities on how you chose an optimal gear setup? (lots of drama around this…)
This year I wanted my setup to be as light as possible. I opted to race my Giant XTC hardtail with 2.2 tires, a rigid seat-post, a lightweight marathon-specific fork, and road shoes/pedals. I knew from experience that a big gear could make up a lot of time on the flat sections of the course, so I opted for a 40-tooth chainring. I made a few adjustments to benefit aerodynamics like cutting down my handlebars to 680mm, and taping the insides of my handlebars to have an aerodynamic position to hold onto. Since the course is rocky at the summits of the climbs, my lightweight setup also increased the risk of puncturing and in order to limit that risk, I used a tire insert in my rear wheel and 4oz of Orange Seal sealant as an insurance policy.
Q: Is there anything specific to Leadville that you did to adapt your typical fueling and hydration? (fueling plan here)
This was the first race I used Maurten Bicarb and it worked very well. I shot for 120-140g of carbs and 1000mg of sodium per hour with:
4 scoops of Skratch High Carb mix
1 scoop of Skratch Labs Everyday mix (to boost sodium)
2 Amacx Turbo gels
After 3 hours of racing, I switched to caffeinated Amacx Turbo gels to total 300mg of caffeine for the race.
Q: How did you prepare for, or manage, the altitude factor at Leadville?
My home base in Durango, CO has been the perfect place for me to prepare for Leadville. I can easily access riding above 10,000ft and the terrain is very similar. This year I did a short training camp in Leadville to practice pacing on course, which really helped me get to know the course better, test equipment, and execute a few key workouts at around 12,000ft. I used Nitric Oxide from Swiss RX as a booster the week of the race and prioritized recovery and sleep with Pillar Magnesium.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering attempting the Leadville 100 for the first time?
I’d really recommend spending some time at altitude before racing Leadville for the first time. It’s so helpful to know how high altitude feels so you can accurately pace yourself in the massive effort required to finish.