Leadville Stage Race 2022 - Stage 1

First day (of 3) of the 2022 Leadville Stage Race. See the Leadville 100 MTB course from a slow racers perspective. Use this video for course recon, trainer distraction or just feeling better about yourself because you are faster than me.
Filmed with a GoPro Hero Black 7 on a chest mount at 4K/24fps
Edited with PowerDirector 365 and AudioDirector 365 as well as Dashware for data overlay.
Course Landmarks:
St. Kevins climb: 18:40
Carter Aid: 59:00
Sugarloaf climb: 1:12:15
Powerline Descent: 1:36:25
Pipeline Aid: 2:07:35
Clavicle Hill and beginning of singletrack: 2:33:00
Unfortunately, I had to cut most of the singletrack and the gravel road after due to my windbreaker covering the GoPro.
www.leadvilleraceseries.com/
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[@zelig1799]

Thanks, I've become addicted to setting my recumbent exercise bike in front of my huge tv, turning off the lights and biking along to hardcore pov races. It's such a great way to train. I started with runs from the megavalanche but races like this are great too. Hope you do some more!

[@johnalderson191]

They do help the time pass, don't they. Thanks for watching!

[@alanmiller4122]

Thanks for doing these John, they're super helpful to many people I'm sure but especially people like me that are hoping to participate in this event some day.

[@johnalderson191]

That's awesome Alan, thank you for the comment! Best of luck in getting to Leadville! It's a special place

[@BrianJohnson-bq9tr]

Nice job!! Now I know why I'm a road cyclist😊. Seriously, thanks for sharing.

[@Mike_MTB_XC]

Really enjoyed going along for the ride. Well done.

[@burundis40]

Thanks for sharing! This videos are really a help for indoor cycling training !

[@ryanwhite4433]

Thanks for making this video. Good to see the less talked about sections of the course.

[@johnalderson191]

Thanks for the comment Ryan. I like to see how the whole course fits together and my goal was to make that available for people. This course flows so well IMO too.

[@graffix11us]

Great video, I was out there with you. Definitely a great race, already signed up for 23, gotta get that big buckle :-)

[@johnalderson191]

Thanks! Good luck in this year's race. I'm not doing the Stage Race this year as I'm doing the big race but I'll do the Stage Race again at some point.

[@graffix11us]

@@johnalderson191 Good luck, I'm shooting for 24 to do the big one.

[@mikewikstrom3416]

Awesome video, this is really valuable to someone like me that wants to see the course. Any chance you will be uploading the other two stages as well? Thanks!

[@johnalderson191]

Hi Mike. Glad this was helpful! Yes, stage 2 and 3 are coming soon.

[@blakehoffer2800]

Hey john! I'm really excited for this year's stage race and this video has been really helpful. Also, I was wondering how you overlay all your stats on your videos. Thanks!

[@johnalderson191]

Hi Blake - less than a week away. Can't wait. The data overlay for these was done with Dashware. Pretty nice piece of software that is unfortunately no longer in active development but still works great. Garmin Virb Edit is another piece of software that alot of people use (I have in the past) and is also in development limbo.

[@blakehoffer2800]

@@johnalderson191 Thanks John! Can’t wait!

[@DukeKai]

Can you provide some details about your bike setup? I have a M4SL too, and it looks like you have a Wolftooth something for your lockout... GREAT videos by the way! Thanks for posting these. I'm using the Columbine climb when I ride my trainer for motivation.

[@johnalderson191]

Hi Drew. The Wolftooth lever is for the dropper post. I have the Fox Live Valve system which is supposed to provide electronic lockout automatically. Like Specialized's Brain. I don't think it's worth it TBH. Day 3 is coming. If you are interested in an uncut Columbine for trainer distraction, let me know and I can post it.

[@DukeKai]

@@johnalderson191 ok, that makes sense. I kept looking for the lock-out lever... I have the manual lockout and it works really well... when I don't forget to (dis)engage it. It complicates the cockpit with so many levers, but just another thing to dial-in. I would love to see the uncut Columbine video, as I suspect many other folks would too! Thank you.

[@ebhkkc1]

Nice job.

[@johnalderson191]

Thanks Earl! Have you raced it?

[@ebhkkc1]

@@johnalderson191 I have completed the Leadville 100 3 times, but this year doing the Stages to improve my corral...going for the big one this year

[@ronheninger1212]

Hi John, thanks for sharing your ride/race. I’m impressed with the data and info on the viewing screen. Ho do you compile and arrange this?😊

[@johnalderson191]

Hi Ron. I use a piece of software called Dashware that used to be (still is?) owned by GoPro. However, it's been out of development/support for some time now and last I looked the official site has gone down. Another popular tool is Garmin's VirbEdit. I like them both. Both have their quirks but I prefer Dashware because of it's ability to be customized and/or take in custom data.

[@Gizmoimages]

Excellent videos. I'm learning the course as I'm doing Leadville on August 12 for the first time. I'm really interested in finding out what tires didn't work as well for you as I'm still deciding tires. I have some tires I'm considering since I'm on a limited budget. But if they suck, I might look at something else. I have a Racing Ralph, and Wicked Will.

[@johnalderson191]

Hi Richard - tires are certainly a tough decision. In the Stage Race, I ran a 2.35 Maxxis Ikon on the front and IIRC a 2.35 Rekon Race on the back. IMO, that was too much tire for me. The Rekon Race is slightly less aggressive tread wise and would have been a better choice for both front and back. That said, for the LT100 this year, I'm currently thinking that I'm going to run 2.25 Conti Race Kings front and back. The Race Kings are lighter and rolling resistance seems quite a bit better than anything in the Maxxis line. I ran them this year in the Barn Burner in Flagstaff AZ (a Leadville qualifier but being sunset by Lifetime :( ) and they were awesome. The Barn Burner course is fast and the Flagstaff area is full of volcanic rock so can be fairly rough. They did great. In 2021, I ran a Racing Ray 2.25 on the front and a Vittoria Mezcal 2.25 on the back and was happy with that combo. I've since moved away from the Mezcal's after flats at the OZ Trails 50 in late 2021 and the True Grit 50 in early 2022. Mezcal front and back or Barzo/Mezcal are great combos from the Vittoria line. Anyway, I think what you need to balance is how racey you want to get with tires while avoiding flats and having the grip you need for the places that the Leadville course requires it. Powerline down, the Columbine switchbacks, Sugarloaf down, St. Kevins down are all places where it's nice to be able to let it fly a bit. But those are small parts of the race and you are going to make up more time on climbs than descents.

[@radiocontrolled9181]

Check out the Maxxis Pace M-333. Good grip, fast rolling and puncture proof. Price is reasonable. I started using them recently and although they are meant for cross country I use them mainly on tarmac and they are very fast rolling on my MTB. Grip is very good too. I use puncture tape in conjunction with inner tubes and I very rarely get a puncture.

[@radiocontrolled9181]

Great race nice video. The audio though is not very clear and I could not make out most of what you were saying. 🌟

[@johnalderson191]

Thank you for the comment! Yeah, when I mixed the voice over audio, the levels are just too low. This was my first time trying voice over and while it sounds ok in my original, the YT reprocess maybe drops it just a bit. Oddly, it sounds better through the YT Xbox app on a TV. Anyway, thanks for watching and hope it was helpful.

[@WheelieWild]

Hey John! I'm thinking about registering for the Leadville Stage Race today. I've done the MidWeek series as well and loved that. I'm curious if you'd recommend the Leadville race? Is it worth the drive out there and the registration?

[@johnalderson191]

Absolutely 100% would recommend. The Stage race is an awesome event on an awesome course. It fills up fast so if you are going to do it, I'd pull the trigger. The Stage Race is also a great place to get a coin for the big race and you can defer to next year if the schedule doesn't work out for this year.

[@WheelieWild]

@@johnalderson191 awesome thanks! I got registered! Really looking forward to it!

[@johnalderson191]

If you haven't already, check out the LT100 podcast (leadville.fm) for more strategy and course discussion. And feel free to throw any questions my way also.

[@edwardps1886]

do you need a external power bank to record a long video like this, i´m interested in that. Can you help me please?

[@johnalderson191]

You most definitely do. For multi-hour races, I use a 10000 mAh power bank (www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-10000mAh-Delivery-PowerCore/dp/B08LH26PFT/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2UH8IQCBQG375&keywords=power+core+10000&qid=1687271206&sprefix=power+core+10000%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-8). I'm using an older Hero 7 which requires that I remove the door to the charge port (easy) and also you can't use the external battery while an internal battery is installed so the stock battery is removed. I also have maxed out the SD card at 256Gb (Hero 7 max supported). This will go about 7-7.5 hours with the memory card filling first before battery dies at 4K.

[@mikewikstrom3416]

Was that Elden “Fatty” Nelson passing you at 9:25? Looks like a single speed, orange everything including Enve wheels….Gotta be him.

[@johnalderson191]

Keen eye Mike! Yep, that was Fatty and you can see him and his wife in a few more spots during the race. Always passing me though :(

[@alexfotopoulos779]

How did you find the pivot I have the same bike for 2023.

[@johnalderson191]

I love the bike. Cliche, but feels like more than 100mm travel bike. Very capable. I went with the 120 fork up front and it has Live Valve - which I would not recommend.

[@alexfotopoulos779]

@@johnalderson191 Yup agreed. Live valve all the way.

[@radiocontrolled9181]

​@@alexfotopoulos779 'not recommend' ....

[@christopheraverett3099]

Are you thinking the 30tooth was too small or too large of a gear?

[@johnalderson191]

At the moment, too small. It's a complex topic though it sounds so simple. The prevailing wisdom for a race like this (lots of climbing) coupled with my poor FTP would dictate smaller is better. But, I think that since I have a 52 eagle plate on this bike, that a 32 in front would have been better for me. I feel like in this and other races, people are pulling away from me on climbs effortlessly when I'm putting out decent power myself. Now, maybe they are really just putting out more power but 'grabbing another gear' is a real thing also and makes a difference more so when you are going slow. A 0.2 or 0.3 mph avg difference over a reasonable climb is a big difference in time. There's also the balance of cadence and how important that might be to you. I go back and forth on my opinion for what's the better chainring size.

[@radiocontrolled9181]

Hello I'm old school I run 3x and I have 22, 34 and 42 chainrings at the front so that's never an issue for me. 7 gears at the back and I'm spoilt for choice 😊 when it comes to gears.

[@johnalderson191]

What bike is that on? That sounds like the drivetrain on my first real bike which I still have and still is trail worthy - a '97 Spesh Stumpjumper HT M2 Aluminum.

[@radiocontrolled9181]

@@johnalderson191 It's on a Giant ATX2 27.5 hardtail which I bought new in 2018. Many upgrades since then including 100mm Epixon air fork, dropper seat post, pedals, wheels, tires, riser handlebar. Only factory parts that remain are the frame, brakes, seat, front mech and 3x chainrings and cranks. I ride it mainly on tarmac but also go on some gravel and rough rocky bits. Unfortunately we don't have any proper mountain bike trails here. I love buying upgrades from time to time and installing them myself, helps with my motivation to keep riding.

[@ttigg]

Excellent video John, Thanks for putting these together. I’m still on the fence about 30/32 and since, like you, I now have a 10/52 I may put the 32oval back on. I had previously ran a 32o and 10/50 . The testing I’ve done with the 30o 10/52 is that it is a very low gear. My cadence seems high which is another reason I am considering putting the 32 back on. The great thing about the oneup “switch” is I can change the ring in mins so I may try 32 Day1-2 and throw the 30 on for day3. So are you going to be running 32 for the big race this year? Your time at the SR should put you in blue corral. All the best for the big day! Go get that Buckle

[@vantarpon6849]

Single speed🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣