Mike Quigley negotiates Leadville 100s Race Across the Sky and earns a silver finisher’s buckle and a time of 11:29:30. Mike began specific training with Steel Ctiy Endurance head coach Suzanne Atkinson six months prior to his main event. Coordinating Mike’s family time became one of their biggest challenges in training for the ultra endurance Mountain Bike marathon. Mike’s training plan built a foundation of strong threshold and VO2 max work in the early season, following the “strong before long” periodization philosophy of Steel City Endurance for ultradistance athletes.
As the race became closer, Mike transitioned into longer endurance rides at a moderate paces while he and Coach Suzanne zeroed in on proper ‘race pace’ for an event whose starting line is at 10,000 feet. Two weeks before the race, Mike was doing back to back rides of six hours each combined with plenty of climbing work around the short steep hills in Pittsburgh.
The Leadville 100 is a 50 mile out and back course starting in Leadville, CO at an elevation of 10,000 feet and peaking at over 14,000 feet on the 3000 foot climb to Columbine mine. It was first run in 1984 and is one of the best know ultra marathon mountain bike events.
See the full finishing results of the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike race here.
