If you're racing the Leadville Trail 100 MTB 2026, you've earned your spot in one of the most storied endurance events in all of cycling. Since its inception in 1994, the Race Across the Sky has drawn riders from around the world to Cloud City for a single brutal question: do you have the grit, guts, and determination to cover 100 miles of high-altitude Rocky Mountain terrain and earn the buckle? There is no shortcut, no easy section, and no margin for poor pacing. The altitude alone makes sure of that.
Race Overview
The Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik starts and finishes in downtown Leadville, Colorado at 10,152 feet above sea level, already above the altitude ceiling most riders will ever train at. The course climbs to a peak of 12,424 feet at the summit of Columbine Mine, the race's iconic turnaround point, before returning to Leadville on the same out-and-back route. Total distance is approximately 104 miles with around 12,000 feet of elevation gain.
The Leadville 100 is now part of the Life Time Grand Prix series and draws the strongest field in American off-road cycling, including five-time defending champion Keegan Swenson, who owns the men's course record of 5:43:29, and Kate Courtney, who shattered the women's course record in her 2025 debut with a time of 6:48:55, breaking a record that had stood for ten years. For age-groupers, the race is defined by its coveted belt buckle system: sub-9 hours earns the big buckle, sub-12 hours the silver buckle and finishing at all puts you among the Leadville Legendary.
Course Description
The Leadville 100 course unfolds in distinct chapters, each with its own demands, and the altitude runs through all of them like a constant tax on every watt you produce.
The race begins with a fast road descent where staying safe and drafting is key, which quickly turns into a false flat approach on a dirt road to your first climb of the day, St. Kevin's. St. Kevin's is an ascent that immediately separates riders by fitness and corral position, creating a bottleneck for riders in the middle and back of the field, with hike-a-bike likely. From St. Kevin's, the course descends on the road to the Sugarloaf Pass section before dropping down the infamous Powerline descent, a loose, steep, rocky descent that rewards technical descenders and punishes those who brake too much or too little. The outbound Powerline descent becomes the brutally hard Powerline climb on the return leg at mile 80, which is where many races unravel.
After Powerline, the course rolls through the Pipeline section (a fast, relatively flat stretch on dirt road where packs form and drafting becomes genuinely valuable) before reaching Twin Lakes at approximately mile 40. Twin Lakes is the primary crew access point and the location of the first major cutoff: riders who don't reach Twin Lakes by the posted cutoff time are pulled from the course. The first couple of cutoffs at Leadville are aggressive, and for athletes near the bubble, this is the section where you may need to take some calculated pacing risks.
From Twin Lakes, the course begins the climb everyone came to race: Columbine. At roughly 8 miles long with an average gradient of about 8% and a summit near 12,500 feet, Columbine is the definitive moment of the Leadville 100. The lower slopes are rideable for most; the upper slopes above tree line, the infamous "Goat Trail," are steep, loose shale and dirt at extreme altitude, forcing most riders to hike. The summit is the turnaround. Everything after it is the return trip (the same course in reverse), with 50+ miles in the legs and Powerline still waiting.
The return Powerline climb at mile 80 is where the race is truly decided for age-groupers. Riders who paced Columbine conservatively and fueled correctly can still pedal Powerline. Riders who didn't are pushing bikes. After Powerline, the course returns via Sugarloaf and the St. Kevin's descent, followed by one final test, the Boulevard, a long, grinding fire road climb that feels far steeper than its modest grade suggests, made worse by everything already in your legs, before finally reaching the finish line on Harrison Avenue in downtown Leadville.
Forecasted Weather
Mid-August in Leadville means warm mornings at elevation with the real risk of afternoon thunderstorms, a consistent Rocky Mountain summer pattern. The race starts at 6:30 AM with temperatures typically in the 40–50°F range at 10,000 feet; by midday, valley temperatures can reach the mid-60s to low-70s°F, while the Columbine summit above tree line can be 20–30 degrees colder with wind. Afternoon thunderstorms are a genuine risk for slower riders still on course after noon, and the exposed upper slopes of Columbine offer no shelter.
For 2025, conditions were generally fast but the descent surfaces were slower than in prior years. Swenson noted he was losing time on every descent compared to record pace. Surface conditions after any precipitation change the equation significantly on the dirt and loose rock sections.
Weather at Leadville is a variable no race plan can fully account for, but a BBS plan lets you model realistic conditions and adjust your targets if race morning looks dramatically different from expectations.
Take a look at the actual forecasted weather under the "Weather" tab below. This is the forecasted weather along the course take at the estimated time and location that you would be in those spots on the trail.
Cutoffs and Buckles: Understanding Leadville's Time Goals
The Leadville 100 MTB enforces cutoff times at multiple points on the course and they are stricter than most athletes expect. The cutoffs exist primarily for rider and volunteer safety. The upper slopes of Columbine are fully exposed at altitude, and allowing riders to start that climb too late creates a genuine weather risk. These are not suggestions, miss a cutoff and your race is over, regardless of how you feel.
Outbound Cutoff
- 10:50 AM Twin Lakes – mile 40.8
Inbound Cutoffs
- 2:35 PM Twin Lakes – mile 63.2
- 3:15 PM – 3:50 PM 9-hour cutoff time for the Big Buckle
- 4:00 PM Outward Bound – mile 78.5
- 6:20 PM Carter Summit – mile 92.8
- 6:15 PM – 6:50 PM 12-hour final cutoff time for completion of the race and the Small Buckle
The belt buckle system is what gives Leadville its unique motivational structure and what most age-groupers are really racing toward. Note that all buckle times are based on individual rider chip times.
Sub-9 hours (The Big Buckle)
The gold standard of Leadville achievement, requiring a race-pace effort at altitude for the full day. Most sub-9 finishers are highly trained athletes with Leadville-specific preparation and FTPs well above average.
Sub-12 hours (The Small Buckle)
Getting in under the 12 hour cutoff also means that you are an "official" finisher. This is the target for a large portion of the field, achievable with solid fitness, correct pacing, and a clean race (no mechanicals, no nutrition issues, no missed cutoffs).
Your Best Bike Split race plan can tell you which buckle your current FTP and athlete profile targets, and more importantly, what you'd need to change to move up a tier.
Why This Course Rewards a Best Bike Split Plan
Leadville is the event where altitude, pacing, and physics intersect more acutely than almost anywhere else in endurance cycling. The race starts at an elevation where most athletes have already lost 10–15% of their sea-level FTP before they turn a pedal. Add 12,000 feet of climbing, a Variability Index that climbs well above 1.15 due to stops, hike-a-bike, and coasting, and a 6–12 hour duration that demands conservative intensity and the case for a physics-based plan becomes overwhelming. A race plan for Leadville Trail 100 MTB 2026 will:
- Quantify your altitude-adjusted FTP target — as a rule of thumb, expect to lose roughly 1% or more of aerobic power per 1,000 feet above sea level, with greater losses at altitude extremes. At Leadville, a 300w sea-level FTP athlete should plan for an effective ceiling of roughly 255–270w. A BBS plan builds that penalty in so your watt targets are calibrated to what you can actually sustain at 10,000–12,000 feet, not what you ride at home.
- Set the right Intensity Factor for your target buckle — elite finishers in the 6-hour range race at an IF of roughly 0.70–0.73; sub-12 athletes closer to 0.50–0.55. The relationship between duration and sustainable intensity is non-negotiable at altitude. Your BBS plan tells you the IF that corresponds to your buckle goal and your athlete profile.
- Model each course section individually — St. Kevin's, Powerline outbound, Pipeline, Twin Lakes, Columbine, and the return Powerline climb all have distinct demands. Knowing your target watt number for each section — especially Columbine's upper slopes and the return Powerline climb — lets you make real-time decisions on race day rather than reacting to how you feel.
- Plan nutrition timing by aid station arrival — use your BBS time estimates to calculate when you'll reach Twin Lakes and each subsequent aid station, so your caloric and hydration plan matches the actual time you'll spend between support opportunities, not a generic formula.
- Analyze your best ROI — use BBS's Time Analysis tool to model whether training gains (higher FTP), weight savings (lighter bike or body), or aerodynamic improvements (drafting in the Pipeline section) give you the most time back for your effort. At Leadville, a 5% FTP increase is worth roughly 20 minutes; 5 lbs of weight savings about 9–10 minutes. Those numbers are what should drive your preparation decisions.
Interactive Race Plan and Course Map
This power plan was modeled for an athlete with an average CdA of 0.4158, an FTP of 280 watts and weighing 165 lbs. Want to see what your time would be on the Leadville 100 MTB 2026 course? Try the Time Analysis feature below, where you can quickly adjust Drag, Power, Weight and Crr to your own values. Check out our demo race plan to see what a premium race plan looks like.
| Interval | Int. Time | Total Time | Int. Dist. | Total Dist. | Grade | Speed | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:02:18 | 00:02:18 | 0.80 mi | 0.80 mi | -3.02 % | 20.81 mph | 13 w |
| #2 | 00:06:18 | 00:08:36 | 2.14 mi | 2.94 mi | -2.17 % | 20.39 mph | 77 w |
| #3 | 00:00:14 | 00:08:51 | 0.08 mi | 3.02 mi | -3.04 % | 20.16 mph | 14 w |
| #4 | 00:21:40 | 00:30:31 | 3.75 mi | 6.77 mi | +2.32 % | 10.38 mph | 166 w |
| #5 | 00:07:49 | 00:38:21 | 0.57 mi | 7.34 mi | +12.79 % | 4.36 mph | 234 w |
| #6 | 00:08:31 | 00:46:53 | 1.02 mi | 8.36 mi | +4.90 % | 7.16 mph | 182 w |
| #7 | 00:00:35 | 00:47:28 | 0.19 mi | 8.55 mi | -7.99 % | 19.95 mph | 0 w |
| #8 | 00:01:41 | 00:49:09 | 0.28 mi | 8.83 mi | +2.21 % | 9.98 mph | 172 w |
| #9 | 00:00:54 | 00:50:03 | 0.24 mi | 9.07 mi | -2.02 % | 16.01 mph | 108 w |
| #10 | 00:01:36 | 00:51:39 | 0.26 mi | 9.33 mi | +2.82 % | 9.91 mph | 178 w |
| #11 | 00:00:16 | 00:51:56 | 0.08 mi | 9.41 mi | -7.44 % | 16.65 mph | 0 w |
| #12 | 00:06:52 | 00:58:48 | 0.78 mi | 10.19 mi | +5.87 % | 6.78 mph | 185 w |
| #13 | 00:00:45 | 00:59:34 | 0.28 mi | 10.47 mi | -6.74 % | 21.85 mph | 0 w |
| #14 | 00:00:26 | 01:00:00 | 0.18 mi | 10.65 mi | -1.72 % | 24.88 mph | 107 w |
| #15 | 00:00:47 | 01:00:48 | 0.38 mi | 11.03 mi | -5.57 % | 28.60 mph | 4 w |
| #16 | 00:00:32 | 01:01:20 | 0.19 mi | 11.22 mi | +1.61 % | 21.49 mph | 158 w |
| #17 | 00:04:47 | 01:06:08 | 2.26 mi | 13.48 mi | -5.32 % | 28.29 mph | 0 w |
| #18 | 00:02:07 | 01:08:16 | 0.66 mi | 14.14 mi | -0.09 % | 18.72 mph | 129 w |
| #19 | 00:39:50 | 01:48:06 | 4.81 mi | 18.95 mi | +5.09 % | 7.24 mph | 180 w |
| #20 | 00:00:58 | 01:49:05 | 0.29 mi | 19.24 mi | -3.42 % | 17.84 mph | 57 w |
| #21 | 00:00:26 | 01:49:32 | 0.14 mi | 19.38 mi | -1.33 % | 18.98 mph | 125 w |
| #22 | 00:01:43 | 01:51:16 | 0.90 mi | 20.28 mi | -7.28 % | 31.17 mph | 1 w |
| #23 | 00:00:28 | 01:51:44 | 0.18 mi | 20.46 mi | -0.35 % | 22.25 mph | 148 w |
| #24 | 00:02:21 | 01:54:06 | 1.21 mi | 21.67 mi | -10.03 % | 30.73 mph | 0 w |
| #25 | 00:01:16 | 01:55:22 | 0.28 mi | 21.95 mi | +2.44 % | 13.20 mph | 174 w |
| #26 | 00:01:31 | 01:56:53 | 0.80 mi | 22.75 mi | -12.15 % | 31.67 mph | 0 w |
| #27 | 00:02:22 | 01:59:16 | 0.32 mi | 23.07 mi | +5.58 % | 8.11 mph | 180 w |
| #28 | 00:02:04 | 02:01:21 | 0.54 mi | 23.61 mi | -0.11 % | 15.58 mph | 125 w |
| #29 | 00:01:53 | 02:03:14 | 0.74 mi | 24.35 mi | -3.30 % | 23.35 mph | 11 w |
| #30 | 00:06:10 | 02:09:24 | 1.67 mi | 26.02 mi | -0.50 % | 16.22 mph | 132 w |
| #31 | 00:00:58 | 02:10:23 | 0.29 mi | 26.31 mi | -1.51 % | 17.91 mph | 91 w |
| #32 | 00:17:33 | 02:27:56 | 3.64 mi | 29.95 mi | +0.94 % | 12.43 mph | 157 w |
| #33 | 00:01:36 | 02:29:33 | 0.14 mi | 30.09 mi | +8.64 % | 5.36 mph | 218 w |
| #34 | 00:04:22 | 02:33:56 | 0.97 mi | 31.06 mi | -0.13 % | 13.29 mph | 148 w |
| #35 | 00:00:30 | 02:34:26 | 0.18 mi | 31.24 mi | -4.51 % | 21.46 mph | 0 w |
| #36 | 00:03:57 | 02:38:23 | 0.55 mi | 31.79 mi | +3.09 % | 8.35 mph | 178 w |
| #37 | 00:01:00 | 02:39:23 | 0.27 mi | 32.06 mi | -2.32 % | 16.06 mph | 100 w |
| #38 | 00:00:51 | 02:40:15 | 0.21 mi | 32.27 mi | 0.00 % | 14.92 mph | 153 w |
| #39 | 00:00:23 | 02:40:38 | 0.10 mi | 32.37 mi | -2.37 % | 15.87 mph | 100 w |
| #40 | 00:00:28 | 02:41:06 | 0.20 mi | 32.57 mi | -7.39 % | 25.92 mph | 0 w |
| #41 | 00:03:12 | 02:44:19 | 0.44 mi | 33.01 mi | +4.33 % | 8.21 mph | 177 w |
| #42 | 00:02:06 | 02:46:25 | 0.58 mi | 33.59 mi | -1.83 % | 16.38 mph | 115 w |
| #43 | 00:00:06 | 02:46:32 | 0.06 mi | 33.65 mi | -20.80 % | 29.58 mph | 0 w |
| #44 | 00:01:54 | 02:48:27 | 0.37 mi | 34.02 mi | +2.47 % | 11.61 mph | 174 w |
| #45 | 00:02:19 | 02:50:47 | 0.99 mi | 35.01 mi | -5.47 % | 25.44 mph | 1 w |
| #46 | 00:01:21 | 02:52:08 | 0.52 mi | 35.53 mi | -3.13 % | 22.80 mph | 69 w |
| #47 | 00:00:05 | 02:52:14 | 0.03 mi | 35.56 mi | -5.64 % | 21.81 mph | 0 w |
| #48 | 00:17:37 | 03:09:51 | 2.87 mi | 38.43 mi | +2.80 % | 9.79 mph | 167 w |
| #49 | 00:00:38 | 03:10:30 | 0.19 mi | 38.62 mi | -2.96 % | 17.50 mph | 69 w |
| #50 | 00:01:24 | 03:11:55 | 0.40 mi | 39.02 mi | -1.09 % | 16.95 mph | 126 w |
| #51 | 00:01:41 | 03:13:37 | 0.81 mi | 39.83 mi | -5.14 % | 28.75 mph | 1 w |
| #52 | 00:00:57 | 03:14:34 | 0.39 mi | 40.22 mi | -1.90 % | 24.54 mph | 79 w |
| #53 | 00:11:40 | 03:26:14 | 1.47 mi | 41.69 mi | +5.04 % | 7.55 mph | 180 w |
| #54 | 00:01:12 | 03:27:27 | 0.43 mi | 42.12 mi | -5.66 % | 21.12 mph | 0 w |
| #55 | 00:03:18 | 03:30:46 | 1.17 mi | 43.29 mi | -3.12 % | 21.18 mph | 68 w |
| #56 | 00:13:09 | 03:43:56 | 2.11 mi | 45.40 mi | +3.17 % | 9.63 mph | 169 w |
| #57 | 00:05:22 | 03:49:19 | 0.47 mi | 45.87 mi | +9.99 % | 5.21 mph | 219 w |
| #58 | 00:07:53 | 03:57:12 | 0.73 mi | 46.60 mi | +7.28 % | 5.51 mph | 192 w |
| #59 | 00:00:35 | 03:57:48 | 0.12 mi | 46.72 mi | -2.05 % | 12.37 mph | 109 w |
| #60 | 00:25:34 | 04:23:23 | 2.15 mi | 48.87 mi | +8.29 % | 5.04 mph | 208 w |
| #61 | 00:19:11 | 04:42:34 | 1.52 mi | 50.39 mi | +9.24 % | 4.77 mph | 208 w |
| #62 | 00:00:26 | 04:43:00 | 0.04 mi | 50.43 mi | +15.45 % | 4.90 mph | 342 w |
| #63 | 00:01:59 | 04:45:00 | 0.17 mi | 50.60 mi | +9.93 % | 5.10 mph | 244 w |
| #64 | 00:01:53 | 04:46:54 | 0.20 mi | 50.80 mi | +5.10 % | 6.20 mph | 180 w |
| #65 | 00:15:56 | 05:02:50 | 1.13 mi | 51.93 mi | +12.44 % | 4.26 mph | 235 w |
| #66 | 00:00:19 | 05:03:10 | 0.06 mi | 51.99 mi | -3.29 % | 10.47 mph | 60 w |
| #67 | 00:00:25 | 05:03:35 | 0.11 mi | 52.10 mi | -0.58 % | 15.04 mph | 144 w |
| #68 | 00:09:33 | 05:13:09 | 5.07 mi | 57.17 mi | -9.24 % | 31.85 mph | 0 w |
| #69 | 00:00:51 | 05:14:00 | 0.16 mi | 57.33 mi | +1.20 % | 10.95 mph | 167 w |
| #70 | 00:02:19 | 05:16:19 | 1.15 mi | 58.48 mi | -8.17 % | 29.81 mph | 0 w |
| #71 | 00:00:37 | 05:16:57 | 0.26 mi | 58.74 mi | -0.95 % | 25.33 mph | 104 w |
| #72 | 00:01:33 | 05:18:30 | 0.77 mi | 59.51 mi | -4.68 % | 29.71 mph | 1 w |
| #73 | 00:03:24 | 05:21:54 | 0.95 mi | 60.46 mi | -1.31 % | 16.70 mph | 124 w |
| #74 | 00:00:27 | 05:22:21 | 0.15 mi | 60.61 mi | -3.38 % | 19.54 mph | 60 w |
| #75 | 00:12:39 | 05:35:01 | 1.60 mi | 62.21 mi | +3.93 % | 7.57 mph | 178 w |
| #76 | 00:01:41 | 05:36:42 | 0.72 mi | 62.93 mi | -6.59 % | 25.53 mph | 1 w |
| #77 | 00:15:45 | 05:52:27 | 2.56 mi | 65.49 mi | +3.07 % | 9.76 mph | 167 w |
| #78 | 00:01:14 | 05:53:41 | 0.32 mi | 65.81 mi | -1.58 % | 15.26 mph | 118 w |
| #79 | 00:01:46 | 05:55:28 | 0.72 mi | 66.53 mi | -5.19 % | 24.19 mph | 0 w |
| #80 | 00:05:30 | 06:00:58 | 1.34 mi | 67.87 mi | -0.28 % | 14.56 mph | 146 w |
| #81 | 00:00:37 | 06:01:36 | 0.19 mi | 68.06 mi | -4.90 % | 18.58 mph | 15 w |
| #82 | 00:22:48 | 06:24:25 | 3.45 mi | 71.51 mi | +3.39 % | 9.07 mph | 174 w |
| #83 | 00:01:43 | 06:26:08 | 0.55 mi | 72.06 mi | -3.02 % | 19.08 mph | 74 w |
| #84 | 00:06:13 | 06:32:22 | 1.14 mi | 73.20 mi | +1.28 % | 11.01 mph | 162 w |
| #85 | 00:00:41 | 06:33:04 | 0.25 mi | 73.45 mi | -5.49 % | 21.42 mph | 0 w |
| #86 | 00:06:57 | 06:40:02 | 1.48 mi | 74.93 mi | +0.36 % | 12.71 mph | 157 w |
| #87 | 00:22:14 | 07:02:17 | 5.27 mi | 80.20 mi | +0.51 % | 14.22 mph | 140 w |
| #88 | 00:00:49 | 07:03:07 | 0.33 mi | 80.53 mi | -4.76 % | 23.49 mph | 1 w |
| #89 | 00:00:11 | 07:03:19 | 0.05 mi | 80.58 mi | -1.22 % | 15.73 mph | 124 w |
| #90 | 00:13:27 | 07:16:46 | 0.92 mi | 81.50 mi | +13.63 % | 4.12 mph | 213 w |
| #91 | 00:00:27 | 07:17:14 | 0.15 mi | 81.65 mi | -7.68 % | 20.05 mph | 0 w |
| #92 | 00:14:17 | 07:31:31 | 1.21 mi | 82.86 mi | +9.96 % | 5.09 mph | 238 w |
| #93 | 00:14:11 | 07:45:42 | 1.51 mi | 84.37 mi | +5.89 % | 6.38 mph | 191 w |
| #94 | 00:04:19 | 07:50:02 | 1.83 mi | 86.20 mi | -6.14 % | 25.28 mph | 0 w |
| #95 | 00:00:09 | 07:50:12 | 0.06 mi | 86.26 mi | -2.05 % | 22.05 mph | 79 w |
| #96 | 00:04:57 | 07:55:09 | 1.84 mi | 88.10 mi | -2.94 % | 22.25 mph | 9 w |
| #97 | 00:00:08 | 07:55:18 | 0.04 mi | 88.14 mi | -1.64 % | 16.37 mph | 80 w |
| #98 | 00:02:08 | 07:57:26 | 1.06 mi | 89.20 mi | -4.77 % | 29.60 mph | 0 w |
| #99 | 00:01:51 | 07:59:17 | 0.63 mi | 89.83 mi | -0.39 % | 20.49 mph | 120 w |
| #100 | 00:19:52 | 08:19:10 | 2.36 mi | 92.19 mi | +5.30 % | 7.13 mph | 179 w |
| #101 | 00:00:28 | 08:19:38 | 0.11 mi | 92.30 mi | -1.63 % | 14.56 mph | 87 w |
| #102 | 00:07:22 | 08:27:01 | 0.83 mi | 93.13 mi | +5.70 % | 6.77 mph | 179 w |
| #103 | 00:01:18 | 08:28:19 | 0.51 mi | 93.64 mi | -6.04 % | 23.68 mph | 0 w |
| #104 | 00:00:40 | 08:28:59 | 0.26 mi | 93.90 mi | -2.61 % | 23.69 mph | 96 w |
| #105 | 00:00:34 | 08:29:33 | 0.06 mi | 93.96 mi | +14.56 % | 6.27 mph | 327 w |
| #106 | 00:00:58 | 08:30:32 | 0.25 mi | 94.21 mi | -2.47 % | 15.56 mph | 91 w |
| #107 | 00:01:19 | 08:31:51 | 0.26 mi | 94.47 mi | +1.91 % | 11.99 mph | 170 w |
| #108 | 00:00:56 | 08:32:48 | 0.27 mi | 94.74 mi | -4.64 % | 16.99 mph | 0 w |
| #109 | 00:00:18 | 08:33:06 | 0.04 mi | 94.78 mi | +13.12 % | 8.48 mph | 308 w |
| #110 | 00:02:01 | 08:35:08 | 0.17 mi | 94.95 mi | +9.00 % | 5.10 mph | 225 w |
| #111 | 00:00:31 | 08:35:39 | 0.17 mi | 95.12 mi | -6.97 % | 19.12 mph | 0 w |
| #112 | 00:01:20 | 08:37:00 | 0.48 mi | 95.60 mi | -1.84 % | 21.48 mph | 111 w |
| #113 | 00:02:54 | 08:39:55 | 1.52 mi | 97.12 mi | -8.47 % | 31.30 mph | 0 w |
| #114 | 00:00:18 | 08:40:13 | 0.15 mi | 97.27 mi | -2.53 % | 29.26 mph | 88 w |
| #115 | 00:09:03 | 08:49:16 | 2.07 mi | 99.34 mi | -0.10 % | 13.74 mph | 149 w |
| #116 | 00:08:43 | 08:57:59 | 2.55 mi | 101.89 mi | -1.50 % | 17.58 mph | 108 w |
| #117 | 00:00:53 | 08:58:53 | 0.08 mi | 101.97 mi | +13.38 % | 5.31 mph | 299 w |
| #118 | 00:00:32 | 08:59:25 | 0.05 mi | 102.02 mi | +9.27 % | 5.24 mph | 233 w |
| #119 | 00:20:03 | 09:19:28 | 3.18 mi | 105.20 mi | +2.98 % | 9.51 mph | 171 w |
| Totals/Avg | 09:19:28 | 09:19:28 | 105.20 mi | 105.20 mi | -0.15% | 11.28 mph | 155.68 w |
Climb Summary by Category
| Category | Climb Count | Total Time | Total Dist. | Avg. Time | Avg. Dist. | Avg. Grade | Avg. Speed | Avg. Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HC | 1 | 01:25:59 | 7.53 mi | 01:25:59 | 7.53 mi | 8.15 % | 5.25 mph | 209 w |
| Cat2 | 2 | 01:22:00 | 8.57 mi | 00:41:00 | 4.28 mi | 6.17 % | 6.30 mph | 187 w |
| Cat3 | 2 | 00:49:33 | 5.46 mi | 00:24:46 | 2.73 mi | 6.03 % | 6.53 mph | 179 w |
| Cat4 | 18 | 01:33:27 | 11.21 mi | 00:05:11 | 0.62 mi | 4.86 % | 7.31 mph | 188 w |
| All Cats | 23 | 05:11:01 | 32.77 mi | 00:13:31 | 1.42 mi | 5.22 % | 7.06 mph | 188 w |
| Climb | Start Time | Start Dist. | Duration | Distance | Speed | Power | Grade | Elevation Gain | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:25:02 | 6.21 mi | 00:21:50 | 2.15 mi | 5.90 mph | 189 w | 7.11 % | 807 ft | Cat3 |
| #2 | 00:53:11 | 9.69 mi | 00:05:21 | 0.46 mi | 5.17 mph | 191 w | 7.28 % | 177 ft | Cat4 |
| #3 | 01:08:16 | 14.15 mi | 00:39:37 | 4.77 mi | 7.23 mph | 181 w | 4.68 % | 1178 ft | Cat2 |
| #4 | 01:57:05 | 22.83 mi | 00:02:10 | 0.25 mi | 6.85 mph | 182 w | 6.00 % | 79 ft | Cat4 |
| #5 | 02:27:56 | 29.95 mi | 00:03:05 | 0.42 mi | 8.19 mph | 189 w | 3.38 % | 75 ft | Cat4 |
| #6 | 02:34:26 | 31.24 mi | 00:03:57 | 0.55 mi | 8.35 mph | 177 w | 3.05 % | 89 ft | Cat4 |
| #7 | 02:41:23 | 32.69 mi | 00:02:55 | 0.32 mi | 6.65 mph | 180 w | 4.79 % | 82 ft | Cat4 |
| #8 | 03:00:56 | 37.38 mi | 00:07:55 | 0.84 mi | 6.39 mph | 182 w | 5.22 % | 233 ft | Cat4 |
| #9 | 03:17:38 | 40.92 mi | 00:08:35 | 0.77 mi | 5.40 mph | 205 w | 6.75 % | 276 ft | Cat4 |
| #10 | 03:30:46 | 43.29 mi | 00:00:59 | 0.16 mi | 9.95 mph | 178 w | 3.41 % | 30 ft | Cat4 |
| #11 | 03:36:51 | 44.40 mi | 01:25:59 | 7.53 mi | 5.25 mph | 209 w | 8.15 % | 3238 ft | HC |
| #12 | 05:22:21 | 60.60 mi | 00:06:05 | 0.84 mi | 8.28 mph | 176 w | 3.25 % | 144 ft | Cat4 |
| #13 | 05:30:08 | 61.70 mi | 00:04:52 | 0.49 mi | 6.02 mph | 183 w | 5.46 % | 141 ft | Cat4 |
| #14 | 05:41:14 | 64.01 mi | 00:11:13 | 1.46 mi | 7.81 mph | 170 w | 3.79 % | 292 ft | Cat4 |
| #15 | 06:05:43 | 69.09 mi | 00:15:54 | 1.93 mi | 7.28 mph | 185 w | 4.19 % | 427 ft | Cat4 |
| #16 | 06:22:41 | 71.23 mi | 00:01:24 | 0.20 mi | 8.56 mph | 176 w | 3.10 % | 33 ft | Cat4 |
| #17 | 06:26:08 | 72.03 mi | 00:01:30 | 0.19 mi | 7.73 mph | 180 w | 3.84 % | 39 ft | Cat4 |
| #18 | 06:58:13 | 79.41 mi | 00:01:57 | 0.25 mi | 7.82 mph | 176 w | 4.16 % | 56 ft | Cat4 |
| #19 | 07:03:19 | 80.55 mi | 00:42:23 | 3.80 mi | 5.37 mph | 193 w | 7.66 % | 1535 ft | Cat2 |
| #20 | 07:59:18 | 89.80 mi | 00:27:43 | 3.31 mi | 7.16 mph | 170 w | 4.94 % | 863 ft | Cat3 |
| #21 | 08:32:48 | 94.73 mi | 00:02:19 | 0.22 mi | 5.54 mph | 267 w | 9.82 % | 112 ft | Cat4 |
| #22 | 08:57:59 | 101.89 mi | 00:02:50 | 0.32 mi | 6.66 mph | 222 w | 6.70 % | 112 ft | Cat4 |
| #23 | 09:09:10 | 103.67 mi | 00:10:18 | 1.52 mi | 8.88 mph | 174 w | 3.22 % | 259 ft | Cat4 |
Build your own personalized 2026 Leadville 100 MTB power plan today! Sign up for a free account to get started with your athlete profile, bike setup and grab the Leadville 100 MTB 2026 course to model your own race plan.
2026 Leadville 100 MTB FAQs
Your target power depends on your FTP, body weight, bike setup, and finish time goal — not a generic number that applies to every rider. The variables that matter most are your current fitness, your aerodynamic position, and the specific demands of the 2026 Leadville 100 MTB course. The best approach is to build a personalized plan in Best Bike Split using your actual athlete profile — you'll get a segment-by-segment power target based on your specific inputs rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
Every course is different and requires its own unique pacing plan. On a multi-loop course, fatigue and wind shift between laps and what felt comfortable early can become unsustainable later. On an out-and-back, headwind in one direction becomes tailwind in the other — an asymmetry a flat power target can't account for. On a point-to-point or single-loop course, you only get one pass at every section with no opportunity to recalibrate. When you create a Best Bike Split race plan for 2026 Leadville 100 MTB, we model the specific demands of that course so your pacing strategy reflects the race you're actually doing.
Significantly — and the effect varies depending on the course profile. On flatter courses, wind and aerodynamics become the dominant variables in your speed equation, more so than on courses where gradient naturally dictates effort. On climbing-heavy courses, your power-to-weight ratio and how you manage the descents matter most. A Best Bike Split race plan lets you model the specific conditions forecasted for 2026 Leadville 100 MTB, so your targets reflect what you'll actually face on race day rather than what the course looks like on paper.
It depends on the course and how well you pace it. Flat, fast courses offer genuine PR potential but only if you execute correctly — without terrain to naturally regulate your effort, going out too hard early is easy and costly. Technical or hilly courses reward smart segment-by-segment pacing over raw fitness. Either way, a physics-based race plan from Best Bike Split gives you a realistic split prediction based on your actual profile so you know before race day what a well-executed bike leg looks like for you specifically.
Yes — and this is one of the most underused features. Once you've built your 2026 Leadville 100 MTB race plan, you can export it directly to Zwift, TrainerRoad, or any ERG-mode trainer for indoor sessions, or push it to your Garmin, Wahoo, or Karoo for outdoor rides. Training on your actual race plan means you arrive at 2026 Leadville 100 MTB already knowing what your target effort feels like at every section of the course — not just what the number says on paper.
