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. This year you're also racing a course nobody has trained on before. Wildfire closures rerouted a significant chunk of the race, but the fundamentals, altitude, distance and the fight for the buckle, haven't changed.
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 Willow Fire burned close to 7,200 acres west of town starting in late June, and Race Director Tamira Jenlink confirmed that Hagerman Pass Road, Sugarloaf Mountain and Powerline are all inside the burn area and closed for the foreseeable future. None of that terrain is part of the 2026 course. The turnaround climb, Columbine Mine, is unaffected and still tops out near 12,500 feet. Total distance for 2026 lands close to 100.2 miles, tighter than the 104 to 105 miles the race has run in recent years.
The Leadville 100 is part of the Life Time Grand Prix series and draws the strongest field in American off-road cycling. Five-time defending champion Keegan Swenson owns the men's course record of 5:43:29, and Kate Courtney shattered the women's course record in her 2025 debut with a time of 6:48:55, breaking a mark that had stood for ten years. Both records will carry an asterisk in 2026 since nobody is racing the same course those times were set on. Through the early rounds of the Grand Prix, Swenson and Matt Beers are tied atop the men's standings and Sofia Gomez Villafane leads the women's field.
For age-groupers, the race is still defined by its belt buckle system, though the standards moved for 2026: sub-8:15 earns the Large Buckle, sub-11:15 earns the Small Buckle, and finishing by the 12:15 course cutoff makes you an official finisher. More on that below.
Course Description
Note: Leadville Race Series has confirmed the exclusions below but has not yet released full course maps or GPX for the middle section of the route (expected no later than August 7). The start, Columbine climb and finish are described with confidence. The connecting terrain between Carter Summit and Twin Lakes Dam is described at the level of detail currently available and should be checked against the official maps once they're live.
The race begins with a fast road descent where staying safe and drafting is key, which quickly turns into a false flat approach toward the first climb of the day. Carter Summit, the first aid station, sits at mile 10.6, in roughly the same spot the course has hit early climbing terrain in past years.
From Carter Summit, the course heads toward Outward Bound at mile 22.7. This is the section most directly affected by the reroute: Sugarloaf Mountain, Hagerman Pass Road and the Powerline descent that used to connect this stretch are all closed for 2026, so riders will be on a different line here than in any prior edition. Race organizers have indicated the replacement miles lean more toward road and forest service road, which should make this section faster and put a real premium on group dynamics and drafting for anyone racing with company. Confirm the actual terrain against the final course maps closer to race day.
From Outward Bound, the course continues to Twin Lakes Dam at mile 38.5, the last aid station before Columbine and the site of the first major cutoff (10:15 AM). Riders who don't reach Twin Lakes Dam by cutoff are pulled from the course. If you're near the bubble on qualifying pace, this is still the section where you may need to take calculated pacing risks.
From Twin Lakes Dam, the course begins the climb everyone came to race: Columbine. The turnaround sits at mile 50.4, near 12,500 feet. 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, and everything after it is the return trip, with 50 miles already in the legs.
The return leg retraces Twin Lakes Dam at mile 58.7 and Outward Bound at mile 77.5. With Powerline no longer part of the course, the return trip loses the climb that has broken more Leadville races than any other single section. What replaces it is not yet confirmed in detail, but a shorter, less technical back half is consistent with the tighter buckle standards for 2026. Carter Summit, mile 89.6 inbound, sets up the final push back into town, followed by the finish 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.
2026 is also a wildfire year. The Willow Fire is well contained heading into race week and recent rain has helped clear smoke from the area, but air quality is worth checking in the days before the race, especially for anyone with respiratory sensitivity at altitude.
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 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.
The buckle standards are noticeably tighter in 2026, consistent with a shorter course. If you trained around the old sub-9/sub-12 framework, recalibrate now.
Outbound Cutoff
- 10:15 AM — Twin Lakes Dam, mile 38.5
Inbound Cutoffs
- 2:15 PM — Twin Lakes Dam, mile 58.7
- 3:30 PM — Outward Bound, mile 77.5
- 5:50 PM — Carter Summit, mile 89.6
Buckle and Finish Standards
- Large Buckle: sub-8:15
- Small Buckle: sub-11:15
- Official course cutoff: 12:15
All buckle times are based on individual rider chip time and verified at the finish line. Course cutoffs are based on gun time.
Sub-8:15 (The Large Buckle)
The gold standard of Leadville achievement, requiring a race-pace effort at altitude for the full day. Most Large Buckle finishers are highly trained athletes with Leadville-specific preparation and FTPs well above average.
Sub-11:15 (The Small Buckle)
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).
12:15 (Official Course Cutoff)
Finishing between the Small Buckle standard and the 12:15 course cutoff still makes you an official finisher, just without a buckle. This is a new distinction for 2026: in past years the Small Buckle time and the official finisher cutoff were the same number.
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.
How Race Strategy Changes for 2026
In past years, Leadville was raced around one central fact: Powerline was still coming. Riders paced Columbine conservatively, protected their legs on the outbound descent, and treated everything before mile 80 as prelude to the return climb that decided the race. That climb is gone in 2026, and the strategy has to change with it.
The selection point moves. Without the return Powerline climb, Columbine becomes the race's only true selection point, not just its highest one. There's no second gate to survive on the way home, which means you can't bank on recovering position during a slow, technical return leg like riders used to. Pace Columbine to what you can sustain for the rest of the day, not to what you can barely survive, because there's nothing left afterward to hide a blown effort.
The day gets more even, and that rewards different strengths. Trading a loose, technical descent-then-climb for more road and forest-road miles flattens out the power demands across the course. That favors riders who can hold a steady, sustainable wattage for six to twelve hours over riders who made up time with technical descending skill. If bike handling has always been more of an asset for you than raw sustained power, this year's course works against you slightly. Train the engine, not just the downhills.
Drafting and positioning matter earlier and longer. Corral position and group work used to matter mostly on the early flat miles and through Pipeline. With more sustained road and forest-road terrain replacing Powerline, pack dynamics now stretch across a bigger share of the race. Start conservatively, but don't isolate yourself if a group forms at a pace you can hold. Riding solo costs more time this year than it used to.
Recalibrate your goal time before you recalibrate your effort. The buckle standards moved by 45 minutes at both ends (sub-8:15 and sub-11:15). Don't assume your old Leadville pace, or a finish time from a past year, tells you where you'll land in 2026. Build a plan around the actual 2026 course once the GPX is public and set your goal buckle from that number, not from memory.
Build in flexibility until the final maps drop. The exact terrain replacing the Sugarloaf, Hagerman and Powerline section isn't public yet. Build your race plan now around what's confirmed (the start, Twin Lakes Dam, Columbine, the finish) and leave the middle section adjustable. Update your plan the moment the August 7 course release lands instead of locking in targets based on assumptions.
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. Even with less total climbing in 2026, the duration, altitude and Variability Index from stops, hike-a-bike, and coasting still make the case for a physics-based plan 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. With the buckle standards tightened for 2026, the IF-to-finish-time relationship shifts too. Your BBS plan tells you the IF that corresponds to your buckle goal and your athlete profile once the new course is loaded.
- Model each course section individually. Carter Summit, the Outward Bound sector, Twin Lakes Dam, Columbine, and the return miles back to Carter Summit all have distinct demands. Knowing your target watt number for each section, especially Columbine's upper slopes, 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 Dam 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 drafting discipline on the road and forest-road sections give you the most time back for your effort. Note that with the course roughly 5 miles shorter and drop bars banned from the 2026 race, the exact time-value numbers from prior years will shift. Model your own once the new GPX is available rather than assuming last year's figures still apply.
Interactive Race Plan and Course Map
This power plan was modeled for an athlete with an average CdA of 0.419, an FTP of 250 watts and weighing 165 lbs. Want to see what your time would be on the 2026 Leadville Trail 100 Re-Route 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 | 00:00:48 | 00:00:48 | 0.27 mi | 0.27 mi | -3.71 % | 19.76 mph | 0 w |
| #2 | 00:00:56 | 00:01:45 | 0.18 mi | 0.45 mi | +2.79 % | 11.32 mph | 147 w |
| #3 | 00:08:17 | 00:10:02 | 2.59 mi | 3.04 mi | -2.55 % | 18.72 mph | 0 w |
| #4 | 00:40:55 | 00:50:58 | 5.31 mi | 8.35 mi | +4.82 % | 7.79 mph | 165 w |
| #5 | 00:00:40 | 00:51:38 | 0.22 mi | 8.57 mi | -7.53 % | 20.12 mph | 0 w |
| #6 | 00:02:02 | 00:53:40 | 0.27 mi | 8.84 mi | +3.42 % | 7.82 mph | 160 w |
| #7 | 00:01:15 | 00:54:56 | 0.24 mi | 9.08 mi | -2.26 % | 11.46 mph | 37 w |
| #8 | 00:02:09 | 00:57:05 | 0.30 mi | 9.38 mi | +2.39 % | 8.46 mph | 155 w |
| #9 | 00:00:10 | 00:57:16 | 0.06 mi | 9.44 mi | -12.42 % | 19.03 mph | 0 w |
| #10 | 00:06:28 | 01:03:45 | 0.68 mi | 10.12 mi | +6.23 % | 6.33 mph | 179 w |
| #11 | 00:09:04 | 01:12:49 | 3.56 mi | 13.68 mi | -4.25 % | 23.56 mph | 0 w |
| #12 | 00:04:27 | 01:17:17 | 1.11 mi | 14.79 mi | +0.08 % | 14.95 mph | 87 w |
| #13 | 00:02:31 | 01:19:49 | 0.87 mi | 15.66 mi | -3.10 % | 20.77 mph | 0 w |
| #14 | 00:28:38 | 01:48:27 | 5.71 mi | 21.37 mi | +0.20 % | 11.97 mph | 100 w |
| #15 | 00:02:09 | 01:50:37 | 0.81 mi | 22.18 mi | -3.24 % | 22.41 mph | 0 w |
| #16 | 00:36:06 | 02:26:43 | 6.75 mi | 28.93 mi | +0.59 % | 11.21 mph | 119 w |
| #17 | 00:04:15 | 02:30:59 | 0.56 mi | 29.49 mi | +3.02 % | 7.85 mph | 159 w |
| #18 | 00:02:32 | 02:33:31 | 0.54 mi | 30.03 mi | -1.41 % | 12.82 mph | 76 w |
| #19 | 00:00:39 | 02:34:11 | 0.24 mi | 30.27 mi | -6.85 % | 22.10 mph | 0 w |
| #20 | 00:03:53 | 02:38:05 | 0.47 mi | 30.74 mi | +3.50 % | 7.16 mph | 161 w |
| #21 | 00:02:31 | 02:40:36 | 0.61 mi | 31.35 mi | -3.18 % | 14.40 mph | 45 w |
| #22 | 00:02:14 | 02:42:50 | 0.35 mi | 31.70 mi | +3.46 % | 9.39 mph | 162 w |
| #23 | 00:03:50 | 02:46:41 | 1.52 mi | 33.22 mi | -4.65 % | 23.67 mph | 0 w |
| #24 | 00:25:51 | 03:12:33 | 4.67 mi | 37.89 mi | +1.42 % | 10.84 mph | 119 w |
| #25 | 00:12:40 | 03:25:13 | 1.47 mi | 39.36 mi | +4.87 % | 6.94 mph | 164 w |
| #26 | 00:05:07 | 03:30:20 | 1.58 mi | 40.94 mi | -3.65 % | 18.52 mph | 0 w |
| #27 | 00:14:33 | 03:44:54 | 2.10 mi | 43.04 mi | +2.95 % | 8.67 mph | 148 w |
| #28 | 00:13:43 | 03:58:38 | 1.15 mi | 44.19 mi | +8.39 % | 5.03 mph | 196 w |
| #29 | 00:00:50 | 03:59:29 | 0.15 mi | 44.34 mi | -0.76 % | 10.40 mph | 101 w |
| #30 | 00:53:47 | 04:53:16 | 4.26 mi | 48.60 mi | +9.01 % | 4.75 mph | 207 w |
| #31 | 00:15:42 | 05:08:59 | 1.42 mi | 50.02 mi | +9.23 % | 5.44 mph | 214 w |
| #32 | 00:00:35 | 05:09:34 | 0.20 mi | 50.22 mi | -8.15 % | 20.56 mph | 0 w |
| #33 | 00:02:19 | 05:11:54 | 0.20 mi | 50.42 mi | +8.55 % | 5.05 mph | 213 w |
| #34 | 00:11:45 | 05:23:39 | 5.64 mi | 56.06 mi | -7.57 % | 28.79 mph | 7 w |
| #35 | 00:00:50 | 05:24:30 | 0.18 mi | 56.24 mi | -0.49 % | 12.50 mph | 109 w |
| #36 | 00:09:05 | 05:33:35 | 3.26 mi | 59.50 mi | -3.73 % | 21.52 mph | 27 w |
| #37 | 00:14:15 | 05:47:51 | 1.61 mi | 61.11 mi | +3.87 % | 6.77 mph | 160 w |
| #38 | 00:01:36 | 05:49:28 | 0.72 mi | 61.83 mi | -6.53 % | 26.70 mph | 0 w |
| #39 | 00:17:16 | 06:06:44 | 2.66 mi | 64.49 mi | +2.81 % | 9.24 mph | 142 w |
| #40 | 00:02:29 | 06:09:14 | 0.93 mi | 65.42 mi | -4.62 % | 22.29 mph | 0 w |
| #41 | 00:10:52 | 06:20:06 | 2.30 mi | 67.72 mi | -0.35 % | 12.66 mph | 88 w |
| #42 | 00:00:14 | 06:20:21 | 0.05 mi | 67.77 mi | -1.54 % | 12.52 mph | 3 w |
| #43 | 00:22:02 | 06:42:24 | 2.63 mi | 70.40 mi | +3.73 % | 7.15 mph | 158 w |
| #44 | 00:02:28 | 06:44:52 | 0.55 mi | 70.95 mi | -3.07 % | 13.40 mph | 0 w |
| #45 | 00:06:50 | 06:51:43 | 1.13 mi | 72.08 mi | +1.12 % | 9.90 mph | 137 w |
| #46 | 00:00:45 | 06:52:29 | 0.26 mi | 72.34 mi | -5.23 % | 20.14 mph | 0 w |
| #47 | 00:25:07 | 07:17:36 | 5.07 mi | 77.41 mi | -0.23 % | 12.11 mph | 101 w |
| #48 | 00:00:32 | 07:18:09 | 0.11 mi | 77.52 mi | -1.14 % | 12.11 mph | 29 w |
| #49 | 00:09:23 | 07:27:32 | 1.48 mi | 79.00 mi | +2.15 % | 9.44 mph | 135 w |
| #50 | 00:00:54 | 07:28:27 | 0.39 mi | 79.39 mi | -4.43 % | 25.64 mph | 2 w |
| #51 | 00:16:09 | 07:44:36 | 2.96 mi | 82.35 mi | +0.93 % | 10.98 mph | 134 w |
| #52 | 00:02:27 | 07:47:03 | 0.18 mi | 82.53 mi | +15.24 % | 4.45 mph | 293 w |
| #53 | 00:04:42 | 07:51:45 | 0.86 mi | 83.39 mi | +1.42 % | 10.99 mph | 114 w |
| #54 | 00:02:40 | 07:54:25 | 0.76 mi | 84.15 mi | -2.60 % | 17.17 mph | 2 w |
| #55 | 00:11:42 | 08:06:08 | 1.98 mi | 86.13 mi | +1.66 % | 10.15 mph | 123 w |
| #56 | 00:33:12 | 08:39:20 | 3.49 mi | 89.62 mi | +4.97 % | 6.30 mph | 162 w |
| #57 | 00:02:04 | 08:41:24 | 0.77 mi | 90.39 mi | -4.68 % | 22.42 mph | 11 w |
| #58 | 00:00:36 | 08:42:01 | 0.06 mi | 90.45 mi | +11.55 % | 5.78 mph | 270 w |
| #59 | 00:00:17 | 08:42:19 | 0.04 mi | 90.49 mi | +1.18 % | 8.06 mph | 146 w |
| #60 | 00:01:18 | 08:43:37 | 0.26 mi | 90.75 mi | -2.78 % | 12.02 mph | 7 w |
| #61 | 00:01:23 | 08:45:00 | 0.19 mi | 90.94 mi | +2.98 % | 8.16 mph | 159 w |
| #62 | 00:00:59 | 08:46:00 | 0.27 mi | 91.21 mi | -4.31 % | 16.62 mph | 0 w |
| #63 | 00:02:39 | 08:48:39 | 0.24 mi | 91.45 mi | +8.76 % | 5.35 mph | 216 w |
| #64 | 00:00:31 | 08:49:10 | 0.17 mi | 91.62 mi | -7.35 % | 19.35 mph | 0 w |
| #65 | 00:01:26 | 08:50:36 | 0.41 mi | 92.03 mi | -1.01 % | 17.01 mph | 92 w |
| #66 | 00:03:26 | 08:54:03 | 1.71 mi | 93.74 mi | -7.86 % | 29.93 mph | 0 w |
| #67 | 00:09:35 | 09:03:38 | 2.10 mi | 95.84 mi | -0.23 % | 13.10 mph | 118 w |
| #68 | 00:10:56 | 09:14:34 | 2.54 mi | 98.38 mi | -1.45 % | 13.93 mph | 52 w |
| #69 | 00:21:37 | 09:36:11 | 2.81 mi | 101.19 mi | +3.59 % | 7.81 mph | 157 w |
| #70 | 00:01:16 | 09:37:28 | 0.26 mi | 101.45 mi | -1.41 % | 12.05 mph | 11 w |
| #71 | 00:01:43 | 09:39:12 | 0.26 mi | 101.71 mi | +3.76 % | 8.90 mph | 156 w |
| Totals/Avg | 09:39:12 | 09:39:12 | 101.69 mi | 101.69 mi | +0.06% | 10.53 mph | 128.63 w |
Climb Summary by Category
| Category | Climb Count | Total Time | Total Dist. | Avg. Time | Avg. Dist. | Avg. Grade | Avg. Speed | Avg. Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HC | 1 | 01:31:46 | 7.96 mi | 01:31:46 | 7.96 mi | 7.77 % | 5.21 mph | 209 w |
| Cat3 | 2 | 00:57:22 | 5.77 mi | 00:28:41 | 2.89 mi | 5.76 % | 5.99 mph | 174 w |
| Cat4 | 19 | 01:47:50 | 12.01 mi | 00:05:40 | 0.63 mi | 5.12 % | 6.73 mph | 169 w |
| All Cats | 22 | 04:16:59 | 25.74 mi | 00:11:40 | 1.17 mi | 5.30 % | 6.59 mph | 171 w |
| Climb | Start Time | Start Dist. | Duration | Distance | Speed | Power | Grade | Elevation Gain | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 00:26:48 | 6.07 mi | 00:24:09 | 2.28 mi | 5.67 mph | 186 w | 6.80 % | 820 ft | Cat3 |
| #2 | 00:51:38 | 8.57 mi | 00:02:02 | 0.27 mi | 7.82 mph | 160 w | 3.42 % | 48 ft | Cat4 |
| #3 | 00:58:23 | 9.67 mi | 00:05:21 | 0.45 mi | 5.04 mph | 185 w | 7.13 % | 169 ft | Cat4 |
| #4 | 01:42:59 | 20.50 mi | 00:02:58 | 0.37 mi | 7.53 mph | 158 w | 4.41 % | 87 ft | Cat4 |
| #5 | 02:18:18 | 27.50 mi | 00:02:44 | 0.29 mi | 6.32 mph | 166 w | 4.62 % | 70 ft | Cat4 |
| #6 | 02:26:43 | 28.94 mi | 00:04:15 | 0.56 mi | 7.85 mph | 159 w | 3.02 % | 89 ft | Cat4 |
| #7 | 02:34:11 | 30.29 mi | 00:03:53 | 0.47 mi | 7.16 mph | 153 w | 3.47 % | 85 ft | Cat4 |
| #8 | 02:40:36 | 31.36 mi | 00:02:14 | 0.35 mi | 9.39 mph | 162 w | 3.46 % | 64 ft | Cat4 |
| #9 | 02:57:12 | 35.06 mi | 00:08:36 | 0.84 mi | 5.87 mph | 165 w | 5.18 % | 230 ft | Cat4 |
| #10 | 03:16:14 | 38.60 mi | 00:08:59 | 0.77 mi | 5.12 mph | 171 w | 6.67 % | 270 ft | Cat4 |
| #11 | 03:37:13 | 42.06 mi | 01:31:46 | 7.96 mi | 5.21 mph | 209 w | 7.77 % | 3267 ft | HC |
| #12 | 05:09:34 | 50.23 mi | 00:02:19 | 0.20 mi | 5.05 mph | 213 w | 8.55 % | 88 ft | Cat4 |
| #13 | 05:42:40 | 60.65 mi | 00:05:10 | 0.46 mi | 5.33 mph | 166 w | 5.65 % | 137 ft | Cat4 |
| #14 | 05:54:27 | 62.93 mi | 00:11:59 | 1.51 mi | 7.55 mph | 154 w | 3.64 % | 290 ft | Cat4 |
| #15 | 06:20:21 | 67.76 mi | 00:22:02 | 2.63 mi | 7.15 mph | 156 w | 3.44 % | 477 ft | Cat4 |
| #16 | 07:44:36 | 82.33 mi | 00:04:30 | 0.46 mi | 6.14 mph | 198 w | 8.08 % | 197 ft | Cat4 |
| #17 | 07:54:25 | 84.14 mi | 00:06:23 | 0.86 mi | 8.03 mph | 155 w | 3.12 % | 141 ft | Cat4 |
| #18 | 08:06:08 | 86.12 mi | 00:33:12 | 3.49 mi | 6.30 mph | 163 w | 4.73 % | 856 ft | Cat3 |
| #19 | 08:46:00 | 91.20 mi | 00:02:39 | 0.24 mi | 5.35 mph | 216 w | 8.76 % | 109 ft | Cat4 |
| #20 | 09:14:34 | 98.36 mi | 00:03:33 | 0.33 mi | 5.50 mph | 166 w | 6.20 % | 107 ft | Cat4 |
| #21 | 09:29:49 | 100.45 mi | 00:06:22 | 0.72 mi | 6.81 mph | 158 w | 4.71 % | 180 ft | Cat4 |
| #22 | 09:37:28 | 101.43 mi | 00:01:43 | 0.26 mi | 8.90 mph | 156 w | 3.76 % | 51 ft | Cat4 |
Build your own personalized 2026 Leadville 100 MTB power plan today! Sign up for a free Athlete Basic account to get started with your athlete profile and bike setup, then grab the 2026 Leadville Trail 100 Re-Route 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.
