The infamous Leadville 100 MTB. The race across the sky. Possibly the most famous MTB race in the world. Clocking in at 105 miles and just shy of 12,000ft of climbing- all between 10,000ft and 12,500ft of altitude. Whether you're aiming to finish under the 12 hour cutoff, or have your sights set on the coveted sub nine hour big buckle- a lot needs to go right on race day. We can't help you avoid flats or mechanicals, but we can help you show up to the start line in peak form and strong enough to tackle this formidable course.

This 30 week training plan was created by the owner and head coach of White Pine Athletics, and Leadville finisher, Coach Kyle McFarland. It is designed to be started at the time of the LT100 lottery selection in early to mid January. This is our mid-to-high volume training plan. Athletes should be comfortable spending 12-15 hour per week on the bike, and occasionally weekend rides up to 5-6 hours in duration. If that seems like bit more than you can chew, feel free to email us for recommendations on other plan options, or a custom-built plan for your schedule/needs. It is also recommended that athletes begin this training plan in a relatively rested state.

You'll begin a testing protocol designed specifically for the elite off-road athletes of White Pine Athletics. You will then roll into a 16 week Aerobic Efficiency block of training (base phase), before transitioning into a series of Aerobic Development blocks (build phase), and wrapping it all up with an event-specific block designed to stretch out your endurance and fine tune the engine in the final weeks leading into the LT100. Finally, you'll run through our 2 week taper protocol to help you arrive at Leadville with fresh, sharp legs, and ready to take on the race across the sky.

This training plan also includes strength and mobility-specific work off the bike, as well as nutrition/fueling tips for training and racing, as well as our very own event-specific packing list so you can show up on race week with peace of mind that you have everything you need to execute a successful day on the bike.