The Leadville Trail 100 MTB race is not for the faint of heart, the course is an intense trial of endurance and expertise covering 105 miles, with 12,000 feet of climbing, riders must go the distance with the effects of increasing altitude, pushing themselves to the max. Crystal Anthony of the Liv Racing Collective achieved a 6th place finish on her Pique Advanced Pro 29 with an impressive time of 7:30:00.
To prepare for the race, Anthony spent the entire month of July and the beginning of August at altitude to fully acclimate. "It was a great time training in the mountains, I was excited to see how the hard work would pay off," she explained. "2022 was my first time doing Leadville, and I learned a lot of valuable lessons that I was able to apply this year with regard to nutrition strategy, acclimatizing protocol, and training load. Going into the race this year, I felt really well prepared and strong at altitude."
Crystal's dedication and hard work paid off, as she was able to take 25 minutes off of her time from last year. "I had cracked last year around the 5-hour mark, this year I got to that point and still had power in my legs! she exclaimed after the race. "I also caught up to sixth place with about 5 miles to go, I made a charge and just barely held on up the final climb into town."
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