Last November I went to the Paramount Theater in Denver to see the premier of the 2010 Race Across the Sky movie.  Watching that movie stoked a fire burning inside of me.  Being a road racer and accomplished mountain biker I knew that this was an event for me.  After the movie my left leg (the one I broke just over a year earlier and with a full compliment of hardware still in my Tibia.) was more painful then any other day since I had been off crutches.  I could hardly walk back to the car and even had to hold onto my mother to make it home.  Almost exactly 10 months later and with my hardware removed I was lining up to do that very race I had vowed to do.  A 6:30 am start makes for a rough morning, something I have done for only one other race before, the Maratona Dles Dolomites Gran Fondo in Italy back in 2005.
 
Having done the event before I only had some idea of what the day was going to be like because of a recon ride one week earlier with my teammate John Phillips (Team Rio Grande) and Ward Baker, a Leadville 100 legend in his own right having finished 8 times with several top 20 results.  We did not see the entire course but keyed in on the most important sections, Columbine Mine and Powerline climbs.  The day before the race I managed to get my race number and starting position changed from the first timer group 1800 numbers all the way to the front pens top 250, a move that completely changed my race.  The neutral roll out of town was in typical UCI road race fashion with an aggressive, dodgy and very fast pace.  Once we hit the dirt roads I began to move up and as we hit the first pitch on St Kevins climb I found myself right near the front following Tim Johnson’s wheel in about 8th place.  The pace was only moderately difficult but my stomach was not happy and I left my breakfast on the descent coming down to the pavement.
 
As we circled Turquoise Lake the group swelled to around 15 guys and we worked together to keep the leaders close.  The group more or less stayed together over Sugarloaf pass and down Powerline to the long road/ dirt road drag across the valley.  After passing through the Pipeline feed zone and with the group single file a few of the heavy hitters, Lakata and Bishop rode off the front.  Passing through the Twin Lakes feed zone, which was the most chaotic feed zone I have ever seen my group was sitting top 15 as we approached Columbine Mine climb.  Knowing the distance and altitude we would be reaching I kept the pace consistent and moderate while others pushed hard early then faded as we hit tree line at over 11,000 ft.  Near the summit Todd Wells was the first to make the turnaround and descend down past as the high point came into view.  The return trip down was very quick and uneventful even with two-way traffic and a constant stream of racers inching closer to the 50 mark.  Back at the Twin Lakes feed zone I was isolated between groups as my racing mate Bryan Alders had to stop for a mechanical.  Some cold bottles from my parents and I raced on riding the next 40 miles more or less solo with 5 guys up the road just in and out of view and another 3 behind chasing.  I connected with Specialized support crew Jordi and Jeff for some life saving bottles then pressed onto Powerline.  Over the last two hours of the race I would suffer from leg cramps as a result of my upset stomach and fact that I only ate 400 calories with of food for the full 7 hrs of racing.  One dose of the super electrolyte The Right Stuff made a huge difference for me and combined with a coke bottle from Andy at the bottom of Powerline and I was in full hunting mode.  I managed to ride the entire Powerline climb without putting a foot down and passed one of my rivals right near the summit.  The last climb of the day up St Kevins, this time on pavement allowed me to catch two more riders although both men used their descending skills to pull away putting me back into 11th place with just a few miles to go.  The entire way into Leadville I could see the two in front of me but they were working very well together and I just could not catch them.  One final roller and I was in the final stretch rolling over that beautiful red carpet and across the line.  11th place overall at 6hrs 52 min and 1st place in the 20-29 age group.  An epic day of racing and a great result in my first attempt.  My teammate John Phillips finished just behind me in 29th place and a ripping time of 7 hrs 19 min.  Sunday morning we both received our coveted gold and silver belt buckles for finishing in less than 9 hours.  We both agreed that we would be back next year for another go.