Welcome to Nissan Master Chris Carmichael's blog

Now that the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race is behind me, it’s time to figure out what’s next. For Lance Armstrong, Leadville was a fun (but difficult) day on the bike, and now he’s off to the Tour of Ireland and some work for Livestrong. His goals are pretty well established for 2010, and he’s really looking forward to building the new Radio Shack Team. Read More

Perhaps the greatest part about the Leadville 100 is that everyone who rolls off the start line has a great story to tell by the time he or she crosses the finish line. And even the people who don’t manage to finish have great stories to tell. This year, 888 of nearly 1400 starters reached the finish line in under 12 hours to record official times. Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens, and the rest of the guys battling for the victory may get the lion’s share of the attention, but some of the best stories are back in the pack. Here are a few I’ve managed to collect over the past few days: Read More

Reports have started trickling in from the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race, and although I don’t have everyone’s information, here’s a sampling of what’s come in. All CTS Coaches and Staff who rolled away from the start line (15 including me, I think) finished the race. The CTS Aid Stations at the Pipeline and Twin Lakes feed zones supported 60 racers wearing CTS gear throughout the day, and several others who were in need of help but without support. On top of that, the CTS-manned aid station at the top of the final road climb (we refer to it as Carter Lake Summit) serviced hundreds of racers. CTS gave out several hundred water bottles throughout the day, and I was happy to see a lot of them on people’s bikes and in their hands the following morning. Oh, and CTS’s flagship athlete, Lance Armstrong won the race. Read More

I promise a longer and more comprehensive race report tomorrow, but to be perfectly honest, I haven’t had time to really put together my thoughts on the race yet. Last night after the race, my staff and I got together for pizza and beer (following our post-race recovery drinks and well-rounded meal, of course) at one of the houses we rented in Leadville for the weekend. Read More

RACE DAY! As you can imagine, I don’t have a lot of time to write today. The start is at 6:30am, and even if I have a great day on the bike, I’m not going to be coherent enough to write anything meaningful this afternoon. So, I’ll recap the race tomorrow, but for now, here’s what I’m having for breakfast: Read More

Here we are in bustling downtown Leadville, getting ready for the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race tomorrow. I’ve checked over my bike, cleaned it, taken it for a spin with the CTS Coaches, and cleaned it again afterward. I’m ready, the bike’s ready, and now all that’s left is to relax this evening and have a good breakfast tomorrow Read More

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my fueling strategy for the Leadville 100, so I’ve decided to post it here. In the list below, the foods and bottles listed for each stop are what I will pick up and consume between that feed zone and the next. In other words, at the start I will be carrying 2 GUs, a bottle of water, and a bottle of GU Electrolyte Brew. I will consume all of that by the time I reach Feed Zone 1, at which point I’ll pick up 2 bottles of water, a bottle of GU Electrolyte Brew, 2 GU Roctane gels, and a Snickers bar. All of that will be consumed before I reach Feed Zone 2, and so on. Read More

The packing for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race has begun. Why so early, considering that I’m not going to leave for Leadville, Colorado, until Friday morning? Because by packing on Wednesday I have enough time to get to a bike shop tomorrow if I learn tonight that I’m missing some important part or piece of clothing. Read More

The talk around the office is almost entirely about Leadville right now. Pretty much everyone who works for Carmichael Training Systems – and most of their families – will be heading out to the small mining town on Friday. Several will be riding the race, some for the first time, and the others will be manning one of three aid stations along the course. The CTS stations within the aid stations will be serving more than just CTS Coaches, too. We’ve opened up the support role to include any CTS Athlete. We’re not sure exactly how many athletes that’s going to mean, but so far we’re expecting more than 90 people for a spaghetti dinner on Friday night (riders and support crews). Read More

Over the weekend I mentioned that I was out in Leadville, Colorado, with Lance Armstrong for a recon ride of the Columbine Climb. Well, it wasn’t like the old days when it was just Lance, me, and maybe one other person to either ride with Lance or drive a support vehicle. No, after 7 Tour de France victories, a comeback to professional cycling, and the Livestrong campaign, there’s a lot more interest in what Lance is doing. As a result, there was a full-fledged film crew at the Twin Lakes Dam as we prepared to go for our ride, and Ken and Merilee were out there as well. Ken and Merilee are the race directors for all the Leadville Trail 100 events, and their efforts have provided an invaluable economic stimulus to the town of Leadville for more than 20 years. Read More