Scouting the Sky
No racing this week, but no shortage of miles worth talking about.
We had a few members of the +SpeedStudio crew head to the thin air of Leadville, Colorado for a preview of the most brutal courses in endurance sports. We also (finally) published a podcast debrief with everything that needed to be said about Tulsa Tough and Nationals.
Also, this weekend you will see our kit at the Peachtree Road Race, but maybe not how you’d expect.
LEADVILLE RECON
The race across the sky gets its name for a reason, and boy, did we learn why.
Ryan, Doc Allen, and MG made the trip to Leadville this week to get eyes on the course ahead of the August race. What they found was a course exactly as advertised.
The altitude had an impact on everyone. Low recovery scores, fatigue that hit differently than anything at sea level, and the very honest realization that August is going to be hard. You want to know what you’re getting into before race day. Now they know.
Joining Ryan and Allen in August will be Marcos, making what we believe is his fourth appearance at the Race Across the Sky. Yes, four times. A veteran of suffering at altitude and will be an invaluable presence on the course come race day. MG joined the guys for support, but will push his Leadville debut to 2027.
SpeedStudio Podcast - Ep. 140 - Tulsa Tough, U.S. Nationals with Michael Garrison and Cole Davis
This week we are joined by recurring guests Michael and Cole. Boy, do we have a lot to talk about: Boulder is a party town, Tulsa Tough behind the scenes, how Cole got punched mid-race by a guy who got dropped, why Athen’s Twilight is actually a harder event, Dario is the real deal, how other racers never mention the fresh kit designs, wait - are crits actually hard? We then get into the USAC Nationals breakdown, helping others (juniors) see the big picture, exactly what happened at Crit Nats, Modern Adventure’s perplexing strategy, sending DM’s “imagine if you would’ve pulled”, how the road race compares to Knoxville, the perils of running a 1X, bike selection dilemmas of the SV vs. Diamante, why style watts matter, and what’s next on the dirt. Chad breaks down Bassano del Grappa as a riding destination and why the Million Dream’s Rats Ride in Milano might be the greatest in the world.
Peachtree Road Race
This Saturday, tune in early for the largest 10K in the world, as Chad and Nikki will be bike-marshaling the Elite Men and Elite Women fields. If you are a listener of the pod, then you know they had a lot of opinions about what happened at the Atlanta Half. So of course, this feels inevitable…no wrong turns in their watch!
Good luck to everyone participating; it’s going to be HOT. Drink lots!
MGR Corner
July already?!
July feels different. Good different.
Early Spring was relentless. Race after race, travel block after travel block. All of it was worth every second. After Traka we shifted to sprint and high intensity work, and that paid off. Pretty much every year there’s a little necessary lull, and that’s exactly where we are now. The needle is shifting back to the dirt. Longer days, less intensity, less sprint work. I started the year strong on the gravel, had a great Spring of crits, and want to come full circle and finish the year with an engine that can win on the dirt.
Let’s talk Leadville.
An invite on a Saturday morning OL ride turned into landing in Colorado on Sunday to join the guys on their recon. Just like that. A massive thank you to Ryan for making that happen.
Leadville is a remarkable place. The town, the mountains, the scale of what that race represents hits differently in person. Being there with the guys, learning the course, and absorbing together what race day is going to demand was something really special. The altitude had its say on all of us. It is HIGH and the air is THIN. Columbine is right near the top of the list for hardest climbs I’ve ever done. The race is a beautifully brutal test of body and mind.
The camaraderie of this club is truly unmatched. I’m grateful every day to be part of this amazing crew.
Leadville is a race I’ll tackle in the future. The guys are already working on convincing me for a 2026 start but 2027 is a definite.
For now the calendar is quiet and that’s by design. Eyes are firmly fixed on August 20 and Lauf Gravel Worlds. That’s the big one. Lots of time to prep, build the endurance back up, and find that champion again.
The legs are good. The mind is clear. The gravel is calling.
MG