Leadville, Colorado

About Leadville

Leadville boomed on silver after 1877 and by 1880 was the second-largest city in Colorado, with nearly 15,000 people. The mines produced millions of ounces of gold and silver and, later, molybdenum from the Climax mine north of town, which by 1980 was the largest underground mine in the world. When Climax shut down in 1981 the town lost most of its economy.

Ken Chlouber's answer was a 100-mile foot race in 1983, followed by the mountain bike race in 1994. Endurance sport and tourism now hold the town up. The historic district was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and the visitor center is at 460 Harrison Avenue.

The town sits in a high valley between the Mosquito and Sawatch ranges, with Colorado's two tallest peaks, Elbert and Massive, to the southwest. The climate is alpine: July averages 39 to 71 F, and winters are long and snowy. The tourism office claims about 310 sunny days a year.

Riding in Leadville

The Mineral Belt Trail is an 11.6-mile paved loop around town and through the old mining district, all above 10,000 feet, with interpretive signs and views of the Sawatch. It is the easy warm-up ride and both bike shops rent bikes for it. Beyond that the riding is dirt: the LT100 course itself, St. Kevin's, Sugarloaf and Powerline, and singletrack around Turquoise Lake and Twin Lakes.

Altitude changes everything. Even the flat rides feel hard for the first few days. August averages a high near 67 F with a one-in-three chance of afternoon rain, so carry a layer.

Getting to Leadville

Denver International Airport is about 125 miles and two hours 20 minutes by car via I-70 and then Highway 91 over Fremont Pass or US 24 over Tennessee Pass; downtown Denver is about 100 miles. Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is 62 miles and has daily commercial flights. Vail is 44 miles and Colorado Springs 128. Shuttles from Denver run to Frisco, 30 miles away, and Lake County Transit offers free door-to-door service in town, but for race weekend you will want your own car. Uber and Lyft are scarce.