LEADVILLE JUST GOT EASIER: WHAT IT TAKES TO EARN A BUCKLE | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 597

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// TOPICS COVERED

(00:00:00) Jonathan’s Leadville Injury and Training Update

(00:12:20) Becoming a More Well-Rounded Athlete

(00:15:15) How the 2026 Leadville Course Changed

(00:19:25) The FTP and W/kg Needed for a Leadville Buckle

(00:24:05) How Rare Is Buckle-Level Fitness?

(00:26:45) How Much Altitude Acclimatization Helps

(00:28:15) Why Aerodynamics Matter More This Year

(00:31:10) Final Leadville Buckle Targets and Takeaways

The 2026 Leadville Trail 100 MTB course is shorter, climbs nearly 1,900 feet less, and has tighter belt-buckle cutoffs. Coach Jonathan Lee breaks down the FTP and watts per kilogram needed for the big and small Leadville buckles, how rare that fitness is by age and gender, and why altitude acclimatization and aerodynamics matter more than ever, plus why a fractured scaphoid ended his own Leadville race before it even began.

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