I was able to get 4 more practice laps in on the course over the weekend and I finally got a decent lap in without any navigation screw ups. It’s decently marked, but you really need to pay attention. I like this course better than the 2020 version. It has a few more sections that flow better and it seems like there is a little more single track as well. It surprised me that my one “mistake free” lap wasn’t much faster than what I was seeing on the 2020 course (at similar power), but the course is still really dry and loose and it will get faster as more folks wear in the line prior to race day. As a reference, final lap time on Sunday was ~1:55 on 190watts NP at a little over 170 lbs. 3 laps at that pace would be good for green corral placement for leadville if they don’t change the cutoffs (it was 5:50 for green in 2021). The Rattler used to be one of the toughest courses for corral placement (at the old venue), but I think it’s much more generous now if they keep cuttoffs the same as last year.
The course looks like the same as last year so I imagine they’ll leave the times as is. I agree that the 21-22 version of the course was an improvement over the 20 version. I think it’s also slightly driven by the fact that they hold the run and bike on the same day now (they were Saturday-Sunday in 2020)
Since Leadville qualifying events qualify you for “this year or defer to next year”… Is the Austin Rattler a qualifier for 2023 Leadville with a defer to 2024? Or is 2023 the only option?
I received a Leadville coin at the 2020 rattler and was able to defer to 2022 (I already had my spot for 2021). 2020 was a weird year though with the Covid stuff, so I wouldn’t assume that’s the way it will work this year. I’d think you could defer to the 2024 race, but it’s probably worth reaching out to Lifetime for confirmation.
Thanks, I’ll reach out to them and see.
I haven’t done the Rattler since 2014 when it was on the other side of town. Wife and I need to burn up some remaining PTO so we are coming down from Indiana. If I remember correctly, they pass out so many Leadville tokens, pretty much anyone that wants one will get one. Or at least that’s what it seemed like 8 years ago.
Looking at average speeds of the new location, it looks way slower than the Rocky Hill Ranch. Now I’m debating if I should get some file tread and just roll with my Ikons. I mostly race Cross so I’m pretty comfortable in loose conditions. Might get some Continental Race Kings.
That has not been the case when I’ve been there for the “coin lottery” at the end. I’d say less than 50% of the folks that waited around ended up with a coin. That’s still a good shot, but there were plenty of disappointed folks. The only reference points I have are 2017 and 2019 where I waited around. In 2018, I DNF’d and 2020 I ended up with a coin via placement, so I’m not sure how those years played out.
Yep, Reveille Peak is a much more challenging course compared to Rocky Hill. The pro finishing times are an hour slower on the new course and that gap is wider for us mortals. At rocky hill, anyone with decent fitness had a good shot to finish within the 7 hour time cutoff. I have not seen a time cutoff posted for 2022, but I think it was 8 hours in 2020 when I last did it (the course was a little longer and it was a warm day, but there were many, many DNF’s). I personally wouldn’t recommend a file tread out there, just too much loose/chunky climbing and flat loose turns. Ikon not a bad choice, that’s what I’ll be running in the rear.
I will be out there next Saturday pre-riding. My goal is to qualify for Leadville, but there is a lot of stretch in that stretch goal…
I’ve been meaning to try out one of the distances at this event for what feels like several years now, but was probably just last year and didn’t make it. I haven’t had any time to train, but I’ve been pretty smooth on a few XC rides lately, so I’m going to try to make it out for the 20 miler. 
My experience is probabaly out dated. (8 years ago). I guess since then they have added Lutsen and the stage race, diluting the available coin lottery slots.
With the race start time of 8am and the awards at 3:30 PM, looks like you have 7:30 hours to finish. Coin lottery is usually at the end, but that would still be cutting it close. I might just do the 20 mile race and see the course since I’m in a transition period in my training and getting ready to start my Lutsen base.
Fellow Ag here and I’ll be out doing the 20. I’ve pre-ridden the course twice now. I’m thinking with the rain we got last week and the rain on the forecast for tomorrow the course should be in great shape come race weekend.
@lonestar777 How is the course terrain in your opinion? Particularly, are there a lot of really gnarly rocky sections or segments with really steep drops? Or more smooth?
Also, gig em!
Gig 'Em! Definitely nothing gnarly, and I don’t remember anything I’d call a drop. I think for anyone that does true mountain biking the course isn’t technical at all. It’s a lot of jeep road/ATV road kind of terrain, other than the parts that go across the granite slabs. There is enough loose sand, loose climbs, etc. that it might surprise someone who is really only a roadie.
Sweet. I’m mostly a roadie but I ride the XC trails in the San Antonio greenways and it sometimes abruptly serves up things like 10ft drops with a tight corner at the bottom with a tree in the run off zone or big chunks of limestone that you have to clear at high speed. I’m good with moderately technical stuff but definitely prefer smooth flowy single-track to riding off a cliff and getting a concussion lol. Thanks!
A bit of venue history for you Aggies @TxAg15 , @lonestar777 - “Reveille” Peak Ranch is owned by an Aggie and it’s named after the A&M mascot. You’ll see some Aggie branding in the pavilion area where the awards are handed out. I don’t get too excited about the Aggie aspect since I’m a UT grad, but my 2 sons graduated from A&M so I keep it a friendly rivalry.
As far as weather - the rain didn’t really happen today, but there’s still a chance for tonight and on Friday. Race day forecast looking perfect with low ~50 and high ~70 with minimal rain chances . Pretty much perfect November weather for bike racing.
When we checked in for a pre-ride a few weeks back, the person working the desk had on an Aggie ring. We talked about the Aggie connection a bit. We ended up getting a brief-but-intense rain late last night in Cedar Park, and I’m guessing that hit the course as well. That should be just about right to help tamp down the dust.
This is from the Rattler website:
“You will have the option to register for the current year or the following year’s LT100 and must decide when accepting your qualification slot.”
This language was clear when all the LT100 qualifier races proceeded the LT100, but is a bit fuzzy when the race isn’t until next year (ever since they pushed the rattler to the fall starting in 2020). My guess is that this is carry over language and they would let you choose 2023 or 2024 LT100 at the 2022 rattler, but the language doesn’t clearly state that. I’m not trying to be negative here, but Lifetime is not known for the precision of their communication and there has been confusion on important points in the past. I’m also not singling out Lifetime, it seems to be par for the course for race organizers and poor communication.
I am in Fort Worth. It looks like we’re supposed to get a lot of rain this weekend (10/28/22), and I started to look at the forecast for next weekend, and it looks like it is going to rain in Burnett on Friday and Saturday morning (with T-storms). They always over-predict rainfall so we’ll see what happens. What’s the trail like when it is wet and what does Lifetime do about thunderstorms? Thanks!
For anyone else wondering which Leadville race ('23/'24 or '23 only) they can select at Austin Rattler… I asked the race director and they weren’t sure. Responded within a few hours and gave me the email of someone at Lifetime.
Sent an email to a generic Lifetime question email and the email they gave me. Neither have responded and it’s been about a week. If I hear back, I will post their answer, but it’s not looking good.
That course takes rain better than any other place I’ve seen. The rock slabs are like sand paper and I think they actually get grippier when wet. The “dirt” is mostly fine decomposed granite, which drains quickly. There are a few spots that get muddy, but nothing terrible. There was a huge thunderstorm in 2019 during lap 2 and they shut down the race due to lightning. It was raining so hard you could barely see, but the course was totally rideable. The bad part was that we were out on course for all the weather and the weather was clear and beautiful by the time most of us finished lap 2 and had to stop. They adjusted finish times/corrals for 2 laps. The only negative to riding out there when raining is that the decomposed granite gets everywhere and is hard on your drivetrain.
We got a nice band of thunderstorms this morning and that should help the course. I was out there yesterday and it has firmed up a bit from a little rain earlier in the week, but it’s still very loose.