Forecast is firming up to a pretty good chance of rain overnight tapering off race morning (at least on the weather app I’m looking at). Hopefully that makes for a faster course. I saw a notice race is sold out.
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They got heavy rain last Friday and I did 2 laps Saturday AM. Course is in great shape and rolling fast. Rain chances for Sat. have dropped a little and it’s no longer saying thunderstorms in the AM, so hopefully it will be clear by race morning. The course can take the rain, but raining/windy and high 40’s at the start would make my crew (wife) a little grumpy for sure.
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Any suggestions for a hardtail vs full suspension on this course? I have never raced it before and my HT is set up a little better than my FS.
Either is fine for this course. FS not needed from a tech perspective, but it’s a long day. Beyond comfort, there are just a couple of the slab/rock sections where FS might be an advantage. If you are good with a HT for a long day and it’s all set up, I’d roll that.
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Sweet! Thank you! I’m trying to do as much on my HT as possible to be ready for LV 100 next year. I’ve done LV 100 4 times, trying to break 9 hours the past three times but came up short every year with this last year at 9:04. This past year was my first attempt using a HT. I’ve been all FS up until this year which is why I need more time on the HT. Now I’m back trying to get another coin for next year. That 9 hr mark is a tough one for us mere mortals, who have jobs that get in the way, darn it. But it is always a fun pursuit, that’s makes it all worth it. Looking forward to another LV qualifier. I like running Ikons which from the sound of it should be fine in Austin. However, started running Aspens to use for LV next year since there is so much pavement / gravel road there. The Aspens definitely roll very nice but it sounds like you don’t roll too much there, making the Ikons a better choice. Thank you for your input.
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Long shot… have flown out from the UK to Austin for the event, and the ******** baggage handlers have managed to snap my frame. Absolutely heartbroken.
I have a backup bike that my AirBNB host has loaned me, but I did a test lap on it earlier and it’s far too heavy / squishy / bouncy for me to get the lap time I’m aiming for (to be honest, I’ll be lucky to finish on it).
Am desperately trying to sort out a decent hire bike as fast as possible. Anyone with local knowledge possibly able to point me in the right direction?
Did you try the specialized demo/rental shop on site at reveille peak when you did your test lap?
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There was nothing there / open as far as I could see. I was the only car in the place.
Edit - Somehow deleted last post.
I’ve been told Cycle Progression might be good.
Easy to miss and I doubt anyone is working the shop on normal weekdays. It’s a repurposed shipping container under the covered parking area right by the main area. Try reaching out to specialized Austin. https://www.specializedaustin.com/
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Weather forecast looking perfect. Sunny and 0% chance of rain for race day with temps between 50-75f. With the recent rains (and cloudy with chance of rain tomorrow and Friday), the course should be really fast and grippy.
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Finally heard back.
If you qualify at Austin Rattler for Leadville, you can sign up for either 2023 or 2024.
This is from “Allison - Athlete Services Manager”
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Managed to find an XL bike (I ride a medium). I guess something is better than nothing.
Seriously bad luck again though, walked in as they were hiring out the last medium.
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Sorry Textuality about your frame. That is awful. Although they call it the “Austin” Rattler it is far from Austin. Sounds like you got a bike rented, but Spider Mountain may have rental bikes nearby, but they probably just have DH bikes. I am in Fort Worth, and we used to have a Mellow Johnny’s bike shop in FW and they rent bikes (it is now a RBM (Richardson Bike Mart) shop). MJ’s main shop is in Austin, and I bet they rent bikes.
This is my first LifeTime fitness race, do you all know how the Corrals work?
I am in Corral 3 as this race is my first Rattler. What time should I line up? Do I have to do it super early?
They mention a headlight in the guide book, but sunrise is at 6:40 AM.
I am going to try to reign myself in at the start, I usually go to hard at the beginning of these marathon races.
Also, what are you all doing for nutrition. My plan is to use Skratch Superfuel in a USWE and stick pretty much with that instead of messing with gels.
Thank you!
I believe sunrise today was 7:47?? I know it is dark well after 7.
I plan to us Superfuel or Flo high carb mix in hydration packs as well and supplement with an occasional gel when I have a chance to get one down.
I am wondering the best way and place to stash an extra hydration pack. I know there is a bag drop in the start/finish area but I’m wondering if I can place an ice chest in the area where crews are allowed.
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I’m not taking a light. Leadville was legit dark when I started there last and none of us had them then.
I’m just carrying a couple of packs of shot bloks and I’ll top up with whatever at the start finish. I don’t have a spare hydration pack, but I’m hoping the couple of minutes lost to fill it up won’t lose me a grade on the qualification times.
Do you self identify corrals? I guess I’ll go somewhere in the middle, aiming for sub 2 hour laps if possible, but to be honest, with the bike I’m going to end up riding that’s probably going to be 2:10.
Edit - There’s only a handful of places on the route where eating is feasible anyway, unless you want to do it on climbs (I try to avoid!).
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There is a good area to drop a cooler as you approach the start finish. Lots of folks do it and I’ve never heard of them disappearing. I’m not sure I’d set a $400 yeti out there, but I wouldn’t hesitate with a regular cooler. There will also be crews/people set up with pop ups along the stretch and you can ask someone if it’s OK to drop in near them. My wife will be out there near our van (grey sprinter) and you can certainly drop it by her and she’ll watch it when she is around.
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Yes, corrals are self selected. If you think you’ll be in the top 75, you are supposed to choose the top corral. I expect ~200 folks will expect to be in the top 75 
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It won’t be dark at the start. I think they are saying to bring a light so you can navigate to registration, the bathroom, etc. prior to the race. It’s not like leadville where there are street lights prior to sunrise, it’s pretty dark out there.
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You can pick any corral you want. If you are typically near the front of the pack at age group races, join the front corral. If you are mid pack, go with the 2nd. If minimal racing experience and just trying to finish in under 8 hours, start in the last corral and pace it easy to start. It’s all based on chip time, so the only disadvantage to starting later is early traffic if you push at the start. Once you get ~30 minutes into the race, it will be so spread out that traffic isn’t really an issue.
There are only a few sections of the course where passing is a challenge. Unfortunately, the first choke point comes a quarter mile into the race. I’ve asked them to bypass the early single track on lap 1 to avoid the early choke point, but so far it’s fallen on deaf ears. The folks at the Ranch agree it’s dangerous (and just a poor experience) and so does everyone I’ve talk to about it. If it was a normal cross country race, this is expected, but these lifetime events will have folks with minimal XC experience and I expect yelling and dangerous passing on that first single track section. There is a nice jeep trail that allows a bypass and has a climb to spread out the field before hitting the next single track section about a mile in. This is the way the race used to start, I’m not sure why they changed it.
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