Leadville 100 adding on-course Mavic neutral support
Starting this year, Mavic will join the massive Leadville 100 peloton, providing on course support (click to enlarge).
The prospect of finishing (or even just starting) the Leadville Trail 100 cross-country mountain bike race just got a little less daunting. Starting this year, participants in Colorado’s famed “Race Across the Sky” will benefit from on-course neutral support courtesy of Mavic.
The famed French wheel, gear and apparel maker has been providing similar support in road races since 1972. Now they’re taking the plunge into the mountain bike realm.
In order to adapt to the variable nature of fat tire racing, Mavic will provide on-course support at the August 13 event via multiple motorcycles, station wagons, and designated Special Service Course tents along the trail. All will be stocked with experienced mechanics to keep the racers pedaling forward.
Get advice on racing Leadville from an 11-time finisher.
The testing course runs through the Colorado Rockies above Leadville. Riders must be physically prepared for the distance while also being acclimated to the high altitude, as the race reaches 12,424 feet above sea level. The partnership is a multi-year deal, and Mavic will also be the official wheel supplier and sponsor of the entire Leadville mountain bike race series.
Mavic has been providing neutral support at road races such as the Tour de France since the early 1970s (click to enlarge).
“We look forward to assisting riders to complete something they have been training for and dreaming of,” said Mike Wilson, Mavic’s North American brand manager. “The logistical difficulties of supporting a 100-mile mountain biking event will be great but our expanding team is up for the challenge. We were the first ones to provide neutral support in road racing so it’s only fitting that we are the ones that will help pave the trail, too.”
First held in 1994, the Leadville race is one of the oldest and best-known 100-mile mountain bike races in the world. Due to growing popularity, a race entry is only secured by completing one of the races in the Leadville Qualifying Series or entering a drawing, which opened December 1.
The event began as an addition to the historic Leadville Trail 100 Run, both of which were started in an effort to boost the economy in Leadville.
“It’s a real thrill for our Leadville team to have Mavic on board for the 2016,” said race director Josh Colley. “Our riders will now receive the best on-course support available to make the race more competitive than ever.”
Prior to the Leadville race, Mavic will provide neutral support during at least two additional mountain biking events within the Leadville Trail MTB series.
Log on to www.leadvilleraceseries.com for more details.
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