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Armstrong second in Leadville 100

Bryce Evans, Summit Daily News

Published August 9, 2008 at 2:45 p.m.

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Dave Wiens, left, leads Lance Armstrong just after the halfway point of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race.

Photo by Alex Fenlon/Associated Press

Dave Wiens, left, leads Lance Armstrong just after the halfway point of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race.

Wiens crosses the finish line.

Photo by Alex Fenlon/Associated Press

Wiens crosses the finish line.

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LEADVILLE — Fans lined the intersection of 6th Street and Harrison Avenue in downtown Leadville before the sun even fully rose, all awaiting what was billed to be an epic battle between David Wiens and Lance Armstrong.

The two cycling legends didn't disappoint, as they went wheel to wheel for nearly the entire race, causing everyone, including Wiens, to wonder whether the five-time defending champion could hang with the seven-time Tour de France champion.

"I never even considered that I would win," Wiens said just after finishing.

"When you're riding with Lance and you can't shake him, and he can't shake you, you're not going to win that race. At least, I didn't think so."

But with slightly less than 10 miles to the finish line, Armstrong pulled up and all but conceded the race to Wiens.

"We climbed up till Turquoise Lake and as soon as we hit the dirt, he said, 'I'm done, go,' " Wiens said, still stunned nearly an hour later.

"At the end, I realized that I was totally cooked," Armstrong said. "... He said, 'Come on,' and I just said, 'No, I can't' "

Though both riders finished more than 33 minutes ahead of third place, it was Wiens who rode over the finish line with an arm raised.

"Going into this week was surreal," Wiens said. "... It was Leadville, and I'm a guy from Colorado, and, oh, there's Lance Armstrong. ... It feels good."

Wiens finished the 100-mile race in six hours, 45 minutes, 45 seconds to capture his sixth straight title and break his previous race record by more than 13 minutes.

Armstrong finished slightly less than two minutes back, at 6:47:41.

Manuel Prado (7:20:49) of California rounded out the podium, in third.

"Those guys were really strong, and I had to fight hard to go where I did," Prado said of the two top finishers. "... It is just a mental challenge trying to stay in it."

The race seemed destined for a one-on-one showdown from the moment the riders set out at 6:30 a.m.

Armstrong and Wiens, next to one another at the starting line, rode within shouting distance of each other for the next 90 miles.

For the first half of the race, a herd of competitors remained close as well. But as the lead pack, which included Armstrong and Wiens, was nearing the halfway point, in which competitors faced a steep ascent up to the highest elevation of the course, at Columbine Mine (12,600 feet), the two cycling champions began to separate themselves from everyone else.

"It seemed the pace was slow. So, I just accelerated a little, and no one stayed with us," Armstrong said.

Wiens and Armstrong were separated by a mere two feet coming down the descent, nearly five minutes ahead of the herd they left behind.

"It was probably about 35 miles just the two of us," Wiens said.

The two took turns drafting and pushed each other to a quick pace.

There was no let-up in either rider as Wiens and Armstrong chose to stay on their bikes through a steep, technical ascent in an area toward the end of the race that competitors normally push their bikes up.

"I would have never have done that," Wiens said of scaling the area called Power Lines. "... That was Lance's idea."

It was soon after that ascent that Wiens felt that his hope for winning slowly was vanishing the longer that Armstrong stayed with him.

"If Lance and I come into town together, there is no way I win that race," he said.

Fortunately for Wiens, he soon didn't have to worry about that, as Armstrong's seemingly endless stamina finally ran out.

After a crash by Armstrong a few miles later, the race was all but over.

"Just not thinking," Armstrong said of the crash, "too much speed going into a corner."

Even after accomplishing an Armstrong-like feat of consecutive wins, Wiens was careful about comparing himself to arguably the best cycler of all time.

"The guy I raced (Saturday) isn't the same guy that won the Tours," Wiens said, acknowledging that Armstrong has been retired since 2005. "So, I don't put myself in that category."

Though the main attraction lived up to its billing in the 15th running of this race, the top female finisher came as much more of a surprise ... at least, to her.

"I am just shocked," Susan Williams, of Littleton, said after crossing the finish line in 8:40:55. "I just wanted to get under 10:30. I just can't believe how this turned out."

It was Williams' first time riding in the Leadville 100, and she knew little of what to expect but stayed focused on what she though her strengths were.

"Going up Columbine helped," she said. "Longer Climbs was my advantage."

The start Saturday in Leadville showed why Wiens considers the Race Across the Sky to be the "people's race." Amateur riders, both male and female, young and old, started in the same place as a cycling legend.

"It is great that (Armstrong) came out and did this race and raced with all the people," Wiens said. "I appreciate that. He's a class act out there, it was fun."

Asked if Wiens would want a rematch of the battle Saturday, he hesitated.

"Um ... I want to fire the shotgun next year," he said, referring to the gun used to signal the start to the race.

But Armstrong hinted at a possible return next year to Cloud City.

" ... I would love to be back," he said.

And, without a doubt, the rest of the few hundred people standing around the finish line would love that as well.

Comments

  • August 9, 2008

    8:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    den2mke writes:

    How sick is Armstrong? It's been 3 years since the guy completed his 7 tour wins and he just decides to show up and ride one of the toughest races in the country--at, like, 11k+ feet!!! The fact that he rode that well under those conditions is amazing.

    Gotta respect someone like Lance for showing up for a 'people's race', away from the glamour of the cameras, etc.

    Good show, Lance...

  • August 9, 2008

    9:56 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ScreamingEagle writes:

    Lance Armstrong Rocks!!!

    ***Keep Living Strong***

  • August 9, 2008

    10:41 p.m.

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    mattz writes:

    Wow, speechless, beyond words... Thanks so much for coming out Lance, it puts what is for so many of us a special day into the realm of the divine... I'm proud of Leadville and what this does for the town and it's races! Mr. Wiens, we shall have you knighted and considered for sainthood!

    Riding in and finishing the LT100 mountain bike race was the greatest day of my life! Having a sport in my blood that one can excel at to such an extraordianry level well into one's 40's is just amazing! Enjoy it Dave! Thanks again Lance!

  • August 9, 2008

    10:44 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    kirbysfriend22 writes:

    LEADVILLE ROCKS!!!

  • August 9, 2008

    11:43 p.m.

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    cleekmaker00 writes:

    mattz... congratulations to you and all of the other competitors who raced in the Leadville 100. It's the most grueling race around, and it takes a special breed of rider to ride in it.

  • August 10, 2008

    8:15 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    kc02 writes:

    Nice article.

  • August 10, 2008

    1:02 p.m.

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    BSquared writes:

    Very cool showing by Lance and all of the racers. I couldnt ever fathom competing in this race. I am very impressed with every racer that started this race, more impressed with every racer that finished this race.
    Great job by all