So this is actually an old study (2006) but I just read some commentary about this over on seriousrunning.com this week. Apparently cyclists who took Viagra as part of a study increased performance (cycling, that is) by up to 45% at high altitudes. Not everyone in the study showed signs of improvement but for those who did it sounds like it was pretty significant.

It’s interesting to note that the altitudes we’re talking about here - above 12,700 feet - are pretty extreme. Couple that with the fact that the study found no boost at sea level and it’s sorta questionable whether this matters at all. Of course this hasn’t stopped pro cyclists from being caught with bags full of Viagra at the Giro d’Italia and other big races. Back in 2008 the World Anti-Doping Agency began investigating Viagra to see whether the substance should be banned but as far as I can tell they’re still studying the issue.

Even the Leadville 100 MTB race doesn’t quite make it up to 12,700 feet above sea level but it’s probably close enough that popping a Viagra might help racers get to the top. Even more promising seems to be the idea of using Viagra to treat altitude sickness. So the next time you head out for an epic ride above tree line, consider bringing a couple Viagras in your pack - you never know when you might need them

I’ll leave the rest of the Viagra jokes to the commenters below.

In case you hadn’t heard yet, there’s an encore presentation of Race Across the Sky, the movie about Lance Armstrong’s epic battle with Dave Wiens in the Leadville 100 MTB race this year, on Thursday, Nov. 12 at theaters across the US. Check out our recap of the movie if you want to know more and buy your tickets online now!

Rebecca Rusch wins the 2009 Leadville 100

Back in September I got a chance to chat with 2009 Leadville winner and 2-time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Rebecca Rusch about racing, training, and mountain bike trails. Meeting Rusch for the first time I was instantly struck by how friendly she comes across despite being such a fierce competitor on the racecourse. A cool confidence seems to underlie everything she says and her enthusiasm for mountain biking is seriously contagious.

Rusch tells me she got into mountain biking through adventure racing several years ago, though MTB wasn’t exactly her favorite part of racing. After winning a qualifying race for the Australian Eco-challenge in 2001, Rusch quit her job and decided to go pro. In the beginning she says she wasn’t great at mountain biking (hard to believe) but ended up doing well at 24 Hours of Moab so she stuck with it.  At age 40 she’s in top mountain bike racing shape and in her first Leadville 100 appearance she proved it, coming in a full 25 minutes ahead of the second place woman. For those who got a chance to watch “Race Across the Sky” last month, you’ll remember Rusch saying she had no idea how she was doing during the race so she just pretended every rider in front of her was a woman she needed to catch. Talk about determination.

As a 24 Hour Solo champion, 100-mile race winner, and MTB stage racer I asked Rusch if she thought the trend toward longer, more extreme mountain bike races would continue.

“Limits are where we put them,” she replied, as naturally as if I’d asked her favorite color. Races like Leadville and stage racing are becoming more accessible to amateur competitors, allowing anyone to push their limits and Rusch sees that trend continuing for the next several years.

Of course to be competitive in mountain biking it’s super important to use the most effective training tools available. I asked Rusch how she was using technology to boost performance and she surprised me by saying she only recently started tracking cycling power data this year. More important than geeking out with measurements and computers, she says training is all about listening to your body and enjoying the ride. If only it were that easy for the rest of us…

I asked Rebecca to tell me about her favorite mountain bike trails and she says her favorites are the ones that combine plenty of pedaling with interesting terrain. The McKenzie River Trail in Oregon tops her list along with the Alpine Trail, also in Oregon. Rusch lives in Ketchum, Idaho so many of her training rides take her through Sun Valley, ID where the singletrack is scenic and never ending.

As a Specialized Team rider, Rebecca has access to the latest and greatest mountain bikes and she tells me her primary rig is an Era FSR Marathon with 4” of rear travel. Rusch has been experimenting recently with a 29er hardtail for competition and after alternating between her FS and 29er bikes during a 24 Hour race she decided to rock the 29er HT at Leadville. Apparently the decision paid off for her, despite the fact that none of the top 5 male finishers rode 29ers at Leadville this year.

Last month Rusch competed in the women’s duo class at 24 Hours of Moab and took first with teammate Gretchen Reeves. She was also on hand at the premier of Race Across the Sky in NYC on October 22 and even hung out with fans at the after party. This month she’ll be competing in Vuelta al Cotopaxi, a 2-day MTB stage race in Ecuador.

Rebecca Rusch is truly an amazing competitor and an inspiration to anyone who likes to ride fast and long. Keep up with her (if you can!) on her blog @ rebeccarusch.wordpress.com.

Last night I watched Race Across the Sky, the movie about this year’s Leadville 100 MTB race and I gotta say it was pretty awesome. I was surprised the see the movie theater auditorium mostly full and I’d estimate there were at least 200+ people at my showing. The movie started off a little weird with a panel discussion with the riders (Armstrong, Wiens, Brown, etc.) but once the movie started it was all about riding.

Although I already knew the outcome of the race after watching it live online, I still found myself surprised at many parts and there were definitely some interesting take-aways:

• Lance Armstrong is a boss. At the beginning of the film, Lance is on a MTB training ride with his coach, Chris Carmichael and you see the two grinding it out on a rocky doubletrack climb somewhere in Colorado. Following close behind is a guy on a dirt bike with two spare wheels and probably an entire bike tool kit on board. Must be nice to not worry about your equipment failing. Getting used to that level of support may just come back to haunt Lance in the race
• Travis Brown rode the entire 100 mile race on a mountain bike with drop bars. During the panel discussion afterward Brown said he’s convinced that’s the way to go and it sounds like he’ll do it again next year. It was also interesting to note that none of the top 5 riders rode 29ers.
• Dave Wiens is a super nice guy and you can see it throughout the movie.
• Armstrong makes the comment that no one has approached the Leadville 100 as a team race (yet). Will Lance’s pro cycling team assist him in breaking the 6 hour mark at Leadville in the future?
• I loved the old school rider from Denver who had probably the funniest line in the entire movie: “I’m riding the same bike I bought in the 1990s. Same front tire too.” (I’m paraphrasing)
• Second funniest moment: the overweight woman in the yellow shirt running beside Lance during his ascent of the powerline climb, trying to photograph herself with Lance.
• The third place finisher, Matt Shriver, had a pretty remarkable race. Yet another amazing rider from Ft. Lewis College in Durango.
• Saddest moment? Seeing riders stopped at the 4 hour cut-off and not being able to finish the race.
• Did anyone else notice that Lance just chucked the CO2 cartridge after attempting to fix his flat tire? I suppose a fan rushed over to pick it up and now it sits in a glass case in a rec room somewhere but still… pack it in, pack it out.

If you didn’t get to see Race Across the Sky last night, definitely put it on your to do list. It’s an inspirational film and I definitely left wanting to ride more and move back to Colorado. Stay tuned for word about an encore presentation in theaters and/or the DVD release date.

… or today, depending on when you read this

The movie is playing for one night only in movie theaters across the country and a quick check shows there are still plenty of tickets available. Surprising, especially since the movie features Mr. Dave Wiens himself (oh yeah, and also Lance Armstrong). My hope is that if this movie does well we’ll see more MTB short-run features in theaters. The Collective in IMAX? I can only dream…

I’ve got my tickets to watch the movie at Perimeter Point here in Atlanta at 8pm tomorrow in case anyone else is going. I’ll also post a quick review Friday for the Netflixers out there.

Lance Armstrong got his revenge at the Leadville Trail 100 today and set a new course record for the mountain bike race, finishing in a time of 6:28:50 (almost 20 minutes faster than last year). He rolled into the finish line with a flat tire and went right to his trailer without stopping to talk to the press so it’s hard to know how he felt at the end. Word is that he rode on that flat tire for the last 15 miles of the race! Whatsamatter Lance, you don’t know how to fix a flat mountain bike tire yourself?

Six-time winner and local favorite Dave Weins took second and finished the race about 20-30 minutes behind Lance. As he crossed the finish line the woman on the live webcast asked him “What slowed you down this year?” right off the bat and Weins looked a little insulted at the question (can you blame him?). He basically said he thought he did a pretty good job and that he gave it his all against the 7-time Tour de France champion.

Tinker Juarez had a mechanical issue early in the race (a broken seatpost clamp?) that forced him to exit the course.

Judging by the crowds in the webcast it looks like this was the largest turnout for the Leadville Trail 100 to date. According to race organizers more than 1,000 riders representing 47 states and 8 countries toed the start line this morning. After watching the webcast I think I need to start training for next year’s race right now

While all eyes will be on Lance Armstrong and his comeback at this year’s Tour de France, the man himself seems to have something bigger on his mind: winning the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. In a Velonews interview talking about the Tour de France, Lance had this to say:

This is all a build up for Leadville. Honestly. Levi’s coming to Leadville. Levi (Leipheimer) talks more shit about Leadville than he does about the Tour. I’m like dude, you better step off me when it comes to Leadville. We gotta worry about Weins. I hear Weins is killing himself.

Of course “Weins” is Dave Weins, six time winner and course record holder for the Leadville 100 MTB race. You can watch the Lance Armstrong interview here for yourself and decide just how sarcastic he’s being (you’ll need to fast foward through some boring road racing news to hear it). In any event, from what I understand Lance will be racing at Leadville which is just a few weeks after the Tour ends - a grueling schedule for sure, even for a super athlete!