Shawn's story: Leadville 100 MTB

BaseCamp athlete Shawn Sanseverino shared his experience at the 2025 Leadville 100 mountain bike race in Colorado.

Brief Report

1. Event Goal: Complete

2. Goal Time: 10:30–11:00 hrs

3. Actual Time: 11:28 – Got my sub-12 hr buckle!

4. Pacing – Negative Split: 5hr 54min/8.72mph for the first half and 5hr 34min/9.46mph for the second half

Full Report

Night Before the Race

We ate dinner in our Airbnb with seven of my greatest supporters, who had flown out to be part of my crew for this event. All I could think about was how, after winning my lottery coin at the Austin Rattler in November, I had started watching Leadville videos. I had no idea what this event really was. I saw people posting videos from their Airbnbs, doing final race prep for the most epic event of their MTB careers — and now here we were, doing exactly the same thing. I was overflowing with joy and honored to join the elite ultra-mountain bikers in what many call the hardest one-day mountain bike event in the world.

I had a chat with my BaseCamp coach, Shannon Mathis, who reminded me the training was in the bag — I'd done the work and hit 100% of my workouts. She reminded me that over the last five months, I'd had rides that were pure joy, some that were challenging, and others that were downright brutal. She told me I'd experience all of that on race day. I'd come a long way since breaking five bones in a nasty crash in March. We talked about my race mantra for when things got dark. I borrowed a line from a fellow BaseCamper, who messaged me Friday, "The hay is in the barn." That phrase carried me through the event. Thanks, Kaci Wall!

Starting Line

I haven't done many MTB races, but this one took the cake regarding nerves. It helped to have my wife and friends at the start, which meant the world. The temp was a brisk 44º — perfect for Leadville. The race began, and we rolled down 6th Street at 6:45am. I started shivering while trying to keep my handlebars straight at 37 mph on an MTB.

St. Kevins

We climbed 1,810 ft over the next 1 hr 17 min. It was a bit slower than expected as there was a wall of riders headed up the fire road, many walking. I breathed slowly, used my low-cadence climbing skills, and pedaled past the walkers. I felt great.

Powerline Descent

Next came a 13-minute, 1,385-ft descent — super chunky and off-camber. It was a narrow dirt jeep trail with one clean line filled with slower descenders. I used my descending skills and I dropped into the chunky stuff and passed a lot of riders.

Twin Lakes Aid Station – First Pass

I arrived just before the longest climb of the day. My support team — my wife, five "framily" members, and my camera guy (like a son) — was incredible. They took amazing care of me. At that point, I was averaging 11.7 mph, way ahead of my dream goal of 10.5 hrs. I was feeling amazing. I laugh now because that was before two of the nastiest climbs of the day. As you'll see, everything changed at the next aid station.

Columbine Climb

Columbine was a kick in the face: 3,177 ft over 7.7 miles with grades up to 16%. The last quarter of the climb was a massive conga line of walkers on a narrow jeep trail with a deep rut on one side and riders flying down at 20+ mph on a nasty rocky descent. Which made it super sketchy to walk past slower walkers. Every step was brutal. I told myself, "I'm still racing," and started shouting to riders, "ONE STEP AT A TIME — WE'RE ALMOST TO THE TOP!"

The summit was wickedly windy. I rewarded myself with the bathroom break I'd been holding for the whole climb lol! The 30-minute descent didn’t bring much recovery — my body hurt even going downhill. Once we got to the bottom of Columbine, I had about 30 minutes of pedaling before we got back to the aid station, and I could barely hold 125 watts. That got super discouraging. The only thing keeping me going was knowing I’d see my framily again.

Twin Lakes Aid Station – Second Pass

They took great care of me, but I still had 62 miles and the hardest climbs ahead. I didn't want to quit, but it was clear I burned one too many matches. On the flat section to Powerline, we faced a nasty 18–22 mph sidewind. My roadie instincts kicked in, and I jumped in front of a group of 5 riders that were trying to work together. But they were not lined up correctly for a side wind. I pulled up next to them and told them, "The draft is on the right hip, get next to their wheel." I pulled our little group along, thinking they were lined up well. Once I pulled for about 5 minutes. I dropped back to enjoy the draft, only to realize they stayed single file line and the pace line was no good to anyone.

Powerline Climb

They say the race truly begins here at mile 80, which begins a 3.3 mile, 1,301 ft climb up a nasty rocky climb. We saw up to 22% grades! As I jumped on the dirt road leading to Powerline, I saw another wall of walkers struggling up the mountain. I rode as far as I could (not far), then joined the line of walkers. Every step was hard, rocks slipping under my feet, the energy around me feeling like death. We reached the first false summit, and I looked up to see yet another conga line; it was a total blow to the soul.

After just over an hour of mostly walking, the hardest climbing was behind me. My plan A timing was not happening, so I shifted to plan B: finish under 12 hours. One more 45-minute climb remained. With a few more punchy dirt sections, I found myself yet again joining the line of walking on parts I had climbed during my preview ride.

Carter Summit Aid Station

I finally arrived to the last aid station. A volunteer shouted, "You've got this — the buckle's in the bag if you just keep pedaling!" Only 11 miles to go, as long as I could average 9 mph. We continued home with a group of about five. We picked up the pace and the finishing energy was there. Seeing the high school as I entered town filled me with energy — almost there!

Finish Line

Like a Tour de France scene — people lining the road, cowbells ringing, my wife jumping up and down, my family screaming, Ken & Merilee smiling. I crossed that finish line in 11hr and 28sec. Ken told me, "You’re not just a finisher — you're part of the family. Welcome!"

I stood speechless and savored the moment, considering how I lucky I was to even be there due to my major accident just 18 weeks prior. Climbing off my bike, I headed home as my body shook for over an hour until I got nutrition back in me. I could barely walk that night, my back so sore I could barely stand on my own. My new favorite saying about Leadville is this: Leadville mtb 100 will try to take your soul! But the finish was worth it! By the next morning, I felt 100% better.

Final Thoughts

I’m so glad I found BaseCamp. When I qualified for Leadville, I knew I didn't yet have the fitness to earn the sub-12 buckle. The training and education I got opened my eyes to a whole new world. Then I crashed, breaking five bones. Shannon coached me through recovery, keeping me from overdoing it — which is in my nature. She even joined my course preview ride five weeks before the race, giving live tips. She's an amazing rider and an even better soul.

Finally, the best part — my family. My wife and daughter gave so much over these nine months. As many of you know, this sport is selfish with time. Every meal, every weekend, was planned around training. We did this together. When times got dark in recovery or training, my faith in God kept me going. All glory to Him.