This 80-Year-Old Mountain Biker is Racing the Leadville 100, and He’s Ready
The Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race is not for the unprepared. It’s 100-miles, yes, but it’s also entirely at altitude and climbs an impressive 12,000 feet. Leadville, Colorado sits at 10,200 feet, and that’s about the lowest altitude the racers see all day. The high point is at the summit of Columbine Mine, at 12,600 feet.
Besides its lack of oxygen, the race is known for its incredible views. If riders have a moment to look up from the grueling climbs, they see nonstop eye candy in the form of the Collegiate Peaks, alpine lakes, and thick pine forests.
Barry Portnoy, now 80-years-old, was only 51 when the first Leadville 100 happened in 1994. But Portnoy didn’t give it a go until 2013. He and his wife live near Orlando, Florida, elevation 89-feet. So he wasn’t quite ready that year. “I wasn't really accustomed to the altitude and when I got to 11,000 feet I couldn't breathe, so I turned around,” Portnoy told Bicycling.
But this year, he’s better prepared. “This year I've been out here for about three weeks.” It’s amazing what some time to acclimate can do for the body. Portnoy has been getting training rides in at the same altitude as the race.
Portnoy has been active his whole life, running track and competing in various running and cycling events. He started riding a road bike when he was in college. “I didn't have a car so I rode my bike carrying all my books when I was in engineering school in Florida.”
To prepare for this year’s race, Portnoy has completed several long rides and events, including a 65-mile race in Brevard, North Carolina in early June. “That one was kind of funny because I got 40-miles into the ride and the bottom of my shoe fell off. So I had to find someone with tape so I could finish the race.” And he did finish, of course.
Portnoy and his wife have been traveling with their Airstream, and plan to head back east as soon as the race is over to visit family in Kentucky before heading home. “I’ve always been active, my whole life, and I’m really in perfect health,” Portnoy said. “I’m not fast anymore, but I just want to enjoy the race.”
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