Episode 195 - Coaching Up Ignition Co-Founder Drew Dillman as he Takes On His FIRST Leadville 100

Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest episode of The Matchbox Podcast powered by Ignition Coach Co. I’m your host, Adam Saban, and on this week’s episode we’re talking about our own experience with preparing for and racing at altitude as Drew takes on his first Leadville 100 MTB next month.    As always, if you like what you hear, share this with your friends and leave us a five star review and if you have any questions for the show drop us an email at [email protected] or head over to ignitioncoachco.com and fill out The Matchbox Podcast listener question form.    Alight let’s get into it!   For more social media content, follow along @ignitioncoachco @adamsaban6 @dizzle_dillman @dylanjawnson @kait.maddox       https://www.youtube.com/c/DylanJohnsonCycling https://www.ignitioncoachco.com  https://www.youtube.com/@DrewDillmanChannel   Intro/ Outro music by AlexGrohl - song "King Around Here" - https://pixabay.com/music/id-15045/    The following was generated using Riverside.fm AI technologies   Show Notes Episode Summary In this episode, the hosts break down how to prepare for high-altitude racing, using Drew’s Leadville build as the main example. They cover acclimatization strategy, heat training, fueling at altitude, iron considerations, pacing, recovery, and how to use ventilation data to better understand effort. The conversation also explores when to introduce intensity at altitude, how much training to do while acclimating, and why respecting altitude is as much psychological as it is physiological.   Timestamps 0:01 — Intro: special guest David joins, and the episode topic is introduced 0:38 — Drew’s Leadville qualification and the shift to altitude preparation 3:01 — Training changes heading into Leadville 3:51 — Heat training and sauna use as “poor man’s acclimation” 4:50 — Flagstaff plan for acclimatization before Leadville 6:30 — Weight cut and nutrition strategy discussion 10:02 — Carb needs and fueling changes at altitude 13:48 — Iron/ferritin considerations for altitude performance 15:21 — Race-specific training, tempo work, and threshold preparation 17:51 — Mountain bike specificity and position differences 20:50 — Ventilation metrics and how Drew is using TimeWare 23:52 — How ventilation data relates to altitude physiology 31:19 — Why altitude performance loss is exponential 36:31 — When to reintroduce intensity after arriving at altitude 39:20 — Recommended ramp-in strategy at 7,000 feet 40:30 — Adam’s personal altitude strategy and last-minute arrival approach 43:11 — Course familiarity, descents, and why pre-riding matters 44:43 — Pacing mistakes at altitude and recovery between efforts 47:51 — How many hard altitude sessions to do before race day 49:02 — Respect vs. fear: the psychological side of altitude racing 51:45 — Why riders underestimate recovery demands at altitude 55:20 — Heat training vs. altitude tents and other pre-acclimation tools 58:20 — Leadville logistics, weather extremes, and race-day nutrition 61:25 — Final takeaways and what Drew will change based on the discussion