I SHOWED KEEGAN SWENSON MY SUB-7 LEADVILLE PLAN | UCI World Champion Reacts | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 584
Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad
4.9 • 4.6K Ratings
🗓️ 7 May 2026
⏱️ 70 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
🍝 Free Cycling Nutrition Calculator! 👉 https://trainerroad.cc/cyclingnutritioncalculator
Donate to Coach Jonathan's Leadville Fundraiser: https://give.ltfoundation.org/fundraiser/6845358
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// TOPICS COVERED
(00:00:00) Welcome!
(00:00:56) Keegan Swenson Reviews My Leadville Sub-7 Plan
(00:09:47) Why FTP Is Less Important Than Real Workout Power
(00:10:28) VO2 Max Intervals and 30/30s for Leadville
(00:20:39) Sweet Spot Training for Long Race Power
(00:27:28) Keegan’s Leadville-Specific Training Advice
(00:41:38) Leadville Bike Fit, Drop Bars, and Equipment Choices
(00:49:58) Fixing Race-Day Nutrition, Sodium, and Gut Issues
(01:05:31) Tire Choice, Bike Setup, and Final Leadville Prep
(01:09:19) Keegan Swenson Wrap-Up
Leadville course record holder and UCI XCM World Champion Keegan Swenson joins Coach Jonathan Lee to break down what it will take to chase a sub-7-hour Leadville 100, from the training that actually moves the needle to the race-day details that can make or break the goal. They dig into Coach Jonathan’s Leadville training progress, including rising FTP, weight loss, longer endurance rides, VO2 max work, sweet spot, threshold over-unders, and why athletes shouldn’t obsess over FTP when real on-bike power and consistency matter more. Keegan shares how he approaches VO2 max intervals, altitude preparation, pacing, fueling, tire choice, aerodynamics, clothing, and handling tricky Leadville sections like Powerline and the Columbine descent. They also cover how to manage big weekend rides without sabotaging key workouts, why 30/30s and longer VO2 efforts both have a place, how to prepare for high-elevation mountain bike racing, and what athletes should think about when building a smart, sustainable Leadville race strategy.
// RESOURCES MENTIONED
- Free Cycling Nutrition Calculator: https://trainerroad.cc/cyclingnutritioncalculator
- Keegan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keegels99
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast presented by Trainer Road. |
| 0:02.8 | We are going to answer some questions that you've submitted and look at my training from Leadville today. |
| 0:06.7 | I'm trying to go sub-7. |
| 0:08.2 | Let's just go straight into a question here because I think it'll introduce our guest. Devin says, hey, coach Jonathan, I've really enjoyed the quick episodes looking into your training. I really look forward to having Nate on one of those |
| 0:17.5 | so he can bring his persnickety nature |
| 0:19.3 | to review or two-way review of your training and strategy. |
| 0:22.5 | But I feel like the elephant in the room is why you haven't had Keegan Swenson, the Leadville course record holder and burgeoning podcaster on to review your training. So make it happen and I'll leave a five-star review. Thanks for all that you and the TR team do to make us faster. Well, Devin, leave that review. |
| 0:39.4 | Kegan Swenson. Good to have you with us for specialized off-road racing. Good to be here. |
| 0:45.2 | Are you ready to critique my training for Leadville? |
| 0:47.9 | Always. Not just my training, but my approach that I'm going to do on race day. Yeah. To get |
| 0:53.5 | do it. All right. Let's do it. Let's do it. Okay, I want to give people an update on where I'm going to do on race day. Yeah. Do you do it. |
| 0:54.5 | All right. |
| 0:55.6 | Let's do it. |
| 0:56.2 | Let's do it. |
| 0:56.4 | Okay. |
| 0:58.2 | I want to give people an update on where I'm at. |
| 1:01.9 | So for those that don't know, I'm training to go sub seven at Leadville as the goal. |
| 1:03.2 | It's a bit of a moonshot goal. |
| 1:03.9 | It's tricky. |
| 1:05.3 | It's going to be really tough to do. |
| 1:11.6 | But that's what I want to do. I think in order to make it more of a secure bet, I probably need to have an FTP of somewhere around 320 watts and be somewhere around 147, 148 pounds. That's right around like 67, yeah, 67 kilos, |
| 1:22.2 | 67.5 kilos somewhere on there. So it's, I started off at 156 pounds or technically like 158, |
... |
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