Maumee cyclist faced mountainous challenge

Matt Thourot of Maumme stops for some refreshment and a chat with his son, Dekker, at the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. NOT BLADE PHOTO Enlarge

The Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race was the hardest dirt riding that Matt Thourot has ever encountered.

A seasoned trail rider, Mr. Thourot of Maumee competed against the world's elite riders in the Aug. 14 race held each year in some of the most treacherous terrain in the Colorado Rockies.

"It was the hardest one-day event that I have ever done, and I have some done crazy stuff," he said.

The 104-mile ultra endurance race that starts at 10,152 feet in the old mining town of Leadville, Colo. has gained the reputation as America's most prestigious mountain bike race.

The 17th edition of the "Race Across the Sky" drew more than 1,500 racers from 48 state and 22 countries.

The 2009 winner - seven-time Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong and cycling's biggest name - opted out of this year's race. However, Armstrong's Radio Shack teammate Levi Leipheimer captured first place with a time of 6 hours, 16 minutes, and 37 seconds, smashing his teammate's record by 12 minutes.

Mr. Thourot, 40, crossed the finish line with a respectable 10 hours, 38 minutes, and 52 seconds. He placed 200th in his division and was 487 overall.

After leaving Leadville, the race took riders around Turquoise Lake, 2,000 feet higher, and elevations ranging from 9,000 to 12,620 at the Columbine Mine.

Mr. Thourot was awarded the prized belt buckle given to the 1,022 entrants who finished the course under the 12-hour time limit. More than 400 riders didn't make the cutoff.

Mr. Thourot, a lab chemical engineer at Worthington Industries steel plant near Delta in Fulton County said he plans to return next year and score a faster time to earn the bigger buckle given to those who finish the course under nine hours.

"To be honest, right after the race I told myself I'll never do that again. It only took about 12 hours to change my mind. I know I can do much better and would like my revenge," he said.

Getting a spot in the Leadville Trail 100 was a challenge in itself. Thousands of riders entered the race lottery at $15 a pop in hopes that their names would be drawn in February.

After gaining a spot in the race, Mr. Thourot stepped up what many consider a rigorous training program.

"After I knew that I was in the race everything surrounded getting ready for it," he said. "The focus of all my training from that point was for the goal of training for Leadville."

The usual weekly schedule for the avid cyclist included about four hours riding on an indoor trainer and eight hours of riding outdoors on weekends.

In early April, he separated his shoulder in a crash with another cyclist during a training ride. "I never stopped training," he said.

Mr. Thourot arrived in Colorado a week before the race with his wife, Jennifer, and son, Dekker, 8, to get used to the altitude.

Mr. Thourot, who has competed in local road races as a member of the Saturn of Toledo cycling team, is no stranger to mountain bike endurance events.

Twice he and other cyclists competed in the seven-day TransRockies Challenge mountain bike race. He and Dr. Steve Clark of Perrysburg teamed up in 2008 for the stage race along the spine of the Canadian Rockies.

Contact Mark Reiter

at markreiter@theblade.com,

or 419-724-6199