“Leadville tests you, we start at 10,000 feet, climb up to 12,000 feet, the altitude and climbing are really my happy places, so if I am going to have a good race it’s going to be here”
Erin Huck
When you are a full-time engineer, mother, professional bike racer, and key member of Team Huck Yeah, your days are pretty full, but the team would have it no other way. Who makes up Team Huck Yeah? Keeping the wheels turning on the program is husband, father, and mechanic Andrew Huck. There’s family strider bike champ and number one fan Brennan Huck. Then we have the talent of team Huck, 6-time national champion, and former Olympian Erin Huck. It’s not hard to believe that the days leading up to the Leadville 100 are busy ones, with morning training rides, zoom meetings, school pick-ups, and altitude training, but Erin would not change a thing.
Ten thousand feet above sea level in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the sun is just cresting the mountains as the women's pro field rolls out of Leadville, Colorado, starting a 105-mile course that will take them over 12,000 feet of climbing. The group rolled fast out of town to the day's first climb.
“I wanted to start out comfortably uncomfortable, then I found myself leading up Sugarloaf. This was going to be fun, so I was really looking forward to how this race was unfolding”
Erin Huck
Heading over the infamous powerline descent following the first major climb of the race, Erin was in great position descending confidently when an unseen rock obscured by the morning sun slashed through her rear tire. After about 10 minutes on the side of the trail patching the large hole in her tire enough to get rolling, Erin descended carefully to the first tech zone, where Andrew Huck was waiting with a new rear wheel.
“I knew Andrew was going to be there with a wheel, it reminded me of Team Huck Yeah, it just filled me with positive memories, this is perfect, I feel great, it’s a race against my self anyway, I have nothing to lose I am the last person, I might as well go all in and Huck it”
Erin Huck
After dropping from 1st to 29th due to her slashed tire, Erin was rolling again thanks to a quick wheel change from Andrew. She only had one mission: go all in, push the pace even harder, and reel in the competition. Erin put the power to pedals and started moving up, catching riders and gaining speed on the flats, then pushed it into another gear on the biggest climb of the day, Columbine. Erin was on a role from then on. Descending back down Columbine, through the feed zones, and up the back side of Powerline, she was closing in on the podium.
“They are going to be raddled when she steamrolls past them on power line”
Andrew Huck
Erin powered into the streets of Leadville, passing riders in the closing miles to secure her place on the podium, taking 4th place! She rolled into town to a cheering crowd and into the arms of Team Huck Yeah, the best prize of them all.
“I want all women to realize you can be a mom, you can have a job, and you can race your bike, you can do all three.”
Erin Huck
Erin finished with a time of 7:20, passing 25 pro women after her mechanical going down Powerline. She moved from 29th to 4th place, with a moving time on the course of 7:10, the same as the winning time of the day.
Directed, Edited, Principal Cinematography: Grant Robins & Sara Beam Robbins Additional Cinematography: Taylor Ahearn – West Elk Creative Additional Footage: Life Time Grand Prix – Cold Collaborative Race Photography: Kyle Thornhill
