Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Katie Compton's husband shows mountain biking skills with runner-up finish in Voodoo Fire

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Created on Sunday, 24 April 2011 02:29

Written by Nathan

By Nathan Van Dyne, OutThereColorado.com

PUEBLO -- If Mark Legg-Compton felt some fatigue in the final stretches of Saturday's Voodoo Fire mountain bike race, it certainly would be understandable.

The New Zealand native had covered the lion's share of the gritty 35-mile course at Lake Pueblo State Park in a lead group of three riders. He had battled a stiff wind and inhaled a fair share of dust. And he had done it with precious little sleep after rising at 3 a.m. to watch his wife -- professional mountain biker Katie Compton -- race the first UCI World Cup event in South Africa.

"I wasn't sure what to expect today," he said. "I kept seeing all these really fast guys and now I'm thinking, 'Boy, I'm really in the deep end here.'"

Check out photos from the race!

Throughout the race, the Colorado Springs resident held his own as the trio took turns in front. But when Boulder's Bryan Alders made one final attack, Legg-Compton didn't have enough in the tank to answer. He finished the first race of the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 20 seconds -- 17 seconds behind Alders and 14 seconds ahead of Avon's Jay Henry.

"It was fast, it was fun," he said. "The trail system out here is just world-class."

Hundreds of riders participated in the first-year event, which also featured a 69-mile race. Among those turning three full laps on a cool, blustery morning was former professional cyclist Chris Carmichael, who served as Lance Armstrong's personal coach for all seven Tour de France victories.

The 6-plus-hour race served a couple of purposes for Carmichael. It was an ideal tune-up for next month, when he plans to ride the entire route of the Tour of California -- 800 miles in eight days -- with a group of amatuer cyclists. And it was a chance to get on a bike.

"I've been in bike racing since '69 so I grew up doing it," the 1986 Tour de France rider said. "I love it. It's my community, it's my people. I enjoy it regardless of the event."

Biking has played a key role in the lives of Carmichael and Legg-Compton. As the coach and spouse of a world-class rider, Legg-Compton spends plenty of time on two wheels.

"That's how I stay nice and fit," he said. "I've gotta actually work really hard -- I gotta watch what I eat -- just to keep up with her, and some days I  can't. She'll drop me, which is a good sign. I have no problem getting dropped by her because it means she's on good form."

Legg-Compton said he talks often with his wife about the course she will ride, the rivals she will face and various scenarios that might come up during a race. He must walk a fine line between being a coach and, as he put it, "the annoying husband."

His thoughts clearly were with his wife Saturday morning after a pair of crashes pushed Compton to a 26th-place finish in South Africa.

"She had a couple of really bad moments," he said. "She crashed really hard on the rock garden. I hate being a world away, watching that and not being able to do anything.

"But she toughed it out."

So did Legg-Compton. Now for some sleep.