Brentjens looks forward to Leadville 100 challenge

Dutchman Bart Brentjens will race this year's Leadville 100 mountain bike race on August 13 together with Milka-Trek teammates Tim Wynants of Belgium and Jeroen Boelen of the Netherlands.  It will be the first Leadville participation for the 1996 Olympic cross country mountain bike champion.

The Leadville 100 covers 100 miles in high altitude terrain in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The race starts at 10,152 feet and climbs to 12,424 feet. First run in 1994, the race is so popular that a lottery system and qualifiers are used to determine who gets into the race.

"It all started in the USA for the sport of mountain biking," said Brentjens, aged 42. "The USA is the world's mountain bike mecca. One of the most challenging and well-known mountain bike races in the USA is the Leadville 100."

"It is great that I can participate this year's edition. The last two years, I didn't win the lottery. This race is a real big challenge for me."

Brentjens, who has raced other challenging endurance events like the Cape Epic and Crocodile Trophy mountain bike stage races, first announced he would do Leadville at his team's presentation earlier this season.

In 2009, Leadville was won by Lance Armstrong while last year's edition was won by Levi Leipheimer. Dave Wiens won the race six times.