The Leadville 100 is already one of the hardest mountain bike races in the country. For Jeff Spencer, though, it is something more pointed than suffering for sport. This weekend, the Lake County High School math teacher will line up last in the field and try to pass as many riders as possible, because every rider he gets by can help raise scholarship money for graduating students.
That is a simple premise with an unusually powerful payoff. Spencer is not chasing a podium. He is chasing people. And in this case, that is the point. Throughout the summer, supporters pledge money for every rider he passes, or they donate a flat amount, turning a brutal 100 miles into a very direct fundraising mechanism for kids who are trying to take their next step after high school.
A race built around a bigger purpose
Spencer said, in effect, that he has one job this weekend: start very last and pass as many people as he can before the finish. He also made clear why the effort matters so much. Each rider he passes represents more money earned for scholarships, and that money goes straight toward students at Lake County High School.
The scale of what has already been built is hard to ignore. Over the last 10 years, the scholarship program has raised more than $1.2 million. Last year, Spencer passed roughly 1,500 riders and raised more than $140,000. That is not some sentimental side project. That is real money changing real lives.
This past school year, every kid who graduated from Lake County High School received a $2,000 scholarship if they had a plan for after high school. Spencer described it plainly: if you have a plan for after high school, then you get that $2,000 to help move forward with it. That is what makes this so much bigger than a bike race. It is a direct line from effort to opportunity.
Why Spencer keeps doing it
Spencer said the whole thing brings together two things he loves: riding bikes and educating kids. That combination gives him drive and passion for the race, and it is easy to see why. He also said that what he asks of his students in class — to work hard, dig deep, build grit, not give up, and develop confidence and perseverance — connects directly to what they see from him on race day.
That is the kind of example that matters. It is one thing to tell young people to keep going. It is another thing entirely to spend your weekend in one of the toughest endurance events around, knowing that every rider passed can help fund a scholarship. Spencer is not just talking about perseverance. He is performing it in public.
There is a broader truth here too. For all the noise around big-time sport, the most persuasive athletic stories are often the ones with the clearest purpose. Spencer is not trying to reinvent mountain biking. He is using it. And that makes the Leadville 100 feel less like a one-off race than a moving piece of school support with a stopwatch attached.
So yes, the challenge is enormous. The course demands plenty, and the race itself will offer no favors. But Spencer has already shown what this effort can produce. More than $140,000 last year. More than $1.2 million over 10 years. Scholarships for students who need a hand moving forward. That is not a bad return for one man starting last and chasing everybody in sight.
