Countdown to Almanzo
In 10 days I'll be on a journey. Maybe I'll discover myself on this journey. More than likely, I'll discover pain.
I really don't know the last time I rode 100 (one hundred) miles in a day. I beleive it may have been the Honolulu Century Ride in 1995. Now I'm doing one on gravel, using a fixed wheel bike. A fixedgear bike! No coasting. No making it easier on climbs. Single speed. Sound dumb to you? Trueth be told, when I think about it, it really does seem pretty stupid.
But I'm still doing it. The goal is to finish. Well I guess that's the main goal. Secondary is the fact that it's a race and I want to win. See, you don't enter a race without racing to win. At least that's the way I look at it.
Of course I'm not going to go out and attack on the first hill and ride solo for the rest of the ride. That's just being stupid. Well, actually maybe it's not. There will be no way for anyone behind to know how far ahead a leader is except by sight. So if you can break away and be strong enough to get out of sight fast enough, anyone else may not bother to chase and really only race for second place. This would entail putting in a huge effort at the beginning for maybe 45 minutes to an hour, then keeping a steady pace without loseing time the rest of the race. It could work.
More realistic is the stay in a decent group without letting any leader or group get out of sight at least till the halfway point. Then slowly ramping up the pace a little bit at a time to shed some riders. And keeping the hardest effort for the final 20 miles or so.
How it really works out is anyones guess. The pack could just split completely apart before the halfway mark, and it would then be like how I remember some of the old mountain bike races. Just picking off riders as you pass, and attempt to keep others from passing you. The drawback is that you'll be battling the wind alone, and that would suck. Even if you ride with a slower rider for a while, as long as they take some pulls, you get a break from the wind that will keep you fresher for longer.
I don't quite know my water stratagy yet. Do I carry all I need from the start? Or do I stop at convience stores and fill up along the way. Water is pretty heavy, yet I don't want to run out. Seems like everyone ran out at some point in 2007.
I'm pretty conservative when it comes to tools and spares (comes from mountain bike racing where you need to do it all your self), so I'll have the recomended 2 spare tubes, pump, co2 cartridges, allen wrenches, patch kit, tire boot made from a section of old tire, chain tool, extra bits of chain and a 15 mm wrench for the track nuts. That should cover it.
I still havn't figured out the food situation yet either. Probably PBJ sammaches, dried fruit, home made energy gel, bananas, oatmeal bars and maybe some brownies.
Bike setup will be orange fixed. I got a 28c Turbo/S tire on the rear. I think that'll be cushy enough. I may add something under the bar tape up front, and even though I don't like to ride with gloves, I think I will for this. Just for the extra padding.
I'm still really hoping for dry conditions. I may not even ride if it's raining at the start. Or I may start and pull off at 20 miles or so if the tires start to sink or pack up.
Looks like I'm just about ready. Are You?
AlmanzoAlmanzo100100ChrisChrisSkogenSkogenMayorMayorGunnarGunnarSoroosSoroosFixed+wheelFixed+wheelfixiefixiefixedgearfixedgearbicyclebicycleraceraceracingracingdirtdirtgravelgravelroadroadRochesterRochesterMNMNMinnesotaMinnesotaRuralRuralcyclingcyclingbikebike
Thursday 05/08/2008 | 12:45 pm
Brian on Monday 05/12/2008 | 08:12 am
Also doing the Almanzo, also fixed. I have no illusions of winning. Training has shut down a few weeks ago and I am running on past fitness. I am also am stuck with a gear that is too low that I can't change out without a big chunk of cash (long story).
A few observations:
Unless you intend to win overall, you need to remember you will be in a mixed field with 4 classes. Fixed, single speed, men's open, and women's open. Assuming the fixed category to be the slowest, the surest way to get a lead on your fixed competition is simply to hang with one of the faster groups like men's open. Rather than potentially suffer in the wind during your attack, sit in with a group of them and presumably pull away from the fixed riders who are riding as a class. We will all start together, and if this race is anything like the other gravel races I have done there will be no effort by the organizer to separate the groups. However, chances are the other fixed riders will also think the same way. I predict it will be a war of attrition to see who falls off the geared pace last.
Also remember that if this is a square route you will need to expect 25 miles of headwind, 50 miles of cross, and 25 of tailwind. Unless you can be guarunteed to be with a group for any parts with a headwind, you should make sure the gear you are running is capable of supporting you for a 25 mile stretch of 15 mph headwinds.
Good luck, and see you on Saturday.
Gunnar on Monday 05/12/2008 | 08:55 am
I'm wondering if my gearing is too low also. I took it out for a 20 mile dawn patrol this morning, and was spinning out quite a bit. But that was on paved roads. So I just don't know. Then again, I'd rather be geared low and finish with energy, than geared high and have to spend the next week recovering from an extra hard effort.
I know what you mean about the headwind situation. My thought is that the wind will shift through the day and we'll ride the first 10 miles with a tail-crosswind, and the rest of the day we'll battle a cross-headwind.
Looking forward to riding with you.
Write a comment