SteveTheTech
Forum Replies Created
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I’m glad to see such a strong response to a challenging ride several hours outside of the city.
It seems like most of the people attempting the 104 mile route are returning vets with some experiences to share.
As would be expected with any group this size there are some very interesting gearing and tire selections being discussed here.
Recently I stumbled upon a wheel with a Sram 32-11 9 speed cassette, it is a snug fit but it seems to be working well with my Ultegra rear. It may require the addition of a power link in the chain if it develops any noise but at this point I think I like the idea of there being less slack especially for this ride since there will be many things looking for wipe out my derailleur on the dirt climbs.
Does anyone here dress differently for this…different bib or shoes?
Eat differently?
Pack differently?As far as my clothing choices go I am thinking of picking up a DeSoto 400 Mile bib in a few weeks for this.
Food wise, I am really weird about that to begin with but I typically pack based on rough hours on the course but in this the amount of work does not equal the amount of elapsed time so I am planning on several extra Skratch packets and a couple of Kind bars for post climbing snacks, and some Honey Stinger chews for the anticipated need for energy on the back half of this one.
For centuries I typically pack an backup for my backup tube and one or two cartridges as well as some extra sunscreen, and a tiny first aid kit. But I am leaving the expandable saddle back and am going to roll the dice on most food.I’ve got to say as a casual observer of this forum I really expected to see a thread about ole Lance earlier in the week. I am guessing everyone pretty much agrees about him now.
It is really sad to see how many of the die hard fans have finally had enough. If you read some of the FB comments on the Velonews or Bicycling Magazine articles it seems like the tides have turned on him.He dolled out false hope to cancer patients for years and should face some court of public opinion justice for that, some civil litigation wouldn’t hurt either. Lying, attacking others, and stealing purse money for years should have some repercussions.
Some of the articles I have found very interesting about this are;
An op-ed from the Guardian that has some real biting questions, that I really think he should have to answer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/blog/2013/jan/09/ten-questions-oprah-winfrey-lance-armstrong
My personal favorite it this one
http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/News/MostRead/1166500/Sunday-Times-poses-questions-Lance-Armstrong-print-ad/
And as far as pro cycling is going at least in this country, it looks a little worrisome. The Tour of Battenkill scrapped the Mens Pro race for because of doping issues (http://www.tourofthebattenkill.com/latest-dirt/2012/11/28/tour-of-the-battenkill-withdrawing-from-uci-america-tour.html) and replaced it with a Fondo (http://www.tourofthebattenkill.com/latest-dirt/2013/1/11/tour-of-the-battenkill-announces-gran-fondo.html). To me that seems like a good idea, but I am not a huge pro cycling fan. For pro cycling it is less than encouraging to see a larger event like that being scrapped for something with more audience participation and revenue potential.
I swear if one more of my co-workers comes up to me and asks what I think of this situation I am going to forcefully remove all of my own hair by hand.
/rant@Tim Kelley 39793 wrote:
Just want to point out a technicality–the stuff in the picture is just chamois cream and is very helpful for provide additional comfort when it comes to friction.
Embrocation is generally used on the legs and has the winter variations have capsaicin in them, which is the active ingredient in chili peppers. You’d probably not want to apply embrocation to your undercarriage. Although, if you did, we’d ask that you make a video of your facial expressions about 30 seconds after applying…
HAHAHA,
Competitive has it in that category and I never really looked into it farther than that. I appreciate you clarifying that though. Guess that should get its’ own category….or I should do more homework….I think that shows who never rides when embrocation cream is needed.
I’d be game for a Man (or woman, but they tend to be smarter) Challenge. Who can stand it the longest.
Would you need milk for the antidote like with super hot wings?I feel like I should go back and edit what I said…I try to do more research on things…guess I really muffed that one.
@Megabeth 39680 wrote:
After I busted my arm and could get on the trainer, I became a fan of Sufferfest.
Each video takes you through a different series of slow spins, hard grinds, sprints, cool downs, etc. The video is of an actual race and there is usually some story behind what you’re doing or goading messages like “Don’t let that Euskie guy beat you at the top of the mountain!” or “The pack is gathering behind you, don’t let them get you at the sprint!”
It’s self motivated. Just watch the video and go. I just prop my laptop up in front of the bike.
When you are riding along there are different noises that will sound to tell you to either speed up, slow down, or get a new instruction so you don’t have to stare at the screen the whole time. (Which is good because towards the end I usually have my head down and I’m whimpering.) They also have a graphic that tells you what cadence you should be doing at what intensity. And, the music is really good and matches well with what you’re supposed to be doing.
There are slow down sections built in to catch your breath and grab your water bottle, but then it revs up soon thereafter.
By the way, the one that features women pro-racers is probably the toughest one I’ve done.
What a great endorsement that stems from something many of us have faced from time to time, instead of taking the time completely off you took the initiative to keep the fitness level up while coming back.
Extra Kudos for that.I like the fact that they are using woman in their series. I am sure it is not to their target demo (which I assume is competitive meatheads, myself included) but there is not a whole lot that really caters specifically to the woman who race. I fully expect to be dropped by a fast moving pack of ladies, and look forward to killing myself to try to hang on.
@Vicegrip 39687 wrote:
You have a good head start on me. My garmin ANT+ stick took a while to show up and I have only done the first fit test which is only 1 hour long with two 8 min intervals. Even after only one try I can see that Trainerroad will help with motivation. I see the bar change from green to red and that is reason enough to ramp up as needed. I seem to need a reason, real or not, for self imposed suffering. Gotta have a rabbit to chase I guess. As mentioned an hour with little seating change standong or coasting can make for a grumpy butt and I have not noticed this on the bike before. No more using the cheap store brand cycling shorts on the trainer.
The software and hardware all loaded and worked as advertised with no glitches. I plan to try some of the ride videos after I finish the second fit test and have a training baseline. (or is that basement line?) I ran a movie in the backround this time around and bothe worked well. Trainer road keeps the laptop from sleeping while it is running and also can be set to stay in the foreground. So far so good.Aww I made the same mistake on my first ride. Those fitness tests suck. I did one without really studying the profile and realized a 20 minute test was not a 20 minute long test and that’s it, it was a twenty minute test at FTP +10%. I did not do to well on that. The serious saddle time in those series makes me really appreciate my fancy Assos embrocation cream.
If there are more people out there maybe we can create some type of Strava game just to add a little competition to the home trainer game. If I had a larger space I was thinking of doing something like Mt. Evans (ride profile below) with a small crowd, but my condo lacks some crucial features to house this type of event. I was just thinking that climbing a mountain alone sucks but with some company it might not be too bad.
@Jason B 39698 wrote:
I tell you, if it not too late, I would get the Suunto Mini Movestick. After reading DCRainmakers review I can see what he is saying that it is more durable and portable. I commute with my computer every once and while, and I am constantly needing to remove the garmin stick for a variety of reasons. The Suunto stick is a tiny block that ain’t going nowhere, and won’t be bothered by a little backpack commuting bumping around.
http://www.amazon.com/Suunto-Movestick-Mini/dp/B004YJS3LG
At $20 a pop I am going to hold off on the videos until I get bored with chasing that green rabbit.I like Suunto stuff, but the majority of their items come with a surprising price tag, I was surprised to see that one is actually have the ant+ sticks price. I will agree with you that the ant+ stick does stick out a lot and yes I have almost snapped my first one completely off its dock, but I am now a die hard Garmin user. That connect.garmin. com site is awesome.
I agree that there is a bit of sticker shock around some of the videos out there. I think the spinerval ones are the most expensive by a long shot and the epicRides and Sufferfest ones are about $10 less. Sufferfest has a coupon on the FB page for 15% off a bundle, I got the three video bundle for $30 the day before this special was announced…but someone else could be a smart shopper.@DaveK 39587 wrote:
This is how it starts.
DO NOT TELL HIM ANYTHING.
lol I know right. I bet he’s going to take the beautiful Felt out and set the bar to a point us mere mortals will only be able to match in car.
The agreement that keeps my marriage sound says I cannot race….officially….it makes no mention of Strava….yet. I do like to compete for fun, so let’s how long it takes to take this too far.Tim- The area I was referring to is a sprint on Belle Haven that passes the bike shop and a few of the hills back in a repeating loop. But I would never exceed the posted speed limit and brag about it publicly.
I would also like to have a better showing here (http://app.strava.com/segments/672640)., and here (http://app.strava.com/segments/2398437)@jrenaut 38631 wrote:
I’d like to get down to Port City. I need to renew my mental image of them.
Now, you may not be an IPA fan, but I am. And as an IPA fan, I can tell you that Port City’s IPA, while pleasant, IS NOT BETTER than two of the best IPAs in the world (I’m not including double and imperial IPAs in this comparison).
And I’d like to change that, because I like supporting local businesses and drinking local alcohol (any kind of alcohol, really, but that’s not the point).
I too am the rare to earth actual IPA fan. I like them dark and hoppy, the darker and hoppier the better. I too really like what Port City is doing, where they have come in a very short period of time and what they do for our eat local movement. However to win on a larger stage like that I am a bit skeptical. I would hate to take anything away from their hard work and craftsmanship in their product but I too do not know if it runs with the big dogs in micro brews just yet.
However their Deracho brew was very good, and I too really like their Porter. I think that Sierra Nevada and Bells would still take the cake on that. Personally I am smitten with Devils Backbones (from just outside of Charlottesville Va) Eight Point IPA, but that is a very polarizing brew. New Belgiums’ Ranger IPA is a nice one too, I am partial to good beer in cans though.@Steve 38682 wrote:
I appreciate all the feedback and comments that I have recieved (both here, Twitter, and FB). I really mean that. It’s made extremely excited for the ride and I hope we have a good crowd and good weather. For those who haven’t been to Port City, as has been said here, its a really fun place, good people, and tasty beers.
1. SteveTheTech – First of all, great first name![/quote]
I too am excited for this ride….excited enough to actually take my bike off the trainer, put real tires on it and get outside for the first time longer than I care to admit. I feel like this could be a good ride no matter what time of the year it takes place.
Hey we’re first name buddies…how a bout that, I figured that just Steve would have been taken, as it is on the rest of the internet. Good catch.
I do hope PC keeps bringing in the awards and growing their distribution area and making a good name for themselves, they are an awesome group of people out there who are very passionate about what they are doing.
