[SteveTheTech]

@JimF22003 38849 wrote:

It was a nasty cold wet spring day, and most of the people who were planning to do the century bailed and took the shortcut for the 100K ride. I guess I was last on the course at some point and everybody at the final rest stop and the support vehicle guy wanted to go home and get warm, so they more or less insisted I SAG in.

Aww I had something similar happen on my very first metric. A severe thunderstorm (tornado warnings, hail and the everything else) caused everyone to get scooped up in our segment. That is a very defeating feeling that I would not much care to repeat. After that I started working on increased my AMS to outrun the rain, with mixed results.

I really do hope you get out there and get play in the mountains. I do not look forward to the day my body is done with physical challenges but I know it is inevitable. I raise my glass to you sir.

It is looking like I will be out of the country for probably the two weeks leading up to MoM so I do not think this will be the year I get to go do that one. However I am hopeful that that is the only wedding I will be attending and I will be able to do Garret County and JBs Fondo in September, and in order to meet my goal for the year I think the Total200 will have to be in there. Garret county is the last week of June so BikeMS would be a good last distance training ride (first weekend in June) if anyone is interested

It is nice to see that I am not the only one planning what to do now. I guess many of us have that itch.

Happy new year all,

[SteveTheTech]

Ohh, this one got my attention.

Sounds like a fun ride. The people at Port City are awesome. They would probably open a back gate or something to safely store the bikes, as I bet they don’t have a rack…or do they?

Kudos sir,

[SteveTheTech]

@Rod Smith 31575 wrote:

Nice thread. Inspiring. You guys are hardcore. I don’t know if I can ride a course as long and steep as that one but I’d like to try. Maybe next year. I like the gravel/dirt. Definitely makes the ride more appealing to me. I’m not saying those sections wouldn’t be hard for me, but I’d like to try. I have very low gearing and 700×28 tires. Getting up the hills wouldn’t be a problem, but making the time cuts probably would be tough…

As the days pass by and my legs get back to normal I am thinking I just might be out there again next year. Although at the time I said I would never attempt that gravel mess again today I am thinking I might be.

Are you running 28cs on a road bike? If so what?

There were many people that were out there that I spoke with riding 32s and even as high as 36s with mtb derailuers. I was thinking it would be considered soft to do that but it is smart out there anything goes.

[SteveTheTech]

@TwoWheelsDC 31491 wrote:

http://connect.garmin.com/course/1791291

I like that a lot. Any reason to do the WW is fine by me. That actually looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing.

@vvill 31494 wrote:

I’m curious to know how many people attempted and completed the full loop. ~230 registered, ~180 finishers. Some registrants didn’t start obviously (e.g. Joe D), and some switched to the medio route. [/quote]

I wish I had at a few points there.

@vvill 31494 wrote:

I only slapped on a front 25 a couple days before the event – I was toying with the idea of using my standard 23 (which I’ve never flatted on) – very glad I did that, although the raised profile of the particular tire (Panaracer RibMo) made me feel a bit less confident on the descents. I’d also put on a new 11-28 cassette and new chain a couple months earlier in preparation, and a new Gatorskin on the back a few weeks ago. I could’ve probably used a lock-out front shock though too [/quote]

I was going back and forth between my beloved 4000s in 23s and my older set of Ultra races in 25. If I were to do that again I would seriously hunt down a set of 25c CX tires or go with the closest thing Continental makes. I saw several people struggling with Gatorskins, but Conti only makes CX tires as small as 32c so I might have to come up with a solution that involves customizing my roadie or winging it with some 25s.

@vvill 31494 wrote:

Agreed. And the dirt climbing is really different to anything I’m used to. On paved surfaces, if you get tired, you can mash a bit more or drop down to a lower gear and still go up, just slower. On dirt/gravel, you are constantly trying to make sure you have enough traction, and also avoid holes, sharp rocks, etc so there is no respite at all – you have to watch where you going much more closely, and you get much less momentum. If you stop it’s harder to get on your bike and clip in again. I’m definitely more used to riding as a “rouleur” than a climber. My wrists and especially left elbow (never quite been the same since my crash last year) were as sore as my legs after the event. My legs actually weren’t all that bad.
[/quote]
My favorite part of that was standing up to give your legs a break…a mistake I made twice.
My legs are a little sore still but I think that may have had more to do with wine touring for several hours in the car the following day.

@vvill 31494 wrote:

I think I experienced my first true “suffering” experience on a bike on the last miles of that climb up Reddish. Looking down at your mileage progress is always a mistake when you’re going 5mph! 68.1… 68.1… 68.1… 68.2…
[/quote]
That sums it up perfectly.

@vvill 31494 wrote:

I’ve thought about that Mountains of Misery double too (I think I mentioned it to Megabeth who replied something like how fun sounding a name for a ride it was – of course this was only a few hours after the Fondo.) I think after the Alpine Loop, Mountains of Misery would actually be easier even though it’s longer and more feet in climbing – assuming it’s paved.

I got an email from Mrs. Bishop this morning about a jersey question. I straightened it out, thanked her for all her hard work and said I would sign up now if there were to be a little less gravel. I would keep the first climb in gravel to skip Reddish, that is just overkill. IMO there is a difference between being difficult and being a poorly equipped.

I feel like the moutain climb at the end of MoM would be easier…not easy by any stretch just easier.

[SteveTheTech]

I think I had to walk to a flat clearing on the non drop off side of the climb to fix it. It took everything I had not to toss the bike over there. It was highly possible you passed me heading in the opposite direction. Did you happen to see the poor guy who snapped his rear derailuer clean off the back of what looked like a new Ridley?

Tim- I do something similar in the Belle Haven area of Alexandria I was hoping you guys were hiding a good 10+% grade over a mile climb. I’m thinking I will have to jump on the Kill Bill ride this go round.

I would have like to watch JB take to the dirt climb like a pro MTB rider would…as a recreational roadie that was well beyond my skill level. Totally bit off more than I should have.

[SteveTheTech]

I’m glad to see everyone here made it out of WV in one piece. I’m sure Dirt got some funny looks while riding over the those private roads in some of that really rural countryside.

It really was just some beautiful scenery and the opposite of that for road conditions.

Top of the first KOM

Top of the dirt road…right past the cattle catcher

Bout 10 miles from the end, middle of Mennonite country.

The reason I signed up.

I had done some training with a 32-12 rear with an SLX but I did not really care for the way it shifted so I replaced it back to the OE 25-11…a move I later regretted. I would have taken a slow weak shifting 32 over a decent feeling 25. There was a point on the first KOM climb I was cranking it out and felt a bang from the rear I checked it out at the peak and didn’t see anything and heard nothing else from it until the first dirt climb when I realized what I had actually done was begin breaking my chain, which did eventually let go. Carrying and extra power link and chain tool totally saved me out there. After fixing that it rode fairly well for the remainder of the day. There were many people out there without even a compact saddle bag…that is just brave. There were some points out there were I was totally alone…there is something I like about riding alone but there is always a backup plan to get help…out there that may not be the case. The drop off the side of the road was several hundred feet and there were no houses within sight. If you go over the edge or something bad happens you are as SOL as you could possibly ever be.

There was another point there I learned that it was indeed possible to stay upright at rpms as low as 30….28 though and it is all over. I recall at least two occasions when I said to myself…My wife was right…maybe I shouldn’t have done this….maybe the medio was the way to go…I can’t do this. I was reassure when I hit the time cut site and they said we were still an hour ahead of the cutoff time.

I know I will own the fact that I wore out my cleats walking parts of that ride. I had to give the hammies a rest for a moment. I wore them out despite having covers in my back pockets…I was having trouble standing on one leg.

Kudos to everyone who volunteered there, I left my First Endurance baggies, a $20, and my drivers license either at the second or third rest stop…they were returned well before I arrived, and my wife was a little worried to get a bag full of things that I had kept on me and she had not heard from me in hours. There were some of those

Now my next question…where do the rest of you all find areas around here to train for such long grinding climbs…training on the rollers in our area is nothing for a 3 or 4 mile climb.

I do not know that I will do that again (but I will most likely have to try again) but I’m planning on Mountains of Misery double next year.

[SteveTheTech]

Congratulations. Sounds like a lot of fun.

[SteveTheTech]

@jabberwocky 26650 wrote:

Oh no, now the data miners are gonna know I like poking dead things with a stick.

On the plus side, I’m looking forward to getting some very interesting google ads.

Ahh I’m in good company it seems.
http://games.adultswim.com/floater-twitchy-online-game.html

I get the oddest mix of ads on the side of my primary gmail I don’t know what they think I am up to. Amazon is pretty pushy too.

@KelOnWheels 26623 wrote:

I live in the extremely fashionable Extremely West End of Alexandria (no, not Fairlington, I’m not that fashionable)

I think I got you beat fellow West Ender, I too live in the westernmost part of with the other uncool folks.This is a great area to live and eat but not so great for riding.

I work less than a mile from where I live…but I rarely ride in. It cost me two wheels and several flats in a month last year. It’s not far enough to make it worth it and people suck at driving near bikes around here especially in the morning. (Translated by Bing) I’m a wuss and I like my wheels and tires now.

[SteveTheTech]

This has become one of my favorite topics to couch research.

-First Endurance EFS powder and liqui-gel
-Stinger waffles
-Clif shots w/ caffeine

Without as traumatic an experience as PotomacCyclist had but one bad main event inspired me to evaluate the effects nutrition can have on a 180lb auto tech. I a, a heavy sweater and am on my feet all day so by the time I get to a workout I’m pretty beat. Having a fairly consistent workout schedule I was able to track my RPE and heart rate on the spin bike and add cadence and speed over the course of a repeating group ride.

After trying several products, started with Nuun, very simple, with a mild flavor, low sugar…but not carbs and very low sodium. Worked ok but I would notice my heart rate would steadily decrease as my RPE increased at the 30:00 mark on the dot of zone 3.5+ interval training. I still use them for running and swimming outside and in my water bottle at work on really hot days.

Then I switched to Gatorade….that lasted for 1 workout. The amount of sugar made me feel ill immediately at full strength. I did a 1:1 split once for a metric century (I left my prepared hydration in the fridge at the hotel) and although not what I had trained with it worked fairly well but I had a backup EFS to take a pull off if needed. I did end up leaving with two new Trek of Raleigh bottles to add to my collection.

I tried Hammer for a few weeks. I too did not care for Heed and the consistency and sodium content of their gels.

The poor results I experienced with what I thought was the best product on the market (according to the enthusiastic athletes on TV) led me hunt for something to meet my needs. I started using First Endurance after reading some of the independent research on their products and found it to match my sweat output and sodium needs better than the other products out there at that time. It has a mild taste and dissolves easily, it tastes like it has less salt than Heed. Each serving contains about a hundred calories and 24g of carbs and 300mg of sodium per serving. Every hour of an extended ride I supplement with either 1/4 of a bottle of EFS shot or a waffle (alternating). I also carry a 100 calorie pack of plain almonds for protein.

And always chocolate milk afterwards 1+hr or a workout of any length over 85 degrees. I feel like without that I would be useless on work days following particularly hard efforts.

[SteveTheTech]

What type of vehicle are you mounting the rack to?

I spent a few months researching the differences between every common rack out there. My roof had no rack or mount points so my reserach included a new base system. Then again some manufacturers use the big companies to make their OE kits.

I agree with the Guy above me, you OE racks might suck, but at least you have something to work with. I was thinking of going with a discount model on mine but figured I would be better off with something in the middle of the product line. A little more money for some extra piece of mind was worth it to me. No matter what my bikes cost I would not want to loose them on the highway, that just sounds like so much liability. $20/ea for legs is about what they cost…as a 1 time expense (to me) it was worth the investment knowing their is a quality item up there. So far I’ve been very pleased with mine, I’ve driven hours with bikes up there and several times a week and have only had to tweek the adjustments once of twice (but I am also ocd).

If you haven’t yet checked out http://www.rackattack.com/index.asp? you should they will pretty much lay out all the options for your car, with the exception of hitch mounted setups for that I have been referring people to http://www.etrailer.com/ for a few years now and have had great success with them.

A quick few words on what I went with.
I have the Thule 480 traverse (square bars) with the ferring and two Thule 517 Pelotons. It wasn’t the cheapest setup but I do not plan on buying another for several years. The ferring keeps wind noise to a suprising minimum I am very happy with it.

Happy hunting.

[SteveTheTech]

The one I do is all ride levels leaving from Belle Haven Marina on the MVT @ 5:45. The ride is sponsored by Wheel Nuts in Old Town.
Runs 18-25 miles of hills.

Its a good group of people to ride in one of the only areas (I’ve seen) inside the Beltway that has very low vehicle traffic. Repetitive hills and some flats, it’s overall a decent course for all pace levels.

[SteveTheTech]

@PotomacCyclist 25745 wrote:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1367[/ATTACH]
The new Aston Martin One-77 superbike.
Note: As of this date, front-mounted machine guns and antitank missiles are not yet available as options.

Holy crap, that’s amazing. I hope that holds up slightly better than the cars. Of course they cannot publicly arm it…but if you know someone…

@JorgeGortex 25747 wrote:

I fell in love with the bikes when I saw an article about them somewhere. About a year later I had her tooling along the WO&D.

That’s awesome. Does it ride mostly like a traditional bike?

If headed down the wooden road (with unlimited funds) I think I would have to go with this.

http://www.coolhunting.com/design/sanomagic-wooden.php
Handmade by a Japanese shipbuilder from hollow mahogany. (the most recent model weighs about 17lbs)

[SteveTheTech]

Ever since I was a kid I wanted a Mclauren F1, then I coveted the Mclauren Benz, now I would settle for a Mclauren Venge

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/venge/s-worksmclarenvenge

and just for fun a Titanium triplet tandem from Litespeed
[img]http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/bbcbikes/IMG_1515.JPG[/img]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Litespeed-Taliani-Triplet-Ti-Road-Bike-Tandem-NEW-Rare-/290597426134?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a8f4d3d6#ht_1158wt_1166

(sold for $75k new)

One last thing, I got nothing done for an hour and change after finding this thread, thanks all
The Cervelo ca Mmmm then things I’d do to a bike like that….

[SteveTheTech]

@off2ride 25268 wrote:

Shimano levers have shims for reach adjustment. LBS have a bunch of these shims because they’re included in the build kit. The 7900 Dura Ace has a screw for reach adjustment on the L & R lever. Personally, if I was to buy a frame and built it slowly, I would choose Shimano first but Campy comes in not far behind. The Record 11 is just as shweet as Dura Ace although Shimano will be coming out with their 11 version this year. Not so impressed with Sram Red though. Not a natural feeling shift if you ask me plus it sounds clunky and cheap. So component selection is a preference. That’s just my opinion on those gruppo’s.

I like the low end Shimano shims, but they have their downsides. After half way through a 60 mile trip I peeled one off and dropped it somewhere. I had an extra at home but had to stop on the side of the road to adjust my brakes. The Adjustment on the Srams is also very simple and seems to have almost no way to fail. I like that the shifter and the brakes adjust differently to really dial it in to your preferences.

The Srams do seem to clunk more. I ride with a guy whos got a set of Profile Design carbon wheels and Reds on what looks like a $10k setup and it sounds like crap while shifting and stopping. I guess the sound of quality sounds rickity.

[SteveTheTech]

@Tim Kelley 25057 wrote:

+1 for November. I have a set of their wheels on my TT bike and really had a good experience working with those guys.

Thats an awesome rig there. I bet that thing is a rocket.
Excellent camera choice too.

I’ve done a little reading on the November line. (There really isn’t a whole lot out there) It sounds almost too good to be true. I like the concept of a local startup. I don’t like the Chinese frame of questionable quality. I do like the matte black no name brand…(exactly what I have now), if it is as light and fast as claimed than it would be a strong contender. I am not so keen on the warranty only being two years ( which seems to be on par with Chinese frames or questionable quality), one of the things you get with a name brand frame is typically a longer warranty. I’ve read that is a benefit especially with the Tarmac.

The $800 frame allows for a much nicer groupset than many other full bikes in my range…point November…I do not know if there is enough merit in that to overtake the SuperSix that is so far leading. There really is something to be said for a truly proven base.

I have the largest spacing shims in my Shimano shifters. I wear large/xl gloves I like the control it provides and a short firm brake pull. That really seems like a personal preference thing though.

[Author]

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