Looking for Ultra Distance Event Preparation Advice

[ed72]

What I would have done differently is develop a more efficient way to book motel rooms. You are not allowed to book rooms before the start of the race. I thought I could just search with internet but high speed access was spotty in places and it just took time. I think what I would do if I raced again would be to save motel phone numbers by mile marker point. Like M262, M325, M420. This would take some planning but the flip side for me was wasting a pretty good amount of time on logistics each day. So if I was at M262 checked in, I could call the M420 for the next night, depending on terrain and weather. Maybe a stupid idea, I dunno. My longest day was 260 miles and shortest was about 45 miles (bike problem). My objective was only 300K per day and except for mechanicals and injuries, that is about what i did but I also started before sunrise (best time of day and the sun hitting the mountains out there is amaxing)

I also did not ride much into the evening. Usually only to get to a town or motel. I also did not ride in heavy rain on bad roads or lightning. Also be sure to ask what time the front desk closes, I got locked out arriving just after 9 pm once. I then got smart and one place just put the key under the door mat to my room (I gave them my CC on the phone). Most of the small motels were $40 to $80 with chain hotels $90-140 per night.

My sleeping bag was insufficient for the cold West. There are some long stretches between available hotels, it takes some thinking if you plan to use only motels/hotels. I am sure it is possible but I would also have an emergency bivvy. With you puffy on and all your clothing, you should be able to sleep a 90 minutes with all your clothing on before waking up really cold. This is what happened to me with a 40F bag (rated at 32F but that is probably survival rated).

 

[ed72]

I prefer to have a map on my navigation device. If you get off course very far using a Wahoo, you can be absolutely screwed like that young gal who missed the left hand turn at the top of Chief Joseph Pass. She went down the other side into Idaho and was lost. No internet signal to reroute. Really lost. I was dot watching her. She ended up bush wacking all night long and finally got on route. She missed maybe 5 miles of the road but the organizer did not penalize her IIRC. With a Garmin, I have the entire continental USA loaded. With careful battery management, I can get 25+ hours on my 1030.

 

[Frito Bandito]

That is awesome information Ed72. Not sure I am ready to go with Garmin yet, but it would likely be the Wahoo Roam. I've been watching the TABR Trackleader site and its great. Unfortunately there is only 1 bent racing this year. It is a Performer.

 

[ed72]

That is awesome information Ed72. Not sure I am ready to go with Garmin yet, but it would likely be the Wahoo Roam. I've been watching the TABR Trackleader site and its great. Unfortunately there is only 1 bent racing this year. It is a Performer.

Seems it was easier to follow in years past. Which rider is on a Performer?

Ben Davies and Kraig Pauli are just at the base of Lolo Pass. It looks like both have stopped for food at what I recall is a very large campground and lodge, it comes at the end of about 90-100 miles of no support. 3 days and 4 hours to that point seems impossible to me, it is a little over 900 miles with a pretty decent amount of climbing. I got to that point early afternoon on the 5th day, making it just to the base of Chief Joseph Pass that night.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Laurent Bouchard from France is on the Performer. I saw on another FB post that there are tons of recumbents on BRAG, including about 15 Cruzbikes, but it would be nice to see more on the TABR or even the PABR (San Diego-Florida). Yep, those guys are logging tons of saddle time. Very impressive on a DF bike no matter how well the fit is set up. I love reading the racer blogs.

 

[ed72]

Laurent Bouchard from France is on the Performer. I saw on another FB post that there are tons of recumbents on BRAG, including about 15 Cruzbikes, but it would be nice to see more on the TABR or even the PABR (San Diego-Florida). Yep, those guys are logging tons of saddle time. Very impressive on a DF bike no matter how well the fit is set up. I love reading the racer blogs.

Personally, I think I could do very well as an old dude on a bent on TABR up until Missouri. With decent FTP and an impressive aerobelly, I would be pretty fast on flatter terrain but the incessant 15+% hills in Missouri, Kentucky, and to a lesser extent in VA would do me in.

I do some randonneuring brevets with guys on Cruz bikes and one Schlitter (who also has an S40). TABR is so freaking hard and the population of recumbent riders is so small, it is no wonder there are few of us on such a race. Laurent is basically doing 300km per day in the mountains, which might sound easy but he has to buy his own food, find or filter his own water, find a place to sleep every night, do bike repair/maintenance, do laundry, and navigate. And pedal. The leaders are doing around 450km per day with the biggest difference being very little stop time, much less sleeping, and faster climbing. I remember being so happy looking at my power meter showing a steady 300 watts on a long climb and then I hear a freight train huffing, Lael Wilcox passed me like I was standing still and the engineer inside me somewhere calculated how many days advantage she had on me just with climbing. I was on an upright. Dropped me like yesterday's newspaper.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I bet you could do well on it, especially on a V20 or even an S30. I was training hard last year with my eye on it, but by the registration date the quarantine restrictions were still too long for me to take off. I could have taken a month off to give me a cushion to finish, but not longer than that so I had to give it up for 2022. In hindsight I was almost certainly biting off more than I could chew.

Laurent is a trooper on that heavy thing. I did 150km today on the flat without any gear without much endurance training lately and while my power output was only around 140w I am dog tired. My legs feel ok, but I couldn't have doubled my ride today if my life depended on it, much less back to back.
Lael was something else right?

I'd love to see some of the Speedys on bents in that race though. I'm watching the race on TrackLeaders, and it is just so hard to wrap my head around pedaling for that long every day even at something like 25kph average speed.

 

[ed72]

I was training for The Bike Race Around the Netherlands (May 2022) but had an untimely date with the pavement and the trauma center. (was on my upright)

Flat and windy with only 1900km make it perfect for a bent. The times this year were astonishing, 3 days and change (12 hours??).

 

[Frito Bandito]

Sorry to hear that Ed. A bit further to fall on an upright but I hope you are recovering well.

1900km sounds like a great ride. Before a couple of mates left back to London and Canada we promised a trip around Iceland. That got bumped for a Croatia/Italy trip, and that too got bumped from Covid-19. So, I started looking for unsupported races because all 3 of them have kids

 

[ed72]

It looks like our fellow recumbent rider is at mile 1179 and the two leaders are at 1909 and 1850. The big difference is moving vs stopped time. There is only 1.5 mph difference in moving speed. The leaders spend very little time off the bike.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I saw that last night. Laurent is hoofing it along pretty well when he is moving. Last night he was in 13th place, and once he gets on the flats I wouldn't be surprised if he starts moving up the leaderboard.
I have been watching the leaders on Trackleaders site to see what time they stop and start moving for sleep. If I recall correctly, KP last year stopped for between 4-5hours for sleep each night, and smaller stops to refuel throughout the day. It seems like he is stopping for shorter times each night this year.

 

[ed72]

I saw that last night. Laurent is hoofing it along pretty well when he is moving. Last night he was in 13th place, and once he gets on the flats I wouldn't be surprised if he starts moving up the leaderboard.
I have been watching the leaders on Trackleaders site to see what time they stop and start moving for sleep. If I recall correctly, KP last year stopped for between 4-5hours for sleep each night, and smaller stops to refuel throughout the day. It seems like he is stopping for shorter times each night this year.

I thought KP's stops were shorter too.

I really don't know how the leaders do it. How do you even keep your kit clean? I guess one could pay the front desk clerk to do your wash. You cannot have kit shipped to a hotel and you cannot pre-arrange a hotel before the race although that is one rule I am sure has been broken a few times (not by me). I did a 5 day stretch in the same bibs. Quite a story there.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I thought KP's stops were shorter too.

I really don't know how the leaders do it. How do you even keep your kit clean? I guess one could pay the front desk clerk to do your wash. You cannot have kit shipped to a hotel and you cannot pre-arrange a hotel before the race although that is one rule I am sure has been broken a few times (not by me). I did a 5 day stretch in the same bibs. Quite a story there.

I was aware that you couldn't book a hotel pre-race, but like you said, I am sure it is a rule that has been broken. I even saw a comment or 2 about hotels that had me scratching my head because it sounded a bit like an admission. However, isn't it permitted to send stuff to a post box? I can see that sending stuff to a hotel might not be allowed, but I haven't checked the rules lately. As far as I know though, I don't think KP or the top riders are taking showers or doing laundry. Maybe a quick rinse and chuck it back on while it is wet. After checking into the hotel it would only take a few minutes to jump in the shower with the bibs and use shampoo to wash them which is what I would be doing. Wring them out and hang 'em up and let them dry as much as possible before putting them back on when you wake. In the hot sections of the race they are going to get wet anyway. I jumped in a mountain stream in my kit and laid on a towel for a short rest on a hot day and it was sublime. A water hose would work though.

I was thinking that as soon as the race started, I would already have an idea of how far I would go each day for the first 3 or 4 days and would immediately ring up the hotels from speed dial to make a reservation for those days as soon as we rolled out of the parking lot. Afterwards the riders would be spread out enough and I'd hopefully be far enough ahead at the pointy end of the race to be able to book rooms before the rush started. At a post office after clearing the mountains the climbing wheels with climbing gears and fenders would come off, aero wheels with a road cassette would go on, the smallish water bottles that got me through the cold mountains would be removed for an inflatable sleeping pad that fits in a water bottle cage for under the seat, a 2.5L hydration pack that sits on my chest for cooling, the rain gear would get ditched. That stuff would go into the same box/boxes that the aero stuff was sent in and sent home. That way, I would be as light as possible for the climbing and as aero as possible for the flats/rolling sections. I might lose a little time in that transition, but would hopefully make up for it in the headwinds afterwards. This is just theory as I have virtually zero experience in racing, but as a Marine grunt I am not unfamiliar with roughing it.

Oh, I bet things were funky during those 5 days hahaha.

 

[ed72]

WRT hotels, I had planned to cowboy camp more than what I did. In rural areas, motels were not too expensive and it sure beat sleeping on the cold ground. I had a 32F bag but it was not enough because it got into the mid 20's several times and for whatever reason, I get cold when tired. I am not the most phone/internet savvy. What I thought I would do differently is create a contact list of hotels by mileage point. Like M227, M456, M468, etc. Just push call the nearest mileage point or where you think you might be that night. Twice I arrived after the front desk closed (they closed at 9 pm). Earbuds and knowing your credit card number would also save time. Some small motels left the key under the mat for me. 9-10 pm in good weather was my preferred stop time and I would sleep until 4-6 am. I did not ride in lightning or heavy rain or at night on bad roads stopping under those conditions. Some of the roads really stink in my opinion. Of course, 90% are great. I just was not taking too many risks. I think I only averaged 12 hours per day moving but I also had some problems requiring fixing.

My padless bent shorts will dry in an hour or two. My padded roadie bibs even when spun out in the washer take a full day to dry.

I did a few post office drops. Mistake. I arrived at my first drop at 5:10 Friday and of course they were closed. I got back to the office at 8 am and they did not open until almost Noon. I went from a crosswind to a massive headwind for days. I also did a drop in Pueblo swapping out the cold weather gear for summer gear, the USPS is right off the course and there is a McDonalds right next to it (charging, eat, rest rooms).

KP looks like he rode thru the night and has not slept in 23 hours. He has a 15-25 mph helping tailwind that is shifting from SW to SE, so, I am guessing he knows to ride that thing as long as possible.

One of the hardest things was upon finishing, you are so fit that it is almost impossible to maintain it. A hard 5-6 hour ride is nothing but I destroyed all my hill climbing PBs when I got home and hills.

 

[ed72]

Laurent dropped from 10th to 11th in the Ozarks. I can't imagine doing those on a bent. Constantly up and down at 15% all freaking day long. Or, he might have had problems. No way of knowing. I just know those hills suckk

 

[Frito Bandito]

Yeah, hard to say. It would be a bit easier on a lighter bike, but still no walk in the park. So, I've been thinking of ways to make my V20 as light as possible which is basically not carrying much. I saw a short Q&A video on Facebook but I think the lack of communication was more of a language barrier than anything else. Laurent didn't seem to look in bad shape then.

I heard that the hills are too far apart to take advantage of the previous hill's momentum to carry you at least a little up the next hill. All that effort is pure Rider's effort.

 

[ed72]

Yeah, hard to say. It would be a bit easier on a lighter bike, but still no walk in the park. So, I've been thinking of ways to make my V20 as light as possible which is basically not carrying much. I saw a short Q&A video on Facebook but I think the lack of communication was more of a language barrier than anything else. Laurent didn't seem to look in bad shape then.

I heard that the hills are too far apart to take advantage of the previous hill's momentum to carry you at least a little up the next hill. All that effort is pure Rider's effort.

They are not rollers in my book. Too far apart and too much elevation gain on each hill. The elevation gain is probably 200-400 feet. These are more like VO2 max intervals if ridden hard. Laurent is still doing very well. Something must have happened. Mechanical?

 

[Frito Bandito]

WRT hotels, I had planned to cowboy camp more than what I did. In rural areas, motels were not too expensive and it sure beat sleeping on the cold ground. I had a 32F bag but it was not enough because it got into the mid 20's several times and for whatever reason, I get cold when tired. I am not the most phone/internet savvy. What I thought I would do differently is create a contact list of hotels by mileage point. Like M227, M456, M468, etc. Just push call the nearest mileage point or where you think you might be that night. Twice I arrived after the front desk closed (they closed at 9 pm). Earbuds and knowing your credit card number would also save time. Some small motels left the key under the mat for me. 9-10 pm in good weather was my preferred stop time and I would sleep until 4-6 am. I did not ride in lightning or heavy rain or at night on bad roads stopping under those conditions. Some of the roads really stink in my opinion. Of course, 90% are great. I just was not taking too many risks. I think I only averaged 12 hours per day moving but I also had some problems requiring fixing.

My padless bent shorts will dry in an hour or two. My padded roadie bibs even when spun out in the washer take a full day to dry.

I did a few post office drops. Mistake. I arrived at my first drop at 5:10 Friday and of course they were closed. I got back to the office at 8 am and they did not open until almost Noon. I went from a crosswind to a massive headwind for days. I also did a drop in Pueblo swapping out the cold weather gear for summer gear, the USPS is right off the course and there is a McDonalds right next to it (charging, eat, rest rooms).

KP looks like he rode thru the night and has not slept in 23 hours. He has a 15-25 mph helping tailwind that is shifting from SW to SE, so, I am guessing he knows to ride that thing as long as possible.

One of the hardest things was upon finishing, you are so fit that it is almost impossible to maintain it. A hard 5-6 hour ride is nothing but I destroyed all my hill climbing PBs when I got home and hills.

Phone #s by a mileage point is a good idea. Deleting each mileage point list as you pass it so you don't have to scroll through them later seems like a good way to stay organized. I routinely wear Bluetooth earbuds when on the bikepath that allows me to talk hands-free, and I do have a wired set too that would work while the Bluetooth's are recharging, or if they malfunction.

12 hours is plenty long. I'm not sure now what I can maintain day after day but the increased speed of a V20 should account for at least some of the time in saddle for the DF riders. The sleep patterns for the front riders are pretty smart. Get plenty of sleep in the week leading up to the race and then go for as long as possible to settle in to a shortened 4-6 hour/day sleep schedule. Keep it light and sleep in hotels until getting out of the cold stuff (Pueblo?).

Laurent may have had a mechanical but I have't seen anything that confirms it. He had some sizeable bags on his Performer. While they looked quite full in the beginning they shrunk a bit later in the race. It seemed he was set up more for a tour as opposed to completing it as fast as possible. Being a bit more interested in doing the latter, I have been kicking around the idea of custom making some light zippered touring bags for the V20 that don't severely penalize you weight wise or aerodynamically, but also won't catch the sidewinds so much to blow you off track.

 

[cranky cyclist]

I have assioma pedal based power meter and I like it, You can start out with just the left side and add the right side down the road. The cost wasn’t bad about $400.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I finally got the 4iiii left side power meter, but I like the Assioma pedals as well since you can swap them to your other bikes. When my 4iiii eventually fails I might go with Assioma.