That fancy new PT Disc wheel is still not on a bike…I tried yesterday but the rear triangle on the bike it was to go on doesn’t have disc mounts! Geez. It was a bummer at first…big ride day on the plan. What to do? Take the SS of course ;)
32.17 has been the gear of choice for a long time now. It just fits – and the chain hasn’t stretched in 300 miles. The route was to be the Lime Kiln loop we did last week. Taking the SS I was just a bit too intimidated by one section of it so modified the route slightly, but it still ended up at 129 miles and 15k+ vert. Ah, and it was 91F in Mesquite yesterday. Ouch!
Will I ever race a bike again? Sure…but the idea of a SS solo TT of the KT is much more appealing right now. Yesterday’s route was a lot like doing the KT minus that last bit of singletrack on the Fruita end. I now know I can finish it on a SS – and that it will hurt ;)
Sorry, I wasn’t a good hippie yesterday so no pics. The flowers seemed muted anyway…maybe it’s the ride company that makes them pop? Curious…
Things learned about long distance SS riding yesterday:
– being spun out for long periods is tough on the butt, but if it’s downhill and you don’t have to pedal at all it’s a great time to toss 700 calories down the hatch.
– an aero position that serves the dual purpose of also stretching hamstrings and back is key (found it).
– Dairy Queen is the ideal pit stop in the heat. They fill your bladder with cold water, give you ice cream, and do it all indy pit style. In & out in under 4 minutes ;)
– High power spikes put the hurt on ya late in the ride. Duh. Exacerbated by the heat for sure, but still…
– Enduralytes are still magic in the heat
– 14% grades in 90F temps at 6 hours on a 32.17 is a good recipe for hoofing it ;)
Stats:
355 oz fluids drank
1 large Dairy Queen ice cream cone. Magic in them things…
129 miles
15, 159 vert climb
179 Pave
226 Pnorm
576 TSS
10:14 ride time
35 min stop time – filtered 180 oz, traffic, ice cream stop…working on it!
The PT actually croaked for about 30 minutes, but it was mostly downhill towards the end. Here’s what it captured of the day:
interesting avg cadence, spinning the 32:19 29er fixie over 100 in 9 works out to about 77…..must be a sweet spot there somwhere.
You got yer permit all squared away for that there time trial? :D
You don’t need a permit to set the bar, only to challenge the existing time. Or did I misunderstand? ooops!