Challenger RR?
08-28-10, 11:45 PM
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Challenger RR?
Who's in for next weekend? I figure I wont eat the rest of the week, maybe celery and black coffee should help.
Edit, Challenge, guess I can't type.
Edit, Challenge, guess I can't type.
08-29-10, 12:17 AM
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That's a really long drive for you.
08-29-10, 07:10 AM
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edit:
Course: 33 mile loop in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and above. Mountainous, 3,000 feet vertical per lap. Road surface ranges from good to fair; two sections of bumpy narrow downhills , some narrow, some traffic; one twisty very narrow descent, finish is uphill coming into Challenge on LaPorte Road. Roads:. Oregon Hill, Marysville, Frenchtown, New York House, La Porte, Oregon Hill.
Last edited by milliron; 08-29-10 at 07:13 AM.
08-29-10, 09:13 AM
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I'll be there in the 5s. If all follows to form I'll fall off the lead group 1/2 through the first lap and ride the final 45 miles solo in no-mans land between the "pack" and the leaders.
But, at this point experience is experience, and a hard 60m/6k ride is good for EC too.
But, at this point experience is experience, and a hard 60m/6k ride is good for EC too.
08-29-10, 10:24 AM
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It isn't "a little bit of climbing" it is FN horrible. Scrawny guy only kind of race. Sucks to make this the district road race course. There are only a handful of guy that can win it.
08-29-10, 05:08 PM
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08-29-10, 06:18 PM
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Plugged the roads into bikeroutetoaster and this seems to be the course:
32 miles and 2,800 ft of elevation gain.
32 miles and 2,800 ft of elevation gain.
08-29-10, 08:29 PM
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Unless you've done this race at the pointy end of the stick (I have twice and took 3rd in the 45 open in '07) you really don't know. I won University, I've done all the one day climbing races and this is one of the hardest.
Aside from the bottle infested theme park descent, some of the pitches are double digit and one section is fully exposed to the sun and cracks people like walnuts with a hammer. The year I took third I went to tunnel vision and nearly rode off the road into a ditch there.
If you're riding this at a conversational pace in Offthebackistan it might be "climby". If you're racing it it's brutal.
Last edited by Racer Ex; 08-29-10 at 08:42 PM.
08-29-10, 09:21 PM
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You're doing 2 laps. FYI JRennie is doing 3, he punches and climbs so far above your weight class that you'd need binoculars to keep sight of him in the first mile of any race. And no, most races don't default to 3-4 skinny climbers types.
Unless you've done this race at the pointy end of the stick (I have twice and took 3rd in the 45 open in '07) you really don't know. I won University, I've done all the one day climbing races and this is one of the hardest.
Aside from the bottle infested theme park descent, some of the pitches are double digit and one section is fully exposed to the sun and cracks people like walnuts with a hammer. The year I took third I went to tunnel vision and nearly rode off the road into a ditch there.
If you're riding this at a conversational pace in Offthebackistan it might be "climby". If you're racing it it's brutal.
Unless you've done this race at the pointy end of the stick (I have twice and took 3rd in the 45 open in '07) you really don't know. I won University, I've done all the one day climbing races and this is one of the hardest.
Aside from the bottle infested theme park descent, some of the pitches are double digit and one section is fully exposed to the sun and cracks people like walnuts with a hammer. The year I took third I went to tunnel vision and nearly rode off the road into a ditch there.
If you're riding this at a conversational pace in Offthebackistan it might be "climby". If you're racing it it's brutal.
99m/9k is a long race yeah, so long that I doubt the entire thing is run at threshold.
Anyway, not that it matters, but I've never been off the back of a race (still too new and value the results) and I don't plan to sit up before the finish in Challenge. If you think that you're sitting at red and going fast hurts more than someone else sitting at red and going not-as-fast, that's kind of ignorant. PE doesn't factor results.
Last edited by Ygduf; 08-29-10 at 09:25 PM.
08-29-10, 11:07 PM
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Ygduf, I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one.
08-29-10, 11:30 PM
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I did Orosi with the P12(3) field, and yes, it's at or above threshold (for me) for all 95 miles unless you're descending. It hurt more than any cat 3 race I've ever done by far. It's the only race where I've been dropped on a climb in 2 years.
But back to topic, I'm going, and it's a fantastic race because it's so hard (IMO). The roads are worse than Copperopolis and the climbs are just nasty at race pace.
And back off topic due to merlot: It's funny, in many ways the few races with more climbing are easier, because at least in cat 3 and below, the field is scared and goes sub-threshold for a long time. EC is a great example. It's hard because it's long, not because of the pace (again for cat 3 and below). I've never blown all my gaskets there, but certainly have at shorter, but much harder races. It's almost difficult to call EC a race for all but the top 3-5. You're often tired just because it's 7 hrs in the saddle, not because you took your book of matches and took a flame thrower to it. Probably why guys who do triathlons often do well there. I used to think of it as the ultimate race, and now view it more as a curiosity (and yeah, I've done fairly well there, so it's not whining in my mind.) It will be interesting to see what others think of it after more racing under their belts.
But back to topic, I'm going, and it's a fantastic race because it's so hard (IMO). The roads are worse than Copperopolis and the climbs are just nasty at race pace.
And back off topic due to merlot: It's funny, in many ways the few races with more climbing are easier, because at least in cat 3 and below, the field is scared and goes sub-threshold for a long time. EC is a great example. It's hard because it's long, not because of the pace (again for cat 3 and below). I've never blown all my gaskets there, but certainly have at shorter, but much harder races. It's almost difficult to call EC a race for all but the top 3-5. You're often tired just because it's 7 hrs in the saddle, not because you took your book of matches and took a flame thrower to it. Probably why guys who do triathlons often do well there. I used to think of it as the ultimate race, and now view it more as a curiosity (and yeah, I've done fairly well there, so it's not whining in my mind.) It will be interesting to see what others think of it after more racing under their belts.
08-29-10, 11:35 PM
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I love EC but it's definitely a non-race race, at least for me anyway. It lets me do a stupid long ride under the guise of racing.
08-29-10, 11:40 PM
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Oh, and to jrennie's point: I basically agree that it's probably the wrong venue for districts (even though I consider myself more on the pure climber end of things) but apparently VP had to scramble after the state wanted 4x the money to run the race at Ft Ord (the course crosses state land at some point.) I wouldn't be in contention anyway.
08-30-10, 09:40 AM
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I did Orosi with the P12(3) field, and yes, it's at or above threshold (for me) for all 95 miles unless you're descending. It hurt more than any cat 3 race I've ever done by far. It's the only race where I've been dropped on a climb in 2 years.
But back to topic, I'm going, and it's a fantastic race because it's so hard (IMO). The roads are worse than Copperopolis and the climbs are just nasty at race pace.
And back off topic due to merlot: It's funny, in many ways the few races with more climbing are easier, because at least in cat 3 and below, the field is scared and goes sub-threshold for a long time. EC is a great example. It's hard because it's long, not because of the pace (again for cat 3 and below). I've never blown all my gaskets there, but certainly have at shorter, but much harder races. It's almost difficult to call EC a race for all but the top 3-5. You're often tired just because it's 7 hrs in the saddle, not because you took your book of matches and took a flame thrower to it. Probably why guys who do triathlons often do well there. I used to think of it as the ultimate race, and now view it more as a curiosity (and yeah, I've done fairly well there, so it's not whining in my mind.) It will be interesting to see what others think of it after more racing under their belts.
But back to topic, I'm going, and it's a fantastic race because it's so hard (IMO). The roads are worse than Copperopolis and the climbs are just nasty at race pace.
And back off topic due to merlot: It's funny, in many ways the few races with more climbing are easier, because at least in cat 3 and below, the field is scared and goes sub-threshold for a long time. EC is a great example. It's hard because it's long, not because of the pace (again for cat 3 and below). I've never blown all my gaskets there, but certainly have at shorter, but much harder races. It's almost difficult to call EC a race for all but the top 3-5. You're often tired just because it's 7 hrs in the saddle, not because you took your book of matches and took a flame thrower to it. Probably why guys who do triathlons often do well there. I used to think of it as the ultimate race, and now view it more as a curiosity (and yeah, I've done fairly well there, so it's not whining in my mind.) It will be interesting to see what others think of it after more racing under their belts.
Buuut, I still believe pain is pain and max hr, above threshold time hurts equally regardless of w/kg being made. There's no reason to be condescending.
08-30-10, 09:46 AM
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Deal with the hostility till they think you're worth it and they'll take you under their wing.
Ex knows his shiet and is willing to help more than most on here. I didn't think his post was condescending to you. He just has the experience to tell you that you're wrong.
In a few years, you'll be doing that to others who don't have the experience. The difference is that Ex is willing to further the conversation and help you out if you need it instead of just saying that you're wrong and leaving it at that.
Ex knows his shiet and is willing to help more than most on here. I didn't think his post was condescending to you. He just has the experience to tell you that you're wrong.
In a few years, you'll be doing that to others who don't have the experience. The difference is that Ex is willing to further the conversation and help you out if you need it instead of just saying that you're wrong and leaving it at that.
08-30-10, 09:47 AM
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08-30-10, 10:31 AM
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Eh, "he punches and climbs so far above your weight class that you'd need binoculars to keep sight of him in the first mile of any race."...
If that's not condescending, it's preetty, preety, close.
I'm sure it's hard race. I'll find out definitively in a week.
If that's not condescending, it's preetty, preety, close.
I'm sure it's hard race. I'll find out definitively in a week.
08-30-10, 10:32 AM
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Everest Challenge
https://www.everestchallenge.com/
https://www.everestchallenge.com/
08-30-10, 10:49 AM
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Good luck at the race, I hope you enjoy it and have a safe ride.
08-30-10, 11:05 AM
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In other words: calm down, grow some thicker skin, and shoot the shiet on hurr.
08-30-10, 11:22 AM
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Yeah, I've never experienced a mid-pack finish, but I'm sure you're right. I have been ending up off the leaders, but ahead of the pack so my limited experience has been finishing races alone at a 10 PE, trying to maintain whatever place I'm in. It sounds hairy; hopefully everyone ends with the skin they started with.
