Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Anyone down for a 508 mile fixed ride through Death Valley?

508 miles, 35,000 feet of climbing, 100+ degrees, 2 days, 1 gear, no coasting.
Looks like a great time.
http://www.the508.com/2004web/fixedfeature.html

if anyone can do it, you can, mr portland-to-seattle-and-back-again.

there were some pretty amazing times from the fixed riders last year. are you actually planning on doing it? i'd love to hear more about your training, et al.

You're a madman. I'm considering the 508 for next year, but with all the gears I can get :D . What do you after that? P-B-P or RAAM on a fixie? Let us know how this goes.

At this point not sure if it's just a crazy idea or not.... would certainly be a test of humanly limits, and I can only imagine how rewarding it would feel to successfully complete it.

Oh, and Rusholme... I think you're thinking of rainedon with his epic Portland-Seattle-Portland fixed. I merely rode it one way. I'm trying to comprehend 2.5 times that length, with 30,000 feet of climbing thrown in.

At this point not sure if it's just a crazy idea or not....

It's crazy trust me :D

But do keep us informed.

sorry for the mix-up!

one way counts too tho, i know i couldnt do it.
cheers

Towards the end of my STP, I started considering the 508. I had read the bio's on the 3 riders doing it and they look like regular dudes who love riding fixed. That sounds like me. I think it would be a good challenge. One that I might cosider more seriously next year. The STP was big miles, but really not a lot of climbing to prepare for something like the 508. I might try to get in some late season brevets this year and try to do the series here next spring/summer. I think those would be better prep for the 508.

I'd also have to buy new wheels. That would blow. I ride deep v's and the 508 fixed rules only allow a 25mm rim depth.

Rules:

The 2004 Furnace Creek 508 is Proud to Offer a Fixed Gear Division in 2004 and Beyond

Fixed Gear Division Rules: Bikes must use the same fixed gearing (ring/cog) for the entire event. Bike frames shall be steel, traditional double diamond design (forks are unrestricted) and wheels (maximum 25 mm rim depth) with 32 spokes minimum. Aerobar/Spinaci attachments and aero-designed parts are prohibited. Wheel switches are permitted only for wheel failures (not for flat tyres), and must be identical or essentially identical to the failed wheel. Bike switches are not permitted. Riders may not coast with feet off the pedals. Riders must declare their gear (ring/cog) choice at check in, which may not be changed thereafter.

Fixed gear division riders may abandon that division and switch to a multispeed bike in the "open" division, then complete the race on the multispeed bike, provided that they or their crew notifies an official as soon as possible; they will then be treated as having ridden the entire event on the multispeed bike.

holy jebus! hats off to those guys.

hmmm... 250mi per day.. i did 156 in one day of the extremely hilly california coast, took like 10hrs but that was on a coaster bike... so would it be like 20hrs of riding, 4 resting, repeat again? sounds ridiculous...

bout to try the santa cruz mountains century with my track bike... 100mi and 10,000ft of climbing... august 6th, still spots available, should be 500 people

why do they regulate against folks using Deep V rims? why only 25mm depth... wtf

why do they regulate against folks using Deep V rims? why only 25mm depth... wtf


As far as I know, aerodynamics really come into play at 20+ mph and I doubt I'd be spending a lot of time in that zone.

That's an avg of 7000 feet of climbing per 100 miles. I've done two centuries with 1000 ft of climbing crammed into a 10 mile section of it, with the rest flat. A ride like this is hard to imagine. I doubt it would be 20 hours each day, though. you get to come back down the hills, too.
I've ridden in the shenandoah's with 46x18. It allowed for easy climbing and, provided you're okay with ~150 rpm, 30 mph descents.

Rules:

The 2004 Furnace Creek 508 is Proud to Offer a Fixed Gear Division in 2004 and Beyond

Fixed Gear Division Rules: Bikes must use the same fixed gearing (ring/cog) for the entire event. Bike frames shall be steel, traditional double diamond design (forks are unrestricted) and wheels (maximum 25 mm rim depth) with 32 spokes minimum. Aerobar/Spinaci attachments and aero-designed parts are prohibited. Wheel switches are permitted only for wheel failures (not for flat tyres), and must be identical or essentially identical to the failed wheel. Bike switches are not permitted. Riders may not coast with feet off the pedals. Riders must declare their gear (ring/cog) choice at check in, which may not be changed thereafter.

Fixed gear division riders may abandon that division and switch to a multispeed bike in the "open" division, then complete the race on the multispeed bike, provided that they or their crew notifies an official as soon as possible; they will then be treated as having ridden the entire event on the multispeed bike.
WTF? You can't 'coast' with your feet off the pedals? Why so many rules?

I guess they want to limit the race to the 'truly' hardcore.

Clear rules mean fewer questions, fewer disputes.

Okay, I read the details of the race. For some reason I thought it was a 2-day (stage) race. It isn't. The cutoff is 48 hours. The last winner did it in 31, and the top female in 36. Only one rider is under 30. It looks like the cycling equivalent of ultramarathoning. To the poster who said the two fixed guys looked like typical guys, it's common for ultramarathoners to carry excess body fat. But these people are not at all normal or typical.

WTF? You can't 'coast' with your feet off the pedals? Why so many rules?

I guess they want to limit the race to the 'truly' hardcore.


Sorry but anyone who can do this races is truly hardcore!!!

To answer your question. Not just no, HELL no, I'm not riding through Death Valley in the summer. You must be outta your mind. Now, the winter is another thing all together.

http://www.the508.com/info.html

october 7-10

I just read the rules and they are very strict. Even to the point of clothing, types of follow cars, types of lighting (like you have to have amber rear turn signals/flashers, not red like most new cars today)

Ouch. Tose organisers are as tough as good old Henri Desrange was... No ratio change, no unclipping, no lightweight frames, no aero parts... I half thought they would ban brakes as well to make the guys work on the descents properly!

The cutoff is 48 hours. The last winner did it in 31, and the top female in 36. Only one rider is under 30. It looks like the cycling equivalent of ultramarathoning. To the poster who said the two fixed guys looked like typical guys, it's common for ultramarathoners to carry excess body fat. But these people are not at all normal or typical.

This race was probably started in response to the success of the Badwater Ultramarathon (http://www.badwaterultra.com/), that also starts at Furnace Creek, and is run by the same group. It's 135 miles long, and finishes at the portal to the Mt. Whitney summit trail, at 8,000 feet. If you finish in under 48 hours you get a belt buckle. That's the extent of the prizes.

The documentary on it, Running on the Sun, is awesome. It's on Netflix too.

To answer your question. Not just no, HELL no, I'm not riding through Death Valley in the summer. You must be outta your mind. Now, the winter is another thing all together.

12yrs+ i can still remember the heat spent at ft irwin / 29 palms...i can just remember one morning it was somewhere like 110 degrees, no shade...anywhere....and around 9am...

to each their own though, i don't need to push myself to this limit....ever in the heat....

127 in Death Valley yesterday.

12yrs+ i can still remember the heat spent at ft irwin / 29 palms...i can just remember one morning it was somewhere like 110 degrees, no shade...anywhere....and around 9am...



Been there.......felt that!

If ya read that one guys story, I used to take some of those roads to Vegas on the weekends from 29 Palms! VERY deserted and no civilization for miles and miles. They have all these restrictions on the follow vehicle, and bike, ect........but do they have rules for someone being educated with dehydration/heat stroke injuries in everycar??

I drove a car through there once. I read the site. Those guys n gals are nuffing futz

I used to take some of those roads to Vegas on the weekends from 29 Palms! VERY deserted and no civilization for miles and miles.

that stretch of highway is famous within all law enforcement, of clocking some of the fastest radar speeds...although i ran radar there for 2-3 weeks and got nothing over 100mph, not like the stories of 170mph+ i've heard stories told of....

Are you one of them Karmical??

Are you one of them Karmical??

not any longer, and by choice...just had enough one day turned in my badge and walked away...

I could (allmost/perhaps/someday) ride it fixed, with a flip flop (fixed/fixed). Or perhaps with a setup like Rivendells Quickbeam (2 front rigs). No ratio changes? No unclip coasting? Yowza! It's amazing what people can do!

Good for you man. Not that all authority is bad but im sure you have seen the dark and the light side. My father was a cop and he hated it!! When he retired he totally changed his lifestyle. For hte better when he was working he was a drunk now hes just a head maybe like you??

508 miles, 35,000 feet of climbing, 100+ degrees, 2 days, 1 gear, no coasting.
Looks like a great time.
http://www.the508.com/2004web/fixedfeature.html


At least is in the middle of October, so the whether is nice.

gonesh is an animal--err, no a machine--or... whatever is more badass :D