Charity Events - Livestrong Challenge - Austin

beeballman- Let me see what info I can get for you. We are riding this weekend again, and my buddies GPS should let us know everything.

Hey all,
Here are some elevation maps I did of the 65 miler. The mean grade is not working for some reason. However it is a better elevation map than the LAF gives you. Also you can see the max and min elevation in better detail. I had to do it on two different pages. Just click on the elevation button. http://toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getSavedRoute.cgi?routeKey=FQRBBBIDGCOUKYF
http://toporoute.com/cgi-bin/getSavedRoute.cgi?routeKey=SWWVJIQPLXLPCVP

Where is the bail point from the 90 mile ride to the 60 mile ride? Or is it one or the other?

I have a bad feeling I am not up for the 90 miler that I signed up for as I have had a lean riding year.

I just got an email back from the LAF, I wrote them to find out what the grades were. I got back that the average grade is 2 percent and the max grade is 6 percent. These seem low compared to what the total elevations are. So it looks like long rollers, but not too many steep climbs. DOn't know about everyone else but I am super excited about doing the ride!

Grasshopper- last year the cut off was at 70 miles for the 100 mile route. I am willing to bet this year the cut off will be the 60 (65) route.

From the graphs, things don't look too bad...

Maps here:

http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2715271/k.B051/Austin_Event_Info.htm

OUCHIE! Nice training ride until 45 miles in, it happened, my first crash, got a little too close drafting bumped my friends rear wheel and next thing I know I was down. Some nice road rash but not too bad. I had read how to fall, so I kept my hand on the bars and skidded to a stop. Nothing broken on me but the pride, I was more worried about the bike (typical roadie). Minor scrapes to the derailer cage and STI handle, but nothing broke..Thank goodnes. Took it to the LBS and they trued the back wheel which took the brunt of the falll, along with my elbow and side. All fixed and ready to ride again tomorrow. I was lucky, but hey live and learn. Wee fixed the rear flat, I must have kicked the valve stem coming down and it sheared off. Fixed the flat and hopped back on, dripping blood, and rode the 5 miles back home. Felt good about that. At least it was 2 weeks before the ride! Nice ride other than that!

Hey beeballman,
Sorry to hear about your spill! Happens to everyone at least once. I did it late last year, cruising along, and just fell over! Bike was fine but my pride sure was hurt.

We rode to 65 miler again today. We were planning on doing to 90 miler but the bike decided otherwise. Oh well.

Ok so looking at the maps the '60' mile and '90' mile loops are the same until a point at which the 60 mile loop makes a right turn off of Fischer Store Rd onto Peale Rd. The 90 mile loop goes straight...I don't know if the map has been messed with but the extra section which makes the 90 mile loop 30 miles longer than the 30 mile loop sure looks longer than 30 miles. LOL

Has anyone ridden the 90 miler with a Garmin Edge yet and could I get the file? I wouldn't mind uploading it before the ride.

Thanks.

I thought the same thing. That extra 30 mile section looks way longer than 30 miles! We rode the 65 milers again this weekend- I am very happy that the 90 miler misses the "Hill of Death" on the 60 miler.

I thought the same thing. That extra 30 mile section looks way longer than 30 miles! We rode the 65 milers again this weekend- I am very happy that the 90 miler misses the "Hill of Death" on the 60 miler.

I am guessing the "Hill of Death" is at around the 43-44 mile mark? Looking at the elevation profile there is a big one right after the two rides come back together as well...around 47-48 miles in on the 60 route and 72 ish on the 90 route.

You nailed it Grasschopper, around the 43-44 mile marker. I rode it two weeks ago and loved it, but this weekend I was not happy about it. The nice thing is the downhill maybe around 5-8 miles later, is great for speed. Hit 42 mph on it this weekend.

You know my friend and I looked at the ride map as well, and we both said to our selves, that looks like ahuge loop to make 90 miles! I would love to see a Garmin Edge download of the route as well. I emailed LAF and asked for the percentage grades on the ride and was emailed back that the max grade was 6 percent. That seemed low to me, what do you all think. All I am hoping for is good weather!

As is stands right now, you will get your wish beeballman! Last year it was HOT, record heat as a matter of fact. However, this year will be perfect riding weather.
http://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/common/images/wxicons/blue_frcst_bg/17.gif
High: 80 °F RealFeel®: 77 °F
Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm

This is from AccuWeather.com

I know that the Livestrong Challenge is to raise awareness and money to help in the fight against cancer, a cause that is very, very personal and dear to my heart. As well as a way to honor those that have lost their fight against cancer and those that fight daily against this senseless killer.

I would also like to bring it to everyones attention that earlier this year, cyclist Adam Raymond was killed while riding his bike on Mount Gainor Road. I do not point this out to worry anyone, instead I point this out because riders that ride the 40, 60 and 90 mile routes will all ride by his Ghost Bike. Hopefully as you ride by his bike, you can say a little prayer for him, his family and the many other cyclist that have lost their lives while enjoying the greatest hobby in the world. Thanks!

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/061307kvueraymond-bkm.4574b756.html

Wow! How is that guy not held responsible for that, What in the World was the Grand Jury thinking! I will remember the cyclist killed when I ride by. Thats un believable!

Ours was yesterday it was a wind and rain soaked sufferfest where they had to take out 30 miles out of our 100 corse. I felt ready for a warm shower afterward and it felt great to be done.
V

Grasschopper, I found the first half of the Austin Ride on Motion Based's web site, searched Livestrong Dripping. Here is the address for it: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3907637

It is about 46 miles, now according to this profile I can see it as 90-94 miles for the total ride. It matches perfectly with the top portion of the ride maps posted on LAF. The biggest elevation climb I saw was between mile 21.8 and mile 31, from 923 feet to 1382 feet. Anyway hope this helps.
Looking forward to the ride.
Beeballman
Bob
From Florida, but Originally from Johnstown PA

Hopefully this guy will not "get off" like most other drivers. This happened a few months ago, 1/2 mile from my house. http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stories/100107kvuedpscharges-mm.12c893941.html

Beeballman,
Here is a link to my ride of the 40 mile loop of the LiveStrong Challange: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3910907

The only thing we did was return the same way we left instead of coming around the backside of the high school as the route on laf's website shows. We are no speed demons, but that previous link you posted must have been someone on a motorized vehicle. None of the hills are steep enough to get the 63 mph max speed. pwherman512 and I are in the same boat in the concern over the road surface with a large number of riders. I can tell you the little distance we ride on 2325 is a hard part of the ride, not due to hills but due to the road surface. This road is fairly recently paved, but they used something we call here in Texas "chip seal". The surface is very abrasive and the tires do not roll freely at all over the road.

Just my insights so far....

Thought it was kind of strange on the speeds too, I said Man that was fast. Probably was a car. Thanks for the link. Heard allot about the chip and seal surface should make things intereating.

Bring a mouthpiece.

Whats the mouth piece for?

The mouthpiece is for the BUMPING roads :)

Chip n' Seal = Texas Pavé.

one week from tomorrow is the ride. Weather looks like it will be nice (unlike Portland). Here is to hoping that I am prepaired for the 90. I have been working my butt off riding 50-60 mile rides in the hills we have around here on the weekends with smaller rides a couple times a week. I feel ready. I can see the vast improvement since I started training. To everyone on the forum that is riding the event, lets hope to have a safe and fun ride. Maybe we will even meet up along the route somewhere. ( might be the one passed out on the big climb!) I will be easy to recognize..I am wearing a bright blue Ratatouille Jersey and Bib Shorts. (from the Disney Movie) on my bright red Trek 1500. If you see me along the route say hello. See everyone in Austin!

Forecast says low 64, high 87...should be a good day for riding...bring sunscreen...ride safe, have fun!

Forecast says low 64, high 87...should be a good day for riding...bring sunscreen...ride safe, have fun!
For you that are coming from more northern climates, this means stay hydrated. Start on Thursday. Try and drink at least 2 liters of water on Saturday. Drink at least 1 bottle between each rest stop. For people in Austin, this is cool weather. However, if you are from Chicago, you might disagree. Hopefully the heat up there this week will get you acclimated.
Make sure you go to the bathroom before you get in line. Lance is always late and the bathrooms at the first rest stop always have long lines. Luckily there are more trees along the right of way than last year.

For you that are coming from more northern climates, this means stay hydrated. Start on Thursday. Try and drink at least 2 liters of water on Saturday. Drink at least 1 bottle between each rest stop. For people in Austin, this is cool weather. However, if you are from Chicago, you might disagree. Hopefully the heat up there this week will get you acclimated.
Make sure you go to the bathroom before you get in line. Lance is always late and the bathrooms at the first rest stop always have long lines. Luckily there are more trees along the right of way than last year.

LOL I am from PA...it was 86° here yesterday...should be a smooth transition. Man when is fall going to get here?

Coming from Florida..88 is a cool spell!

Well I have been in town for a couple of days now...doing some riding in the West Lake Hills area. The weather seems nice so far.

Well we did it..."90" mile loop...well it was only 87.5 but it was a mile from the parking lot to the start and then that back...so maybe they could that and round up. :D

We were slow...I was waiting a lot for my ride buddy...but MAN do those roads suck. What was there like a grand total of 1 mile of smooth pavement? Maybe? TX chip seal blows ass...PA chip seal is SOOOO much smoother and I don't think you could connect 86 miles of chip seal. All this and I was riding on a nice steel bike...wow was that constant buz a PITA (litterally) and in the feet, hands, shoulders, lower back.

Quick dip in the hot tub and I am feeling better though...time to head out to the County Line for dinner. WOOHOO.

So what did everyone else think? Anyone see the fat guy on the red bike with the BF Texas jersey? That was me. LOL

Good job! I did the 60 but my flight deck said 68 miles. Yes the pavement sucked but the scenic course more than made up for it...plus cloud cover for the bulk of my day.

I was really hoping that there would have been more cattle guards. :D

I saw a couple of water bottles rattle out going over those guards...

I saw a couple of water bottles rattle out going over those guards...

Pfft that's nothing. I saw a bottle cage on the ground after a cattle crossing.

No doubt the cattle guards were the worst, but the ride was over all better in Drippin' Sprangs.

This was my 4th LAF ride, 1st on tandem. There was plenty of chip seal and rough road on the old route so I was expecting it and willing to trade for virtually no traffic. The weather was perfect for us, the last couple of years were much cooler before the start and then very hot and windy only a couple of hours later. The overcast skys kept the heat under control until later in the AM. The hills were a bit of a challenge on the big bike, we were very glad that we'd made to trips to TN in May and August in preparation.

The staff, volunteers and spectators along the way did a great job. Overall we had a great time!

It sure was nice turning on 290 and heading back to the high school...nice fresh, smooth asphault. :) What relief. But it was short lived...the rough stuff came back for a bit, but then there was the school, and food, and beer... :)

It sure was nice turning on 290 and heading back to the high school...nice fresh, smooth asphault. :) What relief. But it was short lived...the rough stuff came back for a bit, but then there was the school, and food, and beer... :)

mmmmmm......beer.

I saw a couple of water bottles rattle out going over those guards...

No joke, I came back from Austin with 11 LiveStrong water bottles that I collected at the cattle gaurds that no one came back from.

I hope everyone had a great time in Austin, I was out on the course most of the day in the support vehicle as Course Marshall Coordinator. For the first hour I was the very first cattle gaurd on the course with the megaphone, so I'm sure alot of you heard me yelling "LEFT TURN, CATTLE GAURD". Later in the afternoon I was at the bottom of the big hill with the 110* left turn back across the low water crossing (about 6miles away from the finish) and got to see at least 10 people ignore my yelling and go straight into the water bike n' all.

Got to shake hands with "Big Tex" as they called Lance on the radios all day, so that was cool....ya'll should've seen his group flying by people on the road: they did a double-take, shifted up 8 gears, and then sprinted as fast as they could to get close to him before they got dropped again. Very admirable.

See everyone next year!
-Dan

Man O Man the Hills. Glad I put in some training on the little bitty hills here in Clermont! It was a Challenge but I am happy to say I finished! Had to stop a few times towards the end and walk/stretch out some bad cramps in my left calf muscle, but did not get sag'ed! I made it, yeah for me. The scenery was just wonderful, all the volunteers were incredible! Well worth the trip across the country and for a great cause! Rough roads to say the least! After the fourth time of my Garmin shutting off due to the bumps I stowed it in my back pocket! Only got the first 18 miles mapped so that was kind of a bummer. If you know anyone who got the whole course tracked please send me the link so I can download it.

Did anyone else see the bad crash at the water crossing? I got there right after it happened, and wow those cattle gaurds! The last two were nasty ones with the concrete all jacked up in front of them. My bike made it through the day, I did see several broken chains, and flats.

I can not wait till next year!!! Seeing Chris Carmichael at the convention center was Great! :)

Hey all,
Glad to hear everyone made it ok. I swear those roads were 100 times worse on Sunday than they were in training. My buddy lost his seat mounted bottle cage- just snapped in half! His front fork also cracked early on which made us slow down a lot! My back was gone by the end with those bumps.

My father came down from Chicago (he is a survivor) and I had a jersey made for him that I wore and then gave it to him at the end- he loved it. To be honest, last year I forgot what this ride is REALLY all about- cancer and the people it effects. As a very competitive person I looked at it as a ride to kick ass on, but having my dad here really made me think about it all. It was awesome to see everyone at the 5K and then the ride. My folks and friends were blown away by how special the whole weekend was.

See "y'all" next year.

So that was your friend water bottle cage on the ground! Rough I would say so, but I was so reved up and emotional as I crossed the line. They wanted to Sag me, and I said no! Let me walk it out (cramp) and I finished the last 6 miles! I was too close!

That is awesome that you finished without SAG!!! When I rode in the Shiner Bash this year I rode up on a guy sitting on the side of the road about 15 miles out. He was done. I told him he would never forgive himself if he stopped so close. He drafted behind me till about 2 miles out when I hit the wall (the wind was Biblical). So I stopped and said that was it and enjoy the finish line. He refused to let me quit and we rode on (after a lot of inner fighting with myself). Anyways, as I crossed that finish line I honestly teared up. I had just pushed myself harder than ever and I won. I love hearing stories from other riders that pushed on despite the pain and elements and did it. Congrats to you for saying no to SAG!

Here's a screen shot of the elevation profile from my Garmin. Try to find a flat spot.

Did you have trouble keeping your unit to stay on? Mine kept shutting down because of the bumps? Where abouts in Orlando are you from? I am from Winter Garden.

Did you have trouble keeping your unit to stay on? Mine kept shutting down because of the bumps? Where abouts in Orlando are you from? I am from Winter Garden.

No problems with my "unit" or my GPS either. I have an Edge 305HR, stoker has an eTrex Legend.

We live in Waterford Lakes, south of UCF. We ride with the Freewheelers, Lakemont group or Seminole Cyclists depending on our schedule or desired effort level.

Hmm...I didn't think the hills were that bad...and I didn't hardly train at all this year. I hadn't ridden longer than 35 miles other than the CBM which is 63 miles. I was glad the hills while some of them long were mostly gradual...and the steep ones were pretty short.

If the pavement had been smooth it would have been a pretty enjoyable ride.

I read somewhere that some of the 205 units have problems with shutting off, maybe I got one of those units. I have contacted Garmin to see.