Road Bike Racing - What are your Memorial Day Weekend plans?

Well, dudes/ladies, let's hear 'em.

Normally, I would be racing the 4 races that make up the Memorial Day Weekend Bike Races along the Mississippi in Iowa and Illinois. However, as they've cancelled the long RR this year due to construction, and I was late in signing up for the Snake, where your starting position is incredibly important. So, no racing for me.

I've decided I'm taking a road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, staying at a friend's place along the way, and camping out for two nights. The money I'd pay for gas, food, hotels and entry fees will easily get me to TN/NC in terms of gas, food, and a new sleeping bag. With any luck, I'll get in 4-5hrs a day of epic rides. This will quite literally be my first time setting foot above 1500ft-MSL.

Discuss.

Edit: I will be going for a big, huge, massive PR in my 20min wattage whilst climbing. Simply because I want to see what I'm truly capable of, and how far I have to go.

I'm going water skiing. I sure hope that I can bring my bike. I am headed up to northern Michigan.

Ride. A lot. But not the local stage race.

Annual club ride around the county. Back-to-back centuries. On the first day we try to stay together but that last 40 miles to the motel tend to turn into a free-for all. Last October we did it and there were 20+mph headwinds for that 40 mile stretch and half the (mostly strong) riders ended up getting SAGged in. The second day is a big climb, regroup at the top, then 12 mile -5000 foot descent. The highlight of the trip.

This will quite literally be my first time setting foot above 1500ft-MSL.

What is MSL?

What is MSL?

Mean Sea Level. 1500ft-MSL would be...1500ft above sea level. Haha.

I've driven a car through the mountains of the eastern US, but I've never actually set foot/bicycle wheel at any sort of elevation. I've also never done more than a 6min climb.

Thus I am eager to see what kind of w/kg I'm running at, on a climb.

Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park is a cool place --- great scenery and camping. If I recall correctly, there is just one road right through the park which connects NC to TN on opposite ends. On that road, you will either be going up or going down - not much flat terrain. That's "if I recall correctly," as I lived in the Carolinas almost two decade ago.

I've driven a car through the mountains of the eastern US, but I've never actually set foot/bicycle wheel at any sort of elevation. I've also never done more than a 6min climb.

Its hard for me to comprehend such a concept.

I'd like to do one long road ride and hit the dirt to start my training for mtb endurance racing in August.

I'm going to be doing the Duluth classic stage race, should be fun!

I'm on call for yet another holiday. Yay me.

Memorial day crit, 2 races.

Its hard for me to comprehend such a concept.

At school, I could go for a 100mi ride with less than 200ft of elevation gain, according to Routeslip and MapMyRide.

I'll be riding with the man responsible for designing and running the Tour of the Battenkill. Justin Lindine and I are giving him input for his latest monstrosity. We'll be riding a tentative race course for the p/1/2 field in the Tour of the Catskills. 100+ miles. Insane amounts of climbing. Dirt roads. Should be fun.

I'm going to be doing the Duluth classic stage race, should be fun!

Whoooo! Hey, I know you!

At school, I could go for a 100mi ride with less than 200ft of elevation gain, according to Routeslip and MapMyRide.

The flattest ride of any length I could think of would be from here to Malibu along the coast, which would probably come to about 1000 feet.

Annual club ride around the county. Back-to-back centuries. On the first day we try to stay together but that last 40 miles to the motel tend to turn into a free-for all. Last October we did it and there were 20+mph headwinds for that 40 mile stretch and half the (mostly strong) riders ended up getting SAGged in. The second day is a big climb, regroup at the top, then 12 mile -5000 foot descent. The highlight of the trip.

I finally got the weekend free, and signed up for the ride tonight. I can't wait, the county ride is incredible.

I'm going to be doing the Duluth classic stage race, should be fun!

I'll be there. I was there last year and it was great fun. It looks like it is set up even better this year.

Recommended: Mt. Mitchell and Clingman's Dome. (http://thejamoke.blogspot.com/search?q=clingman%27s) You could go up Clingman's from the TN side, descend down the NC side, and return for a pretty kick ass ride. I went up Mitchell from the west, but if I did it again I'd do it from the east.

Beech was fun just for the (mild) history, but way too short.

Skip Grandfather.

Didn't do Roan.

Discuss.

Edit: I will be going for a big, huge, massive PR in my 20min wattage whilst climbing. Simply because I want to see what I'm truly capable of, and how far I have to go.

There is an Omnium in Knoxville, why not just race that?

Saturday if all goes as planned:
Start at friend's house.
Get dropped on the way to the ride.
Dropped on the ride.
Dropped or lost on the way back to friend's house.
Total miles: 120-130
Total Time: All Fing Day
Pain: Totally
Fun: Somewhat Totally

There is an Omnium in Knoxville, why not just race that?

I'd rather ride the mountains, personally.

I need to get a little further on cutting down the three oaks in our back yard that got Oak Wilt. There's an 18" trunk calling my name (only one bough left on that tree).

One of my brother-in-laws is doing his first triathlon, so I'll go cheer him through the transitions.

I'll try to get in some 1m intervals on Monday, but I hope to be completely thrashed going into the weekend, and in need of recovery. Today will be a 67-mile day with a training race in the middle.

when is memorial day?

Mean Sea Level. 1500ft-MSL would be...1500ft above sea level. Haha.

I've driven a car through the mountains of the eastern US, but I've never actually set foot/bicycle wheel at any sort of elevation. I've also never done more than a 6min climb.

Thus I am eager to see what kind of w/kg I'm running at, on a climb.



I always knew MSL as Meters above Sea Level.

when is memorial day?

May 4th.

May 4th.

in which country?

in which country?

Nauru

I'll be making a registration donation to the promoters of the kelly cup nrc crit in baltimore, md and the rfk criterium in wash dc as I've pre-registered for both, but am having my family visit for the weekend ... wife told me no way she's holding court with her mom-in law, dad-in law, grandmom-in law while I chop up both days with bike racing. So, I'll just do some early morning training on normal routes before everyone wakes up and all hell breaks loose.

Smokey's are beautiful and I'm sure awesome riding - like ElJ said, Climgmans Dome would be a silly long and hard climb, as would many others I'm sure (the road in Gatlinburg that goes up to their ski station is zoncolon steep - funny that a ski station exists in tennessee - and a place called Cades Cove is a 11-ish mile loop that is in a valley that you could do some good riding on).

Be careful, there will be more hillbillies and old people pulling campers than you've ever seen in your entire life - and I'll bet they're not on the lookout for bahsicles.

Memorial Day crit in Long Beach. Its a "B" priority race, more of tune up for the big crit weekend in June.

I always knew MSL as Meters above Sea Level.

I've seen both. If you work with the end products of land surveyors (I do a lot of CAD modeling based on their work) in the US, you're dealing with ft-MSL...feet above mean sea level.

I always knew MSL as Meters above Sea Level.

Did you ever find it odd that they counted those in feet?

I'll be making a registration donation to the promoters of the kelly cup nrc crit in baltimore, md and the rfk criterium in wash dc as I've pre-registered for both, but am having my family visit for the weekend ... wife told me no way she's holding court with her mom-in law, dad-in law, grandmom-in law while I chop up both days with bike racing. So, I'll just do some early morning training on normal routes before everyone wakes up and all hell breaks loose.

Smokey's are beautiful and I'm sure awesome riding - like ElJ said, Climgmans Dome would be a silly long and hard climb, as would many others I'm sure (the road in Gatlinburg that goes up to their ski station is zoncolon steep - funny that a ski station exists in tennessee - and a place called Cades Cove is a 11-ish mile loop that is in a valley that you could do some good riding on).

Be careful, there will be more hillbillies and old people pulling campers than you've ever seen in your entire life - and I'll bet they're not on the lookout for bahsicles.

Are there any LBS's around that would be able to give me any helpful hints as to routes?

I've found several rides, including one that gains 1800 or 2000ft in 7mi, on Routeslip, but I'm always open for suggestions. It goes up one Ski Mountain Rd, so I think that might be the ride you've described.

Honestly, I have no clue what a road like that would even look like. Any hill around here is a river valley, and some are 10-15% but only a couple hundred meters long at most. Anyone have a picture of what a road that gains 2000ft in ~7mi looks like?

I'd like to avoid being visually shocked when I get there.

Are there any LBS's around that would be able to give me any helpful hints as to routes?

No help, but Clingman's is remarkably easy, which makes it all that more surprising that I f-d it up. I can type up the east of Mitchell route if you'd like.

Be careful, there will be more hillbillies and old people pulling campers than you've ever seen in your entire life - and I'll bet they're not on the lookout for bahsicles.


They go pretty slow up the mountain. You're right, they don't expect you to be there; but then again, they treat you like a celebrity. Read Clingman's Dome. (http://thejamoke.blogspot.com/search?q=clingman%27s)" Seriously.

Have family in town and my brother in law rented a bike from our LBS.....we did 23 this past sunday and we are shooting for 50 this monday:thumb:

Tour of Atlanta ....... Didnt put in vacation request in on time..........................nope
Knoxville Omninum....... Afternoon sunday crit then drive 400 miles back home?...... nope
Little Rock cirt on Saturday.... Can drive up, race, then drive back by noon and have the weekend free... Yes!

So ill be in Little Rock crushing souls or vice versa

State championship ITT.

No help, but Clingman's is remarkably easy, which makes it all that more surprising that I f-d it up. I can type up the east of Mitchell route if you'd like.

Yeah that would be marvelous. I'm really just looking for a place to start, and an out and back or circular route of 3hrs or so.

I plan on camping whilst there, so if anyone knows a good place where a scene from "Deliverance" would be highly unlikely to occur, that would be sweet too. The national park is so big that honestly, it's TOO hard to find a good spot to camp. Too many choices, too big of an area.

I will be in Buffalo this memorial day. Took a few days off at the start of next week too.

Saturday I'll be doing the Corning Circuit Race (Corning, NY). Probably enter in two races there.
Sunday- might try and latch onto a local clubs century ride
mon/tues- call around and try to find training/group rides in buffalo or just ride around myself, make 4 right turns and hope I end where I started.

I finally got the weekend free, and signed up for the ride tonight. I can't wait, the county ride is incredible.

Glad you will be able to make it! :thumb:

Are there any LBS's around that would be able to give me any helpful hints as to routes?

I've found several rides, including one that gains 1800 or 2000ft in 7mi, on Routeslip, but I'm always open for suggestions. It goes up one Ski Mountain Rd, so I think that might be the ride you've described.

Honestly, I have no clue what a road like that would even look like. Any hill around here is a river valley, and some are 10-15% but only a couple hundred meters long at most. Anyone have a picture of what a road that gains 2000ft in ~7mi looks like?

I'd like to avoid being visually shocked when I get there.

The link below has some queue sheets and contacts that might help. I dont have much else to offer since it's been 7 or 8 yrs. since I was at the GSM park, and my bahsicle riding back then was a little, uh, recreational (I was a fat dude on a hybrid). I was on a business trip recently in Kingsport, TN, N of GSM park, and I do recall thinking how kick ass it would be to hit that area with the road bike for serious training though.

Ski Mtn. road - thats the one, goes straight out of the hideously tacky town of gatlinburg, cant remember how long it is, but do recall it being very steep, at least a few miles long, and very much developed with "vacation shacks".

I was there this time of year, weather was great, black bears are everywhere too - cool to see them.

You'll crush all the climbs, it's the descents I'd be a bit cautious on, GSM is the most visited of the national parks, so lots of folk will probably be there over a holiday weekend - in campers, huge trucks, and 'necks getting married in gatlinburg wedding chapels. YeeeeeeeeHawwwwwwwwgh.

http://www.smwbike.org/

I've seen both. If you work with the end products of land surveyors (I do a lot of CAD modeling based on their work) in the US, you're dealing with ft-MSL...feet above mean sea level.



I work as a civil designer/cad jockey on international projects. That's where my exposure to metric crap is. Never seen MSL used in American sea level context.

Did you ever find it odd that they counted those in feet?



Not when it's used like "1000MSL". We don't use "feet" in Central/South American projects.

mtb race in Angelfire, NM, I think.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s39/jnoahj/ouch3aug07.jpg

In the Pisgah National Forest.

Plus you can bring your MTB and enjoy some of the finest trails in the country. Call the guys at Sycamore Cycles (http://www.sycamorecycles.com/) for info on where else to ride. That particular climb goes from just outside of Brevard, over a small local road up to and over the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are plenty more like it in the area.

Maybe a drive-in movie Friday night (depending on weather & appropriateness for my 8 year old)

Longish ride on Saturday (maybe 100km).

Maybe some slooooowwwww rides with the family Saturday or Sunday (but these are really fun).

Maybe a littlle hiking with the family on Sunday (more fun)

Some sort of training ride on Monday. Not sure what yet. I'm usually on the trainer on Monday mornings, but if the weather is nice I'll definitely be outside. Maybe hill repeats on a 9% almost 1 mile hill. Or maybe some sort of TT effort or something. Hmmmm....need to figure that out.

Rancho Cordova Crit on Saturday.

SCNCA ITT Championships on Saturday, Memorial Crit on Monday.

I need to get a little further on cutting down the three oaks in our back yard that got Oak Wilt. There's an 18" trunk calling my name (only one bough left on that tree).

That really sucks. Has it spread to other trees in your area?