all good stuff.
I keep toying with the idea of using Castelli NanoFlex and possibly ditching the Showers Pass setup
not too sure on that one yet.
that is, when I tried the TD, the weather was fairly significant. booties were like holding rice paper to a typhoon. post holing thru snow, etc...
definitely need either a hood, or a helmet cover. I opted for helmet cover when needed.
that 100 mile range you touched on, the key here is to simply be able to make that jump in one sitting.
it sounds kind of crazy, but each day on the TDR you have to average something like 120 miles per day, staying within 10% of the leader.
in real world "touring mode", being able to comfortably bridge a 100 mile gap in the dirt, pretty much places you at just about any logistical sources.
that goes to say, perhaps if you could manage about 10mph/av (fast) and put in a 12 to 14hr effort covering 100 miles
for me that pretty much equates to about 24 scoops of perpeteum.
2 scoops = 270 calories
so about 300 calories/hr (from what I know, is just about all your body can assimilate per hour)
beware of consuming too many calories per hour.
that puts me at about 4,000 calories of intake for 100 miles of dirt.
Hammer Nutrition has a lot of info on this stuff.
I'm pretty sure the caloric demand when all said and done is much more.
here is Day 2 from my attempt at TDR
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38071110
[TABLE="class: summaryTable overall"]
[TR]
[TD="class: summaryTableLabel"]Distance:[/TD]
[TD]122.34 mi[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: summaryTableLabel"]Time:[/TD]
[TD]10:35:41[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: summaryTableLabel"]Avg Speed:[/TD]
[TD]11.5 mph[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: summaryTableLabel"]Elevation Gain:[/TD]
[TD]7,782 ft[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: summaryTableLabel"]Calories:[/TD]
[TD]8,018 C[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
32 scoops of Perpeteum comes in at about 4.8lbs = approx 8,600 calories
that 2 scoops/hr equation is not necessarily an absolute.
when I start out on a tour, I seem to be burning something close to this rate
but as the days go on, I seem to taper down, and start running leaner each day.
for me fuel and hydration seem to be the fuzziest variables.
it seems that every tour I end up not eating everything I've started with. At times I start giving it away.
when it comes to cooking, I ask myself if there its an advantage.
weight vs calories ratio possibly money comes into the equation. no doubt I've toured on under $10/day, eating quinoa canned tuna, and dried parmesan = cooking.
I love Snickers Bars, they are seriously dense in calories.
another are just about any enteral nutrition products which are found at places like CVS, WallGreens, Rite Aid, etc... products like Boost, Ensure, etc.
CIB is another oldie but goodie. Carnation Instant Breakfast.
one year while on tour from Astoria to Morro Bay, I stopped in Arcata, Ca to do the 12hrs of Humboldt. All I did was buy 12 bottles of Boost, and 1 bag of Jelly Bellies.
easy... consume 1 bottle per lap for 12 laps = 96miles and over 16,000ft of climbing .
the key here is to not chug your calories but instead try your best to meter your intake, you want to establish a baseline.
in order to do this, I simply mix up a volume that I can consume 300 calories/hr in 12 doses (5 minute intervals) of approx 15-30ml each dose, which is about 12oz every hour.
when you need to bolus calories, I'd eat some Jelly Bellies.
while on bicycle tour, I really like those stupid jelly orange slices.
obviously this process takes practice.
if you make it a regular part of your daily/weekly training, you can really start to nail your calories.
if you use something like a Garmin, it will estimate your the calories you've used up thus far. One of these days, I'll get a power meter of some sort, like a Quarq
of course if you do things like Double Centuries, some 24hr MTB races, etc... that experience is yet another tool in your favor.
clothing and sleeping gear. typically I ride thru the day, only pitching camp at the last minute.
1. to avoid "the explosion" where you pull everything out of your bags, and strew it everywhere. complete waste of time and energy. this can easily consume 2hrs per day if not careful.
2. I try my best to stay as mobile as possible, vs sitting around camp and staring at a fire. fire is fire, I've stared at enough campfires that I'm not curious anymore. I'd rather ramble about until 9pm, shower, then pitch camp, and go to bed.
3. typically when I shut down for the day, my body produces a ton of heat! I like to sit and do some kind of recovery, drink/eat whatever you can, stretch and massage my legs.
lately my tours have been in good weather. this last little jaunt the temps rarely dipped below 46F. I can still just lay directly on the ground and have no problems. If the ground is wet and its hovering in the 40's, I need some insulation. Doesn't really matter what it is.
vulpines are awesome
I have no idea why WTB has quit producing them for '13.
so this last jaunt I opted for the heavier Nanos, which are also awesome. old school.
electronics:
another major problem for me.
i try my best to simply ditch everything, but damn it, I still carry a cell phone camera, Garmin, digi cam, a Knog USB Boomer tail light (awesome), 1 Knog Frog front light (i use this light simply as a marker light), a Petzel E lite, and a Light and Motion Stella.
the light issue kills me.
at times I want to simply give in and use my Princeton Tech EOS Bike and use it for headlamp and bike light.
but that 300 lumens from the Stella is pretty nice. its definitely enough to ride thru the night with.
somehow when it gets dark, and I've finished some food somewhere, like mexi food, and I'm rested, I have this drive to simply want to crank out another 4hrs.