Originally Posted by
banerjek
I did that ride a few years ago. Descents didn't seem that difficult as grades are not bad and the roads are good as well as straight so you barely need your brakes. What makes that ride tough is the length.
It's trying to maintain a deep aero tuck for every descent that makes them hard. If you sit up it's cake; they're easy albeit fast descents. But if I sit up I get dropped or get caught by the guys I just dropped. Not what I want in a race. It used to really chap my hide to spend the last 45 minutes of a climb reeling in some guys and then losing them again on the descent. Now that I'm faster on the descents I can use them to drop people or at least make them work more to catch me.
Originally Posted by
banerjek
I'm starting to question the suffering thing.
What? Heresy!
Actually by the time EC comes around I am looking forward to just riding around. That's why I don't race cross.