tetonrider

anyone here ridden it in the last few years? love to hear thoughts. figuring out a way to make it happen.

echappist

It's got a 25 min time trial and a road race with a few climbs, the last of which has a MTF of 5 miles at 5%, the meat of which is the first 2 miles at 10%. In other words, you'll love it


Weather will be the biggest foe as it was in the mid 40's and raining last year

tetonrider

ah, cool. it was 37F and light snow when i was training today. it was actually quite pleasant; light snow is preferable to 5-10F warmer and rain, in my book.

the first stage looks like it is conducive to a bunch finish. the 2nd stage appears to have a couple material climbs and a flat finish after a sharp climb. i like the excitement of a final stage ITT.

i don't love traveling with multiple bikes. have to work out a few logistics but i am very interested in this one.

shovelhd

It has along and storied history. You'll see the best from around here including the powerhouse Canadians.

Grumpy McTrumpy

I did it twice. Both times it was too tough for me.

The circuit race is a downhill sprint finish. People will use extra large chainrings because speeds approaching 50mph are not unusual.

The mountain stage is not a flat finish. It's up up up up, regardless of what the profile says. There will be no bunches at the line more than two or three riders.

The TT is way harder than a normal 11 mile TT. It's uphill and into the wind the whole way, but never enough to warrant a "climbing" setup.

shovelhd

Nice to see you back here GMT.

tetonrider

thanks for the response & 1st-hand experience.

wait. what? i thought 40mph was impossible. (sorry, joke from that other thread.)


good point. it looks like about 2 miles of 8, 9, 10%, then 2 miles flat, then another two of 3%. sounds awesome.

yeah. looks like times are ~24' for 17k. it, too, sounds great. if i can ship 2 bikes out it just might work...

rkwaki

Thank you for recognizing my people...

Andy STi

You are sick!

tetonrider

i am still interested in figuring out a way to make KSR happen. a few racers i know bailed and a friend whose family has a house in the general area realized that the house is unavailable that weekend. so...housing and a place to ship my bikes may throw a wrench in the works.

also, i'm figuring out a way to go race in belgium this summer. if so, i might set aside a bunch of racing stateside.

would love to make it to KSR, though. any takers?

botto 

I did the old version. Along with Fitchburg it was the highlight of my calendar.

That said, if money is a priority, shoot for Belgium, even if the racing is easier in Summer.

dz_nuzz

I probably will be going along with some team members.

shovelhd

No.

tetonrider

botto, a friend who has raced kermesses (did i spell that right? i've seen it a few ways) and finished a few told me "it's like jumping out of a plane, continuously, for 2.5 hours."

his descriptions, backed up with data, make me think there is pretty much no way i would finish any of them, and yet it sounds like an incredible opportunity--terrifying and exhilarating.

the ones he's raced, though, were during the spring classics, like a race held as the entertainment on the finishing loops of scheldeprijs before the UCI finish. he said there were 229 racers.

i'd been wondering if things tailed off a bit mid-summer; the aspiring pros have already gotten noticed earlier in the year, and as happens elsewhere racers start to fizzle a bit as the summer wears on.

was thinking of basing in ghent or oudenaarde. ghent's probably a bit better for making it to races and for some life off the bike. oudenaarde is closer to many classic rides, it seems.

not sure i can make it happen but am going to try like hell.

tetonrider

room for one more? what field will you be racing?

Andy STi

Eric,
Come out to Walla Walla next weekend. Great regional stage race in south eastern Washington.
Stay with the team, we're renting a house.

botto 

I did Schoten (the race on the Schelderprijs circuit) 20 years ago. God, I hate how that sounds. Ball to the wall indeed.

Things cool down during the summer for a variety of reasons, the weather helps.

gsteinb

You're a funny guy.

botto 

subliminal typo. I had a full packed bag back then.

tetonrider

thanks, botto. i figure -- if i can make it happen -- any racing there will be a memorable experience, and maybe mid-summer racing means it'll be a bit longer before i'm pulled.

if i understand correctly, i'll be racing elite.z.c / 1.12B events.

after briefly passing through belgium last year, i realized i really want to race there--and just in general pay homage to a place with so much cycling history. i have much to learn.

botto 

If you're there in mid July, Someren Peer Someren in NL is worth the trip. 200+ riders, on an out and back course on open(ish) roads (rolling enclosure). It's a fun race.

tetonrider

probably early- to mid-august is more likely.

not seeing schoten or ​someren peer someren on the calendar i have, at least not by those name. in august, i'm seeing linden-lubbeek, overijse, hoeleden-kortenaken, huldenberg, tielt-winge, ... and that is just one week.

botto 

Schoten was last week. Same day, same course as the Schelderprijs.

Someren Peer Someten falls under the jurisdiction of a "wilde" bond, not the KNWU, so their calendar is different.

Their schedule should be here. Laatste nieuws Brabantse Wielerfederatie:

I can shoot some mails to a friend in NL to see what - if anything - is worth doing.

dz_nuzz

I will be racing the 3s, teammates will probably be in the 2s. I will PM you if I get more info.

tetonrider

thanks. gotta do some travel in the next week and will probably figure things out after that. i appreciate the consideration.