Originally Posted by Richard Cranium
Good luck to all. I'm surprised that for the size of the crowd quad centuries are pretty hard to come by. I understand the event seems have "weather" issues.
Thanks for the luck. We'll need it. The prelimiary weather forecasts look bad. High in the high 80s, which in that part of the world means a strong South wind. Ugh. Cooler than last year, I guess, but it'll still be a real challenge not to have electrolyte/hydtration/stomach/cramping/you-name-it issues if that forecast holds true.
I would assume that Octo guy hasn't ridden a quad?
Octo guy has done many quads, just not in 24 hours (I got 394 miles at the '05 24-hour, but have had a run of lackluster results in 24-hour races since then. I'd like to ride the 425 at Sebring in '08 so that I can get a 3rd RAAM-qualified plaque and say I've qualified in every way but for riding RAAM, but time-trialing 425 miles, even on a flat course, is really, really hard to do. A big part of meeting that goal is going to be to get that number, or close to it, at Michigan. It's a mental thing.
I also wonder what kind of support crew/setup you will have. And for that matter, whether or not you've hired and "guns" or "rabbits" to act as domestiques.
I'm self-crewing this year although I'll likely have some occasional help from a good friend's crew. My set-up is two coolers full of bottles and drinks (no wasted time filing bottles; just grab-and-go), all food pre-packaged in zip-locs for on-bike consumption, and a host of tools and other supplies at the ready in a nice, well-chosen location. Has worked great for me at Calvin's (7 minutes and 10 minutes off the bike, total, including bathroom stops), Metamora (6 minutes off the bike), and Texas (500 miles with less than 2 non-sleeping hours off the bike). Worked great for me at Michigan last year, but I rode like I had a lobotomy so being efficient at the start/stop was totally irrelevant to the outcome!
The easiest way to ride a quad would be to establish a team before hand, sit on the lead group for a predetermined distance, such as 100 miles and then go into dedicated routine among members.As members tire, or remain strong, re-discuss goals and adjust routine for best outcomes.......
I know you and I can't seem to agree on which direction the sun rises (east
), but I agree completely with you on this strategy. The result is what I did in '05 without even planning it. I was with the leaders until the first checkpoint and then with the Guths and some other folks in the second group for the remainder of the big loop. I rode solo for the first day loop and then caught up to a team from Chicago (Velo Club Roubaix) who had five guys working together out there. I fell in with them and stayed with them for the remainder of the race. We got killed by too much off the bike time (more than 4 hours!
) but some combination of us were rolling in the high-teens/low-20s all night long. I got 394, one guy got 379 and everyone else was above 340. And this was for a bunch of long-distance rookies.
The Bachetta Killer Bs worked this strategy to perfection this year at Calvin's, putting two guys into the record books with 264 miles and all of their team but one guy breaking the old 'bent record of 235 miles. It was awesome watching them race. Of course, they're strong as hell and had a huge crew to service them.
I've since tried to re-create that '05 Michigan dynamic but have never been able to keep a group that big together for that long. I'll try again this year. The problem with me and 24-hour drafting races is letting the big boys go up the road. I can sit at the adults' table for 12 hours, but I'm not at the point in my riding where I can hang with guys who are going to break 450 miles in 24 hours. So I need to stop trying. Kiddie table for me on Saturday!