Jawbone: While I'm not an expert at the real ultra-distances, I do recommend you get an HRM with some type of alarm. That should not only help training, but during the event will remind you to stay within the heart rate range you want for the ride.
Originally Posted by
TruckerMike
The Reynolds are way better for acceleration and hills and all around faster, but you definitely sacrifice on comfort.
Very interesting.... Right in line with my theory about why my cross bike is slower than my road bike -- both of which are around 26 lbs. Can you actually quantify the effect of the wheels, by the way?
Originally Posted by TruckerMike
Another case in point: The gruelling 260km Paris Roubaix road race was one by Stuart O'Grady on 3-cross laced, 32h Dura Ace hubs, with a low profile aluminum rims and 27c tubulars.These wheels were paired with an ultralight carbon frame.
Well.... Let's keep in mind that Paris-Roubaix is a completely different type of event altogether than a brevet / randonnee / audax.
Paris-Roubaix is a professional road race, and a prestigious one at that. The riders are used to 100+ mile multi-day race. P-R is a 250km race with over 2 dozen cobblestone sections, and 5 minutes is the difference between 1st place and 22nd. O'Grady averaged
42 kph (26mph), not a common speed for a brevet.
Plus, the riders have full support right there with them -- top-notch mechanics, spare wheels, even entire spare bikes. They can also replace a carbon frame if it's cracked at the end of the race.
So,
slightly different standards apply here.
