Ostuni

Some day-after-the-first-Assault notes & tips....

• The event is huge, well-organized, and the support is superb. I was impressed that every intersection for the entire route was controlled by local law enforcement. And the SAG stops are bountiful and operated by nice people...
  
  
• The technical support is outstanding - no need to carry your own pump, tools, etc. unless you are racing the clock and want to do a fast road-side repair yourself. Otherwise, one of the techsupport vehicles will be there quickly. I carried a single spare tube.
  
  
• IMO, the ride is as tough and brutal as its reputation (and the inner-reward you feel for completing it is better than I imagined). If like me your goal is simply to finish, and, you are not sure of your ability to do so, use ALL TEN of the rest stops, if just to have a cookie, drink some water, and do some stretching...
  
  
• I deceived myself by thinking of the ride in terms of simple mileage. When I reached Marion I thought 'Alright, almost 3/4's done!' But in terms of exertion (and pain), when you reach Marion you've got 3/4's of the way to go.... By way of illustration, note the climb chart here taken from the Freewheelers' web site and see how sharply it goes up between Marion and Mitchell:
  
  
  
  
• For a very detailed route description, download this spreadsheet provided by a Freewheeler (who, by the way, had terrible mechanical luck yesterday and could not finish...)
  
  
• The map of the route from the Freewheelers web site:
  
  
• Don't try to dress for all the various weather conditions you will encounter unless you want to be carrying bulging pockets of this and that. Yesterday I wore a short sleeve base, short sleeve jersey, and bib shorts. I was a little cool in the morning, perfectly comfortable for most of the ride, and by the time I finished on top of the mountain I was so delirious that the cold, soaking thurnderstorm that blew through for about 30 minutes hardly mattered...
  
  
• I packed 10 Gu Gels (and a few Clif bars) and was glad I did. Saw this tip in HigherGround's post on another Assault thread and it is a good one. There is plenty of good eats at all the SAGS, but the Gu Gels give a good blast in between...
  
  
• If like me you typically carry a water bottle and a sports drink on long rides, and if like me you will hurt badly on the mountain, ditch the water bottle after Marion and carry just the sports drink for an emergency boost. The climbs were so long, so hard, and so strenous I literally could not drink while climbing, and I soon jettisoned the water bottle to save weight...
  
  
• If you have non-riding friends or family with you, have them pack a vehicle with all kinds of clothing, spare parts, wheels, even a backup bike, etc. and meet you at the campground in Marion. In the event of catastrophic mechanical failure, the techsupport guys will be able to get your bike, wheel, or whatever...
  
  
• Be sure to pack an extra bag with a change of clothes, a towel, a plastic bag for your wet stuff, etc. that will be waiting for you at the top. (They collect those the day before at the packet pickup. Tie a bright ribbon on it, and use those airline luggage tags in case it needs to be returned to you.) The plastic bag was a good reminder from HigherGround's post, and funny thing is that it came in handy exactly as he related: on the bus on the way down the guy next to me got motion sick and I was able to let him use my bag to throw up in!
  
  
• Another good reminder/tip from HigherGround's post that paid off for me in the darkest moments on that mountain: More than half the battle is mental attitude. Stay positive. Focus on the good things.
  
  
• In addition to having mountain climbing gears, doing as much appropriate training as possible, remember to keep stretching regularly If you are not loose and limber, you'll find out in a hurry on this ride.
  
  
• The following performance-enhancing drugs worked well for me but are not recommended: The ex- gave me an Ambien the night before. I went to bed at 11:30, was asleep as soon as head hit pillow, then woke up at 5:00 feeling great. Took one muscle relaxer at the start. Took 4 Advil in Marion. Took two more Advil from a nice lady at one of the SAG stops near the top. Result: day after and my stiffness and soreness is minimal...
  
  
• Do this ride if you have half a mind to. It's a special event. And again, the sense of accomplishment afterwards is remarkable. Not to make too big a deal out of a bike ride, but I will be proud of this the rest of my life. That patch they give you at the top will be a precious, personal treasure. Am already looking forward to next year, and that will do good things for my overall fitness: to reduce the trauma on the mountain, I WILL lost 15-pounds and I WILL do the Assault-specific training rides next year....
  
  
• Corny, verklempt moment: Somewhere near the top, a guy I know from the LBS, Michael Santos, who was doing techsupport, drove by slowly, pointed at me, and said 'I am so proud of you...' I was in crisis at the time, and those kind, thoughtful words got me up a good bit of that mountain... Point: if you see another rider hurting, say a few encouraging words - they'll go a long way...
  
  
• Speaking of the 'deceiving mileage' thing mentioned above, I was amazed at how bloody LONG a distance 3-miles between SAG stops can be when your are climbing a 1000 or so feet...... As mentioned in other Assault threads today, when you are doing, oh, say FOUR mph, it takes a while to get from here to there...
  
  
• I packed several hours of some of my all-time favorite music on a MP3 player (RAVE). Just past Marion I put that on, and Steve Earle, the Old 97s, Johnny Cash, the New York Dolls, Rancid, Social Distortion, et. al. really helped me keep the legs going...
  
  
• Thanks to Grasschopper, I'm a Lewedge fan. Was nervous about trying that change so close to the ride, but got lucky: they made a huge difference, and toe numbness and knee issues I'd been having were gloriously gone...
  
  
• We had lots of fun and laughs on the bus on the way down. Examples: When I got on, I was pretty wobbly and slow getting up the bus steps, and just as wobbly and slow getting down the aisle. As everyone watched my excruciatingly slow progress, some guy at the back of the bus said 'Hey man, you alright? You look like Tim Conway!' Everyone busted up.... Then a few miles down the mountain, after the guy next to me was done throwing up in the plastic bag I had given him, I said 'Sir, no need to return my bag - you can keep it.' He looked at me deadpan and said something hilarious, but I can't remember what it was! But whatever it was, it cracked everyone up, including the driver...
  

To be continued....

zimbo

Great advice for the most part. I actually brought a dramamine tablet in my jersey pocket so that I could take it right when I finished the ride to prevent myself from getting car sick on the drive down the mountain!!

I disagree about the 10 Gu packs. I brought three Powergels but only used two of them. Even that was too much and I only did it for the cafeine. I hate the taste and texture of those things and they don't sit well on my stomach. The candy I brought (sweet tart / nerd licorice ropes) was great: lots of calories, easy to eat, and reasonably tasty.

I also cannot recommend taking Ambien unless you already know it works for you. I took one once and not only did it not make me sleepy it made me feel icky.

--Steve

BikeWNC

I'll add one thing. Most people start out too fast from the start and end up paying for it late in the ride. Proper pacing comes with experience and it is difficult to achieve, especially when one can smell the testosterone at the start line. I've ridden Mitchell the past three years and my pacing still isn't what I want it to be. Chalk it up to irrational exuberance as Greenspan would say.

My general rule is if I get dropped from a group then I have started too fast and wasted energy. It is something I often realize after it happens though. So I would say to trust your individual pace and try to find others that are riding similarly and that will get you to the top in the best time.

Ostuni

absolutely. i never take sleeping pills, but was so keyed up the night before i trusted the ex's advice (she's a walking pharmacy) and tried it... worked for me, but not recommended....

good advice. and hard for me to do - i usually end up going essentially solo except for short stretches due to varying paces, folks spending too much or too little time at the SAG stops, etc...