Porter20

I know we already have a thread going, but instead of highjacking that thread; I decided to start my own. I am interesting in getting a list of people who are riding in this event (either Mitchell or Marion). I have been on this board for about 6 months & yet to meet anyone from it, so my goal next week is to touch base with at least one member!

So are you riding & what do you think you will be wearing & what does your bike look like?

Thanks.

BikeWNC

I'll be doing Mitchell. Staying at the Marriott the night before. Not sure which bike I'll ride. I don't like the idea of my nice carbon bike taking the truck back down to Marion so I may ride my Indy Fab Ti. What I wear will depend on the weather that day. I've done this ride enough to have used everything from knee and arm warmers, vest and shoe covers to a simple shorts and jersey.

PAlt

Mitchell - Mariott as well Sun nite, wife along for support and cheering me on at the top. Plan to ride black GURU Ti-Carbonio. Probably wear my "Black Dog" jersey, or perhaps should wear my "50+" Bike forum jersey! Lots of comments on that one when I wore it for the Howard's Gap traing ride

kokomo61

I''ll be there - staying at the Radisson in Spartanburg Sunday and Monday. Riding the Giant, and will either wear my Open Eye Cafe or Army Strong jersey. Google Maps shows it's about 5 miles from the hotel to the ride start - is there enough parking to drive over there? What time do I need to arrive to have a reasonable chance at getting a parking spot? (or should I park the night before, and take a taxi from the hotel to the ride start?)

wolfpack 

i'm doing Marion this year. first time. staying at the Marriott. fuji team rc w/red pr2's.

what will i wear? dunno yet...maybe the white laser shorts & pink hammer jersery or a twin six jersey.

Porter20

I guess I should have said, I am planning on doing the ride also. I just got my number from someone who was not going to be able to do it. I not sure exactly how I am going to ride it. I have a good friend / riding buddy whose this ride has been his big goal for a year. I don't think he is in as good of shape as me, so I may take my time & ride with him; however, I don't know if I will ever be in as good shape as I am now, so may want to ride hard. May be a gametime decision.

I am driving up that morning (I only live about 30 minutes from Spartanburg) I was going to wear my Meals on Wheels Jersey (it's my favorite) but then looking at the photos of my last couple rides, it is the only jersey I seem to wear. So I think I'm going wear my Discovery jersey, which makes me look like a poser & probably 60 other riders but it has deep pockets and fits well. I am riding a Black Trek with Yellow Wheels. I am excited for this ride; didn't realize there were going to be over 2500 riders. It is going to be a HUGE ride.

BikeWNC

I can tell you from experience that it is very difficult not to ride hard, at least at the start. There is just something about the whole start that gets the blood flowing. I mean they even countdown to the start on the big info marquee. The sound of all those riders clipping in at once is amazing. The downside of all this is the first 20 miles are pretty sketchy. Be careful. From your previous posts it sounds like you are a strong rider. Maybe the safest place for you is at the front.

Kostritzer

I'll be there in my usual Kostritzer jersey with the celeste green Bianchi. Driving down from Charlotte that morning.

This will be my third time trying to conquer this ride. The first time I bonked out on the parkway and had to quit. Last year I had a bad crash about a month before the ride and ended up with a third degree shoulder separation. I rode anyway, but since my training schedule had gotten all screwed up, I was feeling very weak and in pain and had to quit at Marion. I hope that this year I can make up for all that.

Porter20

Thanks for the information & your kinds words. But from what I understand you are the mountain goat on this regional site. I think maybe I should just suck on your rear wheel & try to hang with you a long as I can on the climb.

BikeWNC

Ha, don't I wish. Not this year. Besides, I'm riding with my friend's wife on her first Mitchell attempt while her husband tries to break 6 hours. So my pace will be dictated by whatever she can do. She's pretty fit though so I hope she doesn't have to wait on me. I just hope for good weather and a safe ride. After that I think I can handle the rest.

wolfpack 

yea, i can just imagine hearing everyone clip in...it's got to be awesome and will have the adreneline flowing. remind me to get towards the back so i don't get caught up in all that fastness, ok?

mkadam68

I'll be there from Southern California (Hey, BWC & WP). You can't miss me: I'm 6'3" and about 255lbs. I ride a red Kuota Kharma. My goal is to get as close to 6 hours (or less) as possible. I completed one century in under 5 hours last November, but it had only about 3,500' of climbing so we'll see. In prep for this year, I rode the SoCal King of the Mountains challenge (3 centuries, 12,000' of climbing each) in 6 weeks.

I completed the AoMM once, in 1988, as a newb rider. I had hi-top sneakers and clips, some La Vie Claire padded shorts and a Cannondale jersey. Glad I had sneakers as I walked alot!! I attempted it again 2 years later, but only managed Marion as I pulled a back muscle on the way. But, I was near the lead group and made Marion in about 3-1/2 hours. I'd like to duplicate that start this next week. So I'll be trying to start as close to the front as possible. What time should I get there? Anybody have an idea?

I'll be staying at the Candleberry Inn B&B just outside the Greenville Airport.

I'll be wearing this...


or this...

BikeWNC

Cool Mark, but I will say that 6 hours is a very good time. The best time is usually around 5:20. So I would say to take it as it comes. It will be much more humid than you are used to in Cali and that can wear you down. Just remember that Marion is the halfway point for effort. The lead pack will do the 74 miles to Marion in about 3:20.

Try to get to the start area no later than 5:45 to get a parking place in the civic center lot.

mkadam68

Thanks for the info. Getting to Marion should be no prob. It'll definitely be the climbing after that hits me

Porter20

mkadam68 - coming from California?? Wow - that is cool. You are probably 20-25 mins from your hotel to the event although you have to park about a mile from the start. You won't have any traffic that time of day, so probably closer to 20 mins.

Marion in 3:20? That is flying. I don't plan on being in that group.

wolfpack 

ha. me neither. anywhere near that group and i'll be blown up in no time short. but, if you can do it, do it.

mkadam68

repost. sorry.

kokomo61

Thanks - that was the question I was worried about. I'd hate to be looking for a place to park with everyone already lined up for the start. (and I don't want to ride the 5 miles to and from the Radisson, either).

jppe

Okay-just got a number so it looks like I'm back in. I just need to figure out how to cram 6 months of training into 6 days since I really had not been planning to ride. I'm already dreading the last 20+ miles........what a sufferfest!!

Looks to be a warm day, too. Hopefully I can stay with the front group until the first right hand turn! Will probably be wearing a Gaston County Cyclist jersey and will be the one with very loud groans going up Hwy 80 and the two long climbs on the BRP.

At least where I'm staying I can just ride my bike over to the start......or might just jump in when the group comes screaming by. But then I'd miss the smell of the Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the clocks winding down. Choices, choices.

I hope everyone has a safe ride.

WheresWaldo

Bittersweet and I are hoping for 4:00:00 to Marion we will be riding this:
.
In Marion I will be switching to this bike and hope to complete the last stretch in 4:30:00.

We are staying at the Hampton Inn just 6 miles from the start.

BikeWNC

I now know who I will be drafting on the way to Marion.

Unfortunately the course gets more hilly the closer to Marion and a tandem isn't the best to draft in those conditions. But until then...

WheresWaldo

We know and have been working on the hills a lot. I also told Bittersweet that she had to do all the work after Bill's Hill. Since her ride stops in Marion so far she is ok with that. We expect a steady pace to the first rest stop, warming up, not too fast. This will actually be the hardest leg for us, with so many other riders and adrenalin pumping it is just too easy to go out too fast. After the first rest stop we will "kick it up a notch" and try to maintain a good pace to Bill's Hill. That is where I will finally find out if Bittersweet is willing to suffer. I have always told her that epic rides are not about the miles or the speed, but how well you manage the pain!

Our tandem looks a bit different than the picture. We managed to strip nearly five pounds of weight off the bike with some judicious upgrades, faster wheels, lighter brakes, etc. We tweaked saddle position over the spring and added aero bars so I can rest on the straighter sections. I hope we have not set too ambitious a goal for ourselves

Porter20

I realize Bill's Hill is small in comparison to what is coming up at the end of the ride; but is it a pretty good little climb? Will you see pacelines start being broken up by it?

kokomo61

There's guy who put up a blog of his AoMM ride - he says that Bill's Hill starts out flat than goes right to 7%, and that most of it is 9-12%........it's also a mile long climb, so I bet that it starts to really spread out as soon as the climb starts.....(except for that front pack, of course, which I won't see after 6:30AM).

AoMM Journal

Here are pics of the Bill's Hill climb:





On the BRP climb, he said it was 10-12 miles of "unrelenting" climbing, of nothing less than 6%, with some climbs over 13%.

BikeWNC

From what I am told, because I haven't been there to see it, Bill's Hill is the first point where the main pack splits. Some may get back on the descent others dropped for good. There is also an earlier hill right before the second sag that can break things up too.

For me, the climb up to the second sag stop splits everyone. Most stop there having skipped the first stop. If you're doing ok at this point and have enough fluids/food to get to the top of Bill's less than 4 miles more down the road, there is a sag there that is never crowded.

Oh, Bill's is about 1 mile long and has a grade that hits 8-9% for a bit.