Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/15/2019 11:56 AM |
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Solid plan, Dale!!
OC, even if you don't get in through the lottery, it seems like picking up transfers is pretty easy to do. People were even dumping their slots the day the lottery results were announced. You'll have no problem getting a slot, one way or the other. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/16/2019 11:11 AM |
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Good to know; thanks.
There's a note here about some course changes for this year, longer distances between stations requiring some extra consideration/planning.
https://www.velonews.com/2019/04/gravel/qa-what-to-expect-now-that-dirty-kanza-has-a-new-owner_492731 |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/16/2019 11:32 AM |
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Yeah, saw that last night. The removal of the second support station changes things considerably. I had not planned on using a Camelbak since I only need to go ~50 miles between stations (based on previous courses).
new course will require you to carry nutrition to get through 87 miles.....although there will be a neutral water stop in there, will still need to carry food / nutrition to go 87. Not to mention that you won't have a chance to restock any supplies (tubes, plugs, etc) if you used them.... |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 04/17/2019 09:14 PM |
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Some gravel joy here in Virginia.
Had the day off with perfect weather. Rode a loop in the Blue Ridge mountains a younger me used to do, but the current older me not for a few years, includes a long gravel descent presently beat up by lots of recent weather, and a 1700 ft. gravel climb in 4 miles - that was just graded, dang. Plus a lot of paved up and down. And everything is wet, so bike and rider finished covered with grit. A truly proper gravel road ride.
As hard as DK 100? Probably not, but in the same zip code.
The knees are complaining despite ibuprofen. Still worth it, and feeling some gratitude that this old fart is not dead yet.
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/17/2019 09:27 PM |
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| Nice work LSD. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/17/2019 10:09 PM |
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| Sounds like a damn fine ride to me!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/22/2019 11:24 AM |
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Just finished a big week...365 miles, 19:51 hours. Still kinda p*ssed I didn't find another 9 minutes out there somewhere!!  My biggest cycling week ever by 5 miles.
Friday was a 3 hour trail ride on the CX bike, Saturday was 112 windy miles on the road and then Sunday was 70 miles / 4 hours on the trail and my CX bike. The Des Plaines River trail is hardly a "gravel" ride, but it is the best option I have....and once you head south and hit Cook COunty, it is not maintained anywhere near as well as here in Lake County. So I got some decent bouncing around.
Mini-rest week this week...a bit of travel so I will more limited options for riding this week. Will probably still end up with a bit over 200, though. Then a big 2 week push, followed by another travel / rest week (no riding May 15-18), a final hard week and then race week. Still panicking, but not as miuch after this weekend...my legs felt pretty good on the Sat. group ride and I even took a couple of the sprints. Then for Sunday I was also feeling pretty good and rode at a steady, but comfortable pace. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 04/22/2019 04:21 PM |
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I still have a long ways to go but the last couple of weeks have been encouraging. Did a great out and back 50 miler on the fix gear, 44-16 with wind. County roads with lots of right turns so the wind varied a lot. Several of the stretches were slight uphills and into the wind. Hard! But a breakthrough.
Yesterday I rode a portion of RondePDX on the good bike. 53-42-28 X 14-28. 28c G+ tires. First climb was 1000' on good gravel. I felt good and the tires worked great. Next was Brynwood. I haven't done it in years. 3/10s of a mile. Double digits average. Bottom half is hard, then it "levels out" a touch. Last portion is insane to 23%. Didn't make it. <160 feet (80 uphill paces) short. Then the climb to Pittock Mansion and on up to the radio tower. ~800'
Except Brynwood, I felt up to the challenge. For Brynwood, in addition to more climbing conditioning, I need a lower gear and I need to lift weights. (Those probably 14 years since I climbed it last have taken their toll.)
Those 28c G+ tires were perfect. Yes a touch lighter would be nice. But they never felt out of place. And the size and traction was very nice on the less than just swept very steep pavement. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 05/04/2019 01:20 AM |
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OTGG bike update: My Mooney's gone through its latest transformation. My position is rotated back. Relative to the BB, nothing has changed except the seat and bars are rotated 1" (roughly 1 degree) back. I had 2 pairs of the wide pista-like HBs that were popular a few years ago and that my hands like. Great for the previous fix gear using a 150 stem. So I went to a new "cockpit" with the other bars and a 120 stem set slightly higher than the previous 140. Bought a new seatpost, the simply gorgeous Nitto lugged steel post. The Mooney finally has a post its equal. Hardware is Nitto at it's best. Not all that heavy either. And not just two bolt, two hefty 6 mm bolts. Dialing in tip was never easier.
Drivetrain is 7-speed. Picked up a $12 brand new 13-28 Sachs. Sugino triple, 50-38-23. SunTour AR front derailleur with the cage narrowed down. Should do a good job of keeping the chain in place. It does have a fair amount of chain rub but on gravel I am not going to hear it or care. '95 SunTour RD. Power Rachet DTs. SPD pedals with Serfas MTB shoes. (Proven pedal/cleat I've had a few years.)
Put 32c Paselas on. 80 psi. Rode an easy 9 miles in town and back. Fun! I'm sitting much further back and upright. Not an upwind machine! But great control. Very confidence inspiring.
I love that one of the benefits of my work years ago was leaving a job with a full CAD package. Almost 20 years ago landed a high paying temp job that I used to buy an up-to-date version. I"m still using it and now have every bike I've had on it, all superimposed at the BB. Also my house, most of it in 3-D. Makes looking into position changes really easy. And I get to know for sure what stems and seatposts I need. But the Nitto was the work of my favorite shop. I asked about a post. They pulled out their box of used posts. I didn't find "it" so I asked about a large offset really strong 2-bolt post, figuring I was asking for a unicorn. Employee goes on-line, then asks me how much insertion I needed; he'd found a steel post that met all the criteria. The frame was built for a Campy NR/Zeus/Avocet post so the standard 220 Nitto drops right in. (It wasn't cheap; 31% of the cost of the custom frame it is in! But a lot of that was me having my frame made as Peter Mooney was starting up. That window closed a long time ago.)
I am becoming a big Nitto fan. Their bars and stem served me very well on the Fuji Pro I race despite being snubbed by the Campy riders. Except for never having "class" I never heard anything bad about their stuff. Recent years I've acquired several Pearl stems. Pure gems. Now this post. Gorgeous and I have to believe hand brazed. (Who in their right mind would make tooling to go automatic for so few sold?)
All that said, the 120 stem is a late '80s TTT simply because I had it. Oh well.
This post is getting long because the Trailblazers are in their 4th overtime and I am going nowhere.
140-137 Blazer win.
Still to do - tires. I think I will go 35c Pasela folding and bring 2 spares. I went 38 in front two years ago for the fix gear gravel grinder. Worked really well. Now that I have my position pushed back, I think 35 in front will work. Thinking seriously of putting on in-line brake levers. In two weeks I get the Cycle Oregon Gravel Grinder to try this all out and quiz the mechanics on their opinions.
Ben |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/04/2019 09:23 AM |
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Rider for Water today. Epic harsh BC gravel plus some single track. If I dont crash its home free final stretch to OTGG.
Didn't ride all week after covering a total of 230kms last weekend. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 05/04/2019 12:11 PM |
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| FWIW travel king 35s are working very well for me on gravel and pavement. I’m riding the file tread, not the micro knobby. Roll well, grip well, and liking the riding “feel”. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/04/2019 07:14 PM |
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I ended up with the Maxxis Ramblers, 700x40’s...two rides on them so far and I like ‘em.
Did a 120 mile trail / road ride today....7 hours total. In terms of time, that is probably only 1/2 of what DK will take. *doh* |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 05/04/2019 08:33 PM |
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| Way to go CK! 120 ain't 200 but it's a heck of a lot. Will power will get you a few hours more. The rest will come from somewhere else, someplace special that we fellow travelers understand.
. . . Apologies for a typo in my previous post, Panasonic GRAVEL king, not travel king. And thanks for the tip on the Maxxis ramblers. The larger gravel kings only come with a micro knobby tread, no thank you. I'm just riding for fun, and every time I've upsized it's been good. That retrogrouch in Seattle Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly is quirky but I think he's right on his love for big fat tires for this sort of riding. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/05/2019 01:07 PM |
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Solid effort CK.
Funny I did only 100 kms in half hour faster than your 7 for 120 miles. But it involved determining we weren't lost on various trails. Some epic gravel climbing, testing non existent MTB skills on lush single track with numerous water crossings, a rolling road section with head wind (yeah pavement! ), a wicked steep single track climb where halfway up I had to drag bike through axle deep muck followed by 6kms of slow grinta climbing and finally an absolute murderous and mental downhill.
Managed not to crash unlike many others and unlike last year.
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/05/2019 09:55 PM |
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| Followed the 120 up with an 80 mile road ride....weird how an 80 mile ride can now feel "short". |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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