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I raced CX a couple of years ago after spending 3 months off the bike. FTP was probably 190w. Still had fun. Mix a Xanax in with your electrolyte mix and enjoy yourself.
I go to the edges when I know the adults are going to attack or drop me on a climb, don't want to be in the way. Thanks for the link, will look at those for the day when I have the fitness to be there at the finish.
That's the thing... Aki was only in 'good' form according to the numbers for 1-2 years where he was a Cat 2. The rest of the time he has a decent jump and a self admittedly weak ftp. Everything he does is based on positioning and timing. Watch a few of his things. The commentary is great and I found it super helpful when I was starting out just to get a sense for how to learn to start reading a race. He's a solid dude to boot.
Pic from my final local "tune up" race last weekend (low altitude).
Worlds venue is at 6200'. So the peculiarities of racing at altitude will be a key factor. For those that haven't raced at altitude, you basically don't recover from long zone 4 efforts. You can do tiny bursts of zone 4 power but have to shut down before you start to go anaerobic. If you go just a few seconds too long, you grenade and don't recover for a long time. Race over. For the most part, you simply cap power/HR and stay there. It's like restrictor plate racing. So maximum zone 3 power is where it's at but your zone 3 power is greatly reduced. So you watch HR and not power so much. To do well at altitude means a big aerobic engine and completely fresh legs. Bigger riders who rely on raw neuromuscular strength tend to suffer more than the skinny guys with big lungs. Luckily, I'm the latter and have traditionally excelled at altitude. Did a 24mile XC race at 7600' at Snow Summit two weeks ago. Went too hard on the last hill (@ 8000') trying to hold off 2nd place and blew. Got passed and finished 2nd by 49s. Not fully rested for that one so I didn't let it get into my head too much. The guy that beat me there is one of the top 5 guys in the country.
Now fiddling with bike, going over spares, making lists, trying not to be nervous. Fly in to Barcelona. Venue is Vallnord bike/ski area.
I don't really know where I stand next to the best 55+ guys on the planet. I'm assuming top ten at least. I let my self dream that I might be the best on that one day in Spain and bring home another cool jersey.
Mostly just hoping for a good race. Prep well, come in rested, race smart and go full gas. Let the chips fall where they may. US XC nats is two days later. No chance of making both so I'm doing worlds. Never podiumed there. Won XC nats twice already so there is that one box left unticked.
I have a second-hand Stages gen-2 Hollogram meter with two problems, probably related. The battery life is miserable, we're talking 10-20 hours of ride time per battery. Also, when riding the Garmin advises me at odd intervals, maybe 5x per hour that the meter is connected (never disconnected).
Things I've done:
Hard reset by flipping battery Updating to current firmware
Local training ride, TMWC (Tuesday Morning World Championships). Just got a VIRB Ultra. First video with it.. Cool (free) editing software too. Many options for the data overlays. The camera pairs with ANT+ sensors so you don't even need a Garmin head unit. Just power meter, HR strap and the cameras native GPS. Way cool.
The data on my video is from my 520 though.
This is as close as I have ever gotten to "winning" the final sprint. Got the KOM that day though.
Just got back from my honeymoon and Megavalanche. Best & most fun race I have ever done.
Practice- the glacier was really slushy- had to walk most of it.
Practice down lower- came from up in the cloud:
Qualifying race- flatted about 4 minutes into a 20 minute race and rode the flat to the bottom. Luckily I had a cush core foam insert and could ride about 75% on the flat- nuked my legs pedaling hard to not lose spots at the end. Finished 6th out of about 120 to make it on the 2nd row for the finals.
Race run- the glacier was way slick and fast, slid out almost immediately, got up and worked through most of the field to finish 14th!
The scenery is insane.
Rental car. Got to drive up the Alp d huez climb in the tour. It looked really hard.
I didn't know they had sub-categories but I won the M30 (men over 30) class!
Stoked! Mega is the best- I'll definitely go back someday.
I'll upload footage to youtube later. The mass starts were hectic!
Started riding my mountain bike regularly, for the first time since college. I think the bike is around 14 years old now, it sat for a long time when I moved from the mountains. When I got a tune-up this spring, the tech told me not to spend any more money on replacing parts. They said I would be wasting money investing in what I currently have, considering all the new technology.
I do understand that frame geometry and drivetrains have come a long way, but don't know that I need to abandon this bike. It's 26", full suspension (coil), 100mm travel, XT 3x9, and weighs in around 32lbs. This was considered a mid-level bike when I bought it, and it looks like this configuration/weight is not that different from the current budget bikes still being sold. The problem is, I will need a new wheelset soon, and the fork needs an overhaul. I am on the fence about fixing what I have or buying something new.
It looks like air suspension and a 1x drivetrain is the way to go, if I go new. My budget will probably place me in a hardtail ($800-1200). Looking for recommendations for rebuilding what I have or what to look for if buying new.
Local training ride, TMWC (Tuesday Morning World Championships). Just got a VIRB Ultra.
Nice. The TMWC videos you've posted here led me to getting my Virbs, which led to a coworker getting one for his track toy. Definitely cool cameras with the built in data collection and overlay. Editing software is easy to use too.
Good luck at worlds. What happened at Dirty Kanza?
Started riding my mountain bike regularly, for the first time since college. I think the bike is around 14 years old now, it sat for a long time when I moved from the mountains. When I got a tune-up this spring, the tech told me not to spend any more money on replacing parts. They said I would be wasting money investing in what I currently have, considering all the new technology.
I do understand that frame geometry and drivetrains have come a long way, but don't know that I need to abandon this bike. It's 26", full suspension (coil), 100mm travel, XT 3x9, and weighs in around 32lbs. This was considered a mid-level bike when I bought it, and it looks like this configuration/weight is not that different from the current budget bikes still being sold. The problem is, I will need a new wheelset soon, and the fork needs an overhaul. I am on the fence about fixing what I have or buying something new.
It looks like air suspension and a 1x drivetrain is the way to go, if I go new. My budget will probably place me in a hardtail ($800-1200). Looking for recommendations for rebuilding what I have or what to look for if buying new.
Can we see a pic of the current bike? I'd look at plus tired hardtails- you can get something pretty nice for about $1000 new.
Commencal USA- direct order brand $1100:
No sense in putting money into a 15 year old bike. It may look similar to what is being sold now, but it is not. Like comparing a NB Miata vs ND.
@dcamp2 so stoked for you on both the honeymoon and the mega results. I always binge on the POV video's ever year. I love watching people try the french lines to pass people. Seems like an insane race and I'd love to hear some cliff notes when you post the video on where you were at mentally and physically through out the race. Obviously you have to do some resting at some point in an effort like that, but that's gotta be hard when you're neck deep in chunk and have plenty of rabbits to chase.
Started riding my mountain bike regularly, for the first time since college. I think the bike is around 14 years old now, it sat for a long time when I moved from the mountains. When I got a tune-up this spring, the tech told me not to spend any more money on replacing parts. They said I would be wasting money investing in what I currently have, considering all the new technology.
I do understand that frame geometry and drivetrains have come a long way, but don't know that I need to abandon this bike. It's 26", full suspension (coil), 100mm travel, XT 3x9, and weighs in around 32lbs. This was considered a mid-level bike when I bought it, and it looks like this configuration/weight is not that different from the current budget bikes still being sold. The problem is, I will need a new wheelset soon, and the fork needs an overhaul. I am on the fence about fixing what I have or buying something new.
It looks like air suspension and a 1x drivetrain is the way to go, if I go new. My budget will probably place me in a hardtail ($800-1200). Looking for recommendations for rebuilding what I have or what to look for if buying new.
Originally Posted by dcamp2
No sense in putting money into a 15 year old bike. It may look similar to what is being sold now, but it is not. Like comparing a NB Miata vs ND.
What @dcamp2 said. The last 10 years (really 5 years for most brands) have been a massive leap in mountain bike tech. 10-15 years ago, the bikes were mostly stinkers with maybe 20% of them being designed properly and being a true pleasure to ride. Now it's swung completely the opposite and you have to work pretty hard to find a total piece of crap. Long story short, for sure do not put money into your existing bike, but do continue riding it until some part of it, or it as a whole, is holding you back.
For bike recommendations... the direct to consumer brands are hard to beat. Under 1k is a tough price point. There is a big difference between an 800 dollar bike and a 1100-1200 dollar bike. I'd save up and get to that 1200 dollar breakpoint if it were me. I've had good luck suggesting the giant fathom 2 as a starter bike for some locals here.
@dcamp2 so stoked for you on both the honeymoon and the mega results. I always binge on the POV video's ever year. I love watching people try the french lines to pass people. Seems like an insane race and I'd love to hear some cliff notes when you post the video on where you were at mentally and physically through out the race. Obviously you have to do some resting at some point in an effort like that, but that's gotta be hard when you're neck deep in chunk and have plenty of rabbits to chase.
Thanks man! Yes- it's very hard to manage effort level when you are trying to pass people before tech or narrow sections.
In the qualifier I wanted to finish as high as possible- the better you finish the closer to the front row you get to start on the main race on the glacier. I spent a huge effort in the first 3 minutes- its wide and easy to pass. Got through a ton of people there. Then after the service road- I started to going a little fast and flatted immediately. From there it was all damage control- ride as fast as possible on the flat without damaging the wheel too bad or ripping the tire off. I murdered my legs lower down trying not to lose spots. Kelan Grant was a jerk and didn't let me pass even though he had a front flat. Anyways- managed to finish 6th- just good enough to start 2nd row on the main race (1-3 get front row, 4-6 second row, etc)
Thanks man! Yes- it's very hard to manage effort level when you are trying to pass people before tech or narrow sections.
Welcome to my world :P . That describes every cyclocross and XC race. Timing zone 4 bursts during a steady zone 3 effort without blowing up. Big part of my last few weeks of prep before A races is doing workouts that simulate that.Steady at just below threshold, 10s zone 4 burst then settle back to threshold without blowing up. Then again, and again, and again until you crack. Difference for me is I'm using a lot less upper body explosivity then you need to but my events are a lot longer. Enduro is no joke WRT to athletic demands.
Welcome to my world :P . That describes every cyclocross and XC race. Timing zone 4 bursts during a steady zone 3 effort without blowing up. Big part of my last few weeks of prep before A races is doing workouts that simulate that.Steady at just below threshold, 10s zone 4 burst then settle back to threshold without blowing up. Then again, and again, and again until you crack. Difference for me is I'm using a lot less upper body explosivity then you need to but my events are a lot longer. Enduro is no joke WRT to athletic demands.
For sure this race was probably a lot like a cyclocross in terms of effort level... ~45 minutes 1,000 feet of climbing, 9,000 ft descending. OK maybe not the 9,000 feet of descending part. haha
Thanks for the feedback. I think I needed to hear it from someone that isn't trying to sell me something. Salsa Timberjack and Trek Roscoe look decent for the money.
I will probably watch prices at local shops and just keep riding what I have unless something major brakes.
How did you feel after test riding new mountain bikes, compared to your old bike?
I finished my aluminum frame finally. It will become a nice bike for the indoor trainer, with the same geometry as my current road bike, 54cm Tarmac. Because I'm a weight weenie, I had to compare. The frame/fork/headset/BB weights
54cm Tarmac SL4 fact10 carbon: 1420g (3.1 lbs)
56cm Tarmac SL4 fact9 carbon: 1760g (3.9 lbs)
54cm DIY using early 2000's Allez tubes and uncut chinese tapered fork: 1820g (4.0 lbs)
06-29-2018, 01:52 PM
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