fixedgearinker

some pics from the CASA 24hr

Homeyba

It just might be a case of what you are used to. I'm used to being out there on my own and would be bothered going in circles. The only down side to Boost is the sugar quantity. I've used Boost and Ensure on RAAM as well as other long distance races and it works great for me. Plus it tastes way better than most "sports" fuels!

fixedgearinker

lol-wouldn't want every one to be in circles(ovals), but as my first it proved less intimidating to me being in the closed course/track format however am really looking forward to an expanded set-up for Sebring. I will most def give the Ensure a try, the sugar content would be a turn-off for me. I am a T.B.I. survivor (primarily frontal lobe and brain stem damage) and neuro-fatigue is another issue I work with - sugars and caffeine intake affect's me oddly... Definitely a trial and error learning process , I really appreciate your advice and sharing of your experience

Homeyba

I've been accused of having a TBI. I think most of us long distance cyclists have. At least you have a legitimate excuse. Is that a Motobecane Nemisis TT bike with disk covers over the rear wheel? What do you think of it? How many miles did the winner do? One advantage of those short laps would be that you can keep riding till almost the last minute. Some of the other 24hrs races have a longer loop during the day and a shorter loop at night and to the finish. Sebring is like that.

fixedgearinker

Lol, yep I have a legit claim Yes it is a Nemisis with a wheel cover. I like it just fine, built it on the cheap and it works well. I rode it for just the first 2 hours then switched to my road bike with clip-ons and was much more comfortable. I just ride the TT for, well TT's and it is fast enough for me - my PR for 20mile TT is 48:12 and a 40kTT is 1:01. The track, being a test track for Subaru, had varying surface imperfections such as expansion joints, irregular surface's and such. Nothing bad but my carbon frame really smoothed out the surface. We had a really tough head-wind up the back straight mile for the majority of the ride except for the early a.m. hours...

The top 4 eventual winners did 159, 155, 154 and 150 laps respectively. Actually not a ton and had I not had the cramping issues I would have been up there. It runs again 2 years so next time I will have everything sorted out... I sort of was disappointed in that I thought this was an individual event and 90% were drafting/pace lining the majority of the event, including the eventual winners. I feel better to a degree in that I rode zero laps drafting tho I had to shake more than a few wheel suckers off lol. There weren't any "no drafting" rules in place so I guess it was cool but I wanted it to be an individual best, not a group ride.


I was reading the course description of Sebring, it looks very cool, I am excited I will def do the RAAM qualifier, not in hopes of qualifying for the RAAM but that is a non-drafting class which appeals to me...

Homeyba

I've got several bikes as well and when I'm doing ultras I will usually bring a climbing bike, a TT bike and an all around bike. The only bike without aerobars in my climbing bike. Since I'm on the climbing bike and TT bike for shorter distances they can be pretty narrow focused but the bike I put the most all-around miles on has to be a good carbon bike. There is nothing better for soaking up road vibration over long distances. For flat rides like the one you did and Sebring I'd just bring the TT bike and the all around bike.It's nice to have them both there just in case. I can usually tolerate the TT bike for 24hrs but longer rides it gets kind of tough. I've done a couple 400 milers/24hrs on flat courses but my best ride was 392 miles in 22hrs on a course with a ton of headwind and around 25kft of climbing. Almost all the events I do are non-drafting but it is kind of fun to haul along in a pack sometimes. I did a drafting event once and we covered 200kms(118miles) in 4:45. It's hard to do that by yourself!

fixedgearinker

very cool.... I just have the two bikes, so my carbon bike is my training bike, climbing bike, crit bike, century bike, bla bla lol... I just bought a set of clip-ons for the 24hr, and have taken them off already. I took my TT and my road to Lafayette more out of it sucking badly if I drove 8 hours with just one bike and something catastrophic happened to it and I would have been "if only I had brought my...." lol. Redundancy I guess was the main reasoning, and i figured I would get some saddle time in on the TT while I had it there. I am looking to build up another road bike as a long distance/century type, def carbon fiber and probably the same brand as I have now because I love the frameset and it has never let me down from crits to climbing the dirty dozen, and i will relegate my current bike to training, rain and winter riding, crits type of thing... I would like to get a carbon tri frameset as this motobecane is pretty harsh riding but funds being limited with college I have to think most cost effective...

It is fun to do paceline/pack riding and would be a total blast doing a long distance with a well organized paceline and I am sure as I get more into it I will do one or two as well yeh, a sub 5hr 200K would be tough solo!

Mithrandir

Oh. Wow. Just the thought of 24 hours on a bike makes me want to barf...

This year, at least.

Maybe next year I'll be more amenable to the idea.

fixedgearinker

I always thought so as well, until I did one! It is all a mental game, and feels so good to punch that barrier right in the balls

Homeyba

In long distance racing being aero is huge. You don't want to be folded into a TT position for long periods of time but you do want to be able to get into an aero position that aerobars provide. If you think about it, a 1/2hr advantage over 24hrs is 12 miles further. That's pretty big! The aerobars on my regular bike are set up differently than the TT bike. They are a compromise between full TT and comfort. They are really comfy and I can ride in them for days on end. As you are aware, comfort is a big trump card in long distance races.

fixedgearinker

every watt saved is free distance not many flats here in western PA but lots of climbing. When I was living in FLA especially, as well as out in Indiana, we had aeros on all of our road bikes but not so much around here. With exception of TT's, crits and stage races are the norm so I haven't even owned a set of clip-ons for my road bike in years. I picked up an inexpensive set before the 24hr and they proved comfy, set them up for comfort less so than max aero benefits. My road bike has a fairly low bar/saddle relationship so I fairly flat when in the drops which is pretty comfy and feels real good but the alternate position the aeros offer up is a welcome addition. We have a couple of charity centuries coming up in the fall so I will use them for the comfort factor on those as well as on some longer distance specific training rides in prep for Sebring.

timtim2008

how many breaks does one get?

Rodimus_Prime

that is insane, im in extreme pain pretty much everywhere after 5 hours

Homeyba

Not knowing your situation I would suggest you aren't fitted properly on your bike. If you are fitted properly you should be able to ride extended periods without discomfort.

Rodimus_Prime

ive gotten a pro fit, its mainly the saddle hurting my butt after a few hours, but I also have trouble with numbness in my hands as well, but thats prob me kung fu gripping too much

fixedgearinker

I am not sure about other 24hr events, but this was a 'self-paced' event in that it was up to the individual to ride as long as wanted, take breaks whenever needed or wanted so conceivable could ride 24hours without a break...

Homeyba

Sorry, I missed your response earlier. I'd say you still have a fit problem. Often times "pro" fitters do not understand the issues of long distance cycling and will put you in a more "race" oriented position. That's most likely the issue with your hands. You should be able to ride for days on end without hand issues if you are fitted properly. I'd go back to your pro fitter and have them fix it. The seat is a whole other matter. You probably have a seat that isn't compatible with your rear end. Finding the appropriate long distance saddle can be a difficult process. A lot of it is trial and error. If you've tried all the appropriate adjustments and your seat still doesn't work it's time to try another seat.