Same ride as TMonk ^
Started with the first wave and tried my best to get to the front and keep contact. I started the first dirt sector maybe 25 back, but got passed by a lot of people because I'm slow off road. Haven't had enough practice doing gravel at speed, although I ride it pretty often at a slower pace. Got into a few groups to rotate with on the road, but I'd always get dropped at the subsequent gravel sections, so I ended up riding alone quite a bit. On the bright side, I didn't crash or get any flats! I went with tubeless 28mm Schwalbe One's. I think I went a bit too hard during the first hour and a half or so, and there were a lot of pitchy climbs that sapped the legs. I was really feeling bad after the last really big dirt section (Hodges/Lemontwist), so I just sat at z2 pace while staying as aero as possible. I picked up a few other riders on the way who were just as ragged as I was, but I just pretended like I was riding alone and let them sit on as long as they wanted. I caught up to the guys I was in the team competition with just before Double Peak, as they had some mechanical issues prior, and we rode the rest of the way together. The top of double peak was really really rough. I had trouble holding 250w, but the spectators and cowbells actually made the difference and kept me going. Then I had a coke at the aid station and took it easy with the team to the finish line and rolled across together.
This was my longest/hardest ride ever! Hopefully it'll give my aerobic system a little bit of a kick in the pants, I'm lagging a little this year.
391 TSS, 201w NP, 8:07 total 7:56 moving, 4762 kJ
Last edited by wktmeow; 05-06-19 at 05:51 PM.