DXchulo

Been following the Cycle Dr's attempt on Strava and he had the weirdest post today: https://www.strava.com/activities/486864715

First of all, I'm not hating on the guy (he's faster and rides farther than me) and I wish him the best in his attempt. However, it just doesn't seem like he has his **** together.

Look at the picture he posted. That's just a confirmation that Guinness has received his application. That means that (a) his application isn't necessarily approved (though it probably will be) and (b) he doesn't know the complete guidelines yet. So if he's not certified by the UMCA and he isn't following Guinness' rules there's a chance none of his mileage up to this point will officially count.

I submitted a Guinness application on a weekly record a while back for ****s and giggles just to see what the exact guidelines would be. The guidelines are pretty strict and very specific. They wanted GPS, video, witnesses, etc. It seemed to me that following the guidelines was going to be as difficult as the ride itself. Again, my record was only one week and his is one year, so maybe they're not as strict on video and witnesses, but there's no way to know for sure until the application is accepted. I downplayed the importance of the UMCA recognition earlier, but that may be vital to the Guinness attempt.

Maybe that screen shot is from a long time ago and he has already been accepted and is following Guinness guidelines, but if that's from today I'm willing to bet that he's screwed.

StephenH

There's a date in November 2015 at the top right of that screen shot.

DXchulo

Yeah, I see that now. The whole image wasn't showing for me when I looked before. I stand corrected. He most likely knew the guidelines before he started.

Not sure why he posted that particular e-mail. It doesn't prove anything.

StephenH

Did some digging around and found this link, which clarifies a couple of items:
Kurt Searvogel awarded Guinness World Record for distance cycled in a year | road.cc

RomansFiveEight

It does seem bizarre to do all that work and not file the paperwork and make sure that it gets 'recorded'. But then, it really might be all for the personal achievement. In the world of wikipedia and social media; how relevant ARE the official recordbooks? I mean really? It'll always have an asterisk but it's not like, if successful, his attempt won't be solidified in the annals of history.

From interviews I've heard from him, it seems more like he's doing it to see if he can; he may not be THAT concerned about being "on the books".

StephenH

I just saw a note on FB that Bruce is postponing his record attempt for various reasons.

Machka 

Bruce Berkeley postpones cycling year record attempt - Cycling Weekly

c.miller64

Two *very* strong women cyclists will begin their attempts at the HAM'R within the next month or so. Amanda Coker, and Alicia Searvogel.

StephenH

Make me wonder...is each of them waiting for the other one to go first?

c.miller64

I ran into Amanda at the end of my ride today. She said that she has to wait at least 21 days until after they receive her application before she can start.

StephenH

I was wondering the status of all this. On the UMCA HAM'R page, they show no current attempts are in progress.

From Facebook posts, it looks like Alicia Searvogel had a crash with shoulder injury on March 26th prior to starting HAM'R and is still in the process of recovering from that, and still looking forward to starting HAM'R soon.


Amanda Coker was planning to start in April and apparently hasn't started yet. I found one online post that said "She's just getting some personal things taken care of before she starts. Shouldn't be long now." So whatever that means.

StephenH

And here's a handy update:
HAM?R Updates | UltraCycling News

c.miller64

It means exactly what it says. When you dedicate a whole year to something like this, there are many things that you (and your crew) need to take care off before starting.

I know there are rumors out there that she's backing out, scared to start, etc, etc... nothing could be further from the truth. She's 100% dedicated and laser-focused on starting this challenge.

StephenH

C.miller, I didn't mean to imply anything to the contrary, I don't know her, don't know anything about her, and haven't heard any rumors good or bad. What I meant was the statement was pretty vague, so there wasn't much telling what was going on, based on that statement.

c.miller64

No problem, Stephen. My original post on YACF was meant to be vague because the things she and the crew are trying to wrap up before the start are personal issues and not cycling related. Just wanted to let everyone know that she *will* be starting soon to help quash the rumors I've been hearing.

c.miller64

She starts this Sunday!

c.miller64

Amanda started yesterday's HAM'R attempt off with a bang- 250.1 miles!
https://www.strava.com/activities/577491518

rm -rf

Wow, interesting.
She did laps on a divided boulevard for 28 miles, then switched to a nearby trail that's 6.2 miles / 10 km long, end-to-end.

She did 18 laps on the park road (called Flatwoods Park Trail)for the rest of the day. The road looks like it's shady, and there's a parking lot loop at the eastern end to turn around on. ( I wondered how she did 20+ mph all day on a MUP, but it's a road, even though Google Maps labels it a paved trail.)

13:19 total time, 12:10 ride time, 20.6 mph average speed.

c.miller64

It is a paved trail, no vehicles allowed other than Park Rangers.

c.miller64

Followed by 230 on day 2, and 232 on day three-

https://www.strava.com/activities/578519402

https://www.strava.com/activities/579655046

rm -rf

Huh, the same laps every day. That makes logistics very easy! I'd be bored out of my mind though.

She's spending 13-14 hours a day on the riding, including stops. So 10-11 hours off.

Must have been a thunderstorm on Day 3. The elevation starts at 70 feet, drifts up to 160 feet later in the day, then jumps to 600 feet, all on the same loops. Garmins with barometers can do this if the pressure drops during a storm.

FL_MarkD

There is a reason it is called Flatwoods.... It is nearing summer in this area, storms most everyday so you are right the elevation change must be barometric. That is the same location that Kurt S. used for the last month or so of his world record. Very good logistics and plenty of local fast riders (like c.miller64) to keep you company.

Wishing her all the best on her attempt. That is a significant commitment of time and energy.

Mark

c.miller64

Day 4, 238 miles.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/10033054

StephenH

UltraCycling News | The voice of ultramarathon cycling

c.miller64

Amanda's progress as of day 6-

1392.7 Total miles
232.1 Daily Average
906.1 miles over Womans Record Avg pace
142.3 miles over Men's Record Avg pace
18.99 mph avg moving speed.