Looks like great suffering... er, fun. Well done!
Well, today's suffering just about takes the cake! * 100 miles * 9000 feet of climbing * 3 straight hours of cold rain * On my "old" mechanical Trek Madone, I broke the front derailleur at mile 30, leaving me with only the small ring. High cadence, low power... my knees are killing me * Flat tire at mile 96 (yeah... basically in sight of the finish line) * Garmin 1000 fully, fully, fully soaked. * Bike is trashed beyond belief But oddly, I feel pretty satisfied. (p.s. I'm the guy in the Ricambi America jersey. Bet you never would have guessed!) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sounds like quite an adventure; congrats on the hard-won Century! Was it your first? Why didn't you ride your Pinarello? I completed the Belgian Waffle Ride last year; complete insanity (144 miles, 13,000 ft, 30-40 miles of the total are offroad, some of it quite treacherous). I think you're ready for it next year! C'mon out! Here's a good overview video using highlights from 2 years ago. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl62Bj_rToM[/ame] Here's a POV video from last year's route (with a creepy voiceover)...pure hell. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U1LkoMV3x8[/ame] I didn't do the ride this year - once was enough!!
OMG, the waffle ride looks fantastic!! It's almost enough to get me looking for some airline tickets... but good gracious I absolutely fear the dirt/offroad. I'm a pavement guy. Why didn't I take the Pinarello? I knew the conditions would be sloppy, and I wanted a somewhat disposable bike. My old Trek Madone fit that bill, and was "serviceable" en route if something broke, because its all mechanical. If I were on the Pinarello and had a Di2 problem 60 miles into the Appalachian hinterland, it would be a day-ender. This was not my first century ride. In fact, I had it mapped to hit 10k feet of climbing and 130 miles, but my riding mates nixed that plan around mile 80, after our fourth big ascent of the day. They approach every ride as a KOM-attempt and mentally/physically fatigue a bit earlier. Sure, they have some cool stats, but I'm just fine with my speeds and accomplishments. The Trek is loaded onto the car, and headed to the LBS today. New cables and new brake pads are desperately needed. If you thought a 360 Modena blew out a lot of brake dust, you've not seen my Trek after a wet day of climbing and descending. Yuck.
Living in the flatlands of South Florida, I have MUCHO respect for that ride. Miss my bike. My back has kept me off of it the past few months. Working on getting that sorted out. Well done!
Just finished rebuilding my 2008 GT Force 3.0 with a 150mm RockShox Sektor Golf RL fork (it's OK), carbon bar, and many other odds and ends. It feels like a very nimble downhill bike now, I love it! Looking forward to hitting as many spots as possible this summer. -Mike in marketing Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
You're welcome to stay with me if you decide to come out for it. I live a few miles from the Start/Finish line. Yah, the offroad stuff can be deadly on a road-bike and saps your energy/speed - so much power is lost due to terrible traction. Just gotta train for it. If I do something like this again, I'll get a "cross" bike with at least 28c tires and disc brakes.
I rode in South Florida over Thanksgiving holiday, and while I can appreciate that its a different type of riding with different techniques, I just found it kind of monotonous. The largest elevation I faced was the embankment over a freeway. Otherwise, it was simply dead flat and massively straight roads. Maybe I was in the wrong area? (I was in the Naples/Collier County region) Seems like it'd be ideal for workouts, FTP testing, and triathletes.
I used to love doing some blocks of my winter training the FtL and Palm Beach area. I could ride for a steady 100 miles at a very even heart rate and cadence. Very perfect for aerobic base. The problem is that when you have to get especially fit for longer and harder road races, it's hard to get what you need there without being creative. I remember doing spring races in April (which is like the height of the race season there), which were the start of my season and having to beg the organizer to let me race masters 35+ before the P/1/2 race so that I could get in enough intensity. They were always good: I just had to promise to not finish in the top ten and don't drive any breaks in the masters race. Then for the P/1/2 race, I would usually just attack repeatedly until I forced a break and then I would just drive it. Combined with riding a couple of hours to the race and then after, it worked out but without hills and/or wind, it's hard to get all the intensity needed for early season conditioning. Still, I wouldn't bag on it, especially in the winter when it's like the best weather anywhere.
San Diego...you can do a flat 100 mile ride (RT) up the coast into Orange County. Weather is just as good (if not better) and plenty of hills for variety...not to mention Palomar Mountain which is often thought of as California's own Alp d'Huez. This is a very special place to be a cyclist. That said, I wouldn't mind riding in Miami on a bike with a front crank the size of a dinner plate.
I used to ride from Huntington Beach to Oceanside and back almost daily when I was stateside back in 2000 to 2002. I loved it. Truly some of the best places to live and ride bikes.
100 miles, 10,000 feet of climbing. I made it! Crushed my "planned" time of 7:30:00 by more than 30 minutes. Of course my knee will never forgive me. (I'm the guy in the Ricambi cap) Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've been riding a Specialized Diverge for a few months. Love love love this bike. The most versatile, comfortable (geometry and ride quality), FUN and best descending bike I've ever had. Just as much at home on gravel and dirt as on the road. Rack and fender mounts on carbon frame. I know it's still not mainstream but once you go disc there's no going back. The braking is incomparable and surely it is the future in medium or long term. Low BB and rest of the geometry combined with 32mm tires and disc brakes really make for descending performance that is unreal. I could go on about this bike, it's spectacular imho. The one thing I have trouble with is front deraileur trim. My previous bike was a triple so it wasn't a real issue. This one is an Ultegra setup and when I'm in the small ring, there is a slight noise when I go a couple gears past the middle of the cassette which is when I trim the front derailleur. And the trim isn't enough to cross-chain the extreme of small/small (not that I would). The issue is that I do this by sound, but when riding on any type of trail this noise is drowned out. -Does it sound like the front derailleur adjustment is correct? -Is there a way to move the point where trim is required closer to the edge of the cassette range? -Are there any tricks to knowing where you are on the cassette without having to look back? Dealing with this has been quite distracting on rides as I seem to spend a lot of time in the area around the trim threshold. I understand Di2 auto-trims and Sram current front derailleur design does away with needing to trim, but Di2 is $$$ for my just about to get of school budget and I wasn't thrilled with Sram shifter feel. Can't have it all I suppose; though apart from this niggle I've been very pleased with Ultegra 6800. Image Unavailable, Please Login
- No, probably not. Did you buy the bike new? Take it back to the shop you bought it from and ask for a courtesy adjustment. If not, measure the wear on the chain - it may be due for replacement. If the trim just needs adjusting, pay close attention to what the mechanic is doing and ask plenty of questions so you can do it yourself in the future. - Yes, there should be lo / hi adjustment screws on the derailleur. Watch a YouTube video for a tutorial. - Hah, yeah, I wish. Just by 'feel' or 'staying focused'. Although, if you do ever move up to Di2, there are some advanced systems that can track which gear you're in and display it on the head unit.
Thanks Rick. I did it buy it new, but unfortunately at school and I'm not there during the summer. Bike hardly has 500 miles on it so hopefully not chain related; I'll check out YT. This may end up being like my experience working on my cars. The only one you can trust to do it right is yourself.
just got this one today and already did 100miles in the alps love it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I just ordered this frame and color today. Trek Project One Domane SLR in Radioactive Orange. Dura Ace 9000 Gruppo, Zipp 303 Clinchers with 25mm rubber, Zipp SL70 Aerobar and SL Speed CF stem. I should have it in 2.5 weeks. This bike replaces my 1998 Cannondale CAAD3 bike....an antique. The new bike will weigh in 5-6lbs less (14-15lbs)..62cm frame. I have never ridden a carbon bike with carbon wheels. Looking forward to an easier life on the bike. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ditched the big Rovals for some HED Ardennes wheels. They are a real treat on the road - and far better suited to the stuff I'm doing. I was fortunate enough to get 60 miles with 4500' of climbing yesterday. (Pic 1 = headed up the big bump. Pic 2 = heart-rate recovery smile!) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Any tips for maintaining a smooth pedal stroke? Past the mid 90's it seems to start going south for me. I'm also wondering if crank length being too short affects this?
Lots and lots of time with TrainerRoad workouts has helped me smooth out cadences and work on evenly applying power. I am, of course a total amateur --- but the improvements that I've experienced are real and tangible.
