Well, I do "owe" you a car rack.
Going Long and Hard.
- Thread starter Steve Vai
- Start date
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Thursday
So blah. I took another day off the bike. Everyone at the shop is sick and I'm trying to do my part and not catch it. I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat so I may be starting to finally give in a bit. May make the plans for this weekend a little different. Poop. Been pounding Emergen-C and drinking tons of fluids the past couple days.
Blah. Long day at the shop, so many bikes!! I didn't leave until after 9. I got to talk to Mr Garjuilo for a bit. His son Ricky is killing it out there!! He'll be up at Battenkill in the Pro field so we'll have a local to cheer for!!
Going.
-Jim.
So blah. I took another day off the bike. Everyone at the shop is sick and I'm trying to do my part and not catch it. I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat so I may be starting to finally give in a bit. May make the plans for this weekend a little different. Poop. Been pounding Emergen-C and drinking tons of fluids the past couple days.
Blah. Long day at the shop, so many bikes!! I didn't leave until after 9. I got to talk to Mr Garjuilo for a bit. His son Ricky is killing it out there!! He'll be up at Battenkill in the Pro field so we'll have a local to cheer for!!
Going.
-Jim.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
So your significant other can get both electrolytes and a DNA sample?😀
No, sadly. This is about 1/4 of what I pushed through my body today in an attempt to flush this cold out of my system. I've been peeing florescent green every 15 minutes all day long. It seems to be working, at least somewhat, maybe another 2 nights of good sleep and and another day of hydration will do the trick. Otherwise I go as hard as I possibly can of the line sunday and blow the field (and myself) apart to get the team separated early. We'll see, I'm not calling it yet.
-Jim.
Dusty the Whale
Mr.Chainsaw
Packing for MurderKill...
-Jim.
Son, you gonna come back with a necklace of other racer's ears?
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
MurderKill prep, part 2, the wardrobe 😀
What's in the pile? 2 of everything I think!! I live by a simple yet effective rule to packing clothing. It's better to have brought it and not need it then vice versa😉
The list...
3xBib shorts.
2xSS jerseys.
1xThermal LS jersey.
1xSummer weight LS jersey.
3xSleeveless base layers.
1xLS base layer.
2xKnee warmers.
1xThermal tights.
Each type of head garb.
2xSummer weight gloves.
1xGavia gloves.
2xAlaska socks.
2xOslo socks.
4xSummer socks.
1xHelmet.
1xShoes.
1XHR strap, fresh batteries.
1xGavia jacket.
1xTool jacket.
1xGore rain pants.
1xShowers Pass rain cape.
Embrocation.
Chamios cream.
Not to seem like a complete goober, this is for 2 days of riding so that's what the duplicate summer poop is for
Next up. Bike prep. Stay tuned.
-Jim.
What's in the pile? 2 of everything I think!! I live by a simple yet effective rule to packing clothing. It's better to have brought it and not need it then vice versa😉
The list...
3xBib shorts.
2xSS jerseys.
1xThermal LS jersey.
1xSummer weight LS jersey.
3xSleeveless base layers.
1xLS base layer.
2xKnee warmers.
1xThermal tights.
Each type of head garb.
2xSummer weight gloves.
1xGavia gloves.
2xAlaska socks.
2xOslo socks.
4xSummer socks.
1xHelmet.
1xShoes.
1XHR strap, fresh batteries.
1xGavia jacket.
1xTool jacket.
1xGore rain pants.
1xShowers Pass rain cape.
Embrocation.
Chamios cream.
Not to seem like a complete goober, this is for 2 days of riding so that's what the duplicate summer poop is for
Next up. Bike prep. Stay tuned.
-Jim.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
MurderKill prep, part3, the bike😀
Seriously? I'm a mad pro mechanic, I lubed my chain and taped the route guide to my bars. Done.
Next up? That's pretty much it. I'll put some odds and ends for the overnight stay in my bookbag. Extra change of clothes, iPod, chain lube, cake. I'm going to sleep. Just packing all this poop has improved my cold 10 fold, starting to get a bit excited.
Joe and I are heading up first thing in the morning. We want to get there early enough to pre-ride the last 40k before packet pick-up. A ton of dudes will be up there where we're staying in Saratoga so we'll get a nice evening out I'm sure😀
-Jim.
Seriously? I'm a mad pro mechanic, I lubed my chain and taped the route guide to my bars. Done.
Next up? That's pretty much it. I'll put some odds and ends for the overnight stay in my bookbag. Extra change of clothes, iPod, chain lube, cake. I'm going to sleep. Just packing all this poop has improved my cold 10 fold, starting to get a bit excited.
Joe and I are heading up first thing in the morning. We want to get there early enough to pre-ride the last 40k before packet pick-up. A ton of dudes will be up there where we're staying in Saratoga so we'll get a nice evening out I'm sure😀
-Jim.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I like food😀
I was studying the elevation profile today and realized that 2 climbs in the first 1/2 are the same pitch and duration as Stage Road so you'll get an idea of what that last climb will be like pretty early on😉
-Jim.
you ate all the waffles, huh?
MarkyMark
New Member
After you do the race once you'll remember where each of those spikes are due to the pain they inflict!!
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
Rock and roll son!
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Battenkill!!
Me and Joey left bright and early, around 9am. Lollygagged up here and found the reg area etc. We hit the 1st bit of the course. I wanted to check out the bridge off 313 everyone said we're gonna die. They're right, it's super sketchy!!
Hit the first few climbs to see what the jist of the course will be. The field is gonna blow apart pretty early I think. After the bridge a few miles in it's gets rolly pretty quick. There's a few dirt rollers before the first actual climb. The first climb has 2 stages to it, don't go away on the first one😀
There's a sick almost 180 degree turn off that road onto Juniper Swamp Road, which is dirt. There's a few rollers and then it makes a left into a dirt wall!! Shit is going down there!! SO STEEP!!
After that we pretty much jumped onto Rt22 and TT'd back into town. We skipped the big daddy, Jim Something road. It's 2 times as tall as everything else on the route profile and comes after a false flat on Rt22. Gonna hurt. A lot.
Grabbed our numbers and are back at the hotel already. Packed full of racers!! We're gonna head out in a few to the supermarket over here to get fluids and such. And sunscreen!! I actually got sunburn today, it's like 60 up here. Sweet!!
-Jim.
Me and Joey left bright and early, around 9am. Lollygagged up here and found the reg area etc. We hit the 1st bit of the course. I wanted to check out the bridge off 313 everyone said we're gonna die. They're right, it's super sketchy!!
Hit the first few climbs to see what the jist of the course will be. The field is gonna blow apart pretty early I think. After the bridge a few miles in it's gets rolly pretty quick. There's a few dirt rollers before the first actual climb. The first climb has 2 stages to it, don't go away on the first one😀
There's a sick almost 180 degree turn off that road onto Juniper Swamp Road, which is dirt. There's a few rollers and then it makes a left into a dirt wall!! Shit is going down there!! SO STEEP!!
After that we pretty much jumped onto Rt22 and TT'd back into town. We skipped the big daddy, Jim Something road. It's 2 times as tall as everything else on the route profile and comes after a false flat on Rt22. Gonna hurt. A lot.
Grabbed our numbers and are back at the hotel already. Packed full of racers!! We're gonna head out in a few to the supermarket over here to get fluids and such. And sunscreen!! I actually got sunburn today, it's like 60 up here. Sweet!!
-Jim.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
Battenkill
SO. MUCH. PAIN!! This race kinda hurt a bit. I knew by Juniper Swamp that I wasn't gonna have a great day. By then Joe Mundi and Rob were gone off the back, Angelo got a flat, and Norm and I crested the top like "WTF!!??, is this for realz!!??" Burned match #1 closing a gap back to the field. Too early for that poop. Got popped again in the first feed zone of all places? I sat up for like a millisecond to see if Allison was there and bam!! I'm off the back. This was on a fast road section so I really had to dig to get back on. Damnit, another match or 4. The field sowed down on the Rt64 climb so I was able to get a little recovery in but I've already been working a bit too hard, I knew Jim Bean would be the end of my day.
Sho' Nuf!! Jim Bean murdered my face in the face. I talked to Norm for like 20 seconds at the bottom and that was the last time I saw anyone I knew. Chased the wheel car for a bit and made contact with the pack on the descent but I was just delaying the inevitable. At this point I'd averaged over 300 watts. FML.
Allison catches me in the 2nd feed zone and I grabbed a bottle, which I think could have actually saved my life!! Just after I catch the wheel car again and I see the field up ahead. Jumped onto the bumper and drafted the wheel car all the way up to the next dirt section. There were 2 jamican dudes yelling at out the window, I can't repeat much of what they said, but it's what I needed to hear😀
Just as soon as we hit the dirt I sit up because the car is kicking up so much crap I can't see. We're on a sketchy descent and there's an ambulance with a dude laying in a ditch on the side of the road. I don't want to be that guy. At this point there's a bunch of rollers and I'm going through guys left and right. No one's in my field though, it's just the guys that got dropped from the previous groups. While it felt like I was making up tons of ground, I wasn't. Catch up to another familiar face on the pavement before Meeting House, Eric. I'm in TT mode still and this group isn't going hard enough so I pull off the front. Repeat that process for the rest of the race. I didn't want or ask for help from anyone, just kept it in TT mode and chased, at no point did I sit up and say my day was over.
After Stage road I knew the end was near. 10k full power (or full power at the end of a 3+ hour day). Either way, most of it was over 350 watts and about 25mph. I went by at least 10 guys in my field during that time alone. I didn't know it at the time but I almost worked back to Normie, he finished just ahead of me, albeit we had VERY different days on the bike. I suffered like a dog by myself. Damn that was HARD!!
So, I'm not disappointed in how I rode, I went hard the whole time. 300 watt average for over 3 hours. Just under 20mph average. I went harder than I've ever gone I think. However, and effort like that in conjunction with actually making the moves and playing the game correctly would do wonders, I'll be back!!
It was good to see everyone up there, so many friendly faces!! People were yelling at me from all over the place. I'm sorry if I didn't say hi at the time, I was busy dying😀
Thank you Allison for feeding, you saved my life, I ran out of bottles before the second feed zone. They would've found me in a week from now lying in a ditch alongside Meeting House Road:drooling:
Here's my recovery meal.
Here's the murder file.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78566168
My legs feel surprisingly good this morning. The rest of me is a bit sore though. And dehydrated. Need to recover if I'll have any chance of doing the shop ride tomorrow.
-Jim.
SO. MUCH. PAIN!! This race kinda hurt a bit. I knew by Juniper Swamp that I wasn't gonna have a great day. By then Joe Mundi and Rob were gone off the back, Angelo got a flat, and Norm and I crested the top like "WTF!!??, is this for realz!!??" Burned match #1 closing a gap back to the field. Too early for that poop. Got popped again in the first feed zone of all places? I sat up for like a millisecond to see if Allison was there and bam!! I'm off the back. This was on a fast road section so I really had to dig to get back on. Damnit, another match or 4. The field sowed down on the Rt64 climb so I was able to get a little recovery in but I've already been working a bit too hard, I knew Jim Bean would be the end of my day.
Sho' Nuf!! Jim Bean murdered my face in the face. I talked to Norm for like 20 seconds at the bottom and that was the last time I saw anyone I knew. Chased the wheel car for a bit and made contact with the pack on the descent but I was just delaying the inevitable. At this point I'd averaged over 300 watts. FML.
Allison catches me in the 2nd feed zone and I grabbed a bottle, which I think could have actually saved my life!! Just after I catch the wheel car again and I see the field up ahead. Jumped onto the bumper and drafted the wheel car all the way up to the next dirt section. There were 2 jamican dudes yelling at out the window, I can't repeat much of what they said, but it's what I needed to hear😀
Just as soon as we hit the dirt I sit up because the car is kicking up so much crap I can't see. We're on a sketchy descent and there's an ambulance with a dude laying in a ditch on the side of the road. I don't want to be that guy. At this point there's a bunch of rollers and I'm going through guys left and right. No one's in my field though, it's just the guys that got dropped from the previous groups. While it felt like I was making up tons of ground, I wasn't. Catch up to another familiar face on the pavement before Meeting House, Eric. I'm in TT mode still and this group isn't going hard enough so I pull off the front. Repeat that process for the rest of the race. I didn't want or ask for help from anyone, just kept it in TT mode and chased, at no point did I sit up and say my day was over.
After Stage road I knew the end was near. 10k full power (or full power at the end of a 3+ hour day). Either way, most of it was over 350 watts and about 25mph. I went by at least 10 guys in my field during that time alone. I didn't know it at the time but I almost worked back to Normie, he finished just ahead of me, albeit we had VERY different days on the bike. I suffered like a dog by myself. Damn that was HARD!!
So, I'm not disappointed in how I rode, I went hard the whole time. 300 watt average for over 3 hours. Just under 20mph average. I went harder than I've ever gone I think. However, and effort like that in conjunction with actually making the moves and playing the game correctly would do wonders, I'll be back!!
It was good to see everyone up there, so many friendly faces!! People were yelling at me from all over the place. I'm sorry if I didn't say hi at the time, I was busy dying😀
Thank you Allison for feeding, you saved my life, I ran out of bottles before the second feed zone. They would've found me in a week from now lying in a ditch alongside Meeting House Road:drooling:
Here's my recovery meal.
Here's the murder file.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78566168
My legs feel surprisingly good this morning. The rest of me is a bit sore though. And dehydrated. Need to recover if I'll have any chance of doing the shop ride tomorrow.
-Jim.
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
Boom! Pow! Ouch! Next year you will know what to expect. Its crazy hard! Good job Son!