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Early D2R2 Callout
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Garvin
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 193
Location: NH Seacoast

4/11/13 10:30 PM

Early D2R2 Callout

I saw Dan signed up for the full magilla 180k so I decided to keep him company (at least at the start!). My training has been less than optimal as of late.

Anyone else from the Forum going?

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

4/12/13 2:35 AM

The Big Enchilada

Yeah I'm signed up for the 180, though whether I actually ride and/or finish it remains to be seen. But it's early, and hopes for this quixotic mission run high! I know I have to ramp up my prep to have a reasonable shot. I'm riding pretty well now, but I gotta do more. Misery loves company, Garvin!

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

4/12/13 5:31 AM

Linda and I will probably go...

...though I expect that we'll probably do the 100 K or maybe the 115K.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

4/12/13 7:16 AM

This looks absolutely insane...

When does registration usually fill up?

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

4/12/13 7:32 AM

Looks can be deceiving

But not in this case - it is insane (at least the longer versions). I don't think it fills up too quick (if at all) (but don't rely on that).

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

4/12/13 8:20 AM

If I do it

I'd likely do no more than 100K, maybe less. However, looking at the date, it falls the weekend after my anniversary, sooooo it might not be too cool. :-)

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Garvin
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 193
Location: NH Seacoast

4/12/13 12:50 PM

D2R2 doesn't always sell out

I know the event has sold out in the past but it is usually pretty close to ride date. They implemented a sliding reg fee but I don't know how much that would impact registrations.

The epicness of the event (especially the longer courses) makes it very attractive to a lot of cyclists but by the same measure many folks won't commit until they are fit and prepared. The fear that the course will eat their lunch is well documented but it continues to be my validation of the ability to suffer...and suffer...and suffer. Reg fee does continue to go up but it's still a relative bargain to some of the other limited entry events like Mt Washington and Brewery to Brewery.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

4/12/13 8:08 PM

I'll make the call closer to the time

I don't bother to early register for any limited entry event that's not a race (and I don't race road bike). If the event is getting too popular, I move on.

The cue sheet is on their web site. So if it sells out, I'll ride it in September, when the weather will likely be better anyway.

I'm a bit doubtful I'll be doing it this year. I'm still skiing and haven't been on my bike even once yet! When the snow is all gone, I plan to tryn a bit of white water slalom racing, which will run till end of May/early June. So I don't envision getting any consistant mileage till sometime in June. That doesn't give me much time to get in shape for D2R2 in late August...

But who knows? If the weather stays cool and dry, I could easily put in enough mileage between June and August to be able to give a go at the shorter distance. Assuming they don't sell out, and the weather is condusive for that weekend, I'll probably attempt again the 150k, the route I like the most from the "sampler segment" I did last year. I know the area well enough now, so if I'm running out of steam, I know my way and how to skip the last big bump.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

4/13/13 8:07 AM

Andy...

We did the 40 mile loop last year and it was a lot of fun. There are some pretty steep hills, but nothing extreme. As I recall, the worst of them (at least it felt that way) was on pavement in the last few miles.

It was a fun adventure in many ways:

We got there late, had no one in front of us to follow and ended up getting lost on the dirt roads that cross the farm near the start. That added about 3 miles and screwed up the cue sheet numbers. We also missed the right turn at Dunkin Donuts and ended up riding part of the course backwards. None of this really mattered as it all worked itself out and we had a great time. If we had been there on time, we wouldn't have had any problems, but we wouldn't have had much of the course to ourselves, which made it rather peaceful.

April's idea of just riding the course on your own at some other time is a good one, especially for the shorter courses where you really don't need the feed stations. Last year's weather was good, but I can see where this ride could become a "death march" on a typical 90+ degree, humid August day or in the rain. I'll bet that the routes are absolutely gorgeous in the fall!

Perhaps a donation to the Franklin Land Trust would be in order, if you ride it on your own, for their efforts in mapping the routes, if nothing else.

Personally, I think the organizers are shooting themselves in the foot with the graduated entry fee system that starts so far before the event. I've never seen anything like this elsewhere and it seems pointless. I also suspect that it turns off a lot of people who hear about the event in July - over a month and a half before the event - when it's too late to get a discount and they see that they're getting tagged for an extra $50 compared to some participants.

The way they do the fees for the 40-miler makes much more sense and is more typical of what other events do, though perhaps the cutoff for the long rides should be 7-30 days before the event, rather than one day. As someone who has promoted larger (non-cycling) events, it seems to me that the only consideration for the organizers is how much food and beverages they'll need on the day of the ride. The courses and the number of staff required are the same, regardless of how many people show up. I just don't understand their thinking.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

4/13/13 8:21 AM

Brian

Thanks for the info. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I sort of miss the dirt-road riding (honestly, more dirt-trail riding; Tommy Thompson got nearly every other surface paved!) in Wisconsin. I may give the 40 a try if I get the chance.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

4/14/13 8:24 PM


quote:
Personally, I think the organizers are shooting themselves in the foot with the graduated entry fee system that starts so far before the event.

Brian, if by shooting themselvess in the foot, you mean they won't fill the event, that wouldn't be such a bad thing for the articipants. When I first did it (probably year 2 or 3), there were only like 150-200 riders. It felt a lot more intimate, more like a club ride, less like an "event".

In terms of fund raising, they can charge whatever they want, people will flog to this. You can bet on it. The challenge is to raise as much as possible but without shutting out those without a deep pocket. More over, I actually agree with them in raising the registration fee by July. They probably don't want to make it too "attractive" for late entries of people who just "found out" about the ride in July and want to do it without putting in the needed preparation for the challenge. After all, how many people have a cross (or dirt capable) bike and knows what it entails to ride 100k on dirt roads?

In fact, I'll make a bet that you and your girl friend, once you've done the 100k, you'll be so hooked you can't wait to sign up in the winter to do the longer distance the next year! It happened to me, it's now happenig to Dan... :D


quote:
April's idea of just riding the course on your own at some other time is a good one, especially for the shorter courses where you really don't need the feed stations. Last year's weather was good, but I can see where this ride could become a "death march" on a typical 90+ degree, humid August day or in the rain. I'll bet that the routes are absolutely gorgeous in the fall!

Perhaps a donation to the Franklin Land Trust would be in order, if you ride it on your own, for their efforts in mapping the routes, if nothing else.

Once you know the area, you can do even the longest distance without the feed station. That's not the reason I pay to do it every year, it's for the commeradary. And it's a hard enough ride I need the motivation to do it on THAT DATE. Or it wouldn't happen.

But if it sells out, I then see no problem doing it on my own, of the shorter distance. Given I've paid and done it almost all the years since I discovered it (except one other year they put in a cap and sold out), I feel differently about donating myself. Perhaps a smaller amount, since you're not getting another service but the route planning part. Granted, the real reason for donating, is to preserve the land the way it is that we so enjoy riding it.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

8/23/13 5:06 PM

So... Who'll be there tomorrow?

I will. And I know Dan will too. Who else had decided to join?

And as in the last few years, I'll be doing a random mix-n-match of the various distance and call it my own course.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

8/23/13 5:15 PM

I'm already here

And I actually haven't decided which to do tomorrow yet. I'm not going to do the monster-epic - I'm riding pretty well but I haven't done the prep for that. Hope to see you out there April.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

8/23/13 5:39 PM

Will leave in an hr

(I'm only 2 1/2 hrs away)


quote:
And I actually haven't decided which to do tomorrow yet.

You've done most of the 115 last year. So if not 180, you have the choice of 100 or 150. Not too hard to choose... :D

While I'm riding as well (or as poorly) as in the last couple years, I"ve been taking medication for the last 2 weeks for something else that crop up. That made me fatigue and sleepless at the same time. The routine just finished yesterday so I'm hoping the side effect will go away by tomorrow. I'm not even sure what time I'll be there... but basically, I'll be mixing and matching the less hilly parts of the different distances to form a loop of probably 50-60 miles.

I'll look for you at dinner! ;o)

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/23/13 5:43 PM

Safe ride y'all!

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walter
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 4391
Location: metro-motown-area

8/23/13 9:22 PM

what sort of bikes/tyres/etc are y'all riding?

seem like an MTB is called for!

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

8/23/13 9:38 PM

Bike

cyclecross, of course.

And, quite by coincident, both Dan and I have the same bike: Gunner Crosshare

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

8/24/13 2:31 PM

had a spill...

dan, if you're still in thearea, can call me

Last edited by April on 8/24/13 8:33 PM; edited 1 time in total

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/24/13 8:02 PM

"had a spill... "

Hope not serious...

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

8/24/13 8:39 PM

Broke left collarbone for sure, and some road rash. The next few day will tell if that's all there's.

Dan came to the ER, stayed with me to cheer me up. Big help sorting things out.

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Garvin
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 193
Location: NH Seacoast

8/24/13 9:54 PM

Ouch

Sorry to hear about your crash April. I think I saw you at the lunch stop but wasn't sure. I didn't check the forum the past few days to see who was going.

Dan glad I spotted you. Gave me a little boost prior to lunch. You were riding very well. I certainly couldn't keep up with you on the ups at least.

Weather was great. Roads were a little loose and dusty not having any rain in awhile but I still shaved a half hour + off my best time.

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sandiway
Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 4902
Location: back in Tucson

8/24/13 10:20 PM


quote:
Broke left collarbone for sure, and some road rash.


Ouch. What happened? Best wishes for a speedy recovery...

Sandiway

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

8/25/13 7:13 AM

Another day at the D2R2

Regarding April, I'll just say that she had the ER doc and nurses chuckling at her stoicism and total lack of self-pity. They probably wish they had more patients like April. With good fortune her collarbone and scrapes will heal naturally and that will be the end of it.

Great to see Garvin on the road. His comments must be construed with the additional fact that he rode nearly twice as far as I did (he did the 180k, God bless him, while I did the 100 which was plenty).

I loved the ride. My Garmin 200 showed 65 miles which took me about 6 hours total time. The GPS ascent FWIW was about 7200'. The hardest parts though were 2 steep, washboard/gravelly descents. Not technically difficult, but you felt like you were holding two jackhammers instead of handlebars. Talk about a whole body workout, my triceps were sore from holding a death grip on the brakes.

Lots of cool bikes there - a couple of awesome Peter Weigle rando bikes. The organizer/ guru Sandy Whittlesley complimented my Gunnar as I stood at the starting corral. He liked Gunnars, liked the VO crank, Clement tires, ATAC pedals. I didn't even know it was him at the time, nice guy.

Otherwise, thanks to Garvin and my riding buddy Frank for keeping me on course, otherwise I may have ended up in Burlington or somewhere.

April, hope all goes well and you get back to the Big Apple today according to plan. I'll call in a couple days to make sure you're following your Discharge Instructions. :)

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sandiway
Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 4902
Location: back in Tucson

8/26/13 2:10 AM

equipment?

Just curious, what is the right width tire for the ride? How much tread? That'll determine what bikes would be feasible.

Sandiway

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

8/26/13 3:47 AM

Bike/tire choice

The best quote I've seen is "you don't have the right bike, no matter what bike you have." There are smooth dirt, gnarly dirt, and road sections. I (far from an expert) use Clement cross tires (33 I think) made for fast, dry conditions so not a lot of tread. They work for me. You see just about everything, from 25 or 28 road tires to, this year, freakin' 4" tires on a Fatback. There are a good number of full rando rigs, this year I saw several with the 42 red Gran Bois Hertres tires. I was told one beautiful Peter Weigle rando bike had "shaved" Hertres (rando weight weenie?)

The guru Mr. Whittlesley says he generally prefers 25 or 28 road tires, but because of the dry conditions this year (more sand/gravel, severe washboard) suggested fatter, 28-32 tires. Personally I woudn't want anything to do with road tires on this course regardless of course condition (I want both more air and rubber under me) but I'm old, heavy and have no offroad skills (we were talking about descending skills, and I said my only descending skill is braking).

Back to the Fatback. We encountered that guy on a trail and after chatting he rode away from us. I thought "that guy's riding away from me on a freaking tractor." I saw him afterwards, he rode the 180k in 9.5 hours, which leaves me pretty much speechless.

There are just endless cool bikes (and people) at this event.

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