Also, Why would you go out and bury yourself on a recreational event? Sure, I could push 3.5w/kg up the climbs, but why? for what? Instead I could roll up at a much more reasonable pace and maybe get to know the stories of the people I’m sharing the road with.
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Gotta go fast.
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Thanks for checking in on everyone, @hdas
I agree with the rest on the ‘type’ of event. This is for charity and really the only competitive spirit is on the climbs. I love that part of it as I rode with folks who aren’t climbers so we would meet at the top and ride together until the next. I timed myself using the lap button for the Fonda and would have ended 10th overall for women 39 and under which I was happy with. Descents were freezing for my Arizona spirit!
I thought the event was absolutely exceptional - from preparation to execution. I went up early and even did one of the Team Evergreen prep rides. Natalie and Team Evergreen kicked it out of the park to me.
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Way to go!
My husband rode it - he survived and finished! Almost bailed around mile 80 but hung in there.
I cannot even imagine how much training it takes to get to that level of fitness/ability.
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I last did the ride in 08 and 09. 08 I finished 09 I did two of the three climbs. I should add 09 was the morning after a close friend’s wedding but I digress. I am planning on doing the ride next year with my adult son. I don’t live in CO, I live on the east coast and I stopped riding for many years. So I am really looking forward to the challenge. Thanks for starting this thread.
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Finished the event REALLY slowly, but got there. Really loved the event overall, the cokes at the Loveland aid station are the only reason I finished. They saved my life!
Had the stomach flu the week leading into the event but felt well enough by Friday to get on the bike and stretch the legs. Felt great up the first climb Saturday but completely fell apart on the bike path between Georgetown and Loveland. From about mile 41 to the finish I was completely limping home.
It was as challenging as I expected (wasn’t prepared for the cold!) and felt proud of myself to finish. Overall a great event that I hope to come back to and ride under better circumstances!
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So how did everyone do? I finished 8:40, I didn’t push it just enjoyed the ride. Anyone freeze descending down the mountains? I had arm warmers, gloves and a vest but I was shivering causing my bike to wobble. I couldn’t stop shivering until I was going again. The rain right before Vail kind of sucked,
Finished in 10:30 of riding time. Actual time was over 12 hours due to needing to contemplate what I was doing with my life on the side of the bike path up to Loveland, and then getting held at the Loveland aid station (someone had a heart attack on the mountain I heard??) . Was cold for the first few miles at the start and descending down into Vail in the wet, but not too bad otherwise. I did wish I thought to bring a vest and gloves though!
Agreed. The ride was very well organized in a very stressful time.
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I’ve done the Assault on Mt Mitchell, Blood Sweat and Gears, The California Death Ride and the Triple Bypass. These were some of the toughest century rides I could find. Thinking about the Leadville 100 or SBS gravel next year. Are there any other road rides I should consider that are on par with the one’s I’ve completed?
Alta Alpina 8 Pass Challenge, shares some of the DeathRide passes:
20,300 feet of climbing over 198 miles.
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CO2UT gravel in Fruita. There are a few distances with the longest being 185. You will seriously consider never touching your bike after it.
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Not to knock any of those but I find riding fondos / centuries to be completely different than a race environment like LT100. YMMV but there’s no pressure in the epic centuries to me other than to just finish at all. Very different from the pressure I feel at LT100 to hit the different buckle cut off times.
Also, no need to chose between Leadville and SBT. Do LeadBoat.
There’s the Six Gap ride in Georgia. I’ve never done it but the climbs are supposed to tough.
While that’s a fair point, I think the stakes are very different for most people. If you set a goal of X hours in a fondo and you finish X+1 minute I think 99% of people will still feel mission accomplished. If you go 9:01 or 12:01 at LT100, well better luck next year you’re not getting that buckle.
Even though vast majority aren’t truly “racing” others for a win or high AG placement, the energy and atmosphere of an actual race event is also really different in my experience than just deciding to ride fast at a fondo-style event.
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I like the way you’re thinking. That’s my dream to do those two rides on back-to-back days. As a 57-year-old with a full-time career, this might remain only a dream. Completing the other rides required all of my training time.
For me riding and finishing LT100 would be enough of an accomplishment. I’ve never sniffed the top 100 finishers in any ride with more than 104 participants. For me, it’s about the challenge of finishing rides that scare 99.99% of the population. The commitment to training and creating and executing a plan to finish. Regardless of the time. I would love to finish on the podium but as a guy who used to weigh 400 pounds, that’s never been me. It’s a win for me when I’ve executed my training, nutrition, hydration, rest, and recovery such that I finish. Since I’ve joined TR, I’ve learned so much that has made me a better athlete. I am not competing against anyone other than the person I was yesterday.
I love the Six Gap. Excellent suggestion. The starting point for the ride is approximately an hour from my home in Atlanta. I have ridden the Gaps many times in my training. It’s a gorgeous ride and such an easy to follow loop. The 10-12% grades on Hogpen Gap and Wolfpen Gap rival some of the toughest hills I’ve every ridden. Plus the layout makes it easy to modify the length and difficulty during a training ride.
Unfortunately, every time I’ve ridden the formal 6 gap, I’ve had a ride ending mechanical failure. The last time made me so mad I went out an purchased a new bike. I’ll probably try it again this year. Not to sound spoiled whinny kid but since I can ride it almost any weekend, it doesn’t feel as special as some of the others. I encourage anyone looking for a hard ride to close the season to give it a try. Thanks for a wonderful suggestion.