Gap Training Advice for Barry Roubaix

If it’s wet/rainy use the knobby tire. If it’s dry/fast use the filetread. It really depend on your level of comfort riding on a loose surface. If you’re used to it, the file tread is definitely the way to go.

There is one section called Sager Rd. that they use if it’s dry and the terrain there is sandy and soft – but it’s only about 1.5km long. You’ll hate your life and your tires during that section, but for the rest of the ride, faster is better. If it’s raining, they route the race around Sager Rd. – but the rest of the course will then be an issue.

If it’s wet, some of the lower lying areas will feel like you’re riding through peanut butter – so the knobs would be better.

Good luck!

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Hey @MuddyPuddle how was your PsycoKiller experience?

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to the race, my wife was in the ER up until Saturday. Everything is good now, I heard it was quite the event from my friends that did go. Hopefully I can attend next year. For now back to training for the Coast 2 Coast event.

@MuddyPuddle
Good to hear that she is ok. There is always another race. People really like the Coast to Coast. Pace and Eat for that one!

I’ve been lurking on this thread for tips from the first post because I was signed up for Barry-Roubaix this year. I wasn’t going to chime in but since MuddyPuddle wasn’t able to race I figured I’d throw in a blurb about my experience. As a note, this was my first B-R and actually my first ever gravel ride so I don’t really know what I’m talking about. And I did the 62-mile SRAM Killer course, not the PsychoKiller.

Obviously I don’t have much to compare it to, but it was awesome! The weather was great, the course was in fantastic condition, there were a ton of riders, and it was well organized.

I’m a very low-level recreational rider and triathlete so I just kind of slotted it in as B Race during my general build phase with no specific preparation or goals. My pre-ride and in-ride logistics were terrible, and my bike prep was not good either (coulda used fresh tires and bar tape…and bottle cages woulda been a good idea :roll_eyes: …) but physically I felt great.

I was worried about the climbs because there were so many and so punchy and I hadn’t done any outdoor riding yet this year. But with nothing other than 3.5 months of indoor TR workouts I ended up feeling really strong on the hills and that’s where I made up the most ground on other riders. I mean, my segment results were abysmal objectively, but relatively speaking I was way stronger on the climbs - especially the longer climbs - than on any other segments. Especially the Three Sisters and The Wall. So that was awesome. Way to go TR.

Other than a crash around mile 18 on Sager Road and the aforementioned logistics issues I felt like I had a great first B-R experience and really was pleasantly surprised how well TR prepared me for it. Kudos to TR and I highly recommend Barry-Roubaix (as if it needs my endorsement, right?).

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Big thanks to everyone here, I finished the Coast 2 Coast this weekend, even made my goal of the daylight award (finished in 15hr 22min, 11 min to spare for the cut off). I think I could have been about 20-30 min faster if not for some unexpected complications with gels and hydration mix all day that hit hard around the 3rd checkpoint. In the end though I don’t think I could have completed it with out the program here.

The race was really well run, and the people were great. The race starts out pretty fast minus a big mud hole about 8 miles in. The first 50 miles or so are pretty flat and quite fast, after that the hills start to come. But the real kicker that doesn’t seem to be in any of the brochures is the Manistee forest trails, nothing can prepare you for those 80 miles. So much sand, and every time you think you are starting to make up some time you are routed back into it. It was by far the most difficult thing I have ever accomplished. Today I am still hurting, but in a couple weeks I will probably think about signing up next year, maybe this time with my mountain bike and some wide fast rolling tires.

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