One of the guys I rode with this year was on a cutthroat and did fine. He didn’t have a suspension fork, but he did have a redshift stem that he loved. I think 1x12 eagle is the way to go for this course, but there will be plenty of people on XPLR as well. The queen stage this year had a 3mi segment of 10+% grade that made that a must have for me.
Definitely do the strength training (always good advice tbh). Also spend some time working on skills if you can. There’s a fair bit of sand, which can sap your will to live even if you don’t struggle, but it’s pure death if you do. It also helps to be confident descending and to be able to get aero because eastern Oregon can get quite windy.
Coming from Texas riding and races I’ve found in deep sand the best bet is to hit it fast/higher cadence and lean back to keep as much weight off the front as possible and not to let up on the power. Allows you to float through a bit easier, the leaning back more than anything.
Doesn’t make it any less physically taxing, but a little less mentally taxing if you can stay in control
Great feedback and thanks! I appreciate all that advice. I’m probably going to go with Redshift stem to start. The Cutty will be built out Shimano 1x12 with a White crank & 40T up front to start (current plan.) I may end up with XTR and 38T up front. I have a Diverge as well but was thinking something like the Cutthroat and some 2.1-2.2” tires might be the way to go. I’m riding with two friends and I’m a fairly long-time user of TR. My plan going forward is to weave Dialed Health into the mix as I transition from PT from shoulder surgery back to strength training.
Sand definitely sucks. I’ve ridden in it a bit but not for extended periods. Leaning back and low cadence higher power has been my practice in the past, but only for short patches.
Hit sand at a high cadence, which then gets lower when you slow but not having to shift. Avoiding shifting or anything that would momentarily stop power (as much as possible) is ideal. There’s very little coasting in sand and very hard to get going again if you stop.
Holidays are almost over and I am rebuilding my Adaptive Training Plan with GTGG as my A race. My question is this, what would be the best “discipline” or type of plan to build around? Rolling Road? Gravel? I am not racing it, I am surviving it and want to just be as prepared as possible. I’ve been riding and training the last two months on an improve climbing plan, which is done in about a week or so.
I think if you put it in as a gravel stage race, plan builder will do the rest for you. It’ll likely come out as some variation of the gravel/gran fondo plan.
They are mass start, timed, an overall podium at the finish (but I’ve never been there in time to see it). No classes, just a list of finish times. There is also an overall GC like score for the entire series. IMO they are the best combination of good course, good promotion, all the things you need, and not the fluff you don’t.
Check out the Cascadia Super G too. It’s in Capitol Forest by Oly, probably not far from you. It is very different to a lot of gravel events. It’s hillier, rougher, and tends to have some singletrack thrown in. There is also a series of 2-3 events on the Olympic Peninsula. And then further from you, the Snoqualmie GRIT is at Snoqualmie pass. It is also some rougher gravel.
Thanks for the advice. That’s exactly what I did. I’ve been using TR for quite a while but it I know the AT keeps updating and getting better and I want to be sure to take advantage of it the best I can.