Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Getting closer.....

April 29th is out in front by a good margin.

Once my own schedule settles down a bit, I'll finalize it.

Start time and place remains Point State Park. 5:00 am or whenever I roll up.

20 comments:

Apis said...

Is anyone planning on a more leisurely effort? I'm aiming at sub-60 hours ride time, not total time. I'm too old and arthritic to try it in any real hard way.

TomH said...

I am using the randonneuring standard of 15 kph, so 42 hrs total.

Reddan said...

I'm vacillating between a 36-40 hour effort, and going for broke with a sub-32 (total time).

Of course, if I shoot for sub-32 and blow up, I'll most likely end up somewhere around 40-42 anyway...

Eric said...

hotdamn. sub32 is no joke. im hoping ~40hrs total.

what kind of sleep plan are you thinking of doing this year Dan?

TomH said...

I plan on using my 42 hrs like this: A 13 mph moving average equals 30 hrs riding time. Add 4 hrs for random food stops, etc. Add 6 hrs for a comfy overnight. 40 hrs total time. Leaves me 2 hrs to deal with random problems I can't predict.

DC said...

This rookie is on the 60 hour plan. Sunday by 5:00pm. 150 miles on Fri / 150 miles on Sat / 80 on Sun.

Reddan said...

Heh...If I go for sub-32, the sleep plan will consist of naught but as-needed power naps. Save me a few bucks on a motel somewhere.

That said, 36-40 hours sounds a lot more reasonable.

I may just wing it, and see how I feel after getting to Chambersburg.

Eric said...

Hah yah I figured that. Guess it matters the weather a bit if i was going to try that, like the idea though. About how far is Chambersburg, ~200?

Reddan said...

Chambersburg's roughly 225. In 2009, Patrick and I rolled in there around 1 AM; I was an utter wreck.

Chambersburg is also the last place for quite a while to get a motel, or even any late-night food: as far as I know, you're out of luck from there until York, a good 50 miles further on.

TomH said...

A 600K (which this essentially is) is almost do-able without any sleep stops at all. This makes a 32 hr pretty realistic for certain people considering what moving average speed you'd have to maintain (perhaps as little as 13.5 mph). For the majority of us though, at least a 3 hr nap is going to keep us a lot safer and make for a more enjoyable ride /race.

Reddan said...

Here's my first cut at an actual ride plan, with average speed guestimates for each leg. Note that this doesn't include any sleep time at all, but gets me in before noon on Saturday, so I've got a bit of time for naps before hitting the 32-hour mark.

TomH said...

Interesting Dan. I see you're as obsessive as me. :) It seems the key to doing the whole thing without sleeping would be to do it fast. A 12,13,14 mph average speed just keeps you out on the course too long. But road conditions, weather, and terrain make a 16 to 18 mph moving average pretty difficult. (too difficult for me anyway). I think that's how fast I'd have to be able to go to avoid sleeping.

greaterbrown said...

I'm interested, but confused. (go figure)

The route begins in P'burgh and goes to Philly. True?
Then why are there ride reports going east->west?
-Bob in Baltimore

TomH said...

Bob in Balto: The direction alternates every year.

Reddan said...

Tom: I agree about speed being key to avoiding sleep.

I suspect a fit and experienced rando-nerd or ultracyclist could train, peak for this race, and probably pound through in 24-26 hours.

4 consecutive 6-hour centuries is no joke, but not unheard of, even over "real" terrain.

That said, such finishing times are not even remotely in my personal forecast.

Crush the Commonwealth said...

I'm sure plenty of riders could knock out this ride in 24 hours, but that assumes support. I'd me mighty impressed with that time by someone eating Sheetz the whole way.

Eric said...

Thanks Dan, I will have to check the document when I get out of work.

Haha yah, theres the trade off. You either bring lots and lots of food and weight yourself down, or you eat at sheetz :)

Reddan said...

You either bring lots and lots of food and weight yourself down, or you eat at sheetz :)

I do both. This is why I don't lose weight on long rides. :-)

Apis said...

I'd be more concerned about having proper and sufficient clothes. Crossing the Alleghenies (Somerset and Donegal area) can include snow squalls in late April.

As for 24-26 hour times...possible on pavement, but isn't his going to include @ 90 miles of crushed limestone? If it remains dry, OK. If it rains or snows that trail can get mushy, no?

TomH said...

Apis - the rail trail isn't the slowest part of the course, necessarily. It's nearly flat after all. The variable is how wet it is - riding it in the rain or right after it rains can indeed be kinda slow. But it seems to drain well and dry off quickly, so a rain the day before means the trail is pretty dry, and therefore reasonably fast.