Moab was good training. It was fun too but this weekend was about more than that for me. I was hauling a reasonable approximation of my multi-day trip load, spent much of the time sleep deprived and got some solo middle of the night riding done. I think I'd definitely rather ride my bike tired than drive tired. Driving to Fruita on Saturday night was brutal on me and involved several highway on-ramp naps to arrive safely. More stories and pictures to come, hopefully tonight. I had the early shift at work this morning so I'll be crashing near the couch around 2pm hopefully.
I'm feeling better about the Grand Loop in June and TransIowa but a bit more nervous about the Rim Ride after seeing first hand just how hard the course is going to be. There will definitely be some recovery time afterwords. I don't think most people realize how big an ass kicker it's going to be in only 80 miles (if you ignore the road ride back to the finish). Better be fit and bring some technical skills to finish in the daylight. This is not like riding the White Rim in a day. All I can say is, I hope no one gets caught unprepared on Gold Bar after dark and there is no water out on course right now. I will be carrying 150oz minimum and am seriously considering starting with 200oz. Single or geared? Not sure yet. I was definitely missing my Reba this weekend though on the full rigid Monocog. If I run SS the 36x22 will probably make it's first race appearance. Up down up down up down up down on steep slick rock will wear on anyone. More later...
11 comments:
Good Stuff!
Thanks for driving I know I was in a zombie state Saturday night!
I'll bring some money up to on Friday for gas... Maybe a lunch spin fri?
You rigid singlespeeders are crazy! That is all I have to say about that. :)
Glad you came back in one piece! Sounds hard to me... just make sure you aren't TOO zombie-ish for my birthday -- remember that, it's coming up too... hint hint hint.
Chris:
You must stop pushing the limit driving. Doesn't sound safe when you are doing all this riding and then driving.
You need a designated driver for these extraordinary rides. You won't get an second chance if you fall asleep driving your car...and it can happen.
Dad.
Ummm that's why I stopped and slept twice. I like having a driver but it's not always feasable.
Chris, how is the Ion pack working out? Is it comfortable to ride in with a load? Do hydration bladders slosh around inside the pack since there are no compression straps to keep everything in place?
I really like the Ion so far. In fact going back to the Flash UL has been a bit disappointing since the Ion's shoulder straps are SO much better. Perhaps I need to cut the shoulder straps off my Dawn and sew a ~600-800 cubic inch version of the Ion. The problem is that the Ion is a big pack so unless it's full with UL camping gear, it's a bit big for normal riding. Now with a sleep pad as a burrito style frame and my insulation items stablizing the bottom the pack just rules. No problems with the hydration pack so far either. It just pokes the tube out it's little protected spot and the bladder is inside the sleeping pad frame. Crashed on it in Moab and you can't even tell at all. The straps are way long though so I'm going to finish the "mods" soon and see what the final weight is. Probably between 8 and 9 ounces. I'll be hard pressed to take another pack on multiday trips this year. I think this one has the right mix of comfort, size and durability for me. Now my insulating layer and sleeping bag need more work. Maybe the bivy too if I get around to it although there are more gains in weight and warmth in a custom down quilt.
Thanks Chris. I am a self-supported race noob but I am leaning towards KTR this year. Gulp. Do you think the Ion would work with a MSR 6 liter Dromlite bladder in it and not much else? Or would there be too much "empty space" in the pack?
I think the Ion is too big for that. For a 6L bladder I'd use a REI Flash UL. That's only ~13 lbs including pack when it's full and I've had that much in the Flash before. It was fine for me although for 20lbs I might take the wider straps on the Ion.
Thanks again. I like the size, and price, of the Flash but I think I need a waist belt to keep it from flopping when I unleash my mad (not) downhill skillz. :) I wish I had an REI within 200 miles of me.
The flash has a waist belt and sternum strap. If you cut the straps to the right length and remove teh inside pockets you can lose even more weight off them too :)
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