yes. you're right. slowman was thru there. lost 2 bottles. i rode a new bike for the first time, grabbed whatever cages i could find. so there you go.

i saw your result. bravo!

as for me, with 20 miles being my longest ride this year, i asked myself what would jimmy buffett do, and pretty much did that. it was great fun! and i can't believe what people do on 25mm tires on their road bikes.

paul thomas pulled out right around sutherland dam with afib (not his first afib rodeo) and after i finished (the half distance) i went to the hospital. josh berry (last year's winner, flatted this year and pulled out) came to see him. i asked and he said, yeah, 25mm. why? because that's what his sponsor had (at the time). man oh man.

PT is fine. he's in the next room as i'm writing this. he'll be back on the bike in a day or two, and if he rides with me he won't be riding very hard. i'm his governor.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I rode the Wafer on my Trek Crockett cyclocross bike with Clement X'plor USH 35mm tires. Those are my go to tires for multi surface rides. The center ridge is smooth and fast rolling on the pavement, and the small knobs on the side give me a little grip in the dirt. I felt bad for all the people struggling with skinny road tires at high pressure.

I had a blast for the first 55+ miles before the final climb at the end. My legs were feeling really good. For a while I was thinking maybe I could have finished the Waffle. I should have ate more during the ride. The first aid station was out of water when I got there, luckily I still had 1 full bottle to get me to the next aid station. I bonked heading up to double peak. I ended up walking part of the hill. Some spectators were encouraging me and another rider that was walking to get back on the bike and finish the climb in the saddle. They gave us a nice push which enabled me to ride to the peak. My legs still felt like crap though and almost cramped as I rolled into the aid station. The downhill sections back to the finish were fun.


I saw Slowman arrive at the aid station around 45 miles with no bottles. Luckily they had extra bottles to give out to people that lost theirs.

It did the Wafer with 25's last year and did walk a few sections. I figured I could do it since Tom A said that 25's shouldn't be a problem. I heard this year's dirt was even more technical.

Buddy of mine did it and started the ride with a slow group. A little before the first aid station two of the guys tangled and went down. One broke his pelvis so they waited for the ambulance. By the time they got to the first aid station it had packed up. But he said things went much faster after that since the slowest rider stayed with the broken pelvis guy.

I was working the 100-mile aid station, and it was pretty grim. I arrived for my shift at a time when I thought all the fit guys would be long gone, and I saw some badass racer-types still coming through just looking shattered. Had a a very fit Olympic rower (2004), Luke Walton, hauled out of our aid station on a stretcher with what looked like heat exhaustion. The course was hard on bikes. The Velofix tent guys at our station seemed to be working non-stop.

Thanks...believe it or not, I was feeling so bad after bonking that I almost pulled out at the last rest stop before Double-Peak...

Jay had told me about Paul after I finished. I'm glad to hear he's doing OK.

Yeah...been there, done that on ~25mm road tires. It's "do-able" (I only pinch-flatted one time in the 2 years on a pure road bike), but I think previous long-term fully-rigid MTB experience helps with line choice and such if you're going to do that. All of the single-track and the washboard laden roads out by Sutherland really take a toll on the body with the road tires. I wasn't beaten up at the finish physically anywhere near as much with the wide, supple tires this year. I was actually looking forward to all of those sections during this years' ride :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

i saw all kinds of set ups. i was glad to see so many people on gravel or some version of it. i saw a lot of gravel plus, like Opens with 40mm, stuff like that. i rode a cannondale slate, more road than MTB, but more MTB than a cross bike is. it was a good bike for this, not if you want to win it, but if you want to enjoy it.

i cannot imagine approaching double peak in full bonk. i never bonked because i sat around a lot in the rest stations, but i cramped to high heaven the whole last 20 miles.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Well...I finished my second BWR (if I ever go back, it'll be the shorter wafer version)
I was good for about the first 6 hours, and then after that, things just progressively got worse, ultimately having to walk up Double Peak. It's mostly a story in failed hydration and nutrition. The day before, I weighed about 149, after finally getting home around 9pm Sunday evening, I was 139 and change. Ouch.

Mechanically, things were not bad. One dropped chain, my handle bars kept wanting to rotate forward, and I rode at least the last 40 miles with an industrial staple in my rear tire (latex + sealant saved me).

My ride time was around 9.5 hours, but with numerous stops throughout the day, my finish time is just above 11 hours, about an hour slower than last year. I chatted with Jay afterwards as well, and I remember the words "hazy" and "zombie", and not much else.

I remember that pool of water and waterfall, I was thinking the same thing, it looked like a little oasis during that long and hot climb.

The challenge of this race is definitely comparable to Ironman, but without the soreness that comes from running 26.2.

Congrats to all that participated.

(thanks to IG: @gman92069 for the picture)

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TEAM F3 Undurance

BWR listeners,

This is a rare event. It was my second go at it, after placing 5th last year.

Just as in Ironman, there are several theories on training tactics and equipment. My personal theory for almost any type of cycling event, climb and then climb more. That's exactly what I did leading into 2017 BWR. 3 weeks of ascending from 18,000ft, 26,000 and then 32,000.

Equiptment is a much longer story. Depending upon riding ability, fitness and body function, there are a million combos out there. Dan probably did not chose the fastest set up from his fleet in his garage, but chose a bike type, suspension and wheel/tire combo that was suited for his goal......to finish unscathed. He did so on his Cannaondale Slate with suspension (lefty fork). If he were to go full program (not drugs!) he would more than likely go More with a set up I chose.

I think I finally showed up to the gun fight with the proper weaponary. Seeing that I had a few mechanicals last year, I did a bit of homework. I, again, rode a road bike. This time I think I chose the correct wheel/tire combo. Not sure if the model of Hed tubeless I ran, but they are approx 35mm and tubeless. Combined, I chose the tubeless tire the race recommended, Hutchinson tubeless Sector 28.

While there are a wide array of choices, I think the wheel/tire combo would be proper for nearly everyone reading this. Maybe the aggressive geometry and saddle to bar drop may bet too rigid/unstable for some, I also think the Masi Evolution road set up was better than otherwise. Last year I rode a Trek Madone and Kuota KOM. Both too brittle for this course.

As far as gearing: I had the typical people seeking advice leading into the race. My first question to everyone is what gears do they intend on having on their steed. 90% seem to have eyes bigger than their stomach. An unnamed friend who weighs nearly 190 with a Cat 1 license planned on doing the ride with 53/39 with a 11/28. After hours of talking I thought I convinced him to go with the ratio I was....52/36 with an 11/32. He gave in and I lent him my spare DA 50/34 and he would figure out the back end. A week later he showed up at the race expo with my crank in hand, returning it to me as he and his coach opted for the original 53/39! Long story short, he did not finish.

Moral of the message here is to do homework with people you trust when you enter such an odd event as this one. Never think that you can outsmart the course or math. If there are 20% grades at 120mi, you may want to visualize what kind of strength left in the legs opposed to pre riding with 8miles under the belt!

I can't really say "I told you so" to the guy who didn't finish, as I DNF'd my second race since 1979. Mine was also because of equipment choice, but not bike equipment. I think I have a big heart in offering help to anyone in line asking for it, but that same heart decided to do its own thing as I was pedaling in the front select group at mi 60. I am now fine with the great help from the editor

Pardon any typos from my iPhone and let me know if you think I can add any value....

Paul@vervecycling.com.

It as definitely warm out there. Congrats to those who took it on this year!

We rode around catching the race on the road in several points later in the afternoon. Shattered is a fair way to put the majority of riders state.

I did it on 25s last year. I only flatted once and it was on the road, go figure.

Surely a tough day out there! Hats off to you guys for taking it on!

jake

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Get outside!

Was certainly a tough day out there. I finished last year but had to pull the plug at mile 120 this year. The heat and bad early pacing did me. Did not really have the fitness for this long a ride at that intensity. Probably would have survived but the heat was the final nail. Started cramping at mile 75, even though I was trying to take in electrolytes most of the day. Made it to mile 100 in pretty good time but then completely locked up. Was just about to throw my bike into the back of pickup that my buddy sent back for me but took 15 min rest and pushed on. The next 20 miles took 2.5 hours. When I got to the dirt section before the Double Peak I started doing the math. I was only pushing 130-140w for the last couple hours so no way to make it up that climb at that effort. Thanks so much to the family that swept me up and drove me to the finish line. They even had In N Out in the car. No regrets or shame about my DNF. Enjoyed the day a ton. If I come back I will definitely put in more specific training.

Was using just my road bike Cannondale Super 6 with Vittoria Pave 27mm tires. 50/34 and 11/30 in rear. It was enough for last year but probably should have gotten a 32 on there. The dirt sections were a bit harder this year but certainly echo the idea of jumping into that river in Black Canyon. It looked so enticing.

This was the first time I made it out to the course to spectate. Ended up with an arrow and a cowbell directing people to slow down coming down Double Peak before the U turn onto the trail (Mile 120?). Arrived at 2 PM to wait for friends coming thru, then meet them at finish. Left at 7:45 PM after last rider came through. Luckily, someone had brought me bottled water and Clif product because the aid station at the top of DP had apparently closed at 7 PM.
Enjoyed, in a "better you than me" sort of way, helping you guys up the hill and giving water and pickle juice on the way down. Hope you enjoyed the Pickle pops.
Karen

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Karen ST Concierge

Thanks for the bottle hand-up on Black Canyon, Paul! (MMR teammate here, buddy) The lead group was smoking from the gate and I hung on until midway up that first climb of Mountain Meadow. At that point I had to make a choice between staying on that group up Mountain Meadow or having a chance to finish the ride! (I chose the latter)

This was my first BWR but I participated in the training camp back in January and it paid major dividends on Sunday. For one, I had the right bike with my Masi CXRC set-up with tubeless Hutchinson Sector 28s and a low gear of 34x32 (I needed every bit of that on Double Peak) The other key take away from the camp was familiarity of the trails around/along Lake Hodges - ALL of the technical dirt was after mile 80 when you were already pretty exhausted.

I will be back next year!!

Tom - I wouldn't be surprised if I spent some time in a group with you at some point because our times weren't too far apart. I rolled in just over the 8hr mark (8:06 officially) with a "moving" time of 7:53. Outside of a hamstring cramp at mile 105, the aid stations were pretty much splash and go... even the Oasis. =/

Well, if you recognize the old fart in the Silca kit shown below, that was me :-)

(photo credit: PB Creative)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Hmm, don't think we ever made it into the same group...

I spent most of the day in smallish groups (5-10) that were intent on really working together. Well, at least until the Sandy Bandy and the Hodges sectors. At that point it became every man (or woman in Amanda Nauman's case) for themselves!

Looking to put this event on my calendar for next year.

How long was your longest ride building up to BWR this year? What about last year? What would you recommend?

Thanks!

My first BWR and I had an absolute blast. I had never done an off-road cycling event of any kind and loved the diversity it offered and the scenery was beautiful as has been mentioned. I finished in just over 11hrs, but ride time was 9:14. https://www.strava.com/activities/999705661 Started with a group of friends and rode with them off and on for almost the entire ride which made it fun. We would lose each other and then regroup at the next aid station for 10-15 minutes to refuel, release, and renew with sunscreen!

I was worried about my lack of training leading up to the event, having done only three 100+ mile rides, with only a few 5000+ foot climbing sessions, but felt pretty strong the entire ride. I need to work on my descending on the dirt as my mountain bike buddies rode away from me almost every time we hit these sections. The two times I took the bike out on local trails was obviously not enough as I always felt tentative on the dirt, so just took it slow and steady. I couldn't believe some of the technical single track we did on road bikes! While it definitely comes at the worst possible time, Double Peak wasn't nearly as bad as it was made out to be. And I wish someone would have told me they had PBR at the top as I would have stopped for a cold one!

Having the right bike and gearing is really key for this race. I rode my new to me Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie CX bike with compact crank and 12-28 on the rear. The Hutch Sector 28's running tubeless were fine, but in hindsight I wish I would have went with the 32s just to give me a bit more tire (and confidence) on the dirt.

I carried my own nutrition, but supplemented with real food at the aid stations which seemed to work out well. I look forward to giving it a go next year and shaving a couple of hours off my time now that I know what I'm in for! Congrats to everyone who toed the line...it's a really challenging and unique event. Only wish the race was on a Saturday so I could enjoy the after party since I had to drive back to LA that same evening!

I was certainly undertrained for this year's BWR. My longest ride was <5 hours. I would definitely recommend doing at least a few hilly rides of 6-7 hours. Looking back, I would have worked that into my HIM training. That said, I looked at last year and was able to finish with similar training load. The dirt sections are no joke, so I would make sure to practice a few extended rides on trails. It will also help to test your set up, particularly bottle and cage selection. When we hit the first dirt sections, there was literally 100s of bottles strew about. I didn't lose any bottles all day because I had tested on pretty tough conditions.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of using my xlab gorilla cages inside the diamond and maybe add a behind the saddle cage too if I was concerned about the distance between aid stations.

I will aim to get an 8 hr training ride in.

Will have to think about gearing, as my Stigmata is setup as a 1x. Not sure yet if I can easily mount a FD and convert to a 2x.

regarding prep, it's definitely a good idea to get those skinny tires out on the dirt a few times. I normally mountain bike about once every 3 to 4 rides, so I'm fairly comfortable and competent with the dirt stuff, but the skinny tires definitely make things more challenging. Slow, technical climbs and sand pits do require some amount of skill and experience. Last year, I had about 600 miles in the 4 weeks leading up to BWR, which included a weekend in Maui with the infamous Haleakala Climb and then the West Maui Loop on back to back days. This year, not so much, about 480 miles during the final 4 weeks.

For bottles, there are aid stations approximately every 15-20 miles at BWR. I'd assume most people would be good with two large bottles. I added a bento box to bring along extra calories (but still didn't eat enough this year).

for bike setup, I used the same road bike for both years, with 28s. Ideally, tubeless 32s, would be a better setup, and much more comfortable. one thing that hurt me this year was that I have been doing more trainer rides on the TT bike. There's something to be said for building up toughness and strength in your hands, wrists and forearms. They take a bit of a beating during BWR, so cushy bar tape and padded gloves would be helpful too.

I used a compact crankset with 11-28 cassette. For me, this was perfectly fine for most of the climbs, except double peak. An 11-32 would have been nice to have a couple times to spin a little more. If I had 1x, I think a 46 tooth with 11-42 or 11-46 would be a good setup.

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TEAM F3 Undurance

Are results posted anywhere yet? Congrats to everyone who took on that course.

Very helpful - thanks!

Is that the Fuji Jari? If so, how do you like it?

Did you ride the Slate with the stock panaracers or something else?

Stock panaracers but it's the last time I do that. There are some scealves in getting, 38mm, with a very light knobby pattern.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman