Heading up for Epicman this year…first timer. Am leaving on the seven hour drive early Thursday morning so we can hit the Whiteface Hillclimb (why not do it all the first time). Anyway, I want to make sure it is still on and will you be posting more specifc details as the date gets closer? Also, how many participants do you usually get?
Thanks in advance,
Sam
I’m intentionally keeping the active marketing to a minimum because, I don’t really want “too many” people to show up. In the past few years we get 50-70, so word of mouth is sufficient to spread the details of this training day. I don’t want to market things too hard for the “underground” training day and have 150 people show up.
Yes, we are still on as my signature line says 
Plan to leave Mirror Lake Beach at 4 pm on Thursday for the Whiteface Hillclimb.
For Friday, the swim starts at 6:30 am…beach to beach to beach (its around 2.7K). Get on the bikes by 7 am, and ride the course twice. Stop at your car parked by Mirror Lake between bike loops to refuel, get back on the bike do the second loop, then come back and do the run. In the past few years, we tried to organize groups of riders of similar speed, but quite frankly the groups were getting way too large, occupying too much road and there is way too much testosterone in the first 2-3 hours of the bike to keep guys in check. So better for people to find like minded people and then we have 10-15 smaller groups of 5 people, all doing more or less the same thing, but no huge peletons.
If you finish the full “course” my friend Chris Macknie usually has medals made out.
It’s really a fun training day with like minded people and quite frankly its one of my best contributions to the sport and hopefully take you guys all back to the days when things were not so “corporate”. No frills, no nothing…just show up and train with a bunch of other tri guys and you can certainly pick the brains of lots of smart guys who have done this race many times.
Personally I am not racing IMLP after having done it 10 times. I’m doing IM France 2 weeks after Epicman as such I’ll be cutting the Friday run to 20 minutes or so. That will be plenty. See you then.
Dev, what happened to the format of the Irontour? Still happening?
No, we’re collapsing it into Epicman weekend this year (actually last year we did Whiteface before Epicman too.
Last year we did had the Irontour Also 2 weeks later.
This year, I leave it to you guys if you want to do it in early July. I’m going to be in France, so I can’t make that weekend of pain. I’ll try to make the Irontour happen again next year!
I surely can’t swim that far if we start at 6:30, although I like the slightly more sleep concept.
Dev,
Between Mooseman and Epicman you will have some pretty impressive vertical in a 4 day stretch. My legs are aching just thinking about it…ML might actually break your winning streak against him…
I surely can’t swim that far if we start at 6:30, although I like the slightly more sleep concept.
And the wussification of the E.Dot experience continues…
Last year it was “swim optional” since it was a little cool (but pretty much no different than normal, and much warmer than Harriman usually is).
Now it starts at 6:30 instead of the traditional 6am?
What’s next?? Motorpacing?
Last year it was “swim optional” since it was a little cool (but pretty much no different than normal, and much warmer than Harriman usually is).
Now it starts at 6:30 instead of the traditional 6am?
What’s next?? Motorpacing?
I like the swim optional division! Could we also have a “collarbone-deficient” division?
And motorpacing is basically just riding behind ML. The P4 water-bottle is actually a jet-pack fueled by excess estrogen.
Dave,
You coming up for E Dot?
Sorry guys. I was missing some CPU cycles there…yes, 6 am start and NO there will be no duathlon option. Water is plenty warm this year.
Kdw, I don’t think I have a hope against ML on Whiteface this year…between him beating up on John Hirsch and you hammering me at Mooseman, it will be all I can do to get to the summit as fast as an overweight Rich Strauss! Chris, will Rich and Patrick show up for the climb?
Nah, I’m still not even back to where I was last year (when you whooped me from the toll house and beyond), so I’ve got my work cut out for me to try to edge you out this year, 5 lbs of doughboyness or no.
Coach Pat apparently had a pretty bad biff at the ToC, and is probably going to be on the shelf for a while. (major bummer).
Pretty sure Rich Strauss is still fat. 
Can absolutely guarantee this if he shows for the Prologue this year, he won’t be woefully overgeared like last year.
Speaking of which, I will be running the 12-27 this time around. Gotta finally make some concessions to age and lack of training.
As ML alluded to Patrick crashed at the tour of cali camp and broke his collar bone and pelvis. While a total badass I think he is off the bike for a while. Strauss has been doing some climbing this year, might be tough and I am pretty sure he will not attempt it again with a 39/21. That must have just sucked.
As it is the same week and the EN rally, there may be a few EN folk around this year with big w/kg to give you a run for your money, time will tell.
Going from 172.5 to 165’s, I’ve lost 4.5% of effective gearing, so likewise, I will certainly be going with a 27.
Sorry to hear about Patrick…that’s really bad news on the broken Pelvis!
I’m just on the phone with the Northwoods Inn and they have $69 per nite Thu and Fri nites when we are there (jun 10 and jun 11) for a room with 2 double beds, so seems like a good rate for being smack in the middle of town. They said “just tell people coming to train with you to tell us they are there for Epicman Ironman training”.
Dev
Here is some power data that can give you guys an idea of where I might end up on Whiteface in 2.5 weeks.
Saturday: Early Bird Tri 500m swim/30.5K bike/5k run…actual bike time was 48.30 includes 5 “come to a dead stop” hairpins, average watts 252 on pancake flat course. 5 K run split was 18:57 (that’s probably a better indicator of how well I will climb given the bike split cause run is all about power to weight) Monday: Half way through 4:22 130K ride with >4000 ft vertical, did a TT that is mainly uphill (10K long, with a bunch of uphill rollers and a 5 min climb), average 277W. This TT is 16 minutes aerobars, 2 min sitting up, 2 minutes standing
I suspect my FTP based on these 2 real world data points is around 255-260W. Current weight is 140 lbs, so just a few pounds to go, but I’m right around 4W per kg…not in the ML 4.5W per kg zone!
Dev
What does your 28 day chart look like? What was the NP for that 30.5 K?
You do have wko plus right?
I’m booked for both nights.
What are the weight classes for the hill climb?
I’m booked for both nights.
What are the weight classes for the hill climb?
I imagine you’d be in the Sumo division, tetsuoni-san.
There’s only one number that matters - 60. As in, can you top out in under 60 minutes?
Wow, we have all the ST ringers coming out.
Does this mean I have to Mule beer to the top of Whiteface for Chris G, ML and Tetsuoni? If so, I want to know the handicap? I figure a can of beer is worth a pound…
Wow, we have all the ST ringers coming out.
Does this mean I have to Mule beer to the top of Whiteface for Chris G, ML and Tetsuoni? If so, I want to know the handicap? I figure a can of beer is worth a pound…
So if you carry a couple of cases you and I will be even.
Do the beer cans come with built in watts that go to the pedals? If that was the case, aparently Strauss would have everyone beaten? Will he be making a celebrity appearance?
Did you guys book at Northwoods and are you coming for the post Whiteface/pre Epicman Chinese food meal?
Dev