March 2006 - Posts

Marathon Mania

posted Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:32 AM by Dave :: 8 Comments
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The season's first NORBA marathon in Fountain Hills, AZ was a real ripper.  It turns out a lot of folks were chomping to get the season under way - the field was deeper than any marathon to date.  Without a published start list prior to the Read More

Nova Marathon course beta

posted Thursday, March 16, 2006 4:21 PM by Dave :: 7 Comments
There have been some requests for beta on the Nova Marathon course.  A course map is at the bottom of this page, for both the XC and Marathon events.  Last night I rode 3 laps of the course.  It took about an hour each 14 mile lap; Read More

Literature break

posted Wednesday, March 15, 2006 11:17 AM by Dave :: 3 Comments
Every so often I stumble across an author that inspires me towards a reading binge.  The latest is Daniel Coyle, author of "Armstrong's War."  I'm currently in the middle of Armstrong's War, and so far it's an exceptional read.  Deep insights Read More

24 Hour "Worlds", fact or fantasy?

posted Wednesday, March 15, 2006 6:02 AM by Dave :: 5 Comments
24 Hours of Adrenaline yesterday announced the date and venue for their solo world championship event.  Keen observers knew something was in the works - they previously announced a much reduced 06' schedule and billed it "part 1", leaving Read More

Extremes

posted Sunday, March 12, 2006 5:04 PM by Dave :: 3 Comments
143 days without measurable precip, then yesterday the sky unloads over 2" of rain here in the valley, and well over a foot of snow above 4,000'.  There was a heavy snow warning for Maricopa county above 2,000' - no joke!  That probably Read More

Executing your first 24 solo, part 5 (training)

posted Sunday, March 12, 2006 6:02 AM by Dave :: 18 Comments
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Part 5 addresses how to train for your first 24 solo effort.  The first 4 posts in this series are here. Yuri:  Do you do any 24 hour simulations...or just go for it?? Dave, I really appreciate all of your input on these matters and putting Read More

Unintentionally stirring the pot

posted Saturday, March 11, 2006 8:29 AM by Dave :: 9 Comments
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It's a rainy morning here in southern Arizona, the first in 140+ days so no complaints... So.  My quest to determine which bike is faster for me, the Dos 29er or the Trek Fuel, kicked up a bit of a ruckus in places.  The Cyclingnews piece Read More

Executing your first 24 solo, part 4 (pacing)

posted Saturday, March 11, 2006 6:34 AM by Dave :: 5 Comments
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Now it's time for the fun stuff.  Yuri:  Last, how do you pace yourself? Did you preride so you knew what kind of times you should be laying down, or did you just go out and base your pace off your first lap? Dave:  There are several Read More

Executing your first solo, part 3 (pits, chammies, the run)

posted Friday, March 10, 2006 6:31 PM by Dave :: 0 Comments
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Yuri:  How long were your pit stops? Dave:  They've been all over the map.  At Old Pueblo, they varied between 0 and 5 minutes, probably averaged about 1-2 minutes - except for the 8 hour forced stop :(  Moab was similar, quick stops Read More

Executing your first 24 solo, part 2 (lights)

posted Friday, March 10, 2006 8:43 AM by Dave :: 4 Comments
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Update 3/22/06:  Pivvay (Chris) has done a great write-up on DIY LED lighting.  It's a bit of work and no guarantees you will have light out in the boonies, but check it out:  http://slipangles.blogspot.com/2006/03/geek-this.html. Part Read More

Executing your first 24 solo, part 1 (nutrition)

posted Wednesday, March 08, 2006 4:11 AM by Dave :: 7 Comments
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A long time racing bud shot me an email the other day with a great set of questions on how to make his first 24 hour solo attempt a success.  It seemed like a great thing to share here...so here we go.  Don't worry Yuri, I'll send you a few Read More

Why I suck on the road

posted Sunday, March 05, 2006 8:26 AM by Dave :: 2 Comments
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Has anyone seen my top end?  It seems to be missing...if found, please return via the "contact me" link.  Thanks. I do on average 1 road race per year.  Yep, that's singular.  This year I'm going all out and making it two.  Yesterday Read More

I need a PR guy

posted Saturday, March 04, 2006 5:50 AM by Dave :: 3 Comments
My inbox is out of control, something to do with this. Who would have ever known a 3 inch difference in wheel diameter would mean so much to so many... Have I mentioned I LOVE riding my 29er?  There seem to be a few universal questions about my Read More

Dickyisms

posted Friday, March 03, 2006 5:09 AM by Dave :: 3 Comments
If you haven't yet checked out the creative genious that is Team Dicky, get on over there.   He's a talented singlespeed enduro nut with (apparently) bulletproof knees.  He's done TransRockies on a SS (the first perhaps?), and this Read More