BICYCLES

P.s. tailwind for first 50 miles, right shoulder wind for next 100 miles, then headwind for last 50 miles. BestBikeSplit was frighteningly accurate in how it modeled this ride.

 

2 abreast tends to encourage a slower pace because the front guys have to pace each other and rotating is a more complicated affair, also taking up a lot of road in the process. If it's just one front rider like in an echelon, he can be smoother and can pull harder. It's a proper racing formation.

Depending on the elevation profile on your course, you may even get away with a 21 sprocket 11-speed cassette. It's relatively flat where I am and we used to ride and race on 13-21 in our old 10-speed racing bikes, 52-40 front.

Male model? Yeah, maybe for pink water bottles, florescent yellow shoes, socks.

 

Well done my friend.

 

You left out the glasses!

Seriously, nice job. My wife and I were lamenting how there's no way we could attempt many of our old rides at this point.

 

No way, they're cool. Besides I have a pair just like that.

 

Yup! And got the Giro 100 mug nearby. (and who slipped Dumoulin the cod liver oil??)
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Good grief! I was actually looking forward to it and then totally forgot as I got dragged away on a major project. Thank goodness for your prompting and... Netflix.

Disappointed with Nibali and Quintana not waiting for Dumoulin.

 

Wife and I were in Italy last year when the Giro went through, that was a trip. It started the day in Foligno, one town over from us in Spello, so we sat on a bench and watched them go through. Because we were close to the start of that run they were still in one big pack. Blink and they're gone.

Also picked up a couple of shirt, hat, and mascot (some sort of little grey wolf thing) packages. Unfortunately ended up with a shirt way too small and they're not found anywhere.

 

I picked up a replica Giro pink jersey online 3 years ago as a souvenir thinking I would probably never wear it but it turns out to be very nice to wear; not that flashy and a good colour, nicer than yellow IMO.

Online stores carry all sorts of related items you would never find in a regular store, at really good prices, much easier to shop so long as the sizing charts work for you.
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100 miles today in the NC mountains. 22mph average for the first 67 miles, then I lost my front tube on a very fast descent. Safely got off the road, but to my dismay there was no team car or neutral support. Oh, the indignity of it all. By far, this was the most dangerous riding I've done. Bottles were being ejected from cages - not mine! (nearly taking down multiple riders); very choppy tarmac; and a whole bunch of gravel/sand washed onto the road from storms the prior night. I suppose I should simply be glad to arrive home with all my skin intact.

I'm the little guy in the neon Sidi Shot shoes, which I like (despite what Michael thinks!!) beside my partner-in-crime. He carries me on the flats; I drag him uphill. Judging from our two sizes, you might have guessed that. I didn't realize how much he dwarfs me until I saw this picture from the morning.
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How did you lose the front tube, simple pinch puncture or did you hit a big pothole? Very scary I imagine. Too bad it's not practical to preview such a route... almost akin to dragging F1 cars onto sections of a road rally course.

I think you have to be more careful when an event draws in more and more attendees as they become more complicated and harder for officials to manage... growing pains. Hmmm, I see "pink waterbottle" also survived.

 

The pink waterbottle is not mine! I actually gave him some crap about those, but it fell upon deaf ears. I use Elite bottles (maybe "corsa" line?) They're biodegradable so when I'm really in a foul mood I can just chuck them into a nearby ditch.

My puncture was a simple pinch. I probably rolled over the upturned side of a stone. It's just one of those things that happens, I suppose. I run about 85psi on normal ol' clinchers (GP4000SII) and butyl tubes. Crap just happens. I knew it was a goner very quickly and was able to controllably clear out of the line. At that point, my day was mostly over.

I stupidly thought the turns would have been swept early in the morning. With heavy overnight rains, it sure seems like it would have been a smart move by the organizers. They have my release signature on a piece of long legal paper -- that's all they care about!

 

That is quite low. I run 110-120 psi...

 

On what size tire/rim ?

 

That is on a Dura Ace C24 (7900), but also Hawk 50 mm carbon clincher. Tires are Schwalbe Durano S, 700C x 23 mm.

 

23mm... that's the kicker. I'm on 25's.

 

Tire pressure recommended for a given rider depends a lot on his weight as well as on other factors like tire width, road conditions. IMO, 85 psi (front) should work fine with "Mr. Glo-shoes" (145 lbs) provided his tires work at that pressure. All tires are not equally designed for all sizes of riders.

FWIW, one tire I use for training is the 23C Schwalbe Ultremo ZX which recommends 85-145 psi (6-10 bar). At 195 gms they are very light (by comparison 25C GP4000SIIs are 225 gm). I run 85psi FR/105-110psi RR.

The points in this recent article on tire pressures might be worth considering.

 

Gotcha'

 

My latest recumbent. Taller design so I can ride it through the street to get to Prospect Park. Carbon fiber Bacchetta CA2.0 is very fast on flats and downhill.
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Your link doesn't include an address, just the title.

 

Oooops, looks like I was in a hurry that evening. Here's the link to the article "What is the optimal tyre pressure?" from VELOCLUB.

It's definitely contemporary, published May 17, 2017 and provides a good deal of empirical data and not just gossip.

Thanks for pointing out my boo-boo.

 

Fascinating article, thanks for posting it! Like everyone else I've always accepted as gospel that 110psi was the only pressure for my tires. I'm going to knock that down (in increments) to maybe even as low as 85 front and see if I can get rid of those annoying juddering impacts that make me question my safety.

 

Whoa, this was a damn fine article!!! Thank you for posting! I can absolutely feel the differences between 85psi and something like 95psi, though my butt-o-meter isn't as finely calibrated as some other folks.