Cool! Hope you get good weather. I'm not good at this, so waive this advice in favor of that from anyone else... Comfy rules... Fuel CONSTANTLY... Go slow. Let the freak show roll. Even a big dude like me rolls past racer corpses cramped up and whited out by the roadside at 100miles if he rolls on the down low with lots of high grade fuel and liquid, and a few nicely timed stops for stretches, pics, and vids sent to the family by cellphone. Have fun!
My knowledge is 20+ years old so I'll keep it most of it to myself. Just pace yourself, keep the fluids flowing and stay fueled up with food. 100-miles is easy if you're in decent shape and you'll only have a little more than that. We did it without hardly any advice - our centuries and doubles were difficult but as I found out, common sense rules as long as you don't wait too long to address any particular issue. Little problems have a way of becoming huge issues otherwise. You'll do great and I'm looking forward to a ride report.
Mine's in and I'm on the list! I'll be on my Safari. Can't think of a reason not to ride it, but I have been eyeballing the A. Homer Hillson again. Hope to see you there!
I didn't get my postcard in the mail until the 3rd, but it sounds like he's taking everybody that gets a card in this month. I hope. We'll see if I can get through ski season without buying anything stupid. I'd really like to do these races on a Kona Major One.
I did not appreciate the fact the first time you mentioned it that this is a single-speed bike. :eek1
I'm faster on 'em. I end up killing myself on geared bikes trying to push to big of a gear. Usually I've got enough brute strength to stomp up most midwestern hills before somebody with the aerobic capacity to spin up them passes me. Plus they tend to keep trucking along alot smoother when the surface turns to peanut butter.
Single speeds rock the unpaved not-terribly-vertical don't-really-need-to-cover -distance-quickly world!
By "unpaved not-terribly-vertical don't-really-need-to-cover -distance-quickly world", you obviously mean midwest mountain bike races, right?
Uphill, true. Flats and downhill - a recumbent can warp the space time continuum. There's a big dude around here in a completely enclosed recumbent that slips through atmosphere like an Advrider goes through a plate of bacon. Bike must weigh 50lbs, but even high-end pacelines have difficulting staying with him.
I`am a total Bike geek, I have to many well not really, but I would not ride a recumbent to scary. I`am not a pussy but those things look like they would hurt me, how the hell do you corner like I do on a regular bike, I need to put my knee out there
As a bike geek, you should know that lower center of gravity would allow more stable cornering at speed or during lean.
Friend just had his Soma Saga frame and fork show at the local LBS. Really looks much better in person than on the web. Sorry didn't get any pictures. Will after the build is complete though. Nice frame and fork for the money at first glance.
I've ridden a few recumbs and to be honest, even though I know the COG is lower (as is your butt), there's also the leg weight being much higher than usual. I think we have a lot of weight in our legs, and when I'm high speed cornering I sometimes dig/push my pedals (like I do my pegs on a moto) for shifting my COG into a turn. Sort of sliding out my down pedal and pushing (side of bike outside of the corner/turn). If that were the case (recumbs being better handling in turns), race bikes (motorcycles) would be recumbents like Dan Gurney's Alligator so that they could corner faster, am I right?
