Feb 26, 2014 at 06:38 PM
That's the plan.
I might even attach a horn to my bars . . .
Training Camps
Feb 26, 2014 at 06:41 PM
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Feb 26, 2014 at 07:28 PM
Actually, this was the descent of Las Flores with long stretches above 15%. Not recommended with carbon clinchers. Also, this was the road that Erika had trouble convincing her seat mates that we climbed the following day.Jules said:Want to descend Latigo? It looks like this...
Feb 26, 2014 at 07:46 PM
Last one - stay tuned, this time next year there will be more 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIubVmarszM
Feb 26, 2014 at 07:54 PM
#oldmendescendingcautiously
Feb 26, 2014 at 07:58 PM
"There are Old Dogs and there are Bold Dogs, but there are no Old Bold Dogs."
Feb 26, 2014 at 08:50 PM
1:42 of last vid - giant ass goes downhill. Lookout small animals and climbers.
Feb 28, 2014 at 11:45 PM
On my way home finally.
Rain in California causes pandemonium.
Gate attendant says she will expedite the boarding so we can get back to the cold weather as quickly as possible :-)
8 day totals:
Total miles: 434 mi
Total climbing: 23000 ft
Total riding time: 26.76 hrs
Exceeded 20 & 30 min power by 13 and 20 W respectively!
(That was the first day. It was all 'downhill' from there)
I am cautiously optimistic that the muscles, tendons and ligaments are all holding up.
I guess I have a good base for the rest of the season (which I'm actually in no hurry to start).
Rain in California causes pandemonium.
Gate attendant says she will expedite the boarding so we can get back to the cold weather as quickly as possible :-)
8 day totals:
Total miles: 434 mi
Total climbing: 23000 ft
Total riding time: 26.76 hrs
Exceeded 20 & 30 min power by 13 and 20 W respectively!
(That was the first day. It was all 'downhill' from there)
I am cautiously optimistic that the muscles, tendons and ligaments are all holding up.
I guess I have a good base for the rest of the season (which I'm actually in no hurry to start).
Mar 01, 2014 at 01:27 AM
I'll cross post this under "Close Encounters" but here is a valuable lesson.
Apparently the credit card I used to buy my plane ticket has insurance for "lost/damaged" baggage, if and only if you buy the ticket without any points.
Total dumb luck on my part, but if you have the time you might want to factor any bike-related travel into your next card decision.
Mar 01, 2014 at 02:45 PM
Ordinarily the airline wouldn't be held responsible? I guess this is why my friend who plays the double bass always watches in horror as they handle his $100000+ baby like it was an exhaust manifold.
Mar 01, 2014 at 04:09 PM
I think your ticket/federal law usually contains some sort of liability cap for domestic flights at a certain amount ($2800?). You also likely have to file your claim quickly, perhaps within 21 days of the flight. Buying with a credit card that provides insurance (most do; I think every VISA card does, read your cardholder agreement) will help but if your bike is truly expensive then you might exceed even that coverage.
Thrifty impulses aside, you're more likely to succeed in your claim if you didn't misrepresent the contents of the luggage. The idea being that if you didn't even tell them it was a bike that required more careful treatment, you're not entitled to claim they weren't careful enough. Declare the value of your bike and ask the carrier to provide that amount of coverage. The fees they will charge you are not just price gouging. These fees ultimately protect you because you're putting them on notice to be careful with that thing, and in the event of more coverage you're securing their promise to pay in the event of damage.
Waivers do not waive liability for reckless or intentional behaviors (gross negligence), but as long as the airline follows all their general procedures for checked bags, you're going to have a hard time arguing their conduct met any of these standards. You will have an even harder time arguing they did something wrong if you didn't even bother to declare you had a fragile, high-value item when given the opportunity to do so. The spectrum of less to more culpable goes: negligence (carelessness, failing to take precautions against a risk that a reasonable person would foresee), reckless (you knew or should've known about the risk and ignored it), intentional (you meant to). You can't waive liability for the second two. So do keep an eye out for a baggage handler who yells "Hey Rapha Guy!", waits until he has your undivided attention, and then cracks your carbon frame over his knee shouting "Yaks told me to do this." He will be liable, though perhaps Yaks will indemnify him.
Mar 01, 2014 at 04:21 PM
Brendan. The James May of cycling and the law.
Mar 05, 2014 at 09:30 PM
Can someone direct me to a training camp (preferably somewhere warm) where I can practice riding hills for about 4-5 days? I'm doing this Ride the Rockies trip in June and even though it's not a race or anything I still feel like I should get ready for it.
If there are races with hills that would be good for me to do, I'd take those recommendations, too.
Mar 06, 2014 at 02:52 AM
If money is no object then Carmichael Training Systems run camps all year and have a bunch of camps they label 'climbing camps'. I know a couple of people who attended them and enjoyed them, but they did mention the cost (more than once).
Mar 06, 2014 at 02:59 AM
@Meredieth my coach runs camps in Boone NC. I think these are the remaining dates he has open:
June 12-15
June 19-27
July 31-Aug 3
PM me for details.
Oct 27, 2014 at 07:09 PM
2015 Spring Training Camp
In the spirit of jumping the gun- I'm starting this now. I've been talking to some of the guys in the club and we are discussing a potential February training camp somewhere on the southern portion of East Coast. Possibly South Carolina but considering other options too provided they have local early season races around and some hills and country roads for training.
The idea is to go something commutable by train or car and head down in early or mid-Feb. We will Air B-n-B or use Homeaway for a place for 1-2 weeks and train/ race in the area for a final tune up before racing starts here in earnest in March. Any and all invited to join. We're looking to keep costs at around $50/ per day per person if we do it right, including food and board.
You can reply here to gauge interest or PM me directly as spring approaches.
Oct 27, 2014 at 07:17 PM
Thanks Craig!
I might have an in for a program on Tenerife if people want me to investigate - which isn't exactly commutable by train but could be glorious. Sadly won't be doable on $50/day though.
Oct 27, 2014 at 08:45 PM
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Oct 27, 2014 at 09:33 PM
There is also a training camp happening in Tucson, AZ. Exact dates yet to be determined, but probably Feb.
This camp happens every year so the format will be:
Big house, with pool. Accommodation for 10 riders.
Camp is run by a level 1 USAC coach supported by 2 pros (one domestic, on based in france).
They run a no drop policy - if people are suffering on any day then one of the 3 support staff will stay with you.
It is a co-ed camp.
All food provided.
Bike nutrition provided
Daily kit laundry
Bikes maintained each day
Massages available on the easy days.
airport pickup and drop off
Basically the idea is to live like a pro for a week: sleep, eat, ride.
There are a few long days: Mt Lemmon, Kitt Peak, etc, and a few shorter (60 mile) rides.
There is the option to do the (in)famous shootout on the saturday.
All riders are racers from the NE and Canada, escaping the snow.
It's also not $50 day.
Somewhere in the $1500-1700 range for the week (+ flights)
Depends on the actual house rental costs and rates for cooks, cleaners, etc, which are being finalised right now. If there is enough interest in a Kissena group we might get a discount - i can check.
Tenerife is also a great place to train.
Sell the kids and do both !
Oct 27, 2014 at 10:51 PM
Have three to offer... can jump, scream and grind crayons, cheerios and banana into everything you own.
Oct 29, 2014 at 03:22 PM
can't sell the kids, but could sneak away.
Oct 31, 2014 at 01:31 AM
Researching options. I am thinking we're going to be pretty DIY on this, as much awesome as Tenerife, selling your family, etc sounds. This is going to be most likely an Air BNB/Homeaway share house for 1 week split among however many people want to come. Most likely in mid to late February to get away from the NY cold and get in some final good training rides before the racing season starts up.
Thoughts are encouraged on any and all. Goals are- 1) Good roads 2) Good weather and 3) Good bang for the buck! Extra bonus points for a drivable solution.
I'm going by avg monthly temps here for February:
-Richmond, VA. Avg Hi: 52 Avg Low: 31 and is a 5.5 hr drive from NY.
-Roanoke, VA Avgs 50 and 30 and is 7hrs but has more hills.
-Greenville, South Carolina (by Hincapie's hotel/restaurant) 2 hr flight or 11.5 hour drive. Good cycling and mountians. We would find a cheap Air BNB, NOT stay at George's hotel. (Save that $$) Avg hi 57 and 35 low.
-Athens, GA. Hi 58 Low 36. Phil Gaimon lives here. 'Nuff said. 13 hr drive from NYC or fly into Atlanta 2 hrs 15 mins from NY. Have to rent a car to go the rest of the way for it to get rural.
Just spitballing here. Seems you get a good break in weather around 50 at Roanoke (plus it's driving distance) and start to get diminishing returns the further south you go vs expense. When compared to NYC's avg temps of H: 40 and L: 24 anything that's around 50-55 seems pretty balmy for 3-5 hour rides.
Oct 31, 2014 at 04:05 PM
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Oct 31, 2014 at 04:22 PM
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Nov 01, 2014 at 06:27 PM
Hi Gwynna,
The Asheville option sounds pretty nice. In the good roads/ good weather/ low $$ criteria I left out dry weather and lack of ice. That is very important. 50 degrees isn't great if it's rainy, icy, windy or snowy. Maybe this cancels out the very mountainous options but that's fine with me. Goal is to get in the miles in a safe, dry climate that is warmer than NY.
Let me know the details on the rental house and how many people it holds, how much it costs for one week and how much advanced notice you need to book it.
Nov 01, 2014 at 07:17 PM
I was looking at this one in Santa Monica which is probably similar to what was done the last few years (which I missed). Relatively chep but of course need to get there and get housing.
http://www.cyclingescapes.com/bicycletours/california/climbingcamp/biketour.html
Let me know if anyone has interest or doing something similar to the last couple of years.
http://www.cyclingescapes.com/bicycletours/california/climbingcamp/biketour.html
Let me know if anyone has interest or doing something similar to the last couple of years.
Nov 03, 2014 at 06:42 PM
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Nov 03, 2014 at 06:48 PM
I think this is awesome. I'd love to book it soon-ish for either the week of Feb 16-22 or Feb 23-31. If we can get 6 people in there it breaks down to $250 pp for the week. We can conceivably do the whole week including gas/driving down there, food and lodging for $500-600 pp for the entire week! So much awesome.
Can we begin to get a quick survey of who is interested in going around that time?
Nov 03, 2014 at 06:51 PM
10.5 hr drive- not sure if we can car pool or rent a car. Other option is direct flight there costs around $300 one way, but not sure about booking tickets this far out- could probably save a lot of $$ planning ahead. I'm fine driving or splitting driving down to save $$.
Nov 03, 2014 at 07:09 PM
doubt I could do this, but a friendly heads-up that Charlotte's an easy 2 hour drive from Asheville, with tons of direct flights from everywhere-- and usually much cheaper than Asheville.