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Ishmael Burdeau came in 3rd with >480mi self-supported so it's definitely possible to do a decent ride that way. It just strikes me as a bit odd doing a 24hr TT unsupported when you could do an audax instead, or just ride up and down your local A road to see how far you could get :)
I might ask him what his stop time was for that ride.
You could have a crate of pre-filled bottles to save heaps of time. Removing lights should take seconds. If the weather is good, clothing doesn't need to be changed at all. When I won I was in a skinsuit the whole time, no extra layers (that came back and bit me when I tried the same defending my Worlds title though so be careful).
Well if I ever decide to have another crack at the 520+ club and you're racing I'll see if my team can help out.
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hippy
Timing mostly, and not being at the pointy end of the race means I care less about racing.
It's usually a week or two after the start of the summer holidays and so family time off isn't best spent sitting on a roundabout in Shropshire. I don't consider myself fast enough to warrant proper support, it's also not the kind of riding I like doing; I do prefer the more self-sufficient style of riding.
I think it's possible to ride unsupported and still keep time off the bike down under an hour (possibly even under half an hour if very organised and disciplined). It only takes a couple of minutes to stop at the unsupported riders tent at Prees Island, refill bottles (inc carb powder), grab a gel or two and set off again. Just repeat that 8 or so times (9 * 2 bottles * 750ml = 13.5l which is more than 500ml/hour). Adding/removing lights/clothing is another few minutes, still looking under 30 mins stopped.
I'm not worried about the 18-20 miles or so I'd be losing by stopping for an hour. I guess that's what it comes down to. I can't imagine dragging family/friends 200 miles away to sit on a roundabout for 20 odd hours for the sake of an extra 20 miles which may only take me to 20th place overall.
If I could work out a good nearby summer holiday then I'd consider it and have my wife/daughter provide support during the daylight hours and I can fend for myself through the night or blag some help from the various Audax UK people who lurk around there.