Ultracycling

A very strong roster for this year's 2 Volcano Sprint.

Looks like a festival flyer. Who is playing the dubstep tent?
Anyway, skinny will probably win 😆

He's struggling in Spain at the moment. Looks like two weeks between events is not enough time to recover properly.

I didn't realise that there's a thread for that:

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/339359/

Direct dotwatching link:

https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/badlands/

And yes, James is way down the leaderboard. hippy in 5th currently (but with a pack of six snapping at his heels).

I hadn't seen James' write-up of Further before, but it's a good read:

https://www.jamesmarkhayden.uk/stories/further-a-lost-weekend-in-the-arige-pyrenees

Are you doing it?

Cheers

Sadly, no races for me this year.

Looks like a festival flyer.

Exactly what I thought! Omar Di Felice will be in the happy hardcore tent.

For no other reason than my nosiness, I am curious how much people listen to music on an ultra?
And is it music or podcasts, and does the genre change during day vs night
And do you listen to more or less and the event progresses

I have done a couple of 3-4 day events and no music at all; but in Very long training rides I play rock; but at night that freaks me out !

I've kept bringing a little mp3 player with audio books on, but the wind means I can never hear them properly. Have tried music but I can take it or leave it so I end up just riding with the sound of my own voice

I take my earphones but almost never use them. After a few days I'm just constantly talking to myself or suffering in silence.

I go through phases. Listen to music sometimes but then don't bother for a few days, especially if it's interesting or pretty scenery.

audiobooks, usually something quite plot driven so i don't have to think too much about it.

Listened to the entire Wheel of Time series training for the TCR!

Music for shorter rides where i need to keep the tempo up high, and also when i get tired of listening to someone talking. I've found that the right sort of music can really bring you out of a sleepy fuzz during a night ride.

this one track popped up at 4am when i was feeling shit on a nightride and by the end i was back to loving life again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmEg9wG0Q0

how much people listen to music on an ultra?

In Badlands, none at all, because the zips broke on my bag for most of the race I was riding with my knees holding stuff in and I didn't want to use headphones in case I didn't hear something important bounce out. A little bit of rearrangement when space allowed meant I probably could have but by that stage it wasn't going to give me anything.

Road ultras I've spent large amounts of time listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks.

for most of the race I was riding with my knees holding stuff in

Wait, what?

Well, I suppose it wouldn't be realistic without some kind of hippy equipment failure. :)

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1302596430356533249

You can see it 'locked' open here:
https://www.lfgss.com/comments/15514320/

It's done a hell of a lot of work so I wasn't too mad about it, but of course it happens on the roughest race. I'd probably have sorted it out beforehand if I knew this was actually going to happen.

https://www.facebook.com/TeamJoeBarr/videos/331532854724841/

Got my first win on the board today at the Team Joe Barr 200 miler in Northern Ireland.

Some might say not quite ultracycling but 10 hours flat out is hard enough.

Nice work dude! Irish roads are bloody hard work too

Thanks. Yes they are brutal. One of the hardest places in the world to ride.

^ Well done!

In other news, Pawel has just won Transiberica. Bjorn was in the lead but scratched after smashing his bars / stem.

https://dotwatcher.cc/race/transiberica-2020

Poor Bjorn. He doesnt seem to get much luck.

Yes. I've not heard any more details about this one but he has had a couple of misfortunes.

However, TBF, some of it could be put down to lack of attention to detail in his prep. His route in TCR 2018 wasn't checked properly, and last year, apparently he already had the saddle sores before the start from riding in the US on a bike with a saddle he wasn't used to!

I did not know that, interesting. Well maybe he brings it on himself a little then. Sympathy subsiding..