DesertNomad

The actual race starting point is on the west side near the bridges. Your times for 4.0 will be insulated from the actual race.

Look at it this way though: You have 8 minute or more of room to improve in. Those top guys have about 18 seconds or less of room to improve in and those times posted may be as fast as they will ever go no matter what. The trail does have a top speed after all.

keep at the practice and training and you may find yourself on a podium step come June. You are up against other Cat-3 racers for both cash and trophies. You guys have your own race.

heck no - OUCH! That would be painful! It is three individual laps - sort of like an Enduro race - where you get some rest in between efforts. 15-20 minutes of max-heart rate per lap with a solid 30 minute cool down between each. Drinking a beer between each is optional.

You will have plenty of time between laps to rest and recover

The current record of 15:04 is held by a local non-racer on an Intense Carbine 29r Factory rolling a Teravail Kennebec 2.6 at 13 psi front and a Maxxis Ikon 2.6 at 15 psi rear. A second behind at 15:05 is a very fit/skilled pro XC horse-jockey on a top-end Trek Fuel 9.9 with Maxxis Ardent Race 2.2s front and rear both at 20 psi - a bike set up for climbing and overall XC hammering. Right behind them at 15:18 is a Chumba Stella single speed on 32:20 with Maxxis Rekon 2.6s at sub 20 psi ridden by another local non-racer. Tires and tire pressure are very important as this demonstrates - perhaps the most important thing in choice of equipment. Knobs on the front for cornering and a fast roller in the back for speed are a good recipe. Had the pro rider had either a heavier knob tire in the front or a less knobbed in the back, his cornering bias would have been better balanced and he'd have been faster. Ronan's advice is sound. As it was this go around, the rear would stick but the front would wash out unless he spent extra effort moving around on the bike to load the fork at which point, he could not stay on power.

I'll also comp your race entry (not your license fee however).

There will be free beer and bar-BQ for a sharp-dressed and fast tandem team on a good looking rig for some promotional video work later this spring (date TBD) after KOM is done with the trail surface. You will be part of a promotional video for the time trial and forever immortalized on YouTube. You need to be able to go fast, look good going fast, and have a half day or more free for the shooting. Date to be determined, but it will not conflict with TMBRA. PM me please.

I am glad to see you guys out riding and practicing. It's an amazing course with somewhere around 160 corners that require some amount of negotiating. The current timing record is 15:04 in very dry conditions. I expect that if we get some rain this weekend, that record will fall by middle of next week. Ronan makes a good point though about registering early. 400 available slots may sound like a lot, but remember TMBRA races often come close to or occasionally exceed 700 racers. This time trial, which appeals to a broader base, will sell out, so please register soon.

We added an open tandem category for trophies only (cheaper registration fee as a result). You guys asked for it, and here it is. Go register! https://legacy.usacycling.org/myusac/index.php?pagename=registration&eventid=950&year=2019

I suppose you could enter the tandem race and then race solo as well.

I went ahead and added a tandem category because even if just one shows up, it will be very entertaining. https://legacy.usacycling.org/myusac/index.php?pagename=registration&eventid=950&year=2019

How many Tandem teams would be interested in racing the time trial? If we can get at least three teams to commit, I can put together pro/open tandem category but for trophies only at $60 total per team ($30 per rider instead of $40).

As of right now, things look reasonable for Sunday. 8am wheels down at the aforementioned location.

I’d love to be able to further split the ages up, but financially and logistically, not possible this time around. Plus I am 48 now and regularity school the 30 somethings and certainly am faster now than I’ve even been in almost 30 years of riding and racing. Age is but a number. A 48 year old currently has the KOM on the new peddler loop and easily won the 5 lap KOM challenge last year. But as has been mentioned, race and have fun i just upped the ante to add cash payout bonuses for age group/category for fastest single laps. if it sells out, a top step podium of any category would earn $150 plus if they also have the fastest single lap probably another 20-25. Heck of a lot more than you can earn at a TMBRA race

https://www.facebook.com/events/257174378553734/ Flyer.pdf

The early morning of, it rained and made the opening third to half the ride just muddy enough to be damaging and certainly too slick and dangerous considering the route. Thanks to dry air and a lot of wind, the trail was fine by noon-2pm, but that was too late to delay a start. The last thing I want is for anyone to come away with an injury of any level from one of my events. It would have been irresponsible and a black mark on my budding race company to proceed. There is a liability issue to consider as well as though the event was fully insured through USAC, it still can put everyone involved in a bind should someone get hurt and file a claim. March 10th is the next window. Fingers crossed for bone-dry conditions.

Due to the trail conditions combined with deteriorating weather, we are cancelling the 2/23 deathmarch. 3/10 is the rain date with 3/31 to follow if needed.

It’s possible some is still underwater with the lake level over 792. The rest would be mostly dry. It should be fine by Thursday. There will be short seeping sections though which will likely be wet/muddy until summer.

These DMs are also going to be few and far in between - maybe never again or for a long time.

It's going to be miserable, but there is so much climbing, you won't stay cold for long.

It's on again. It ain't free, but it is cheap...and there will be beer. 50 miles and 5200' of rocky insanity... I mean goodness. Couple of dozen spots left. The ride leaves from the SW Austin Area. Participants will receive coordinates and a GPX route the night before. https://legacy.usacycling.org/register/2019-317

When in doubt, road it out

I saw some staged at the stairs at Mt Bonnell. I was hoping to see someone try to ride down Mt Bonnell Rd towards 35th and wax-out at the hairpin at the bottom.

Steve Villegas at the BSS main on S Lamar can do a full Fox rebuild with nitrogen.