I also am loving the Epic Designs frame bag. More hills with Old Greg Sunday with a heavy, heavy load in the bag along with 2 full 24oz water bottles and the bike climbed nimbly. I never noticed the additional weight from the saddle or while standing. Lifting the bike, you feel it; riding you don't. Perfect.
Despite all efforts to not have to carry a pack on my back, I'll be running 80oz of water in my wingnut. At least it'll just be the water weight this year. But 2 bottles isn't going to cut it, considering this year's route is destined to be more challenging and I ran out of water for a long, grueling stretch despite having topped off every chance I could last year. I hadn't even reached the 80 mile no service stretch either! Just a long, hot, thirst inducing head wind from hell section.
I've gotten the bike dialed. The drive train issues resolved. My pacing strategy figured out. Several "survival" mode scenarios played out in my head. And, most importantly, my nutritional strategy. That's where I always suffer, but I think I've gotten a good base line from last years T.I. effort and the lessons learned at Leadville.
Despite not logging the uber miles I put in for last years attempt, I'm feeling strong. I'm to where 50 miles feels like an hour and a half effort. That's a far cry from being strong enough for 347 miles, but I feel prepared without being burned out. My gearing is feeling spot on. I'm sure there will be points where I wish for more gearing and several points where I'll wish for less gearing, which pretty much means I'm geared appropriately. Since the course is unknown, that's an assumption and we all know what happens when we assume, however I am certain I am much more wisely geared than last years 2:1@26" gear selection. I've got my favorite day to day/cyclocross gearing on. I've gotten more miles logged on this gear combination than all others combined. So at least I'll feel at home, even if I'm hating life in Iowa.
I'm ready to get the show on the road. The final week is always the hardest to get through. Doubt of fitness, preparedness, and mental preparation all try to creep in. So far this year I'm feeling more secure. I'm not brash enough to say I "will" finish, but I "will" give it my all. I have an exit strategy prepared, as 32 hours is a long time and myriad things can happen outside of my control: weather, cars/drunk drivers, equipment failure, I could roll up on a racer needing medical attention, alien abductions, angry pig farmers, children of the corn, I could lose my cue sheets, the list goes on and on... inherent risks for all such adventures.
Yeah, I'm in a much stronger and better frame of mind this year. My only real fear is that it won't be as much fun as it was last year. I'm glad the route is a secret as at least the navigation/orienteering/where the f*ck am I? portion of the "fun" will still be there. But I fear the camaraderie may not be there for me this year. I have a feeling I'll be faster than the back of the packers for most of the route but slower than the front of the packers and be in a limbo world. The best parts of last year were running into Mojoe in Decorah and enjoying pre-riders meeting beers, riding early stretches with him too, sharing 2 for 1 cheeseburgers with T.roy, almost every customer at the gas stations asking if we were with RAGBRAI, sipping from the flask every 100 miles ticked over and after grin inducing downhills, riding with D.P. from the afternoon till pulling the plug, riding with Paul and his group in the evening hours, drinking pitchers with D.P., Dave Nice, and T.roy after calling an end to the journey. Those are the portions that last and are the hardest to reproduce, as they happen best when organic and unplanned. Those are the things that draw me back, aside from the journey to finish what to me is my GDR or Iditasport. My gravel brevet designed by endurance mountain bikers.
See you in Iowa fellas!
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