Most recent activity
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I see Lewis Ciddor is racing and is in lead position. Met him many years ago in Karlsruhe for a polo tourney when he was just a kid. Vegan and killing it now.
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Yeah, of course. Gentleman's agreement etc etc.
If you're read the rules, then don't do the whole route, you've broken that agreement.
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Trackers aren't that accurate. Some races require full gps recording on completing to verify route completion (like the Highland Trail 550). This means there is no question. But that also assumes the organisers are happy for scan over thousands of miles of gpx files.
I know it's very different to a DIY route type race like TCR, and therefore I don't think they should be compared. It's pretty simple, if you miss a turn, go back to that turn and ride the entire route. If you ride a long way before noticing, you should pay attention more!
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However using terminology that is perhaps emotive like purism, is a little absurd. All rules are applied subjectively by referees trying to be as objective as possible. I’ve said before that a lot of the rules that I’ve read seem slightly ill thought out. This will undoubtedly change as they evolve.
Fair enough, maybe a bit too emotive, but I think that allowing any small detours and mistakes, and not being absolute about riding the ENTIRE route, has opened doors for leniency that other races like Tour Divide have not opened. That's entirely up to the admin of TABR, I get that.
Obviously if there's a road closed or bridge out, then detours are allowed, as all racers or at least all racers around that time period, would have the same route, but individual deviance is breaking the rules in my books.
Also
Rule #1: No complaining about the rules.
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The purpose of the rule as I see it is that everyone rides exactly the same route, with the same (zero) level of support. Level playing field. Deviation changes that, however small.
This kind of racing is for real purists, if you don't like it, meh.
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I don't feel bad for her, it's part of learning how to race these races. If you miss a bit, go back and do it all, end of.
She missed multiple bits, so is clearly shit at navigating, and like has been said before, it's more than what you've got in your legs.
If you're unsure of the route, plan for it, pore over it in every detail, make your own route files with cue points that will work on your garmin so that you know how far the next turn is, how far the next town is, etc etc. I must have spent dozens of hours doing this for Tour Divide, I had zero navigational issues. I had 2 garmins and back up paper maps. One turn every 30 miles is hardly rocket science either when you're used to densely populate Europe.
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Don't use routing, just follow a gpx. Learn how to use the garmin before you do a race like this! Some of these mistakes are so avoidable. Also Garmin 1000 for this seems like a poor choice, terrible battery life.
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Rims should be fine, bargain too! I ran Light Bicycle Carbon 35mm rims, they are still going strong now (and I raced in 2015). They have > 7000 miles on them.
Definitely run tubeless, definitely carry rubber worms to plug holes.
I'd also advise wearing a buff around your neck so that you can cover your face when cars/trucks pass and kick up a cloud of dust. Lots of scratches the year I raced due to the dust causing breathing issues.
I think I want to race again in 2020.