Can't say that I was exactly dialed on the old format of three fairly evenly-spaced pit stops, but at least I knew what to expect and could plan pretty well what I and my support person would need to do at each one.
This time, there is a pit stop ("checkpoint") with our crews at Mile 64, then a "Neutral Water Oasis at Mile 121, then second pit stop with our crews at Mile 151.5.
Some things about this are obvious: I'm going to have to carry more nutrition out of the first stop. And any powder/electrolyte tabs I need for the second stop, I'll need to carry out of stop 1 too. And I'm thinking a pretty well-stocked patch kit in addition to the minimum two spare tubes... and lily some chain lube, especially if there's any dude around... But then there is the weirdness of the short gap between 2 and 3. And I'm sure folks out there have some pro-tip type ideas about how to deal with all this wiselyt, smoothly and efficiently (though we don't really have any detail yet on how the water oasis will function.)
I'll be running two 33-oz magnum bottles and a 2-liter Camelbak. The Camelbaks are of course slow to fill. For one thing the threads on the lids aren't great and they have a tendency to cross-thread repeatedly and so subtly that it's easy to miss that you've done it. Until it starts leaking. And minutes do actually count for me in this race, even seconds could be crucial.
I presume you will leave Pit 1 with a full Camelbak and 2 full bottles. I will carrying doing similar. As you said, you obviously have to carry enough nutrition to get from mile 64 to 151. That part is pretty easy, just do the math. For hydration, my plan is to fill my two bottles at mile 121. Throw a single serve Skratch labs packet in each, and just use those and anything left in my Camelbak to get to 151.
Konass wrote:I presume you will leave Pit 1 with a full Camelbak and 2 full bottles. I will carrying doing similar. As you said, you obviously have to carry enough nutrition to get from mile 64 to 151. That part is pretty easy, just do the math. For hydration, my plan is to fill my two bottles at mile 121. Throw a single serve Skratch labs packet in each, and just use those and anything left in my Camelbak to get to 151.
yes yes yes. That's the kind of basic thing I was looking for, should have been obvious that I wouldn't need to fill everything at oasis, with just 30 miles to next stop. Either the bottles or the pack, but not both and the bottles will def fill more easily. you prob know this, but the skratch singles are good for just 16 oz at the recommended strength. if you want to go light of course that's fine. I'll prob take two full doses of infinit in separate ziplocks to dump in.
that's another good thought, especially if I were just using one pack. I'll be taking two, though... I'll start with one, and maybe no bottles at all if its going to be not too hot... my support person will keep the other, already filled, on ice, and we'll swap them out at first stop... then she will fill it, put it back in cooler and I'll swap again at stop 3.
Get really good coolers, Yeti's. Put in them ice. I also keep a entirely new camelback in them full and ready to go.
My process:
I run with two Camelbaks. Each one has only ice and water in them. Replacement food or electro bottles are 50% frozen. When I arrive at the check pt. off goes the spent camelbak, out goes the spent water bottles (Heed or whatever you like). Out goes the trash, off goes the sweaty jersey, maybe off goes the shoes and wet socks. In goes the new food, new bottles, put on new socks and shoes, jersey, butt butter, all while eating pb & j's, chips, payday bars and drinking pickle juice, tonic water and Starbucks double shots. Put a frozen double shot in the feed sack, replace any bike kit stuff that I might have used up and go.
Organization is key.
Recover on the bike. Just ride slow but keep moving!
This time, there is a pit stop ("checkpoint") with our crews at Mile 64, then a "Neutral Water Oasis at Mile 121, then second pit stop with our crews at Mile 151.5.
Anyway, thoughts?
I have no vested interest here as I am not doing this race. From what I just read here I think they are going to check in your number at the checkpoint at mile 64. How is that going to work with all those riders?
Dunno, they haven't spilled any details yet. No doubt it will at minimum be part of the mandatory rider meeting. That said, they really seem to have their thinking about how to deal with large packs of riders pretty dialed in... I was pretty startled at how smoothly (in relative terms) the traffic control worked at the pits last year. My guess is they will just have plenty of timing mat to roll over to do the chip check and a metric ton of people filling bottles.
Thanks for all the advice. I'm a DK 200 noob. Question for anyone using a support service...if I swap out my bladder at mile 64 and leave the empty for the crew, will they fill it and present it at 151? I'll ask them, but just curious if anyone had a quick answer. Thanks for any insights.
Are you are using the DK crew for hire that you bought along with your DK200 entry? If so, they said they will not transfer stuff between checkpoints. I think you get a bag for checkpoint 1 and a bag for checkpoint 2. They said they can't move between checkpoints because not all riders are at the same speed. I think you can pick up unused stuff from your bags the next day. I believe they shut down checkpoints for a rider averaging 10 MPH.
--RH
Bobby wrote:Thanks for all the advice. I'm a DK 200 noob. Question for anyone using a support service...if I swap out my bladder at mile 64 and leave the empty for the crew, will they fill it and present it at 151? I'll ask them, but just curious if anyone had a quick answer. Thanks for any insights.
thumper88 wrote:Dunno, they haven't spilled any details yet. No doubt it will at minimum be part of the mandatory rider meeting. That said, they really seem to have their thinking about how to deal with large packs of riders pretty dialed in... I was pretty startled at how smoothly (in relative terms) the traffic control worked at the pits last year. My guess is they will just have plenty of timing mat to roll over to do the chip check and a metric ton of people filling bottles.
I never thought of the timing chips and the mats. Most of the grass root rides I have been in they take your number down manually at the finish line. I think I have been at only 2 of the 15 or so that had chipped timing. Bootlegger was one of them. Good luck to all in this ride.
On a related note.... it's going to be muddy this year (I've never done DK200 before, but the weather shows rain rain and more rain between now and June 1).
What do you think about trying to clean your chain at the 121 mile water oasis Checkpoint #2? If the mud has gunked everything up, do you think they'll have enough water available to throw some on our drivetrains and would it be worth carrying a clean rag and some lube?
If its truly truly muddy you're going to have to clean it before that... may have to sacrifice water from bottle to stop and hose it a time or two. Even last year I had to do that at least once, and there was very little mud last year. Forecast is likely to change, but right now it's not looking particularly hot so no biggie to use some water for that if that's the case. But surely there will be plenty of water at the oasis stop, and if there is say, no hose, then you can hose chain with water bottle, dry it with rag and hose on lube... then refill bottle. No water shortage in Kansas right now....
NO they will not. I used the service last year and it's good but not great. it's time consuming. This year i have support so I'll be much more efficient.
Bobby wrote:Thanks for all the advice. I'm a DK 200 noob. Question for anyone using a support service...if I swap out my bladder at mile 64 and leave the empty for the crew, will they fill it and present it at 151? I'll ask them, but just curious if anyone had a quick answer. Thanks for any insights.
My plan is carry all my food for checkpoint one to checkpoint three coming out of checkpoint one. I have a top tube bag that has the capacity to allow me to carry enough normal food there, and all my "astronaut" food will be in my jersey pockets.
Hydration will be similar, but instead of swapping Camelbaks and bottles in checkpoint two as I will in checkpoint one and three, I will only re-fill my bottles. I will be carrying two 24 oz bottles and re-filling those alone should be enough to get me to checkpoint three, which is roughly 30 miles away, and save a few minutes.Unless there is a significant re-route due to the weather trashing roads, anyway. I will come prepared for anything and alter this plan if necessary.
I hope it's different this year, but at the 10th DK200 -- "Muddy Kanza" -- they also had just two checkpoints and the "water oasis." When a pack of us arrived at the "oasis" there was a long line standing, waiting for water, but the oasis was out of water. We waited 20 minutes and there was no sign of water arriving anytime soon, so we left.
All that to say . . . if you can carry all the food and hydration that you need between the checkpoints, do it. The water oasis will not be a fast stop. I carried a 3L Camelbak and 2 24 oz. bottles. I didn't drink as much as I should have over that stretch, but I survived.
If you have Di2 shifting, you probably won't need to wash your drivetrain. If your drivetrain is cable actuated, just stop in the middle of the stream crossings. The water will be rushing through and it makes a good place to wash off the mud.
