My current Unbound Spec Race Bike
The Plan:
My first year as a gravel privateer has been a learning experience, both on and off the bike. Heading into this year, my biggest objective at races was to optimize as many of the controllable variables as I could. If I don't do well at a race because of my fitness level, I can accept that. But I didn't want things like tire choice, equipment set up, etc to be what holds me back. With that said, I've spent the last few months researching the setups and nutrition plans of previous riders, and developing a test plan to try and see what works best for me.
This Sunday was the first true test of that plan after weeks test and tuning on all types of rides: short and long, pavement and gravel, steady endurance and high intensity. I took the race rig up to Eminence, Indiana to run a modified version of the Dust Bowl 100 40 mile course, which allowed me to simulate time and limitations between each water oasis and SAG stop at Unbound.
Nutrition Plan:
I set up 3 different combinations of "fuel" that I wanted to test: primarily solid food, mix of solid/gels, and straight gels. My target carbs per hour for each being about ~120g Carbs per Hour, really try to push my gut to see what it can take.
The common denominator of all three combos is what's in my bottles - 3 scoops (90g of Carbs) of Flow Formulas endurance drink mix. There isn't much to say, except this stuff just straight up works. For energy and hydration, I have nothing but amazing things to say.
I was able to test all three combinations, and luckily had no issues with my gut and had great energy for the full 8 hour ride. No signs of dehydration, nothing. Closer to the race, once I have my plan finalized, I'll give a more in depth analysis of my nutrition plan.
Equipment Testing:
While most of my equipment is pretty much set in stone, the three major pieces of equipment I want to test are: Aerobars, Frame Bags, Tires
Aerobars
I've elected to go with the Aerocoach bars for two reasons.
1. They're extremely aero
2. Comfort. Compared to traditional J bend that you see a lot of gravel riders using, these are so much more comfortable.
One thing I know I need to tweak is the armrest angles. These bars do have a fairly aggressive upward angle, so flat armrests don't fit my forearms very well. Luckily, I got some of the Aerocoach angled spacers, so I just need to get some longer bolts and they'll be set.
Frame Bags
The two additions to my usual set up are the Dawn To Dusk top tube bag, and my custom MoosePacks frame bag.
The top tube bag is perfect for holding gels, making it quick and easy to unzip, grab a gel, and go, rather than having to reach into my jersey pocket to grab one.
This framebag though, is undoubtedly my secret weapon. Inspired by Colin Strickland's frame-bladder bag, I knew I wanted to do something similar. I wanted to do this over wearing a CamelBak style bladder purely for comfort. Being a 200+ mile race, I want as much weight off my back as possible. With this frame bag, I'm able to fit a 2L water bladder, with the hose routed onto my aerobars. I still need to tweak how I want to mount the hose clamp, but I'll get that figured out.
Last but not least, tires. I've gone back and forth on this for months, ready personal stories of previous years as well as looking at testing data (https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com should be bookmarked by every cyclist), and have currently settled on what seems to be tried and true: Specialized Pathfinder Pro. I've tested a few different pressures, but frankly won't decide on anything until I get to Kansas and can get riding on their gravel.
The Journey:
My main reason for starting this blog is self reflection. Sometimes it's hard to realize what amazing things you're doing in the moment, and it's fun to go back in time and cherish those moments. It sounds cheesy and cliche, but it's true. This blog will hopefully be a way for not only me to look back on these events, but for everyone else to follow along as well. I'll do my best to make these blogs a commonly reoccurring thing, with at the very least race recaps being posted, but hopefully more than that.
If you've gotten this far, I appreciate you reading and following along with me!
Kyle
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