2018 AZTR300/750 Race Discussion Thread

[geekonabike]

How about a Shout Out for Katllyn, Putting down the track for all the Guys to chase!!!

[joeydurango]

Heck yeah.  She's killing it out there!  Flying!  Maybe riding with Neil, as their trackers aren't updating at the same time...

Looks like Dana has pulled away from Dion Clark pretty significantly, given that they were riding close most of the day yesterday.  I know his strategy was little sleep.  Yesterday he tracked literally within minutes of my 2015 300 run... this morning he's about an hour ahead.  Can he keep it up?  I hope so!

In 2015 I slept for a few hours at Redington on the first night, then rode through the entire next day, night, and day again to the finish with only a few ~30-minute cat naps.  Was pretty tired at the finish.  Will be interesting to see if Dana sleeps at all for the remainder.  If it all sticks together he could be in for a ~2 day, 7-10 hour finish.  But the sleep monster is a powerful beast!

[joeydurango]

Looks like Rebecca Rusch just missed the turn off Redington... hopefully she figures that out before she gets back on the line in the wrong place, goes too far to correct it, and gets herself DQ'd.

[bmattingly]

Go Dana.  He's shreadin out there.  Bet he is enjoying the dry conditions.  This summer on the CTR he and many others suffered through some serious wetness.  Was pretty swampy.  He's got a big engine.  Hope the temps drop a bit from Oracle to the Gila.  I think has ridden that section before but much of the trail in the south was new for him.  Keep cranking!

[bmattingly]

Go Southbounders.  Forecast high for the riding to the N. Rim is about 65.  The weather is a hole different ball game on top of the rim in comparison to the desert.  The first few miles for the Southbounders is a huge lung busting climb in a most stellar setting with wonderful views onto the Vermillion Cliffs.  Kinda wish I was there rather than a work day.  I see Aaron Denburg is making a Southbound run.  Awesome.  Strong rider.  I've seen him on a 750 ride with very little gear before.  Wondered how he keeps warm.  Living up North must thicken the blood a bit. 

[joeydurango]

I've never understood how Aaron D can do what he does on so little.  Then again, he has a tendency to make it or break it... sometimes he goes fast, sometimes he goes out with a bang.  

Looks like RR figured it out and turned around.

Kaitlyn is duking it out, meanwhile, with one of the fastest guys I know.  So awesome!  Nice work Kait!

[schillingsworth]

Here's my album of pics from the night before the start & the send off from Parker Canyon Lake. I believe I grabbed at least one shot of each rider (some group shots of the 300'ers). Apologies to Beth Shaner, as she was the only 750 rider I missed!! My phone was restarting as she rolled through, I think I caught the back of her helmet as she dropped down gear-check hill!! At least I snapped one of her before the start!! Ha.

2018 AZTR300/750

[schillingsworth]

First 24+ hours are in the books. Let's take a look at how Kurt's 2018 750 pace is stacking up to Neil's 2016 record....

          Patagonia     Kentucky Camp     Colossal Cave     Tucson
Kurt:    0:05:07             0:07:55                0:13:05        0:16:17
Neil:     0:05:37             0:09:15                0:13:44        0:20:06


These are Neil's remaining 750 splits:

Summerhaven    Oracle      Gila River    Picketpost   Roosevelt Lake      Payson      Mogollon Rim     Flagstaff    South Rim   North Rim       Utah
   1:03:53        1:08:33      1:23:10       2:06:38           2:15:56           3:02:45         3:14:20         4:13:43       5:10:36      6:03:54         6:12:28

Obviously, a long way to go, but something to keep an eye on.

[JoePAz]

Neil is on Oracle Ridge now.   Kaitlyn is showing still climbing, but I bet the spot has not updated yet.

What are pace Kaitlyn and Neil are running for 300?  They are both superfast.

[pbasinger]

Neil is on Oracle Ridge now.   Kaitlyn is showing still climbing, but I bet the spot has not updated yet.

What are pace Kaitlyn and Neil are running for 300?  They are both superfast.

They are pretty close to Kurt's record.  I think he went through Summerhaven around 6AM on his record pace.

[schillingsworth]

Eszter's splits from 2013 300:

Patagonia    Kentucky Camp    Colossal Cave    Tucson      Summerhaven      Oracle      Gila River    Picketpost
  0:05:10          0:08:01            0:14:20          0:19:52        1:04:52            1:11:51       2:03:15      2:13:21

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kurt's splits from 2014 300:

Patagonia    Kentucky Camp    Colossal Cave    Tucson      Summerhaven      Oracle      Gila River    Picketpost
  0:04:32          0:06:52            0:12:01          0:15:01        0:22:28            1:02:08       1:13:47      1:21:07

[AZLobo]

Neil is 2 hours, more or less exactly, behind Kurts 2014 time at summerhaven.

[midnite]

My other half is Canadian singlespeeder Dean Anderson. Photos of the 750 grand depart courtesy of his sister, Joyce.

[AZLobo]

Temperature is very similar 4/11/2014 vs today. Wind may be an issue.

Point forecast for Ripsey

Today - Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Breezy, with a south wind 6 to 11 mph becoming west 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. West wind 12 to 17 mph decreasing to 6 to 11 mph after midnight.

[AZLobo]

Kaitlyn on her way out of Summerhaven.

[Yogi the Barry]

OK... I'm peeking at the race flow again. Productivity at work on hold...
Comment: I too get caught up in comparing previous ride times from previous years. That might be apples and apples, but it's never the same exact apple. The course is never exactly the same, the weather is different, bikes are better, riders with multiple attempts are smarter and wiser, yada, yada... And anyone who extrapolates days out for a finish time... perhaps a Wall Street career is your calling. Rooting for all the wise old tortoises out there... [wink, wink]

[MBX5]

Just got a text from Dana he's in Summerhaven.  He's been battling a slow leak in his rear tire constantly stopping to add air.

[schillingsworth]

OK... I'm peeking at the race flow again. Productivity at work on hold...
Comment: I too get caught up in comparing previous ride times from previous years. That might be apples and apples, but it's never the same exact apple. The course is never exactly the same, the weather is different, bikes are better, riders with multiple attempts are smarter and wiser, yada, yada... And anyone who extrapolates days out for a finish time... perhaps a Wall Street career is your calling. Rooting for all the wise old tortoises out there... [wink, wink]

True, but time splits are kept and records held or broken based on time stamps not all the inevitable variables including course changes. Some sections get faster, some get slower. In the end the route(s) are the 300 & 750 from start to finish. Even with all the differences each year it's fun and amazing when the really fast folks put the hammer down. We're witnessing quite a treat this year.

I hosted Neil B. at my house & drove him down to the start this year. He's been asked a few times if he was going for Kurt's record and he said 'No', just riding for fun. He has a relatively new bike, that's kinda heavy, but must be a blast on the downhills with a dropper post. I'll never be able to relate to a 'casual' 300 pace being in the low 2d range, but he's on a different level. I may have to set an alarm tonight so I don't get to Picketpost too late tomorrow!! I plan on spending some time out there this weekend, so hopefully I'll get some good 300 finish shots and see some 750 riders pass through.

[Jeff Z]

some get slower.

like Jacob's Crosscut...

 

[schillingsworth]

like Jacob's Crosscut...

 

Jacob's Crosscut...now faster than 2017!! You should do it again....

Denberg is blazin' south towards the North Rim. He's probably 2 hours or so from making the plunge.