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| Cue sheet test and calibration check- Done! |
- Cue Sheet Holder: I found my bigger clip and in conjunction with the smaller clip, I think I have a rock solid set up for cues now. Wednesday was pretty breezy, so that made for great testing conditions. I used some old Gravel Worlds cues that I have collected over the years as dummy cues to make sure that they would be readable and not flapping in the breeze as I rode. That checked out all good, so one more item off the list!
- Calibration Check: I needed to know if I would want to calibrate the computer again, or if it was good on mileage measuring. I usually check this against signs that the State put up along US Highway 218/27 by using a side road which parallels the highway. I can look over and see where the State has marked of the tenths of a mile and see if my computer is racking up similarly to what the State has. I checked out within .01 of a mile, so that'll do. Wandering on the road, stopping at convenience stores, or hiking over to a corn field to relieve oneself could easily amount to being off more than that. I have no doubt I'll be good on mileage tracking. I may chuck my GPS head in the bag as a back-up, but I have zero room to mount that head on the bike unless I do that where I cannot read it from the saddle. That seems pointless. I also need to see if I can turn off the scrolling function on this particular Sigma computer. That constantly changing screen is annoying!
- Heat Acclimation: Of course, I've been doing short rides in the intense heat whenever I can to get used to it. Tuesday was likely the worst I'll see as it was 81° at 90% humidity for a "real-feel' heat index of 99°F, I think it was. Anyway- sweat-city! My grips were slimy and bare-handing it was sketchy. Which led to....
- The Gloves: I figured that the easiest thing to do was to just wear gloves, and I tried that Wednesday, but I don't really want to wear any gloves at all. While the gloves solved the immediate problems with sweat and grip, I found them to be hot and uncomfortable. I just really want to avoid gloves if at all possible. Next up I will try my sleeves which I have used to good effect before. I am reticent to try anything on my wrists as I am really sensitive to any pressure on my skin. It causes numbness really quickly. In fact, I have to loosen my watch band so it bounces around on my wrist or I cannot wear it while riding. More tweaking needs to be done here.
- No Base Layer: I have been thinking about eschewing wearing a base layer at Gravel Worlds. I know- they say base layers keep you cooler. I say it is still like wearing two shirts. When it is hot and humid, do I really need to be wearing two shirts? It doesn't add up to my mind. So, Wednesday I tried just a jersey while on Tuesday I wore a base layer under a loose fitting 'jersey shirt' thing. I have. I could see wearing the slightly flappy jersey-shirt thing with a base layer and the jersey only deal was great. More testing needed...
Gotta line up the nutrition stuff next. Then, if Gravel Worlds gets the cues published soon enough, I may transfer them to Trans Iowa style cues. I can read those more easily and I can get more lines on a sheet than they do for Gravel Worlds. I figure that instead of the usual 8-9 sheets Gravel Worlds ends up putting out I might get that down to 7, maybe 8.
Anyway.... More soon on all this as I wrap things up for next week's trip. Stay tuned......
4 comments:
The only thing that has worked for me in surviving the heat either here or abroad is to slow it down. That combined with up my water intake. Lastly, never pass up tree shade and stop for 10 minutes. Loop #4 at 24hr of cummings I found a shaded section about 11 miles out from the finish. 4th place rolled passed me as I sat there. I caught them about 4 miles out from the finish. I like to think that letting my body cool for a moment helped and allowed me to go longer harder into the finish. But then again, you may find no shade on the open gravel seas you are about to set sail on.
@ N.Y. Roll - Yeah, that actually resonates with what I am finding out. Don't go too hard- slow down. And yeah, maybe stop once in awhile.
Trees are kinda hard to come by in places. But.....There are bridges. I remember one Gravel Worlds where I was yo-yoing back and forth between a group from Lincoln and myself. I would pass them where they often were stopped under bridges and the occasional tree. Maybe they were on to something.....
LOL… I think you're onto something there. ;-)
Layers work. Do not take a chance. As a person who rides continually no matter the weather- currently a week in central NY near Lake Ontario- the two shirt method has two powers for me. The base shirt remains damp, and the outer regulates the evaporation. Now where I do go single shirt is when knowing the wind aint doing a thing. I am not referring to riding wind, but the actual wind. Reason being, the sweat tends to end up in my socks if the wind aint blowing. I have also noticed the water or soda in my preference intake is higher with a single shirt. Despite that, I still end the day smelling of ammonia.
-wilson
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