IR 600K

374 miles
13,500 feet of elevation gain (Ride with GPS) 14,500 feet of elevation (personal GPS)

For the 600k I shared a hotel room for the night before and the overnight.  I felt so much better with the additional sleep because of the hotel.  I will continue to get a room for future IR600 and 400 rides. 

IR600 uses the same 400k loop as the IR400. Weather was similar (pleasant), hills still hurt, but I finished the 400k loop of the 600k 2 hours quicker than the 400k a couple weeks ago, thus giving me more sleep during the overnight (3hrs). 

My bike setup remained the same from the 400K, and I plan on using for the Granite Anvil 1200k in late August. 

Gear:

I did take a Platypus water container for additional water on the 200k portion of the 600k.  There are few services on this stretch, it is always hot, and I have run out of water the last 2 times I completed this ride.  The Platypus turned out to be a savior.  For the first time I was able to arrive at the last control with water to spare.  Granted, it wasn't as hot as it has been in previous rides, but I still call the decision to bring he Platypus a success and will keep this option open for future rides.

Detour 1. Gas main failure, closing road.  #ThatsRando

Detour 2.  Luckily the only flooding.  #ThatsRando

Nothing like the feeling of having a flat 10miles remaining to finish a 600k. 

Training Log: 6/5/2017-6/23/2017

This training log consists of a Couple more trips to ride my Puglsey on trails, (50miles 1,300 ft of elevation gain), my rides to martinsville (50miles 2,500 ft of elevation gain), my weekly commutes to work, and around town rides. I was also able to get a run of 5miles in. 

Plainfield-Martinsville-Plainfield pics:

By bike: 314 miles
By feet: 5miles.  

IR 400k

251 miles
+11,000 ft

This year I made the mistake of driving 1.5hrs the morning of the ride for the 5am start.  Of course, I didn't go to sleep the night before at a decent time, maybe 11pm.  I had get up at 2:30am the morning of the ride in order to make the 5am start.  By the Jasper control (half way point) I could barely keep my eyes open.  At the Jasper control I actually napped on and off for about an hour.  It was a tough battle through the night, I was so happy to reach the Seymour control which means a flat 20 more miles to the graveyard (finish). 

The most difficult section of this ride is the Bedford-Jasper segment, which is loaded with steep rollers during the hottest part of the day. 

The Bike:
After a couple brevets not using a handlebar bag, I've decided that I like the handlebar bag, so it is back on. 
I like this bike setup and may keep it for the foreseeable future.
My frame bags are never very full, a trick I learned from Mike Hall. Fumbling around with overloaded bags takes time and increases the chances of losing stuff. 

Gear Checklist:

Sunrise the 1st morning

Sunrise the 2nd morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Famous road on the route due to the 3 walls we climb.  

Final tally:

Training log: 5/14/2017-6/3/2017

Combined a couple weeks on the training log, I've been slacking. 

I have been holding off on the running to try and save my legs for the busy rando weeks. 

Still commuting to work, around 90miles per week.  Weather is beautiful, so no gear list needed. 

Wednesday 5/17 I knocked off 20miles of single track with friends.  I need to keep putting miles on that Pugsley, I still have intentions of Tuscobia 160 this winter season. All the red was not planned.

Line up!

This training log also has mileage from IR's 400k starting 6/3.  More to come on the 400k. 

This training log bike miles: 422miles
By feet: 0

IR 300k

Indianpolis-Seymour-Indianapolis
187 miles, 6,100 ft of climbing. 

This year I was able to finish the ride in about 15hours.  The ride was pretty straight forward with no issues.  The weather was absolutely perfect, unlike last year's 40degF light rain conditions. I feel stronger than last year, but the rides are still very difficult. 

Still riding the CrossCheck without handlebar bag. 

300k Checklist

Love the open road early morning bike pics!

Training Log 5/7/2017-5/13/2017

Weekly work commute: 90 miles
Fleche continuation on Sunday, 73miles
Indiana Randonneurs 300k, 187miles on Saturday. 
Weekly total by bike: 350miles
No energy to run this week. 

More from the IR300k to come. 

Ohio fleche 2017

Team name: Sagamores of the Wabash
Fleche information: wiki_fleche
2016 fleche write-up: 2016_fleche
247 miles in 24 hours. 

Fleche is a very fun form of randonneuring. I love the team aspect and look forward to another opportunity at a fleche in the future.  

This year's fleche was nothing compared to the 22hrs of constant rain, a couple mechanicals, and a spill on railroad tracks last year fed us.  This year was almost dream conditions.  We had great tailwinds for almost the entire route.  Cruising long straight roads for what seemed like hours keeping an easy pace of 20mph was stuff out of stories.  The bike gods were re-paying us for putting us through Malebolge last year.  It was such an event free ride there are no great stories to attribute to it. I ride without stories is just a ride.  

The Bike:

Gear:

Pics:

Love the bike Lineup

Into the Night

Detour