The Tommy Godwin .. the mad ness of it all.. for 2015..

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  • Emphursis
    Emphursis Posts: 124
    Here you go (Hopefully the link will work) http://app.strava.com/routes/401512. I've just edited an old route of mine very quickly, so while it might not be the flattest or most fun to ride, it doesn't hit any large places except at the start/end.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Plenty of routes that he can do without having to ride through massive cities - I dont think thats an issue at all for him.

    The Americans must have a far easier time of it though - with the country being so big - they can chase after the nice weather. Good luck to Steve getting through our crap weather !
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    I really don't envy him at the moment!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Bigjim - you can follow his routes on Strava - https://www.strava.com/athletes/1419435

    186 miles yesterday in those winds. He's absolutely bonkers to do this record.
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    Chris Bass wrote:
    I really don't envy him at the moment!

    Nope - these are the days that differentiate Steve even more from the rest of us.

    (according to a post on YACF) Today's plan consists of an 'easy' 90 miles to his favourite cafe and then 3 30 mile sections back into the wind apparently.

    Hoping he isn't going to blow, he's above the 87000 mile schedule currently, but whilst conditions aren't great, it's all fairly mild, so getting the miles in isn't as challenging as it could be (still ?&^%ing challenging though - one 180 mile day at this time of the year is going some, but to repeat it is just amazing; but Steve's the man for the job).
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • bigjim
    bigjim Posts: 780
    I'm suprised that he's not riding some ultralight carbon bike. That Raleigh is pretty heavy, with the frame and frame bag> Brooks saddle as well. Not the lightest of options. I wonder if he had a choice of bike considering Raleighs sponsorship? I mean, they do produce lighter bikes.
    Nothing to prove. http://adenough1.blogspot.co.uk/
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    bigjim wrote:
    I'm suprised that he's not riding some ultralight carbon bike. That Raleigh is pretty heavy, with the frame and frame bag> Brooks saddle as well. Not the lightest of options. I wonder if he had a choice of bike considering Raleighs sponsorship? I mean, they do produce lighter bikes.
    I suspect comfort, fit, reliability, repairability and ability to take any desired tyres, mudguards, bags and lights are far bigger priorities than weight for this. Lots of climbing might favour a lightweight machine and lots of high speed might favour an aero bike but this is all about repeatable endurance.
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    Indeed. The weight of a bike makes very little difference when travelling on flatter terrain at consistent pace.

    The bike has had a few modifications - Hope headset and BB for longevity and the wheels are upgraded (he's running tubeless on Stan's Alpha rims), barend shifters on his aerobars. I understand he has 3 identical machines. I dread to think how many tyres/cassettes/chains he will eat through - especially this time of the year.

    He knows what he's doing. Comfort outweighs pretty much everything else for his approach to the challenge. I've seen him ride 400 plus miles in a day on a hefty steel bike (his PB at the 24 is close to 450 miles from memory).

    Tarzan (one of the other challengers) will take a very different approach to the challenge and aim to be very fast on the bike and only ride for 12 or so hours. Tortoise and hare for sure - be interesting to see which approach will work. I suspect the impact of riding faster, even with much more recovery time, will be considerable.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Interestingly, 'drafting' is allowed in the rules of the UMCA... I bet not in the 'Tommy Godwin Big Book of Riding' though!
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    JGSI wrote:
    Interestingly, 'drafting' is allowed in the rules of the UMCA... I bet not in the 'Tommy Godwin Big Book of Riding' though!
    I believe Steve has invited riders to come join him for a bit of support and conversation but also to provide some drafting assistance. Apparently Tommy Godwin had a bunch of elite riders who rode with him regularly to provide him with drafting opportunities when he set the record.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Ah yes, just done a quick skim of the book.. apparently 'pacing' was taken out of the equation by July and riders were left to their own efforts...

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