Has Steve Abraham started the year ride again?

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Comments

  • scott_w1987
    scott_w1987 Posts: 316
    Fenix wrote:
    I really cant see riding loops as being good for you.

    Its just not as impressive as say Tommy Godwins rides.

    Has anyone done the longest turbo ride yet ? Its probably only a matter of time before someone claims that as a record.


    There's a few zwift records going on at the moment... :lol:
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    400 km yesterday, but also over 16 hours on the saddle... can't believe he's riding this

    http://road.cc/content/review/59935-raleigh-sojourn

    Puts those "do I need an endurance bike for my 60 mile ride?" threads in perspective
    left the forum March 2023
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,395
    I assume he's not using that base spec though?

    6kg wheels... ouch!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    I assume he's not using that base spec though?

    6kg wheels... ouch!

    Upgraded wheels and tyres... that's about it
    left the forum March 2023
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,081
    Inexplicable. Why not have an all singing, all dancing machine? Is there a momentum thing going on here? I ask that 'cos he mainly sticks to flatish routes. Does anyone know what tyres he has?
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    Pinno wrote:
    Inexplicable. Why not have an all singing, all dancing machine? Is there a momentum thing going on here? I ask that 'cos he mainly sticks to flatish routes. Does anyone know what tyres he has?

    It's a low budget thing and maybe Raleigh offers some kind of low budget sponsorship.

    Last time he used Schwalbe One tubeless on Stans 340 rims... not very durable tyres if you ask me.... with his mileage he might need a new pair every week
    left the forum March 2023
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,395
    Just been reading his website, apparently he's taken a different approach for this one and has bought a power meter and appointed a coach. http://oneyeartimetrial.org.uk/preparation

    Hopefully this should make a difference. It looks like he also postponed starting the attempt until he was fully prepared, as opposed to his first attempt where he seemed to think he'd be able to "ride into it".
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    Powermeter?!?!? Attempt invalidated!! :D
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    To be fair to Steve, He is probably riding a bike similar to to what Tommy Goodwin rode in terms of weight.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,395
    Pinno wrote:
    Inexplicable. Why not have an all singing, all dancing machine? Is there a momentum thing going on here? I ask that 'cos he mainly sticks to flatish routes. Does anyone know what tyres he has?

    And apparently he's using 3x Raleighs that are being maintained by the Trek store in Milton Keynes. I assume it's not entirely stock.
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    rubertoe wrote:
    To be fair to Steve, He is probably riding a bike similar to to what Tommy Goodwin rode in terms of weight.
    Goodwin was on one of these:

    http://on-the-drops.blogspot.co.uk/2016 ... -1942.html

    So probably very similar. Hard to compare the rides really. Steve is going to have much better road surfaces but much heavier traffic to deal with. I think concentration wise it's going to be much tougher on him.

    I must admit, as much as I might respect people who can do this kind of distance, doing it on an off-road loop just seems wrong to me.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    Steve is going to have much better road surfaces
    That's quite an optimistic assumption...
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,188
    Days 1-4 = 1,030 miles.

    Amanda Coker currently logging regular 250+ days; her average is now 231+ as of end day 297.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    338 km yesterday...in the grand scheme of things a short one... did seem such a nice day to bag a massive one... maybe he likes rain :-)
    left the forum March 2023
  • ben-----
    ben----- Posts: 573
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    338 km yesterday...in the grand scheme of things a short one... did seem such a nice day to bag a massive one... maybe he likes rain :-)

    It was really windy yesterday. Was for me in central East Anglia (blowing in a south easterly direction) which appears to be a similar area to where he was.
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Should there not be two records like the hour?
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • norvernrob
    norvernrob Posts: 1,448
    rubertoe wrote:
    Should there not be two records like the hour?

    Probably, but the rules are lax enough to compare someone riding a recumbent around a track to someone else riding a lump of steel on public roads. Steve obviously wants the overall, undisputed record, but in my eyes as long as he beats Tommy's distance then he's the true daddy of them all.

    That's not to say Kurt and Amanda aren't tremendous athletes, because they certainly are. But, well, yeah. Not the same is it.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    ben----- wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    338 km yesterday...in the grand scheme of things a short one... did seem such a nice day to bag a massive one... maybe he likes rain :-)

    It was really windy yesterday. Was for me in central East Anglia (blowing in a south easterly direction) which appears to be a similar area to where he was.

    I did a long ride yesterday (for my standards)... it was breezy... it was an average spring day in England, I wouldn't call it a windy day... just with better weather than average. Around 4 PM the wind died down, by the time I got home at 5:30 there was hardly any wind at all.
    left the forum March 2023
  • bluemoon17
    bluemoon17 Posts: 718
    He's already lost 4-5kg in the space of a week, according to his Twitter.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    Bluemoon17 wrote:
    He's already lost 4-5kg in the space of a week, according to his Twitter.

    he changed those wheels then!
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    After 8 days he's averaging 350 km a day. Coker is averaging 400 a day at the moment. Not sure what his strategy is, but if he lets the gap go in the thousands on km, it will be pretty much impossible to bridge
    left the forum March 2023
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,081
    Why don't you contact him Ugo? Perhaps he is trying to beat TG's record without use of a recumbent.
    Almost everybody agrees, this would be a far more authentic record. Perhaps also, that explains the bog standard bike and heavy wheels.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    Pinno wrote:
    Why don't you contact him Ugo? Perhaps he is trying to beat TG's record without use of a recumbent.
    Almost everybody agrees, this would be a far more authentic record. Perhaps also, that explains the bog standard bike and heavy wheels.

    Doesn't have heavy wheels.
    On his blog he makes it clear that he is after the UMCA record, which as it appears, will be Coker's record in a few weeks. He is obviously very aware of that.
    Any other record is not a record... meaningful maybe, but he seems to be after that record, not TG's one.

    As for contacting him, there's about 1000 people who leave messages on his Strava page and he doesn't have the time or inclination to talk to people

    TBH I am not sure why I am interested in this attempt, seeing I reckon the all UMCA thing misses completely the point of cycling :roll:
    left the forum March 2023
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,395
    One would assume he'll start building the distances as the days get linger and the weather a bit more settled, no?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    One would assume he'll start building the distances as the days get linger and the weather a bit more settled, no?

    Well, as it appears he needs to ride long distance even in winter. To be honest, yesterday I did 200 km... dull day, but light breeze and 12 degrees in the Midlands... if I can do 200, someone who wants the UMCA record should be able to do 400

    He must have a strategy in mind, but as I said, if the gap gets in the thousands, he could be stuffed even before the days get long
    left the forum March 2023
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    rubertoe wrote:
    To be fair to Steve, He is probably riding a bike similar to to what Tommy Goodwin rode in terms of weight.
    Goodwin was on one of these:

    http://on-the-drops.blogspot.co.uk/2016 ... -1942.html

    So probably very similar. Hard to compare the rides really. Steve is going to have much better road surfaces but much heavier traffic to deal with. I think concentration wise it's going to be much tougher on him.

    I must admit, as much as I might respect people who can do this kind of distance, doing it on an off-road loop just seems wrong to me.

    I imagine that Tommy Godwin's bike was 2-3kg heavier at least - and that's not including all the spare tubs etc that he carried.
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    I haven't kept track, but he seems to be riding around 350 km a day, give or take... Amanda Coker does 420... I'd say Steve is currently around 4,000 km behind after just two months... I don't think he can close the gap anymore... he is probably just going for Tommy Godwin's record, I would assume
    left the forum March 2023
  • bondurant
    bondurant Posts: 858
    There's a thread on YACF in which someone posted that he was 222 miles behind Amanda Coker at the same point a couple of days ago.

    So not yet out of range, but the gap is steadily increasing.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,309
    Bondurant wrote:
    There's a thread on YACF in which someone posted that he was 222 miles behind Amanda Coker at the same point a couple of days ago.

    So not yet out of range, but the gap is steadily increasing.

    Problem is she has stepped up significantly and while he can do so in summer, it would be very hard to keep doing >400 km rides over winter. Not even sure how you can think of riding in the dark when the roads are frozen.

    Besides, this is the best time of the year... days are already very long, there is light between 5 AM and 9 PM, temperature is not too cold/not too hot, it's very dry... if not now, then when?
    left the forum March 2023
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    nochekmate wrote:
    How interesting that must be - at least Steve got out and about.

    agree, totally pointless... a record for the sake of it...


    John F.Kennedy "We choose to go to the Moon! ...We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard !"

    It may be pointless, but its one hell of an achievement. Sometimes its good to set a goal and have something to aim for.
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby

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