Any advice for Race Across America?

I am crewing for the 2007 bike race Race Across Americanand would like some advice (for both the biker and the crew) in terms of physical, mental, and financial preparation as well as the race itself.Any advice for Race Across America?
depending on the lenght whicj it sounds long :) ride for many hours in preparation 4-5 hrs more than onec a week. mentaly i'm not sure just keep taking to people to keep occupied. good luckAny advice for Race Across America?
Since you'll have a car following, the only things I can think of will put an accent onto ergo power that is often overlooked.





As you know, distance is about controlled power output and efficiency. In my opinion you should do whatever measures are possible (and allowed) to get your bike as comfortable as possible, as capable as possible, without slowing it down.





Except for decreasing areo or adding considerable weight, comfort=stamina.


As far as areo, at some point, continuously ';paying the piper'; for a bit of speed into the headwinds actually reduces average speed. A balance is needed that is optimized for distance, and not the typical weekend warrior layout.





Titanium: Please avoid titanium wear surfaces because they won't last through the RAAM. Bottom brackets and cassettes are awful places for this material; however, water bottle bolts and chainring bolts of titanium are workable if you use automotive thread locker (medium) instead of a heavy hand with the wrench. Save weight wherever there is no cost to durability, because every ounce counts up the 193,827th hill--yet you've got to make it there first. ;)





Boot the 16 spoke wheels off the aluminum bikes and get something like 20 spokes on front with 24 on back. This is actually lighter and better preserves your strength in many ways. Rol wheels should be able to help with a 20/24 or a 20/20 (phone). And those are known for speed with extraordinary durability. Be sure and mention [to your wheelsmith] bike type (current setup, your views on its ride), and rider weight. Do avoid gimmick decorative spoke patterns because those ride terribly rough. Even spaces between spokes is the way to go.





See if Nitto's 19'; Albatross bars are certified for use in RAAM. Available at speedgoat.com, these go upside down ';dropped'; (like drop bars, but different) and wrapped. They use a slightly taller stem that normally fits an ATB, and controls go across the front as in ';moustache';. These will preserve your strength like nothing else and have time trial like areo at your option (just grab the front) with an added comfort grip (backswept bars) that is also good for hill leverage if tilted down just a bit (part that is closest to you tilted down a bit gives ';rowing machine'; leverage).





If those handlebars aren't allowed, use a tall stem with 1950's style drop bars--drop is far down (Maaes). This makes high top, low drop, yet I'm saying to put the drop portion where it is now and the effect is raising the top, leaving the drop unchanged. I believe that Nitto and others make these. Boot the Anatomic.


Narrow is Areo, so do go for some narrow bars and put them at a more-comfortable reach. This will break even, or better, on the areo and enhance ergo considerably for more stamina.





If you're worried about flat slowdowns, but flat free tires are too slow, there are some, such as Michelin's famous speedy trainer and Serfas Seca RS (210 grams, corners on wet anything) see Roadbikereview.com for ';easy rolling'; and ';coasting past the rest'; because you might as well make it as easy as possible.


Check out your course and see if there are known thorn-infested areas. You could need some ';easy rolling'; fast featherweight trainer tires. Avoid ';sticky'; as a ';benefit'; unless you're getting tires for grandpa's commuter bike. However, sticky on the sides and hard down the middle can be really wonderful on those high speed downhills (that we'll get to next).





But first, we've got to get up the hills and there's some energy wasting Shimano technology that needs a workaround. Front indexing. . .birthed as a comfort technology, and at that time, Shimano advertised against using it on a serious bike because of its limitations on uphill efficiency.





For Shimano powered road bikes, bar end shifters, especially the left side, allow access to all rear cogs from all of the chainrings, thus ending the uphill chainring dance.


Also, left side Campy can do the same to get the chainring dance under control, no matter what brand is on the right side. ;)





Also for Shimano:


XT, Ultegra's mountain twin, contains 105/Ultegra/DuraAce triple 9 xp compatible rear drives (plug-n-play on 9 aka 27 speed road bikes with STI aka ordinary shifters). Specifically, the featherweight 11-32 and the featherweight (yet huge) XT SGS Top Normal derailleur (also available in LX for the budget minded--yet with no inferiority whatsoever). These are not only more precise than their road counterparts, but can save you when you get ';to the wall'; on that certain hill. Instead of ';blowing out'; and being unprepared for the next hill, having gears like this is like having a spare tire for your car. This set is really very wonderful (necessary) if you have a ';compact double'; on front.


As a note: XTR, Dura Ace's mountain twin has no cassettes capable of lasting through the RAAM, but the derailleur is as nice as the XT, yet in a weight range sure to astonish the weight weenies. Avoid titanium cassettes.


As a note: XT 11-32 could crunch with a ';clyde'; rider standing up on a ';road triple';--yet LX gears will not fail, and you can put them on a diet by using 11-12-14-16-18-21-24-30-spacer (spacer makes more low gears available on each chainring when using Shimano's daft indexed front--and still works with 9 speed systems, of course, just set the limiter screw--simple), see HarrisCyclery.com for details on custom 9 cassettes (even those with 8 gears plus 1 spacer--just ask them).


Whether you're going with a compact double, road triple, or road double (nuts!) expanding the rear drive will make the bike more efficient from each chainring selection without having to do the chainring dance ordeal.





Now you can go up anything no matter your physical condition, and you've got pedal to or past 40 mph for extra fun on the downhills.





However for those afraid of a mountain rear drive, there is a pretty normal option, if you have changed the left shifter to a non-indexed model, and, you have a road triple, the Ultegra Hill Climber, 12-27 cassette would do the job (9 speed on right side required) with any Shimano 9 road triple derailleur. This is still a strong dose of excellence, but not quite as strong as the XT system.





Not a Shimano fan? Well, a Shimano rear drive is the only (racing) way to get full power under load shifting, specifically Hyperglide. It will save you seconds of time. . . on every last hill.


Oh, and you might want to think about the Dura Ace/XT chain because it is the strongest HG 9 speed chain. However, if you've got a nice 8 speed, don't bother switching it to 9. All of the above works with the 8 speed, and the 8 chain is strong enough for the ';clydes';.


Like Campy? Great for the front drive, works slick, and no annoying comfort technology inspired chainring dance. Combining the best of both is not a bad thing to do at all. Perhaps just funny looking.





For the extreme distance, it is important to use a saddle that is curved on the bottom side, gently ramped downwards towards the leg edges. Sharp squarish edges, although popular, will not do, but to avoid this, you'll need a saddle that is a bit wider and a bit more padded. That is, unless you already have it. ;) Also, the padding in the saddle can be adjusted a bit by putting a hole through the bottom plate and fishing out a bit of foam if there is too much pressure somewhere in the middle. You know what I mean. Marine foam types are less likely to cause fatigue than Gel. In fact Gel (shorts or saddle) is generally only a stopgap measure until you find something that actually fits. The RAAM needs something that fits. If it will work for 81 miles in your blue jeans, then it fits. If not, boot it.





Financially, marthon racing is very expensive. Count on $100 per day through the central United States and 1/3 more nearer the coasts.


That is ';per rider'; and not counting the costs of support.





Water is a good way to get dehydrated. Pollute it with a small amount of blue Gatorade for electrolites. Peanut foods (bars) with tiny amounts of chocolate are good for snacks. Hamburgers (no cheese, no poison-preserved lettuce) have an incredible amount of energy.


These won't make you sleepy.





For that length of trip, you've got to have something to do. Two way radio to the sag team is good. Featherweight disposable 35mm cameras also provide some entertainment.





While most touring technology is not only necessary, but too heavy to use during a race, do investigate whatever seems to benefit ergonomics because it can make the difference between 14 hours of entertaining ride or 14 hours of the usual discomfort. Some tour technology, such as XT rear gears and comfortable saddles, has been upgraded in recent years to be about as lightweight as their road counterparts, so there's no loss--only gain.


Harris Cyclery are perhaps the foremost experts on this topic.





Wheels--forgot to mention the specifics. Stout rear wheels are nice and do contribute to speed on hills. Stout front wheels are for use only on totally carbon fiber bikes or whispy steel, while aluminum frames (and some carbon bikes) need a shock absorbing front wheel that can prevent ';slapback'; which is the slowdown when a bike slams into and pushes against road abberations instead of merely rolling over. So, while a fast rear wheel is easy, a fast front wheel will always be in conflict with itself. Interview some to find a nice balance.





Oh darn! I mentioned both saddles and handlebars. Forgot to mention that the types of both are strictly relative to each other. Do the handlebars up first. This now makes possible the more ergonomic saddle. The other way around would change your saddle twice instead of once.





I think you hit the nail on the head with the question of physical and mental. Keeping the physical a bit more comfy than ';normal'; is the hallmark of a long-distance racing bike.





If you should happen to own a bike that has great ergonomics on paper, promised great ergonomics, yet does not deliver at all, the difference is the forks.


On a bike with this problem, try a set of forks that can accomodate 32mm (plus) tires. I'm not recommending large tires at all, just a 15 minute experiment to see if you were ';shortchanged'; on the front of the bike. If you put that tire on your bike and then the wheel won't turn. . . aha!!


Oh, and then put your regular tire back on. ;)


Should you own ';short trip'; time trial forks, you don't need a new bike, just a set of carbon cyclocross racing forks, 1 canti-brakes, and the small ';collar'; that fits around the stem to connect. This will alter all of the angles of the bike towards greater ergo power and longer distance--far longer distance rides.





That swap will increase the bike by 1/2 size, and it may require a stem that actually reaches out farther away (or may not require that at all). Yet it is possible that some re-fitting could be needed. Mostly likely, nothing else need be done for fitting and you'll just think WOW! this feels so very nice.





For reference, test drive a Schwinn Super Sport or road racing bike. Those are ergo enhanced for pleasure from sunup till sundown. In particular, the Super Sport is a regular road frame with cyclocross forks fitted to jack the height a bit. So, you can see what the effect is just by hopping on one for a spin. A mild raise effect is present in their racing bikes.





Just know that super-long distance bikes do not look one bit like mass market Dura Ace bikes.


I like to call those ';decoration racers'; because they are suitable for racing against decorations. Okay, some of them actually work well, but as for the majority, those are unisuitable for long distances.





So, for the long-distance bike, look for the tall head tube and beware the short fork.


As far as areo, UP and Out forwards works far better than anything else. It is even more comfortable than low height and short stem combined. Notice that time trial riders aren't using the drops. Tour de Frace riders aren't using the drops. However, non-anatomic drops are considerably more usable than what they were hanging onto in France.





I'm no expert on the topic, but modern Antatomic bars are a no-go for distance. Grant Peterson of Rivendell bikes and Sheldon Brown of Harris Cyclery will have some ideas. Your bars do have to pass racing regulations so do check that out. My guess is MAAES bend, much higher and slighty farther (fit is similar, areo is same, ergo is enhanced).





Preparation for the crew? Audio books are good, mp3 cd is good, and whatever else is needed for an extraordinarily boring ride in the car.





Almost forgot to mention:


Protect your heart!


Eat like a diabetic--a little at a time and very often. When you think that your heart is mad at you or might get that way, take it easy and take Bufferin. When you're sure that your heart is mad at you, chew up a double dose of regular Bayer aspirin and take with water. About 40 minutes after taking Bayer, do follow it with a small amount of simple stomach-easing medicine to prevent burn. Check this all out with your doctor.





For hot areas, put no padding onto yourself that you believe should actually be on the bike. Seat and handlebars, not shorts and gloves. That will lower body temperature.


So will a white helmet. The ';Trek Police'; in white is extraordinarily cool, very economical, and the police label peels off easily.





I had talked about not recommending large tires. This is because tire weight is a liability on the uphill and not because small tires are faster. Speed of road/street tires has to do with their weight (hills) and rubber compound, and nothing else.


Well, one more thing, in that the shock absorbancy of the front tire needs to be an excellent match for bike type and rider weight.


If you are tempted to run 23mm on the back and 25mm on the front--well do it if your speedometer approves (although, one would usually ';set'; the wheel instead). Speed effects of front wheel and front tire are more art than science, but you can sort it out with your speedometer.





Take two bikes, one like the Specialized Allez Triple and one like the Schwinn Super Sport 06. While you'll need better wheels than come with either and a more-sane stem on the Specialized (Profile Designs H20 90mm is most likely), more effective materials aren't really available. Whoops! Those need all alloy cranksets before you could say that no more cash will do no more benefit. Alloy is more efficient on chainrings. Sugino's XD600 (XC) and Shimano's Ultegra (Racer). When you're wanting to push, hop the racer, and when you're near death, have a nice quick ride on the comfy cyclocross. In either case, you're going forward as quickly as possible for your current physical condition. This is an idea just in case you can't make one single bike perform both different jobs.





Got all of my ';unusual'; ideas down, but didn't mention the usual. There's lots more to it, but maybe some of these things will make it a much nicer and much faster trip. Do have fun!





EDIT: 4 more things that may help, but you would need to ';interview'; them to find out for sure. . .





Rotor's Q-Rings work. But, will they work for you? Those are elipical, but with a new twist--mounting holes are all the way around so you can adjust for your own needs. Eliptical chainrings have an effect of 16% per 4mm varience. Q-rings have more variance, but don't advertise more effect. These work opposite to Biopace/Cycloid/Ovaltech on upright bikes because the Q-ring is a true traditional eliptical.


Caution: I do not know if it is 16% more facilitating to produce power (bad) or 16% more efficient (good); however, they do work, and you should find out.


For individuals that find them relaxing on the first 50 mile+ ride, it is a good match. Other individuals will get the classic ';cut pain'; that is directly below the kneecap, as seen in long cranks--in which case, move the seat 1/4 inch farther back and re-test (same as long cranks).





Say, how do you feel about trying to operate a wood screw (as in carpentry) with a screwdriver that has a small, rather than large, barrel and no leverage? Short cranks are like that. For individuals who have trouble spinning long cranks, the faddish short cranks are very good.


However, for most others, the concept of reducing leverage is just nuts! Most people who wear 32'; pants can ride maximum 175mm, although 172.5 is more specific. Shorter folks can usually ride 170mm. For those who find 34'; pants to be short or high water, 177mm and larger cranks are worth an interview for the long legged cyclist.


I'm saying that if long cranks can be used with no discomfort and no interference (50 mile test), then you are certain to go farther and faster just because of basic leverage and the reduction of aerobic power output.





Long cranks are especially effective teamed with eliptical chainrings; however, as the usual compensation for each is to move the seat 1/4'; back, that could result in moving the seat backwards 1/2'; (or more) total. If so, one or more of this leveraging technology could be unsuitable and lead to hip discomfort--because that's too far off the mark for the saddle.





For the rare individual who finds this leveraging technology worse, worse, and yet more worse, they are a candidate for Biopace rings onto 165mm short cranks, specifically a 110 BCD triple with Ultegra/XT level (thinner, 9sp compatible) 28, 38, 48 (usually brown or silver color and featherweight), and this premium tourbike system will reduce the whipping sensations from super-fast spinning as advertised, along with the benefit of allowing quite the forwards seat positioning, if desired.


This is a rare application, but puts a quick stop to most hip pain issues.





The testing of the two opposite types of eliptical chainrings plus finding the optimum crank size will give great and specific information on how best to accomodate the cyclist--even if none of that is actually used. The diagnosis is priceless.


Success is easily determined if the cyclist comes back from 50 miles, overjoyed and smiling.





In diagnosis. . .


For instance, the ';masher'; who loves leverage, will require very small steps in gearing at the high end in order to regulate the optimum ';pressure'; v.s. the ';spinner'; who dislikes leverage, can tolerate some larger gaps in gearing, but must have much lower gears available.





And you can surely find some surprises along the way if there happens to be a spinner that likes a bit of leverage or a masher who is suddenly able to spin while still applying their usual force. That latter one is me, and what a pleasant surprise it was too!





different topic. . .


I'm unsure whether I made clear the actual value of a ';compact double'; (36-50) when teamed with a mountain rear. Of course it lends great convenience, but any double has less wasteful drivetrain flex than a triple--if a shorter bottom bracket is used to ';snug'; the crankset closer to the bike frame. That's where Square Taper tech can really work well (especially with that plastic left side). The ';knock knee'd'; cyclist is sure to love the closer tread, but others should interview it carefully, and it is certainly not for the ';bow legged'; cyclist (who would benefit from Harris Cyclery's ';Knee Savers'; product and the splined Ultegra ';triple'; bottom bracket).


Simply, the ';fattest'; cartilage area is the spot to put the load, thus avoiding the ';worn out'; area.





About the saddle: At some point you will not be able to put any pressure onto a sore knee. This now requires stopping or pedaling ';UP'; with some force. That takes a padded saddle, and since it is likely to be wider, it also takes slightly higher handlebars because bar height and saddle width are relative for optimal fit. But, there's a trick. . .


The handlebar height may be increased with zero effect to reach (if desired) as long as the forwards extension is proportional, with the benefit that ';up and out'; is even more areo while being more comfortable. I have used Profile Designs H20 stem for this because it is the lightest of its class. This also accomodates use of the Maaes bend (or Nitto variations) drop bars to further increase both height and reach proportionally (modern bike forced to a classic fit). Stuff to check out.