This is a run-kayak-bike-hike-ski relay race in New Hampshire that ends in Tuckerman’s Ravine. I did the bike leg for my team. TT rules (no drafting). It’s a mass start for the run leg, but it’s naturally staggered at the start of the bike leg. The bike leg distance was 16.6 miles with 2070 feet of climbing with 1547 feet of net elevation gain.
I forgot to bring my short sleeve jersey. I also forgot my water bottle. No problem right? I’ll just wear two long sleeve shirts and I’ll drink a big swig of water right before I start. Should be fine.
Right after the start there was a nice warm-up hill with good stretches of 10-12% grade. I managed to pass about 8 riders right there; one guy was doing the full criss-cross weave all over the steep section. After a sweet 45 MPH switchback decent was a left turn onto the long drag climb up to Pinkham Notch. I’m not much of a time-trialist; I kept myself focused on staying low and aero and mashing a big gear at <90RPM, which doesn’t feel natural to me. I was very happy with the level of sustained effort I was able to put out. My average heart rate of 174 is higher than what I thought my threshold was. I was pretty hot and dry at the finish line (see above about forgetting stuff). My heart rate may have just been elevated due to lack of fluids.
The finish of the bike leg is fun because there is a slight downhill towards the Pinkham visitors’ center, after which you get to shoot off the left side of the road into the dirt to tag the hiker. After that, the hiker goes up the trail to the bottom of the basin and tags the skier, who hikes up and skis down a GS race course. Fun times!
Our team’s overall time was 4:47:30, which got us 22nd place overall (out of ~65) and 12th place in our division (coed team, out of 26). My bike time was 57:59 (17.0 MPH average), which was 7th overall and 6th in our division. The bike winner did 48:26 (20.6 MPH average). Ridiculous! I looked him up: Cat 1 roadie. 2nd place was also a Cat 1.
http://www.live-timing.com/report.php?r=42465&rp=875037
http://www.friendsoftuckerman.org/2010-inferno.htm
Tuckerman Inferno
Re: Tuckerman Inferno
Nice job Jacob. For your information, there is a technical term to criss-crossing the steep part of a climb. It's called "the paperboy" and is a not-too-unfamiliar technique I've used on really long steep climbs, also known as "sufferfests"