Seeing the number of threads on RTL and the next RTL, how about this for the next:
I’d pity the poor guy who had to ride the 100 mile stage. That looks harsh - 7500 feet of elevation gain. Averaging 11mph over that would be quite hard - although a 17 mile downhill at the end might help. They only have to ride 33 miles in the next stage they do though.
Joe
500 miles at RTL was quite a good distance to ride. But are you seriously proposing a ride of 508 miles? That’s impossible, surely!
STM
That looks truly amazing, and just about doable. A 4-person team would be great. The stages are quite long, and you’re not allowed to split them up.
Joe, where does it say a minimum speed of 11 mph?
STAGE CLIMB DIST
START TO TS#1 6176 82
TS#1 TO TS#2 4212 70
TS#2 TO TS#3 7538 99
TS#3 TO TS#4 6744 73
TS#4 TO TS#5 2186 56
TS#5 TO TS#6 2920 35
TS#6 TO TS#7 2280 34
TS#7 TO FINISH 4170 58
In big mountains, with transitions only allowed at the end of stages, stage distances up to 100 miles per stage, and fixed rider order though. Oh and non-stop over 48 hours too. It might be a little bit harder!
Joe
I doubt this could be the “Next” endurance ride, it’s already full for 2008.
Looks like this race is extremely popular and registration was only open from April 8 - 22nd. And even then it’s not first-come first-served.
I think this would be a great event (if suffering equates to fun), because there is so much climbing, but I don’t see it being a realistic possibility unless they would allow us to swap out more often. Based on the information on the teams page (below) they may not be willing to allow that, since they a very specific about team hand offs:
“As of 2004, the team division at Furnace Creek 508 follows a fixed relay (stage race) format, rather than an open relay format as in years past (1993 through 2003). As such, teams race the event in stages, wherein each team member will race from one time station to the next, then switch off with another team member.
Teams must complete the route in a fixed order: Two rider teams must switch off at each time station, rotating A-B-A-B-A-B-A-B. Four rider teams must rotate A-B-C-D-A-B-C-D in the order declared at check-in.”
Here’s the whole team page: http://www.the508.com/divisions/team.html
Any chance we could have a Ride the… series there solely for unicyclists?
46 hour team time limit, 508 miles = 11.04mph average.
I think with at least two really very good riders to do the 82+56 stages and the 100+35 stages, and a couple of very fit but maybe not quite so insane riders to do the other two pairs of stages, it’d be possible.
Joe
If you mean a separate event, it would have to be called “Ride The Desert” or “Ride the Furnace”
Years ago I lived a few hours from Death Valley (Mammoth, CA) and had the crazy idea to ride (a Mt Bike, sorry) unassisted from there, through much of what is now the Furnace 508 course and continue down to and through Central America. I made it to Acapulco, Mexico.
But, by far the nastiest terrain of the whole trip was from Furnace Creek south to L.A. It’s empty, usually very windy, endlessly straight roads, dry and one of the hottest places in the world. I went through Death Valley in early May before it’s real hot and it was 115 in the day and got down to 99 at night!
The only reason to go ride those roads would be to prove a point, and that’s what this race is about. I can’t imagine organizing a RTL equivalent there.
Although, where I live in Vermont, that would be another story . . It could be a great location for a RTL style event . . .