Thanks for those team reviews. It reminds me how many contenders there are - RTL is going to be infested with fast riders. I think Ken (GizmoDuck) shouldn’t be so modest, and that NZUni is a favorite for a top three placing here.
Like a couple others have mentioned, it’s the folks with hardcore endurance who’ll come out on top. Uni tours and 24-hr race experience are good indicators. Also, don’t count out older riders or female riders, or older female riders, as youthful, testosterone-full males don’t typically dominate the toughest endurance sports.
Another field-leveling factor may come into play, too, and that’s bad weather. If Mother Nature is cranky that week, wind and cold and rain could take some teams down a notch or two, giving a better chance to the riders who’ve trained in inclement conditions. Geared unis will lose some of their advantage in that case, too.
While my team “Personal Rollercoaster” is a long shot for the podium, we have a decent shot at top ten in RTL. We’ve all done 24 hr muni races, and Roland and I have a lot of big mountain-climb races under our collective belt.
In fact, we’re muni’ing in 3 days in another 24 hr MTB race, the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. My whole team (Vincelemay, rolandisimo, steveyo), plus another RTL rider, Perry from Team Balance (capuni), comprise a 4-muni team in this weekend’s race. At the very least, it will be huge fun, and definitely an awesome workout a month before the “big event”.