espirita Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Any veteran STPers with some last-minute advice for an STP newbie? Other than lots of body glide and padded shorts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 ...veteran STPers... Â WTF? I don't understand what anyone is talking about today. Â But, then, why should today be any different? Â ...maybe I did get horsekicked in the head yesterday and don't remember it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitergal Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Seattle to Portland...bike ride/race. Â Espirita- Tell me all about it when your done! I'm thinking of doing it next year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 ...fuckin' wild-ass horses... Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Seattle to Portland...bike ride/race. Â Grassy-ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espirita Posted July 5, 2005 Author Share Posted July 5, 2005 Marie - will do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gslater Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Showing up on time for the start is a good idea. When I did it (single-day option) with some buddies , they thought it would be great to go out and pick blueberries out of the yard before the start, so we could make fresh blueberry pancakes. Took forever, and we got to the start just as the last of the organizers was leaving. Played catch-up all day, and nearly missed out on food at the first few stations. Â Spare tubes. I got two flats along the way. Â Stuff your pockets full of red potatoes at the food stations. They're about the only thing I enjoyed eating after 8 or so hours. Â Watch out for people who are inexperienced at riding in a group. There are plenty of weekend warriors who don't know how to do it right. Being a larger person who rides (used to ride, actually) fairly fast, I had a bunch of people I didn't know trying to latch onto my draft. Two of them went down when they rubbed my back wheel. If I hadn't been a 215 lb. Cat 2 criterium veteran, I may have gone down as well. Don't let some dork you don't know ruin your day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitergal Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Don't let some dork you don't know ruin your day. Â Think that's going to be my new signature line...with your permission of course! I love that!! Can I vote this to be POTD?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Make sure you and everyone in your group knows how to change a tube and be able to do it fast. Make sure you check your tires when you flat for any glass or pins stuck in them. Make sure a couple people in your group have a spare tire, you can zip tie it to your frame. Â Chamois butt'r is ok, but the real good stuff is called Assos and is worth every penny, most bike shops have it. Go to Bartells and find a small container so you can take some with you, and put some more on when you hit the bathroom. Assos is antimicrobial which cuts down on inflammation in the "area". Â Don't bonk! People who bonk are stupid! You are burning 800 calories an hour, eat eat drink drink eat eat. It's one of those rare times in your life you can eat whatever and however much you want! Â Avoid loosely flapping clothing, big parachute shirts will add up into making you more tired at the end of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knelson Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 #1 - It's too late for last minute advice. At this point, you're legs are ready or they're not. Â #2 - Echo advice about drafting. If you're the drafter, don't do it with people you don't know and haven't figured out their style. If you're the draftee, wave them by - slow down if you have to. Â #3 - Try and eat the same stuff at the stops that you've eaten while training. Don't eat more than a few bananas. Eating a few bananas at each stop tasted good at the time. However, I failed to think through the issues of large quantities of bananas all meeting in my lower GI after about 8 hours on the bike. I feel sorry for the folks that used the honeybuckets on the Oregon side after me. And I feel even more sorry for the people that happened across the aftermath of the explosive event that occurred in the Vancouver McDonald's bathroom as my wife drove me back home that night. (Hmmm... guess it's time to dredge up that "how did they do that to the toilet seat" thread, now that I think of it.) Â #4 - Did I mention don't eat too many bananas? Â #5 - Have fun and smile. Especially on that loooooonnnnng neverending everso slightly uphill drag on the Oregon side from the river to Portland. Ugh. Â But seriously... have fun! Â -kurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirp Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Stuff your pockets full of red potatoes at the food stations. They're about the only thing I enjoyed eating after 8 or so hours Red potatoes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graupel Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 The potatoes are the thing that goes down really good when you are riding. Â Be careful of sharp turns onto bridges and if you cross train tracks with folks alongside or hot on your tail. If you do a last minute swerve, that can cause issues with others. Also, if you get close to going down, someone alongside or behind you can compound the problem. Â It is best if you can hook up with other folks that are about your same pace. I ended up following a paceline of folks that were more aggressive than I could maintain, which ended up leaving me in the dust with nobody nearby to share in the windbreaking duty. Â Just because you feel good, don't blow by the first refueling station. They put the major ones about 50 miles apart, so before you reach the second one you'll be hurting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figger_Eight Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 The food stops are designed for 4-6 lines at any time, but everyone seems to get in one long line for the first table. Charge to the front and tell the wankers to shut up if they say anything. Â Like others have said...look out for the wannabes who can't ride in a straight line and don't have any experience riding in groups. Spooky! Â Don't spend the whole ride with your head down staring at the wheel in front of yours. Look around, have fun and check out the scenery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_White Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Just before you come into Tenino, look North across the valley and you'll see the top of a line of dark cliffs. Wave hello to me  If it's a hot one, and you're inspired, I recommend jumping into the cold quarry pool at the city park in Tenino.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espirita Posted July 6, 2005 Author Share Posted July 6, 2005 Ooooh! If you see a big pile up, that's probably due to me looking for you on the cliffs and wishing I was there... daydreaming... CRASH Â Good tip (city pool) but unfortunately the Weatherpeople are saying it's going to rain all weekend. Then again, what do they know? Â RED POTATOES YESSSSSSSSSS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasdair Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Â #2 - Echo advice about drafting. If you're the drafter, don't do it with people you don't know and haven't figured out their style. If you're the draftee, wave them by - slow down if you have to. Â Actually if there is someone drafting you dont worry too much about it. If they touch your wheel lean slightly in to them and they will crash. You will be fine. Dido if someone locks bars with you. Just push their bars out of your way. They will crash you wont. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Actually if there is someone drafting you dont worry too much about it. If they touch your wheel lean slightly in to them and they will crash. You will be fine. Dido if someone locks bars with you. Just push their bars out of your way. They will crash you wont. Our very own Stuart O'Grady! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alasdair Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Actually if there is someone drafting you dont worry too much about it. If they touch your wheel lean slightly in to them and they will crash. You will be fine. Dido if someone locks bars with you. Just push their bars out of your way. They will crash you wont. Our very own Stuart O'Grady! Bullshit. If someone else endangers you by hooking bars or crossing wheels then you should protect yourself. The best way to do that is to make sure you dont crash with them. In most cases that involves speeding up the inevitable, which is having them crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelawgoddess Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 hmm. sounds like a fun time. maybe you should carry a horse crop and some bear spray. :crosseyes: what's up with the red potatoes? are they cooked? (i really don't know!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 In the STP? Wow I guess it's a long time since I have done it if people are fighting for wheels and shit. Do people have to wear white gloves like the Keirin? Â I actually found some STP training films, fast forward to about 3 minutes and find out how to retaliate against the person who took the last Luna bar at the feed zone. Â http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/Crash2.wmv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 Bullshit. If someone else endangers you by hooking bars or crossing wheels then you should protect yourself. The best way to do that is to make sure you dont crash with them. In most cases that involves speeding up the inevitable, which is having them crash. Still hitting the 'roids, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitergal Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 why's there a dude with a scooter in the race?? isn't that illegal?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 scooters are aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil K Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 And while we're on the topic of things you should already have taken care of; make sure your bike is ready! A guy that I work with admitted last week that he still needed "someone" to do a little maintenence, so sucker that I am, I volunteered. Â Jeez, what a junker! Now, after trueing the wheels, replacing the front deraileur, bottom bracket bearing, brake cables, and handlebar tape, plus lubeing and adjusting, he's ready to go. Â Oh, and one more very important bit of advice; hope that the current weather forecast is wrong. Rain and headwinds make it a whole lot less enjoyable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clampooner Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 I heard a couple years ago that there were a few towns along the STP route that hated the event. So much so that some people would go throw tacks, broken glass, etc. onto the race area. Has anyone else heard of this? Does it still happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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