Author Topic: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.  (Read 50884 times)

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #25 on: 14 March, 2017, 11:59:25 am »
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #26 on: 15 March, 2017, 08:14:06 am »
I've seen the latest photo (unpacked in Perth) and he's taped the bars now.

Lots of the press reports go on about the nullabor, but really that's nothing, they'll swoop through that in a few hours. The significant bits will be the sections of rolling hills. There are hundreds of Km of those getting from the coast of WA out into the interior, and those rolling hills will sap a lot of energy, ditto in SA and then the same in NSW.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #27 on: 15 March, 2017, 03:08:25 pm »
The hills in VIC and NSW roll up to 1700m and 1600m!  But overall its a lot flatter than, say, the TCR. 

Aussies seem to refer to the whole desert crossing from Norseman to Ceduna as the Nullarbor.  It is a bit daunting because once you leave Perth there is not a lot.  Realise you need to pick something up from a bike shop?  Wait until close to Adelaide.

citoyen

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Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #28 on: 15 March, 2017, 04:59:51 pm »
Missed this thread before but just learned about the Indi-Pac via the TCR page on Facebook. Mike vs Kristof is going to be one hell of a race.

Good luck, Frank!
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #29 on: 16 March, 2017, 08:23:47 am »
The hills in VIC and NSW roll up to 1700m and 1600m!  But overall its a lot flatter than, say, the TCR. 

Aussies seem to refer to the whole desert crossing from Norseman to Ceduna as the Nullarbor.  It is a bit daunting because once you leave Perth there is not a lot.  Realise you need to pick something up from a bike shop?  Wait until close to Adelaide.
No big climbs, no steep climbs, that's true. Reflected in Mikes choice of back block. I think his biggest cog is a 26. But those roads roll up and down for 100s of ks before you hit the flats of the interior and that will be where the field spreads out I reckon.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #30 on: 16 March, 2017, 07:37:41 pm »
1700m with 10% sections is big enough and steep enough for me.

Mike said last night that he has been doing a lot of hill training.  He's also lost a fair bit of weight

Itwill break up on the first climb out of Perth on Saturday morning.  A lot of people will attack that.  However i might see some of them again before the weekend is out!

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #31 on: 17 March, 2017, 10:03:04 am »
Bon Voyage Frank.
Rooting for you  :)
Best of luck mate.
often lost.

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #32 on: 17 March, 2017, 10:14:42 am »
Good luck Frank.

If you are planning on taking it steady up the Darling Scarp, I think you are wise. It's a steady slog, with a lot of kms to go. Let the hares burn out their legs early. You'll reel them in 36hours later.

My money is on Kristof to take the race, unless the weather turns bad, in which case, Mike may well grind him down. 
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clarion

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Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #33 on: 17 March, 2017, 10:54:06 am »
Allez Frank!
Getting there...

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #34 on: 17 March, 2017, 07:06:24 pm »
This is all very exciting - money is on Kristof.

Hope you have a good one Frank.

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #35 on: 17 March, 2017, 10:13:31 pm »
...and they are off !

I will be keeping an eye on the progress of clubmate Mike Sheldrake (Shell OTP).  Well I would be if his tracker was working  ::-)

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #36 on: 18 March, 2017, 10:37:41 pm »
Is our Frank 'Frank Proud'?

If so, he is doing well. Well up mid field.

The front runners are storming along, still averaging over 32kph. Totally ridiculous.

Weather conditions aren't kind, very wet and cool for the time of year.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Karla

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Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #37 on: 18 March, 2017, 11:31:34 pm »
That's him.

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #38 on: 19 March, 2017, 08:22:11 am »
Two scratched; Jesse, due to long-standing abdominal injury (he posted long explanation and apologies after being right up there) and that trolling git, durianrider (he had knee injury but wasn't riding well at all). I think Frank was ahead of durianrider.
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Phil W

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #39 on: 19 March, 2017, 05:47:47 pm »
Kristof has a 81km lead, now at 1100km,  and is going well whilst Mike is currently stopped.

dim

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #40 on: 19 March, 2017, 05:55:42 pm »
if I had to bet, ..... my money is on Steffen Streich.... (I might place a tenner on a bet tomorow if my local bet shop covers this .... should be decent odds)

Durianrider talked the talk, but has dropped out due to injury .... I knew that he would not win, (a race like this does not suit vegans ... you need to eat lots of  meat or big cornish pies and fish and chips and Kentucky chicken on races like this, and not watermellon and grapes   :)

but I was fascinated by his bamboo bike  ... would have loved to see him finish, and see how the bamboo bike fared on this course .... looks like a pretty decent bike

as for the woman, I'd bet on the Greek Girl (Vasilike Voutsali)
“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” - Aristotle

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #41 on: 19 March, 2017, 06:08:53 pm »
if I had to bet, ..... my money is on Steffen Streich.... (I might place a tenner on a bet tomorow if my local bet shop covers this .... should be decent odds)

Durianrider talked the talk, but has dropped out due to injury .... I knew that he would not win, (a race like this does not suit vegans ... you need to eat lots of  meat or big cornish pies and fish and chips and Kentucky chichen on races like this   :)

but I was fascinated by his bamboo bike  ... would have loved to see him finish, and see how the bamboo bike fared on this course .... looks like a pretty decent bike

as for the woman, I'd bet on the Greek Girl (Vasilike Voutsali)

We have a TCR#5 entrant who is vegan. It will be tough for her, for sure, but she is tough. (She has completed RAAM) I chatted with her while visiting London last week. I'm unable to process more than a minimal amount wheat myself so will also have dietary challanges on TCR but not to the degree of the other rider.
There is HEAVY attrition on IPWR. a lot of scratches. Absolutely enthralling race with excellent on line coverage.
often lost.

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #42 on: 19 March, 2017, 06:23:05 pm »
The weather is terrible. Relentless rain, headwinds. Even tough guy mike hall is finding it hard (mentally), by his own admittance.

As for female riders, Sarah Hammond is doing very well, seems strong and solid in interviews. Home country for her, which has to be an advantage. Juliana Buhring is also right up there.

Frank is still doing well.

Shame to see so many scratch so early. I think if they'd managed to ride out of the rain and into the dry their spirits would have lifted. Rain and cold is strength sapping, combined with a headwind it is a bad time to choose to stop. OTOH, geographically they were coming up on the big jump to SA, across the nullabor.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Phil W

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #43 on: 19 March, 2017, 10:27:28 pm »
Mike now back within 40km of Kristof

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #44 on: 19 March, 2017, 11:35:31 pm »
Blimey. I didn't expect that. I'm guessing Kristoff has stopped for a big (for n value of big) sleep.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

αdαmsκι

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Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #45 on: 20 March, 2017, 06:39:45 am »
What on earth am I doing here on this beautiful day?! This is the only life I've got!!

https://tyredandhungry.wordpress.com/

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #46 on: 20 March, 2017, 07:02:50 am »
A bit of a soggy start but the weather looks much better today.  22degC and 'partly cloudy' sounds good but 15-20kph headwind doesn't.

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #47 on: 20 March, 2017, 08:09:06 am »
Weather looks awful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KouMGrYCd10
Who was the woman who said that the policeman had stopped her twice? I'm not surprised, she was weaving all over the road like she was falling asleep on the bike.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #48 on: 20 March, 2017, 10:39:00 am »
A good vid from Durianrider, who now he's out, has taken on the roll of roving reporter filming the others on the road, hitching a ride home I guess.  Unlike many of his other vids, Durianrider comes across well here.

https://youtu.be/dx3WH2dQ0rg

I particularly like the coverage of the guy at 11 mins.  didn't quite catch his name , was it Paddy?
Eddington: 114 Miles

Re: Indian Pacific Wheel Race.
« Reply #49 on: 20 March, 2017, 11:16:55 am »
He got a lot of stick on fb after talking big before the start, then dropping out after 273km. Maybe a dose of humble pie has done him some good. Will have a watch of that vid later.

I worked out that the weaving rider must be Vassiliki. She's settled down a bit, maybe was suffering from sleep deprivation and the weather.

[edit] more than settled down, she's caught and passed juju!

Mike Hall is definitely suffering and wavering. Speed dropping right off. Kristof going as strongly as every.

Frank seems to be doing fine, consistently rolling along.
<i>Marmite slave</i>