[HAMR] A new challenger - Miles Smith

[andrew_s]

Miles seems to have solved the problem of time travel, which must make his task much easier   

In Australia, in Moe, 75 miles east of Melbourne:
#6673 on 05:41:05 PM (GMT) 08/16/15 (5 hours, 59 minutes ago) 2.41 mi traveled at 11.7 mph

In Europe, at the PBP start in Guyancourt:
Point #1 received at: 05:30:24 PM (GMT) 08/16/15 (6 hours, 14 minutes ago) 0.0 ft traveled at 2.2 mph
and at the control in Mortagne:
#1039 on 11:37:08 PM (GMT) 08/16/15 (7 minutes ago) 14.8 ft traveled at 0.0 mph

(from the trackleaders trackers, just now)

[mattc]

the tracker shows him going well - almost at Brest. But i cant find him on the PBP site.

Anyone got a frame number  or URL for him?

EDIT: http://trackleaders.com/oneyeartimetrial15i.php?name=Miles_Smith_2 shows a rider doing reps south of Melbourne, Australia, then flying to Paris, then riding to Brest.

That's all I know!

[SandyV]

Miles isn't riding PBP.  Perhaps it's referring to Michael Smith?

Information on the Australian riders can be found at Audax.org.au or for those who wish to look on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/AudaxAustralia/permalink/859725664105708/

[andrew_s]

Miles_Smith_1 did the ride from Portsea into Melbourne this morning, so there are definitely two of him, and it's not a time zone problem. Most strange. Perhaps Miles lent a spare tracker to a friend?

At Portsea:
Miles_Smith_1
Point #10 received at: 04:45:29 AM (GMT) 08/18/15
 (8 hours, 19 minutes ago) (229:04:45 since start)
 1.72 mi traveled at 10.4 mph

In Melbourne:
Miles_Smith_1
Point #33 received at: 08:54:09 AM (GMT) 08/18/15
 (4 hours, 10 minutes ago) (229:08:54 since start)
 2.47 mi traveled at 14.8 mph

At Brest:  (about 4 km after the control, going by Steve's track)
Miles_Smith_2
Point #1 received at: 06:46:00 AM (GMT) 08/18/15
 (6 hours, 19 minutes ago) (229:06:46 since start)
 0.0 ft traveled at 0.4 mph

At the Carhaix control on the return:
Miles_Smith_2
Point #28 received at: 12:25:28 PM (GMT) 08/18/15
 (39 minutes ago) (229:12:25 since start)
 209.1 ft traveled at 0.2 mph

Plus a full set of intermediate points in both cases.

[SoreTween]

A properly bolx'd bottom bracket looks like the reason there were no significant miles recorded yesterday:
https://www.facebook.com/GoMilesAU

That chain ring is still every bit as as it was the first time I saw it.

[danridesbikes]

simply cannot afford that, no loaner bike, no nothing?

prep is the key, kurt has hoardes of bikes, steve has 3 identical in rotation

[red marley]

Not quite sure what happened with his bottom bracket but many extra tracks have now appeared on Strava for the last three days. Combined with a liberal sprinkling of 0km Strava tracks, retrospective additions to previous days' rides make monitoring (and visualizing) progress unnecessarily complicated.

[red marley]

No movement from Miles in the last couple of days and, as far as I can tell, radio silence on social media. Does anyone know what's up? Is he OK?

[jochta]

Nothing on Facebook since 24th August. Nothing on the Spot tracker or Strava since 27th August. Twitter's not been used since July. Worrying?

[red marley]

After a gap of four days without riding, it looks like Miles is back. He's posted a couple of rides for today (1st Sept factoring in time zones). But he is now over 5000 miles down on Tommy's pace, so it's going to be a bit of an uphill struggle to make up for lost time. GoMiles.

[jochta]

Good to see him riding again but how is he ever going to beat the record when he regularly rides <150 miles/day? Surely he's leaving himself far too much to do later in the year?

[Legs]

Good to see him riding again but how is he ever going to beat the record when he regularly rides <150 miles/day? Surely he's leaving himself far too much to do later in the year?

Miles is not really a contender any longer.  A shame because, unlike IronOx, he's not a joke entrant and he's obviously put himself through the mill to be making his attempt(s).

[hillbilly]

Not sure it's over for him yet.  He appears to be a tough SOB and it may be he can knock out 250 miles a day in the summer more regularly that Kurt, Steve or Tommy managed/manage.  An outside shot, but still in the realms of the possible.

[jochta]

He's started posting on Facebook again. There's been a few updates since yesterday. Here's the latest. Not sure which WR pace he's riding to but he's going to have to massively up his miles at some point (pretty much double his daily average from what he's been doing so far I believe).

"Stop me if you've heard this before...Just about to set off to Portsea, and yes its 'suddenly' p(ers)issssssssssssstently raining, in my current location.
Quick look at the radar and it should pass within the hour......
Planning to ride overnight........
Don't want to get wet to the bone and freeze for next several hours.......
I'll just sit here for an hour or so ZZZzzzzz......
No, got to keep moving or will go night, night. Three major benefits of doing this:
1. You can eat anything, at any time and in any volume,
2. You can sleep at any time and any place,
3. You can...... No. That's about it.
I just did a back of a back of a beer mat calculation and since big team meeting (even taking into account my Shepperton Macca's stuff up), we are back on WR pace.
Spring, "I'm loving it".
Ronald rocks.
Rode with the Saturday Slackers last Saturday. Bit drizzly and generally moist weather.
Vince the Cabby flagged me down, just outside Frankston. What a man, he had two sausage sanger's, with not only sauce but onions as well. Only problem was I was riding with Arnie Birrell who wolfed one. We will have to get Vince on his bike soon, of course he left his meter running whilst we were stuffing around.
Met Dorothy's elder brother!"

[hillbilly]

The comment about being back on the WR line suggests he might not be thinking far enough ahead.  He does appreciate that Godwin's summer miles were paced and it will be very very very difficult to match that under HAMR rules?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I suspect Miles hasn't looked ahead at all and is just matching Tommy's week to week progress. He isn't a serious contender now, in my eyes.

[SoreTween]

His daily target is already up to 226.5.  He's done that in a day many times and it's in the region Kurt does.  OTOH he needs a bit more to allow for illness & mechanicals and yet more to allow for low mileages next winter....  Oh and more again because it looks strongly like Kurt is moving the goalposts.

He isn't a serious contender now, in my eyes.

Hard to disagree

[jochta]

The comment about being back on the WR line suggests he might not be thinking far enough ahead.  He does appreciate that Godwin's summer miles were paced and it will be very very very difficult to match that under HAMR rules?

Which WR line is he aiming for because he's currently a couple of thousand miles behind Tommy's?

http://gicentre.org/oytt/

And then he does another <150 miles day. Doesn't make any sense at all to me.

[Legs]

The mind, it is boggling 

[hillbilly]

Genuine question.  Is Miles riding to see how far he can ride in a year, but no longer with an eye on the HAMR?

Jo's latest summary suggests he is 7200miles behind WR pace, which is a lot to make up in the time available.

[jochta]

His Facebook posts (https://www.facebook.com/GoMilesAU?fref=ts) seem to suggest he's still aiming for HAMR but I don't understand his strategy or what record he thinks he's aiming for as he's nowhere near what he should be doing. Not sure what he's doing to his bike either, broken spokes every few days and he needs to replace the chain every four days. He isn't doing enough miles to warrant that surely? Something to do with that ridiculous chain ring he uses?

Can't see him ever making up the deficit even if the weather does improve for him.

[clarion]

Too many questions about Miles' attempt.  My gut feeling is that he was underprepared and is not well supported.  We know he is capable of putting in big miles day after day, but the model isn't working too well.

I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in a couple of years to have another go.  There's vanishingly little chance of his beating Kurt, or even Tommy, now.  But there is no doubting he's a strong rider when it all comes together.

[jochta]

Too many questions about Miles' attempt.  My gut feeling is that he was underprepared and is not well supported.  We know he is capable of putting in big miles day after day, but the model isn't working too well.

I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in a couple of years to have another go.  There's vanishingly little chance of his beating Kurt, or even Tommy, now.  But there is no doubting he's a strong rider when it all comes together.

But he thinks he's challenging for the record which is what I don't get. Is he getting bad advice? Miscalculated what he needs to do? Does he think it's 75,000km to beat the record and not 75,000 miles?! His mileage is about right to beat 75,000km in 365 days (average of 127 miles/day) as he's averaged 133 miles/day so far.

[crowriver]

Too many questions about Miles' attempt.  My gut feeling is that he was underprepared and is not well supported.  We know he is capable of putting in big miles day after day, but the model isn't working too well.

I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in a couple of years to have another go.  There's vanishingly little chance of his beating Kurt, or even Tommy, now.  But there is no doubting he's a strong rider when it all comes together.

I agree.

He may be behind the pace, but respect due for a rider who is cycling 200k+ every day.

[simonp]

Too many questions about Miles' attempt.  My gut feeling is that he was underprepared and is not well supported.  We know he is capable of putting in big miles day after day, but the model isn't working too well.

I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in a couple of years to have another go.  There's vanishingly little chance of his beating Kurt, or even Tommy, now.  But there is no doubting he's a strong rider when it all comes together.

But he thinks he's challenging for the record which is what I don't get. Is he getting bad advice? Miscalculated what he needs to do? Does he think it's 75,000km to beat the record and not 75,000 miles?! His mileage is about right to beat 75,000km in 365 days (average of 127 miles/day) as he's averaged 133 miles/day so far.

I’d hate to be the person that told him, the day he thought he’d beaten the record by 1km, that he was short by around 25,000km.

It can’t be that, can it? Surely not.