[HAMR] Current thoughts on the record attempt?

[Basil]

The description of Steve's effort thus far, from my perspective, is truly heroic.

Agreed.

Re funding, I am going to await developments and see what Steve's plan is. I suspect that the post-attempt transition might be a time when support, of all kinds, is most needed.

Agreed, agreed.
If Steve knocks it on the head now ahead of a 2017 restart (and I feel he should), he's going to need some help while he signs on for JSA and Housing Benefit and finds some sort of job.  If there's any money in the pot, I think it should be just handed over to him for this purpose.  If funds are low, perhaps a one off whip round.  He bloody deserves it.

I wonder if it would be more difficult to attract corporate sponsorship a second time around?  And what about those three bikes?  Were they given to him, or are they on loan?

[Fidgetbuzz]

Your best hope of getting an answer is to get Hoppo or Idai to reply, probably by a direct e-mail to them rather than by a forum post, possibly citing your concern as a donor as a reason for your enquiry, although I am not sure from past experience whether Hoppo is able to accept and understand the facts and then to make a realistic extrapolation about the possible futures .. from which sensible decisions can then be made.

[Bianchi Boy]

Track shows 111km at an average of 19.8km/h with first track point at 11:41am

If it was boxing the trainer would throw the towel in to save his man for a better day.

If Steve has a close friend now is the time for that friend to go a sit with him, put their arm around him and tell him he is great and has done a fantastic thing. The worst weather of the year is about to come and riding 220 miles a day just looks impossible.

Look to the future.

BB

[Wobbly]

Your best hope of getting an answer is to get Hoppo or Idai to reply, probably by a direct e-mail to them rather than by a forum post, possibly citing your concern as a donor as a reason for your enquiry, although I am not sure from past experience whether Hoppo is able to accept and understand the facts and then to make a realistic extrapolation about the possible futures .. from which sensible decisions can then be made.

I have an email drafted already as I am indeed a concerned standing-order donor. However I had intended to send it to Ian H as the last communication (a request for help) came from him. I don't recall having received any emails from either Hoppo or Idai during the year. However if you think that's more likely to garner a response I'll hapily email them.

Edit: as the email to Ian was sat there ready I sent it to him anyway

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Do whatever he feels like until 31 December and then hop off the bike.

Ian or Idai generally reply to emails.

[Fidgetbuzz]

Your best hope of getting an answer is to get Hoppo or Idai to reply, probably by a direct e-mail to them rather than by a forum post, possibly citing your concern as a donor as a reason for your enquiry, although I am not sure from past experience whether Hoppo is able to accept and understand the facts and then to make a realistic extrapolation about the possible futures .. from which sensible decisions can then be made.

I have an email drafted already as I am indeed a concerned standing-order donor. However I had intended to send it to Ian H as the last communication (a request for help) came from him. I don't recall having received any emails from either Hoppo or Idai during the year. However if you think that's more likely to garner a response I'll hapily email them.

Edit: as the email to Ian was sat there ready I sent it to him anyway

Yes Ian would be a good choice too - I had overlooked him .....  as my main contacts when I was involved were Hoppo and Idai

[TimC]

Wasn't Hoppo a SNCO in the Army? Then he should be able to prioritise his troops' welfare above all else. The task is always impossible if the troops are fucked.

[notlobgp14]

Wasn't Hoppo a SNCO in the Army?

Keep going until they're all down then?

[Mr Larrington]

Wasn't Hoppo a SNCO in the Army? Then he should be able to prioritise his troops' welfare above all else. The task is always impossible if the troops are fucked.

The Army works like this: If a man dies when you hang him, keep hanging him until he gets used to it.

[jochta]

Reluctantly agree that Steve needs to stop on 31st December and abandon the 2nd attempt now. What he has achieved in 2015 is incredible and deserves all the plaudits he gets but thrashing himself into the ground to the detriment of his physical and mental health for another 8 months with little chance of improving on what he has already achieved is dangerous. Take a year (or more) to take stock, learn from what he and others have done and give it another crack refreshed and revitalised.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Will Steve's team make the courageous decision to go against Steve's recent statement?

[Wobbly]

May I say that I appreciate Ian H's promptiness of his reply. Thank you.

[teamcinzano]

I've been lurking this forum for months. Reading Steve's ride titles on Strava, and watching his mileage slide further and further each day over the past month, I keep thinking back to an article in Outside Magazine from last summer. "Running on Empty" (http://www.outsideonline.com/1986361/running-empty) tells the story of a particularly virulent strain of Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) that is plaguing more and more ultra-distance athletes. OTS has weird manifestations rooted in deep, deep fatigue. Often, athletes respond to it by thinking they're not going hard or long enough, and just push themselves in deeper.

My hope is that Steve isn't caught in this type of trap, because it does seem like what little public information we have that his immune system is struggling and his fatigue that he might be there. It's a very hard hole to get out of, and a few days or weeks of recovery isn't necessarily enough.

[Charlie Boy]

With great sadness I too feel it is time to call a halt on proceedings. Too many days at way under 200 miles over the last month make it  unrealistic to carry on. Better to have a decent break, take stock, and decide whether a future attempt is something Steve can stomach.

If he does decide it is, he will have several advantages; shite luck since March should given him belief in his self resolve; methodology can be improved in the light of this experience; Tarzan has given insights into things that could be done better. In short, lessons can be learnt from an attempt that was brave to say the least but ultimately came to grief due to the March Moped.

It was a brave attempt but it was ultimately an amateur one - and I say that in the truest sense of the word, in that all helpers were willing and capable, but had other commitments to service. Kurt has a professional soigneur and is lucky that he doesn't have to pay her as he is married to her.

Regarding financing a future attempt, more must be done to keep donors in touch with the attempt. It's not acceptable however large or small the donation not to do so, people have enough call on their money these days. A monthly newsletter at the very least should be de rigeur.

[Wowbagger]

<removed after further consideration>

[Robh]

My sincere hope is that Steve has not been reading this thread for the past week or so.

I wish him well in whatever he decides to do with his time and effort. When I signed up to support him at the outset of this attempt, it never occurred to me that I would question his methods, and I remain happy to place my faith in his ability and his self-knowledge. That faith will remain until he stops trying, and it is for no-one else but Steve to decide when that moment has arrived. At that point, when Steve decides to knock it on the head, irrespective of miles covered, I expect that my faith in his ability will transform into admiration for his achievement. However that achievement is measured, I feel sure that it will represent the man's best efforts, and that's good enough for me.

[Martin]

Wasn't Hoppo a SNCO in the Army? Then he should be able to prioritise his troops' welfare above all else. The task is always impossible if the troops are fucked.

was he anything to do with a BBC reality TV programme about RAAM with some noob who'd only ever done London-Brighton being signed up to the team (and dropped from after the ritual humiliation in front of the cameras)

ISTR it was an Army team

[redfalo]

Reading Steve's ride titles on Strava, and watching his mileage slide further and further each day over the past month, I keep thinking back to an article in Outside Magazine from last summer. "Running on Empty" (http://www.outsideonline.com/1986361/running-empty) tells the story of a particularly virulent strain of Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) that is plaguing more and more ultra-distance athletes. OTS has weird manifestations rooted in deep, deep fatigue. Often, athletes respond to it by thinking they're not going hard or long enough, and just push themselves in deeper.

That's a hugely fascinating and scary article! From an outside perspective, it does sound plausible that Steve may be at least on the cusp of developing some OTS symptoms.

[mattc]

My sincere hope is that Steve has not been reading this thread for the past week or so.

I wish him well in whatever he decides to do with his time and effort. When I signed up to support him at the outset of this attempt, it never occurred to me that I would question his methods, and I remain happy to place my faith in his ability and his self-knowledge. That faith will remain until he stops trying, and it is for no-one else but Steve to decide when that moment has arrived. At that point, when Steve decides to knock it on the head, irrespective of miles covered, I expect that my faith in his ability will transform into admiration for his achievement. However that achievement is measured, I feel sure that it will represent the man's best efforts, and that's good enough for me.

 

[Frank9755]

Reading Steve's ride titles on Strava, and watching his mileage slide further and further each day over the past month, I keep thinking back to an article in Outside Magazine from last summer. "Running on Empty" (http://www.outsideonline.com/1986361/running-empty) tells the story of a particularly virulent strain of Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) that is plaguing more and more ultra-distance athletes. OTS has weird manifestations rooted in deep, deep fatigue. Often, athletes respond to it by thinking they're not going hard or long enough, and just push themselves in deeper.

That's a hugely fascinating and scary article! From an outside perspective, it does sound plausible that Steve may be at least on the cusp of developing some OTS symptoms.

It's a bit of an endurance read in itself! But I agree, a very interesting article.
I don't think it is likely Steve has fallen into that particular trap as, although he has done an immense amount of cycling, it has all been low intensity. In the early days of the attempt I recall someone on the Timetrialling forum saying that, at the heart rate levels he was operating, Steve would not be putting enough stress on his cardio system to maintain his fitness; he was effectively de-training. I've not followed that discussion but, if that is true, it may be that, after a year without stretching his cardio system, he might - paradoxically - have become unfit. 
I don't know but, whatever is the cause, something I clearly not right and blundering on looks likely to cause him physical and also mental harm. 

[red marley]

Except that Kurt has maintained similar levels of cardio exertion and seems to be maintaining his fitness quite well.

[Frank9755]

Except that Kurt has maintained similar levels of cardio exertion and seems to be maintaining his fitness quite well.

I had thought Kurt was operating at a higher heart rate to enable his higher speed but I've not looked at it for ages so may be wrong. If he is also at 90bpm then, there may be nothing in that theory either - I suppose I preferred to think Steve might have just lost the edge off his fitness rather than got something nasty! 

[mattc]

... someone on the Timetrialling forum saying that

Well, we should take such theories seriously. Even more so if they are backed up by, say;
- The Daily Mail Motoring section,
- some bloke in the pub,
- my taxi driver, or
- a Youtube comment

[Jack_P]

Except that Kurt has maintained similar levels of cardio exertion and seems to be maintaining his fitness quite well.

I think the difference with Kurt is that he is a very competitive guy. All year in facebook videos he has mentioned chasing down people on the road he has seen, so I would assume there has been some variation.

[jamesld8]

Except that Kurt has maintained similar levels of cardio exertion and seems to be maintaining his fitness quite well.

I think the difference with Kurt is that he is a very competitive guy. All year in facebook videos he has mentioned chasing down people on the road he has seen, so I would assume there has been some variation.

and he / Alicia mentions that in recent Flatwoods rides they`re doing sprints  too in the group riding