Newbie for Savage Man?

At your weight (which is about my weight), I doubt "hills are your thing" but I wholeheartedly encourage you do do the race (if you train for it).

I won the clydesdale division in the inaugural year.  Everyone suffers on those hills.  You could say everyone finds out what it's like for a clydesdale to ride up a mountain.  Of course for us, that means we enter a new level of grade-induced suffering.

I'm 100% confident I won the division because I took the time to go and train on the course.  I rode the course 6 times prior to the event.  No doubt those were the 6 hardest bike workouts of the year for me.  But my legs were ready, and just as important my mind was ready, on race day.

It's an incredibly fun race and without a doubt the favorite I have ever done.  You can see me bragging about it all over BT if you search the forums.  If you really want a first hand account, you can read my very long, very cheesy (but at the time very important to me) race report.

Josh,

I've read your very lengthy, cheesy RR 2 times. That's part of the problem. It makes me want to go do it. Gravity works well for us on the descents that's for sure. Problem is it takes, what, 5x longer to climb then descend?

How about the run? It gains 1500'. Are there any flats on it or is it all up and down?

BTW, Gotta love the Clyde win

Thanks man.

The run course is different now then when I did it.  The trail we ran on was barely run-able that year, and has been neglected since.  It used to run up a very loose scree section... the part in my race report where I talk about walking being faster than running.  My understanding is that it does not do that.  The road you run along is following the shoreline of the lake... so it is relatively flat for that part of it.  There are a few parts where it sort of goes up away from the lake a few hundred hards at most, but when you're on the road there are no killer climbs or descents.  As I mentioned in my race report, the run goes to an old fire tower... which last time I checked gets built at the highest vantage point availible.  So your work is definitely not over when you get off the bike.  However, as a clyde, you are not nearly as disadvantaged on the run as on the bike.

But I think it now does run up the downhill where I had my final kick that year, and that hill (which I was running down twice) is no joke to run up.

I almost edited my previous post to say, since you introduced yourself as a biker... don't forget you have a very tough (and at the time I did it very technical trail) run.  The run is still definitely worth of the "savage" moniker from what I have read... just not as much.  But no worries, after the bike (which now has an extra NASTY hill on Miller Rd that the original course did not have) you're going to be happy to run ANYWHERE as long as you can get off your bike.

Edited by JoshKaptur 2009-12-01 1:37 PM

Thanks for the heads up. Having the info is a lot better than going cold. Right now I can't wrap my head around a 13M run that follows a bike that by itself would wipe anyone for a day or two.

10 months ought to be enough time to get there. That was wise to do training rides out there. Don't know if I can get 6 in but I hope to get 2-3.

I'm doing the race again this fall as a lake placid cooldown

I'll be going out to do some riding on the course.  Figure it will make lake placid climbs seem laughable.  I'll post up here on this board looking for anyone who wants to carpool out and do the ride together.  And your weight makes you a good candidate for me, because I'm certainly not going to ride it with someone who ways 140 pounds!

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Edited by trotpntbll 2009-12-02 8:07 PM

Eagleman is sold out, so your decision is easy.

I rode a road bike, but it was the only bike I had.  I will ride a tri bike this year, but will try to lighten my wheels for the race.  Despite the climbs, there is till plenty of time to be in your bars.

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Sounds like a good idea.  There's nothing like training on mountains to ride mountains. I'm not 140, but don't be surprised If I switch out cassettes!

Eagleman sold out for 2010 probably a few minutes after it opened. SavageMan opens January 1st....

I'm planning to ride a compact with a 12-27 for any ride out there.  I had a triple front when I did it the first time and spent A LOT of time in my smallest gear.

The good news is that the descents are often long.  So you aren't getting into and out of aero.  You are just out of aero for miles at a time on the descents.  Some of them are kind of technical and you definitely need brakes and hands on the outer bars.

LOL, I ride a road bike now with a 34/50 compact and an 11/23. I was thinking I'd get a 12-27 for Savage.  A triple in the lowest gear speaks loud of the climbs....D_A_G

It really does.  Don't forget that triple in the lowest gear resulted in first place clydesdale.  I passed A LOT of people on the run who had apparently fried their legs worse on the bike than I had.

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Yikes - I would not want to train for Savageman on the ES.  Go ride on every windy day you can!  Maybe that can be a hills substitute.

The best bet, in my opinion, is to travel to Western MD, Frederick, or Ellicott City for hill training... in that order for the best climbing, but in reverse order for what is most convenient for me.

I am not a "real" triathlete having only done 2 or 3 sprints, before this year when I did Columbia, Eagleman, Savageman.  So sure, do not let inexperience scare you off.

That said, I only made it up the wall due to previewing the course, only once, and learning first hand what the web site clearly said about bike gearing. I had read everybody should have 27's and weak to average cyclist should consider compact cranks. That was Greek to me.  Until I road the course.  I came home and ordered lower gears.

I don't know if I have to do it again but I did have a great day.

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Edited by trotpntbll 2009-12-05 8:40 AM

Hey TG,

Thanks for the tip. I think there's some hill training in the future for those on this thread. Skyline and Blue Ridge Pkwy are awesome. BRP really doesn't achieve higher than an 8% grade. 2 years ago I did an evening ride on it thinking I'd go a couple miles up then down....after 13 miles and 12 of them up I turned around to go back.....LOL, definitely a different world... 

From the pics on the Savage website and the elev graphs it looks brutal....

Eastern Shore-I hear ya on the flats but riding into a headwind can have the same effect....
Do you have any parking garages around? if its high enough and you ride it fast enough it could help....

Or Eagleman!

I'll let you know when I'm planning some training trips out there in the spring.

In the meantime, you can mash on some big gears at low RPMs

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Eagleman sells out pretty quick, so if anyone wants to get in, they must sign up as soon as it opens. I have done Eagleman, great race, but its pretty warm (or shall I say hot!!!). We have some good rides that can get everynone ready for race season, Tim, I am thinking about doing the diabolical double up at Deep Creek in the spring. I have IMLP in my sites for 2011.