SavageMan Course Preview

Most of the chop on DCL is from boat wakes... which should be less of a problem by mid september.

Thanks so much for posting this.  I am going to ride the course next friday, 7/13, and then decide if I will register or not.  I really want to be a part of this inaugural event... I know my time in the saddle is adequate, but not sure about my climbing ability.

I hope to be treading water with you at DCL in no time Eric.

I'm making it a day trip - drive out early, ride in middle of the day (don't like doing that), and drive home afterwards.

We rented a cabin for the weekend with a few friends/jockstrappers.

Some additional thoughts.  Eric summed the course up nicely - it is breathtaking... both in beauty and in torturous hills.

Despite the course description, and other rider anecdotes, I was really shocked at how long and steep the climbing was.  The photos and videos on the savageman website don't even begin to do it justice.  I would say that literally only about 1/3 of the race is cruise material... the remaining 2/3 is either UP or DOWN.  Up in my smallest gear, spinning sometimes but cadence in the 60's or below plenty others.  There are several large, and countless small steep descents, and after mile 20, with few exceptions, the race really is savage climbs and dangerous descents... it seems you never just get to pedal comfortably. 

I suspect the first 19 miles will allow sufficient time to recovery from the swim... which is good because you need fresh legs after that.  The climb through Westernport is very steep, but also not that long.  I attempted to do the 25% grade part, but the concrete is in bad shape and their are lots of weeds.  If I leaned forward (out of the saddle), my rear wheel would spin when I hit any weeds (which is a certain event).  If I put some weight on the back to give it more traction, my front wheel was coming off the ground and I was in danger of flipping over backwards.  At one point I did two cranks, and both times my rear wheel just spinned out... I came to a complete stop, was unable to unclip, and fell over and scraped my elbow (no big deal).  I got off the bike and walked it the rest of the way up... about 30 meters.

If you are going to try to ride up the closed section, I think hugging the right is the best bet in terms of weeds/pavement condition.  Everyone who does it will need to unclip at the top, which will not be easy, as there is really no exit onto the main road except squeezing past a small entrance in a guardrail over a curb (unless they take the guardrail down for the race, but it looks pretty permanent).  I really want to do it - because it's there and because the race organizers have dared us to - but I'm not sure it's the smartest thing with my current riding ability.

Without a doubt, the long climb for several miles afterwards (westernport road) is where you will really be abused by the course.  With your legs on fire at the top of the westernport wall, you've really just warmed up for the immediate suffering you are about to begin for the next 30-45 minutes.  It just seems to never end, and it fools you several times into thinking its over (looks like the crest is just ahead, yeah right), but then you have to climb again, and again, and again.  I think I rode nearly the whole thing in my easiest gear, but eventually I made it.  It takes an hour to go the first 20 miles of the race to westernport, and another hour to go the next 6-8 over savage mountain.

That said, other than my wipe out on the wall, I only got of my bike by choice once on the entire course to walk up a hill, and it was much later in the race.  A cruel, relatively short but insanely steep climb that snuck up on me on bear hill road at ~mm 42ish  (I think... somewhere near there).  Otto Lane also has a painful climb.  Ditto McAndrews Hill.  Starting to notice a them in the street naming here?  Ditto ditto ditto ditto for miles 20-56.

Also be wary on Bear Hill, as on a flat section I was chased by a big and mean boxer who didn't give up despite me hammering hard for several hundred yards... he was able to keep up with me and was barking (not friendly at all) and nipping at me and making contact with me.  I could have easily fallen and I'm not sure I wouldn't have been attacked.  I'm going to pick up some doggy mace before I attempt this ride again.  The dog was within the first mile of turning onto Bear Hill road.  The whole redneck family was out in the yard and didn't yell or call the dog off at all!  If that dog is out (unteathered) on race day it will be a huge problem.

My training plan will simply be to ride hills as much as possible, and know that it will only get me partially prepared to do anything more than survive this one.  I simply don't have those kinds of climbs to train on in the eastern half of the state.  I've also decided that I'm not going to risk anything trying to make up time on descents, as there really are some nasty falls waiting to happen.  The other half of my plan is to drop weight, as I know being a 200+ pound rider didn't help on those climbs.

I don't even want to think how the legs are going to feel on the run, which even as a stand alone event would be no walk in the park.  Mental fortitude will be essential.

Took me 4:06 to ride the course... stopped the watch for 2 changed tires (don't ask), 2 pit stops, and one water bottle refill... but I was very happy for each of those breaks.  Still, I'm encouraged that this is do-able, as this was by far the hardest ride I've ever done in terms of climbing (I've never done anything remotely close) and was also my longest ride on the bike ever... it hurt but it wasn't too much.  And I've got 2 months to improve.

Josh

Melissa - I really hope to see you out there!  Thanks for volunteering - or possibly racing if you can find a team.  You might want to advertise on their message boards for that:

http://www.createforum.com/savageman/index.php?sid=8484423152015fc91351bf951d7404d2&mforum=savageman

Yeah - I was alone, but I enjoy a long ride alone in the middle of nowhere.  I'd describe it as a sort of "one with the universe" kind of experience, not spooky.

There was one exception to being alone.  I had climbed westernport and probably 3/4 of savage mountain... and I had passed no less than a hundred "folk" you would expect to see in rural western maryland... let's just say they didn't appear to be into fitness or culture (sorry if offensive).

Of course, once again, I have a flat tire, and I'm sitting on the side of the road and changing it.  Now I must have been seriously dehydrated or otherwise delerious, because out of nowhere one of the most beautiful and fit women I have ever seen jogs by with her two dogs and asks if I'm okay.  I'm sure my jaw was on the ground, and I was otherwise quite the looker with my mix of spandex, bike grease, sunscreen, sweat, bugs stuck to me, and bleeding elbow... but I informed her I was fine.  She just turned off on a trail ahead and disappeared.  Now if she was vacationing out there, she sure picked a punishing place to run... so I must conclude that she is a local, but boy was she out of place.  Honestly, the more I think about it the more I'm convinced it was a hallucination.

Regarding nutrition - I used two 2-hour bottles of perpeteum, 6 water bottles, and 1 cliff bars at each hour.  I felt adequately fueled, but didn't want to run a half marathon afterwards.  I also felt my calf *almost* cramp up a few times... so I'll be examining my electrolyte needs more closely.  It's safe to say I was sweating more than normal during those climbs.

My plan is definitely to get some fuel in immediately after the swim.  You don't really have to work for the first 20 miles, which will give it time to get in your system.  I generally have a pretty tolerant stomach, however.  I was able to drink during some of the climbing without problems.