Indian Pacific wheel race, one for the dot watchers
Discussion
Half way through now and the big boys are separated by about an hour. They've both been pushing the envelope when it comes to (a lack of) rest. Neither has had a 'normal' rest stop for more than a day. Sarah Hammond (3rd) is only 5-6 hours behind and is stopping even less. If the lads crack and she can sustain that pace then she could climb into the lead.
At this duration the head is more important than the body. The mind gets scrambled on so little sleep and you start making poor decisions. Mike and Kristof are both familiar with this situation but not with the level of challenge they present to each other. It'll be fascinating to watch how they handle the next 24 hours. The smart play is to look past your rival and focus on the fastest sustainable pace to Sydney. Competition feeds the spirit and may help to keep their head in the game, but possibly at the expense of the body.
At this duration the head is more important than the body. The mind gets scrambled on so little sleep and you start making poor decisions. Mike and Kristof are both familiar with this situation but not with the level of challenge they present to each other. It'll be fascinating to watch how they handle the next 24 hours. The smart play is to look past your rival and focus on the fastest sustainable pace to Sydney. Competition feeds the spirit and may help to keep their head in the game, but possibly at the expense of the body.
Having watched the footage of Mike and Kristof passing through Adelaide I'd say that both are feeling the effects but nothing more than you would expect. Both are in good spirits but Mike in particular looks like he's properly over whatever was troubling him at the start of the race.
The current gap is inconsequential in the context of current rates of rest. This is effectively level in my opinion. The two best in the world are matching each other blow for blow. The lumps are in the final stretch of the race and while the cyborg certainly doesn't struggle with climbs, my feeling is that Mike is likely to cope with them a little better. On the distorted scale of an ultra-distance race I think we'll be looking at a sprint finish, which is a fascinating prospect.
The current gap is inconsequential in the context of current rates of rest. This is effectively level in my opinion. The two best in the world are matching each other blow for blow. The lumps are in the final stretch of the race and while the cyborg certainly doesn't struggle with climbs, my feeling is that Mike is likely to cope with them a little better. On the distorted scale of an ultra-distance race I think we'll be looking at a sprint finish, which is a fascinating prospect.
Returning to the topic of maintenance, Mike is currently inhaling some burgers while his bike has a pitstop in the LBS next door. New chain (he carried it with him), swapping the front and rear tyres around and topping them up with sealant. It seems the road surface has been a bit rough.
https://www.facebook.com/IndianPacificWheelRace/vi...
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This thread seems to have gone a bit quiet, although it appears the race is still very much on.
Mike was 100km behind Kristof most of yesterday, and was closing him down circa 30km around 11pm last night. Checking this morning, he's now in the lead. This is going to be an intriguing finish.
Mike was 100km behind Kristof most of yesterday, and was closing him down circa 30km around 11pm last night. Checking this morning, he's now in the lead. This is going to be an intriguing finish.
Seems Kristof overslept. Theory is he was struggling to sleep in the colder temps of the mountains and when he finally did he overslept. Mike passed him while he was eating a few hours ago. They're now about 10-15km apart. Kristof will certainly be riding through to the finish now. Mike would probably be fastest with an hour or so tonight but he may well ride straight through as well. Lots of lumps in the final 900km so plenty of features to shake the race up. 850km to go and they've probably started their final sprint. Should be fascinating.
This is it. 8am in Oz. Kristof has 560km to go and last rested 20 hours ago. Mike has 670km (and a 1,500m climb) and is just moving after a 5-hour stop. Kristof has a solid head start in my opinion, affording him a couple of short sleep stops, whereas Mike will have to find some magic and go super deep if he's going to snatch this. There's a healthy gap back to Sarah Hammond now though, so there's little to lose and a win to gain.
I wonder if Mike is planning the same thing he did at the end if the TD. He effectively worked on a 22 hour schedule and took 30 mins to an hour mini sleeps.
It's a tall order, but he can do it, the question is can Kirstof get by on no sleep for the next 28 hours and keep his speed up.
It's a tall order, but he can do it, the question is can Kirstof get by on no sleep for the next 28 hours and keep his speed up.
It looks to be all over. Mike had been suffering with dry eyes and heavy fatigue. He was struggling to see properly in the dark and needed to rest overnight. Kristof has pulled out a lead of almost 200km, with just 350km remaining. The sun will soon be setting and I expect Mike will acknowledge Kristof's lead and take another rest. Recent video footage of the pair shows Mike looking every bit as exhausted as a real human should look after 5,000km. The rules don't seem apply to the cyborg.
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