It’s May 10, about 9:30pm, and I’m several hours into building a new bike for the Rapha Prestige in Bentonville.
My favorite test drives have always been 119 miles long .
We’re leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning, I haven’t packed yet and I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve already bonked.
.
Heading to Arkansas is myself, Pieter Vismans, Samih Elchahal & Colby Keithan. The following is for the gear curious:
I’ll be riding a Mosaic GT-1 outfitted with Campagnolo 11sp & 35mm Compass Bon Jon Pass’. Gearing at 46/32 & 11-29.
Pieter will be taking his Cervelo R5 disc with eTap & 28mm GP4000’s. Gearing at 50/34 & 11-28.
Dr. Elchahal is riding his Serotta Coeur D’acier (heart of steel) with mechanical Red 11sp & 25mm Vittoria Corsa’s. Gearing at 50/34 & 11-28.
Colby will also be on a Mosaic GT-1, but with Di2 & 44mm Compass Snoqualmie Pass’. (1x) Gearing at 44 & 11-42. Needless to say, I was devastated recover file from itunes backup and desperately needed to recover it.
.
The ride was fantastic and Rapha organized a stellar event. By the numbers, we rode 119.4 miles over about 7.5 hours and climbed 7106 feet. We experienced zero mechanicals and everybody fared well physically, though Colby had a bit of a silent patch toward the last few hours of the ride and wasn’t himself until a well deserved, post ride beverage was consumed. Colby, Pieter and I ate similarly during the ride, consuming solids, but Samih’s “liquid calorie” diet over the course of 119 miles trumped our gas station croissandwich regimen. Who knew?
The ride began and ended at a small, outdoor park in downtown Bentonville called Lawrence Plaza, where we all ate & relaxed afterward. It was great getting to end the day catching up with familiar faces we met along the way. Not only was the food delicious, but the entire outdoor plaza had been transformed. There were huge teepees which housed food & drink, giant rugs & comfortable seating areas. A ground level corner space beneath a tree served as a live music venue. We rode hard, we ate hard, we slept hard; the Prestige was a tremendous time.
Check out the route! http://www.strava.com/routes/15957493
.
