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Late this past Sunday night, cycling reporter( and friend of CyclingTips) Rupert Guinness stepped off his bike in a Sydney car showroom and called an end to one incredible ride. He\u2019d really spent the past 12 eras going on a stationary tutor as one of the purposes of the Virtual Race Across America( VRAAM ), the on-line version of the acclaimed ultra-endurance race that, like so many other events, was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-1 9. <\/p>\n
In those 12 eras, the 58 -year-old had travelled 3,358.68 virtual kilometres \u2014 an average of 280 km a daylight, on the indoor manager \u2014 netting him eighth neighbourhood in the event. A couple of days after finishing the move, Guinness took the time to chat to CyclingTips about the experience and how it facilitated him prepare for a tilt at the \u201creal\u201d RAAM, in 2021. <\/p>\n
CyclingTips: Congratulations on an frightening move! How are you pulled up? <\/p>\n
Rupert Guinness: Look, I\u2019m feeling pretty good, actually. I\u2019m clearly tired. To be honest, I\u2019m really tired[ but] I\u2019m very happy with how things panned out. But I think this one certainly dipped into the threshold bucket, employed it that way. I feel more fatigued today than I did yesterday. There\u2019s a few little niggles here and there, but nothing long-term or irreparable.<\/p>\n
How did this whole thing come about? You were supposed to be doing the RAAM, right? <\/p>\n
That\u2019s right. I mean, we were preparing for RAAM and even when COVID rose its heading and when RAAM looked like it would attach the roster of sports events being canceled, I still continued preparing for RAAM because I fantasized I\u2019d wait until the final word that it was canceled. I would have hated to have gone over[ to the USA] and then sorrowed not having training of it properly.<\/p>\n
So I continued improving. And then when it was canceled it was put to me by my mate Anthony Gordon, after he had privately consulted with a couple of the other support crew \u2014 I didn\u2019t know he had \u2013\u2018 What about doing it virtually ?\u2019 I tittered at the idea and envisioned\u2019 you\u2019re kidding \u2018. But over got a couple of climbs I supposed\u2019 well hold on, what if we did ?\u2019 <\/p>\n
I guess Anthony had this see in his sentiment of creating an event; one, to provide me with a trip to do to sign off on all the preparation I\u2019ve done and in preparation for next year\u2019s RAAM, and; two, to try and do something which makes some positivity during somewhat challenging eras for everybody. So I envisaged\u2019 Yeah, why not- let\u2019s do this. What else am I going to do ?\u2019 <\/p>\n
Anthony worked on getting collaborators on board to create their expertise in and to get the event going. And then the RAAM organisation itself yielded its thumbs up to the idea as well. That was kind of important because they didn\u2019t have an event so this at least continued some momentum of interest in RAAM and it also threw their gathering a chance to be involved in something that didn\u2019t exist when they cancelled it.<\/p>\n
View this upright on Instagram<\/p>\n
For the last 9 hours Australia slept. Not me though. I\u2019ve hold the legs revolving, attacking over 180 km on my opening ranged. @vraammentalmiles HQ at @mercedesbenzgbrothers is the place to be. Come on down to say hello or dot-watch via the ???? connection in my bio ???? ???? by @t_m_peters ???? to the two partners: @sbs_australia @trekbikesau @revolve24aus @mercedesbenzgbrothers @kentwilliams_entoure @zoomsoundlab @suunto @bikeexchangeau @markobaloh @wagnerroofing @terranosystems @albioncycles @rudyprojectaus @crossingthelinesport @sramroad @kodanutrition @prism. motorcycle @letsgomotorhomes #vraam #vraw #the60 #raam #raceacrossamerica #ultracycling #mentalhealth #mentalmiles<\/a><\/p>\n A post shared by Rupert Guinness<\/a> (@ rupert.guinness) on Jun 16, 2020 at 5:00 pm PDT<\/p>\n It looked like you had a pretty great setup there in the car dealership? <\/p>\n Yeah, it\u2019s called G Brothers\u2019 Mercedes in Mona Vale in the north beaches area[ of Sydney ]. So they offered a zone of the showroom for us to use which had a kitchen area and a lavatory expanse and also an outdoor parking area. So that was huge, to have the facility there to do it from.<\/p>\n Mind you, everything \u201cwere having\u201d organised was basically pondering of the preparation that we had for RAAM. So it wasn\u2019t just like it happened overnight \u2014 the whole operation was nine months of employ and coming all those people and arrangements in place. So it wasn\u2019t just an off-the-cuff\u2019 hey let\u2019s just go and do this and grab parties to come along\u2019- it took a good deal of term putting that crew together, articulated it that way.<\/p>\n And you had a campervan in the car park? <\/p>\n Yeah, the campervan was behind me where you identified me going; it was just behind me. And the relevant recommendations of doing that was we wanted to create a sort of a RAAM setup so it looked like we were at RAAM. So the subscribe vehicle was there and we had another assistance vehicle nearby.<\/p>\n I\u2019d have some of my sleeps in the motor home. And interesting thing like get used to the motor home and how you organise yourself to use the shower inside \u2014 they\u2019re all detailed level things but I was much better at being ready and showering and changing at the end than I was at the beginning. It exactly get you more au fait with the environment of what we\u2019ll have in RAAM next year.<\/p>\n A Sydney man is competing in one of cycling\u2019s most grueling contests and all he needed was a Wifi connection. @DaltsWorld<\/a> #9News<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ sJpm3ZqHkW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nine News Sydney (@ 9NewsSyd) June 21, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n What would an average era look like for you? How many hours were you spending on the motorcycle? <\/p>\n Roughly it was 18 to 20 hours per day. We started off on a 20 -hour program then this kind of went from 20 to 18 hours. I contemplate the key point was to find the ideal sleeping pattern, and the same with nutrition and hydration; to find the liberty patterns that worked best for me. <\/p>\n So from the sleeping patterns, I picture I tried a couple of four-hour blocks which were a little bit long for me early because I\u2019d encounter I\u2019d be restless and only waste time. The best one for several days was anything from midnight to one o\u2019clock in the morning, I\u2019d start a three-hour block in which I\u2019d probably sleep two and half hours. That would also include my shower.<\/p>\n I\u2019d try and eat before I get off the motorcycle \u2014 so I would have started grasping my nutrient \u2014 and then get off the bike, go into the motorhome, strip off, have a shower and set my fresh bake pack on that I would razz for the next shifting and then go to bed in my pack, and get up after two and a half hours or so and then exactly try and ride till sunup. I\u2019d be picking apart at nutrient and sips that the endorsement crew would bring me and then generally around 10:30 -ish I\u2019d have my first stop for massage.<\/p>\n So I had that three-hour block in the night to sleep. I also permitted myself anything from two to three hours during the day. I may stop for half an hour on the rub counter, and sleep at the same time. I may have a 10 -minute power nap on a mattress, which was near where my bicycle was. On some epoches, I earmarked myself to have a one-hour sleep in the afternoon at three or four o\u2019clock before the evening shift started.<\/p>\n And this helped break the day down too, rather than thinking of the whole long longevity of it all. So it did vary along the way, depending how I felt as well.<\/p>\n View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n I\u2019m 1,134 kms into @vraammentalmiles. We\u2019ve had certain technical predicaments overnight and every day presents a new challenge. Today I\u2019ll need to complete more than an Everest. VRAAM certainly presents some jolts in the road \u2026.! Check the leaderboard and dot-watch via the ???? join in my bio ???? ???? by @t_m_peters ???? to our partners: @sbs_australia @trekbikesau @revolve24aus @mercedesbenzgbrothers @kentwilliams_entoure @zoomsoundlab @suunto @bikeexchangeau @markobaloh @wagnerroofing @terranosystems @albioncycles @rudyprojectaus @crossingthelinesport @sramroad @kodanutrition @prism. bike @letsgomotorhomes #vraam #vraw #the60 #raam #raceacrossamerica #ultracycling #mentalhealth #mentalmiles<\/a><\/p>\n A post shared by Rupert Guinness<\/a> (@ rupert.guinness) on Jun 19, 2020 at 5:21 pm PDT<\/p>\n The ride took place on the FulGaz<\/a> programme. How did that work? Were there specific moves you had to do? Or could you really elect whatever razzes you wanted to make up the interval? <\/p>\n The goes would come up[ on the app] from one to 214, and they\u2019re in a established sequence that you have to follow. So that method you\u2019ve got the appearance of a trend that\u2019s narrating before you.<\/p>\n Each time you are able to terminated a travel you\u2019d have to upload the travel as you do with Strava and it would go onto FulGaz where all the data, including the kilometres, would be put onto your appoint and then your accrued kilometres would just add up. And then you\u2019d go back to the menu and the next ride would always have a dark-green marker around it. So you knew where you had to go back to. So you\u2019d simply press\u2019 start\u2019 and do it again.<\/p>\n I remember at the beginning thinking\u2019 Gee, at one point this will be the last one I have to press start on. I\u2019m looking forward to that time .\u2019 And you time chip away at it and before you know it you\u2019re into the 20 s, 50 s and 100 s and then getting to the high-pitched thousands of[ by then] you\u2019re getting to the end.<\/p>\n You intent up reporting around 3,300 km. How did that compare to what you were expecting? <\/p>\n Obviously when I started I thought it\u2019d be great to do 4,500 km[ ed. the duration of RAAM] and then in the end I did 3,358.68 km. I belief after the first 5 or six daytimes I started to think\u2019 This is a lot harder than what I pictured .\u2019 Then we heard, general consensus, that the course was harder than what they had estimated. And you could see that\u2019 Hold on, there\u2019s a possibility that no one\u2019s going to finish the 4,500.\u2019 <\/p>\n At the start they said everybody who finishes 4,500 km will automatically qualify for the RAAM. It was forecasted the course was 30% harder than real RAAM because there was 20,000 metres more descending in VRAAM than there was in RAAM. And there was very little descending because a great deal of those individual rides were like straight up a mountain and then you finish the move at the top and you go to the next one and it\u2019s another elevation. So it was like a number of mountain time tribulations. <\/p>\n So around about that time when they started saying they were going to review the qualifying mark, patently by then you realised that Oh, it\u2019s not just me thoughts\u2019 shit, this is harder than I belief. It\u2019s generally accepted .\u2019 So then I sort of figured I didn\u2019t know how many[ FulGaz segments I would complete] because this is the first time a virtual Scoot Across America has been held.<\/p>\n The unknown was a stimulus for me. You could belief the unknown could be a scary thing but I was obstructing a very open mind. When they specify this new[ qualifying] brand, my focus was on getting past that rating first \u2014 3,428 km. Anything on top of that was a bonus.[ ed. Only one equestrian ended the full length: Japanese equestrian Hirokazu Suzuki, who rode( practically) all 4,539.80 km from the west coast of the USA to the east .] <\/p>\n It seemed like you had a nice little battle at times with broadcaster and former Giro d\u2019Italia stage winner Dave McKenzie at certain tops along the way? <\/p>\n Yeah, that was interesting. We were real close to each other and chopping and changing the leading. I think that sort of helped me get the best out of myself. It was nice to have that and I mull Macca did a very good job. I hope he\u2019s happy with what he did[ ed. McKenzie encompassed 3,005 km ]. It was great to have somebody like him in there. It prevented me honest. There is an issue there, I felt,\u2019 oh god, this[ engagement] could go all the way to the finish like this .\u2019 I wasn\u2019t would like to have that. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a rollercoaster, this thing, #VRAAM<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Hang in there @davemacka<\/a>, we got you and @rupertguinness<\/a> ???? <\/p>\n You can donate to @GOFoundationAU<\/a>, @Starlight_star<\/a> via https :\/\/ t.co\/ PQAqTm2 9bK<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ krnfrhT8 7O<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CyclingCentral (@ CyclingCentral) June 21, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n That said, I felt like I was coming stronger towards the end of the event, which kind of surprised me,[ but] which is probably pondering of the programme I was given by my manager, which was aimed at being stronger at the end of RAAM.<\/p>\n I think the whole thing reaffirmed to me how important the planning is for RAAM. My program started mostly in September last year and I was pretty strict in keeping to it. And it merely increased. It was a challenging program, but it was achievable. It wasn\u2019t something that the average person like myself can\u2019t do, but you have to commit to it.<\/p>\n During VRAAM I didn\u2019t have any alcohol. That was the longest stretch without liquor for as long as I can remember. That was my number one achievement I guess. Twelve periods without booze. But I still enjoyed wine-colored preparing for it, and training courses. <\/p>\n You cleared it past the revised RAAM qualification mark on the last day, right? <\/p>\n Yeah, I vanished past it on Sunday I think about lunchtime. I went kind of elicited and there was a block where I was doing, 385 to 425 watts or something and then I went past that label and I recalled\u2019 Hold on, there\u2019s another 10 hours to go. I better ease up here.\u2019<\/p>\n View this berth on Instagram<\/p>\n BREAKING: @rupert. guinness has just smacked 3,248 kms, the length required to be considered an official VRAAM Finisher! He\u2019s still in the scoot until 11 pm tonight, clocking up yet more kilometres. Well Done Rupert! Keep an gaze on the leaderboard by ???? sounding the link in our bio ???? ???? by @nothinbutshorts ???? to our partners: @sbs_australia @trekbikesau @revolve24aus @mercedesbenzgbrothers @kentwilliams_entoure @zoomsoundlab @suunto @bikeexchangeau #vraam #vraw #the60 #raam #raceacrossamerica #ultracycling #mentalhealth #mentalmiles<\/a><\/p>\n A post shared by VRAAM Mental Miles<\/a> (@ vraammentalmiles) on Jun 27, 2020 at 9:13 pm PDT<\/p>\n How did this experience compare to your moves in the Indian Pacific Wheel Race and the Revolve 24 -hour races? <\/p>\n Ah, it certainly is up on another level. But that\u2019s maybe pondering of my deficiency of event with Indy Pac when I firstly did it. But I remember the experience of Indy Pac one and two and my Revolves \u2014 I think they all helped in knowing my thresholds and ability to manage myself through highs and lows and the sleep controversies. They\u2019re all a part of the building blocks of what my achievement was this time. So it was all a learning experience and this will help me for RAAM next year exceedingly because you\u2019re always learning brand-new things about yourself.<\/p>\n When I did my first Indy Pac, when I look back on that, I realise how little I was prepared for it, even if they are I thoughts I was well-prepared. But that\u2019s part of the adventure of everything is. That\u2019s what I love about ultra-endurance riding. You\u2019re never 100% sure of anything, you know? <\/p>\n My biggest problem[ during the course of its VRAAM] was when my Tacx smart trainer blew up on the first Saturday at about three in the morning. And that kind of pissed me off because then I didn\u2019t have a smart-alecky instructor for a little. We had some backups and then my buoy gang, the ones who were on stand-by, they said\u2019 ok, we\u2019ve got to stop for minute. Use this stop to catch up on some sleep and we\u2019ll fix it. We\u2019ll aftermath you up .\u2019 So that\u2019s where you had to have faith in your crew so I didn\u2019t have to stress about a mechanical.<\/p>\n Book review:\u2019 Overlander\u2019 by Rupert Guinness<\/a><\/p>\n But again, I think this was up another level for me. Because certainly the people who go for the win at Indy Pac they\u2019re going at it at a height that I wasn\u2019t at at Indy Pac. For me personally, this was up another level because I was going in to race VRAAM not to journey VRAAM. I was travelling Indy Pac to finish. And if I was going to do RAAM, I was going there to race.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the mentality. This was my firstly experience genuinely to go and race an ultra-endurance occasion 12 daytimes. And I know when I go to RAAM, I\u2019m going to have to go there to hasten it. So this is a prime possibility. The reality that we had a cut-off mark to make[ 12 daylights] heightened that. Also, it was a good example of in RAAM, where you have cut-off celebrates which you have to reach to avoid elimination, it was a good test to simulate if my crew said\u2019 Rupe, you\u2019ve got so many hours to make the cut off, we\u2019re gonna have to really dig depth here .\u2019 That mentality cured me prepare for that. <\/p>\n Physically, it sounds like you got through it fine? <\/p>\n Yeah, I finished strong. I had a couple little niggles. I begins with a corn on my right little toe, which will continue genuinely sore \u2014 I had to cut a defect in my cycling shoes so there wouldn\u2019t be adversity on it. I\u2019ve got the usual hot-feet syndrome. My left knee got a little bit sore toward the end so I had to tape it up for the last few hours. But that was just precautionary \u2014 it\u2019s fine now. The muscles get genuinely sore because you\u2019re on that stationary bike. They\u2019re still sore if I touch them now, the muscles above the knee cover. <\/p>\n The worst thing I\u2019ve got is the pinky and the next finger[ on my left end] are basically daze which I think is metacarpal syndrome, from being on the handlebars. I can\u2019t straighten my pinky \u2014 if I employed a glove on, I have to direct the pinky through the gauntlet. And that\u2019s quite sore. At darknes duration when I\u2019m in berthed it gets really pretty painful. So that\u2019s probably the main thing. <\/p>\n And I\u2019ve got to see a dentist because just before VRAAM a load in part of a tooth came out and with all the chewing of food[ during VRAAM] it\u2019s probably not the best thing to be eating with a puncture in your teeth.<\/p>\n With the pas thing I\u2019m probably going to see a doctor tomorrow \u2014 it may require a bit of a surgical process to exhaust the nerves.<\/p>\n Anything else you\u2019d like to share about the razz? <\/p>\n The other thing is we were doing it for mental health awareness \u2014 that was the superseding justification. Not for one charity, but general awareness. The organisers wanted to create a positive strategy during these periods and mental health awareness was the send we were trying to put out there.<\/p>\n The VRAAM likewise really drove residence to me the importance of a really good support crew. Like I said, our supporting crew we\u2019d selected and worked with for a long time but this was very much a dry run for them. The reality that they got me through to a top where my weight loss was pretty low-spirited and when I said I felt stronger at the end than I did at the beginning, that\u2019s really contemplative of how they were able to not just feed me and kept me to sleep, they could read more body.<\/p>\n They knew when I was fatigued before I knew it. Or they would just be able to act when they needed to act, before I even knew they needed to act. And you really have to have a support crew that works, like a Formula 1 crew crew. There\u2019s no way you have been able get the best out of yourself without that sort of cohesion. It may be an individual event, but emphatically you need that crew there. I wouldn\u2019t have done it without them.<\/p>\n Rupert\u2019s stats <\/p>\n Total distance handled: 3,358.68 km Average interval per epoch: 279.9 km FulGaz journeys ended: 173 Total sleep: 60 hours Average sleep per date: 5 hours Total calories burned: 84,271 Heavines lost: 2.9 kg<\/p>\n Rupert\u2019s patronage crew <\/p>\n Crew chief: Anthony Gordon Logistics chief: Kent Williams Medical manager: Troy Peters Chief physiotherapist: Orla Cunningham Head concert manager: Tony Kiss Social media director: Sally Heginbotham Media prime: Peter Cunningham Nutritional advisor: Brett Davidson Chef\/kit chief: Libby Bennett( Rupert\u2019s spouse) IT\/comms foreman: David Fell<\/p>\n The post What it takes to ride 280 km a date indoors: Rupert Guinness on his VRAAM<\/a> showed first on CyclingTips<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more: feedproxy.google.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a>
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