Barry Roubaix Goals

These videos will give you a feel for the event....that will be Year #10 for 2018

The last time I raced this event was in 2015. I made it all of 3.47 miles before a high speed flat ended my ride. The year before, I raced my road bike with skinny cx tires and had an average speed of 12.8. But that was 4 years ago.....yikes.

As I said before the Lowell 50, the early season goals might not be very impressive to some. For me, it is literally getting back in the saddle. My longest ride this year was the Lowell race at 34 miles. This event is only a few miles longer, so distance shouldn't be a factor; however, conditions will be.

Looking into the crystal ball it appears that the highs for Saturday, April 21st will be mid 50's. That will feel warm compared to the garbage weather we have had so far this week. Snow every day with lows in the 20's. Funny how cold that feels when you get used to a few 50 degree days. Anyway, the main roads are clear now, but there is one segment of Barry Roubaix that I really question my sanity with.....Sager Road. This short section almost made me switch to the 22 mile course, but here I am plotting for the 36 mile course. No worries, at least I am not insane enough to do the 62 miler...or God forbid the century version. Nope. 36 works for me.

So...here are the vitals for Saturday:

Temps

I am sure will be in the 30's at the start, possibly finishing in the 50's. This leads to either being under dressed and freezing, or over dressing and having to shed layers...which will add time.

Bike

Once again The D.U.F.F. will be thy trusty steed. Locking out the fork and rear shock worked well, as well as the 45 PSI in the Ardents...so same setup here.

Distance

The distance doesn't matter, as I usually just plod along for the entire race anyway. lol. It will be my longest ride of the year though....which is only 2 more miles than Lowell....so that is a wash. Especially when the last 2ish miles are fast pavement into town. Sager road is the wild card here. I imagine will be loose rocks, sandy, deep ruts, and a huge mud pit all piled into a short distance with hills. 

Me

Barry Roubaix shouldn't be tough mentally. I know all the tough hills and I know the course so I will be mentally prepared to suffer when necessary. Again, Sager road will be my issue but that is early in the race.

History

My rides this year on Barry Roubaix (short course) have gotten quicker each time, which make sense. But, I haven't clipped the 12mph mark (on The D.U.F.F.). So that will pull down the average some. My Lowell avg speed was 12.7 into the damn wind, so that is encouraging.

All of the factors above lead me to a simple conclusion. If I rode that fast at Lowell, I can ride that fast at Barry Roubaix. So, my goal MPH is 12.7 which will be about 2:50:00 of continuous ride time. Realistically I will break 3 hours, but I want the steeper goal so mentally I will keep pushing the entire time. Remember, I am not a 200 pound cyclist....I am a two hundred plus pound cyclist that is closer to 3 bills than I am to 2 bills. So, I will go out and represent my team and do my best. It will be a blast!

Stop by my team Tent and say Hi!