I’m much slower than you but for a long race like this I definitely go mostly by feel. But I keep power and heart rate visible mainly to confirm what I’m feeling but also keep me below certain thresholds especially early on in the day when things feel good and it’s easy to go too hard
2 Likes
I will be still be running inserts.
Planning on Pathfinder Pros 42 with inserts on ENVE G23s. Same set up I ran at Big Sugar and escaped any flats there. Have the option to run 3.4ARs as well, but with 42s there is little or no aero benefit and the G23 is lighter and a bit more compliant.
Some of the details of what I carry will come down to what the weather is going to be like, but almost certainly going to do USWE Outlander Pro packs with Sclkratch, and then carry some plain water on the bike which could be used to drink, to cool myself off, or to spray on a dirty drivetrain.
Will carry a top tube bag for sure. My Checkpoint SLR has in frame storage, so will use that for some stuff. May carry an Almsthre bar bag, but still undecided on this. Likely no frame bag as it limits water bottle options.
Waxed chain and then carry some Squirt. Will prep additional waxed chains for aid stations. Depending on conditions can make an on the fly call whether to change or not. Realistically any time spent changing a chain is likely going to be made up in the watt savings after.
I’m working with a coach and we are going to discuss some specifics for Unbound this Friday, since we didn’t previously know if I’d get in through the lottery or not. Leadville remains my A race and have a number of other events scheduled including some local gravel races and Leadville Stage Race. I’ll continue with a pyramidal approach hitting intervals during the week and lots of Z2 and Tempo on long weekend rides. When I can I try and do some big gravel days in the 8+ hour range, but also some 4-5 hour back to back days. I have to be a bit opportunistic since I have a busy work schedule, but was able to get away to Maui for the past two weeks and got in 700+ miles of riding in at mainly Z2 and Tempo to keep building that base. I’m definitely in the camp of trying to get volume in, but clearly others have done really well with lower volume. Along with nutrition, the big rides can really help identify other little issues like knee or hand pain, back pain, foot pain from shoes, etc. Things that don’t bother you on a 4 hour ride might become major issues on something 12 hours plus.
1 Like
Running 43mm SK+ in the 100 last year has me pondering running a 43mm SS+ in the deuce. 
Take this with a grain of salt as it’s only one person’s experience at Unbound one time, but I saw a fair number of people fixing flats and 90% or more of them were directly after a downhill section where there was a washed out/rutted area of rocks across the road.
5 Likes
Solid wheel / tire choice. Approved. 
I’m not certain the math holds up on that one…let’s say it takes a minute to swap a chain. How many watts do you need to save on what is left on course to make up that difference? (Now, if you can get the chain changed concurrently with you doing other things like changing out bottles, restocking nutrition, etc then it is a moot point.)
2 Likes
I typically run a waxed chain and used this approach at SBT GRVL. I wasn’t happy with the results however. Chain was making a lot of noise by mile 100; the subsequent wet conditions made it exponentially worse; and I had to replace the chain after the race due to being above 0.75 on wear.
Am thinking about switching to wet lube for Unbound. The main reason is that mid-ride re-lubes are much more effective with a traditional wet lube than with Squirt (which needs time to dry to be most effective).
1 Like
Good advice to slow down for these.
2 Likes
This was advice I got from friends who have done Unbound multiple times running tubes with no issues.
But there can be dumb luck as well of course. And if you’re riding fast in a group you may not even see that stuff until it’s too late.
I’m slow enough that slowing down for those sections will make little difference for me.
You are probably right. A clean waxed chain vs a dirty one might be about 10 watts difference. On the road I think that translates into about 1 sec/km, but not exactly sure how that converts to gravel. Figure it would take a minute to change. That being said, having a nice quiet chain may have some other psychological benefits and one less thing to worry about.
If chain is not too bad, then likely just putting extra lube on it still much simpler, but if it turns into a mudfest, a chain change may be best. I’ve seen Alex Howes doing the Squirt thing, but as @DaveWh suggests maybe a wet lube is better. I’ve done RockNRoll Gold midride, which technically needs to dry too, but seemed to work and quickly quieted down a noisy chain. However this was not on a waxed chain but rather on a chain initially treated with RockNRoll Gold. Probably worth playing around with this a bit in training.
I’m with you on this. I’m a staunch waxer. I ran waxed at Unbound and I would never do it again. It just didn’t hold up. Using Squirt on a filthy drivetrain isn’t going to work well either. My crew put, I assume, wet lube on at stops anyway.
I had a chain at each rest stop but I wouldn’t mess around changing one unless my crew was pretty dialed and ready to do it.
I dont think I can change a chain when im tired at mile 150. Since my crew is people who dont do bike work. If I could swap a chain at the 2 stops and not have to do it myself, I would 100% do so.
Your plan/setup is pretty dead on with mine. I’ll be running Zipp 303 FC wheels and my checkpoint is an SL, but the rest is the same. I’ve never done the race, but I rode the 100m course last year when volunteering (including the B road mud section). No chain issues doing the 100, but it wasn’t dusty and only wet in places. I plan to run a waxed chain and squirt as needed and it’s worked well for me in a variety of long race conditions. You can apply wet lube like a rock n roll over wax and I’ve done it before in a pinch. It works pretty well (better than squirt), but requires some additional cleaning before re-waxing. I’m also considering running short aero bars. I ran them at Gravel locos last year and they were nice the last couple hours when I was tired and just riding with one other guy at that point. I’m running them on all outdoor rides right now, still debating whether I’ll use them. Besides training, my biggest challenge seems to be finding a set of Pathfinders in 42. I’ve got a pretty fresh set of 38’s and have been looking for some 42’s for months, figuring they would eventually pop back up. Starting to think it might be 38’s or try a different brand.
And as a ‘don’t do what this dummy did’ … I hadn’t expected it to be quite so cool last year and my focus was on not overheating or getting sick from junk on a water bottle. I froze my hydration pack more than half full, then poured liquid in the morning of to fill up.
The rain kept it much cooler so at the first oasis, a volunteer and I ended up karate chopping the iceberg in my pack to make room for actual liquid water. And with the slinging mud - ahem “mud” - I ended up with giardia anyway.
Anyway. Good luck to everyone riding this year. I think the sting might finally be wearing off and I’m thinking about maybe possibly entering the lottery next year.
1 Like
I relayed this story earlier, but in Big Sugar last year, there was a grind of a climb out of the last aid station…went right past the Shimano tent. It was super dry and dusty (plus wind blowing dust everywhere) and my drivetrain was screaming as I rode past the tech…“You want some lube?” “I wish…waxed chain” as I continued to suffer. 
I am seriously starting to doubt the idea of using a wax chain for long, gravel races (especially if bad weather comes in). After the rain storm in SBT last year, again, my drivetrain was sounding like tortured cats…Silca claims that the efficiency is still there vs. wet lubes, but that doesn’t really pass the smell test for me. If it were true, then we are over-waxing chains in order to keep them quiet (and yes, that is somewhat simplistic…i recognize that).
My plans for FNLD next year are to use Silca Synthetic and start with a clean chain that I lube the night before…and then have a small vial to re-lube as necessary. I “think”…have not fully committed to it, but this seems like a reasonable plan.
Which ones do you have? I have full bars but would like something a little lower profile that isn’t in the way as much.
You can always wax and then add wet lube at first aid station.
2021 my wax didnt sound bad till mile 125, once i lubed it sounded great
Hindsight and all, but there is no reason you can’t add any type of lube to a previously waxed chain (particularly if the wax has broken down after getting wet). You’ll likely have some extra cleaning before re-waxing, but not a big deal.
3 Likes
I was under the impression that it was a no-no…
Nah. You’re definitely ok doing it.
Like I said earlier… My crew added unknown lube to my chain. It just needed extra attention after to clean it but it’s back in the waxed rotation.
There’s no harm to it.
1 Like