2017 Blue Ridge Parkway Recap (2018 Registration NOW OPEN!)
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Molly Mysliwiec
The 2017 Blue Ridge Camp is done...and it was EPIC! We had a full house, from veterans and newbies alike...and everyone found their own personal dark place for good work and building fitness. I personally rode 243 miles and climbed 24,826 feet...in just three days. Bonus that I did it with my fellow teammates and new friends.
>> View the Camp Photo Album Here
Enjoy the recap(s) below. Once returning campers have a chance to make a deposit, I will open this up to the Team on 5/11...so set your reminders! This camp sells out every year...you can follow the official camp page here.
Day One -- Parkway to Hickory Nut Gap Road (read more)
Coming back to this camp every year – now in our seventh iteration – is always an adventure. There’s nothing like seeing friends and family and reminiscing about camps’ past.
The only thing better then talking about what we used to do is going out there and creating a whole new set of memories. For the 2017 edition and our amazing campers, there were a ton of things that we wanted to do differently.
First and foremost was to find a new first day route… I can proudly say that mission has been accomplished. Check!
The second day of our annual camp is always dedicated to this epic quest: the full ride to and from Mount Mitchell. For those of you who don’t know, Mount Mitchell is the highest point on the eastern seaboard and is one of the many jewels in this incredible part of our country.
In years past we have seen fog– A.k.a., we saw nothing!–Snow, hail, rain and even ice forming on trees in front arise. Today, after warning all of our campers to bring cool year, we had our warmest ascent yet.
Watch the video of my ascent here: https://video.relive.cc/strava_962072256_1493432317948.mp4
Day Three of the Blue Ridge Parkway cycling camp…and it’s on. Hard to get back on the bike after the epic ride to the top of Mount Mitchell and back. Even harder to stay focused. After all, you just put up the biggest ride of the year the most elevation and distance. Spoiler alert — we found a way!
Camp Registration Opens to the Team on 5/11..don't miss out!!!!
Comments
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@John Withrow...that's about one day's work isn't it?
Now if you did that 3x over so you got some decent elevation we could talk.
Ps - @Al Truscott Says Mitchell is harder than independence....
And Al just said that to make you feel good. I've done both and I'd say Independence is harder. Maybe it's because I did 207 mikes the day prior. Maybe we should ask the others @Danielle Santucci @Scott Dinhofer @Rich Stanbaugh @Anna Stanbaugh @Mark Stahlkopf
Altitude made Independence Pass tough. The leg burn during Independence Pass was more extreme, but didn't last as long. Lack of air and cold temps made the descent from Independent Pass sketchy (not for @John Withrow).
To fairly compare the TSS, need to account for altitude differences in FTP. Assuming (based on some analysis and data from Coggin & Friel) that my 10,000'-FTP was about 80% of FTP, the TSS for Independence pass would be ≈360, or 86 TSS/hour. The Mt Mitchell (no adjustment) at 436, or 65 TSS/hour is a less intense ride.
Overall - i would say that Mitchell is Epic (and I was more exhausted at the end of the day), but Independence is Intense.
This ride we're doing next month ought to raise the ante:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20784914
I'm expecting 10 of our 16 campers to do this, with the other six of us doing half each while operating one SAG vehicle. Bear in mind 100 out of 138 miles is OVER 9000' elevation, which means you're riding on less than 69% of sea level oxygen levels. This would be the Queen Stage, were it in the TdF.
If you want to compare other rides, here's the Ride GPS page for our choice of routes:
https://ridewithgps.com/users/364131/routes
We'll do six of these, and then ... 8 of our campers will be running 14 miles each on a Ragnar trail relay the last night of camp; another four are doing the Ultra of 28 miles.
BRC, ToC, BAC...these are the way I have fun. Thanks to Coaches P&R for enabling all this crazy $h!t
just getting to the mitchell climb was an ordeal, a series of strong hills smacking you around like Rocky facing an opponent until he gets to the championship round. I also had the added factor of constantly playing catchup. @Rich Stanbaugh missed a turn, I waited for him, we pulled each other and eventually @mark stahlkopf who had flatted and got leapfrogged by Mariah, to catch up to the group before the first SAG, then at SAG I was rummaging through the van looking for my bag and missed the "we're leaving" memo from the group and again hammered...
IP, on the other hand you go up, up, up and again, up, and then you come down.. very benign compared to Mt Mitchell. I ranked Mitchell as my 2nd toughest climb, ever.. 1st being Columbine in Leadville.
As for @John Withrow & @JeremyBehler riding to Vail and back for 200 miles, the climb in/out of Vail isn't horrible and it only gets you slightly above @Al Truscott's house in elevation, same on the flip. the Epicness of that day was clearly that they put close to 10 hours in the saddle, and for JB, that was on a road bike, my sit bones are aching just thinking of that!
Why the hell not?!? I need to see dates and expense first, of course, and if it's even an option with all the BRC EN love!
Speaking of Epic rides... Did anyone see @tim cronk just did "Double Lemmon with a twist" as just a "normal" ho hum Monday ride??? I want to be Tim Cronk when I grow up!
https://www.strava.com/activities/966970610
Ok, I'll chime in. Perhaps I have a better comparison because Danielle dragged me all the way to Carbondale, just to get a Coke, after Independence Pass. That ride was 107 miles in 6:56 at 173NP with 295 TSS. For me Mt. Mitchell was 92 miles in 6:16 at 199NP and 330 TSS. As Scott mentioned above I had "several" flats on the way up Mt. Mitchell so I was playing catch up most of the day. What makes Mt. Mitchell hard is that once you get to the top you're not finished climbing. You still have several thousand feet of rollers to climb on the way back.
Looking forward to the Leadville ride where we will go from hot to cold to hot to cold and back to hot again. And the highlight of the day is the climb back to Al's house on Sinclair "where the training happens".
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lqb3vvbl7xqu45m/Screenshot 2017-05-03 11.57.30.png?dl=0
I named it Snowmass-Leadville-Vail-Snowmass
Get the high altitude climbing out of the way early and it's all downhill until the last 40 or so miles...
https://www.strava.com/routes/8556237
Or use this one if you need a little extra mileage and climbing on the longer route to Vail
https://www.strava.com/routes/8556408
@ Coach Patrick: There's a two day loop (inspired by Dinhofer) which hasn't *yet* made the cut into the Al T'Tude Bad Ass Camp; Day One: Aspen/Independence Pass/Monarch Pass/Gunnison, 157 mi /10,500'. Day 2 130 mi/8500' Gunnison/Crested Butte/McClure Pass (gravel up and over)/Carbondale/Snowmass. You show up, I'll put it in. The Candy Ass version does it in three days. [I suppose a Withrow variation could be *attempted* in one day between 5 AM and 10 PM. That would be 17.5 mph INCLUDING STOPS. But WHY????]
@ RichStanbaugh/Mark Stahlkopf: FYI, when cycling in the Roaring Fork Valley between about 6000 and 10,000' I discount my FTP by 10% as a rough rule of thumb.
see al's post on the idea of taking the camp on the road to come around the other way, also an option.
after Al rejected the route you posted above, I had the thought of having the group meet up in glenwood for dinner & hot springs. we could do Snowmass to Glenwood via leadville easily
and I am happy if @John Withrow is happy
ps - I think you may have created a monster Dr Frankenstein!
Now I'm reminiscing about that epic ride. What a day that was.
And yup, that was an awesome day!
https://endurancenation.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/23121/cities-altus-fortius-epic-en-camp-rides-past-and-future/p1?new=1
On that note, BRC 2017 did seem freaking awesome as well (watching jealously from afar)... I wonder if I turn 2018 into a comeback year and do them both... hmmmmm...
I am doing Mallorca, BRC & probably Al Camp... High probability that I bail on BRC, UNLESS @John Withrow signs up for it... be at your computer on 5/11 when it opens up!!!