Wildflower 2012
Hey Folks,
Now that reg is open for Oceanside, I wanted to put this out there: I want to make Wildflower 2012 a team race 
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I've done the race about 5-6x's, have done about a dozen camps up there, won 35-39AG in '05, and was married there in '06. I knows Wildflower, inside and out. I've been talking it up with my local hommies and tri club and would like to get a good group up there. Between my truck, trailer and other resources, I could offer some services that would make it very doable for folks to fly into. For example, I can rent a shit load of camping gear and bring it up for you, we use my trailer as a basecamp.
Anyway, I know how to do the race right and it's an awesome, awesome time and experience. Oh, yeah, the race is pretty hard too .
Seriously though, this is a great event and it would be awesome to get 20-30+ EN'ers out there to do it with me. Just a matter of thinking through and coordinating the logistics, which I've done in the past.
Comments
I am seriously considering it. Been on my bucket list for a while.
If Sulivan commits I will also (need to hard close the wifey, though). I have never done it either and If Matt can fly with is bike 3,000 miles . . . I can drive the 300 to get there.
There ya go, Matt. whatcha say?
And maybe we can get Ambrose to come also and suck our wheels for 56 miles?
So...your condition for doing the race is a guy flying from Chicago to WF to do the race with you...not to mention training through the winter in Chicago for a half in early May. Weak, very weak
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The scale of a team favors this race. For example, the race charges a PER VEHICLE camping fee. So folks could:
Work with me here, Rich.
Geez. Just trying to have some fun and coax Matt a bit.
I can help with the transpo from SFO, if I go (unless I get more brow beating, then maybe not). People can crash at my place, if needed, then drive down the next morning to the venue in a big ass party barge.
Don't want to leave you hanging after such a tauntng but I won't be able to commit for a while yet. Sorry.
i'll do it. i plan on CdA next year also, so it'll be my 70.3 before CdA. i'm going to get revenge on that run course. i do more steep than that weekly these days and for twice as long.
GH
As a memeber of the Woodstock generation I've always been attracted to this, but never had a team environment to make the 2-3 day camping gig worthwhile. Now this from Coach Rich - I'm on board to start planing on it. The six week difference from Oceanside makes a big deal in training time.
How does this link time-wise to ToC?
Al, the race weekend is May 4-6. ToC would start the following weekend. Training/physically, etc it's not a problem to do both events, as we don't start our ToC riding until the following Sunday, 7-8 days after WF. If you had to pick one, ToC is definitely a must do.
Also...I just like WF more than Oceanside. Oceanside is a WTC race. Well-run, good course, fast run...but it's a race. WF is an experience. The course is much more difficult and the camping vibe is just awesome....
Rich, it's awesome that you offered this up as it would make it so much cheaper to do for folks from out of town, not to much it would be fun to have the group around.
I ship mine from the WB shop, using their account (better rate), use a clamshell case and total weight is about 48-50lb. I carry shoes, helmet, pedals with me on the plan. I ship it FedEx ground if possible, and cost depends on where you're shipping it to/from. I don't recall exactly, but I think FedEx ground to/from LA/Madison was about $50 each way. Very reasonable. But when I did the same to/from LP (don't recall if it was ground each way) it was MUCH more expensive.
I have two bikes, can usually borrow a second PT wheel, so being without my primary bike for the 4-5 days x 2 of transit time isn't a huge deal.
You could fly with the bike box but then that really limits your transportation options when you land. That is, can't really split a normal size car with another athlete with a bike box. But I bet three athletes and 3 bike boxes (clamshell) could somehow fit into a minivan. The place where we rent the vans for ToC is right by LAX. Several athletes could fly in, rent a 15 passenger van, take out the last two rows of seats and have plenty of room to pile as many bike boxes as you can fit...then that one van with 6+ athletes shows up at WF and pays $50/night to camp
With your run and w/kg you would absolutely rock Wildflower. You'd also do very well at SG, but the limiter is IM training in the winter in Chicago, as you already know.
Thanks Rich. I actually felt very ready as far as fitness for Oceanside in April and therefore feel I could be ready for an IM 5 weeks later. It wouldn't be easy to do an IM training block inside but I like to suffer.
So that others can hopefully learn from my experience. My issue was bike handling as my last real ride outside before OC was on Oct. 9th in Hawaii. Then I got to OC and rode the day before the race, got a speed wobble in a valley over a bridge and was scared. The fact that I was on a different bike and different wheels that I had never used outside didn't help either. In hindsight though, because I was a wimp and braked a ton on the bike, I had plently of energy and ran a 2' PR on a run.
So, my leason learned is that I can get myself ready as far as fitness goes completely indoor, however I need to give myself a few days of riding outside (perferably in decent sized hills and actually on the same bike I'm going to race) to get comfortable descending at high speed.
I would encourage other people that live in cold climates to give an early season race a try as I was pleasently surprised with the result.
If it helps, I camp ludicrous over the top. I've spent enough time sleeping on the ground that I have no issues with decidedly NOT roughing it when I camp. Trailer sleeps 4-5 comfortably, 6 if you really, really like each other
. My buddy has a huge fifth wheeler that we could probably pay him to bring up. I can hook up 2 grills for a combined 180k BTUs. Steaks, have a buddy that imports wine from OZ = could probably score a couple cases...I make a competition out of camping big 
There's one very high speed downhill at WF. About 45-50mph into a sweeping left.
And I'll likely do a camp up there in March, for anyone that's interested in previewing the course.
G
Count me in. I signed up for Oceanside two days ago so I'll be the moron doing both races. We've figured out my wife likes me better when I'm training - so I have the greenlight for anything 70.3 or less.
Ya know I was just yanking your chain, right?
Also, the way Rich is describing "camping" my camping-averse wife might actually do this event also.
Mike, it will be epic. I'm getting all of my local hommies fired up to join us :-)
Count me in.
In other news, looks like I'm finally going to get to do ToC this year too! Hell yeah.