Tim, Just a note to let you know how well my MASI 3VS Volumetrica performed on the LOTOJA (LOgan TO JAckson) bicycle race this last Saturday and some pics of the event.
LOTOJA is the longest, single-day, USCF-sanctioned bike race in the US. This is the second time I've raced the LOTOJA on my MASI (last year I took 4th in Citizen's 35-44) and it rode great - it handled beautifully in the rain and snow covered roads and well as along the rumble-strip infested roads of Wyoming's Star Valley. It's set up with full Dura-Ace, Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL wheels, Easton EC 90 seat post, Easton EC90 stem, Easton EC90 bars, Speedplay Zero pedals, Sella Italia Flite Gel Flow saddle, and Michelin Pro Race 2 700x23 tires. It weighs in at 16.08 lbs.
Here's my diary of LOTOJA
Here you go..........7812 feet of climbing, Max temp 54, Min temp 34, max speed 52.6 mph, ave. speed 18.9 mph, 209.93 miles, time 11:06:05.06. I lost 3rd and 4th place in Cat. 5 by 1 minute. I took 5th in Cat. 5 and 93rd overall.At the start it was still dark and starry skies and 47 degrees F, so no one knew what lie ahead. We were all in shorts, jerseys and arm warmers. We didn't get rained on until 1/3 the way up Strawberry Pass (mile 62, elev. 7420', 5% grade for 1.5 miles at the summit) and then it turned to snow a little after Forest Boundary sign (elev. 6300'). After Strawberry, I had no power whatsoever - no hamstrings and I couldn't ever get them stretched out. I had gotten dropped about 1.5 miles from the false summit in Strawberry, but passed every one of them on the downhill. On the top of Strawberry there was about 1/2" of snow on the side of the road, snowing heavily, and 34 degrees F. On the downhill, I was doing 40 mph in the snow and rain. Everyone of my fingertips were white and blistering in pain - I couldn't believe they were my hands - white/grey in color, burning/tingling, and about as useful as a log. Once I got to the rollers I was still doing 32-33 mph, while most were doing 20 mph. I must have passed at least 30 riders, with 10 of those riders walking their bikes.
All of us were concerned on how our bike would handle in these conditions. It's just that some of us took more risks than others.In Montpelier, my wife had to physically take my wet gloves off me because I was shaking so bad. I had to have help sitting down on the pavement to put on my leg warmers and have help getting them on because I couldn't get them on by myself. From there, I was in the lead group with the 1st and 2nd place riders up Geneva Pass (mile 87, elev. 6923', 6% grade for 3 miles at the summit), but got dropped half way up. Rode the rest of Geneva and all the way up Salt River (mile 111, elev. 7630', 7.5% grade for 2.5 miles at the summit) and down to Smoot by myself. At that point it started to rain again and I caught 3 guys at Smoot from the Citizen 35-44 groups who had passed me on the Salt River climb and rode with them to Afton. It rained on me the entire way through Star Valley. Temperatures hovered around 48 to 50 degrees F all through Star Valley.At Afton, I stopped and put on Gore-Tex Windstopper tights (over my leg warmers), put on neoprene booties, and traded gloves for my North Face Windstopper gloves.
I then rode to Thayne and caught a group of 4 riders which I rode into Alpine with. This is the group that had the eventual 3rd and 4th place finishers. In Alpine, I got a couple of Guu's and a banana and was off. I broke away at Alpine and rode the next 45+ miles by myself. Then a group ended up catching me at the Snake River bridge right before we turn to go to Teton Village and the two Cat. 5 riders were in that group. I stayed with them until 2.5 miles from the finish and then I just couldn't hang on. They finished almost exactly 1 minute ahead of me. In all, I rode around 110 miles by myself. It was 46 degrees at the finish.So, it was an adventure.On Sunday at the awards program, no mention was made of Epic (the race sponsor) calling the race (I heard Monday that they were stopping riders in Montpelier and not letting them continue unless they had "winter" gear). They did recognize a 15 year old rider that came in at 11:33 pm as the last timed rider (a rider who was either in the licensed or citizen categories). Epic also said that 378 riders (including teams) finished out of 1000. It turns out a little over 400 riders/teams finished the race.I found out Monday that the race was declared "an emergency" by the local EMS. They ended up using school buses, highway patrol cars, and ambulances in Montpelier to gather riders to get them warm. I was told that 137 were treated for hypothermia, with over 30 of them taken to local hospitals.I was really lucky that my wife (part of my support crew, along with my son and daughter) had my rain slicker in Preston, that I grabbed it, and that she was prepared with all my extra layers. Without her pro-active decision making, I would have had a very difficult time.Overall, I think I only drank 4 bottles of Cytomax, ate 10-12 Guu's, 6-8 Cliff Bars, 1 package of cheese crackers, 4 Fig Newtons, and 12 Advil. 
Anyway, that's the 5 minute version of my Saturday. Again, my MASI rode beautifully and I had no issues whatsoever with the bike.
Alpine Schwinn of Idaho Falls, Idaho (the local MASI dealer) has been a great supporter of the MASI brand and really has chosen a winner to sell. Troy Scott, the Head Bike mechanic there, has done a great job. Thanks for the great product. I really do enjoy your blog site. I still have four of my toes that are tingling from being frost nipped.
Sal Mascarenas
P.S. In one of the groups I was riding in, a rider was on a Giant TCR and it cracked and broke at mile 125 after he hit some of the brutal rumble strips.
That's a pretty cool report!
Thanks for sharing Sal and keep enjoying that Masi!
Tim
1 comment:
Great stuff!!
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