# CO altitude - visiting and racing



## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

Howdy,

My wife and I are planning a few weeks in Colorado for a vacation and scouting trip this year. We are going to start West and end up in Boulder. I want to try out the Boulder Roubaix race and I'm wondering how much the altitude will affect me.

Anyone have any experience acclimatizing? How long does it take? Our trip will start around the 2nd, and the race isn't until the 10th, so I've got 8 days to grow a new lung. Will it be enough, or will I be gasping even more than I normally do?



-sf


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

steve_e_f said:


> Howdy,
> 
> My wife and I are planning a few weeks in Colorado for a vacation and scouting trip this year. We are going to start West and end up in Boulder. I want to try out the Boulder Roubaix race and I'm wondering how much the altitude will affect me.
> 
> ...


The 8 days will certainly help. So will getting out on the bike before the race. You will notice the elevation (assuming you live somewhere below 1k feet). Stay hydrated.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

cool. I plan on getting out and riding every day. it IS a vacation, so riding will actually be a priority for once.
We are bracing for headaches and chapped lips. We will try to stay hydrated as well.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Racing in Boulder is at a pretty high level, and I don't mean above sea level. Be ready for that as well.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

yeah I know. last time I was there an AARP member with silver hair flew by me on a ride like I was standing still.

Should I cat down for the race? Is it that bad?
The difference between the 3 race and the 4 race is a whole lap. I'm already nervous but prepared for the eventuality that I'll get dropped or end up in a ball of cramps.


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## shongalola (Nov 2, 2005)

race your category. BR will split up but there are always groups to ride with. Last time it was run the worst part was the condition of the road.


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## TooManyToyz (May 2, 2008)

I haven't raced or been even remotely fit enough to for a long time but I can tell you the speed of the locals here is disturbingly fast coming from TX.

At the same time though, a racer friend of mine came up from the Dallas area last year and he didn't have much trouble until we started riding around 8k or so.

So basically, just show up, race and if you end up off the back, there's more than enough scenery here to make up for it.


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

steve_e_f said:


> yeah I know. last time I was there an AARP member with silver hair flew by me on a ride like I was standing still.
> 
> Should I cat down for the race? Is it that bad?
> The difference between the 3 race and the 4 race is a whole lap. I'm already nervous but prepared for the eventuality that I'll get dropped or end up in a ball of cramps.


Most racing in Colorado is under ACA and not USAC. There is no Cat 5 in ACA; the lowest is Cat 4. You will need to purchase a one-day ACA license. 

Have fun.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

steve_e_f said:


> yeah I know. last time I was there an AARP member with silver hair flew by me on a ride like I was standing still.
> 
> Should I cat down for the race? Is it that bad?
> The difference between the 3 race and the 4 race is a whole lap. I'm already nervous but prepared for the eventuality that I'll get dropped or end up in a ball of cramps.


There is no Cat 5 in ACA races (BR is an ACA race). Cat 4, while the "slowest" group, is still pretty damn fast, especially in Boulder.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

Thanks for the advice all. I'll just run the 3 race and hope for the best. Anyone wanna go preview the course /w me sometime during the week before?

I noticed on their site they said that sew-ups are the way to go. For the rough roads and pinch flats I understand why they'd be better... but does everyone have tubulars? I dont (yet), so I'm trying to decide what the best way to go would be. I was thinking of using my CX wheels with tubless CX tires. If they fit under the road bike brakes they might work. There would be a bit more rolling resistance, but that would be better than pinch flats and mind-numbing vibration... I think.
Anyone got any good info for tire selection?


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

steve_e_f said:


> Thanks for the advice all. I'll just run the 3 race and hope for the best. Anyone wanna go preview the course /w me sometime during the week before?
> 
> I noticed on their site they said that sew-ups are the way to go. For the rough roads and pinch flats I understand why they'd be better... but does everyone have tubulars? I dont (yet), so I'm trying to decide what the best way to go would be. I was thinking of using my CX wheels with tubless CX tires. If they fit under the road bike brakes they might work. There would be a bit more rolling resistance, but that would be better than pinch flats and mind-numbing vibration... I think.
> Anyone got any good info for tire selection?


I haven't done that race but ride those roads all the time with normal tires. You don't "need" anything special. If anything, I'd day ride 25s.


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

Pablo said:


> I haven't done that race but ride those roads all the time with normal tires. You don't "need" anything special. If anything, I'd day ride 25s.


+1 

I expect I'll be pre-riding the course with some Juniors that week - keep in touch and we can coordinate.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

cool. will do. I'll check back in here when I'm in town.
thanks again!


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## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

You'd be better off doing the race at the beginning of your trip rather than the end. 8 days is potentially a no-mans land of acclimatising. Unless you know specifically how you adapt to elevation you'll potentially hit the brunt of altitude 8 days in. It takes 2 to 3 weeks to acclimate to elevation. You'd best be served showing up the day before, you'll have plenty of oxygen in your blood cells and you shouldn't feel the affect of alt. for 2 to 3 days. 

So just giving a bit of info. Friends here in TX ran the Leadville 100 last year and that's how that did it. Show up the day before. Alt. didn't affect them and that was at 10,000 ft+ Boulder is 5 to 6,000. I grew up in CO, and now live in TX. I get back to CO at least once a year. 

Good luck with your race and enjoy your trip.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Bulldozer said:


> There is no Cat 5 in ACA races (BR is an ACA race). Cat 4, while the "slowest" group, is still pretty damn fast, especially in Boulder.


Expect pro/expert mountain bikers this time of year who need to race 4's to move up.--they will go off the front from the start and you'll never see them again.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Pablo said:


> I haven't done that race but ride those roads all the time with normal tires. You don't "need" anything special. If anything, I'd day ride 25s.


Yup...those that win will be using road bikes and 23s. Crank your pedals down hard or you'll come out on the washboard. Happened to me once and I nearly sang soprano. :cryin:


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## shongalola (Nov 2, 2005)

I'll be in the 3's and running my winter road 23s. Last time in the rain, I didn't have any issues with the tire width other than on some corners


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## jorbenweb (Dec 23, 2008)

Pablo said:


> Racing in Boulder is at a pretty high level, and I don't mean above sea level. Be ready for that as well.


The other cyclists on the bike trails in Boulder are also at a pretty high level, and I don't mean above sea level, or their riding ability. Be ready for THAT as well!


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Apparently, there's a Wednesday Roubaix ride: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=389741841408&ref=mf


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

ha! cool. that looks like an excellent butt-whooping of a ride.


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## Todd_H (Nov 20, 2009)

Pablo said:


> Apparently, there's a Wednesday Roubaix ride: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=389741841408&ref=mf



Man I love Boulder - 11AM, Wednesday? Written in Boulder county law, "though shalt not work on the holy cycling sabbath of Wednesday". Seriously, Wednesday Worlds and now this? Maybe two hour lunches are the norm up there.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

Got to Boulder this AM after 2 days in Vail. Did a ride this afternoon. Hoooo boy! its going to be a stretch next weekend. I could feel the altitude.


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

I used to live in Boulder and went to CU. I loved it out there. I moved back to IL after college and 15 yrs later I ended up taking a womans cycling camp out in Moab... along with a CO ladies team. I was in the best shape I had been since I started cycling and to be honest I could barely keep up with them lol I got dropped on the climbs. I also did Ride the Rockies that same yr. I got there and the next morning hauled a*s*s 80 miles through the mtns. Beat my entire team to the top of the mtn - with zero acclimation. The next day I struggled with another 90 miles then soon entered into my own personal hell of migraines and misery. I ate and drank plenty but it just wasn't enough. I really don't know what advice is best here for you, I would just say pay attn to your body and try not to over do it. I think it'd be better to concentrate on having fun moreover than winning a race. It sucks to be sick and altitude sickness is no fun at all. Hope it all goes really well for you :thumbsup:


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## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

steve_e_f said:


> Got to Boulder this AM after 2 days in Vail. Did a ride this afternoon. Hoooo boy! its going to be a stretch next weekend. I could feel the altitude.


woohoo....good luck and have fun man.

did you see this article?

http://303cycling.com/2010-boulder-roubaix-picks

Get some rest, drink lot's of water, and stay away from the booze.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

rode the course today. what a blast. its not a big gravely mess, its more like a hard packed slightly bumpy surface. the winds were unbelievable though. I was almost blown over repeatedly and a small kid who was riding with us was actually blown off the road entirely. Hope it isn't that windy on Sunday...

my 25cc clinchers were plenty comfy.


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

steve_e_f said:


> rode the course today. what a blast. its not a big gravely mess, its more like a hard packed slightly bumpy surface. the winds were unbelievable though. I was almost blown over repeatedly and a small kid who was riding with us was actually blown off the road entirely. Hope it isn't that windy on Sunday...
> 
> my 25cc clinchers were plenty comfy.


Excellent! Yeah those winds blew a lady that was riding Ride The Rockies with us last year right over a guard rail on a descent. Narsty. Glad it's goin well for ya! Excited for your race. What are the temps like out there?


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## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

How'd the race go?


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

The race went great! It was a total blast. I was waiting to report here until the results were up because I didn't really know how I finished.
Sometimes race reports are interesting only to the author, but I'll try to keep it somewhat interesting.

All in all I got four pre-rides of the course in. It turned into my go-to ride while I've been here. The course was so fun, and every time I did I I seemed to run into cool people, so I just went with that formula. I did it once with PDeX and some juniors and that was a cool outing. Its great meeting the locals. I'm not picking up a ton of bike attitude here in CO so far.

Looking at my power meter, I was pretty sobered by what I was seeing in terms of output in the the days leading up to the race, but I tried to ignore that. When checking in to this vacation rental the second thing out of the owner's mouth was "you're racing Roubaix, huh? Its too soon to do that.". Wow, thanks buddy. Still that + the advice here was good for keeping the expectations in check. I did decide to do the 3s because I thought if I did the 4s and somehow did well I'd never be able to respect myself. I was super worried about getting dropped or not finishing the 3s, but at least I'd have my dignity for trying.
My goal ended up being "Ride hard, leave everything out there, finish."

So on race day I rode out to the course from downtown for a warmup. I had massive butterflies in my stomach. CO bike racing scene is so intimidating because the quality is so high. I got to the course in plenty of time, got signed up easily, and watched some other categories roll through. I tanked up on as much water and Cliff stuff as I could handle because I was constantly worried about getting dehydrated.

Lining up at the start everyone looked suitably poker-faced. One guy made a great joke about trying to settle his bike down because it was jumpy to get going. Funny stuff.

The start was almost a non-event. People just started rolling and there it was.
The pace started moderate. I was in the back 25%. To me it was pure worry at this point. My only thought was "stay cool, stay efficient, don't get popped!". We settled into a pretty good clip on the dirt. There was really no picking a line as the group was totally spread out across the road and packed pretty tight. Rocks were flying, bikes were pinging. Things stayed cool for the first lap, the big event was the first left off the pavement. PING! my rear Kyserium had a spoke pop. I knew the spoke was a little bent before I started, but I didn't expect it to break. whoops! "Is my race over? Will the wheel explode? Now I have an excuse if I don't finish!". The wheel had a huge wobble, but I kept going. I didn't want to be done yet.

Things stayed non-evenful through the first lap. There were surges, regroups, the hills were tough but do-able. The final little rise before the finish was tough, but I hung in.

Lap 2 was pretty uneventful. The pace was similar to lap 1. I moved up a little to try to avoid the break and sprint of the tight turns. I was hurting a bit, but it was managable.
Heading up the final dirt kickers of lap 2 I started to really feel worked. I backed it off a bit to recover and the pack really stretched out. When I finally realized just how stretched out it was I was in trouble. The leaders were WAY ahead. I hustled to get back on and got within about 50 feet on the finishing straight, but started to feel some cramps and had to back it off. There were probably about 30 people left in the lead pack as they pedaled away. I tried to keep an okay pace but ease off enough not to cramp. Eventually a half-dozen other guys all regrouped at about my pace and we continued on. I was definitely a slower guy in that group and felt some guilt for not taking more pulls but I had to think about just getting to the finish. I had also run out of water because of a lost bottle on the bumps, so I was getting really dehydrated.

Every time the group accelerated I tried to give it one last dig to stay with them until I popped off, and that kept working so much to my surprise I stayed with the group. I noticed a Rocky Mounts guy had an extra full bottle, so I offered to make his bike lighter for the hills. To my amazement and relief he obliged, and I finally had something to drink again.

Heading up the pavement into the last dirt section, someone totally gunned it up the final roller and my legs went totally numb. I looked down and they were still spinning and I thought "how are they even moving right now!?!?". It was a surreal moment, but my autopilot legs kept me with the group a little longer.

All that was left was the final dirt rollers. Two guys went and nobody chased, leaving about six of us. Over the first roller I kept left, carried my speed into it, sailed over the top, I looked around and nobody was right behind me. Not knowing what to do, I just kept pedaling at my pace. Over the next roller, nobody was there again. Where were the others? I wondered if I was being stupid and everyone was just saving themselves for the sprint? Up the third and steepest roller I dug a little. Maybe I could stay ahead? One guy in green caught me at the top. We motored over the last few turns and rollers. Still the little group didn't catch us. Had they burned themselves pulling too hard? Finally all that was left was the final little uphill to the finish stright. I gave it everything and baaaaarely made it over the crest @ 5mph. I could see the finish. dig dig! No sign of the guy in green or the group. Looking down I was still eeking 298 watts out of my fried stumps of legs, so I thought there might be hope to stick it. Then green guy went by. 400m... still no group... 200m... still no group... can't catch green guy... 100m... finish! Whew I made it! I actually made it. All I felt was relief to have survived. I pulled over and went numb for five minutes. Then an asthma attack hit for about a minute, then I saw my wife and everything was ok.

What a blast of a race! I'm 100% happy with how it all turned out. Sometimes you want to try to win a race or do well, but this race I really just wanted to see if I could hang with the Colorado guys at all, and I did okay at that. The winning group finished about 6ish minutes ahead of me depending on when my computer stopped, and that seems okay to me. I ended up 35 out of 58, so not quite mid-pack.

I snapped a few pics /w my phone, but nothing great. Here is my Garmin output, just for giggles.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29773010

Thanks all for the advice and help! We are probably going to put in an offer on a place in Boulder in not long, so I look forward to more high altitude adventures soon.
cheers!


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

Nice going! It was good to meet you. Good luck on getting the place. The official results are here:

http://www.americancycling.org/results/road


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## armadillo (Nov 23, 2005)

Right on man. Great race report. Sounds like you had fun. Good job!!


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## shongalola (Nov 2, 2005)

I think I rode behind you for a bit - impressive ride on a wheel as out of true as that. Glad to hear you had a good time racing here. I thought the new course was fantastic especially with the loose bits cleaning up before the race. Still heard a number of guys sliding out that left hander off Nelson.


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