whitestone wrote:Greg, I assume that's a loss of 1.3Kg of fat since there's no significant change in overall weight and you put on roughly the same mass of muscle.

How do those figures work out as percentages and are they significant changes? I would have thought that since you felt you were close to optimum pre-race (going from vague recollection of what you'd posted at the time) there wouldn't have been much change. Also might the increase in muscle mass be post race recovery and adaptation?

You're right, edited the > to a <

BF percentages was about a 1.2% drop - muscle increase of 1.3kg post race in 2 weeks...unlikely TBH. It'll have been a continual gain during the race rather than a post race hypertrophy I suspect. I've probably been eating less post race on a daily basis than during the Divide - albeit a better type of food!

What will be interesting will be the next 6 weeks - historically I tend to keep dropping weight for an extended period post peak race period (usually muscle) as I drop back to eating like a normal human. I suspect I'll drop weight down to around 75kg over the coming weeks. Or I could keep gorging.... hmm.

Fun other fact - at two points during the race I managed to undergo a total ketonic reaction and did the whole acetone breath and ammonia skin smell - mmmmm muscle degradation due to lack of calories. Not cool - that way d'oth rhabdomyolysis lie.

Nothing more to add than I'm very impressed by anyone who rides that far on a bike. More so for those racing it. Good effort

That's interesting Greg, I lost ~10Kg over the course of the race, I weighed myself 3 days after the finish. No fancy equipment, just scales at home, same ones I used before I left.

I was 69Kg when i got back, I'm now back to ~77kg. I found generally the race changed my appetite quite a bit, i used to comfort eat a lot, during the race, I didn't eat enough calories to sustain myself, rough estimate was that I was at about a 40,000 calorie deficit by the time I finished, which is approx 1/2 the calories stored in an adult males body fat from what I understand. I was eating when I felt I needed to, not just stuffing food in. Some days I had the appetite for 3 meals in one sitting, others, not as much.

Since I returned, I lost my sweet tooth massively, too much sugar. (I just literally had a tooth out this lunchtime that starting hurting on TD) And I tend to drink far more water than I used to, often to stave off hunger. Generally, I've kept below my normal slightly over-weight bulk, even with less exercise than I was doing in the run-up to TD.

It's all very subjective, and doesn't prove anything, of course.

I managed to lose 4kg over the HT550 and that doesn't account for the 4 days of, erm, recovery I enjoyed after!

I think I managed my input/output a little better than most - one of the factors in this may be the amount of meat I ate as a practical vegetarian (only tend to eat meat when out with friends or at other peoples houses). This definitely added a whole chunk of extra calories into my normal diet day to day, lots from fat. Top of that, I had a pretty strict fluid form calorie intake that happened at every gas station: BIG bottle of Gatorade, big bottle of Starbucks Frappamochahipsterchino, 750ml bottle of coke, 500ml bottle of water - this was before any solids went in, and was quite a quick and fast dose of calories. Yes this was planed :)

If you fancy a laugh just imagine me eating with chopsticks. I shouldn't have been so hasty to decline a fork....

That was some fluid intake Greg. Doubt I could get that much down me in one go. And my middle aged bladder would have me stopping every 10 minutes for the next 30 miles! I do recall having four pints of coca-cola in Hartsel. Felt rough till well after Del Norte.

Chris Plesko's blog on why he rode s/s on TD:

http://slipangles.blogspot.co.uk/2016/0 ... l?spref=tw

Blackhound wrote:That was some fluid intake Greg. Doubt I could get that much down me in one go. And my middle aged bladder would have me stopping every 10 minutes for the next 30 miles! I do recall having four pints of coca-cola in Hartsel. Felt rough till well after Del Norte.

It's something I've practiced for years, not that fluid combo mind you, and tend to fuel only on fluids for the first 8 hrs of 24 races, so pretty used to riding that way. I do often look like I am having a fluid baby though.

I do pretty much the same thing if I'm pushing the pace. I don't find I need to take a leak that much afterwards as long as I'm pushing hard enough to sweat.

I don't think I'd hit up anything fizzy though if I could avoid it. That can't end well.

Initial musings over on Grit.cx - will write my own report after I finish the article for the magazine. Otherwise it'll be too bloody long and Jeff will lynch me.

http://grit.cx/adventure/2016/07/gregs- ... op-v2-16-2

DSC00874.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

For Guy Martin the TD was only a training run for
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07 ... -thwarted/

We had the same problem. Below is my late father who had trouble with weeds getting caught in the prop of his self built pedal powered boat. We weren't trying to beat a speed record, but the Isle of Wight cycling festival used to have a pedal powered boat race across the river and back on launch day. It was oddly called 'sink or swim' er.. neither thanks I'll build a boat that stays afloat and pedal there and back My dad won two out of the three years we entered, the last time probable aged 70 as I think it was 2010.

https://www.instagram.com/p/5hAOYetd_t/

Looks like fun.

For anyone that rode this years Divide, please can you fill out the Cordillera stuff.

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/ultra- ... e-8-12482/

Wriggles of this fine Parish kicked off his TD ride today and is currently riding along the Spray Lakes reservoir.

johnnystorm wrote:Wriggles of this fine Parish kicked off his TD ride today and is currently riding along the Spray Lakes reservoir.

No spot tracker?

Morning,

My spot is here http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... oHclW3oKzX
I must stress I'm doing this very much as a bimble trying to link up as many bars as I can between Banff and Nm :) now in Elkford. Found the going a bit tougher than expected. Probably due to altitude. Also a massive thanks to Greg and Johnnystorm for brilliant advice whilst I was setting it up.

I was going to have to take the Fernie Road alternate due to grizzly activity but have now hooked with some nice Americans to ride through there :)

wriggles wrote:
I was going to have to take the Fernie Road alternate due to grizzly activity but have now hooked with some nice Americans to ride through there :)

I didn't see a single bear until the Sapillo alternate in New Mexico. The day before I had given my Bear spray to some NoBo riders.

Is this safety in numbers or are they slower than you..... ?:lol:

I saw no bears - lots of scat - but wouldn't have mattered after Macs where I'd lost my spray on the Rail Trail

Locals are saying activity has increased significantly in last month due to abundant berry crop on lower slopes. One of the couple riding with is a PhD in N American carnivores ( really!) and her advise not to ride alone through that stretch right now. On this one I take her advice thanks!

There's something like 18 breweries on the route. Enjoy.

I've been dumping day by day account and photos of my trip here: http://www.gregorymay.ie

Up to Day 4 now. Easiest way to break this down and sort of enjoy recounting it for me.

Pirahna wrote:There's something like 18 breweries on the route. Enjoy.

I'm there!!!