I'm sure most of you have heard of the RAAM (teams working in relay to cross the US). Well now you race across the US east to west on your road bike with pretty much the same rules as 'we're' used to.

Oh, it's 4243 miles.

http://www.transambikerace.com/

Added to my bucket list :D

It is on my list for 2016, plenty of time to come to my senses! Mike Hall and Juliana Buhring are doing it who won both divisions at WCR in 2012. Peta McSharry is also down for the ladies race - she will go well. I will be rooting for Joel Martinez from Barcelona. We spent chunks of time together here and there in TD11 and finally met up in Cuba after my big day and we ended up riding to Antelope Wells together.

I have wanted to ride the US C2C for years but may just tour it before I get to old.

I saw on mike halls twitter feed that he's had electric gears fitted, where does that fit into self supported etc??

A friend of mine from San Francisco is doing it this year too, it's something I'd love to do, I think it'll be 2016, same as Blackhound as I'm down for TD 2015.

Ben98 wrote:I saw on mike halls twitter feed that he's had electric gears fitted, where does that fit into self supported etc??

He means Di2 I guess, not electric assist. So it's no different.

Ben98 wrote:I saw on mike halls twitter feed that he's had electric gears fitted, where does that fit into self supported etc??

Provided he's the one that presses the buttons, I don't see a problem with it
Just another of many electronic devices available to use on a ride. I'm more interested on how he's going to keep it charged.

Edit: or what mountainbaker said

I was thinking more about charging, could a second battery be charged from a dynamo hub I asks myself?

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what the average speed of this is going to be?

In his WCR in 2012 and TD last year Mike managed 200 miles per day. TransAM is longer but 'easier'. He must be looking at 250+ per day. He did mention a location to me for his hopeful first night's stop. You do cross the Rockies but Kansas for instance is flattish and boring I hear. 17 days?

No idea how long Di2 batteries last but Mike will have thought it through.

Blackhound wrote:INo idea how long Di2 batteries last but Mike will have thought it through.

Dynamo that's powering his revo I'm gonna guess.

would love to do this one day as part of a team........

I think the Di2 batteries last a fairly long time. If you think if the energy required to move a mech 6mm it can't be that much

Given that he probably won't need to change gear for the majority of the middle bit, the batteries should be fine.

I hear Di2 is a 'charge twice a year' sort of thing, thats what i have been told, who knows what that actually means?

Son wrote:I hear Di2 is a 'charge twice a year' sort of thing, thats what i have been told, who knows what that actually means?

I also hear the average person does 46 miles a year...

http://www.madison.co.uk/news/17/03/14/ ... bike-build
Post about Mikes Bike, looks an incredible machine :)

hope that compression fitting dosnt hurt his hands, or wear through the bars

I wonder what Gethin Butler would make of a race like that. Apart from short work, maybe.

Mike's bike looks amazing. Was chatting to one of Madison's Shimano blokes at the show in London about it. Really interesting as I go the other way on my bikes, minimal tech and simplify everything, here's an endurance rider making a bit of a mockery of all that. I expect he's better with electrics than I am - wouldn't be hard : )

jameso wrote:Mike's bike looks amazing. Was chatting to one of Madison's Shimano blokes at the show in London about it. Really interesting as I go the other way on my bikes, minimal tech and simplify everything, here's an endurance rider making a bit of a mockery of all that. I expect he's better with electrics than I am - wouldn't be hard : )

Mike may well have wanted to do the minimal route, but if hes getting free stuff/being sponsored it may be part of the deal. I'm not sure you would choose to go down this route. Theres no real gain to be had from the technology and if it goes wrong its not going to be as quick a fix as a traditional system.

Any other big names on the start list?
I know when we were talking to Rob Leipheimer at the Outdoorsman in Butte, he said that his brother was thinking about the Tour Divide, but this would be a lot more suitable.

Could be a sponsorship thing, I think the DI2 may be linked to using hydro brakes, but if you have a dynamo powering the lights and gearing it's all a nicely closed and independent system. DI2's pretty well proven reliability-wise. No better or worse than the minimal options, just makes me think about the reasons for/against complex kit.

jameso wrote:Could be a sponsorship thing, I think the DI2 may be linked to using hydro brakes.

A good point, he's sponsored by pivot so discs only on them

Theoretically, the di2 should be maintenance free shouldnt it?
I expect he might swap a chain half way but thats all?

Theoretically, the di2 should be maintenance free shouldnt it?

Yup, can't think of anything that will need doing aside from chain-related stuff.

didnt he only use 2 cassettes and 6 or 7 chains for the WCR?

Pretty sure some of those werent ready to be changed too.