D2R2 - any advice?

[fredd]

Doing the 180k, with 13k feet of elevation..... In for a treat I believe. I feel like my low of 34/28 might not be enough lol.

Will be my first D2R2 but not my first ride of this proportion. I usually just take it easy and am bringing lots of storage for food.

Ambitiously also studying the possibility of riding back to nyc on sunday. Accepting routes if there are any suggestions.

[truth]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Adding a note for food, this was one area where I was really disappointed. It's not that what they had wasn't adequate, but I was disappointed. Their website said (and still says) "The organization will put as much effort into its food offerings as the routes." The ride wasn't the worst, but was probably in the bottom 50 percent for food stop quality among organized rides I've done.

It's still a great ride, and the food was enough, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

What are some of the best rides for food, especially in your hood? I always recall the Davis Double having some great food. Marin Century had good food after the ride last year, but nothing too special during the ride that I recall. I don't do too many organized rides like this anymore.

[old fat man]

Originally Posted by fredd

Doing the 180k, with 13k feet of elevation..... In for a treat I believe. I feel like my low of 34/28 might not be enough lol.

Will be my first D2R2 but not my first ride of this proportion. I usually just take it easy and am bringing lots of storage for food.

Ambitiously also studying the possibility of riding back to nyc on sunday. Accepting routes if there are any suggestions.

34/28 is ambitious indeed. I did the long route on 26mm slicks with a 39x29 back in 2007 or 8 but it wasn't as fun as when I did it with a 34x34. Go bigger if you can.

[fredd]

Originally Posted by old fat man

34/28 is ambitious indeed. I did the long route on 26mm slicks with a 39x29 back in 2007 or 8 but it wasn't as fun as when I did it with a 34x34. Go bigger if you can.

Yeah, the plan is to score a 46/30 crankset by then. 30x28 I reckon should be fine.

[cuda]

Aces!!! hahaha on thinking like a roadie, nailed it.
Thank you all for the tips especially the reminder to not get lost - This is something I do for fun but would rather stick to the course.

I like the idea of using the Stava segments for climbs and and just see what I can do with those.

Agreed on the HRM it's a tool I rely on a lot.
Skratch the hydration pack.

My gearing on the low end will be 32/34, going with 700/38c Vittoria Torreno Dry.

Sounds like a few of us in the 100k. I will look forward to meeting y'all. When you pass an oldfart on an OPEN going backward on a 20% grade be sure to say "hi"

[pinkshogun]

From a fellow Rhode islander, you want more than what you think you may need....gearing, tire width, fitness ect. I was in my late 40's with decent non-racer fitness when I did it last. I had a touring triple 48/36/26 with an 11-34 in back and found myself gleefully spinning up many of the climbs

[Peter P.]

this will be my 1st gravel event. I'm not sure i'm an "event person" but figured this would be one way to find out and also give me something to train for.I signed up for the 100k. I don't have a base to do anything longer + the 7k of climbing is as much as I do in a week so this seemed like a significant enough challenge.


D2R2 is an event where it's best to start small and get an idea of the terrain and difficulty. You chose the right distance.

Is it a mass start and is it optimal to be as near the front as possible to avoid pandemonium and what not?


Start when you want as it's not a mass start, but don't forget to ride through the timing gate. Either your wristband or your bike number has the timing chip in it.

Once underway do i find others who are riding a tempo that feels right and work with them?

No. It is especially important, and has been previously specified in the event instructions, to not blindly follow others assuming they know the route. Follow your route sheet or at least compare to whatever electronic gadget you're using to make sure they agree. Personally, I found it more fun to follow the route sheet as finding some of the roads was like a scavenger hunt because there may not be street signs or they'll be so old as to be unbelievable- "Turn HERE? Onto this DIRT path? You gotta be kidding me!"

do I need to bring a hydration pack or just use water stations - It's only 60 or so miles.

Two 21oz. bottles should be fine as the checkpoints are spaced appropriately.
Carry an extra bottle if you can should the weather be particularly hot.

Food? I'm figuring gels and bars. do most people that ride the course for time stop for lunch?


I'd carry at least a gel and/or a bar for security. The rest stops are stocked well enough.

How sketchy are the descents? It's been dry lately.

Descents- The dirt descents will get hairy at speed but if you have brakes that work and ride within your limits, you'll be fine. The two wildest downhills are Deer Park Road which is long and twisty and you can easily exceed 40mph, and Hawk's Road, which is a great way to end the ride but it's really gnarly/rocky. Many of the dirt roads are severely crowned so if you drift wide at speed you may lose control. FYI.

What else can you tell me? I get the "just have fun" idea but for me that means pushing it.

The big discussion every year is "what size tire". If you want to "push it" that means a larger tire with the right air pressure so you don't flat.

I used 38mm tires at 39-42psi. I weigh 135lbs. The minimum recommended tire width by the course designer was 27mm but personally I think that's too small. I tried 32s and didn't feel that had as much traction or cushion, regardless of pressure.

By the way, if you treat d2r2 as some event you want to "push" you will miss the point of d2r2. Enjoy all the secluded roads both paved and unpaved; the directions, which are more fun to follow on paper than to blindly follow via GPS, and the scenery. This is an event to savor. And invariably, people push it every year and get bloodied and carted out.

Gearing: I could get away with a 34x28 on the 100k and that was when I was in my 50s. If you think you're going to use road gearing you will be in for a surprise...

Lastly; please let us know how your first d2r2 went!

[tellyho]

Love D2. Ride every year - the target of my summer training. It's super fun, super casual, super hard. 100K is a good place to start. Spin along and find someone at your pace to commiserate with.

We'll be camping Friday and Saturday night: look for the Sausage jerseys and stop and say hi!

[nighthawk]

I used to live in that area and many of those roads/trails were part of my regular riding/exploration. I’m not a racer or interested in organized road rides, preferring generally to ride alone or with a small group of friends. Angry has a great perspective on what to expect and all I can add is that the most enjoyable times I’ve ridden D2R2 was when I gave it no worry, just showed up and started riding. If you aren’t riding with a friend or group, you’ll likely settle in with a few other riders at a similar pace. The support at this ride is great and definitely nothing to stress over.

[Hilltopperny]

Originally Posted by fredd

Doing the 180k, with 13k feet of elevation..... In for a treat I believe. I feel like my low of 34/28 might not be enough lol.

Will be my first D2R2 but not my first ride of this proportion. I usually just take it easy and am bringing lots of storage for food.

Ambitiously also studying the possibility of riding back to nyc on sunday. Accepting routes if there are any suggestions.

I completed the 100k with a 34/29 combo the first time I went. I never went back without at least a 1-1 ratio after that!

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by fredd

Doing the 180k, with 13k feet of elevation..... In for a treat I believe. I feel like my low of 34/28 might not be enough lol.

Ambitiously also studying the possibility of riding back to nyc on sunday. Accepting routes if there are any suggestions.

Kudos.

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I got pretty lost on my first D2R2. Still had fun.

Choosing the road that goes uphill is almost always correct.

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

You’re thinking like a roadie. Stop that.

Could not say this any better.

[fuji160s]

I did the 180 last year and the two things I found most notable was how badly I saw people struggling on the climbs--it seemed like most people were way overgeared for steep new england dirt road climbs and were having to mash their way up--and how uncomfortable many were on the descents.

So, my advice would be bring lower gears than you think you'll need and be careful on the descents, or give people plenty of space. There were so many people who'd aggressively brake or swerve seemingly at random making it a little sketchy.

All that said, it seemed like the 100k was the chill ride, the two intersected later in the day and it was clear that's where the party was. Enjoy, it's a spectacular area. I hope it's cooler than last year!

[catchourbreath]

I've done d2r2 a bunch of times. I think going lower than you think in gearing and slightly wider in tires is a good thing. A 1-1 gearing or lower would really benefit the last few climbs especially that switchback loose dirt one and the final climb of the day both of which I've never successfully climbed without either losing traction or loosing steam. I did manage to hit somewhere around 50mph descending one of the dirt to paved roads. I think we usually do the 100 or formerly the 120? It's been a few years so I don't exactly remember.

[tellyho]

For me 46/34 x 11-36 is the sweet spot, gearing-wise. There are occasional route choices that are more singletrack-y where having lower than 1:1 is the difference between walking and riding. Though this was really only one of the years I rode it. 160 is my go-to ride length.

[merckx]

All of the encouragement urging lower gears than you think you will need is spot-on. I did the 180 fifteen years ago turning a 39 X 29 and managed not to dab, but I was a box of broken glass for the week following.

I've also run 27mm tires because that was the maximum size my Merckx MXL would accommodate. We are smarter now. Chubby tires are most beneficial when you descend at speed and hit a stretch of washboard. That will sober you right up. I think the trees that line the road amuse themselves by stepping into your line when your eyeballs are bouncing off your knees. I also enjoy having larger volume tires when descending Hawks. That road has always spooked me.