ETP 2007: Lessons Learned

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Lessons Learned:

  • Pre-hydration and good eating beforehand seemed to help alot.
  • Use of sports drinks definitely helps with cramping. I could have used 3 bottles of Gatorade.
  • I skipped all rest stops by carrying everything, although I was on the borderline with this. Saved lots of time.
  • Consuming 2 Clif bars in this event is difficult – no need to bring more than 3.
  • Regarding my plan, I underestimated my speed on the flats by around 5 mph, a big source of error.
  • Some pre-knowledge of the course is pretty helpful, so you know where to conserve, where to push, etc.

Finally, I can’t really tell if that Vantage supplement did any good – could be one of those “emperor’s new clothes” things, or maybe I did not take enough. But I did feel pretty good on the course.

I checked out the Perimeter site, and they have the unofficial results posted: http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/!ETP/ETP07Res/ETP07-FS.html

This was a really good event, with outstanding event planning, traffic control and fabulous weather. The Tour of the Tucson Mountains is held April 29, 2007, and the El Tour de Tuscon is held in November, both rides managed by the same guys. I talked with several riders on the course about these rides and they said they’re real pretty, and similar to the ETP.    Maybe next year…