Cycle 600km in 40days Challenge

The Cycle 600km in 40days Challenge (C600K-40D) for short by Trisports Solutions, Inc is an online format cycling challenge. Rides are recorded through a GPS-capable gadget like a smartphone, cyclo-computer or in my case, a Tomtom GPS watch. Data is then uploaded online and exported to Strava. By joining the Strava club for the challenge, the organizers are able to track the progress of participants. The main advantage of the online format is that anyone can ride anywhere, anytime and at their own pace.

Like any race, I gauge the prospect of success before registering. With 600km in 40days, I need to average around 15km per day. My commute (bike to work) takes 4.8km one way and another 4.8km going home. That assures me 9.6km in a day and leaves me with 5.4km more, which can easily be done through detours and going the long way around. For weekends, I do not have work so I just need to make sure that I accomplish 30km. On top of my commute, I do go on training rides in the morning for my duathlon races. This gives me the extra kilometers to finish ahead of the deadline. With the computations done, I go and register for the challenge.

I finished ahead of the deadline. I did 612.62km in 20days to be exact. I averaged 30.631km per day. I only did three long rides (the three spikes). The rest of the kilometers covered are from my commute and training rides.

Daily km covered and Running sum.

PAP Wonders...: Best of Both Worlds?

Here is the simple logic of bike gearing:
1. Fast on the flats = BIG chainrings
2. Fast on the climbs = BIG cogs/cassettes

If these are true, then:
BIG chainrings + BIG cogs = fast on the flats + fast on the climbs
The BIG-BIG combination gives the best of both of world.

By having both, can we really set-up a do-all bike? For a bike to handle anything the race course throws at it? Answer: Yes.

55/44t chainrings paired with a 12-27t cassette. Fast on the flats, can be painful for the climbs.

As a duathlete (duathlon: run-bike-run), most course I have raced have involved uphills or rolling terrain: Clark, Nuvali, Eagle Ridge, SCTEX and Balanga to name a few. I can only think of one "flat" course: Pradera. Short anecdote: my first Balanga experience at the 2015 Pilipinas Duathlon Final Leg was a huge surprise. We had to climb up to Letran three times. With fatigued legs, my 12-27t cassette was too heavy for the first time. The same thing happened again for the SCTEX Duathlon (2016). "Parang kailangan ko ng mas malaking sprocket" (I think I need a bigger sprocket/cassette), I thought to myself. Another season is ahead and I'm considering my options. Since getting myself a Roadlink last February, I've been using a 12-30t cassette. This is very similar to my 12-27t cassette but it trades the 16t for the 30t. I've raced the cassette three times so far and no complaints except for the rare times when at speeds that the 15t is too hard and the 17t is too easy. (For an introduction on chainrings, cassettes and the drivetrain, click here)