Imminent Balkan Adventure (& Happy Birthday to Me!)

So, today’s my birthday.  Another year older, but any the wiser?  Certainly the last year has been an absolutely fascinating experience.  A summary of the year will follow at some point…



Happy birthday to me! A biscuit-like cake, made by my girls :-) 10 out of 10 for effort, 2 out of 10 for height!

My dearest Sarah, seeing me getting stressed and frustrated at work, a million miles away from these experiences, my dearest, has booked me a flight to Dubrovnik for my birthday.

The plan is to ditch my disposable cardboard bike box, at Dubrovnik airport, ride into Montenegro, around Kotor bay to Tivat, stay the night in a swanky (but cheap) four star hotel, then ride to Žabljak, deep within in Montenegro’s mountainous Durmitor National Park.  Another night’s stay in a luxurious (but cheap – see the theme?) four star hotel, then off to Mostar, in Bosnia, negotiating the tricky border crossings - there are very few for international travellers, far more for smugglers over gravel roads, so I’m told!

After a day of rest and visiting Mostar’s iconic medieval architecture (tips please!), I’ll be returning to Croatia to ride to Knin where I’ll meet my good friend Dario, from where we’ll ride together over Velebit to Senj, and finally to Zadar, along the coastal road, from where I’ll fly back to the UK.



The iconic medieval bridge of Mostar, destroyed during but restored after the war

I’m really looking forward to:

·         The adventure of new roads (hopefully all smooth and puncture-free), beautiful scenery (expect photos of mountains, sea, rivers and lakes), new countries and things to see

·         Meeting-up with friends along the route - I'm planning to use Garmin LiveTrack for people to be able to see in real time where I am

·         The weather: 25(ish) degrees Celsius and sunny (did you know that Mr Celsius, a Swede, originally had 0 degrees as boiling and 100 degrees as freezing?) 

·         Not working - anyone else want to join me in this sentiment??



Good Croatian friends

Wonderful country, wonderful people



Knin Castle - a great day out for the family

Velebit - beautiful mountains with a view of the blue Adriatic sea

I’m not looking forward to:

·         The Bike-Separation Anxiety, when the box disappears into the depths of an airport's gaping maw

·         Packs of wild dogs - pepper spray isn't legal in the UK, so I'll try to source some abroad...

·         Missing my family

·         Returning to the contrasting UK’s sucky weather and darkening days, with all the consequences of needing to train on the turbo, spiked tyres for ice, multiple layers to stave off the cold (and getting that "Michelin Man" look).

Time to pull out your best sprint - just hope it's not uphill

Believe it or not, the UK's roads really suck bad

 

 

 

 

As seems usual, nowadays, I’m also feeling somewhat apprehensive over the sheer amount of climbing needed over the first few days.  Feeling anxious seems weird when I think about this year’s distances and amount of climbing…

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes, birthday greetings and cards!



Game of Pain. Hill Climbs - Polar Opposite to Ultra Cycling

Hill Climbs - what are they?  Very, very short, individual time trials, uphill.  Hill Climb season starts at the end of August and lasts through to the National Hill Climb championships, at the end of October.  Usually steep hills are picked as the torture devices.  Horrendous, horrifically painful anaerobic efforts lasting between 90 seconds to 5 minutes, for the fastest riders.

My hurty face, hurty legs, hurty everything.

Today, I rode out to watch the Walbury Hill Climb, to cheer on a couple of guys I'd met at last year's hill climbs, just as a spectator simply because of the time needed to recover from this year's three consecutive ultra events, going on holiday with the family, with not enough time to train, not to mention getting a bit fat, piling on 7kg since Hard Cro!  Last year I managed 6th at 4 mins 35s, only 36s behind the winner, Tejvan Pettinger!  I console myself with the fact that Tejvan is a former National Champion and weighed about 15kg less than me, not to mention an excellent cyclist, prolific hill climb winner, holding the Walbury record at just under 3 mins 56.  Excuses excuses...

Tejvan, today, looking smooth

But just not powerful enough?

Today's weather was a moody grey, with a strong south-westerly wind which would provide a head or crosswind for the Hill Climbers, cloudy and threatening rain.  Indeed, it had rained heavily overnight and the road was still damp in places.  Over a hundred riders were participating in this event, well-organised again, with a smattering of enthusiastic spectators lining the road.  I was glad to be spectating rather than self-administering torture today!

Cheesy grins all round!

I was watching for Angus Fisk (Oxford University CC) and James Scrivener (Reading CC), both of whom put in great performances. Angus came 5th @ 4:25, looking like he was about to die before the top of the hill but beating his previous time by almost 2 seconds, despite going too hard at the start and this being his first hill climb of the season, and James @ 5:03, who looked very cool and reckoned there was still a bit more in the tank.


Up up up!

Almost there...

 

James Scrivener looking very cool

Too hard at the start!

It hurts!

Weaving across the road a bit!



 

I understand that Tejvan is carrying an injury, so isn't on top form - for now.  Even so, he managed an excellent 4:07, third place, behind the impressive winner Isaac Mundy @ 4:03, averaging 512W!  I look forward to seeing what happens at the National Hill Climb championships, especially with the top three.  Well done to everyone who took part and gave it "some beans"!  Photos of other riders will follow in another post.

It never stops hurting - you just go faster!



Isaac Mundy powering his way to victory

 

Thank you Giant, Thank you Hard Cro!

A massive thank you to Giant for sponsoring Hard Cro, supporting and providing wonderful prizes, especially Davor Blaskovic.

 

Another massive thank you to all those involved in the Hard Cro organisation, for helping to create an amazing, lifetime, mind-blowing experience, especially Kornél Boros, Ivan Pedalinac Rogić, Josip Kresonja.  The list goes on, as does my thanks... I hope to see you all on my subsequent (imminent!) visits to Croatia!  Hvala Hrvatska!

 

Little helpers who helped daddy hold everything as his hands aren't working properly!

NB: The Giant Defy Disc Advanced SL1 is not a prize from Hard Cro - it got runover, with me, in April, before racing season opened, so I never got to race it as it was written off.  Even more unfortunately, it got runover on the day its build was finished...

Croatia - Wow! Hard Cro!

Wow!  What an unforgettable experience of a lifetime!

An absolutely stunning country, wonderfully friendly people (all English-speaking!), a fantastically organised race - all these things sum up to have resulted in an awesome adventure.  Superlatives are insufficient to describe what a high I'm on.  Having returned home to my family, I missed them terribly, I'm so incredibly happy to be back with them, and now the last week's amazing events are now slowly soaking in.

My only regret was not being able to spend more time with the other ultra cyclists, all of them fantastic people and riders, who came from all over Europe (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, and myself from the Brexiting-UK), with many of them being highly experienced, and who made the race exciting, pushing me hard to the line, snapping at my heels, including two former Race Across America (“RAAM”) finishers, three Transcontinental Race (“TCR”) entrants, and many former Mille Miglia and Paris-Brest-Paris ("PBP") competitors, all of whom made great efforts and whom I admire greatly for their ability to endure, physically and mentally, regardless of speed.  Fortunately, I managed to spend time with most of them before the race started, and with the faster finishers after, sharing experiences and getting to know them better.

Hard Cro - The Race
In summary, Hard Cro is an ultra-endurance, unsupported, solo race, 1,400km (880mi) around Croatia, with about 17,000m (55,000ft) climbing, from the southernmost point of Croatia, Prevlaka, up the stunning Dalmatian coast, to the westernmost point in fertile Istria, Savudrija (checkpoint 1), through the gorgeous hilly area to the northernmost point, Sveti Martin Na Mura (checkpoint 2), and to the easternmost point in Slavonia finishing by the beautiful Danube in Ilok.

Instead of a blow-by-blow account, I'll recount my race by describing to you how stupid I can be...
https://www.strava.com/activities/619404714/analysis/75496/81308

My (Complete Lack Of A) Race Plan:
1. From the start, ride really hard at a stupid pace, overtaking 24 riders in 4 hours, as you haven't recovered from winning the 2,200km Giro 2 weeks previously, nor trained, have no idea how you feel so, screw it, just keep riding hard and hope you don't implode.

 

2. After 6 hours, implode, cramp, and find a magic fountain to wash and cool yourself, drink, and crack on, relieved that your stupidity in step 1 didn't finish your race.

3. Ride through the night, climbing through wild inland areas where there are bears and wolves, knowing that your Lycra will provide zero protection from a sharp swipe/bite and that you're sure to be caught by those hungry wild animals whilst climbing at walking pace.
4. Descend through fog at 6 degrees Celsius, gathering ice on your fingerless gloves and arms.  Take off your glasses as they're useless with all the precipitation, then drop them somewhere on a 40mph descent.  Recover some heat by shivering, sat on a petrol station shop's floor, whilst eating cold sandwiches, to the blatantly contemptuous looks of the manager, tutting and shaking his head as he strides over, despising this inappropriately-dressed hobo.
5. Poison yourself with an overdose of electrolyte and carbonated drinks, make yourself feel so sick that you can't eat or drink for 8 hours.
6. On climbing Ucka, Croatia's tallest, steepest mountain (some sections 20%), injure your lower left back by overcompensating for your already-injured lower right back (from being runover by a car in April) so that you need to take painkillers, which will also help with that saddle sore which has returned from the Giro, because you didn't recover enough before doing this race.

 

7. Gingerly cross a non-existent road made up of loose stones and more stones, without a square of tarmac, praying to the god of cycling not to puncture nor fall off with a good dose of road rash.
8. Leisurely wash, eat and sleep at the first checkpoint until your rival riders catch up with you at checkpoint 1 and set off again while you're sleeping, annihilating your 2.5 hour lead, stressing all the time that you won't catch them again.  Hope that they'll fall asleep into a nice, soft ditch because, surely, they can't go without sleep for consecutive 2 nights.  You certainly can't.
9. Realise that you've made a wee navigation error - a road that you wanted to use as a shortcut is now a shortcut to death, as it has literally fallen down in large sections like steps, so you have to descend further and climb even more.
10. When riding through the second night, get so cold that you need to resort to buying work gloves from a petrol station and stuffing paper towels, from their toilet, up your jacket so you look pregnant.

 

11. Repeat step 5.  Curse yourself for your double stupidity.
12. Lie down outside a supermarket, trying not to vomit on yourself anymore.  Set off again, feeling like you're about to fall asleep while riding.
13. Repeat step 11 but use the side of a busy road to power-nap, hoping that you won't get decapitated by a lorry but, screw it, you're too tired to care.
14. Find some chocolate milkshake in random shops, hoping to cure yourself from the stupidity of steps 5 and 11, ensuring that you lose more time to the other riders.
15. At checkpoint 2, eat leisurely, drink more milk with sugar, shower, then sleep for 45mins, enough time for your rivals to catch up with you, just as you're leaving.  Be inspired by the dot watchers along the route who cheer you on.
16. Get hit in the eye by a massive moth.  Break a spoke on your front wheel and struggle to rip it off satisfactorily.  Lose the top of your only AA powered USB charger before the race even started, discover in the pitch black that all your lights' batteries have run out or failed, then bodge a new bike light by using a weak 3xAA work light, secured to your aero bars with duct tape.

17. Start hallucinating again, seeing animals, people waving at you from cars and cafés, even a bear, where there are none, even while you're trying to stay awake by talking on the 'phone to your poor, suffering wife at 0300hrs, until your 'phone's battery also runs out.
18. Get lost when your Garmin's battery runs out, ride round in circles, unable to find the way to the hotel finishing point nor be able to remember its name, desperately hoping that your chasers won't catch up.

19. Eventually find your way to the finish line and collapse, relieved, after learning that you're first in, about 20 miles ahead of the next rider.  In spite of all the stupidity, the time is 67 hours and 5 minutes - the race is won.

Time to relax with food, drink, and good company on the banks of the Danube.

Will travel, avec vélo

Packing the ShokBox with the bike, then filling it with the rest of my kit, which will help protect the bike.

All packed, loaded in the car, secured, and ready to roll.  Next stop, Gatwick South Terminal.

Doh! Forgot about airport security measures regarding liquids - had to down 3x 330ml Protein smoothies, 1L of Beetroot juice and a can of Pepsi Max! I feel a bit sick now...

Hard Cro Live tracking - Follow me!

The race starts on Monday with the first rider starting at 0900hrs CET, and riders departing every minute after, with my departure time at 0940hrs.

The organisers are, right now, setting up the starting headquarters and will be distributing these spot trackers, which you can use to follow me on http://race.blackblox.si/hardcro

There are gaps in the start times, greater than a minute, as the original number of people who entered, at over a hundred, has diminished over time, especially in recent weeks, as they drop out (for whatever reason), and now the start list is only 45 riders, including one lady, and no other Brits (there were four at one point!).  A great shame so many people have pulled out - the more the merrier.

I'll be flying to Dubrovnik, tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 18th), and getting a taxi to the same village as the starting headquarters, Molunat, close to the dramatically scenic start point of Prevlaka:

 

At 0940hrs CET I'll be starting my adventure around Croatia!

You might be interested in the rules

Giro Ciclistico delle Republiche Marinare 2016 - The Official Results!

So the official results for the Giro are in! (I appear near the bottom of the list)

I'm glad that the Giro organiser's computer got fixed before I fly out to Croatia, this weekend.  I'm aware that my fingers and thumbs still don't work properly, my knees ache a little, my back is a bit sore, and I've done no training in the last two weeks, but roll on Hard Cro!

Wherever you are, I hope you have a great ride this weekend!

It's really not about the bike

It's really not about the bike, but you might be interested in the trusty steed:

 

Frameset:

• Frame & forks: Orro Gold Disc STC frameset - full carbon, solid, but not particularly light in XL size!  I wanted a standard 1 1/8" stem, 27.2mm seatpost, and quick release wheels, rather than thru-axles, so I could reuse components I already own.  However, there are other lighter framesets which I'm eyeing-up for the future...

Transmission:

• Di2 mechs: Dura Ace 9070 11 speed front & rear mechs with internal battery - to allow charging on the move, with a light, USB-powered battery charger
• Di2 shifters: Shimano SW-R671 Di2 bar end shifter & the addition of a SW-R600 Di2 climber switch - to compensate for my current poor hand strength
• Cranks & cassette: SRAM Red BB30 110bcd crankset with Extralite 50t & TA Specialites 33t chainrings, with Stages carbon left crank arm, SRAM Red 11-28 cassette, Carbonice chain catcher - this combination gives me a grovel gear of 33x28 which is very useful for spinning up long mountain climbs and reducing the strain on knees and back.  50x11 is big enough for the flat and descents.  The Stages power meter allows me to pace at the right wattage for the terrain
• Chain: KMC X11SL DLC chain - light, smooth and durable, I do like KMC chains.

Braking:

• Levers & calipers: R785 Di2 hydraulic disc brake STIs & RS805 flat mount disc brake calipers
• Rotors: Alligator Stealth 140mm rotors - light but plenty durable.

 Wheels:

• Wheels: Extralite CyberFront & CyberRear SPD wheelset with Ryde Comp Pulse disc rims - very light @1160g, very robust build
• Quick Release skewers: Not really "quick", Tune Skyline skewers are really light and also have a dedicated tool for removing them, which makes your wheels harder to pinch
• Tyres & Tubes: Continental GP 4000 IIS 700c x 25mm tyres & Planet X Superlight tubes - zero punctures in thousands of miles, I hope my current greatest fear is realised if I puncture and have to change a tube with my crippled hands!

Steering & Finishing kit:

• Bars & Stem: Haero carbon H.155 bars with Extralite HyperStem - I created my own ultra-comfortable composite pads from a combination of EVA and memory foam, welded together with Araldite.  EVA foam gives a good amount of rigidity, whilst the memory foam gives softness and flexibility, all wrapped in heavy-duty, waterproof gaffer tape, to stop water soaking in
• Saddle & Seatpost: Tune Speedneedle saddle, Carbonice 27.2mm seatpost - for flexibility and comfort.  It might not look it, but the Speedneedle saddle is the best, most comfortable I've ever ridden
• Pedals: Speedplay Zero Nanogram pedals - picked-up very cheaply, brand new from eBay!  Very light, I wouldn't change my Speedplay pedals for the world as they have the best surface area contact between cleat and pedal

Other kit:

• Electronics: Garmin 1000 Explore - the Edge version was more expensive, didn't have maps, but had loads of "training" functions which I've never bothered to use.  I much prefer the rubber waterproofing seal, as well as the bigger screen, to the Garmin 810, which I've had two deaths in service.  Top tip to double battery life - turn off the Bluetooth!  I'd like to carry a Garmin Virb or GoPro, but the battery life and added complications for power sources, as well as weight, makes this a no-no
• Clothing: Assos, Assos, Assos - jersey, cap and Uno shorts - I wouldn't ever change from Assos shorts' pads, they really are the best for your botty!  For Hard Cro I'll be using Giro LTZ time trial gloves for their lack of padding, as I need to protect my hands from sunburn, and don't want bunching to cause sore hands.
• Helmet: POC Aero helmet - to keep the bugs out and the rain/wind off my head.  The normal Gemini helmet mount for the light head unit only fits helmets with two holes.  My POC Aero only has one hole, so I removed the base of the light, drilled a hole in the top of the helmet, and mounted the light with one washer inside and outside the helmet.  1g direct helmet mount - a 15g saving!
• Waterproofs: Gore-Tex Active One GTX - limited edition, ultra-breathable and ultra-light @99g, I got this as a bargain from Evanscycles.  It works brilliantly as a windproof, too.  Assos SturmNuss HK 3/4 length, Sealskinz socks, Velotoze overshoes, Gore-Tex Xenon gloves - all hardy kit, I haven't yet tested the Gore-Tex gloves but they'll surely be excellent.
• Front & Helmet lights: Gemini Xera 800 & 950 lights - 50g head unit, powered either by a custom 6xAA pack, or dedicated light battery packs
• Rear light: Cateye TL-LD1100 - powered by 2x AA batteries, the battery life is 100-odd hours.  I didn't change them for the duration of the Giro, and had them on for most of the race
• Hydration: Osprey 3L bladder - worked really well in the Giro, except for a slow leak on day 5, holds as much as 6x bidons, so is good for those times of night (or day) when there's nowhere you can source water.  I put SiS Go for the carbohydrate and electrolyte content, as well as Whey protein powder and Glutamine, to minimise muscle degradation
• Bags: Alpkit custom frame bag, top tube bag, 2x stem bags - the custom frame bag doesn't fit exactly, as I had it made for my Giant Defy Advanced SL (which got run over and written-off in April), but fits well enough and has enormous capacity.  Enough to carry the Osprey 3L bladder, food, tools, spares, clothes, and more.  The top tube bag carries electronics, batteries, money, whilst the stem bags will be used as extra capacity, solely for food and drink.  All Alpkit bags are water resistant.

Electronic shifting
I do absolutely love electronic shifting, which is vastly superior to mechanical shifting due to greater accuracy, faster shifting, and lower maintenance.  No cable snapping problems, just use an internal battery and carry the internal battery charger for rides over 100 hours, just in case (Di2 batteries are reckoned to last 200 hours), or take an additional external battery.  Di2 shifters are much easier on your hands, requiring only a light touch of the buttons, rather than a big push of the levers.  I'm curious about SRAM Red eTap, but SRAM are only just releasing a hydraulic disc brake option, so it's not really an option at the moment.

Hydraulic braking
"I didn't have any brakes" said the riders who descended various hills/mountains in the torrential rain, at the Giro, using traditional rim brakes.  They got so scared that they stopped.  I was concerned about the rivers in the road and being unfamiliar with the descent, but I kept going.  Disc brakes have excellent stopping power, especially pronounced in the wet, and reduced hand and forearm strain for those switchbacked mountain descents.  Both electronic shifting and hydraulic disc brakes are noticeably superior for ultra distances for the minimal effort required to shift or brake.  If I get desperate, I can remove a hot rotor and use it as a shuriken to defend myself against bears and wolves.

Bike packing
I've had a lot of questions as to whether crosswinds blow you more when you're carrying a frame bag.  It doesn't, at all.  I think this is because of the turbulence which your legs create on both sides of the frame bag.  Top tube bags, being placed behind the stem, are also aerodynamically positioned.  If there were any drag, it's not noticeable - we're not doing 30mph 10mi TT, this is ultra-endurance!  I do like the new style of bike packing bags, as panniers are heavy, un-aerodynamic, and look naff.  I don't want to look like a tourer, either, so, similarly I'm not growing a beard.  I can't grow a beard anyway.  Cyclo-touriste look is definitely out for me.  I'm not using a saddle pack because they're hard to get stuff out of and, when they're moderately heavy, they tend to waggle the whole bike, especially out of the saddle.  Not a nice feeling.  A bit like having a child seat or panniers mounted.  See above.

Weight Weenie
Am I a weight weenie?  No, but I don't see the point in carrying extra weight which you really don't need to.  You're just making yourself go slower.  I changed some of the bolts on my bike, to standardise them to 4 hex/Torx bits, rather than 8 - life is just simpler.  Another example, the classic argument of carbon vs titanium frame, "titanium is more comfortable and robust" - both are comfortable and robust, with loads of testing.  The only reason a carbon frame would break is if you crashed it, in which case your race is over.  And you could be dead already, so who cares?  A titanium frame would be broken in the same scenario.  And you'd be dead in the same scenario.  Similarly with lightweight components, these aren't Chinese-bought knock-offs, they've been through rigorous testing in Italy, Germany, etc, so why wouldn't you trust it?  Does it really have to be over-engineered (ie: heavy) so you feel it's safe?  It's just an emotive, perception thing - don't get hung-up by it, just go ride it and don't give into the fear of the unknown.

"I'm giving up cycling..."

"I'm giving up cycling... I'm not going to race Croatia, nor Sweden."

That is what I was thinking in the most painful, exhausted, hallucinatory times of the Giro.  After finishing, I decided I wasn't going to do Hard Cro, in Croatia, as I was too shattered, mentally and physically, too sore, completely unmotivated to ride.  However, as I've been recovering from my Italian rigours, I've decided that I might as well race Hard Cro as the race entry fee, flights, and pre-race B&B, have all been paid for and it's too late to get my money back.  Plus, why give up the opportunity for an adventure?

Recovering? Fresh-ish?
Today, having ridden less than 50 miles in the last week (all commutes), rather than my typical 300mi+, and last weekend's closest encounter with pedals being an ice cream bike/trike, at my brother-in-law's 40th birthday party (I had three ice creams!  I was still falling asleep sat upright), the "fresh" and "in-form" sensations have started to return.  I still have a tender undercarriage, but I wasn't falling asleep at my desk today and only had a limited caffeine intake of two coffees and some Pepsi Max!  Maybe my body's scraped something of the three daily protein shakes I've poured into myself, as well as protein bars, and every other kind of food.  Un-coincidentally, Golden Cheetah tells me that my TSB has returned to +26 so, tonight, I'm packing for Hard Cro, after reflecting on what went well and what needs to be changed for my next adventure. 

What needs improving:
(1) Waterproofs!  Most importantly, I need to take waterproof socks, overshoes & gloves, to prevent the physical damage and time loss in case of torrential rain, as well as a few proper dry bags to protect kit.  The weather forecast for Croatia next week is Scorchio with a chance of thunder, so I'm hopeful not to need the heavy-duty Gore-Tex gloves and dry bags, which I've just bought, nor or all the other waterproof kit that I already own (and, crucially need to take with me).

(2) Keep Going!  I stopped too much for food and fettling, so I need to fettle less and carry more food - to solve this, I've bought couple of good value Alpkit stem bags to give me greater, and more accessible, food capacity, or just to carry a 1L bottle of full-fat coke (mmmm caffeine and sugar).  However, I need to stop to sleep when the hallucinations arrive, rather than suffering-overly, mentally, and consequently riding slowly.
(3) Music!  However, in direct contravention of Rule #62, I'm taking earphones & music on my 'phone, to fend-off those prostitutes and beggars in the dark nights.  I claim special dispensation from the Velominati due to the spades of adherence to Rule #5.  Suggestions for anti-hallucination music and illicit files welcome! Current ideas range from Bach's Brandenburg concertos to Rage Against The Machine.
(4) Lights!  My Gemini Xera 800 and 950 lumen lights were fantastic - bright, compact and light (~50g), but I need to suck-up the weight of heavier-duty batteries to power my lights in order to see further and ride faster when it's pitch-black.
(5) No Breaking Rule #7 - nuff sed, see "The Damage".
(6) Creaky wheels - Dave, at Mitchells, is overhauling my bike, including the finicky Extralite Cyber SPD wheelset.  Finicky, but oh-so-light @1160g, smooth, and not a single spoke pinged in the Giro.  Hopefuly Dave can somehow fix the Extralite pre-load caps, and/or rebuild my second choice DT Swiss 180 wheelset so that I don't kill 2 spokes a ride on them.  Either way, I'm running out of time to road test them properly.  Before I left for Italy, I made myself a crude (but light @8g) 19mm carbon fibre spanner to adjust the Extralite hubs' pre-load cap, out of some 2mm carbon fibre sheet, rather than carry a 200g drop-forged heavy duty chrome-plated steel jobby, which worked really well.  I was quite proud of my construction, admittedly nowhere near a work of art, made with a small disc cutter and now I'm wondering what else I can make out of my small sheet of carbon fibre.

Differences
There are some differences between the way the Giro and Hard Cro are run.  While they are both unsupported, solo races, only Hard Cro forbids drafting, although because of the amount of climbing required (~56,000ft, or 2x Everests) over a shorter distance (1,500km vs 2,200km), this rule is probably of limited effect.  May the best endurance climber win!  Some notable differences between the Giro and Hard Cro are:

(1) Wild Animals! Apparently, there are bears and wolves in Croatia (especially in one area, Lika, I'll be passing through) so I'll be taking a dog whistle and keeping it close to hand (and mouth).  I recently tried an ultrasonic-shooting Dog Dazer on some local, bad dogs (caged by their owners) and, to my surprise, they shut up instantly, cocking their heads to one side in bemusement, but I'm not sure that the Dog Dazer would work on a bear or a wolf, and needing to point my little plastic gadget powered by AAA batteries at a rampant, toothy wild beast doesn't inspire me with confidence.  Hopefully my little dog whistle will work, if at all needed, or just maybe the hungry carnivores will have a preference for a familiar, local Croat (rider) taste.  As prey, they should be fatter, which will make them slower and more appetising than myself, an unfamiliar, exotic, but bland, relatively low meat/fat content.  All this talk of meat is making me hungry.

(2) Manned Check Points - Hard Cro has 2 manned check points (at ~430mi and ~670mi) between the start and finish, with an 18L drop box per check point, which means I can plan my own resupply at these critical points, eg: food, hydration pack refills, clothing, batteries, lube, waterproofs (hopefully not necessary), sun-tan lotion
(3) Choice of route between Start, Check Points, and Finish - I've just managed to reduce the amount of climbing on my route by 2,000ft.  Obviously, less climbing is faster, as are straighter, wider, smoother roads.  This may come with a compromise of being busier with motor vehicles, but essential for night riding.  The number of tiny, crappy roads I had to descend in the Giro gave plenty of brown-bibshorts moments.  Also, my Napoli trauma experience has hardened me to my busy, local traffic, so I'm not worried about Croatian drivers, although I'm going to try to avoid urban areas as much as possible, due to their congestion and delaying traffic systems (in Hard Cro, jumping a red light results in disqualification, whereas in Italy, Green means "go", Amber means "go" and Red also means "go", as one Milanese rider taught me).  Anyway, for the first leg of 430mi, I've plotted a coastal route and a less-climby inland route.  Here's Hard Cro's approximate route around Croatia:

 

Next: Bike, Kit, Equipment, and how it all worked in the Giro.  Or not.  I hope it works in Hard Cro.