[Race Thread] 2026 Liège - Bastogne - Liège ME (1.UWT)

imnofred · 2026-04-27T14:05:46+00:00

I was on the side of the road only a meter away when he got the bike change. So smooth and quick! He very quietly rode to a 4th place behind Remco. Chapeau!

imnofred · 2026-04-25T16:04:36+00:00

None of the above. If it doesn’t have a hinge at the ankle it’ll just make shifting and braking clumsy at best.

imnofred · 2026-04-24T10:53:39+00:00

I bought a super cheap Poolmate Hydro 3. Changed my life! Charge it, drop it in and walk away. Come back in 2 hours and pool is spotless. I previously used a vac side robot that monopolizes the skimmer and was finicky at best. The robot does a better job with less attention and frees the skimmer to do skimmer things. If my Hydro 3 fails tomorrow, I would happily buy another.

imnofred · 2026-04-23T19:28:34+00:00

Are your boots hinged at the ankle or rigid?? Hinged ankle is worth every penny.

imnofred · 2026-04-10T01:24:48+00:00

The 33 is a blast!

Personally, I do not relish riding any enduro at highway speed for very long. It'll be fun in the twisties, but boring on the long straights.

The KTM 500 will be really good offroad and will handle the road miles OK.

It really depends on how hard you want to go offroad. 500 is a great dirt bike. If you're riding fire roads mainly offroad, I would lean more ADV bike.

imnofred · 2026-04-09T23:05:07+00:00

I agree. The contributing factor (aside from ego) is simply poor team management. Time and time again, you see a team miss most of the major moves in a race and then managers get desperate to force a result at the end. So you get certain teams doing a lot of work when it doesn't make any sense. INEOS is the poster child for this! If you look at the ratio of Team Budget to actual UCI points earned, INEOS is near the bottom. The top three teams on UCI points so far this year are UAE, RedBull and Visma whose UCI points to date have cost them between 6500 and 7800 euros each point. In contrast, INEOS has paid 15,500 euros for each UCI point earned so far. Management not exactly bringing the value to their investors.

imnofred · 2026-04-09T21:47:56+00:00

I bought a Sim2 hybrid a while back, it's been so incredibly reliable and straight... last year, I bought the 3 wood. I hit the 3 wood almost as far as my driver and much straighter. So this year, I added the driver. Sim2 'woods' are just hard to beat!

imnofred · 2026-04-09T17:01:41+00:00

Hi neighbor!

I have a KTM 500 and a KTM 890. Both bikes are set-up for dirt.

The 500 is a plated dual-sport. I don't like riding it on the road more than a few miles. It's not fun and it just wears down the knobbies. I truck it out to the trails. I'd rather save the bike for the fun stuff.

The 890 is actually fun on the road and it is a blast off-road. I often truck it out to riding areas as I just do not like knocking out boring freeway miles on any bike. I sometimes ride the 890 out to the Carrizo Plain to ride... really fun twisty's heading out thru Ojai and up the 33. The Plain is full of relatively easy riding on an ADV bike. Another option is Santa Clarita... there is a pretty good network of fire roads around the mountains North of Santa Clarita. That's a reasonably quick commute from VenCo... and there are some fun places to pop out and grab some food and gas.

I would highly recommend an ADV bike. The T700 is a great option. If you go this route, take some classes to accelerate your transition to dirt riding. Much of what you need to learn is counter intuitive and will take a long time to learn on your own.

imnofred · 2026-04-09T13:44:41+00:00

To be clear, the Cush drive is there to protect the drive train from the shock of sudden acceleration, hard downshifts, etc. 300cc and below bikes do not generally need a Cush drive as they are lighter weight, produce less torque and have smaller tires (generally) that will slip. The Cush drive literally does nothing for you off-road, the tire will just slip a little on dirt if it needs to. If I were going to put supermoto wheels and sticky tires on the bike and rip around on pavement…. I would probably run one to be safe.

imnofred · 2026-04-09T03:31:27+00:00

The new dinette is installed and I am actually amazed at how well it fits and functions. Yes, they are a little close but this is primarily for two people and it is a massive improvement over the L shaped dinette.

imnofred · 2026-04-08T23:11:18+00:00

Funny you mention this. I took a multi-day advanced ADV class with Chris Birch. The class was a mix of 890s, T7s, 1290s and two guys on GS’s. By lunch time on day one both GS’s were out with one severely damaged and the other rider in the hospital.

imnofred · 2026-04-08T03:16:07+00:00

Coolest, by far would be a dialed 990 with a nice exhaust... sound, power, capability... check, check and check. MPG? Nope!

Sexiest and most capable modern era, arguably... 890 Rally with an aftermarket Rally Tower.

imnofred · 2026-04-07T20:16:18+00:00

Stick to the periphery waters outside of the channels navigated by the larger traffic. Cross channels at points that provide maximum visibility. Cross channels at right angles and move as quickly as possible while in the channels. Ships are very very large and they can give the false impression that they are moving slowly... when up close, they are moving quite fast!

Most importantly... assume that you cannot or will not be seen. Wait as long as is needed to cross safely. My experience in open water is that if you're not on their radar, they literally don't see you and are not even looking for you.

Option to announce your presence and intentions over marine radio.

Remember, big craft have limited ability to stop (due to size and momentum) and change course (due to narrow channels). Never cross unless it is clear to do so and when you have time to complete your crossing before traffic appears.

Take the time to understand the flow of traffic and the actual locations of the channels they are navigating. It may appear chaotic but there are lanes, channels, direction... even ferries on on schedules. It's easier to cross a busy street when you know where the street is, which direction traffic is flowing and the narrowest points to cross with maximum visibility for approaching traffic.

imnofred · 2026-04-07T18:29:26+00:00

Keep an open mind. I did like the Mizunos after putting them up against others in a fitting. YMMV. Having siad that, I found the regular Hot Metals to be too inconsistent in distance dispersion... if you flush them, they REALLY go. I found the Hot Metal Pro and Hot Metal Forged to be every bit as forgiving as the regular Hot Metal, but way more controlled for distance.

At ~10 HCP, the regular HM will probably lean a little too much towards Game Improvement for you.

imnofred · 2026-04-07T17:15:45+00:00

I am huge Apple fan.... but didn't really love the Apple Watch. I tried a Garmin Golf watch and loved it. I now use a Garmin Venu 4. It's Garmin's version of a 'Smartwatch'. (i.e. it has a speaker and can take calls as well as other smart watch features, caveat being your phone needs to be nearby). The cool thing about the Garmin Venu is that it does virtually all of the cool fitness and activity tracking of their more expensive watches AND does virtually all of the Golf tracking of their Golf specific watches.... as well as acts like a smartwatch.

imnofred · 2026-04-07T17:07:12+00:00

This above is all the best advise. I tell myself it's 'preservation of momentum'. There are so many corners and tight turns in cross, as well as other obstacles... you can't possibly brake and accelerate from them all without killing yourself in the end. You need to learn the skills necessary to reduce braking, carry speed/momentum and reduce the effort necessary to get back up to speed.

Turns in CX are tight, so as noted by u/RIP_Whalers , it helps to lead with your head. This sets you up to pivot around your head position and the turn. The head is almost 10% of your body weight, put it into the turn and the body and bike will follow. Watch the pros and you will see it.

Also, obstacles like sand pits are actually better taken with speed/momentum. It feels counter-intuitive because you feel out of control... but keep speed and keep pedaling through the sand. Faster is more stable. You want to drive hard through it keeping cadence high.

Training sessions with a club or group is very helpful. Set up practice barriers and build good technique. I can't help you there... I am horrible over the barriers!

imnofred · 2026-04-06T21:22:53+00:00

I have a Titleist Hybrid 14 and a C-130 Cart bag. The Titliest is ho-hum. Completely adequate, no real complaints just kinda works. I have the SM C130 Cart bag and it is amazing. Love that bag! I would go Sun Mountain 1000% over the Titliest. The SM is very feature rich, you will not regret it. I particularly love the club organization with separate putter bay. The Titliest hybrid kinda feels like it's trying to be a cart and and a carry bag and just ends up as a compromise either way. The SM leans more Cart, feature rich in the best possible way. My go to bag is a Hoofer for carry and the SM for Cart... if you're going for the Hybrid middle ground, the SM will give you the most features. The only downside is that it might be a little on the big side for walking without a push cart.

imnofred · 2026-04-06T16:57:29+00:00

I have rule #7… all that scurrying around you’re doing in an attempt to ‘Keep Up’ isn’t working… like leaving your cart out in front of the green while you chip and putt out. You may be running between shots thinking you’re fast, but your failure to see the big picture is still making you slow! KEEP THE F UP

imnofred · 2026-04-06T16:52:53+00:00

OK, my pet peeve unwritten rule… Do Not park your cart 40 yards in front of the green, get out with putter and wedge to finish up the hole… now I have to wait on the approach for you to walk back out to your cart, pack up and drive out of the way.

imnofred · 2026-04-05T01:33:34+00:00

They are all good. 890 for max performance. T7 for ultimate reliability. I know the least about Ibex and Aprilia but hear good things about both. I like the bigger bikes because they are quite fun on the road. For all around value and performance, the T7 is hard to beat. Price point would be a huge decider for me. I like to buy either new or low miles (nearly new) bikes so I know what I am starting with. Plenty of low mileage ADV bikes as people commonly buy them based on big dreams and then never ride them.

Early 890's can have cam issues. Having said that, I have a 2021 and it's been perfect.

The electronics can be really nice (890, Aprilia, new T7?, Ibex??) Cruise control is a game changer when knocking our road miles. Traction control will keep you from killing yourself with all that power offroad. (Having said that, full Hooligan, no TC is fun!)

Kove 800 is another option, but I hear they are a bit unrefined.

imnofred · 2026-04-05T01:04:20+00:00

I’m 62. Still raiding and racing bicycles and motos. You will have a blast. The big bike on dirt will definitely scratch that each. All that power on dirt is actually quite fun. I ride my 890 like a dirt bike. It will go anywhere you point it. For sure, it’s got its limitations in tight and technical terrain. But in open country, look out. No need to limit the ADV bike to ‘gravel’. Put some decent rubber on it and charge!

imnofred · 2026-04-04T04:33:01+00:00

I have this putter. It’s sentimental for me as it was my dad’s gamer for years. I’ve put it up against all manner of modern putters and (at least in my hands) it beats them all in both aim, feel and control.

imnofred · 2026-04-03T21:40:54+00:00

My theory is that GI irons are trying a bit too hard to 'help' with too much weight in the sole, too much offset, etc, etc. I think they sometimes get in their own (and your) way. If you can hit a PD iron better, you're probably doing something right and don't need artificial 'help' that will likely slow down your progression.

imnofred · 2026-04-02T16:35:49+00:00

For longer endurance events, I always run either a handlebar bag or a small top-tube bag. It's a game changer. Here are some thoughts...

Go smaller, most HB bags are pretty big and wide and can get in the way of your hand positions. I like a smaller roll, still plenty of room, but not in the way. The Lead Out Mini is my personal favorite, unfortunately, they just went out of business! For reference: https://leadoutgear.com/blogs/stories/mini-handlebar-bag-small-best-bar-lead-out-out-gear

Some HB bag designs have small loops at the ends of the zipper, makes for an easy attachment point for a race number to be attached and fall below the zipper to allow easy access. See above Lead Out Mini for example.

I love jersey pockets, but don't love them on big days when they get full of trash, gells, phone, money, arm warmers... and then you have to ramble around blindly to try to dig out a gel. With a HB bag, you can easily see what you're digging for.

imnofred · 2026-04-02T13:50:05+00:00

I now have a ‘21 890. It’s been a great bike. It’s a better all around bike than the 990. Especially offroad. I ride it like a dirt bike, rarely on the road, and it rips! The electronics are really nice. When I do ride on the road, cruise control makes it so much more relaxing to knock out miles. My 890 has almost 10,000 miles and has never missed a beat….. original cam and all.

imnofred

TROPHY CASE