With 6 days to go, I am looking at the race course and trying to remember areas where I suffered last year. I did this event multi-speed last year and I am trying to recollect the harder climbs.

If you have been following this blog during the year, you will remember that I have done two double centuries and numerous centuries on my fixed gear. As far as climbing, I have gone up Palomar Mountain and various other shorter climbs using a pretty big Gear Inch.

One of the things I love about riding fixed gear is the advantage I feel I have over multi-speed riders on shallow grade climbs. I think the 21 mile climb out of Baker is perfectly suited to fixed gear riding.

Today I changed the tires on my bike. I plan on riding tubular tires because the terrain is so bad in certain parts of the race that I would like to lower the air-pressure so that the ride is much tolerable.

In the pictures above you will notice that I have Phil Wood High Flange hubs laced to Velocity Fusion rims 32H with a 25mm rim depth. It is built to the 508 spec. But after riding so many miles from commuting on my tubies this year (I rode tubies on RAAM 2007), I realized that I could ride them at lower pressures to improve ride quality over rough terrain. When riding clinchers at low pressures you run the risk of pinch flats.

I will be riding Mavic Reflex tubular rims 32H laced to Campagnolo Pista High Flange hubs.