For some, winter is the time to step out of ones comfort zone. Its far enough from the meat of the season, try new things, start some good habits, or go far off the deep end with feats of strength.(Welcome to the future Photo/Dicky)Some of my riding friends used this time to explore the technical side of riding. Take my buddy Dicky, for example (pictured above), he used the fall/winter to build and bridge up to the pointy end of the 32 mountain bike conversation.(Jeff at 762 miles, slightly cracked and slightly happy after ParisBrestParis in 2023. Photo/Koontz)My buddy Jeff, on the other hand he went for the full feats of strength (a Festivus tradition for those who observe). Jeff challenged himself to see how long he could ride on the roller over a 24-hour period. Its a wild idea, and not for those with a weak backside. However, Jeff didnt do this just for the press and punishment. His underlying motivation was a ride to push him further toward his big event of this season, theRace Across America (RAAM).I sat down with him for an interview to gain insight, see what he was thinking, and find out whats next. (Mid effort, with a crowd of his Visit PGH mates cheering him on. Photo/Koontz)BikeRumor: First question, and most importantly WHY?!Jeff Koontz: I love crazy ideas, and having registered for RAAM (itself a crazy idea), I needed opportunities between now and June to test fueling strategies. My body can handle whatever fueling strategy I throw at it for six hours, but beyond 10 or 12 hours, it starts to struggle to get the right fuel into the system. With that in mindand Pittsburgh January weatherI came up with the roller challenge.BR: Why rollers and not one of the many super-cool and highly enjoyable smart trainers?JK: Ive been bike racing and training since 1995, and Ive always trained on rollers. Even with the great smart trainers out there today, Ive always just paired my power meter and heart rate monitor to Zwift and ridden on the rollers. Over that 30-year period, Im on just my second set of Kreitlers.(Koontz rolling fast at the 24-hour TT Championships. Photo/Koontz)BR: What was the longest ride youd completed before this effort?JK: The longest was ParisBrestParis in 2023 at 762 miles (on rollers, it was the PRL Full).BR: Did you train specifically for this ride? Did you have a mileage goal as well as a time goal?JK: Ive been on a structured training plan with my coach, Josh Friedman (ATP Race Consulting), for quite a while. Since the end of the road season, weve been building toward RAAM. The goal was mileage in 24 hours, with an original target of 717 miles (spoiler alert: nope), measured at the wheelnot Zwift miles. That number came from two historical 24-hour roller rides from 1975, the only records I could find. The first was 687 miles, set by Olympian Jack Simes, whom I had the pleasure of messaging with before and after the challenge.(Koontz rig, pre roller-rampage. Photo/Koontz)BR: Walk us through your equipment choices. Were these all selected specifically for this effort?JK: I put tri bars on my road bikea BMC Teammachine R-01because my hands cant tolerate drop bars for that long, and a TT bike wouldve been brutal for 24 hours. In testing, my 54/40 chainrings were a little light, so I swapped in my TT bikes 58/44 crankset. I also ran my TT wheelset: a Princeton Blur Disc rear wheel and a Mach 7580 front wheel, with Corsa Pro Speed tires and latex tubes at about 120 psi. I used 3 Kreitler alloy rollers, disconnecting the flywheel and headwind fan to spin as freely as possible. In December testing, I could hold 32 mph at about 170 watts and thought that, with good fueling and limited downtime, 717 miles was possible. On ride day, though, 32 mph took closer to 210 watts. Trying to stay in the 3235 mph range early on proved unsustainable, and it wasnt until about 12 hours in that I fully accepted my fate. I think the record may have been doable on 4.5 rollers, but thats not what I hadand I dont see a do-over in my future.(Photo/Koontz)BR: How did you fuel for this? I noticed the Hydropakwalk us through the plan.JK: My wife was home for much of it, but I didnt want to ask her to stay up for 24 hours, and I wanted to minimize the number of bottle fillings. The Hydropak was always plain water. The front 750ml bottle was a double-strength NeverSecond carb mix to reduce liquid intake and bloating, and the rear 750ml bottle was pure, unflavored maltodextrin. Every three hours or so, I took a 500ml recovery drink mixed with coconut milk for protein, some fat, and a big mental break from the mouthfeel. I charted everything in advance so my wife would know when to supply bottles, and overnight, she left a cooler next to the trainer for easy access. I initially targeted 96g of carbs per hour, which proved too aggressive, so I backed off to find the intake rate my gut could tolerate.(Double-checking the stats, and keeping music going. Photo/Koontz)BR: Music, podcasts, movies, bike raceshow did you pass the time?JK: I started with the extended editions of The Lord of the Ringsalmost 12 hours. Then I switched to Game of Thrones from the beginning until about two hours to go, when teammates showed up for the final stretch and an after-party.BR: Chamois cream or none?JK: Yesdefinitely. Assos is my go-to, and Id recommend avoiding anything with strong menthol for an effort like this. A week later, I was peeling like a sunburn, but honestly, Ive had worse, and my backside came through in pretty good shape.BR: Were there dark moments where you questioned the whole thing?JK: Oh yes. Around midnighteight hours in. I started at 4 pm, and when midnight hit, it dawned on me that Id ridden a long time and still had 16 hours to go. That realization hit hard. From there on, I took it one hour at a time, like counting down intervalsexcept the minutes were hours.BR: How long did recovery take?JK: I took two days off the rollers, then was back on themwearing a heat suitthe following Tuesday.(Koontz pre Paris-Brest-Paris. Photo/Koontz)BR: Whats next, and what did this teach you heading into RAAM?JK: Next up is Texas Hell Week in March, capped by the Longhorn 500-mile ultra. After that, Im targeting Crush the Commonwealth (Philly to Pittsburgh), which Ive done before, and possibly a 24-hour TT in May. All of it feeds into RAAM on June 16. The biggest lesson was nutrition. For the power outputs Ill manage over 24 hours, 90g of carbs per hour may be too much. I can get what I need from slightly reduced carbs, combined with fat metabolism, in Zone 2. Forcing too many carbs early created gut setbacks. Training the gut may help, but I think 90g is better for someone doing 250300 normalized for five hours than 190 watts for 24 hours. Ill keep experimenting.BR: Can you share the final data? JK: Yes..Elapsed / Moving Time: 24:00 / 22:18Avg / Normalized Power: 171 / 190Calories Burned: 14,162Load / TSS: 915Miles (measured at the wheel): 628.5Average Speed: 26.2 mphMiles recorded in Zwift (Tempus Fugit): 480.3Average HR: 111 bpmDi2 data showed most time split between 5812 (27%), 5813 (28%), and 5814 (27%), with heavier use of the 5812 early and higher gears later.BR: Any parting words for riders looking to push whats possible?JK: While I put a lot of work into training, theres an equilibrium between pacing and fueling that, if you get it right, lets you ride nearly forever. You also need a solid mental framework for time, distance, and workload. That comes from experienceand the only way to get experience is to try new things. The most rewarding things in life often come from facing fears, especially when the fear of failure is high.The post Interview: Why Did Jeff Ride The Rollers for 24 Hours appeared first on Bikerumor.