last year my "training" regimen consisted of going up to twin peaks a few times, some rides in marin, and lots of butterlap. after riding in 5 year old pumas with toe cages and while nearly at the top of my monster hill, i conceded defeat. only to see the top of the hill when i pulled over. ugh. i felt so OFF that whole day, and riding in the heat was something i was not entirely used to. this year i have some new fears, some new shoes/pedals, and some new riding partners. i've been going on longer rides more frequently, starting with a small tour to SC, eventually going up and over 6k + hills, including the seven sisters (whoa, that was fun! the crappy roads into mill valley, not so much...).
i resolved after last year to try clip-ins, and i finally got the shoes a couple of weeks ago. i've almost fallen twice, and totally fell once while on my block. so the fear of falling over is one new fear i have. another new fear i've developed is descending. i didn't used to be so nervous about it, but i know why i'm more reserved this year than in years past. that's another topic for another time...
am also trying out different eating styles, different bars or should i have trail mix? what sort of energy drink should i get, if at all. my legs hurt, i should get a massage. do i like heavily padded shorts, or just liners? (btw, so far the liners seem to agree w/ me the most...). and don't forget the skorts!
i never thought my foray into biking for transportation would lead me here, but it has. and i love the challenge of it! i'm embarking on something i never would have thought a year ago i would do, much less five years ago. overcoming obstacles and challenges makes you stronger. amirite?
i'm not nervous. i'm not nervous. ok, maybe i am, but i'm enjoying every second of it, except maybe the clammy palms. saturday!! please come now!
You're a better man than I am.
ReplyDeleteGreat read. Totally relate. I'm not nervous too!!!
ReplyDeleteI got rid of the clips and went back to normal shoes on my commuter. For long distance though.. accept no substitutes
ReplyDelete@doohickie: always!!!
ReplyDelete@ale: heh, see you on the top of the hill! and at the end!
@bb: for my joanie baby (my commuter/everyday bike), i just have platform pedals. i'm still getting used to the clips on hills, but i think i can see why people are totally into them.
"different bars"
ReplyDeleteSnickers, Payday. What about the old cyclist's staple; fig bars? Only sticky on the inside. Don't forget the rounds, Peanut Butter Cups. The added advantage of being widely available along the way. I leave the expensive horse food bars to the expensive horses.
"should i have trail mix?"
More or less what the above are, ain't they?
Throw in some cheese cubes for early consumption and long lasting diesel power.
"what sort of energy drink should i get"
Weak green tea with just a touch of honey. It's just for fluid replacement and a bit of "digestional." Unless you're trying for a land speed record or something leave the "liquid nitro" alone. It'll likely cause more troubles than it solves.
"amirite?"
urite.
ummm. tea. <3 that suggestion. i'm such a tea person!! ade/meli are the cawffee drinkers. not me.
ReplyDeletetrail mix is a the bar w/o the bar, yr totally right about that. except that i made my own mix from the bulk section. nomnom.
as far as sports drinks go, the tall one had some "organic" mix from the hippie grocery store. i liked the way it tasted, but that was about it as far as my "research" into that. less gross than gatorade, more salty than water. we usually take water w/ a lot of lemon (he's got a lemon tree!) squeezed into it, but alas, sometimes lemons just aren't around. again, i really do like that tea idea....
i totally stay away from the goo stuff even though someone tried to recently get me to try it out. thx, but no thx!
i like the cheese idea. a lot. i think will do that next time not on a supported ride. for the actual century, we'll be well-taken care of at the stops if last year is any indication. i also like carrying small fruit (blueberries in particular) cause i like the lil bit of water that bursts in my mouth.
my favorite food that they century had last year....salted boiled potatoes. they were peeled and 2-bite sized. nomnom. mouth is watering now thinking about them ;)
Yeah. Those potatoes were goooood! They laughed at me at that stop because I took the salt shaker with me for awhile.
ReplyDeleteDon't count out the Gatoraide. I can't stand it, but having it watered down a little bit last time was the difference between me finishing and not. Seriously. Especially after Uncle F*cker. Coconut water works well, but for such a long ride, I think you may just need the big guns. We took little packets of GA powder and added it to our water as needed. I think that is why I felt so good the day after. This last trip to Half Moon Bay I didn't stay on the electrolytes as well and I was really feeling it on the way back up the Montara side of the mountain (hot, dry, super sweaty).
"I didn't stay on the electrolytes"
ReplyDeleteEat a Peach (and stay away from motorcycles). Or put that lemon juice in the tea.
People started riding centuries (solid tires. Plain bearings. Dirt roads) a century before Gatorade. Sampson, Hercules, Phidippides (140 miles. Each way. Running); never heard of the stuff. Would probably think you were nuts if you explained it to them.
Horses, wolves, hamsters; wouldn't even understand what you were trying explain to them.
Reductionism has its place, but if you run the GA clock backwards and dereduce it you end up with a chemical super compound that's more complete and complex than any synthetic process has yet been able to duplicate.
It goes by the generic term, "food."
For God's sake, if you're going to ride a century, eat something!
Good luck, you'll do great - esp if you've been getting extra longer rides in. Enjoy it, it sounds like something you'll be very proud of at the end of the day :-)
ReplyDeletethanks georgie!
ReplyDeletekfg- you should see the food we bring along on these rides : ) we have a long history with grapes. The ride CTX will be on is supported and has plenty of snacks along the way and a big BBQ at the end. I fully participate in the regular food menu when riding, but on that last century, the GA made a huge difference. I haven't needed it since, but that day it did the trick.
ReplyDeleteGrapes be good and shit. Don't have the clean up issues that peaches do either, although peaches do the whole electrolyte thang better.
ReplyDeleteI've had a look at the ride website now. This be one of them big dealies, huh? I don't do those, I just head out and go mostly, so it's all what I carry and can find along the way. Deep in the mountains it can be a haul between the little country stores. With four provisioned stops and a party at the end I wouldn't bother carrying anything but water (that's all I carry for a half), but ya do what gets you through.
Bonne chance and have a good.