jeffg
06-18-2007, 12:15 AM
This could be a blog, so I will try to sum up:
1. This being my third TT (2003 and 2004 being the others) this ride is very difficult, even if the highest reading on your polar S-710 is 110 in sun on Skaggs, i.e. it never go out of the 90s and was cool for much of the ride. Mild is only relative on a ride of 200 miles with 16,000+ feet of climbing, much of it at over 10%.
2. Weight: Climbing is easier when you are slim, even if you do not ride much rather than riding a bit and being too heavy.
3. A ride like this is not the time to experiment with a new bike, new shoes, etc. With Europe around the corner (leaving Tuesday), it is not like I had much of a choice ... The need to ice my feet due to new shoes after the first century to reduce swelling and wrap the blisters added at least an hour to my time. The feet were fine for the first hundred but then the wheels came off as the feet swelled. I seriously considered doing a RAAM and chopping the toes off the shoes ... I am taking my new and old shoes to Europe and we'll see what I use ...
4. See point #3. Average speed on bike was 15.8 mph, which would have had me finish in about 12.5. Add a normal 0.5-1.25 hours for rest stops, water stops on Skaggs (I used two bottles in about 10 miles) and lunch and we are looking at 13-13.5 hours. I finished in 15, my slowest time, and was happy to just finish without having ruined my feet for my upcoming trip and having some confidence I can suffer enough to scale the Gavia & Mortirolo in a day.
4. Weight again: How do you go from relishing cliImbs and getting dropped on the flats to pushing the pace on the pacelines and suffering on climbs? I would have thought I would have just been weaker all around.
This edition of the TT was the largest in history (over 300 riders), and brought home to me how much being slim makes all the difference over a day with climbs like Trinity, Geysers, Skaggs, Fort Ross, etc. After 150 miles to hit another steep wall of 2.6 miles at 11%, with a few other nasty kickers still to come can be demoralizing. I started fine over Trinity and felt like I rocked until Geysers, where I went into survival mode over the double-summit climb. The pacelines through Napa can be annoying, where someone almost took me down by slamming the brakes on with no warning at 25 mph. I had fun taking big pulls and dragging other riders up to the next group since I normally am just hanging on during the Napa pacelines.
I helped a guy fix a flat on the way to lunch at Lake Sonoma and had one water bottle fly out on one of the gravel sections coming off Geysers, but no flats. It was about 10 miles to lunch, or about 100 miles that the lack of room in my shoes started to haunt me. No hot foot, just rubbing and then pain as the feet swelled and had nowhere to go.
After lunch there was the suffering of Skaggs (up at 15%, down and 15% until the old road comes back and then stays steady at 8% to the top). Coming from Germany the heat was a bit much ...
I found some good folks to ride with and we supported each other and shared some laughs. I would often ride ahead, they would ride by as a I took my shoes off or iced my feet and then I would find them again up the road.
I was slow up Fort Ross but finally started to feel stronger. I then had a great run into the finish apart from a few quick foot breaks. I pulled a few guys into the last rest stop and then pulled again until we picked up a tandem for the last few miles :banana: I saw a guy who has ridden at least 100 doubles and is in his sixties and is still superfit. John, you are inspiration!
The spirit of this ride is wonderful and apart from some over-eager folks one is certain to find some of the most genuine riders out there, always willing to help out and encourage. I rode with some folks who will be doing PBP this years and don't stop at rest stops at all or maybe 1-2 minutes ... they rock (will Too Tall be doing PBP?)
Anywho, this ride also remins me that recovery from tough doubles is worse than the toughest Gran Fondo, but maybe that's because I am a fat a$$ now.
Musings:
The Love#3 was awesome, and I believe the new position helped me on the flats, though I am not sure if being 2cm further back helped on the climbs since it makes a bit more difficult to spin (though I have more leverage). I will give it some time and then decide.
Shoes: Almost anything can work for 100 miles, but then it better be perfect.
Suffering: Sometimes you surprise yourself. I was not sure on Skaggs whether I would make it when I saw many people SAG. Last year 100 out of 280 DNF'd so you have to be strong when others bail around you and you are feeling weak. For the last 50 miles I felt great, climbs and all. Weird.
Commitment: I had driven up that morning for the 5:30 start, finished at 8:30 and drove home by 11:00. I got up at 7:00 am for father's day. I am happy, but shattered. I wonder whether I should do ultra events in future until I get a more relaxed job ... At least my wife got a haircut today and got to run some errands and the boys and I hiked (i.e. I carried them) and my two-year old and I fed some local horses (he is horse crazy). My compromise now is to do the events but not really train. That is wearing a bit thin ...
By the way, cycling rules ;)
1. This being my third TT (2003 and 2004 being the others) this ride is very difficult, even if the highest reading on your polar S-710 is 110 in sun on Skaggs, i.e. it never go out of the 90s and was cool for much of the ride. Mild is only relative on a ride of 200 miles with 16,000+ feet of climbing, much of it at over 10%.
2. Weight: Climbing is easier when you are slim, even if you do not ride much rather than riding a bit and being too heavy.
3. A ride like this is not the time to experiment with a new bike, new shoes, etc. With Europe around the corner (leaving Tuesday), it is not like I had much of a choice ... The need to ice my feet due to new shoes after the first century to reduce swelling and wrap the blisters added at least an hour to my time. The feet were fine for the first hundred but then the wheels came off as the feet swelled. I seriously considered doing a RAAM and chopping the toes off the shoes ... I am taking my new and old shoes to Europe and we'll see what I use ...
4. See point #3. Average speed on bike was 15.8 mph, which would have had me finish in about 12.5. Add a normal 0.5-1.25 hours for rest stops, water stops on Skaggs (I used two bottles in about 10 miles) and lunch and we are looking at 13-13.5 hours. I finished in 15, my slowest time, and was happy to just finish without having ruined my feet for my upcoming trip and having some confidence I can suffer enough to scale the Gavia & Mortirolo in a day.
4. Weight again: How do you go from relishing cliImbs and getting dropped on the flats to pushing the pace on the pacelines and suffering on climbs? I would have thought I would have just been weaker all around.
This edition of the TT was the largest in history (over 300 riders), and brought home to me how much being slim makes all the difference over a day with climbs like Trinity, Geysers, Skaggs, Fort Ross, etc. After 150 miles to hit another steep wall of 2.6 miles at 11%, with a few other nasty kickers still to come can be demoralizing. I started fine over Trinity and felt like I rocked until Geysers, where I went into survival mode over the double-summit climb. The pacelines through Napa can be annoying, where someone almost took me down by slamming the brakes on with no warning at 25 mph. I had fun taking big pulls and dragging other riders up to the next group since I normally am just hanging on during the Napa pacelines.
I helped a guy fix a flat on the way to lunch at Lake Sonoma and had one water bottle fly out on one of the gravel sections coming off Geysers, but no flats. It was about 10 miles to lunch, or about 100 miles that the lack of room in my shoes started to haunt me. No hot foot, just rubbing and then pain as the feet swelled and had nowhere to go.
After lunch there was the suffering of Skaggs (up at 15%, down and 15% until the old road comes back and then stays steady at 8% to the top). Coming from Germany the heat was a bit much ...
I found some good folks to ride with and we supported each other and shared some laughs. I would often ride ahead, they would ride by as a I took my shoes off or iced my feet and then I would find them again up the road.
I was slow up Fort Ross but finally started to feel stronger. I then had a great run into the finish apart from a few quick foot breaks. I pulled a few guys into the last rest stop and then pulled again until we picked up a tandem for the last few miles :banana: I saw a guy who has ridden at least 100 doubles and is in his sixties and is still superfit. John, you are inspiration!
The spirit of this ride is wonderful and apart from some over-eager folks one is certain to find some of the most genuine riders out there, always willing to help out and encourage. I rode with some folks who will be doing PBP this years and don't stop at rest stops at all or maybe 1-2 minutes ... they rock (will Too Tall be doing PBP?)
Anywho, this ride also remins me that recovery from tough doubles is worse than the toughest Gran Fondo, but maybe that's because I am a fat a$$ now.
Musings:
The Love#3 was awesome, and I believe the new position helped me on the flats, though I am not sure if being 2cm further back helped on the climbs since it makes a bit more difficult to spin (though I have more leverage). I will give it some time and then decide.
Shoes: Almost anything can work for 100 miles, but then it better be perfect.
Suffering: Sometimes you surprise yourself. I was not sure on Skaggs whether I would make it when I saw many people SAG. Last year 100 out of 280 DNF'd so you have to be strong when others bail around you and you are feeling weak. For the last 50 miles I felt great, climbs and all. Weird.
Commitment: I had driven up that morning for the 5:30 start, finished at 8:30 and drove home by 11:00. I got up at 7:00 am for father's day. I am happy, but shattered. I wonder whether I should do ultra events in future until I get a more relaxed job ... At least my wife got a haircut today and got to run some errands and the boys and I hiked (i.e. I carried them) and my two-year old and I fed some local horses (he is horse crazy). My compromise now is to do the events but not really train. That is wearing a bit thin ...
By the way, cycling rules ;)