Dumbquick. That's how I rode the first half of the Cycle For Shelter charity ride, down alongside the Merrimac to the Atlantic Ocean, north along the New Hampshire coast, and then inland. 21 mph average at the halfway point. Flat out, pedal to the metal. Did I snap? Of course I did, 21 mph is a spectacular pace for a 50 mile ride, but not so great a pace for a 100 mile century. But snapping and becoming unglued didn't ruin the day. Au contraire, this was one of the most beautiful, most fun, and strongest rides I have ever pedaled.
Overall
- 100.42 miles.
- 5 hours and 24 minutes.
- 18.6 mph avg.
- 4914 feet in elevation gain
- Heart rate, an easy zone 2.3 effort with 125 bpm avg heartrate. Max HR of 178. Basically modulating between zone 2 and 3 the whole way.
My fastest century by a longshot.
The data
Looking at this data, I see a ride in 3 segements.
- The first 55 miles is very fast...21 mph avg speed, avg HR 140. Totalling ripping it up, which was a blast.
- Miles 55-65...this is what a meltdown from improper pacing looks like. See the the 200 foot elevation gain at mile 42 in the picture? Normally when I am climbing hard my heart rate goes up, zone 4. But here, I totally fold on a little hill. I just couldn't push hard, my heart rate actually decreases on this hill. Snapped. I hung on until the rest stop at mile 55, barely. Then it took me 10 more miles to recover up until about mile 65. This was my bad patch.
- Miles 65-100...I was riding strong again, not as strong of miles 0-55, but pretty strong again.
How it happened
The plan was to target an avg speed of 15.8-16.5, with a target HR of 125. But when the charity ride started it was an absolute testosterone train from the get go. To ride that far, that fast, it was totally electric and I was right at the front in the first 5 positions the whole way. In hindsight, I took a few too many hard pulls at the front, but whatever. The scenery was spectacular along the river, along the ocean, and inland in New Hampshire, and the riding a blast. I was starting to feel the pressure around mile 40, and started taking shorter pulls, and not pulling as hard, but the damage was pretty much already done. When a small hill came, snap, I practically folded. Luckily there was a rest stop shortly thereafter, so I stopped to refuel, but the whole group didn't stop, probably 90% just kept riding past the rest stop. "What kind of crazy people are these not to stop at a rest stop?", I thought
Speaking of rest stops, the rest stops were spectacular. There were 5 of them, and they were unbelievably stocked. Fresh fruit, water, Gatorade, Fig Newtons, bathrooms. Absolutely top-notch. At the rest stop with me were only 3 other riders, the peloton had rode on sans food and drink. I figured...eh, just as well. Here are 3 riders who are crazy enough to ride 20+ mph on a 100 ride, but not so crazy to pass up a rest stop....the selection had been made.
The next 10 miles were touch and go for me. I was hanging by a thread. See the low heart rate in the picture, I couldn't push any harder. I couldn't hold the wheel in front of me. I skipped my pulls at the front. But by mile 65 I was recovered and riding strong again with my 3 riding companions, who, as it turned out, were great riding partners. Cooperative, good at pacelining, good pacing, willing to stop at all rest stops...we worked extremely well together the entire rest of the ride never slowing, but never dropping anyone either. Funny, I can't remember their names anymore, but I can recall clearly how each climbed, how many gears in their rear sprocket cluster, the makes of their bikes, etc...
Post-ride
The apres ride exceeded all expectations. Pulling into the registration area there are people lined up clapping to congratulate you, banners and balloons and words of encouragement written in chalk on the pavement. I felt like I finished a stage of the tour de France. A guy with a microphone hooked up to a PA system interviewed each rider. "What is your name?" "How was the ride?" Each interview went on for a few minutes for each rider. Meanwhile, someone is snapping pictures.
Then there was food. Big BBQ...hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, rice. Starbucks Coffee. Fresh fruit. Juice. It is a big party. Showers at the college. People to bathe your feet. Riders all over the place talking. I see one guy on the Cervelo, he says he 'won'. I ask him his avg speed, 19.6...pretty good for 100 miles...he was strong. He tells me some of how it unfolded. "Who survived with you?", I asked. I wanted to know who were the 5 strongest riders...to see if I was accurate in determining who out of that group were the strongest from their riding styles over the first 50 miles. Ah....
Then there was a massage. Never have I been more in need of a massage. My legs hurt. My back hurt. And ...with almost no waiting...I got a very thorough 20 minute massage. The massage felt so good, I realized for the first time I am a moaner when in the throes of such pleasure. Oh my lord was she good, it felt like she was realigning my ribcage, resetting broken bones in my shoulders, kneading the living bejesus out of my thighs and calves.
Then more food. More chit-chat with people. It was so good I didn't even want to leave. I am now hooked...charity rides are the way to go. One charity ride, at least, for me every year....they treat you so well. Oh yeah...I almost forgot...and it's a good cause.
The good cause
I shouldn't neglect to mention the good cause, helping the homeless. Homelessness is a difficult social issue. Many of those affected don't have any family, don't have a job, have phschological issues such as depression, or have substance issues. It is flip to say, "put down the bottle and get a job." Organizations such as Emmaus ....when you listen to these people...they are not in it for themselves. They have many unpaid volunteers. They do it to selflessly help others, and target some of those most in need and most neglected to get their lives back together and live the fullest life possible.
Product Reviews
I tried 2 new cycling products, both which worked very well.
- Nuun tablets
- I tried these Nuun electrolyte hydration tablets, they come in a tube that you take with you on a ride. They dissolve like Tums and help with hydration, 0 calories. On a short ride, water or Gatorade is fine; but, on a long ride, Gatorade or water -- which is what you can expect at a rest stop -- does not provide enough electrolyte replacement and I've had issues in the past...cramping, bloating, hydration...and these little Nuun tablets seem to help.
- Endurox R4
- This is a recovery drink, I really don't know what is in it...but seems to work great. I feel fine now post-century, and have been using this for a bit now. I think it really helps with recovery. Something I learned, the first 45 minutes after a ride are the most important for your recovery. Give your body what it needs then.
Various Links
- A link to a Google Earth file I made of the Cycle for Shelter route
- A link to this ride on Motionbased.com
- Fundraising page, still not too late to donate
Note
The term "balls out" is not a vulgar expression, but a euphimism
....an expression originated with the early steam engines whose governors were a pair of spinning balls, which described a larger and larger circle as the demanded speed, and hence their rotational speed, increased to control the steam valve and hence the flow of steam from boiler to pistons.
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