Originally Posted by
ill.clyde
So TourDeHood ... tell us more. Well, tell me more, because I'm trying hard to talk myself into doing the season opener on Sept. 7 but I'm unsure.
Been back riding seriously for about a month and a half now (was off for three months coaching little league) and I feel like I'm getting back into shape, but I'm still not 100 percent there, plus I'm a big clyde like yourself.
Would you do it again? Did you feel out of place? What were your goals? Did you ever feel like you were going to die on the course?
Well, I'm an introvert by nature so I was certainly nervous, and felt a bit out of place for a number of reasons, weight being just one of them. Men and women alike were lapping me but had kind words as they passed (mostly women). The crowd was supportive as well. There were moments that I felt a tiny bit like a charity case "look at the big guy trying his hardest" but my GF told me that simply was not the case. A guy at my LBS told me to keep it in a low gear and keep spinning. So my goal was to keep pedaling and not stop the bike. That was it. I wounded up stopping about 3 times however but it was less about my wind and more about the terrain in my mind. I was breathing heavy the entire time but not like I was going to pass out. By the end, my arms, fingers were feeling numb but fortunately that's just when they told me it was going to be my last lap so I gutted it out.
That said. My next one is on Saturday....
As much as I enjoy an occasional long ride, there is something about the quick hard burst of this type of riding that appeals to me. As a younger athlete, I was always more partial to explosive, fast twitch muscle stuff (football, basketball, etc) as opposed to endurance sports (soccer). Get in, go hard, and be done.