Southern California - Butterfield Ride Reports and Pix

Just a tease, I am... Come on - you have to know my report will be a looooooonnnnng one, so it will take me a bit to post it. But hopefully Brandy or RonsmithJunior will jump on with their reports. Here is a pic though, just to get it all started! Oh, and let me just say, it was quite an adventure (duh) and I can't wait to give my report for those of you who really want to read the darn thing.:D

The sun just coming up as we were heading out on Santa Ana Canyon
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Butterfield/Suncomingup.jpg

Can't wait to hear about it!!! :D

C'mon, you gotta give more than that!! It's like having Charlize Theron in my room showing me her bra strap and then walking out, saying, "Maybe later . . . " :(

I'm sure it's worth the wait . . . no pressure or anything . . . j/k :)

It's like having Charlize Theron in my room showing me her bra strap and then walking out, saying, "Maybe later . . . " :(

Not really...it's more her saying "Definitely later..." and knowing that when it happens it will be thorough, colorful, and will take a long, long time to finish :)

Not really...it's more her saying "Definitely later..." and knowing that when it happens it will be thorough, colorful, and will take a long, long time to finish :)


And with accompanying pictures as evidence of the lovely experience . . . I'd buy that for a dollar!!! Looking forward to it, M.E.!! ;)

I don't have many pictures...in fact, my camera didn't come out until Temescal Canyon. All I have is an assortment of Vireo and the view I had from mile 39 until the finish! :p

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/394537665_3926c4c40a.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/394537766_649db8a0c6.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/394538032_ae879fdbb1.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/394538172_f09051c76d.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/138/394538287_acd82e352c.jpg

Congratulations Brandy!!! That's a huge accomplishment! :beer:

Congratulations Brandy!!! That's a huge accomplishment! :beer:

Thanks George. I'm very happy with my time...

14 hours 25 minutes :)


I'm too tired to type a report though!

Congratulations!!

Great job everyone.

Congrats everybody. :beer:

WOW!!!! Congrats on doing the ride!!!! Waiting for the long ride reports too!!!

AWESOME!!! Brandy is the woMAN!!!

Awesome! Congratulations to everyone who finished!

Butterfield - or as I will affectionately call it Butterflyaway or Butterfry (not mine – someone else coined it that)

Well, as you all know, because I couldn’t keep quiet on here in the days leading up to Butterfield, I was anxious going into this double. I’m not sure why, really. Maybe it’s because I haven’t dropped those stubborn pounds I put on recently or maybe it’s because it is the first of the year…I just don’t know. But after six centuries, back to back each week, you’d think I would be confident. But I wasn’t. Perhaps, since my ride at Tour de Palm Springs was a difficult one (fatigue and a little malaise for some of it, although it is not a difficult century), I think I feared that I had erred with my aggressive training. Now, I feel quite the opposite (especially since, as I write this, I am not fatigued or sore other than my calf muscle that I strained on a climb yesterday and my legs feel a little heavy – but nothing that won’t be back to normal very soon. I’m going for a recovery “walk” today in lieu of a ride though, because I will admit that my butt is soooo sore. :o). So, here was my day, and it was quite the adventure…

The morning started at 4:30am. I popped out of bed, got dressed and was out the door (I had prepped perfectly the night before, and my bike was loaded and ready to go). I was greeted by my good friend and ultra cyclist, Francis, who had driven there that morning and was so sweet to see me off (really, this guy is as nice and supportive as they come). I met Brandy, Ronsmithjunior (what a hottie…sorry, Ron, if you’re married, I mean no disrespect!) and Vireo out front, and managed to snap a few pics (notice the white zinc paste all over my face when you see those shots…lovely). Then, without much ado, Brandy, Ron and I were off with the early pack. I noticed right away that my legs felt strong and fresh, something I’m never sure of until the pedaling begins!

As Brandy and I took off, we met this very nice man, Doug, who was on his second double and began chatting with him. We all ran into Ron on his recumbent, and I managed to snap a few shots of him. He was then gone, and I did not see him again until the final pic of the day (you’ll see). I heard later in the ride that he was just flying on that thing! Well, as we rounded out and hit Santa Ana Canyon, Brandy picked up the pace and went ahead (first drop of this badly micro-waved potato…:p). I started to increase my pace to stay with her and stopped myself. I wanted to conserve for the day, not sure of how events would go. I used this tactic last year on the Grand Tour and it worked. So, I slowed my pace and took it easy. That is when the winds hit. OMG! My bike was shaking so hard, I threw my gear as low as I could to grab road and hung on for dear life. Those were crazy winds, and I immediately thought, “Please don’t let these be around all day!” I guess we had hit some of those dreaded Santa Anna winds, since the air was hot and dry – better than rain, so I won’t moan too much, but not exactly the kind of winds you want to face at mile 10 on a 200 mile ride! These winds continued throughout most of the day, only really dying down after lunch – but we were fortunate, as much of the time we got tailwinds which certainly evened out the headwinds!

As I began the first real climb of the day, I came upon a gentleman named Clem with whom I struck up a conversation. He proceeded to tell me that this double was his 49th! My jaw dropped as this one is my measly little second double. We talked a bit and climbed up the canyon to the first check point at which I found Brandy, glowing with excitement – and gorgeous, of course, even with all the sweat! (So not fair…) Within a couple of minutes, in blew Vireo on his Fixie (the man has no nerve endings, I tell ya!). I took off with Brandy close behind (remarking to Vireo that I had, as he had advised me to do, stuffed a couple of pb&j sandwiches down the front of my jersey) and we climbed out of Plano Tabuco road and hit Antonio Pkwy (Vireo was not with us at this point). This road had a slight downhill, and the weather changed to our advantage. Tailwind heaven! Brandy, who was with me at that moment and slumming it, suddenly took off again as Vireo arrived and off they went, she just on his wheel. That is the LAST time I saw her (second drop…:p – yeah, all for one and one for all, my ass!;)) [Note here – I am truly impressed, as she and Vireo finished together in sub-15! You go, Brandy. That is amazing – and you looked so strong on that bike. You’ll have no problem knocking out Triple Crown this year.]

Well, then I was all alone, lonely, sad, even tearing up a bit (cue the violins, and no, I’m not serious). Actually, I was feeling great at this point and I was met once more by Clem, only this time with two buddies, Roland and Ron. Roland, the most gregarious in the group, immediately introduced himself and his buds as the ADO Gang and explained that they are all avid cyclists who ride for the love of it. He wasn’t kidding – and what I hadn’t realized at that point but soon learned, was that I was in the company of three extremely accomplished endurance athletes. Between the three of them, they have over 150 doubles under their belts! Some of you may have heard the name, Ron Hanson, as he is in the Cyclist Hall of Fame for his achievement of 72 doubles! (Gasp!) Something else I didn’t know is that I had just had an amazing stroke of luck. These three gentlemen were one of the keys to my success in finishing this double, changing a recent opinion of mine and teaching me a great deal in the process.

So, now there were four of us, moving along – me getting to know a little more about the ADO Gang and their rides. I was doing well, and the company was keeping my mind off of the miles. Somewhere around San Clemente, I realized that I was feeling a bit low. The day had heated up considerably and at this point my jacket was tied around my waste and I was sweating profusely. So, I did what I have taught myself to do – I pulled over into 7-11 and bought a grape soda for one of my water bottles. I jumped back on the bike and met back up with the guys at Checkpoint 2. The soda helped, but already something was out of balance.

Now, as much as I hate to admit this, I’m going to. I did something I know very well not to do – I tried something new with my fueling on this ride (dreadfully stupid). At the SAG stops, which were very well stocked, they had Hammer Sustained Energy powder. I use Hammer products and think they’re great, but the Sustained Energy is a different powder blend than what I’m used to which is Heed. Yesterday morning, I was pounding that stuff because, a) I figured it was similar to Heed, and b) it tasted good. Well, by Checkpoint2, my stomach was a little off. I wasn’t sure why, so I pounded some more Sustained Energy thinking it would help and headed off with the guys into the worst heat (and winds) of the day.

We were keeping a good pace and hit the dreaded I-5. Okay, I’ll say it- riding on that highway sucks! Riding next to semi trucks going frickin 65+mph is not safe! But, I will concede that taking the I-5 is much faster than Camp Pendleton. Unfortunately for us, one of the guys got a flat on the 5! :eek: Well, these guys are pros, so the flat was changed in under 10 and off we went, me over as far to the right as possible, and we exited Harbor Drive, heading toward the bike path. Pop! We had another tire in the group blow! So, we stopped again (photo op!), and the guys did their magic. As they were changing the tire, Francis caught up to us (he left with the mass start, 45 minutes after we left). Now, Francis could have (and should have) blown by me. But being supportive, he stopped and, once the flat was fixed, took off with us onto the bike path. As we entered the path, that was when the gurgling hit – this weird nauseas feeling, but I pushed through it and continued pounding the Sustained Energy drink in hopes of feeling better. The ADO Gang stopped again (another tire!) but insisted that Francis and I go ahead. They and I knew that they would catch me at the lunch stop.

So, as Francis and I took off again, it hit me - real nausea. I thought it had to just be the heat or something, so I kept drinking. But every sip made me feel worse not better. Francis saw that I was suddenly dropping in pace and jumped in front to pull me. He did his best, but I could barely keep 14mph! The hot headwinds weren’t helping, but I held on trying desperately not to slow him down. I even yelled at him a couple of times to leave me (but he refused) and we finally pulled into the lunch stop.

As soon as I put my foot down off the bike, I could feel the bile in the back of my throat. I ran into the liquor store adjacent to the stop and bought a cold soda and a juice, praying both would help. They didn’t. I headed over to the lunch table and found Scvroadie there. It was so great to see him, and although I’m sure I smelled like a barnyard goat, he gave me a huge hug (which instantly made me feel better!). I then forced half a turkey sub, a V8 and two Oreos down my throat and sat in a chair (that Lee had saved for me, that doll) and relaxed for a moment. Francis, who had eaten in two minutes and was ready to roll, tried to get me to keep going. I knew how badly I’d slow him (and had already slowed him!), so I insisted (without any joking) that he move it! He reluctantly took off giving me words of encouragement as he left. [Note here: Francis, the other key to my completing this double, would have finished yesterday at least an hour sooner had he not so graciously pulled me through some of the hottest winds of the day. I would never expect that from anyone, but I owe him tremendously for that gesture. Perhaps, I’ll get an opportunity to pay it forward in the future.]

The ADO Gang had in fact caught me at the lunch stop and just as I was ready to roll (so nauseated but terrified that if I didn’t go, I would DNF for sure), they were too. My luck just kept getting better and better, because as we started the climb on Circle R Drive, part of my lunch began sneaking back up to the back of my throat. I hate to be a drama queen, but I wanted to finish and was determined to finish. However, puking wasn’t in the program (even though I joked about it prior to the ride – that’ll teach me to joke!). As I was climbing, I felt dizzy and decided that I had to pull to the side of the road. I communicated immediately to the guys to keep going and put my head down over my handlebars trying to fight the waves of nausea and the sudden feeling that I was going to cry (ugh!). As I looked up, all three gentlemen were still there. Roland tried to find Tums in his saddle bag and the other two waited patiently. I didn’t have the energy to argue, but the fact that they were waiting kept me from dismounting entirely, lying down on the side of the road, or worse still, crying like a baby and quitting altogether. I had never had this sick feeling on a ride before and it wasn’t bonking! My legs were strong and feeling great. My stomach was a mess! And I had three riders waiting. “I’m okay, let’s go,” I told them, and against my own inner doubts, I pushed off and kept climbing. To say that I didn’t feel like utter **** for the next ½ hour would be lying, but I didn’t quit. Sure enough, within 30 minutes the V8 was hitting my blood steam, and I physically felt stronger. The nausea remained for a while, but I could stomach it (no pun intended). My blood sugar was returning to normal and my speed increased. The guys and I were off on a good pace again!!! Yippee!

Those of you who have ridden doubles know that there are times during the day that you have lows. I’ve always been told to push through them if at all possible (barring injury or serious illness) and if I do, I’ll hit a 2nd, 3rd and sometimes 4th wind. Well, I hit my 2nd wind for sure! All the way to Checkpoint 4, I felt great. My companions were doing well too, except one, who was falling back a bit (he caught us well before the end of the ride as he too caught his 2nd wind). At CP4, I again saw Lee who gave me a high five and told me that I had it in the bag. We had 57 miles to go. I knew I could knock it out and was so excited in anticipation. I didn’t touch the Sustained Energy again (guessing that it was the culprit for my upset stomach) and stuck with water and some Heed that I had packed.

As we headed out, the sun was setting and I tried to turn on my lights. Fortunately, prior to the ride, I thought to borrow a back-up light. JPconrad was sweet enough to loan me his MiNewt (Lee offered his as well – and after using it, I’m buying one!). That was my back up, but my HID – my trustworthy, super bright, super expensive HID – failed me! The bulb went out. Now, I had at least four hours to go (I’m realistic) and only one light. So, I put the MiNewt on low setting and jumped behind the guys and their HIDs. It was pitch black last night – in case anyone didn’t go outside! And from around mile 165 to mile 172 we were on Temescal Canyon Road, which had NO street lights. I was petrified and pounding away. The guys were feeling good and we were keeping a pace of 17-22mph on that road. I was also fatigued and fearing that I could err, hit a patch of gravel, whatever – that was scary! The guys, again pros, kept me calm and kept me on their wheels. At one point, feeling low (I needed my 3rd wind badly!) I snapped at them saying, “I don’t know that I can keep this pace guys. Just leave me.” Roland’s calm reply back was, “No. We don’t leave anyone - safety in numbers.” I know I mentioned above that these guys were the key to my success on this ride. Well, this is why. I couldn’t read my route slip at all. I was using low light (to conserve) and there were no streetlights or even a moon to read by. I would have gotten lost on that canyon – no doubt about it – had these men not been with me and kind enough to stay with me. I knew that, sucked it up, shut up and pushed myself harder than I wanted to. I even jumped in front at one point and pulled as I felt it was the least I could do.

At one of the very dark turns (don’t ask the street name because I didn’t even know the street was there until Clem indicated that we were turning!), we stopped for a second. At that time, Clem’s daughter, Renee, and a whole group of riders caught us. It was awesome. There were three women and many bright lights! Our group now grew and we were off. The presence of female riders perked me up (I had to represent, of course) and although I needed fuel, I was feeling better again. We hit Checkpoint 5, and took a small break. We knew we would make it back in time, so we allowed ourselves sandwiches, V8s and a little social interaction. At this stop, I saw Kermit from the LA Wheelman. Kermit rescued me last year in the dark on PCH and pumped my tired for me so that I could finish that last four miles of that double. Well, he came to my rescue again (Kermit’s the best!). He had a spare Nightrider, popped it on my bike and now I had major lights to see by! I suddenly had the wonderful feeling in the pit of my stomach (no, not nausea again!), that feeling of elation when you know you’ve done it. I wasn’t home yet, but with 25 miles to go, I knew 100% that I would do it.

Off we flew, hitting a wonderful pace. It was a huge group of riders with the ADO Gang as well as others and we rode strong back. My favorite on the way was the bike path just before La Palma Ave. It was so dark with just the lights of the bikes and the houses in the nearby hills reflecting off of the water. It was chilly but perfect and the feeling of elation knowing that I was less than five miles from the finish line cannot be described in writing.

Finally, the finish line! I was so excited and overjoyed. Francis and Lee were there to greet me, and although I did not make my goal of sub 16 on this ride, the company and experiences along the way made every minute of it worth it – and yes, even the nauseous part! I learned from it. And something that I found out afterwards – I finished that ride along beside a major elite endurance athlete, Linda Bott. I met her after the ride at In & Out where I had dinner with Lee and Francis. Francis, who completed the 508 last year, knows Linda and introduced her to me. This is a rider who has completed the Furnace 508 twice solo – talk about representing! She and her friend, Foster, were both incredibly nice and down to earth. It amazed me that I had fallen into that pack, who were so unassuming, who didn’t leave me, who were so generous with their encouragement, that I have changed my thoughts on riding doubles. I would like to always ride with someone or a group. It makes the experiences along the route so much more lasting. That type of camaraderie is wonderful to have and something you cannot get if you only ride for yourself. Not that I judge others for doing so (and it was what I had planned to do), but for me, I have learned that it is more the experience than the ride. I hope that makes sense, and I’m sorry this is so damn long – but yesterday was very meaningful in so many ways.

One last note – Planet Ultra did an excellent job. I’ll rate them in the separate thread, but I will say here that I can’t wait for the Solvang Double. Bring it on!

Photos to come...

AWESOME!!! Brady is the woMAN!!!


that's what i say everytime i catch a patriots game:p

congrats, brandy. you rode farther in one day than i have in...oh...6 months?

Francis and me before the ride:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/FrancisandMe.jpg

Brandy, giving me the only love she was going to give me all day ;):
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/BrandyandMe-1.jpg

The first wave leave:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Packheadingout.jpg

Brandy with Doug:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/BrandyDoug-1.jpg

Ronsmithjunior on this recumbant:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Ronsmith1.jpg

And again:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/ronsmith2.jpg

The road ahead with the sun peeking out:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/roadahead.jpg

One of my last shots of Brandy...before...
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Brandy.jpg

...she drops me like a badly microwaved potato!
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Brandyleavingme-1.jpg

PCH:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/pch.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/ocean.jpg

ADO Gang fixing the second flat:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/adogang-1.jpg

Where the flat occurred and going with the flyaway theme!:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/flyingbridge.jpg

Shot out over the bike path:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/sandiego.jpg

Riders on the path:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/sandiego2.jpg

Francis, being his usual congenial self:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Francisflippingmeoff.jpg

A better shot of him:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/caughthim-1.jpg

I just liked this shot over my shoulder:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/francisbikepath.jpg

Wow.....what a report M.E.! ....and congratulations to you too! :D:D:D

Wow, great job, both of you's!:D....So Brandy's the man now!:p

I admire your determination Brandy.

ME, great job, nice write up and way to hang tough!;)

OK, you can both be "the man"!:D

Scvroadie (Lee) at the lunch stop:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/leeworking.jpg

His smile was a welcomed sight:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/leesmiling.jpg

Roland and Ron Hanson with Francis and Lee on each side:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/atthefinish-1.jpg

Me with some completely amazing riders at the finish!:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/atthefinish2-1.jpg

Look real close...that's Ronsmithjunior getting dinner for the road:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Ronsmithorderinginandout.jpg

M.E. & Brandy. Well done!

Awesome work Brandy, ME, Ron, George, etc !

Great report M.E.! I am so glad that you hooked up with that group, it sounds like they were perfect riding companions. It sounds like we both lucked out with guys that wouldn't leave us. ;) I told Vireo to go ahead several times when I experienced lulls, but he never did. It was a pleasant surprise to have him with me the whole time, I never, ever would have expected him to hold back his pace for me...of course...I was VERY appreciative! :)

Great report M.E.! I am so glad that you hooked up with that group, it sounds like they were perfect riding companions. It sounds like we both lucked out with guys that wouldn't leave us. ;) I told Vireo to go ahead several times when I experienced lulls, but he never did. It was a pleasant surprise to have him with me the whole time, I never, ever would have expected him to hold back his pace for me...of course...I was VERY appreciative! :)

Brandy, lovely, I don't think Vireo held back at all for you. You were so strong yesterday! Besides, it was his choice and I'm sure your presence made his ride more enjoyable. I'm very impressed and proud of you. You were representing for sure! :)

Wow.....what a report M.E.! ....and congratulations to you too! :D:D:D
Thanks, George. :) My report is LOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG. Sorry...:o Thanks for checking on me yesterday with the call. I couldn't hear my ringer.

WOW! Well done everyone! B and ME.... no one should look that great after riding 200 miles! :p

Trac'

Thats cool that you hooked up with my friend Clem. He is perfect to pace you through that ride. He could probably do it in his sleep. I think you got his double tally a little off though. He did 9 last year to get into the Hall of Fame with 50. Surprised to see Rene there as she hardly rode last year at all. Did you hear Kieth took 1st place? He is a marked man now. You did good Kid. V.B. P.S. Do you what ADO stands for? All Day Ordeal

Brandy, lovely, I don't think Vireo held back at all for you. You were so strong yesterday! Besides, it was his choice and I'm sure your presence made his ride more enjoyable. I'm very impressed and proud of you. You were representing for sure! :)

Oh, I know he held back for me. I was having some serious overheating problems starting right after San Onofre that caused me to slow my pace and make some unexpected stops to dunk my head under the faucet and drench myself in an effort to cool down. I was so glad to have him with me though, I don't think I would have thought to stop and do that. I hit several lulls that I just had to go through and ride out before I would recover and this man just had the energy all day long. He said that he probably would have finished about an hour earlier, but I think he would have finished earlier than that without me for sure.

Thanks M.E. I'm proud of myself too. I wasn't worried about my time until the final stretches when I realized I was going to hit sub-15...and by a good amount of time! :p

great job guys!!! wonderful report and pics! cant wait for solvang now!!

ME! Congratulations on finishing, I knew that you could do it and have fun at the same time. Great report and pics!

Congrats, folks - what an accomplishment!!! :)

Awesome job, M.E., Brandy, Vireo, and Ron (and Keith)! A double is an incredible physical and mental achievement. You do socal BF proud.

Thats cool that you hooked up with my friend Clem. He is perfect to pace you through that ride. He could probably do it in his sleep. I think you got his double tally a little off though. He did 9 last year to get into the Hall of Fame with 50. Surprised to see Rene there as she hardly rode last year at all. Did you hear Kieth took 1st place? He is a marked man now. You did good Kid. V.B. P.S. Do you what ADO stands for? All Day Ordeal
No, I'm pretty sure he said this was his 49th. Oh, Lord. I hope I got his name right. :o Perhaps it was Glen. I suck at names...:( I'll double check and change my report if I'm wrong.

Oh, and yes, they explained the ALL DAY ORDEAL part. Great guys whom I hope to ride with again!

Congrats to all! Wow, 200 miles! I don't even like driving that far! Awesome job everyone...glad you hung in there M.E. through difficult times.

I use Sustained Energy on my long rides. How much did you mix it? I use 2-1/2 scoops but only go through about 2 or 3 bottles during a Century. The rest is water or HEED. I've only had that unpleasant feeling once, during Cruising last year. It went away fairly quickly however.

Once again, all of you are amazing!

Sheldon

Awesome job, M.E., Brandy, Vireo, and Ron (and Keith)! A double is an incredible physical and mental achievement. You do socal BF proud.
Thanks, Vance. :)
Keith finished in under 10!!!!!! That man has no nerve endings or pain sensors at all! Plus, he is just an incredible rider.

Congrats to all! Wow, 200 miles! I don't even like driving that far! Awesome job everyone...glad you hung in there M.E. through difficult times.

I use Sustained Energy on my long rides. How much did you mix it? I use 2-1/2 scoops but only go through about 2 or 3 bottles during a Century. The rest is water or HEED. I've only had that unpleasant feeling once, during Cruising last year. It went away fairly quickly however.


Thanks, Sheldon. :) I didn't measure the scoops to be honest. I just know that I drank a lot of it. I also only had one pb&J (the one I shoved down my jersey) and a couple handfuls of pretzels and two gel shots. I either over consumed or under consumed, which I'm sure added to it. I'm just not familiar with SE and should have left it alone - certainly on a 200 miler! Oh, well...lessons learned....:o

Great job, you guys! M.E., you're tough, obviously. Rene and Clem are great, too. Brandy, did you have stomach issues? What did you fuel yourself with?

M.E., you're ability to describe the pain, agony, joy and elation of a 200 mile bike ride is more than my ability to say bravo. So I'll just leave it as congrats to all.

Thanks for the report ME. I was winded after reading that!:D What an ordeal you guys go through doing these, highs and the lows. You guys are animals and I salute you! Job well done indeed.

Brandy, did you have stomach issues? What did you fuel yourself with?

I didn't. I was using Sustained Energy as well. I thought that they would have Hammer Gel in packets and realized that they only had it in the big bottles and I left my flask at home. I have to say that I really liked the SE. I am not great about remembering to refuel every 30 minutes with gels unless someone (Vireo) is reminding me to do it...lol. I can ride strong if I'm properly fueled, but that doesn't do any good if I don't remember or take the time to do it. I really liked that the only work I had to do to refuel was remembering to drink. Easy enough for me! I had filled my jersey pockets with every solid food choice at rest stop #1 and I was still carrying almost every single thing by the time I finished. My solid foods for the day were a half of a pb&j, one Snickers Marathon Energy Bar, a sandwich at lunch and a Clif Bar when I was seriously fading somewhere...I think it was after rest stop four if I recall correctly.

So no...I didn't have any issues with the Sustained Energy. In fact, no stomach issues at all. My problem was getting overheated. I thought right after the start that I made the wrong choice with my longsleeve Velosport kit, but thinking back, I would have probably been just as hot in my black BF jersey. Well that, and I rode with my jersey fully unzipped a good portion of the day, which I couldn't have done with the BF jersey.

Congrats, everyone, it sounded like a great ride!

M.E., I'm glad the light came in handy. What does the S.E. taste like, is it sweet?

Brandy, you have a Garmin, right? Have you tried using the time alert function to remind you to refuel?

Congratulations!:beer:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143/Indolent58/podium_tour2003.jpg

bravo! outstanding! all of you did a fantastic job!

i've got to get into one of these doubles or at least a century soon. :)

omg :roflmao:


Congrats you guys!!!

Wow....totally incredible....you are all awesome..GREAT JOB!!!

:beer:

Now then, get busy adding those miles to bikejournal, that's 800 miles!

Great job guys!!! Tremendous accomplishment!!

(although I rather LIKE riding on the I-5)

WOW congrats guys! I hope one day I can ride that kind of distance.