spingineer
04-03-07, 08:19 PM
This was my first double in about 8 years, so it seemed like my first double, but still had some experience of riding a double.
I knew I would be one of the slower riders, so I decided to start out at 5 am. It was dark as can be, so off I went. The toughest part about riding so early is lack of light, and unable to read your route slip. So we had to rely on the arrow markings (in yellow) on the road.
At Happy Canyon, we had to make a left turn, and there were a bunch that knew where they were going, and made the left turn. However, off in the distance, I saw a bunch of riders coming towards us. Now that was pretty confusing, as I really didn't know which way to go. I risked it, and followed the larger crowd. Making sure this was the right direction, I looked forward, and looked backwards, and it seemed like we were on the route. Feel sorry for the riders who didn't make the turn, and had to backtrack their way.
One thing I had to do a bunch of times was pee. I wanted to make sure I was hydrated enough, but I just had to pull over several times between rest stops (oh, sorry ... checkpoing stations). Not only did I have to go more times than normal, I also had some lightheadedness. This was not good. It's not like I didn't eat, because I did. I think I just didn't eat enough. Hammergel alone just didn't do it. I guess I was relying too much on energy bars, and energy drinks, and not enough on solid foods. At the 2nd CP, I decided to carry some extra food with me, just in case.
I started to feel some muscles tweak at mile 110, but persevered, slowing down, and stopping several times. It may not be the kosher thing to do, but I just had to stop.
Finally, lunch stop. I downed the Subway Turkey sandwich, and downed several bananas. Something must have happened here, because after leaving this rest stop, I had my second wind. Or maybe it's because we had a stiff tailwind. It didn't matter to me, as long as I could ride back with some speed.
The ride was fairly flat up until the last CP, before the climb up Drum Canyon. Interesting to note, at this CP, we had Cup O' Noodles. Not usually the healthiest thing to eat, but I think the salt really helped us out.
Okay, now for the climb. It actually isn't a bad climb. It is a little over 2 miles, and about 1000 feet climb. This in itself doesn't sound tough, but after riding 170 miles, it is torture on the body. My back was feeling it, but I did finally make it to the top. Then, the downhill came. That was fun, but the terrain was rough. The combination of it getting dark, and rough terrain meant we couldn't go full bore downhill.
Left turn into town ... my main light ran out of energy. Good thing I had my backup Cateye light on my helmet. That's a lot brighter than I thought it was.
Finally got to the finish line, and I still felt pretty fresh. I felt I could go another 20 miles (as long as it's flat). I guess that's a good thing.
Well, that's my double report. Anyone else do Solvang Double?
I knew I would be one of the slower riders, so I decided to start out at 5 am. It was dark as can be, so off I went. The toughest part about riding so early is lack of light, and unable to read your route slip. So we had to rely on the arrow markings (in yellow) on the road.
At Happy Canyon, we had to make a left turn, and there were a bunch that knew where they were going, and made the left turn. However, off in the distance, I saw a bunch of riders coming towards us. Now that was pretty confusing, as I really didn't know which way to go. I risked it, and followed the larger crowd. Making sure this was the right direction, I looked forward, and looked backwards, and it seemed like we were on the route. Feel sorry for the riders who didn't make the turn, and had to backtrack their way.
One thing I had to do a bunch of times was pee. I wanted to make sure I was hydrated enough, but I just had to pull over several times between rest stops (oh, sorry ... checkpoing stations). Not only did I have to go more times than normal, I also had some lightheadedness. This was not good. It's not like I didn't eat, because I did. I think I just didn't eat enough. Hammergel alone just didn't do it. I guess I was relying too much on energy bars, and energy drinks, and not enough on solid foods. At the 2nd CP, I decided to carry some extra food with me, just in case.
I started to feel some muscles tweak at mile 110, but persevered, slowing down, and stopping several times. It may not be the kosher thing to do, but I just had to stop.
Finally, lunch stop. I downed the Subway Turkey sandwich, and downed several bananas. Something must have happened here, because after leaving this rest stop, I had my second wind. Or maybe it's because we had a stiff tailwind. It didn't matter to me, as long as I could ride back with some speed.
The ride was fairly flat up until the last CP, before the climb up Drum Canyon. Interesting to note, at this CP, we had Cup O' Noodles. Not usually the healthiest thing to eat, but I think the salt really helped us out.
Okay, now for the climb. It actually isn't a bad climb. It is a little over 2 miles, and about 1000 feet climb. This in itself doesn't sound tough, but after riding 170 miles, it is torture on the body. My back was feeling it, but I did finally make it to the top. Then, the downhill came. That was fun, but the terrain was rough. The combination of it getting dark, and rough terrain meant we couldn't go full bore downhill.
Left turn into town ... my main light ran out of energy. Good thing I had my backup Cateye light on my helmet. That's a lot brighter than I thought it was.
Finally got to the finish line, and I still felt pretty fresh. I felt I could go another 20 miles (as long as it's flat). I guess that's a good thing.
Well, that's my double report. Anyone else do Solvang Double?