jeneralist 

Potential energy is like money: hard to earn, fun to spend.

I've got my big tour of the year, the Bon Ton Roulet, coming up in just a few weeks. The ride goes through the Finger Lakes region of NY State, and I've been warned that I need to be ready for hills.

I'm not ready for hills.

A few days ago, I checked online and found the route for the local Piccolo Fondo -- that's the 50 km ride that was the shortest offered as part of the Gran Fondo last year. I re-mapped it so that it started and ended at my house, instead of in downtown Philly. And today, I set out of a ride of 23.9 miles and an elevation gain of 1779 feet.

Yowser.

So I discovered that yes, I need more practice.

I also discovered that the new bike doesn't shake at speeds up to 31 mph.

Mithrandir

That's what irks me. You spend 20 minutes going up a hill and get maybe 2 minutes of fun out of it on the other side. Gah!


Also, I'm a cheap-skate, so I don't really get any joy out of spending money, so this comparison ain't very apt



The biggest BikeMS event in NY is the Finger Lakes BikeMS challenge. I thought about doing it last year but the hills out there are scary in my car... heaven knows what they're like on a bike!

Bunnicula

Oh wow! My daughter went to college there, it's a beautiful area for sure. But I would not want to bike it, unless I was very, VERY fit. You'll want to be practising on some hills NOW if you plan on doing this ride.

jeneralist 

OK, I just looked up the "City to Shore" route for the MS society, which is the longest organized ride I've done so far. 78 miles, 574 ft elevation gain.

Had I mentioned that I use the granny gear on my bike? (28-38-50 Biopace in front, 11-34 in the back.)

jeneralist 

I just found the route and elevation profile for the 50 mile ride this year. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/828225 Oouch...

chefisaac

You using a heart rate monitor? When I started learning to climb, that was key and still is. Also nibbling and drinking every 15 minutes (by timer) helps so much.

jeneralist 

No, I'm not. I can feel it going like blazes, though...

When I train for running events, the treadmills at the gym have heart rate monitors. I seem to be able to adapt in about a week from "OMG I'm going to explode" to "Hmm. 165. Time to slow down..."

chefisaac

might be worth getting an HRM. The HRM on the treadmills are off a lot when compared to one I am wearing. They are off as much as the calorie counters on the treadmills.