First 20 Miler
 

Well, after weeks of doing my morning 3 mile hill course and one flat 10 miler, I decided to try something longer. Sunday we were to have dinner at my daughters four towns away and I decided I was going to leave an hour and a half before my wife and ride. The route goes through Hopedale, Milford, Holliston, Sherborn, and Natick, and is pretty hilly. So I told my wife to look for me laying along side the road and off I went. The first big hill is at about mile 5 climbing out of Milford toward Holliston. About halfway up I was thinking "What the hell was I thinking", but I made it and found that my legs recovered pretty quickly once I was on a flat again. So, I just kept going and going and going. Before I knew it I was through Holliston on Rt 16 headed toward Sherborn. Lots of rolling hills on that stretch and one monster just as you get into Sherborn. That hill was rough but once again recovery was surpisingly quick and it was the only time I used the granny ring. The last 5 miles were non eventful, except for close traffic mishap, and I arrived in one piece, in damn good shape (I thought). It was a blast! I did learn a few things.

1. I really like my new Trek 1200c. Nothing hurt (well, nothing that shouldn't anyway), it shifted fine, and the ride wasn't bad at all especially considering the poor road conditions.
2. I shift alot. Don't know if that's normal on a hilly ride or not, just an observation.
3. I can ride clipless through traffic for 20 miles without falling.
4. I confident my birthday ride in July (56 miles) will not be a problem. Especially seeing as though it's happening on Cape Cod, which is flat.
5. I was not what you would call fast, avg speed was 12.2mph.

I saw four other bikers and three of them waved with huge smiles on their faces. One lady at a stop light rolled down her window to ask how far I was going. And, the number one best thing was, drumroll please, I passed a guy on a very expensive looking Colagno (sp?) going up a hill!! Of course he was probabaly on mile 90 or something, but hey a pass is pass in my book.

As long as nothing hurt, the bike is still feeling good and you enjoyed the ride-- NO Problems.

12mph is not bad on a hilly ride- but just a tip-- If you have lactic acid build up- (The legs burn and ache and no energy) Cycle over the top of the hill and don't stop- Keep in a low gear- pedal fast and no effort.

You have done 20 miles- With rest, you could do 35 next week and a week later 45. Birthday ride in 3 weeks then. (for those of us born in January--- It does not have to be on your birthday)


EDIT Addition-- Forgot it--Well done and can I borrow your wife as backup in 5 weeks time.

Woohoo!

Congratulations on a great ride. Sounds like you had fun in spite of some worry about whether you could make it. I very clearly remember when the twenty mile barrier seemed formidable. The first time, my kids happened to be at my place, and I strode in after the ride, breathless but beaming: "I went TWENTY miles today!!!" It sounded like such a high number!

You're going to do fine. That's a good bike; I've had it on my list of possibles for some time. In the next few weeks, twenty miles will become a good workout but almost ordinary. These days, twenty miles is a nice workout for me.

Riding your age this summer is SO doable. Just keep getting in the miles, and you'll do fine.

It's fun, ain't it? :)

Nice work. I'll turn 56 in August, on Tullio Campagnolo's birthday. I know I am still good for 56km, but I'll have to get myself back in shape for 56 miles. The bike and I will have a combined age of 103.

Congrats on a great ride! Welcome to the club.

Try to focus on building miles and getting a consistent schedule going. Try for at least 4 days a week of riding, each day at either different mileage, or intensity or both. Don't overdo it, build slowly. If you hurt yourself it will cost you time off the bike. At this stage consistancy is more important than mileage. The mileage will come as you get yourself into better shape. With the hills in your area giving you the opportunity to get intense workouts, higher mileage days are not far off.

Now that's funny:lol:

Hey maybe that should the goal for next year. Ride your age + your bikes age. I can see it now, all of us running out to buy a new bike to keep it at age+1. "Hey honey, I need that new bike, it's part of the goal"

HopedaleHills, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your post. Memories of my first longer mile adventure came flooding back. The sense that you're taking on something for which the results are less than certain is the thing that pushed me to go longer and longer distances. Thanks for sharing your accomplishment!

Great Post HopedaleHills! There's nothing like that first 20 mile ride. It lets you know that so much more is possible and feels great. Keep it Going!

Hope......you sound "hooked" to me.......mileage junkie and all. Always nice to welcome a new voice here to become one of "us". Consider all the people your age for whom 20 miles sounds and would be not so possible-- and you're just beginning. Kudos.

+1 on Tom's advice to build steady, slow, and consistent. A missed day won't ruin you, some days will be a breeze & a few others like pedaling through jello, keep your sense of fun.............and keep posting your experiences. Picking off zoot "poseurs" already...you definitely have a future.

Here's hoping there are a lot more 20 milers in the future for you.

Hopedale Hills,

You may have discovered this already, but my legs feel weak until I warm up, and it usually takes about 5-10 fairly challenging miles until I start feeling strong. My wife makes the same comments when we first start out, until she gets warmed up, too. Have you noticed that pro racers warm up hard on stationary bikes for about 30-40 minutes before a prolog or time trial? This may be why you started feeling stronger and stronger as the day progressed. At any rate, congratulations. I'll bet you'll have no problems riding your age. OHB