L_Peter

First, I'll give you a little background knowledge. I am fourteen and new to cycling. I've only been riding seriously (for me) for about six months. Until a year ago I'd never even touched a road bike. I've ridden with only one riding partner, my uncle (he's 21) since we decided we were going to ride the STP (double-century, pretty flat) together in July several months ago.
A while back we decided to do a lap around a local island called Bainbridge island (33 miles, 3000+ feet of elevation gain). There is a organized ride around the island called the Chilly Hilly. We stole the cue sheet for the ride off the internet and rode around the island. It was the hardest ride I'd ever done. Then, last Wednesday we decided to [b]try[b] to do two laps around the island. That ride just about killed me. It was hellishly long and painful, but we managed to finish it. Of course, this made us wonder if we could do three laps the next time.
We don't have computers, but we know the ride would be over 100 miles (with the five-mile ride to the ferry terminal) and somewhere between 9000 and 10000 feet in elevation gain. The funny thing is, I'm 5 foot 9 and 140 pounds and he is six foot four and over 200 pounds. So when we go down hills I can barely keep up with him when I'm drafting because he is so heavy, and when we go up hills he simply says: meet you at the top (which we later shortened to myatt) because he knows he can't go as fast up the hills. On the flats we ride abreast. This creates an interesting rhythm on an island that is so hilly. We started riding at a little after 9am. During the first lap we met a woman in a red-dotted jersey who we ran into many times throughout the first lap. She was really pretty. I also ran into a motorcyclist at the top of the second biggest hill of the island. We had a nice conversation while I waited for my riding partner. The first lap went by easily, and neither me nor my partner were tired after it. It took us 2:40. It really helped that we were drinking a lot and having a lot of clifshots (i love those things). The second lap went well too, but I could tell that that each hill was harder for me the second time around. About three quarters of the way through the second lap I was very tired. We came into the ferry terminal to fill our water bottles after the second lap and noticed it took only 2:45. I was happy that our times were close together, but I was also fairly exhausted. We set off for our third and final lap and it was really difficult. I can't remember much from it, but I do remember being very tired. It's funny, there were so many 40+ mph descents that I would draft with my wheel only five or six inches away from his, that they were becoming almost mundane. We pulled into the ferry terminal for the third time that day with a hell of a ride behind us and our first century under our belt. It felt so good. We plan to do four laps this Friday I hope I live. Thanks for reading!

Spreggy

Big congrats! Did you get the girl's number?

markw

Good job. If you're still doing STP, there's a group of Bacchetta riders planning on doing it in 1 day "Bacchetta Style". Just look for the funny bikes like in my avatar, and be close to them at the start, stay in their draft and go as far as you can with them, you'll make good time. Ride smarter, not harder.

L_Peter

I'd like to, but she was about ten years too old for me, wouldn't want anyone thinking poorly of her

tt1106

Finally, I have regained a measure of respect for the youth of our nation. (15 year old daughter at home)
Keep at it. It was a pleasure reading your post.

banerjek

Hey L_Peter! Nice ride report. Are you going to try to do the STP in one day or 2?

Just a quick tip -- based on the description you provided, it sounds like you might be pedaling a bit too hard. If you ease up a bit on the pace, you may find that 4 laps will be easier for you than 2 was -- and your total time will be faster.

Also, don't try to keep up with anyone in particular. Riding behind others can save lots of energy, but if you have to pedal too hard to stay in the draft, you'll burn up prematurely. Just take a comfortable pace and you'll do well.

webist

I really enjoyed your post. Congrats!

L_Peter

banerjek: Hey L_Peter! Nice ride report. Are you going to try to do the STP in one day or 2?

I'll be riding it in one day, assuming I don't fail.

(sorry, quoting thingy not cooperating)

banerjek

You da man! Take a relaxed pace, drink plenty of water, don't forget to eat (or have fun), and let us know what happens. You can do this, but even if something keeps you from reaching your goal, it will still be worthwhile.

Burningman

Congrats...good story