CliftonGK1

I'll preface this story by stating that I actually know better than to ride while I'm still sick, but in a last gasp attempt to save my R12, I had to ride over the weekend. I'd sooner accept failing my R12 for a DNF than for a "didn't get my sorry arse off the couch." And it's full of local references like roads and shops so if you don't ride with SiR it's not all familiar territory... It's x-posted from my LJ, and that's just how it is. That out of the way, enjoy.


I could make all sorts of excuses for why I DNF'd my ride on Sunday, but it won't change anything. Those three letters still stare at me, putting a halt to my R-12 series until I start back up next month from square one.

Last week I rode on Monday. That was it; I rode to/from work and some extra miles. On Tuesday my sinus infection was getting the better of me, so I drove to work, then I had off-site training on Wednesday/Thursday and off-site meetings on Friday. I still hadn't cleared everything up by then and was taking a fair amount of cold medicines to survive my days. But in the end, all of these things are only justifications to take the sting out of a DNF. A DNF on a 200k, even. (Although, the Woodinville - Granite Falls route 0359 is a serious arse kicker of a course.)

Saturday night I patched up my front tire and got all the stuff ready to roll for Sunday morning. It wasn't going to be a really cold day, so I was able to leave things like jackets and tights at home and instead bring extra food and have space to carry more water, which I would desperately need to counteract the dehydrating effect of my cold medications. I got to bed early; an unusual thing for me on a pre-ride night, and maybe a warning that my body wasn't quite up to the task I was embarking on. Pfft. Whatever... I set my alarm for 04:10 and sacked out just before 22:00.
The alarm went off and my head was still full of snot. Blargh! A whole week of starting the day like this had made me jaded to the slight dizziness from the pressure. At least my ears weren't plugged up, so the room didn't spin when I sat up. Quietly I slipped out of bed and got prepped for the ride. I had a little bit of breakfast, but I knew there was a food control 15 miles into the ride so I'd get my fill at that stop; and coffee at the following control. I put on 2 layers of wool up top, knee warmers and my FI.Mille bibs on bottom. Short socks, long gloves, reflecty gear and I was ready to roll. I headed out the door into the morning light (man is that an odd feeling after the winter!) for the 9 mile flat ride to Woodinville.

Home to Tully's
Fairly uneventful. The morning chill woke me up, but I wasn't "cold". The zip down Novelty Hill pluged up my ears, but I managed to get them popped about a mile down Avondale towards Redmond. This also got everything else running in my sinuses, and I had to stop to blow my nose. It was unholy, the sheer volume of snot... This was to be a pattern for much of the day.

Tully's to McD's:
So Tully's doesn't open until 07:00 on Sunday and my ride was slated for a 06:30 roll out. Thankfully the opener crew showed up just as I did, and I talked them into giving me a receipt with a signature and time verification. I hooked 'em up with $2.00 for the tip jar and set off down SR 202, back to Redmond.
The traffic was just about non-existant, and hitting the main roads through Redmond may as well have been the main road through Mayberry. I love riding before/after everyone else is on the roads. I was starting to get my legs back, and the ride along E. Lake Sammamish on the mild rollers felt good. I was keeping a 16mph pace, which isn't screaming fast, but quick enough to build some buffer time for when the hills kicked in. My sinuses were still draining like crazy, and I was thankful I was soloing the ride because I was pretty disgusting. An hour after I started, I rolled into the lot at McD's for some breakfast. I grabbed my usual sausage muffin w/ egg and genuine imitation processed cheese-like product and a hash brown. Not that I find the taste of these items disagreeable, but I couldn't taste either of them because of my sinus issues. This was actually disappointing, since this is one of the few McD's meals I like. I wolfed 'em down, even though all I could really taste was ketchup, and headed back out for the first climb.

McD's to Sandy's Espresso
Some “real” food in me, I felt ready to tackle the rest of the day. I turned the corner on to Black Nugget Rd. and geared down for the grind. It’s a climb I’m familiar with, so it was no surprise to me when the mild grade tipped up to the 9% for the winding top half of the hill. I was alternating between sitting and spinning or dropping down a couple cogs in back and standing up, but the standing didn’t feel great so I was limiting that activity. Once up the hill on Black Nugget Rd., there wasn’t much more aside from the usual rolling little hills and I easily got my energy level back to normal. I was sipping Accelerade all morning, working on keeping up the hydration along with a steady low intake of carbs, since I hadn’t been feeling well all week. I really wanted to keep from having any problems later during the ride. I wasn’t paying attention as I made my way through Carnation, and I rolled a block past Sandy’s before I realized it. D’oh! Guess I really needed that coffee! I turned around, stopped in at Sandy’s for some caffeination, and got quickly back on the road.
Sandy’s Espresso to the Sub Shop (Sultan)
Most of this segment is flat and fast. A quick zip through the valley along Carnation Farm Rd, 100th, and Snoqualmie Valley Rd to Tualco out to Ben Howard. A pretty typical route that we’re all familiar with. Ben Howard is the only section along there which I don’t enjoy. The road is nice enough, and there’s barely any traffic, but the wind seems to turn when you hit that last section of Tualco out to 203 and B-H, and it’s right in your face for that 8 mile rolling section. My pace dipped down to 13 – 14mph along here, which was expected; especially with a couple of the short, steep segments on B-H which is where I started to notice some issues.
I went to stand up on the little steep bit, and felt my right quad beginning to pinch up on me. Obviously, at less than 100k into the ride that’s never a good sign. Especially when the 6000’ of climbing are backloaded on the last 100k of the route. Sitting down alleviated the pre-cramping pains, and I continued on to my lunch stop.
At the Sub Shop I nabbed a bag of chips, a big bottle of water, and a half sandwich. I also polished off half of the poppy seed roll I brought along. I made a quick stop to the can and this was the first time it occurred to me; I’d been riding for over 4 hours, I drank 3 bottles and a coffee already, and hadn’t needed to pee. (cue ominous music) The medicine I’d been taking for my sinuses all week is very dehydrating (guiafenesin, DM cough syrup and the occasional ephedrine tablet), and I thought I had managed to keep ahead of it, but maybe I wasn’t as well hydrated as I initially thought. I vowed to keep a close watch on my hydration level, and really push the water intake. On my way out of the sub shop, I bought another bottle of water and stuffed it in my Carradice.
The Sub Shop to Info Control #1; Jordan Trails Rd. @ Burns Rd.
Now, the climbing began in earnest. I remembered this section from the 300k after the Vinaccio Control (next door to the Sub Shop). Old Owen Rd. is a steep climb to Reiner Rd. which rolls along until the very steep segment leading up to Old Pipeline Rd. It was at the top of that steep hill that I stopped to strip off my cold-weather layers. I ditched the knee warmers and the wool base layer up top, and switched to shortie gloves while having a chat with a guy who stopped to see if I was OK. I suppose I didn’t look so healthy, plopped down in the grass and ditching half my clothes. Looking back, it was a prime indicator that I wasn’t doing so well… Difficulty in regulating temperature is never good, and it wasn’t really that warm out.
Well, the road continues climbing and rolls up Bollenbaugh Hill, up to Woods Creek, up some more to Lake Roesiger, and my legs were feeling fairly slack at this point. I was continuing to force water, NUUN, Accelerade and Endurolytes into myself, hoping to stave off majour cramping if I rode “lightly” for the remainder of the miles. Little did I know what was still in store… I took a quick break at the Subway in Granite Falls to apply some sunscreen and put my head down on the table for a couple minutes to regain my strength. I felt alright after a few, and went back out to it.
I zipped down the hill on Jordan Trails Rd, through town, back into the rolling hills and up to the park entrance. I took a quick break for some more chow at the entrance to the park, rode across the very noisy (metal slat) Jordan Bridge, and out through the little trail (with a very tight squeeze through the gates!) onto the opposite side of Jordan Trails Rd. Then some jackass folded the road on me. Holy crap, the hill leading up from the park to Burns Rd. was a killer. Even in my lowest gear I couldn’t put enough oomph to the drivetrain to keep moving. When I tried to stand, my quads locked up. All pride aside, I had to disappoint my inner Brudvik*, get off the bike, and make the walk of shame up the rest of the hill. At the top, I heaved myself back onto the saddle and rode off down the rollers of Burns Rd and back into Granite Falls for what would be my final control.
Granite Falls to Intersection at S. Carpenter and Creswell
I wandered into the gas station/McD’s combo in Granite Falls and headed straight for the water. I bought two big bottles and went to the counter in a semi-fog. I wasn’t walking straight, I couldn’t keep my quads from cramping up, and in retrospect I should have just bagged it right then and there. But somewhere in the back of my mind was this ridiculous justification: “If you’re gonna roll with the big dogs, you have to find out what your breaking point is; and you’re not broken yet, so keep riding.” I realize now that this was not smart. The ride reports I’ve read, where people push onward disregarding physical pain, mental anguish, and the common sense that tells most people to stop hurting themselves… Those people were physically healthy to begin with; not fighting the trailing end of a week-long sinus infection. Regardless, I decided that the most appropriate course of action would be to sit and shiver on the curb in front of the gas station for a while, drink a half liter of water, eat the other half of my poppyseed roll and a few bites of sausage from the Polish store in Bellvue. Then I washed it down with an Ensure and some Endurolytes. After a few more minutes sitting and reviewing my condition, I dragged myself off the curb and gracelessly dumped my butt onto the saddle.
The ride out of Granite Falls immediately starts climbing when S. Granite Ave turns into Robe-Menzel Rd. The combination of riding, rocking, illness and effort of the hill was just too much and I made it just past the edge of town before stopping at the roadside and ejecting everything I consumed at the gas station and anything else that was in my stomach. My legs and abs were knotted from the effort, and I leaned back against my top tube as a seat in fear that if I sat down right there I wouldn’t be able to get back up. The cramping subsided after a few minutes and a few sips of water, so I slung myself back over the saddle and started soft pedaling. There were many hours in the bank, around 30 miles remaining, and it was now a matter of seeing how far I could force the machine to work.
If you haven’t tried it before, I’ll save you the experimental trouble and tell you: There is a finite amount of work you can expect from a broken machine with no fuel. If you pack the car for a trip to Spokane and the “Check Engine” light comes on at the end of the driveway, you’re better off calling Triple-A right there and cancelling the weekend. Don’t try to make it there in your broke-assed hoopty on a quarter tank of gas.
That being said, we all know I didn’t follow my own advice. In for a penny, in for a pound; right? If I’m going to DNF, I’m going to do it in spectacular fashion. I kept pedaling at the mediocre pace I could maintain, carefully sipping a very heavy mix of Accelerade to try and get some calories back into myself. I made it another 2 miles before stopping to rebound all of it. All I wanted at this point was an effing Tic Tac. I rinsed my mouth with some plain water, didn’t drink anything, and got back on the bike. Finally, I made it to Creswell. I turned the corner, headed for the fence line on the opposite side of the road, and leaned against it while calling Keith M. for a rescue ride. We sorted out where I was, he mapped it and gave me an ETA, and I said “I’m not going anywhere.” Then I sent my last FB update for the ride; it was over. I managed to get my baselayer out of my Carradice to use as a ground mat, I set up my helmet as a pillow, and I laid down in the grass and gravel.
Twice, people stopped their cars to ask if I was OK, and I told them I was just taking a nap. After a while, Gary and LeMay (IIRC) came over from their house across the street and invited me to sit in a chair on their porch instead of worrying everyone who drives past. My legs had locked into place during my 15 minutes of broken sleep, and I could not stand up without a huge effort and some help. Gary took my bike for me, and I plunked down on a chair to wait for my ride. I had a nice chat with the both of them about cycling, and why I ended up laying in the grass across from their house, and thanked them for their hospitality. I’m sure they’ll tell the story to their friends about the crazy guy who rode his bike until he couldn’t walk but he seemed like such a nice fellow when we got to talking…
When I feel better and have another go at this course, I’ll bring a thank you note and drop it off at their house before setting off on my way.

The following day I still hurt, and my sinus problems had gotten worse. I had 2 lock-up cramps at work, and had to hobble around like a fool until I could get things loosened up. Tuesday morning, I woke up and could barely hear. My infection had migrated to my ears, so I stayed home from work and dragged myself to the doctor for some antibiotics, which are currently fixing my sinuses but ruining my g.i. tract. I’ll be getting back on my rollers to do some light resistance riding and keep my legs moving, but I won’t be back on the road until my sinus infection clears up. For everyone who’s DNF’d a ride: Did I do it right? Hahahaha… ouch. (laughing still hurts)


*Inside joke with the Seattle Randos. Bob Brudvik became the voice of my hill-climbing conscience earlier this season when he caught me slacking and yelled "STAND UP, BIG MAN!" as he rode past.

unterhausen

A dnf is hard. I had a DNF in January, but it was the last month of my R12 and I still had a couple of weeks to ride. I almost DNF'd on a recent ACP 200k, but kept going. I had cramps starting at 40 miles, and didn't really get rid of them for another couple of hours. I really have never had cramps on the bike before. Bananas, enduralytes and eating a lot got me fixed up, but by then I was only making the controles by a few minutes. Exciting. The funny thing is, I did a 300k 2 weekends ago that shared part of the route of the 200k. I realized that the 300k route knocked about 40 miles and a lot of silly climbing off of the end of the 200k route. If I knew that on the 200k, I would have had a hard time not quitting.

I'm hoping I'm over my most recent cold enough to ride 400k this weekend. Sinuses and spring brevets just don't mix.

lonesomesteve

Sorry to hear about the DNF Clifton. Sounds like you gave it a good effort. Don't worry, you don't need to be hospitalized to justify a DNF.

I was out riding the Alps 200k permanent at the same time on Sunday and came pretty close to bagging that one for different reasons.

Steve

mattm

Wow, quite the report, Clifton! I've DNFd more brevets than I'd like to admit, and compared to you I never really had an excuse.. For me it was pretty much always mental weakness.

I think any real rando should DNF at least one ride - hopefully that painful memory will be enough to motivate them in the future (at least that's how I always looked at it, but I still wish I'd never DNFd!)

At least you can rest assured it wasn't lack of prep, training, or anything else that caused this - you were just too sick to ride that far, as you now know. Ahhh, hindsight is great eh?

Btw I have a wonderful image of your beard covered in snot/etc - tell me it wasn't so!! =]

ha! Now That's Rando!

Great report Clifton - so are you starting the R12 again next month? Best of luck.

Homeyba

Not a big deal Clifton! You gave your best and that's all anyone can ask. I've seen people bail because they had a hang nail so you're way ahead of the game. Bummer about the R12 but what they hey.

papawizo

Clifton
You have until Friday. I know Dr. C is doing one Friday to get his ride in. You still have time. I know work is always on my mind but I've been known to take a day to get a ride in.
John

CliftonGK1

Do you ever feel it's difficult not to get swept up in the Bigger, Faster, More mindset with our club. I watch Vinnie and Kole head out to do an Alplet after finishing a 100k fast social ride with the gang, follow Geoff and Vinnie's battle for the distance record, read Mark's ride reports from all over the world, plus reading the Cyclos Montagnards reports... It's tough sometimes to keep a level head about what's "reasonable."

I'll be starting up the R-12 again next month for certain, with the same determination I had when I began the first round back in November.
As for the beard full of snot... It's been a while since you've seen me! A few weeks back I chopped off my beard for the summer; all I've got left is the handlebar moustache. And I brought 2 snotrags, so I wasn't that much of a grody mess.


I should have put in for Friday and just took the week to get better, looking back on things. Narayan is doing the Mambo on Friday, but I'm still on weapons-grade antibiotics and not feeling much different than I did Sunday morning. Plus, The Girl would kick my butt if I made myself even sicker by going out and riding before I'm healthy again.

lonesomesteve

For me, "Bigger, Faster, More" is what Randonneuring is about. I like to push myself to new limits and accomplish things I didn't think I was capable of. Of course, with that comes the occasional failure. That's ok, you probably learn more from the failures than the successes.

And I realize that for some people, Randonneuring is not about pushing the limits. For some it's just about getting out on a bike with friends or by yourself and having a good time. I like the fact that both styles of riding can find a home on the same brevet and in the same club.

mattm

An interesting point, and I would say that yeah SiR is definitely somewhat "competitive", and there are some really strong riders out there! It can be really dis-heartening to put in a big effort on a 600k to see others come in 6-10 hours ahead of you... the gap seems so huge I guess. And it was a gap I wanted to close, but it's a big one.. not that I wanted to "win" a brevet, just that I wanted to be closer to the front finishers, for whatever reason.

I think part of why I switched focus to racing this year, beyond my competitive spirit, was that I hit a plateau in the rando world, and just didn't seem to be able to go any faster over long distances - and I wanted to, for whatever reason. (that along with sick & tired of being sick & tired on the bike)

Maybe it was the amount of training needed to really do a fast 600k+, or something, but I just didn't have it.. part of it was mental too - sometimes I'd hang with Steve and the fast guys, but after a few hours of that I just needed to stop and hang out somewhere, while they understandably wanted to keep going..

And in racing, people are divided by ability - so if you picture a brevet like a race (I know, I know..) it's the equivalent of putting Cat 1's (closest to Pro) with Cat 5's.

Once you figure out who's who, you know which wheels you should (or can) hang onto, and which ones you can't. In the racing world, since things are split up more, generally you won't have to ride with people way above your ability level. Sure there are still sandbaggers and all that, but the chasm between the front and the back of the pack isn't quite so huge as it is in the brevet world.

Ah ha - that is a much better mental image!

duffymcpatzer

what the heck is an R12?

StephenH

Ride a 200k (min) brevet or permanent each month for 12 consecutive months and get the R-12 award from RUSA.

Clifton, I feel your pain, and have had a couple of DNF's myself. Just get going on the next one and don't worry about it. I figure people that have never had a DNF just haven't challenged themselves enough.

thebulls

Hey, Clifton, sorry about your DNF, but at least you created a partial "save" by writing a great ride report. To some extent, I think that a randonneur who has not yet DNF'd is a randonneur who hasn't yet truly challenged themselves to take a risk and go beyond what they think they can do. If you're out there taking risks like that all the time, then eventually you'll get bit (and hopefully be able to walk away from it without any problems). If your January R-12 ride is heading north toward a snow storm and it turns out to be icy roads with very steep ascents and descents, you're not finishing that ride! (And you'll perhaps end up designing yourself a permanent that heads south so you have a choice the next year.)

As I read your ride report, what strikes me is that the direct cause of the DNF wasn't the cold, it was the cramps. I'm very susceptible to cramps, and have found that eating enough Endurolytes will _always_ get rid of _my_ cramps. Not always straight away, but eventually. In your report, it seems like you were already electrolyte-depleted before the halfway point (e.g. cramps before Sultan's which it sounds like you slowed down for, but maybe didn't eat Endurolytes for ???). And then when you discovered you were dehydrated, you started forcing water. So that makes you even more electrolyte depleted. In a situation like that, I've found that I have to eat about a dozen to eighteen endurolytes over a couple of hours before I start to get my electrolytes into balance enough that I can ride hard without cramps. How many can you safely eat? My doctor said that as long as my kidney function is normal (i.e. I don't have aids, hepatitis, etc) then I should be able to eat six to ten endurolytes an hour without being concerned -- the body will excrete whatever it doesn't need.

You don't say how much time you had on the clock, but it's possible that with some radical electrolyte intake, you might still have had time to resolve the cramp issues, let your stomach settle, and continue on your way. Or not!?! Anyway, you got awfully close, with only thirty miles to go!

Have a great season,

Nick

Monkey Face

Don't beat yourself up... strikes me a DNF is better than a DET (Didn't Even Try)

anomaly

I've got to say I liked that 200k ride report far more than any other I've read. I haven't DNFed a brevet as the only one I signed up for I DETed. I think breaking my elbow 7 days prior might have been a good enough reason =P

CliftonGK1

It was actually well before Sultan that I was dehydrated and undernourished. I was not quite off a week-long sinus infection, so I had been on a lot of dehydrating medications for 7 or 8 days previous. Even with the crazy amounts of water I was drinking all week, there wasn't any keeping me hydrated, no matter how hard I tried. Having the nasal drip going on for a week, I wasn't really eating much, either. So I was behind on nutrition right from the start.
Like I had stated; I knew better than to go and ride in the condition I was in. I don't think any number of electrolyte caps would have saved me by the point when I officially bagged it and called for a ride. By then, the damage was done. If I was healthy to begin with, there might have been hope for salvation, but starting out sick, I didn't do myself any good by going out and riding.

The rest of my season is going to rock, and I'm not going to repeat the stupidity from this report.

Kamala

Glad to see you were feeling better this past weekend! Looking forward to your next R-12 report!

unterhausen

Words to live by. I swear I think up new stupidity every ride. I'm learning from my mistakes though.

FolsomRoadBike

OK, Newbe question;
What does R12 mean?

noteon 

Oh, ouch. Sorry, Clifton.

I just DNF'd for the first time myself, on a ride I completed last year without much trouble. (If anyone's interested: https://journalscape.com/keithsnyder/2010-05-09-22:47 )

And I agree--DNF is way better than DET.

Richard Cranium

Bummer about being sick - but man you you sure can write! Hope you can wax on the good times as well.

CliftonGK1

Thanks!

There are ride reports chronicling all my long rides (and other random crap) at my blog: Permanent Clydesdale, although I do have some catching up to do. There's a 200k permanent to finish writing up, the Tour de Cure double attempt & lessons learned, and a bunch of equipment reviews.

noteon 

Nice blog.

The saddest part is how you couldn't taste the genuine imitation processed cheese-like product.