undisputed83

I just woke up to finish packing. My gf is asleep and will be bringing my back pack and bike pump up to Orono for me. I took a good chunk of cash out of my wallet along with my ATM card, cell phone and drivers license and put them into my seat pack. I finished putting stuff into my backpack. In a few minutes when I put my bibs and jersey on, I will put two gu packs, and three cliff bars into my jersey.

I woke up about 30 minutes ago and could hear rain pinging off the roof. It wasn't in the forecast and the doppler radar was clear. It has since stopped and I'm hoping it won't come back. It's 52 degree's out here in westbrook, and I wish it was warmer. I don't have a long sleeve jersey, and I know if I bring anything it will be extra weight come 8:00 or so. So I will just ride out the cold.

I just ate three packs of oatmeal, and will have some water. All I have left to do is put my gear on, pump my rear tire to 110, and my front to 105. Fill my water bottles. And head out the door. I will report back in 11-12 hours. I expect the ride to take in the neighborhood of 10-11 hours.

Menel

Doesn't sound like a lot of foot for 10-11 hours...

I imagine your stopping, would have to for water I suppose.

Goodluck!

rollin

Ride safe. Look forward to the successful report.

(If I had 3 packs of oatmeal I'd be stopping for more than food and water.)

Menel

Oatmeal is easy on stomach, and long lasting energy. Common staple for endurance.

Generally I have 2 packets... but I didn't happen to go back for a third smaller bowl yesterday morning, making it 3 packets total, + whey powder about 2 hours before (time for stomach to settle) my 17mile training run yesterday *shrug*. ~700cal

Before this morning's training ride (75miles, cross 3 mountains, non-stop) I downed a clif bar + fruit/protein smoothie for breakfast ~750cal. Plan to be self supported. I'm expecting 5 hours(due to climbs), so taking 4 larabars, 1 per hour. 2 Clif Shots as backup. Both 24oz waterbottles on frame and a 3rd 24ozer in the back of my jersey.

Stomach settled and comfortable, now if only the freaking sun would rise so I could adequately see!

botto 

best to do that the night before.

jersey pocket is better.

see first reply.

ok.

ok.

ok.

ok.





why do you hate protein?

see first reply.

ok.

rollin

Thanks, I know that. I tend to eat a more mixed breakfast before a long ride.

umd

Good luck, don't forget to eat early. When you do a ride that long, what you eat early in the ride is really for later, if you wait until you are hungry you are screwed.

gjb483

very much this. digging yourself out of a bonk is no fun, so eat early and eat often.

JPH3

hmmm... I wonder if he will make it back alive??? The suspense is killing me...

DScott

I wonder how many different threads he can get out of this ride? Another three, four, maybe?

undisputed83

I took off at exactly 6:18 this morning, in very cold weather. And arrived up here in Orono at 5:33pm. So 11:15, which wasn't bad considering I projected 10-11hrs.

I had problems with my hands going numb. I was pretty cold. I decided to stay on my little ring for much of the first 40 miles just to keep my legs turning quickly so I could stay warm. After the mile 40 marker, it warmed up. I ate one of my three cliff bars at mile 20, and bought a six oz bag of trail mix at mile 40. I rested for about 7 or 8 minutes and took off.

I hardly drank at all for the first 60 miles or so, it was at about that point I finished one of my two water bottles. Also at mile 60 I had another cliff bar. And at mile 70 I had my first Gu pack. At mile 80 I wasn't very hungry, but bought a toll house cookie sandwich just because it sounded good. I put vitamin water in my empty bottle and continued on. From mile 80 on, I was never 100% again. Though I still managed to increase my average speed by .2mph which was 15.1mph.

I pedaled on and was lucky to have a mostly down hill ride from mile 80 to 90. At mile 100 I started to feel a little more worse for the wear, so I ate my last cliff bar and had my other gu pack.

Mile 100 to 120 was undoubtedly the most rigorous part of the ride. I was wearing down, and facing climb after climb. And the way the terrain was, I wasn't able to generate momentum at all. It was just a succession of slow climbs.

At mile 120 I stopped for my last real rest break. I was out of food, so I bought two small packets of trail mix, and a king sized payday bar, plus some milk drink that had a lot of protein in it (Which I think really helped me recover the last 25 miles). I had also just finished my second bottle of water which I had since I left my apartment, and had yet to touch my vitamin water, so I figured I would probably be fine the last 25 miles with just that since I was about to drink that milk. I rested probably about 10 or 12 minutes, and did some serious stretching, and set out for what I believed would only be 20 more miles, but ended up being 25.

The terrain those last miles was moderate, some small climbs and descents. I was pretty drained, but I was stronger than I was from mile 100 to 120, and felt somewhat recovered.

As I sit here, I feel pretty good. I'm surprised I had only consumed about 40oz of water, plus the milk. On my prior centuries when it was hotter, I had drank both of my water bottles by the first rest stop at mile 33. And today was quite the opposite. I probably should have forced myself to drink anyway, but I just wasn't thirsty. My girlfriend and I are going to long horn steak house, where I will definately have the biggest steak on the menu. I'm going to pick up four more cliff bars, some gu packs, and will probably drink some gatorade tonight.

I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, except that I will probably be a bit sluggish. It's going to be cold like today, and it could even rain. So it could really be an unpleasant day. We'll see.

botto 

tldr.

10 Wheels

You did so good......

Blackdays

Good ride.

Though that "cookie sandwich" sounds like death.

Hellbent Exodus

Good job. It's a good thing you don't have trouble eating during rides like some people do. Sometimes I feel low on fuel and still have to force myself to eat.

coasting 

140. very nice. why not do 10 more and make it a round 1.5 century.

GP

Next time at the 120 rest stop, have a coke or Mt. Dew.

K.Katso

Man, I don't know what you were expecting, but perhaps you should have followed the advice given in many replies to this thread and the other one. Eat early and often if you don't want to bonk and feel like complete crap. You were planning on when to eat one gel pack - I think on most rides of 100 miles or more I eat 2 or 3 of them every hour. I also throw in a couple of Clif Bars or Hammer Bars and maybe a few other things along the way. There's no way calories in will equal calories out, but you need to do your best to limit the damage without the cycles of starving yourself followed by stuffing yourself. This is really bad for maintaining performace over time.

Oh, and what you eat for recovery is just as important as what you eat for preparation. Don't gorge yourself on something that's going to sit in your gut like a rock tomorrow. Eat things that your body can use to repair itself with. I prefer lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and fruits containing antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. All of that with a lot of water and maybe a multivitamin.

umd

Definitely sounds like you didn't eat enough. And make sure you really stuff yourself this evening, more than you can even imagine, or you will be really hurting tomorrow.

Edit: And I admit to making that mistake after my ride yesterday. I did not eat or drink enough yesterday evening to recover for my ride today.

Menel

Congrats on 140Mi!
But so many things wrong...
Get a cyclocomputer that reports cadence. Work toward 90 rpm, when you reach it, gear up, fight back toward 90. Rinse, repeat.
If you hit a hill, and your cadence drops below 75ish or so, gear down until you can maintain a high cadence. You'll save your knees, and won't wear yourself out muscling the pedals down.

Fail. Eat before your hungry, drink before your thirsty. I use the "moving time" clock on my cyclocomputer. I take 3-4 squirts of electrolyte drink every 15 minutes in hot weather, 20min in cooler weather, from the very start, whether I feel thirsty or not. Sometimes I wait the first 30-40min into the ride depending on intensity before starting that rotation. I never feel completely drained, I never get sloshy and heavy in the stomach. Your spacing may differ, experiment. I use NUUN, heavy electrolytes, no calories, I get calories from...

I follow a similar structured format for food. 1x Larabar on the hour, every hour after beginning. Strategy worked well for me on a 120Mi 6.+xHr ride couple weeks back where I was testing extreme distance nutrition.

This sounds extremely unhealthy. Extreme dehydration? I drink that much befmore my morning snack on a day I'm not running/cycling. I drank 72oz over the course of my 66Mi ride this morning... In the home stretch I polished off my extra, I probably only need around 60oz.

Still... Drink more, drink early, space it out so it's not all on your stomach heavy.

Wow... I would be hurting with that much food... and 4 clif bars... your gonna be sleeping on the couch with as much gas as you'll be expelling.

YMMV

You don't need a saddle bag...
Left:
- Waterproof mini-sack drawstring sack w/: multitool, tube, tire levers, patch kit.
- Ziplock bag with some first aid+ cellphone + ID/VISA

Center:
- 24oz water bottle (for refilling one of my 24oz camelbak frame bottles)

Right:
- 4 Larabars (I have fit 6+the below for my recent 120Mi ride)(I was planning for 5 hours, was supposed to be 75 miles... google maps planning fail, only 66....so only took me 4:15. And I was already back near my destination... and just meh about doing a local nearby loop to finish it off, my goal was adding the third mountain climb, success! mileage was a secondary thing)
- 2 clif shots as backup
- NUUN tube to re-electrolye-ify water on refill.

Didn't use the gels, didn't need the 4th larabar... ate it anyway =o also polished it off on home stretch. Oh well, I'll just get fat.

No saddle bag wagging around under my ass. Invest in a 3-pocket jersey, then use them.

I went with frame pump this ride. I trade off between framepump or co2 in center pocket with tools. Since I had the extra unusual load of the water bottle... I went with frame pump. I probably could have squeezed the co2 in there, meh, whatever.

Taken this morning, when I saw the saddle bag comments... Couldn't sync until this evening when back in Atl.
https://img834.imageshack.us/img834/9650/p1209100000.jpg
https://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2756/p1209100002.jpg
https://img121.imageshack.us/img121/9050/3mtn.jpg
Up Signal Mtn and back down, crossed Suck Creek Mtn and down into and passed through Sequachee Valley, crossed Signal Mtn from the backside to get back into Spring Valley.

undisputed83

I do have the traditional cycling jersey which is were the cliff bars and gu packs went. The saddle bag doesn't bother me so I do intend to keep it.

THe lack of fluids was very uncharacteristic for me. I usually consume 40oz every 33 miles. I don't know why I wasn't thirsty today. I"m still not thristy. So it will be interesting to see how tomorrow is different.

As far as the cadance and my posture and everything, I"m sure I could use some coaching. Even coaching as to which ring I should be on and when could probably help. And when I should come out of the seat and such.

As far as the gas from going to Long Horns... I've been dropping ass since I left...

I already have my four cliff bars, and two gu packs. So that will have to do. I will stop at the store though for more food in between.

StephenH

Sounds good.

On the eating- I have trouble with that, especially when it's hot. I'm basically drinking all I can and feel half bloated and don't feel like eating much then.

It has occurred to me on a ride or two "Hey, I'm working hard, but I've eaten less than I would have had I been in the office."

logdrum

This made me laugh B. Don't know why. Do you write for a living?

banerjek

So how did things go?

undisputed83

I took off this morning from Orono at 8:15. My original plan was to leave at 6:00am again, but due to the fact it was pretty chilly out, I decided to sleep a little later and not freeze my ass off again.

I felt pretty sore when I got out of bed. I had some tenderness around my knee caps, and my thigh muscles were tight. I had a lot of uncertainty. I took off in my bibs and short sleeve jersey in 49 degree temperature, with very overcast skies with a 60% chance of rain. I had my four cliff bars, and two Gu's in my jersey. I rode the first 20 miles trying to get loose, but I felt flat and sore. I continued on to mile 40 where I stopped for trail mix. Right as I got to that gas station is started pouring. So I stayed under the canopy that covered the gas pumps as I ate my trail mix. I debated on heading back out, but I knew I'd be miserable if I got wet given how cold it was.

Luckly the rain stopped a few minutes later and I headed out. I got to mile 65 where there was a gas station I stopped at yesterday. I got some more trail mix, and some rice crispies treats, just because I'm a binge eater and it sounded good. When I got back on the bike, my legs didn't want to work at all. My left leg was extremely achey, especially when I stood up out of my seat. I tried doing everything I could do to bring some life back to my legs. I ate both of gu packs, and ate another cliff bar. The Augusta line was 8 miles up the road, and it took me an hour to cover that distance with not that many hills. At that moment, I felt like throwing in the towel. The skies were ominous, my body seemed to be shutting down. My mother told me to call her if I couldn't make it, and said she would bring me to my apartment. I ended up deciding to go forward. I trucked along a little quicker, but I was still in pain, and accepted the fact that I would probably not make it home before dark should I ride the rest of it out.

About 15 miles later, I notice the back end of my bike is swaying as I'm going up a gradual climb. I looked at my tire and it was flat. It must have had a small puncture because I never heard it blow, and there was still a little bit of air in there. It took me about 15 minutes to change the tube because my tire is such a tight fit on my wheel. I pumped my tire and I couldn't get a lot of air in it. I'm guessing it had probably 55-60psi. For the life of me I couldn't get any more air in there. I figured I was probably screwed. I pedaled about a mile and saw this guy out mowing his lawn and asked him if he had a pump. He told me to meet him in his garage. He had about four different kinds, none of them really bike pumps, and none fit my valve. So for the heck of it, I took my emergency pump off my bike and tried putting more air in again, and I got quite a bit in. It was probably up to about 80-85 psi. The difference was that that time I had pumped it with the tire ON the bike... where the first time I pumped it with it off the bike. So it was a lot firmer the second time.

I climbed back onto my bike thinking I was probably screwed after being off the bike for so long. I figured my legs were all seized up, and wouldn't pedal. But to my surprise, they had actually come back to life. I actually felt pretty strong. Probably about as strong as I was in the early stages of yesterday's ride. I don't know if it was the gu packs, or maybe it was psychological. Because I became very determined once I blew my tire. Miles 100-135 ended up being the fastest of the ride today. I was able to zip up hills. The soreness in my left leg was gone for the most part. I took it easy in some areas because I didn't wanna blow another tube. And stopped one more time to eat.

I rolled into my driveway about 9:05. Just under 13 hours from when I left. I took me about 1:45 longer than yesterday, but pulling onto Main Street in westbrook was the greatest feeling. I covered roughly 280 miles since I left there on my bike yesterday.

I had a couple mechanical issues. With about 20 or so miles to go, my front derailler quit, and I was stuck on the little ring. And my bar tape came undone. And of course the tire.

Another tid bit... I mastered the art of reaching around to the back of my jersey to get a cliff bar out, undo the wrapper, and eat it while still pedaling along. The first few attempts at that weren't pretty. But I"m a pro now... Another weird note... I drank very little water yesterday... only 40 ounces plus about 12 ounces of milk... Today was the exact same only I had one more 20oz bottle. Still way less than I drink on my centuries.