AlphaDogg

Tomorrow, I'm doing an imperial half century (50 miles) with my riding partner. I have the Denver Bicycle Touring Club Map, so if I get lost, I'm covered. To Coloradoans who may know the area, I'm riding the Cherry Creek MUP from my house to the junction at the Platte River, I'm taking the south Platte Trail to the Bear Creek (?) trail, and then turning around. What should I eat? Bring? Backpack? I've been getting chafed lately, so I think I'll stop at REI or another bike shop for some chamois cream. I'll probably stop at the local PBS on the way back to take advantage of 30% points so I can get a real road helmet (using an MTB one right now).

We're planning on averaging around 15mph (on 25ish mile rides, I can average 20, but I'm not sure about longer ones), so it shouldn't take us longer than 3 (or 4 at the maximum) hours.

Here's the list of what I'm bringing/wearing:
Wallet ($10 cash and my debit card)
DBTC Map
iPhone
A gel
A Clif (or Powerbar) bar
Sunglasses
Helmet
Short sleeve jersey
Bibs
Gloves
SPD-SL shoes
Spare tube, CO2 (2 cartridges), multitool, patch kit, spoke wrench (contents of my saddle bag)

FrenchFit 

Probably nothing more than I'd bring for 5 miles, 'cept more water and a few snacks...a few more cigarettes, a chamois perhaps ...depending on the saddle. You're talking about a ...3 hr ride?

JustinHorne

With all due respect:
You have ~ 1400 posts, and your signature thing says you're at about 1200 miles for the year. Do you really need help knowing how to pack for a 30 mile ride? That's an hour and a half ish at a normal pace, maybe 2 hours. I'd eat before hand, get dressed (Yes, in your bibs, jersey, and SPD sl shoes [don't use flip flops], grab a couple bottles and maybe my phone, and go. It's not THAT hard.

Also: If you're planning on buying a new helmet during the ride... What are you going to do with the other one?

dwellman

Seriously?

I think I'd just take two bottles (with Nuun) and what I always carry: phone, id, multitool, and tube. It's just a three hour ride, right?

AlphaDogg

If you read the post, you would have seen that I am doing 50 miles. That's almost double 30 miles. Also, the mile tracker in my signature hasn't been updated since mid-last year and is supposed to reset every year.. I actually have about 900 miles so far this year.

I called the local PBS (Performance Bike Shop) and they said that I could buy a new helmet, leave my old one there, and come to pick it up on the way back. The local PBS is about 8 miles from my house, so it shouldn't be too difficult having it strapped to my backpack (if I bring one) for that long. If I don't bring a backpack, I'll figure something out (attaching it to my bars, to my arm, top tube of my frame, etc...)

I was really intending for this to be more of a "What should I eat the night before" thread. I've had days when I'm really slow, and days when I'm really fast, and since I don't track what I eat, I don't know if nutrition is a cause or not.

I just remember the last time I did this ride, I didn't drink enough, so I got pretty dehydrated. Just want to avoid things like that happening.

Oh yeah.. I forgot to mention, I'll be bringing two 25oz insulated Camelbak bottles. I don't like putting Nuun and such in them because it leaves a residual taste. I'll put Nuun in one (because I learned their taste absorbing properties the hard way and have one that tastes of Nuun).

FrenchFit 

Why a helmet, are you planning to go trail riding?

AlphaDogg

Oh ****, not this argument again...

Vlaam4ever

I was really intending for this to be more of a "What should I eat the night before" thread. I've had days when I'm really slow, and days when I'm really fast, and since I don't track what I eat, I don't know if nutrition is a cause or not.[/QUOTE]

I always make sure I eat 10-20 hot wings and a pitcher or 2 of PBR. If I'm still hungry I'll add an order of sweet potato tots, on the way home I may stop at Zestos for an ice cream. I keep Goodys powder and Malox close by for that early 7 am alarm clock so I can go slam out a quick 50-70 miler before lunch on Saturday and sitting by the pool before doing this same thin on Saturday night for my sunday ride

YMMV but feel free to adopt and adapt my method. I've actually used this for the past 4 weeks and have done well with it. This week I'll change it up to add some NUUN

Mike F

Good luck and have fun Sounds like you got everything covered.

dwellman

Heh. I only ever put Nuun or water, so. . . I guess I never noticed. But yeah I'd drink at least that much. I don't drink much anything for 15-20 miles and then start 4 oz about every 10-15 minutes. By the next ten miles: bottle empty.


Anyway, how'd it go?

Oh, here's a tip I just thought of: Before long runs or events (like Ragnar or The Bear, or half marathons, whatnot) I'll pop an NSAID and a 5 hour energy around an hour before start. Naproxen (Aleve) works the best for me, but they all basically work the same (acetaminophen/Tylenol is not an NSAID) . Consider either dosing yourself with one or taking some with you.

MikeyBoyAz

for 50mi I would just bring water that already has a small amount of sugar (glucose) in it... Other than that... nothing that I wouldn't take anyway. Pack light for a 50 mile trip.

ilovecycling

Eat nutritious food for dinner the night before, but eat early enough so that you go to bed a little hungry. I was reading a recent issue of RBA magazine and they had an article where they shared a tip that Eddy Merckx shared with them. Eddy says one of his biggest performance secrets was going to bed a bit hungry. He said if your body doesn't have to waste energy digesting food while sleeping, it will use that energy to repair muscles instead. He claims that it was his secret to having fresh legs before each race. Just thought that was interesting enough to share, but in the end we're only talking about 50 miles here. My fiance just did a half-century about a month ago and it was only the 3rd time she had even ridden her bike this year. The first two rides were under 20 miles. She had no problems with the half-century and barely prepared for it. She's not a strong rider by any means...

Just stay hydrated and sleep well the night before. Finally, HTFU for the best results.

Bike Gremlin

And no SEX!


It's a short ride. Just drink a lot of water and go with the pace that's comfortable. More than that could ba a bother, but this: just relax. Eat whatever you like.

AlphaDogg

I just got back. The heat was killing me! My bike computer registered as low as 92ºF and as high as 98ºF. I refilled my bottles about 3 times. That's 150oz that I drank! I got a new helmet at the beginning of the ride, and my mom (I'm a high school junior) went to the bike shop later and picked it up. It all worked out! I snapped tons of pictures (while riding... I know, shame on me) and I'll post them later. Now I just have to get that layer of crusty electrolytes off of my skin.

I ended up eating all of a 6" sandwich from Subway during the ride and that was it.

Coloradoans: I rode from uptown Denver to mid-Littleton and back.

Total ride: 53.00 miles on the dot. And yes, I swear I didn't do laps around my neighborhood to round that off...

otg 

Fine job!

AlphaDogg

Also forgot to mention that I lost a cleat bolt on the ride. It was weird. I hit a bump and I heard a metallic "clink." I thought maybe I hit some metallic object, but my riding partner said something fell off my bike. So we stopped and turned around. I lost a cleat bolt and the little plate that the bolt sits on. I found the plate, but not the bolt. I hobbled over to the bike shop that's down towards where I was going and got a new bolt. I took a slight detour to get there, but it was well worth the insurance that my cleat won't detach in my pedal. I tightened the bolts (on both shoes) down tight so it won't happen again.

Here's a link to the photobucket album: https://s736.photobucket.com/albums/x...rail%206-8-12/

fishymamba

Nice ride man!!! Just one thing......where are the hills??

AlphaDogg

Not where I rode. I'll probably do some laps around the reservoir for some hill training tomorrow.

rebel1916

Here's a tip, don't bother betting on I'll Have Another at Belmont tomorrow.

AlphaDogg

Whoosh... You went right over my head with that one.

rebel1916

Gambling advice/ inside info is called a tip. Google the rest.

UCIMBZ

Did you say 50mls or 50mls a day till you reach an open body of water?

dwellman

I lost a cleat bolt on a ride, too. Thought my pedal busted, at first, but no. Rode like that for around 11 miles til I got home. Turns out, just missing a bolt. Couldn't find the spares so I had to pony up $20 for a replacement set at one of the LBSes

jmccain

Said the Skipper to Gilligan.

Ooompa Loompa