Originally Posted by
Scott P
I Like I mentioned in my previous post, I pretty much only ride in my area of Kingwood and Porter, It's a neighborhood ride, so lots of neighborhood streets meaning more corners than long straights. I started riding 50+ pounds ago on my mountain bike with street tires. I could average about 30 miles at 15-16 mph, but that was tough. I bought my Defy in November so I could have a road bike for the MS150. My speed picked up and I could ride longer, but my average pace stayed about the same. When I did my first group ride in Humble (Lions Club), I found that I was going a lot faster than normal without really noticing it. I averaged almost 19 mph at the first rest stop. A headwind for the rest of the ride brought that average down to 17 mph by the end. I guess for me, there was a bit of a competitive thing going where I wanted to keep up with the riders around me.
The MS150 will be interesting to say the least. It is my first one and will be the longest I've ever ridden. I feel capable of doing it, but really don't think I am as ready as i want to be, if that makes sense. I am more worried about the second day. My legs seem to want to give in to soreness a lot easier than I want them too. I'm not very good at holding deep squats or even something as simple as a wall squat for too long. I can try to work on that over the next two weeks, but I don[t know how much difference it could actually make. I'm trying for back to back rides this weekend, weather permitting and one team ride next weekend.
Scott, first of all, as somebody who has MS, let me say thanks for riding for me! And I know exactly what you mean about not feeling entirely ready. My first MS150 had a 15 mph headwind and a heat index of 105-110F. I had ridden almost exclusively flat roads to train, and my longest training ride was about 40 miles. The first day of that ride, from San Antonio to Beeville was nonstop rolling hills. I made it about 70 miles before I gave in to the heat and dehydration.
The one thing that will get better over time for you is getting to know how your body feels in response to proper hydration and nutrition. It took me several years to really learn what foods work best and what things to stay away from. Most of all, many newer group riders get very tense and flush with adrenaline early in rides, and as a result they ride harder and forget to drink early in the rides. About 20 miles in, the adrenaline wears off, the lack of hydration starts to catch up to them, and they spend the rest of the ride trying to recover from overdoing it early and trying to rehydrate. If you can concentrate on those two things early in the day, you will do just fine. Day one especially is a long day...so don't get caught up trying to go hard early in the ride. If you start at Tully, the first 40 miles or so will be flat. Use those miles to conserve energy and stay well hydrated. About 7 miles before lunch is when the hills will begin, and you want to go into them well hydrated and ready to work hard. If you are exhausted and dehydrated when you get there, it will be a long day after that.
Most of all, try to have fun with it. If you end up with mechanicals or physical issues that cause you to SAG, it isn't the end of the world. There is always next year to improve on whatever you accomplish this year. Take the time to read the signs of the folks cheering on the side of the road, take the time to wave at the kids standing next to their mom with MS who is in a wheelchair, take the time to enjoy the wildflowers, and soak up the party energy from the folks in Fayetteville. Above all, on day two, even if you have to SAG, get them to let you out before the finish and ride through the finish in downtown Austin. Riding in front of all those folks cheering is just a really magical experience. By then, you will have done the really important part...which is the fundraising...getting to ride is just the reward for all the training and fundraising. Make sure to enjoy that part of it. Thanks again for riding, I hope your training goes well the next couple of weeks, and good luck on the way to Austin!