I’m so excited I just gota tell you all about it. Next Thursday and Friday (Oct 3 & 4) I’ll be on my first organized ride. With about 1,000 riders it’s also my first “mass” ride. Details about the ride are at www.keystoneride.com

We’re going to start in the upper right corner of Pa.(near the Pa/NY/NJ border) and cycle through the beautiful Delaware Water Gap & down to Philadelphia. It will be 57 miles the first day and 52 the next. The Governor of the state is going, and we will be stopping at various sites so he can do promos for Pa tourism and so we can get free tours & food. The ride ends with a visit to the Philadelphia Art Museum followed by a cookout in the park behind the museum.

This ride treats you like kings. State cops stop traffic for you, full sag, & medical crew following, free food the whole way. At the end of the ride they will bus most people back to the start for their cars, but I will keep on cycling into New Jersey to visit relatives.

I know that I’m up to doing 57 miles one day but don’t know if my 52 year old muscles will recover enough to do the second day. Last weekend I did 3 days of 40, 30 and 28 miles. I wasn’t to tired and probably could have gone farther if I had the time. This weekend is my last training weekend. On Saturday I’ll do two rides of 20 miles each and on Sunday I’ll do one 50 miler. I will do only light riding on Monday to Wednesday just to keep my legs limber.

Well what do you think?
Wish me luck!

MikeR, sounds like you have it pretty well dialled in. If you got that mileage last weekend with no ill effects, as you said, then the 57-52 combo shouldn't give you a problem, especially if you follow through with your tapering next week.

Good luck, have a great ride, and give us a report afterward!

MikeR,

You will be fine. I did the Face of America ride last weekend, 3 days, 270 miles from Ground Zero in NYC to the Pentagon. Prior to that, I had done back to back 50/25 mile rides on a few weekends, in addition to shorter rides during the week. The first day of the 3-day ride was 82 miles, the second was 126, and the third was 75. I was a little sore the second and third mornings, but was amazed at the fact that I was able to push myself to finish each day--and that was after sleeping in a 2-person tent in extremely damp air each night. FWIW, I'm 47 years old.

Just pace yourself--don't concern yourself with the people that are passing you. Ride your own ride, at a pace that you know you'll be able to maintain throughout each day. Make sure you eat and hydrate throughout the ride, and especially once you get off the bike for the day. If there's a masseuse available, take advantage, and if not, gently massage your legs at the end of the day, rubbing toward your heart to help your muscles recover.

Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

Sue

MikeR ,Sounds like a good time!Posts some pictures later if you can.Great your Governor has a event like this. I don't think I would want to be anywhere around the Governor of our state on a bike after he has made so many people mad!

Hey, Hillyman, have you seen the bumperstickers that say "Our Governor is a bigger crook than your governor"?

No ,But now I want one!

MikeR, sounds to me like you are all set!! Pace yourself, and have a ball!! I started riding a bike just overe a year ago, and last Saturday my 53 year old legs managed to get me through a century ride! Not the fastest, but I made it!! Looked at the web site, and I think you will have a lot of fun! I don't think our Governor even knows what a bike is! If you should see yours, tell him "Way to go!!"

MikeR, this sounds like a fantastic trip. Have a blast.

I did a two-day ride in Napa a few years back with about the same mileage and same training. No sweat.

Unfortunately, two-day rides are hard for me to do and I haven't done one since.

Please do give us a report back.

I rode 38 miles on Saturday and did 50 miles on Sunday. I felt tired but not sore Sunday night. This morning I feel great. So I think that I’m ready for the ride on Thursday.

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and good advice. I am taking a digital camera so I should have some pictures to post with my ride report.

The Keystone ride started with our previous governor, Tom Ridge of Homeland Security fame. This may be the last year for the Keystone ride. There’s a change of Governors coming and I don’t know if either of the candidates cycle.

I envy you. Last year I didn't make a century because of a knee injury. This year a tight schedule slowed my training.

I plan to ride all winter so that next spring I don't have to re-build my base miles. A century is my goal for 2003.