Had a great ride - 200km
04-29-03 | 10:08 PM
#1
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 980
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From: Oz
Had a great ride - 200km
Had a great ride on Sunday - 200km. I have done 200km a few times before but the other times it nearly killed me, this time it was a breeze!
I had done a pretty hard ride (about 30km uphill, the rest undulating) a couple of days before and I was still feeling pretty tired from it, especially the muscles in my legs. My body wanted to wimp out and stay in bed but my mind said "No way, you're riding mister!"
The first 15-20km were very tough, not the terrain (there were a few hills but nothing to spectacular), but only the fact that my body was tired from the previous ride. I couldn't find my rythym and even though it was cold (only about 10deg C) and I was only wearing shorts, jersey and rain jacket I was sweating like a pig. And it was raining. Why am I doing this I was asking myself.
One of the other guys I was riding with decided to turn back at about the 20km mark, not sure why, probably the weather. I was actually starting to come good by this time and I figured I was already wet and cold so things can only get better. So I continued on.
The rain kept coming and going, mostly showers but some torrential. The further I rode the better I felt! I couldn't believe it. Maybe it was the big plate of Spag Bol I had consumed the night before kicking in?
Then I punctured. Bugger. First puncture I've had on my 6 month old roadie. Luckily one of the other guys I was riding with stopped to help oir I'd probably still be there wrestling with the greasy rim and tyre.
About 15-20 minutes later I finally had the puncture fixed and was on my way again. All the others, except John who helped with the puncture, had continued on and by this time were well out of sight many kilometres up the road.
We continued on, picking up the pace a bit in an effort to try to catch up with the others but two hours later they still eluded us.
By this time we were pretty much at the halfway point of the ride so we decided to stop for a quick lunch. A toasted Ham, Cheese & Tomato sandwich has never tasted this good before. We finished our toasted sandwiches and got back on the bikes, not wanting our muscles to seize up from too long a break and also still hoping to catch up to the others.
About an hour or so later we came to the Range. Having ridden this route a couple of times before so we knew what to expect, but I was still wary and hoped I didn't hit the wall. My worries were unfounded. I sailed up like the hills were hardly there. I kept expecting longer and steeper hills, thinking they were just around the next corner.
All of a sudden we had arrived at the top of these hills and made the left hand turn to continue the journey - downhill! Yee haaa! I was still cautious not to overdo it too much as I still had about 60km to go and there were still a few smaller hills to go over yet.
I was amazed at how good I was still feeling, recalling last year on the same ride at the same time I was starting to bonk and my posterior felt like I had just spent the night with the Village People.
The journey continued. We had passed two other riders from the bunch but the main group were still nowhere in sight. We found out later that they had stopped for an extended lunch at the bakery and were actually about 30km behind us!
There was now just one hill between me and the finish. Heartbreak Hill I called it as on previous occassions it had nearly beaten me and had taken every bit of reserve strength to climb it and ride the 5km or so to the finish. Not today though! I sailed up this one, didn't even get out of the saddle, and pumped down the other side and pretty much sprinted the last few kms home.
I was stoked that I had completed the ride and was feeling so fresh still. Not that it was a race (it can get a bit competitive) but I was the second person to finish. The first guy (bloody recumberant rider!) actually finished about 2 hours before, but he doesn't count, he's just a machine.
Total riding time for 199.93km was 8hr 14min. The total time including breaks (puncture, lunch etc) was probably closer to 9hrs.:thumbup:
I had done a pretty hard ride (about 30km uphill, the rest undulating) a couple of days before and I was still feeling pretty tired from it, especially the muscles in my legs. My body wanted to wimp out and stay in bed but my mind said "No way, you're riding mister!"
The first 15-20km were very tough, not the terrain (there were a few hills but nothing to spectacular), but only the fact that my body was tired from the previous ride. I couldn't find my rythym and even though it was cold (only about 10deg C) and I was only wearing shorts, jersey and rain jacket I was sweating like a pig. And it was raining. Why am I doing this I was asking myself.
One of the other guys I was riding with decided to turn back at about the 20km mark, not sure why, probably the weather. I was actually starting to come good by this time and I figured I was already wet and cold so things can only get better. So I continued on.
The rain kept coming and going, mostly showers but some torrential. The further I rode the better I felt! I couldn't believe it. Maybe it was the big plate of Spag Bol I had consumed the night before kicking in?
Then I punctured. Bugger. First puncture I've had on my 6 month old roadie. Luckily one of the other guys I was riding with stopped to help oir I'd probably still be there wrestling with the greasy rim and tyre.
About 15-20 minutes later I finally had the puncture fixed and was on my way again. All the others, except John who helped with the puncture, had continued on and by this time were well out of sight many kilometres up the road.
We continued on, picking up the pace a bit in an effort to try to catch up with the others but two hours later they still eluded us.
By this time we were pretty much at the halfway point of the ride so we decided to stop for a quick lunch. A toasted Ham, Cheese & Tomato sandwich has never tasted this good before. We finished our toasted sandwiches and got back on the bikes, not wanting our muscles to seize up from too long a break and also still hoping to catch up to the others.
About an hour or so later we came to the Range. Having ridden this route a couple of times before so we knew what to expect, but I was still wary and hoped I didn't hit the wall. My worries were unfounded. I sailed up like the hills were hardly there. I kept expecting longer and steeper hills, thinking they were just around the next corner.
All of a sudden we had arrived at the top of these hills and made the left hand turn to continue the journey - downhill! Yee haaa! I was still cautious not to overdo it too much as I still had about 60km to go and there were still a few smaller hills to go over yet.
I was amazed at how good I was still feeling, recalling last year on the same ride at the same time I was starting to bonk and my posterior felt like I had just spent the night with the Village People.
The journey continued. We had passed two other riders from the bunch but the main group were still nowhere in sight. We found out later that they had stopped for an extended lunch at the bakery and were actually about 30km behind us!
There was now just one hill between me and the finish. Heartbreak Hill I called it as on previous occassions it had nearly beaten me and had taken every bit of reserve strength to climb it and ride the 5km or so to the finish. Not today though! I sailed up this one, didn't even get out of the saddle, and pumped down the other side and pretty much sprinted the last few kms home.
I was stoked that I had completed the ride and was feeling so fresh still. Not that it was a race (it can get a bit competitive) but I was the second person to finish. The first guy (bloody recumberant rider!) actually finished about 2 hours before, but he doesn't count, he's just a machine.
Total riding time for 199.93km was 8hr 14min. The total time including breaks (puncture, lunch etc) was probably closer to 9hrs.:thumbup:
04-29-03 | 10:16 PM
#2
Canadian eh?
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,146
Likes: 116
From: Toronto
Bikes: 2025 Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 0
Congrats.
I have a ride where I do 200km (well 192km). It is from my door in Toronto, Ontario to my friends door in London, Ontario. There are a few hills in the route that I take. I like to go when I have a nice tailwind. I'm out int he farmland for 110km of the ride and its just nice to get out in the open.
I have a ride where I do 200km (well 192km). It is from my door in Toronto, Ontario to my friends door in London, Ontario. There are a few hills in the route that I take. I like to go when I have a nice tailwind. I'm out int he farmland for 110km of the ride and its just nice to get out in the open.
