Snuffleupagus

So, after much debating and such I picked up a Litespeed Vela today. Very nice bike - and coming from a too big 63cm Raleigh Supercourse the L "58cm" frame with a 120mm stem fits nicely, a teeny, tiny bit tight, but since I intend to fit aero bars for the occasional tri I think it'll work perfectly.

So this afternoon I set out to break the bike in properly. Now keep in mind I haven't put any serious road mileage in since last fall, and my primary exercise in recent months has come mainly from shorter runs (3-5 miles) and ~1 hour long MTB sessions. A few long 12-15 mile trail runs, two MTB races, and some 2-4 hour MTB rides since Feb/March, but overall nothing especially tough. So I set out for an "easy 20 mile ride" I get to 10 miles and don't want to turn around quite yet. 15 miles, same deal. 20 miles, "well I think the road intersects with another way home ahead." 27.8 miles..."where in the heck..." 32.5 miles, the intersection, and a road sign showing 20 miles back home. D'oh. At around 40 miles in my slight stupor I see a sign for 'Water Point 1 - Military Use Only' (riding the back roads on Ft. Bragg) and pull off hoping to refill my water bottles. No such luck. Didn't exactly plan hydration wise for a 53 mile ride. End of story, I eventually make it back to where I was parked, get off the bike, and collapse in the sand for a few minutes staring at the sky. Wheee. Pack up, drink some water and some gatorade. Averaged 16mph over a relentlessly hilly (lots of smaller, steep hills) course. All in all a decent ride considering my lack of road miles as of late.

Then I decide I need to go to the store to get myself some foodstuffs, as I hadn't eaten any more than 1000 calories that day. By now I'm feeling really, really queasy. Barely make it through Wally World's food section (I know, I know - no one else is open at 9:15 at night) to the checkout. Kinda bent over my cart contemplating how exactly I'm not gonna yak right there. Got some spaghetti sauce, milk, cereal and a lil' container of Ben and Jerry's vanilla ice cream. Perfect to augment my endurance hydration formula powder eh? So as I'm walking out to the poorly lit parking lot I see two guys eying my bike (locked to the rack on top of my vehicle) and ask "What's up?" not knowing if they were just in awe of its sexiness or trying to rip it off. They just complimented it and walked off, so heck, either way its a win. I've still got my bike, and people in Wal-Mart parking lots think its cool.

So I eventually make it home, filled up with enough fluid, I still feel like puking. So, I do. Somehow a rouge nation living within the depths my electrolyte deprived brain is subsequently able to convince my more reasonable parts that I should eat a little vanilla ice cream. That comes up too. Now the most reasonable course of action is to go to sleep. So, now here I sit typing at 2am, because I got up an hour ago with a pounding headache and incredibly dehydrated. Drank some recovery stuffs, and ate a little cereal, and started feeling a little better. So, in short, dang - what a ride.

1955

You're lucky your not in a hospital with an IV drip going. Take a rest and just stare at the new bike tomorrow.

Snuffleupagus

I've got a saline bag handy Yes, poor hydration strategy does equal pain.

goldfish

well, on the plus side, you've got a sweet bike and an awesome webbernet name going there

-=(8)=-

Great story !
Hope for many more with that hot, new rig !

simplyred

The good thing is that your virgin ride with your Litespeed is one you won't forget...
I'm glad you just yakked and didn't collapse on the floor for a family member to find you later....

This is the essence of biking... just riding until something says stop and bask in that feeling of tiredness and happiness all at once...

LOVE it..
Just make sure you hydrate enough though... You take 2 bottles?

stealthbiker

Only advice I can add is to not puke on your cycling shoes. Impossible to get the smell out!

2manybikes

You left your Litespeed out side on the car in a Wal Mart parking lot?

Litespeeds don't go 20 miles..anything under 60 is very difficult.

Snuffleupagus

As I found out yesterday it demanded distance.

I'm running two bottles as well, I think I actually would have been okay if the service station just past the 30 mile point hadn't been closed.