Sound Off for Breathless Agony!
05-07-12, 12:04 PM
#51
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What a wonderful day to ride. From the look on Strava it looks like few records where broken! Man those guys and gals at the top of the Strava leaderboard are just animals!!!
Ps. Congrats to all that completed the ride.
Ps. Congrats to all that completed the ride.
05-07-12, 12:56 PM
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I made it and I had a lot of fun. That's the bottom line.
The day got off to a great start, the ride was going well and I was a few minutes ahead of schedule through RS2. I was riding a pace I could maintain and get to the top in 7.5 hours. I ate a good breakfast, I hydrated from the moment I awoke, I took electolyte caps (Hammer Endurolytes), I ate bananas and cheeze its at the rest stops, I drank gatorade and Perpetuem on the ride and STILL I cramped up starting halfway up to the Forest Falls turn. From there to the summit, it was a battle against the cramps. I took a 1/2 hour at RS3 and that really seemed to help. No cramps until after Barton Flats. There were times that I wanted to quit, but I had worked too hard to prepare for this ride. I kept telling myself, "You have until 3:30 to get to the top, stop when you need to, but keep moving as much as you can." I got to the top at 2:50pm, just under 9 hours after I started.
Everything cramped. Inner thighs (the worst), calves, toes, arch of feet, abdominals, that funny little muscle at the elbow, even back spasms. I'm not sure what else I can do.
But the cramps didn't dampen my enthusiam. I had so much fun. The weather was perfect (except for the dense fog on Gilman). And The dreaded dirt section on Oak Glen wasn't bad. A budy of mine started at 6:45 and was at RS2 before 10am. He didn't intend to start so late and had an "oh sh*t" moment on Oak Glen when the dreaded water truck passed him. He lucked out; the truck was not spraying and it pulled off to fill its tank after it passed him so he made it through. Did anyone have to ride up Oak Glen after the water truck?
I met RickOCRR and CalamariChris's girlfriend on the way to Onyx. Thank you so much for the gatorade. It was very nice to meet you both. Thanks to Robert, Chuck and all of the volunteers. It was a very well run event.
The only disappointment of the day was back at Sylvan Park. The food line ran out of chicken, so I was stuck with a veggie burrito. But I bought my finisher jersey and I will wear it proudly at Heartbreak. (Oh God, now I'm deciding what to wear two weeks before an event!
)
On April 2, 2011 I weighed 260lbs. The day before BA I weighed 205lbs. In mid-August last year, I got back on the bike for the first time in five years. Thanks to Robert for getting me ready. His Torture Prelude, Torture Clinic and Speed and Power Clinic really paid off. When I walked into his shop last September to sign up for the Torture Prelude, I could barely ride 30 flat miles to the beach and back from my house. Now, I've finished two thirds of the KOM Challenge. I feel great and I'm having a blast. I hope to meet more of you out at Heartbreak.
The day got off to a great start, the ride was going well and I was a few minutes ahead of schedule through RS2. I was riding a pace I could maintain and get to the top in 7.5 hours. I ate a good breakfast, I hydrated from the moment I awoke, I took electolyte caps (Hammer Endurolytes), I ate bananas and cheeze its at the rest stops, I drank gatorade and Perpetuem on the ride and STILL I cramped up starting halfway up to the Forest Falls turn. From there to the summit, it was a battle against the cramps. I took a 1/2 hour at RS3 and that really seemed to help. No cramps until after Barton Flats. There were times that I wanted to quit, but I had worked too hard to prepare for this ride. I kept telling myself, "You have until 3:30 to get to the top, stop when you need to, but keep moving as much as you can." I got to the top at 2:50pm, just under 9 hours after I started.
Everything cramped. Inner thighs (the worst), calves, toes, arch of feet, abdominals, that funny little muscle at the elbow, even back spasms. I'm not sure what else I can do.
But the cramps didn't dampen my enthusiam. I had so much fun. The weather was perfect (except for the dense fog on Gilman). And The dreaded dirt section on Oak Glen wasn't bad. A budy of mine started at 6:45 and was at RS2 before 10am. He didn't intend to start so late and had an "oh sh*t" moment on Oak Glen when the dreaded water truck passed him. He lucked out; the truck was not spraying and it pulled off to fill its tank after it passed him so he made it through. Did anyone have to ride up Oak Glen after the water truck?
I met RickOCRR and CalamariChris's girlfriend on the way to Onyx. Thank you so much for the gatorade. It was very nice to meet you both. Thanks to Robert, Chuck and all of the volunteers. It was a very well run event.
The only disappointment of the day was back at Sylvan Park. The food line ran out of chicken, so I was stuck with a veggie burrito. But I bought my finisher jersey and I will wear it proudly at Heartbreak. (Oh God, now I'm deciding what to wear two weeks before an event!
)On April 2, 2011 I weighed 260lbs. The day before BA I weighed 205lbs. In mid-August last year, I got back on the bike for the first time in five years. Thanks to Robert for getting me ready. His Torture Prelude, Torture Clinic and Speed and Power Clinic really paid off. When I walked into his shop last September to sign up for the Torture Prelude, I could barely ride 30 flat miles to the beach and back from my house. Now, I've finished two thirds of the KOM Challenge. I feel great and I'm having a blast. I hope to meet more of you out at Heartbreak.
05-07-12, 01:15 PM
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Wowwie. Congratulations man! Any pointers? I've been gaining weight all year since I met Lauretta and started spending all my training time cooking & cuddling with her.
Glad you had a fun day too. I've been obsessing about riding back up there again. Such a beautiful place and a perfect day.
05-07-12, 01:29 PM
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On April 2, 2011 I weighed 260lbs. The day before BA I weighed 205lbs. In mid-August last year, I got back on the bike for the first time in five years. Thanks to Robert for getting me ready. His Torture Prelude, Torture Clinic and Speed and Power Clinic really paid off. When I walked into his shop last September to sign up for the Torture Prelude, I could barely ride 30 flat miles to the beach and back from my house. Now, I've finished two thirds of the KOM Challenge. I feel great and I'm having a blast. I hope to meet more of you out at Heartbreak.
05-07-12, 01:50 PM
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The first 30lbs I did strictly through dieting with very little exercise, mainly walking. I did Atkins. Lots of people bad mouth it without having studied it. I highly recommend you read his book if you're thinking of trying it. The short simplistic version is this:
Any carbs you ingest beyond what is necessary to top off your glycogen stores get converted to fat. Your body will use glycogen stores first before it metabolizes the energy stored in fat cells. The two week Induction period of the diet is like a controlled bonk with as few as 20g of carbs per day. After Induction, carbs are gradually reintroduced through the other 3 phases of the diet until you've reached your goal weight and know what level of carb intake will start putting the lbs back on.
It's hard to believe, but carbs, not fat, seem to be the enemy. At least for me. My doctor cringed when I told him how I'd been losing weight, but when he saw my blood work, especially the lipid panel, he was amazed. My BP went from 145/95 at 260lbs to 113/70 now.
The big caveat. It is not a diet you can cheat on in the beginning. Not. At. All. Induction is about teaching your body to metabolize fat. Any excess carbs during Induction will put whatever weight you lost plus more right back on. Ask me how I know.
Now that I'm at my goal weight and riding lots of miles, I am eating lots of carbs. But I weigh myself every day and if my exercise levels drop, so does my carb intake. If I gain two pounds, I go back on Induction for a few days. This isn't my first rodeo. I was down to 200lbs from 2003-2005, then marriage and work and life got in the way and I put it all back on until last April. But regaining the weight happens frequently to all dieters, not just Atkins. New research in the past few months shows that losing the weight is the easy part. Keeping the weight off long term is harder than the weight loss itself.
My wife dropped 40lbs on Weight Watchers while I was losing on Atkins. WW is a really good program. It works great for her. It is similar to Atkins and South Beach in that high carb foods are assigned the highest point values. Do your homework first and pick the diet that seems like it will work best for you. Oh, and weigh your food and write everything down. You have no idea how much you're eating until you see it written on a page. Good Luck. It can be done.
My wife came up with our new mantra and I say it to myself every time I see a plate of brownies:
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Any carbs you ingest beyond what is necessary to top off your glycogen stores get converted to fat. Your body will use glycogen stores first before it metabolizes the energy stored in fat cells. The two week Induction period of the diet is like a controlled bonk with as few as 20g of carbs per day. After Induction, carbs are gradually reintroduced through the other 3 phases of the diet until you've reached your goal weight and know what level of carb intake will start putting the lbs back on.
It's hard to believe, but carbs, not fat, seem to be the enemy. At least for me. My doctor cringed when I told him how I'd been losing weight, but when he saw my blood work, especially the lipid panel, he was amazed. My BP went from 145/95 at 260lbs to 113/70 now.
The big caveat. It is not a diet you can cheat on in the beginning. Not. At. All. Induction is about teaching your body to metabolize fat. Any excess carbs during Induction will put whatever weight you lost plus more right back on. Ask me how I know.
Now that I'm at my goal weight and riding lots of miles, I am eating lots of carbs. But I weigh myself every day and if my exercise levels drop, so does my carb intake. If I gain two pounds, I go back on Induction for a few days. This isn't my first rodeo. I was down to 200lbs from 2003-2005, then marriage and work and life got in the way and I put it all back on until last April. But regaining the weight happens frequently to all dieters, not just Atkins. New research in the past few months shows that losing the weight is the easy part. Keeping the weight off long term is harder than the weight loss itself.
My wife dropped 40lbs on Weight Watchers while I was losing on Atkins. WW is a really good program. It works great for her. It is similar to Atkins and South Beach in that high carb foods are assigned the highest point values. Do your homework first and pick the diet that seems like it will work best for you. Oh, and weigh your food and write everything down. You have no idea how much you're eating until you see it written on a page. Good Luck. It can be done.
My wife came up with our new mantra and I say it to myself every time I see a plate of brownies:
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Last edited by cdp8; 05-07-12 at 01:52 PM. Reason: typo
05-07-12, 02:00 PM
#56
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You know, speaking of running redlights, I was pretty annoyed with cyclists during the event. The organizer very clearly implored people to please stop at the red at the bottom of the first big descent (onto Bryant). When I did so (well, I slowed to as slow as possible without unclipping), probably 15 people blew past me and ran the right on red, a couple buzzing me way too close for comfort. It's a RED LIGHT people, at least california roll it at 3-4mph if you can't be bothered to stop. It's not like these people were doing it in <5 hours.
Eugene, I saw tons of people going the wrong way right where you described. I had to convince the people that were following me that I knew where I was going and everybody else was wrong. I showed them the route sheet and reluctantly they turned...meanwhile we watched 20+ people pedaling off down the wrong way. "Route Sheet Anxiety" is what I said to you that morning at my car....it's real!
The Edge 800 with the course preloaded on it helped out my anxiety a bit. Anyway I was up at Onyx peak for an hour or so chillin' and talking (and eating kettle chips), so I didn't make it back to the park until 3:30 or so.
Eugene, I saw tons of people going the wrong way right where you described. I had to convince the people that were following me that I knew where I was going and everybody else was wrong. I showed them the route sheet and reluctantly they turned...meanwhile we watched 20+ people pedaling off down the wrong way. "Route Sheet Anxiety" is what I said to you that morning at my car....it's real!
The Edge 800 with the course preloaded on it helped out my anxiety a bit. Anyway I was up at Onyx peak for an hour or so chillin' and talking (and eating kettle chips), so I didn't make it back to the park until 3:30 or so.The group you saw went about half a mile before turning around. https://app.strava.com/rides/7953910#z79|122 I saw (and turned around) two different groups about five minutes later. Turns out that there were lots of heavyweights in those groups - Trent Ford, David Nocera, Clark Wallace were all there.
Should have preloaded the route too. It looked like a straightforward ride!
I use iPhone for Strava. And it wasn't working out in Eastern SD county
05-07-12, 02:09 PM
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Re: the route.
I don't think the vast majority of the riders had any issue with the opening miles in Redlands. However, if the route continued on Cypress for another .1 - .3 of a mile before making a left onto Center St., Pacific St. or San Jacinto St., the issue that those few riders had could be avoided.
Or people could just be more responsible and pay attention to the route slip.
I don't think the vast majority of the riders had any issue with the opening miles in Redlands. However, if the route continued on Cypress for another .1 - .3 of a mile before making a left onto Center St., Pacific St. or San Jacinto St., the issue that those few riders had could be avoided.
Or people could just be more responsible and pay attention to the route slip.
05-07-12, 03:31 PM
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Good to meet you too! We did meet a lot of bikeforums riders and overall had a fun day supporting the ride.
Here we are at Checkpoint #2 in case you saw us and didn't know who we were!
Laurettafetta and Rick@OCRR
05-07-12, 03:42 PM
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Thanks so much for volunteering and working to make it such a memorable & fun day Rick!
I think you're a cool cat and I look forward to riding & eating pizza with you & Jackie one weekend this summer.
Hmm... part of my problem is I'm a decent cook and some of the things I make actually do taste that good.
That and my love of post-ride pepperoni pizza pie makes heroin-addiction seem like a vague craving for something salty.
I think you're a cool cat and I look forward to riding & eating pizza with you & Jackie one weekend this summer.
Hmm... part of my problem is I'm a decent cook and some of the things I make actually do taste that good.
That and my love of post-ride pepperoni pizza pie makes heroin-addiction seem like a vague craving for something salty.
05-07-12, 04:35 PM
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Found an interesting stat that the Garmin 800 tracks...pedal strokes (it's not avg cadence X time). It says BA took me 29,437 pedal strokes.
Sunday afternoon I weighed in 7lbs heavier than I've been over the last 12 months. WOW. I must have gone overboard on the salt intake during the ride. 10lbs heaver than I was at Hells Gate hundred just a month ago. Nuts.
I forgot to mention, the BACON at rest stop #3 was awesome (taken with gulps of Mountain Dew of course). It tops the Ramen noodles I had at the DV Spring Double...salt + fat is unbeatable on a ride. I think I'll start carrying some bacon with me on those longer rides
Sunday afternoon I weighed in 7lbs heavier than I've been over the last 12 months. WOW. I must have gone overboard on the salt intake during the ride. 10lbs heaver than I was at Hells Gate hundred just a month ago. Nuts.
I forgot to mention, the BACON at rest stop #3 was awesome (taken with gulps of Mountain Dew of course). It tops the Ramen noodles I had at the DV Spring Double...salt + fat is unbeatable on a ride. I think I'll start carrying some bacon with me on those longer rides
Last edited by jmX; 05-07-12 at 07:23 PM.
05-08-12, 03:04 PM
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More Breathless Agony photos by Lauretta can be found on the OCRR site by clicking on this link:
https://www.ocrebels.com/bits.htm#balauretta
Rick / OCRR
https://www.ocrebels.com/bits.htm#balauretta
Rick / OCRR
05-08-12, 03:07 PM
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So they actually HAD bacon??? They must have run out by 1 PM. I couldn't understand what the deal was with all the signs.
05-08-12, 08:40 PM
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Wow, nice work!
I had a fun time. But the last 1.5 hours were a trial as I was cramping up bad. My hamstrings would cramp when I was seated and the quads would cramp when I stood. Even my neck cramped. I've never had that happen before. I watched my power output drop lower and lower. I think I didn't drink enough for the first couple hours. I usually make up time on the last climb but not this time. I finished in about 5:20 which was a bit disapointing as I have done better. If I do it again I'll have to try starting at 7:15 with the fast guys and see if I can hang with them on the early flat parts. This time they caught me near the bottom of Damnation Alley.
On the way back down I caught a strong woman on the steeper part of the descent and we wound up working together the whole way back. Normally it's a miserable slog to get back because I'm hurting but this time I was doing ok. I didn't think I had it in me. I figured I'd work until I cracked but I didn't, and we got back in the fastest time I've ever done the return leg. When we checked in she thanked me for working with her.
I had a fun time. But the last 1.5 hours were a trial as I was cramping up bad. My hamstrings would cramp when I was seated and the quads would cramp when I stood. Even my neck cramped. I've never had that happen before. I watched my power output drop lower and lower. I think I didn't drink enough for the first couple hours. I usually make up time on the last climb but not this time. I finished in about 5:20 which was a bit disapointing as I have done better. If I do it again I'll have to try starting at 7:15 with the fast guys and see if I can hang with them on the early flat parts. This time they caught me near the bottom of Damnation Alley.
On the way back down I caught a strong woman on the steeper part of the descent and we wound up working together the whole way back. Normally it's a miserable slog to get back because I'm hurting but this time I was doing ok. I didn't think I had it in me. I figured I'd work until I cracked but I didn't, and we got back in the fastest time I've ever done the return leg. When we checked in she thanked me for working with her.
05-08-12, 09:02 PM
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Eugenek, there was bacon at stop 3. When I got there they had a plate of it, and they made me hold a pig statue for a kodak moment. I sat around quite a while at stop 3 to take more tylenol for my back and enjoy the bacon 'n' dew, and by the time I set off they announced it was all gone.
Eric, 5:20? Dude, awesome. Do you know what your NP was for the first 5:20 of the ride? Color me impressed. Mine looks like it was 214w for the first 6:14. In good form with no ailments, I could maaaybe pull a 5:40 (and I'll give it another try for sure). 5:20 is smoking fast.
Eric, 5:20? Dude, awesome. Do you know what your NP was for the first 5:20 of the ride? Color me impressed. Mine looks like it was 214w for the first 6:14. In good form with no ailments, I could maaaybe pull a 5:40 (and I'll give it another try for sure). 5:20 is smoking fast.
05-09-12, 07:05 AM
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On long solo rides, I'll often stop at a convenience store for beef jerky.
05-09-12, 07:08 AM
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Eric, 5:20? Dude, awesome. Do you know what your NP was for the first 5:20 of the ride? Color me impressed. Mine looks like it was 214w for the first 6:14. In good form with no ailments, I could maaaybe pull a 5:40 (and I'll give it another try for sure). 5:20 is smoking fast.
While cramping in quads and hammys, no less.
05-09-12, 12:39 PM
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Did Atkins & lost 40 lbs in three months. It came back. Some people I know who did Atkins in the first go around in the seventies warned me about this. I think your body adjusts to the Atkins diet and starts asking for more and more food just like it does when one is eating a high carb diet. Atkins does not tell you to monitor total calorie intake.
I lost the weight again (hopefully permanently) in 2009 by using weight watchers online to write down everything I ate. Now I just use Lose it! on iPhone to track my food intake. There are plenty of other apps as well. There really is no substitute. Food intake is like a checking account where everything you eat is a withdrawal. If you don't track it, you will most likely overeat.
For me, there is no level of exercise that will soak up my desire to eat food. More exercise just results in more eating. While this was not true before I turned 25, I need to track it these days.
Aside from overall weight, I keep protein intake at 40% of my calories. I want lean muscle mass, and that it how bodybuilders eat. Its not optimal for cycling prowess and certainly not for climbing, but its where I want to be.
So in summary, find a way to write all down. Atkins, ketosis is all blah, blah, blah. Yes too many carbs are not good for you, but its total calories that matter for weight loss.
I lost the weight again (hopefully permanently) in 2009 by using weight watchers online to write down everything I ate. Now I just use Lose it! on iPhone to track my food intake. There are plenty of other apps as well. There really is no substitute. Food intake is like a checking account where everything you eat is a withdrawal. If you don't track it, you will most likely overeat.
For me, there is no level of exercise that will soak up my desire to eat food. More exercise just results in more eating. While this was not true before I turned 25, I need to track it these days.
Aside from overall weight, I keep protein intake at 40% of my calories. I want lean muscle mass, and that it how bodybuilders eat. Its not optimal for cycling prowess and certainly not for climbing, but its where I want to be.
So in summary, find a way to write all down. Atkins, ketosis is all blah, blah, blah. Yes too many carbs are not good for you, but its total calories that matter for weight loss.
The first 30lbs I did strictly through dieting with very little exercise, mainly walking. I did Atkins. Lots of people bad mouth it without having studied it. I highly recommend you read his book if you're thinking of trying it. The short simplistic version is this:
Any carbs you ingest beyond what is necessary to top off your glycogen stores get converted to fat. Your body will use glycogen stores first before it metabolizes the energy stored in fat cells. The two week Induction period of the diet is like a controlled bonk with as few as 20g of carbs per day. After Induction, carbs are gradually reintroduced through the other 3 phases of the diet until you've reached your goal weight and know what level of carb intake will start putting the lbs back on.
It's hard to believe, but carbs, not fat, seem to be the enemy. At least for me. My doctor cringed when I told him how I'd been losing weight, but when he saw my blood work, especially the lipid panel, he was amazed. My BP went from 145/95 at 260lbs to 113/70 now.
The big caveat. It is not a diet you can cheat on in the beginning. Not. At. All. Induction is about teaching your body to metabolize fat. Any excess carbs during Induction will put whatever weight you lost plus more right back on. Ask me how I know.
Now that I'm at my goal weight and riding lots of miles, I am eating lots of carbs. But I weigh myself every day and if my exercise levels drop, so does my carb intake. If I gain two pounds, I go back on Induction for a few days. This isn't my first rodeo. I was down to 200lbs from 2003-2005, then marriage and work and life got in the way and I put it all back on until last April. But regaining the weight happens frequently to all dieters, not just Atkins. New research in the past few months shows that losing the weight is the easy part. Keeping the weight off long term is harder than the weight loss itself.
My wife dropped 40lbs on Weight Watchers while I was losing on Atkins. WW is a really good program. It works great for her. It is similar to Atkins and South Beach in that high carb foods are assigned the highest point values. Do your homework first and pick the diet that seems like it will work best for you. Oh, and weigh your food and write everything down. You have no idea how much you're eating until you see it written on a page. Good Luck. It can be done.
My wife came up with our new mantra and I say it to myself every time I see a plate of brownies:
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
Any carbs you ingest beyond what is necessary to top off your glycogen stores get converted to fat. Your body will use glycogen stores first before it metabolizes the energy stored in fat cells. The two week Induction period of the diet is like a controlled bonk with as few as 20g of carbs per day. After Induction, carbs are gradually reintroduced through the other 3 phases of the diet until you've reached your goal weight and know what level of carb intake will start putting the lbs back on.
It's hard to believe, but carbs, not fat, seem to be the enemy. At least for me. My doctor cringed when I told him how I'd been losing weight, but when he saw my blood work, especially the lipid panel, he was amazed. My BP went from 145/95 at 260lbs to 113/70 now.
The big caveat. It is not a diet you can cheat on in the beginning. Not. At. All. Induction is about teaching your body to metabolize fat. Any excess carbs during Induction will put whatever weight you lost plus more right back on. Ask me how I know.
Now that I'm at my goal weight and riding lots of miles, I am eating lots of carbs. But I weigh myself every day and if my exercise levels drop, so does my carb intake. If I gain two pounds, I go back on Induction for a few days. This isn't my first rodeo. I was down to 200lbs from 2003-2005, then marriage and work and life got in the way and I put it all back on until last April. But regaining the weight happens frequently to all dieters, not just Atkins. New research in the past few months shows that losing the weight is the easy part. Keeping the weight off long term is harder than the weight loss itself.
My wife dropped 40lbs on Weight Watchers while I was losing on Atkins. WW is a really good program. It works great for her. It is similar to Atkins and South Beach in that high carb foods are assigned the highest point values. Do your homework first and pick the diet that seems like it will work best for you. Oh, and weigh your food and write everything down. You have no idea how much you're eating until you see it written on a page. Good Luck. It can be done.
My wife came up with our new mantra and I say it to myself every time I see a plate of brownies:
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
05-09-12, 02:27 PM
#69
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Even if Atkins works for some people, I don't think that it's a healthy diet in the long run. There's more to the diet than just keeping the weight off. For example, on Atkins, you will almost by necessity end up eating a lot of red meat. There's a good deal of evidence that the healthiest amount of red meat you could have in your diet is zero. (Among other reasons, eating as little as 2 ounces/day of red meat measurably increases your risk of colon cancer.)
I lost about 15 lbs following mostly vegetarian diet, occasionally eating fish, avoiding refined flour, sweets and alcohol. Then I took up cycling and and I lost another 15 lbs while eating everything I set my eyes on (I even went to a Mexican restaurant once). With that frigging challenge out of the way, I'm drastically cutting down on mileage and trying to get back on the proper diet again. 15 more and I'll be happy.
I lost about 15 lbs following mostly vegetarian diet, occasionally eating fish, avoiding refined flour, sweets and alcohol. Then I took up cycling and and I lost another 15 lbs while eating everything I set my eyes on (I even went to a Mexican restaurant once). With that frigging challenge out of the way, I'm drastically cutting down on mileage and trying to get back on the proper diet again. 15 more and I'll be happy.
Last edited by eugenek; 05-09-12 at 02:41 PM.
05-09-12, 04:31 PM
#70
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Wow, nice work!
I had a fun time. But the last 1.5 hours were a trial as I was cramping up bad. My hamstrings would cramp when I was seated and the quads would cramp when I stood. Even my neck cramped. I've never had that happen before. I watched my power output drop lower and lower. I think I didn't drink enough for the first couple hours. I usually make up time on the last climb but not this time. I finished in about 5:20 which was a bit disapointing as I have done better. If I do it again I'll have to try starting at 7:15 with the fast guys and see if I can hang with them on the early flat parts. This time they caught me near the bottom of Damnation Alley.
On the way back down I caught a strong woman on the steeper part of the descent and we wound up working together the whole way back. Normally it's a miserable slog to get back because I'm hurting but this time I was doing ok. I didn't think I had it in me. I figured I'd work until I cracked but I didn't, and we got back in the fastest time I've ever done the return leg. When we checked in she thanked me for working with her.
I had a fun time. But the last 1.5 hours were a trial as I was cramping up bad. My hamstrings would cramp when I was seated and the quads would cramp when I stood. Even my neck cramped. I've never had that happen before. I watched my power output drop lower and lower. I think I didn't drink enough for the first couple hours. I usually make up time on the last climb but not this time. I finished in about 5:20 which was a bit disapointing as I have done better. If I do it again I'll have to try starting at 7:15 with the fast guys and see if I can hang with them on the early flat parts. This time they caught me near the bottom of Damnation Alley.
On the way back down I caught a strong woman on the steeper part of the descent and we wound up working together the whole way back. Normally it's a miserable slog to get back because I'm hurting but this time I was doing ok. I didn't think I had it in me. I figured I'd work until I cracked but I didn't, and we got back in the fastest time I've ever done the return leg. When we checked in she thanked me for working with her.
That is a fast time considering you had issues! Maybe next year we can leave at the same time and have some fun
05-09-12, 05:33 PM
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Results are now up: https://www.cyclingpros.com/Onyx1204.htm
I got 95th / 460 men, 106 / 538 overall among all 4pass finishers. 821 people signed up for the ride.
Chris, you got a penalty!?
I got 95th / 460 men, 106 / 538 overall among all 4pass finishers. 821 people signed up for the ride.
Chris, you got a penalty!?
Last edited by jmX; 05-09-12 at 09:56 PM.
05-09-12, 09:22 PM
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My Xpower (essentially NP) for the 5:20 was 213. AP was 201. I'm a few lbs heavier than usual at 146. Here's the breakdown for each climb:
Alex, I'd be honored to work with you as long as I can.
I'm surprised I'm in the top 20. It looks like I'm 4th 50+. Joel Sothern's time is unreal. He's in a different galaxy.
Alex, I'd be honored to work with you as long as I can.
I'm surprised I'm in the top 20. It looks like I'm 4th 50+. Joel Sothern's time is unreal. He's in a different galaxy.
05-09-12, 09:24 PM
#74
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Good job jmX! Even if I didn't have mechanical issues, that time would be pretty far off for me. Hopefully I will be able to do better next time. 224th place 7:18. Over all, happy with the result as original goal was 8 hours... (the 7 hours was something I wanted once I realized I was doing quite well by the time I came to Angelus Oak... 
so disappointment wasn't as big)
Wow, looks like course record is broken! Scott's (Don's bike owner) record is finally beaten it seems even with the stripped oak glen. Impressive!
so disappointment wasn't as big)Wow, looks like course record is broken! Scott's (Don's bike owner) record is finally beaten it seems even with the stripped oak glen. Impressive!
05-09-12, 10:11 PM
#75
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Eric, does GC spit out that nice little chart for you based on laps, or did you hand craft that? If that's straight out of GC I'm gonna have to start using it to make those. We put out nearly the same power, but you're lighter and probably didn't mess about at the rest stops too much (I think I had 35 minutes at the stops). Looks like I need to lose 17lbs (maybe tie helium balloons to my bike at the base of the climb?). Congrats on cracking the top 20!
Bored, nice job on at least beating your 8 hour original goal. Bet you would been just a hair under 7 if you weren't messing with bar tape and electric shift wires. Sucks to have that happen on a big ride.
Congrats on cracking the top 20!Bored, nice job on at least beating your 8 hour original goal. Bet you would been just a hair under 7 if you weren't messing with bar tape and electric shift wires. Sucks to have that happen on a big ride.