Don't Follow My (Bad) Example...

Cycling for Dummies...I Could Teach the Class

I'm getting ready for another race in about two weeks.  To finish the race, I'll need to ride a bike for 112 miles. The course has been characterized as very "challenging"--even for experienced riders.  And I'm not an experienced rider.

My fellow participants have probably logged hundreds, if not thousands, of miles over the past year to get ready.  Me?  Not so much.  I've never ridden more than 56-60 miles at one time.  My biggest worry about the race is that I will be able to actually stay on my bike for 112 miles.  That in itself will be a triumph.

"Breaking Away" (1979) starring Dennis Quaid

I imagine that to stay on the bike for that long, I may have to duct tape my feet into the pedals like they did for the bike riders in this old movie "Breaking Away."

Anyway, as part of my "training," I decided to do a ride yesterday.  My ride was miserable.  In fact, it was so bad that when I fell asleep last night, I actually had a nightmare that my bike was stolen the day before my race.  I managed to track it down in my dream, only to recover it to find out that the bike was in pieces and the wheels were gone.  Let's just say that I didn't sleep all that well....

As a public service to my blog readers, I'm going to let you know exactly where I went wrong so that you don't follow my example.

1. Get an Early Start:

I had a commitment that I had to keep early Saturday morning.  Then, when I got home, J. asked me to stay with the kids so that she could go to a shower and do some other stuff.  I waited patiently until she got back and then decided that I had to go.  I got started about 4 p.m.  That's not so bad if you're only going to go for a shorter ride.

I can't "ride" 55!...(so I settled for 50)

I decided to do 50 miles.  That would take at least 3 hours.  By the time that I finished it was dark (and cold).  Last time I tried to ride in the dark, it didn't turn out so well.  I avoided any mishaps, but generally riding after dark is not the safest or smartest idea.  Don't do it!

2. Dress Appropriately:

I wish I could post a picture here of beautiful Southern California and how picturesque my ride was.  The closest that I got to anything picture worthy was a possible shot of a Humvee doing maneuvers in Camp Pendleton.  But the light was terrible--not just because it was near dusk--but because it was cloudy and foggy.  The sun was nowhere to be seen.

De Soto Skin Cooler "Wings"

I was excited to try out my new "wings" but it probably wasn't the best idea to wear something to make you "cooler" when it is already cold outside.  As dusk approached and night fell, it didn't really help matters at all.  The last couple miles featured my visibly shaking/shivering as I "got 'er done" and gutted it out to get home.  I consoled myself with the thought of how much extra body fat I was burning.  I also kept thinking about how great a hot shower was going to feel.

I know that they make all sorts of cycling gear for every type of riding condition.  Do yourself a favor and get yourself some.  You'll be thankful.

3. Eat Well:

Sometimes I get busy on Saturdays and forget to do things like eat.  By the time I left on my ride at about 4 p.m., my nourishment for the day consisted of three slices of pizza and a cup of yogurt.  In retrospect, that was probably not enough food to fuel a 50 miler.  

I did credit myself with throwing an energy bar in my pouch as I cycled off from the house.  It wasn't enough.  The last 10 miles were agony as there was little left in my tank--and I knew it.  By mile 48, I was craving pure sugar.  I fantasized about riding into the grocery store, buying a package of Skittles, and guzzling it in a single bite.

Instead, I did the next best thing.  I threw away all my pride and made an emergency pit stop at Royal and Nicole's house.  Nicole is an outstanding cook and I knew she had to have some sort of treats on hand.  I knocked on the door to find myself staring at their 6-year old son.  I asked if Royal was home.  He wasn't (he was still on his own ride).  I asked if Nicole was home.  She was upstairs putting the kids to bed.  I was shameless and was absolutely prepared to sit on the front porch until Nicole or Royal were available if I had to!

Yum! Yum!

Luckily, Nicole came downstairs right about then and I tossed aside whatever shreds of dignity remained to me and begged for food.  Nicole just happened to have some freshly made homemade waffles on hand.  I smothered those waffles in syrup and inhaled them.  Then I saw another plate and offered to relieve Nicole of the need to dispose of any leftovers.  Only after I had eaten all the remaining waffles did it occur to me that some of those might have been meant for Royal!  Oops!  (Actually, Royal doesn't like waffles for dinner, so it was all good...)

Anyway, with friends like Royal and Nicole, you can't go wrong.  (Thanks guys, you rock!)  But you can't always count on having your biking route go past their house, so you're better off to plan ahead and eat well before you leave.  Also, pack a few goodies on your bike so that you don't "bonk" before you finish your ride!

4.  Be Confident and Finish Strong:

My route concluded with some significant hills over the last few miles.  And by "hills," I mean pretty much all "uphill."  I'm not going to lie, I worried that I was going to finish walking my bike up some hill.  I can't think of anything worse than that.

Fortunately, I was able to finish strong, but I should have been more confident in my ability.  I think that most of us would be surprised to realize that we are stronger and tougher than we realize.  In addition, the power of our mind to exert its will over our bodies is underrated.  I am going to need to remind myself of that before, during, and after my race in a couple of weeks.

5.  Charge Up Your iPod:

Some people don't like to ride with headphones.  I get it.  They feel safer.  But if you like to ride with them, make sure that they are charged up.  Mine weren't.  They crapped out just past the turnaround point of the ride.  It would have been nice to have had some music for the last 24 miles.  =o(

6.  The Buddy System:

Riding with a buddy is a lot safer.  Plus having a friend to encourage you is huge.  Plus it's a lot of fun.  I think I could do just about anything in life as long as I had a good friend that I could share the experience with and to talk me through it.  

Unfortunately, on this ride, I rode solo.  If I had had a ride buddy, at least we could have laughed together about how miserable the ride was.  And, we would have made some fun memories together.

7.  Consider Doing an Organized Ride:

There are some great rides out there.  If you do a group ride you avoid a lot of the mistakes that I made.  For one, there are great volunteers and race organizers to cheer you on.  The route is well-marked and is likely protected (at least partially) from traffic.  There will be aid stations, snacks, rest stops, and liquids to keep you going.  Your friends and family can stake out a spot along the route to cheer you on.  Usually, the course is selected so that you don't get killed with steep hills at the finish.  And the spectators and "race day" feeling will help boost your adrenaline.  

You can also do the organized ride with a friend and if you don't have a friend, you'll probably end up with about 20 of them by the time that you finish just from visiting with your fellow riders.

"I get by with a little help from my friends..."

Seriously, if you are a relatively new rider, an organized ride offers a ton of advantages--with almost none of the drawbacks.  It really is a great idea and an opportunity to challenge yourself to push your limits.  Some day I would love to get some friends together and do a "Century" (100 mile) ride.  And in these types of organized rides, it's often not about getting the fastest time--it's more about the journey.

In Conclusion:

As bad as my ride was, I'm still glad that I did it.  With a little more common sense than I showed, you can easily avoid the pitfalls that I experienced and reap all of the benefits.  You may not be ready to conquer the Tour de France or win an Olympic medal in the Velodrome, but you will have a good time.

And if anyone has any other tips for my upcoming ride, feel free to share them.  As demonstrated by my recent experience, I'm going to need all the help that I can get!