I achieved my lifetime maximum single day mileage this weekend. 65 miles on Saturday, the 1st of March, 2008. It has become a wonderful feeling (as I wasn't feeling so wonderful at the time.) But, a couple days later, refueled through rest, ingestion of protein and carbohydrates, and lots of fluid replacement, I am feeling a mixture of accomplishment and doom. It was a difficult ride, and my capacity is about two thirds the way towards an average day on the seven day AIDS/LifeCycle ride. Oy.
The ride was undertaken with a crew of about 15 riders of varying experience, starting and ending at the Orinda rapid transit station, which is about 20 miles from San Francisco. I had been getting bored of riding to Fairfax, where the local rides were heading, and wanted to branch out to see territory unexplored, for which these training rides have been a fantastic motivation.
My training partner through the this ride seemed to be in her early 60's, and had previously ridden the ALC, and had ridden various bicycle touring events around the West Coast. I started up a conversation early with her regarding her custom bicycle frame, and ended up riding most of the day with her, as she maintained a slow, patient pace up hills. She had said to me several times, "feel free to pass me." And I replied, "I'd like to keep the pace slow, and I'm well aware of how many more miles we have to go." Which I can now call the voice of experience. I've learned that feeling good for 20 miles has nothing to do with feeling good for 40 miles, and absolutely nohting to do with being able to maintain comfort and stamina for 60 miles. So, a 4 mph uphill pace was plenty fast for me. At the end of the ride, I still felt very tired, but my knees were not injured, and the soreness to follow was minimized compared to rides where I had kept up a higher pace.
I felt like I had been let in on a Cycle Jedi secret when, after 10 or 15 miles together, she said, "Alex, I'll tell you something. The people who don't pace are the ones who end up filling the medical tents in the evenings during the ride." Tell it true!
Following are some pictures taken during a short training ride I took earlier in the week in preparation for my 65 mile day. These were taken at Fort Funston, in the southwest quadrant of San Francisco. The area includes a cliff overlooking the ocean. Hang gliders congregate there to float on the thermal updrafts.
The ride was undertaken with a crew of about 15 riders of varying experience, starting and ending at the Orinda rapid transit station, which is about 20 miles from San Francisco. I had been getting bored of riding to Fairfax, where the local rides were heading, and wanted to branch out to see territory unexplored, for which these training rides have been a fantastic motivation.
My training partner through the this ride seemed to be in her early 60's, and had previously ridden the ALC, and had ridden various bicycle touring events around the West Coast. I started up a conversation early with her regarding her custom bicycle frame, and ended up riding most of the day with her, as she maintained a slow, patient pace up hills. She had said to me several times, "feel free to pass me." And I replied, "I'd like to keep the pace slow, and I'm well aware of how many more miles we have to go." Which I can now call the voice of experience. I've learned that feeling good for 20 miles has nothing to do with feeling good for 40 miles, and absolutely nohting to do with being able to maintain comfort and stamina for 60 miles. So, a 4 mph uphill pace was plenty fast for me. At the end of the ride, I still felt very tired, but my knees were not injured, and the soreness to follow was minimized compared to rides where I had kept up a higher pace.
I felt like I had been let in on a Cycle Jedi secret when, after 10 or 15 miles together, she said, "Alex, I'll tell you something. The people who don't pace are the ones who end up filling the medical tents in the evenings during the ride." Tell it true!
Following are some pictures taken during a short training ride I took earlier in the week in preparation for my 65 mile day. These were taken at Fort Funston, in the southwest quadrant of San Francisco. The area includes a cliff overlooking the ocean. Hang gliders congregate there to float on the thermal updrafts.
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