[Sportsandrec] My idea of a good weekend

Tue May 5 15:32:07 UTC 2009

Ron,
Three days in a row, that is awesome! Sounds like a blast with all your
color commentary and antics! I am impressed to say the least.  I saved all
your tips on riding for future reference and really appreciate the
encouragement and advice.  Unfortunately, I was not able to ride in the
century Sunday because my legs were strained from our beepball tourney the
previous weekend. I ran full speed into one of our other players who had
moved up into my zone and felt like I got knocked out of my ankles! Think
I'm good to go for tonight's practice--we'll see.  Keep on rolling!
Jennifer

On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 7:53 PM, Ron & the bears <rockthebike at usfamily.net>wrote:

> It was an unusually good weekend for riding.
>
> Friday: Captain Joe and I drove from Austin to Shiner TX with my Co-Motion
> tandem in the car. It was an Audi A6 wagon with sunroof, XM radio, V-8, and
> five-speed manual transmission, quite a nice sled. We started riding at
> about 8:30 with David and David, two of my VC teammates. Since it was just
> the
> four of us, it was a good time to just cruise and bond. For most of the
> ride, it was open, country road, with few cars and smooth pavement. It was
> overcast, with the wind to our backs at about 15 mph. This made
> conversation
> among us easier. I have not ridden this bike since March 7th, when I
> completed that double century. I was right at home on my trusty steed. Joe
> and I felt strong, so we pulled much of the way. Each David took his pulls
> at the front as he felt motivated. I guess we were all doing intervals of
> moderate speed, then recovery. There were rolling hills, throughout the
> ride, but nothing too strenuous. At the 42? mile-mark, I ate a beef & bean
> burrito, with a quart of chocolate milk. When we came into town, we had a
> 19
> mph average speed. Once in town, it was back to stop & go traffic, but we
> all felt great. I was home by about 3. It was an enjoyable 101 miles. I
> love
> the endorphin high I get during and after the ride, I feel so alive.
>
> Saturday, it is back to Shiner for the 100th anniversary of the brewery.
> This is an annual  charity ride to benefit the American Cancer Society.
> With
> that in mind, the organizers lengthened the route to be 100 miles. This
> time, I was with Mike, and his '91 Santana Sovereign. I love that name. We
> drove ten miles to the
> start of the ride with Lindsay, one of my blossoming pilots. This time, she
> was going to ride her single bike for her first century ride. Mike had
> connections with the Shiner team for the ride, so I anticipated a good,
> large group to suffer with, into the wind. We made some last-minute
> preparations to the bike and headed to the start. With about 2,000 other
> riders there, we missed his group. So, we headed off, with Lindsay in our
> slipstream. The wind was against us, at about 15 mph, but as we rode, it
> was
> going to grow stronger. The skies were delightfully overcast, but it was
> quite humid. As we settled into our pace, we passed and were passed by
> friends and teammates. Since Mike was not a racer, I was happy to ride more
> reserved, while enjoying Lindsay's company and the spectacle of such a
> large
> culmination of riders. We skipped the first two rest-stops. Like a mother
> hen, I kept reminding my two comrades to eat and drink early and often. I
> have ridden a number of centuries and knew how to survive. I, myself,
> should
> have
> stopped at the second stop for some fuel. By the third stop, at the 44
> mile-mark, I was well hydrated, but a little shaky, having not eaten enough
> since breakfast. They were serving pb&j, cut into quarters. I must have
> eaten about 12-15 of them plus cookies, fruit, and chips. I refilled both
> of
> my bottles with PowerAde, feeling I needed electrolytes more than just
> plain
> water. We socialized a bit, hit the Biff and were on our way again. I could
> really feel the food uncomfortablely settling into my now rounded stomach,
> but we were riding at a pace that was not too hard. Lindsay's road bike has
> disc brakes, which made a cute little tinging sound, like one of those
> percussive triangles.
> I often knew just where she was by that sound. and As the wind shifted
> around us, she would find the best spot in the lee of our tandem. I
> imagined
> that I was being closely followed by a giant, but friendly  Saint Bernard
> with a barrel of Gatorade attached to its collar.
>
> Every time Mike and Lindsay would discuss mileage completed or remaining,
> they would
> break out into that old "Bottles of Beer on the Wall" song. I, in my usual
> state of euphoria, quoted whatever song lyrics that I could match to
> whatever conversation we were having. Sometimes, they would sing old
> country
> songs about armadillos and the like. We all drove each other nuts, but were
> having a great time.:) Sometimes, we would pass another grupo-compacto of
> riders. I would ask Mike, "Are we there yet?" Immediately after he would
> answer me, I would ask again. It was like we were a rolling side-show for
> the other riders. I also brought along one of my three squeaky
> toys, mounted to my handlebars. It is shaped like a Hello Kitty. The bears
> like it. I squeaked that thing at everyone for the first 85 miles.:)
>
> Somewhere around the 65-70 mile-mark, we all became quiet. The distance,
> wind,
> and heat began to take their toll. I know we had another stop or two
> between 44 and 80 miles, but I do not recall much. Somewhere in there, I
> had
> a bag of Doritos and another of Fritos. This sounds unhealthy, but the fat
> gives calories, while the salt provides electrolytes and encourages
> drinking. Mike was getting heavier on the bike, so I had to work harder to
> keep things rolling efficiently. We were all shifting our positions on our
> saddles. I think I realized what my next saddle adjustment will be on his
> bike. It took me 60 miles to figure it out. I had opportunity to move my
> saddle, or use my own, but I would always forget at the stops.
>
> I had been teaching Mike, a relatively new pilot, a lot of riding
> techniques
> that I had picked up from miles of riding tandem. He was a gracious
> gentleman to me. At the 80-mile stop, I had more empty bottles to fill, and
> shared another bag of chips with Lindsay. Back on the road, I was feeling
> better than I had since the start. It was like that pb&J was just then
> getting into my system, 36 miles later. I felt down-right spunky! We met up
> with four members of the Rice University Cycling Team. We went to the front
> of their group and started pulling harder. All three of us thought that
> more
> riders would help Lindsay stay better sheltered from the wind. We had
> ourselves a
> convoy and I was lit up, ready to get this thing over with. I was beginning
> to smell the barn! Our speed picked up and Mike was spot on with matching
> our power with the terrain, via the gears. I could hear the Rice guys
> thanking us several times for the next eight miles as everyone was getting
> happy again. Then, Mike had to stop pedaling and rest. I encouraged him not
> to do that in front of a pack, so he pulled off as we let them go. Lindsay
> was off the back by several minutes. We pulled into the next stop, a few
> miles down the road. The Rice boys were all strung out at that stop, with
> helmets off and looking peaked. We found our Lindsay and were back at it.
> Now, the wind is like 20-25 miles per hour. We have maybe seven miles to
> go.
> There are literally tired cyclists all along the roadside, making their
> own,
> impromptu  rest-stops. My two troupers told me about all the support
> vehicles passing by, filled up with bikes and riders, who threw in the
> towel
> before the finish. Then, at mile 97, Mike had to stop. Other riders that we
> had passed would then pass us back. Two VC teammates checked-in with us
> as they passed by. I said we were fine, but I did not know that Mike was
> laying down in the grass. That must have been a sight for my teammates.:)
> He
> rested for a good ten minutes, but was ready to finish the ride, too.
> Lindsay was hurting all over since about mile 85, but was in good spirits.
> As we pulled into the final meters of the ride, she came up alongside of us
> and grabbed my hand. We raised them up as her fiancé, Chad videoed us
> riding
> across the finishline. I was so proud of her! It was fun to hear the
> volunteers and other riders cheering, too. Ten minutes later, I was
> scarfing
> down brisket and sausage sandwiches with sour crout and cole slaw. I had a
> sip of Lindsay's Shiner beer as a toast to our toasted bodies. It was
> really
> a good day. Mike came back to life after some food and rest. He admitted
> that he did not do enough eating and sleeping before the ride. Excitement
> before a ride does that to cyclists regularly. I think our average was
> around 15 mph.
>
> Sunday,: I was on a third tandem, with a third pilot. This time, it was
> Tom,
> one of my regular race pilots with his Cannondale. We rode 60 miles on our
> regular training ride with VC. I felt surprisingly good for the ride, since
> I had slept soundly the night before. Joe, my pilot from Friday's ride was
> there, too. We had both ridden all three days. Just for fun, I brought
> along
> the squeaky cat in my jersey pocket. I do not normally squeak in groups of
> racers, but I had paid some dues lately. A German Shepherd came at us out
> of
> nowhere. I squeaked him good, but I do not think that is why he split. At
> the 40-mile mark, I had only a pint of chocolate milk and a pack of
> Pop-Tarts. On the way back, at race speeds, off the front of the pack, I
> made some gross, burpy sounds. Tom jokingly asked me not to barf on his
> back. I was not expecting to ride so hard after the stop. Note to self
> about
> chocolate milk...
> The eight break-away riders eventually slowed and we had a social last ten
> miles to get back home. We left behind the other 15. We had a 17 mph
> average.
>
> I napped solidly for four hours, with a cat to make it an official catnap.
>
> Today, I am resting. I plan to help a group fix bikes for people in need.
> Tomorrow, it is back in the gym. I have another century to ride with Tom on
> Saturday, just before the John Eldredge seminar. I will have a strong pilot
> and a good reason to go fast.
>
> My heart is on fire.
> My soul's like a wheel that's turnin'.
>
> My love is alive. Gary Wright
>
> Ron & the long haul truckin' bears
> Austin, TX
>
>
>
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