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April 18, 2005
There is a limit and it keeps stretching
This morning I met Rich at 6am for a 20 plus mile ride at a good pace. My odometer is still broken so It’s an educated guess, erring on the low side. Then I went to work and remembered I had a meeting in Roseville at 1:30pm, which is 10 miles away. I rode there, had my meeting, and then rode back. That was good, but I was starting to get tired, so I ate a second lunch. It was only about a half hour before I was finished with work and I talked to my coworker and we decided to ride together up to freewheel bike. That’s another 20 miles round trip. So by the time I crawled up Smith Avenue I was pretty tired. I just had a 60 plus mile day!
I ate dinner and collapsed for a while while watching the winners in each category reach the finish line in the Boston Marathon. These are very strong runners with an amazing pace for such a distance. I told my wife I wasn’t planning on running a marathon this year. I have my limits.
On the ride home, somewhere along Summit Avenue I was passed by a guy wearing a ‘Now Fun and Sports’ jersey. I was in no mood to pick up the pace, but he got stopped at a red light so I caught up to him and struck up a conversation. It was very interesting. He’s working on increasing his miles on the bike because he’s a triathlete and the ‘biking’ portion is his weak spot. Well, he also confided that he hates running and that swimming is really his strong suite. But he was out stretching his limits, to improve his race times.
Just two weeks until my Beginning Racer’s Program (BRP) and I’m already getting excited about it. There are 60 people signed up and there are 10 volunteer coaches so we’ll be split into groups of 6 based on how we answered the questionaire. I’m glad I answered honestly. haha. But my limits are stretching and my speed is increasing so I’ll be ready when the training begins. There are a lot of people interested in bike racing. I was kind of surprised. Tomorrow night I was going to bike to Edina out by Highway 169 to see the first Opus Criterium bike race of the season, as a spectator, providing it’s not pouring down rain. That will be another large mileage day for me, so now at only 9:55pm, I’m going to bed. My limits have been reached for one day. Maybe tomorrow will be a rest day, we’ll see.
In the news, Lance Armstrong announced that he will be riding in the Tour de France this year to win a 7th time, then he’s retiring from pro-racing. I guess even he has his limits, and they stretched considerably over the past 6 years. It’s interesting to me that as I begin bike racing Lance is retiring. But of course I’m not making a career out of bike racing, just increasing my miles and spending a lot of time doing it, haha.
The Iron Crotch ride is coming up on April 24 which is a 60 mile ride. That will be like today, except all in one ride. I know what my limits are, I think, and they will be stretched for that ride.
Posted by carl1236 at April 18, 2005 09:53 PM | Cycle Racing
Comments
From the sound of it, you'll have no problems on the Iron Crotch. Sixty miles is nothing for sopmeone who rides as much as you do. Hey, I found out a friend of mine and his wife (Kevin and Linda) will be doing the Lake Pepin ride. He did it before and he said it is slow, like 5 mph average speed. Some of the faster riders get frustrated at stopping avery 2 minutes and go on ahead.
Posted by: Jim at April 19, 2005 07:57 AM
To help keep speed and distance into perspective, I consider the Tour de Georgia that I mentioned that starts today. It's a six day, 648 mile event at an average speed of 24.75 miles per hour! That's 108 miles per day at that pace! On my fast training rides, like all day yesterday I was riding an average of about 18-19 miles per hour. I not only broke a sweat but was frequently gasping for air. I was exhausted last night and this morning I could definately tell I had a good workout. 5mph? 30 miles in a whole day? haha. maybe I should install that dvd player on my handlebars and watch a movie or something. Just kidding! Actually I have no problem slowing down and taking it easy. It's a key ingredient in my overall happiness, but when I'm training, I'm training, not shopping or enjoying the countryside. People in those bike races may be riding in some beautiful mountains and surrounded by picturesque scenery, but most of it I'm sure is drowned out by the pain and focus of pushing the body to the limits. There is a time and place for it, but the Lake Pepin ride is R&R time for me. Time to get to know some people and another way of life. I hope to also make as many stops as possible and meet a lot of new people and enjoy talking while riding. Something I can't do very well while gasping for air. Although I tried yesterday while talking to that other bike rider.
The Iron crotch ride will be a training ride for me, so I'm going for speed not sight-seeing and chatting. It will be a good stretch for my endurance levels. I look forward to that too. This whole conversation reminds me of the concept that life doesn't have to be 'all or nothing' A good mix of goals with R&R built in is a healthy thing.
Posted by: John at April 19, 2005 09:13 AM
John, did you see DC is in the BRP, too?
Posted by: nathan at April 19, 2005 10:54 AM
Nathan, no I haven't met DC yet, but since you posted this I've been checking out that blog! Thanks for the link. I'm really looking forward to this program and think the organizers have put a lot of thought and effort into this program. And how do you get 10 volunteers to teach a two-month program? These are a great group of people that want to share their knowledge and experience with others. It'll be fun I think. And besides, we'll be riding a lot. Can't beat that.
Posted by: John at April 22, 2005 02:11 PM