Monday, October 04, 2004
I Am Officially Ready
I did a brutal 50 mile ride on Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut. It was incredibally hilly; perfect preparation for my ride in Israel. It took me slightly less than 4 hours including the rest stop, not a bad pace considering the large number and steepness of the hills. I was actually as tired after this ride as I was after the two century rides.
I was lucky to have hooked up with a rider named Jeff who was also riding alone. We rode the last 35 miles together and it was very helpful. I actually helped him also because we missed the first rest stop and he ran out of water. Since I ride with a Camelback as well as a water bottle, I was able to give him half my bottle which got him to the second rest stop.
I was in my 'granny' gear much more than I have been on any previous ride. That made the climbing much more comfortable. There were some very sustained hills that lasted quite a few minutes and I don't know if I would have been able to make it with only a 'double'.
This was my last organized training ride before I leave for Israel in two weeks. The actual ride is in three weeks so I will start phasing down my training. I will stick to the spin bike during the weekdays and ride about 40 flat miles each of the next two Sundays.
After yesterday, I declare myself officially ready.
I was lucky to have hooked up with a rider named Jeff who was also riding alone. We rode the last 35 miles together and it was very helpful. I actually helped him also because we missed the first rest stop and he ran out of water. Since I ride with a Camelback as well as a water bottle, I was able to give him half my bottle which got him to the second rest stop.
I was in my 'granny' gear much more than I have been on any previous ride. That made the climbing much more comfortable. There were some very sustained hills that lasted quite a few minutes and I don't know if I would have been able to make it with only a 'double'.
This was my last organized training ride before I leave for Israel in two weeks. The actual ride is in three weeks so I will start phasing down my training. I will stick to the spin bike during the weekdays and ride about 40 flat miles each of the next two Sundays.
After yesterday, I declare myself officially ready.
