Away on a short tour

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to apply the lessons I learned riding in the cold last Saturday. I'm traveling with Neil Fein on the first day of his five day tour. The plan is to meet on the Schuylkill River Trail, travel to Philadelphia, and cross the river and overnight in Cherry Hill. One Neil goes on to travel through New Jersey and the other one rides back home.

I'm prepared. I have clean water bottles and proper clothing. And this includes a jacket that fits me, unlike the one in the photo.

Winter Endurance Riding

Lessons learned from my 72 miles in 40 degree weather on Saturday:

1. The rules of hydration aren't suspended during the winter. I didn't hydrate properly on the ride, and I suffered. My excuse is that I was using a new water bottle, and the water had a plastic taste to it. A poor excuse, but my own. I should have filled and refilled and refilled my remaining water bottle. Not drinking like a camel during lunch was yet another error.

2. I didn't eat properly. I ate two and a half Cliff bars, and one Cliff Shot Block - one square, not a package - during the ride, and a bacon cheeseburger at the midpoint of the ride. I started the morning with a serving of oatmeal, spiked with protein powder, and yogurt. According to the rule of thumb I've learned, I should have consumed about 2000 calories on the ride, and I wasn't close. I was close to bonking on the final miles, and in fact walked part of two hills I'd normally pedal up. Dehydration didn't help matters.

3. I wasn't dressed for conditions. It was damp out, with a slight breeze. I was riding through forested areas on the Schuylkill River Trail. I wore only a compression shirt and a long sleeved jersey, covered by a shell that was too small for me, so I couldn't zip it and ride at the same time. A good-fitting jacket and perhaps another layer would have helped. My shorts and leg warmers kept my lower half a bit more warm than my top half, but tights over my shorts would have been a better choice. Insulated gloves would have been nice. And I envied my riding partner's balaclava. Shoe covers helped keep my feet warm, and wearing them was perhaps the only thing I did right.

4. I underestimated how soon it gets dark. We ended the ride about ten after five and it was so dark we couldn't read our bike computers. I'll bring lights next time I decide I need to go downtown.

5. When you are exhausted from riding in 40 degree weather on limited fuel and water, even a horrible Lindsay Lohan movie like Herbie: Fully Loaded seems entertaining and thought-provoking. At least it does if you are so drained you cannot even lift your hand to reach the remote.

Ride Report, November 11, 2007

Excerpts from a posting on Bike Forums by "bautieri" describing our ride. Ben's comments are in parentheses; my own are not:

"On the 10th of November I had the pleasure of completing my first Metric Century + 14.52 with fellow BFer The Historian. It was a brisk Saturday morning at 8am when we departed, 38 degrees and spitting a light rain."

Our route was over the Kennedy Covered Bridge, through Phoenixville along Bridge Street, and over the river and through Mont Clare and Oaks to the Schuylkill River Trail. Ben seemed impressed by the trail, especially the fauna:

"The local woodland critters were rather tame; one particular family of deer didn't mind me riding past at less than an arms length. Continuing down the trail we met up with the Schuylkill River Trail which we took into Philadelphia. Along the trail the "Schuylkill Navy" was out in force. The local colleges had their rowing teams out and they were drawing quite the crowd. We eventually made it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where we stopped for a few pictures and a much needed rest/stretch.

"The return trip was considerably more difficult. The hill intervals defiantly favored the up portion. I didn't notice the trip to be incredibly difficult until mile 50, the last 26 miles were definitely tough to grind out. But with encouraging words to each other and the sheer desire to finish the ride under our own power we eventually finished. Towards the end of the ride while chatting back and forth an odd thing happened. Neil said something along the lines of “Thanks for coming out, if you hadn’t come down I would have probably stayed inside and not done much”. To which I responded “Thank you for having me down, I would have probably done the same thing if you had not invited me down to ride with you”. At first one might read that and think little of it until you consider just what we were saying. We were thanking each other for dragging the other out of bed early into the cold and rain to put ourselves through the trials of distance biking in adverse conditions. "

I enjoyed riding with Ben, and I am very happy I was along when he met his personal milestone. I'd like to do it again. But perhaps on a nicer, warmer day. Still, despite the miserable weather, my being underdressed for the cold, and my not eating and drinking properly during the ride, it was the best metric century I've ridden.

Another Negative Influence

Grant Peterson of Rivendell Bike Works, in a recent article on bike safety on his site rivbike.com, provides another example of the negative influence of racing on bicycling in general:

"The lack of lights and reflectors on bikes that cost more than $1000 is another example of racing's influence on non-racers. Lights and reflectors are cheap, have never been better, and all in all, not a bad idea. Don't think making you more visible by taping up your bike is "junking it up.""

I've received such 'advice' from pseudo-racers. They've suggested I remove my reflectors from my 7.5 fx to reduce weight. Isn't it better to remove an ounce from the rider rather than the bike? I think I'll keep my reflectors, thank you.