You Asked for It

After some complaints were filed I have decided to make it even easier to find the "Photo Caption Contest" icon.  Click the image to the left to be directed to the contest page.  The contest is going to run (at least) through the end of May so there is still plenty of time to participate and take chance at winning some of my 100MON goodies. 

There have been many questions surrounding Saturday's ride.  Some people have asked "you seriously rode that far?" while others have asked "doesn't that seat hurt?"  I thought I would answer some of the questions surrounding Satruday's ride.

Q: "Was it hard?"

A: It was and it wasn't.  Had I tried this two months ago when I first got my bike it would have been much harder.  The thing I like about cycling is really all you have to do is push one leg down after the other.  That may be an over simplification of it just a bit but at a basic level it is true.  I did want to stop earlier but I knew if I returned home and did the calculations and found I had come up short I would have been mad at myself so I kept going.

Q: "You seriously rode for 7 hours!"

A: Less of a question and more of a statement but I will address it anyway.  On my past half century rides it had taken me four hours to complete.  I knew shooting for 80-90 miles would take several hours longer.  I started my ride at 4am as to escape some of the sun and also to return home at a decent hour.  I did stop a couple of times but yes it did take me 7 hours to complete.

Q: "What did you eat/drink?"

A:  This question has been asked almost in a way to suggest that it was something I ate that magically gave a guy like me super powers to conquer such a feat.  So to show that there was no magic involved this is what my menu consisted of.  I started the day at 3:40am with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as I got dressed.  I chased that with a bottle of water.  During the ride I consumed another 3 bottles of water and two bottles of Gatorade (I spiked one of the bottles of water with a Red Bull though - it did not give me wings though).  While on the bike I ate a second PB&J.  I returned home and drank 32oz of protein shake and tons of water. 

I forgot sunblock and have the
red lines to prove it. 

Q: "What were you thinking?"

A:  I am not sure I am answering the exact question asked but to be honest I was thinking about very little.  I spent a lot of the time counting streets, calculating miles, and planning loops.  I thought a lot about chasing down the cyclist I could see in the distance.  I worried a lot about time and how long it was taking me.  I noticed some restaurants that I would like to try and made observations about people and things around me.

Q: "Doesn't that little seat hurt your underside?"

A: Yes.

Q: "You spotted that "Kodak moment" on the road - you must have been going really slow, were you?"

A: I seriously just rode 95 miles and you are going to give me crap about going slow?!?!  I noticed the blow out in the road and chuckled as I passed it.  It was not until my second loop around that I slowed to be sure I could stop and snap a picture.  While 13 miles per hour isn't going to win me any races it does not account for the time I stopped to eat and count miles at a park, the time I returned home to help get the kids and wife out the door to water aerobics, or the time spent getting fluids at 7/11, or time spent putting a fallen chain back on.  I think I did pretty good all things considered - sheesh.

Q: "Do you feel ready for 100 Miles of Nowhere?"

A: Yes.  I know I can do it and can't wait.  My wife is ready for all this training stuff to be behind me too.  If any of you are interested in coming out and supporting me I will have information posted soon on location and times.  It will likely start early (4am) but as you can see I will be out until almost noon so you can stop by at any point. 

Thanks for all the questions.  I hope this has resolved some of the doubts, concerns, and mysteries around Saturday's ride.