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Big Bike Weekend II - Family Style |
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Written by Vince
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Tuesday, 19 May 2009 12:13 |
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The idea behind big bike weekends and my overall cycling strategy this season is to overload on miles in order to make 112 miles seem smaller. I can say matter-of-factly -- it's working.
Looking back in my log, this time last year I had logged only 2352.11 miles. For that same period this year, I have logged 3289.17 miles. That's nearly one thousand more miles over the span of 5 months.
That said, after completing the first edition of Big Bike Weekend, I didn't really feel the need to do back-to-back events again but I decided I would continue to keep the cycling volume high. And then my wife got an idea of her own which started with a friend who signed up for the Strawberry Fields Forever metric century which followed the I-Care Classic Century.
I don't remember the exact conversation but it went something like this:
Wife: You're doing the I-Care Classic Century?
Vince: Yes.
Wife: I think I want to do that one.
Vince: Cool.
Wife: The Strawberry Fields Forever Metric is the next day; I think I want to do that one as well.
Vince: Cool.
Wife: I'm going to get a hotel room so we don't have to drive so much.
Vince: Cool.
My plan for the first event was to attempt to ride at what I think will be my IM effort and use the second event as a recovery ride and more importantly an opportunity to spend some quality time with my wife. (Gordo calls it the "wife ride".) On day two, I decided to ride sans gadgets in order to not get distracted. This was a smart move since I found myself looking down on several occasions to check my speed, wattage, heart rate or all of the above. It was liberating but somewhat annoying because I just expect it to be there. It was like someone was saying: "Ha! Made you look!"
We arrived late for the start on what was to be a hot day but we quickly managed to get checked in and we were out on the road rather quickly. We said our goodbyes and we were off on our separate rides. I immediately settled into my wattage range and proceeded to tick away at the miles. I stopped briefly at the aid stations along the way in order to refuel and hit the restroom but wasted little time because I wanted this ride to closely resemble an IM bike leg.
Somewhere around the 4 hour mark I looked down and noticed I had covered 80 miles. I felt great and thought how cool it would be to crank out 100 miles with such little effort. Unfortunately the next 20 miles weren't as effortless as the first 80. It wasn't that things went wrong, it just got considerably harder. In the remaining miles, I had to pay close attention to the powermeter in order to stay on target. Arriving back where I started, I quickly dumped my bike in the car and set out for a two mile transition run.
I started to suffer within the first half mile. The weather report predicted high 90's and if it had been any longer than just two miles, I would've skipped the run. I found out later that the actual temperature was 104F. At least now I know why I was having such a hard time.
Sweating like a pig, I went inside for the post-race festivities and waited for my wife to return from her very first century. I ate, drank, drank some more, and watched the crazy lady serving ice cream dance wildly out of control to the DJ who was playing various hits from the 70's, 80's and 90's.
When my wife arrived, we packed her bike in the car and then we went back inside where she and I both ate. Yeah... I know... but what can I say, I was hungry again.
Upon completion of our meal we got in the car and drove to Watsonville (about an hour away) which was much cooler due to it being located closer to the coast. By the time we unpacked our gear in the hotel room, I was hungry again so we immediately jumped back in the car and drove straight to the restaurant. After stuffing my face for the third and final time for the day, we drove back to the hotel room, turned on the tv for a few minutes and then went to bed.
My wife and I both woke up to somewhat stiff legs but we were ready to go. A quick trip over to the starting point and we were off on the second day of our adventure.
For me, day one was more about riding at my Ironman pace but day two was going to be my sightseeing adventure. This event was designed just for that because some of the rest stops were uniquely located. For example, rest stop number one was positioned at Calfee Designs, a local bicycle manufacturer who is lately known for making bicycles out of bamboo but generally known for making high-end custom road bikes. Another rest stop was located at Gizdich Farms which is a local grower known especially for their apple juice and pies.
When we arrived at Calfee, we quickly walked through their facility seeing the various bamboo and carbon fiber bikes.
I'm still amazed at how the bamboo joints were seamlessly put together.
When we arrived at Gizdich, we were treated to a feast of pie, pancakes, apple juice and various other goodies which are not typically found on this type event.
By the time we finished with this stop I was convinced that I had consumed more calories than I had burned.
The most notable climb for the day was a short but steep 19% grade where it wasn't uncommon to see participants walking to the top. My wife and I both pushed straight through with our tired legs and I would've loved to have seen the wattage number on that climb because I'm sure it would've been huge.
As the minutes passed, the day did seem to be getting a little long and we eventually found ourselves back where we started. I had a short 4 mile transition run and then I could bring closure to another big training weekend. As I ran down the miles, I decided to take the bike course in reverse purely for entertainment purposes. Once I hit the two mile turn around, I found myself running with the bikers who were frequently caught at red lights and at one point I was able to keep up with them because they kept getting stuck.
Arriving back at the starting point, I immediately ran towards the buffet which consisted of fajitas, rice, beans, and fresh strawberries. It was only later that I realized I haven't had beef in months and now I'm paying the price for allowing those enzymes to disappear from my body.
All in all it was a good weekend of cycling and I expect to see some dividends from the overload.
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