Tell us your sad sad tale of SAG woe

[Trek420]

What got you in there? If you've never been what keeps you out of the bus each time? Is it hard to hang up the cleats for the day or the wise thing to do? Do you refuse to "get on the bus"? Do you keep going when it seems impossible to go on or "live to ride another day"?

Would you sign up for a ride knowing that you could not possibly finish the route because "they have a SAG wagon if I DNF" (my answer to that; he]] no).

I've been thinking about this a lot since on ALC 4 I was in cushioned AC comfort for 10 miles.

I'd completed Day 1, 2, 3 and on Day 4 I got to rest stop 4 after it was closed. I was given a choice of heading right back out or hop on the bus with the last load of sad SAG'd riders.

At that point I was cold, wet (we'd been sprayed/misted by agricultural sprinklers the last 15-20 miles, fog was moving in, headwinds and dirt) and the normal tired one is on your 4th 80+ mile day.

But more important I'd beat a personal milestone.

The year before I'd bonked on Day 3 (but rode pretty well the rest of the trip) so doing Day 3 which is a hard one and Day 4 I was pretty good with that.

In a way I regret it, 10 miles is not much to do even in that state. But the rest of the ride went well so maybe I needed the rest.

Problem is this year for some part of every one of the 7 days I had to SAG so it got me thinking.

[teigyr]

Done the SAG two times :D

Once was on Calif Aids Ride (now ALC)...on that big bad downhill. I am a wuss. I just froze up and couldn't do it. I also sat out on day 5 - I think it was day 5. It was after the 104 +/- mile day and it was the short day. I rode hard on the long day and didn't stop at rest stops like I should. I had a bit of heat exhaustion going on that evening and had to sit out the short (read into that hilly) day.

Another time was in Death Valley. It was a night ride and I wasn't feeling well. I had to stop and pulled off the road, into MUD! Mud was in my cleats and in my pedals and it was dark. I couldn't get my feet back in, I felt bad, so there you have it. Fate.

So maybe that is three times? It never feels good but sometimes it's the right thing to do.

And no, I would never intend on DNF. I like to push it through and I always feel bad when I don't or can't. What keeps me going is knowing how good I'll feel about finishing.

[RoadRaven]

Only sagged once... it was a club race - and I had no choice - I got a blow-out and I do not carry my seat bag with spares in club races - too dangerous in a pack situation if it wriggled its way, or got knocked, off.

I would never enter an event assuming if I couldn't handle it I would sag my way home. I would enter an event intending and assuming I would finish.

However, it would be nice to know it was there in case of a mechanical (like my example) or in case of injury (like your toe/foot, Trek).

[Thorn]

Interesting timing on this question...I'm cleaning up the pictures from my last vacation. While we trained for it and while we should have been up to it, my DH spent a lot of time in the SAG aka the "Lancelot Cart" (in Arthurian lit--the cart was a trip of shame :( ). I rode with him the first time to keep him company. I felt really bad for him.

The reason? Shortly before we left, I started to get sick. No symptoms other than just really, really exhausted. Thought it was a lot of reasons, but after the first day, DH got the same symptoms (while I finally started to feel good). Guess it was a virus. End result was he just wasn't up to riding. Sometimes he'd ride in the morning and SAG the afternoon; on the ride with a hilly start, he rode from the outset.

So, yes, we've rode the SAG, but, no, I would never have signed up if I thought I would have to. In fact, on days when we had shorter options, we picked distances that we thought DH could handle. We're signed up for a century next weekend. Given the last couple of weeks, we'll be only setting off for the metric to avoid the SAG route home.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The subject of this thread made me think it was a Chinese tragedy folktale...

[snapdragen]

I've never started a ride with the intention of taking the SAG back. I got sagged twice for CAR 7 - one day was hotter and windier than they expected, the stops all ran out of water so they sagged everyone in. Another day I was whipped and couldn't go on, I think it was day 5.

Two other times, once at Cinderella. I was riding right after getting over the flu - not a good idea. Then the last one was Top Hat, or as I like to think of it - My Most Hated Ride That Caused Me Much Pain-also known as the beginning of snap's tendinitis.

[East Hill]

I should not say this (so as to avoid jinxing myself :p ), but I have never had to resort to the SAG wagon. Of course, I have not ridden that many rides...I certainly would not sign up if I did not think I could finish the ride, though.

East Hill

[mom2twins]

I've been SAG'd twice. The first time was on Cycle Across Maryland way back in the mid 90's I was fairly new to cycling and completely unprepared for a 6 day tour. In fact, I had stopped riding altogether about 6 weeks before the ride becuase I changed jobs and didn't think I would be able to go and then my new boss found out I had signed up and he told me to go ahead and take the time off.

So there I was the first day completely out of my league with no training time to prepare me for all of the monster hills. I think the first day was something like 65 miles and I made it about 50 when the rain started to just pelt us from all directions. My dh who was my boyfriend at the time tried and tried to convince me to take a ride becuase he felt like he had to stay with me and I was going so slow. I kept refusing until we came to this one huge downhill and got completely terrified because I couldn't see from all of the rain. just then the car came driving by and I relented and flagged him down.

I did okay the rest of the week although I did sit one day out in the middle because my butt was soooooo sore. It was truly the worst vacation of my life LOL Never agree to ride a 6 day trip without any training!

The 2nd time was 2 years ago when i got lost on the Civil War Century. I was only planning to ride 25 miles and I took a wrong turn and ended up going backwards on the 62 mile course. I rode about 35 miles total when the sag wagon passed me going in the wrong direction and picked me up because I was obviously lost.

I would never start a ride anticipating using SAG but I don't have a problem using it if I need it.

[tangentgirl]

I SAGd a few times during CAR 7, most notably the day I got dehydrated and spent the night in the med tent with an IV. D'oh. They made me sit out the day after as well (blah), but it worked because I also had lost a contact lens, and got to go track down another pair from the local lensaria.

It sucked, I hated it, but the high at the end of the ride was still great.

Nope, wouldn't go into a ride planning to SAG. May as well drive, right? It's good to know the contingency's there, but it wouldn't be my game plan.

[SouthernBelle]

I tried to sag once. Last August I had pre-registered for a charity ride. Not too long, but with many many big climbs. In the meantime, I had bronchitis. But day-of I decided I could do the ride. I was quite wrong and finally after 2 stops I called them. Said they were on the way, so I told the outriders (motorcycles) to go on. They never came. Fortunately It was local, so I knew the roads well enough to make my way back. Poor girl waiting there got an wheezy earful.

[Veronica]

My one SAG - last year's DMD.

http://www.tandemhearts.com/wordpress/archives/17#more-17

Maybe nexyt year I'll start training early enough to try again.

V

[maryellen]

Only once--I was doing a supposedly organized century and the route was poorly marked resulting in me pedalling far off the route. (I called the emergency number. They insisted I couldn't possibly have passed a particular point so I couldn't possibly have gone far enough. The next time I called them they asked how the heck I'd gotten so far.) By the time I got back on the correct route, the rest stops had run out of water and food so they SAGed me.

So I managed to do a century (100+ miles due to my "extra" riding) and SAG *all* in the same ride. That was my first century, come to think of it.

I would never start a ride intending to SAG, but knowing there is a SAG option could tempt me to sign up for a ride that is pushing the envelope for me in terms of endurance.

As I've only just started getting back on the bike since my crash last August, just about any ride would test my endurance this season!

[7rider]

Well, once officially.
A second time on a ride without official SAG support.
First time was the 2001 MS150 from Boston to P'town. Day 1 was an optional century, which DH (then, DBF) and I attempted. It was blisteringly hot out (95, but much hotter on the pavement), and the MS crew had a snafu with the water stops on the century spur, so there was one less water stop than they planned. The heat and running out of water got the best of me, and at the 80+ mile rest stop, we rested in the shade, but couldn't get my HR down below about 120. Heat exhaustion. I was wiped. Couldn't go on. Really on the verge of tears, if I had any liquid in my body to cry out. So, I took the van back to the Mass Maritime Academy (the overnight stop) and DBF/DH sprinted the final 20 miles back, so he completed his first century. It would take us 2 other attempts before we were able to finally complete our first century together.
Oh...and I took a long cool shower, had a few glasses of water, then got to work on the beer with our team, and rode 75 miles the next day! :cool: :p :rolleyes:
Second ride was during the Sunday ride with our LBS. I was on a borrowed shop bike (long story) and the group of us were screaming down Beach Drive through Rock Creek Park. One of the idiots in front of me grabbed a handful of brakes and zigged around a pothole, rather than bunny-hopping it or calling out, and clipped wheels with the guy behind him who went down, but not before taking me out, too. So the two of us crashed - him onto the road, and me into the gravel on the side of the road. I was majorly hurting, and the wife of the LBS owner (who was not riding at the time...I think she was pregnant), came and picked me up with her van and took me back to the shop. I was so upset, because I scratched the brakes on the borrowed bike and ripped my favorite pair of shorts!!

[five one]

Just once. It was three years ago, on the sixth day of a seven day tour that went from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. We were on a rolling two lane highway with no shoulder. Apparently, we were told later, many 18-wheelers use this road instead of the PA turnpike. DH and I were going downhill fairly fast and I could hear a big truck gearing down behind me. DH was ahead of me by some distance. The truck driver couldn't pass because of oncoming traffic. I had nowhere to go to get out of his way. Finally when the coast was clear, he began to pass - so close I could have reached out and touched the truck. I could feel myself being pulled into his draft. But the worst thing was him blowing his air horn, loud and long while he passed, which scared the sh!t out of me and caused me to wobble. Fortunately I was able to stay in control, but as soon as I saw one of the SAG vehicles parked just ahead in a driveway, I pulled over, stopped, and had a complete meltdown. It was 12 miles into a 75 mile day and I was done. DH continued on after I had calmed down, and I spent the rest of the day in a very nice Lincoln Navigator.

[singletrackmind]

Not yet. A lively combination of luck, preparedness and idiotic stubborness. I'm just too plain stupid to quit. :o

I wouldn't opt for a ride I knew I could absolutely not do whether I could sag or not.
Nowadays I ride with a little guy so my mileage is pretty short and it's good to know SAG's available if he needs to quit. For him I'd sag.

[Geonz]

Not yet.

I think early on when you're not sure what you're capable of... but you suspect you're capable of more than you think you're capable of (and yes, that is a paradox and I think it even has a special name), then it makes sense to use the SAG as a motivator to keep the "but what if I can't" voices under control. It also means you can push a little harder if you want (tho' I never have... I"m all about pacing and finishing with plenty left).

Oops, once I *sort of* did, in that I rode out *to* the rest stop I was doing the shift on, and there were 20 mph headwinds so I opted not to ride back. It didn't look anything like fun.

[smilingcat]

Does an ambulance ride count as SAG?? I was doing okay but just wasn't drinking enough water on that hot summer day. I think I bonked at around 80mile mark and was dropped without any fanfare. So much for being in the lead pack... So what do you do when you get dropped like that?? Well I decided to enjoy the scenery and I sat up looking at the wonderful view, the red tail hawk in the sky and a coyote in the distance. I wasn't paying much attention on the road. Well... the concrete curb was an inch or two higher than the black top. When I realized, too late, my front wheel glazed the step and I went flying. Shattered my collar bone. It felt like a long time before I got a ride in an ambulance...

SAG SAG on death ride 1991. Cold wet day!!! By the time I got to the top of Monitor from Hwy 395 (second pass), the mist had turned to drizzle or sleet depending on your altitude. It was cooo---l--lllddd. Couldn't really feel any of my fingers. Still, I mushed onto Ebbetts (third pass) made it to the pass and got my little dot on the number. There it was sleet and SNOW. No winter gear. The road had iced up too. Can it get worse? Well I was taking a shelter under a canopy. A canopy ready to collapse from too much water collected on the roof. This big dude seeing that there was too much water decided without telling anyone or asking anyone, pushed the roof of canopy to empty its ice cold water. Sheet of ice water poured over the edge. Well I was soaked even before then so I don't know if I got any of that water.

I heard that over 900 people SAGed. I also heard that a guy who was determined to finish and went down Ebbetts, went over the edge cause he just skidded on the ice. He was okay though. I was so cold, and probably in the worst shape, so I got to sit in the front seat huddled around the heat vent and promptly went to sleep. Back at turtle rock I changed into warm dry cloth, had some hot chocolate.

Oh I did bail out of two other ride. But I didn't SAG.

And no I don't plan on SAGGing or DNFing a ride.

Smilingcat

[Aggie_Ama]

Not on an organized ride yet, but I know even the most prepared cyclist may have her day. I have had two rides (Tri County Hill Hopper '05 and Shiner GASP '07) that the SAGs looked oh so inviting. On the Hill Hopper the name says it all, towards the end DH was nudging my back up the hills. I was crying (pain) and pushing on. Finished the 76 miles and felt every one of them.

Shiner this year was the result of headwind, humidity and poor training. The SAGs looked really inviting (and full) the last 10 miles but I somehow willed myself along. I don't know that I have ever been so sore.

I have three times needed someone to come get me. Twice when I had so many flats I ran out of tubes (2 the first time, 3 the second). Once when we got caught in the path of a severe storm in the middle of the country.

I would never plan to SAG a ride. I got furious when a former co-worker didn't ride Day 2 of the MS150 because "I never planned to ride two days this weekend". On the other hand we are probably going to do a Century at altitude this fall, since we are only 1,300 ft above sea level I know I may be biting off more than I can chew and may need the SAG. I PLAN on riding 100 miles though!!

[crazycanuck]

On last year's Karri Cup 105km Mtb event it was 38C :eek: I dídn't make through stage 3. I think it was also because I was still getting used to the Western Australian heat :o

I heard that quite a few people fainted on stage 3, not because it's the hilliest stage but because it was 38C and no shade :mad:

At this year's Karri Cup it was only 25C :)

That's the only story i have..

C

[Hammer]

I posted the full account in my multi-day tour thread. A friend and I decided to try the 100 miles instead of 75. Maybe we shouldn't have. We figured that we'd just keep pedaling forward and finish eventually. The SAG wagon was circling the route more frequently. I believe that we were among some of the last riders.

91 miles in I hit a railroad track wrong and crash. My friend swung wide to not hit me and went down too. So, while we didn't SAG... we did earn a ride in the ambulance.

We had finished 100 miles two days earlier and 70 the day before. We probably had no business doing the 100 on that day. The 75 mile route took us across those tracks too. Who knows. We thought that slow and steady would treat us fine.

[DirtDiva]

SAG doesn't tend to be a feature of a mtb ride with your mates, but I'm not above begging for a tea and cakes stop... ;)

[mimitabby]

last summer on tandem we took on a very challenging hill on a 80-90 mile ride.
At one point we stood up to go up a hill (not the big one) but we were in the wrong gear. so my weight went the wrong way and i wrenched a knee.
By the time we'd gone over the worst part of the hills, my knee was really hurting and scaring me. SO at the next rest stop, with 12 flatter, windy, hot miles to go, we decided that i'd had enough.

Nope, no regrets. And for the next month, i was careful and my knee healed.

You did the sensible thing!

[maillotpois]

Wow smiling cat - that Death Ride sounds like a COLD one!!!

My only ever ride in the SAG wagon was at El Tour de Tucson in 2005 when I crashed out at mile 1 (idiot who didn't know how to ride in a pack locked his brakes in front of me, fell down and took me out - that's the last time I start that race mid-gold pack), and rode 40 miles with terrible back pain before deciding to call it quits. I sat in the SAG station waiting for the van, on the verge of tears because I was so disappointed not to finish, but I knew it was the right thing to avoid serious bodily damage. And the upside was I got back to the finish in time to see Floyd Landis come in. :) And have some beers. And ask DH "What took you so long?? I've been here for hours!" when he came in shortly over 5 hours. :D

Of course last year I couldn't do El Tour, so this year it's one of my goals. See if I can break 5 1/2 hours.

[lauraelmore1033]

I SAGed it on day 4 of a 7 day tour of California. I had a fever, nausea and a sore throat, so it seemed like a good idea at the time--especially since temperatures were supposed to be in the mid 90s that day. We had a rest day the next day and I was feeling almost human for the day of riding after that. I don't think I would consciously choose to sign up for a ride thinking I could SAG if I needed it, but I think I would have misgivings about signing up for a ride that didn't offer it. On the tour I just mentioned, SAG support was advertised, but the woman doing it was not being paid (and was therefore, usually hard to find because she was off doing her own thing). She was, in theory, available if you called her on the cell phone, but we were in pretty remote areas with spotty to no cell service. This kept the price of the tour low,and in the end, everything turned out just fine. But I might have thought twice about signing up in the first place since it had been my first tour. I would actually choose to tour again with this outfit now, since I know what I can do on a multi day tour.

[Crankin]

I don't do a lot of multi day rides, but on our first tour, which was a weekend in Stow, VT. I crashed going down a 20% grade on the first day. I got right up and finished (it was a very short but extremely hilly ride) but I ended up with a huge bruise on my thigh and hip. I was SO sore,if it hadn't been for the jacuzzi in our room, I would not have been able to do the next 2 days. But, I did not do the MT. Mansfield climb the next day, which was 7 miles. It was October and as we started going up the Mountain Rd, it was getting really cold, which made my leg even stiffer. I was also concerned about the downhill part, having been spooked the day before. The roads were slightly wet and I don't like downhills very much to begin with. So, I got in the van and took it back to the inn. In fact, most of the other riders were tri-athletes from the midwest and had never seen a mountain. My husband and 2 other people were the only ones who did the climb. I didn't feel bad at all.
On our tour in Austria and the Czech Republic, we did choose the shorter option rides on 2 days. No sagging involved, but I knew my limits and wanted to enjoy the other parts of the tour, too. There was unbelievable climbing on this tour, so I don't feel bad.

[bmccasland]

I have SAG'd (what is the past tense of SAG?)
- after a crash when the person in front of me slammed on her brakes going up hill on a rotten road. I DID ride my bike the mile and a half to the next rest-stop, tho. Went home, showered, and THEN went to the ER for x-ray and stitches.
- after asthma attacks - the worst was on a MS-150 a couple of years ago when they took my bike away from me... but no ride to the hospital
- and when I was fairly new at long-haul biking and had mechanical problems, but didn't know it, so I was fighting my bike, and had trouble breathing.
- and on day 2 of the MS-150 last year when I didn't rehydrate after day 1 (the bottled water vendor was a no-show) and woke up with a migraine. I rode 30 miles with it until I was defeated.

And somehow on most of this, the same wonderful lady, Janet, was the driver that picked me up.

Is it a bad thing to get to know a SAG driver, reall well???

So call me a whimp, I suppose. I drive myself into the ground, but there is a point where I admit defeat and cry Uncle, or Janet :D

[7rider]

So call me a whimp, I suppose. I drive myself into the ground, but there is a point where I admit defeat and cry Uncle, or Janet :D

No shame in taking the SAG when you need it. As they say, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”

[Celeste]

Well, I am a SAG gal too. I can only push myself so far before I just am not having any fun at all.

- SAG #1: TNT Chappel Hill training ride...long one of 65 miles. My first at hill training. It was hot and I was sweating, but having chills at the same time even some nausea. Decided I was not feeling right and should SAG in to the finish. Wise choice as I found out later that I was beginning to dehydrate.

- SAG #2: Tahoe Century ride 2007. Had to SAG up at first rest stop after the tuff switch backs. I was in the wrong gear, had to get off or fall off. Trying to get started again, my foot slipped off the pedal and the big cog sliced my leg open. I did get going again, but had blood running down my leg and sock filled with blood. My head felt weird even after eating and drinking. That woozy feeling lasted most of the day. Sagged up from first to second stop. Hmmm, nerves?

- SAG #3: Tahoe Century ride 2007. Once gain, still feeling woozy, chose to SAG up the Spooner hill. My SAG driver was so concerned about me she wrote her personal cell number on my leg with a ball point pen. If I was in need of help, I was to call her and she would come get me. They tried to get me to SAG all the way in...NO WAY. I wanted to do as much as I could. So I did. Even though I should have had stitches...oops.

-SAG #4: Tour de Braz ride 2007. One week after Tahoe we did a century with the other half of our TNT group. I fully completed 85 miles in the boiling heat. Had to sag up a bit, about 12 miles, once I felt those familiar goose bumbs of dehydration. But I did finish under my own power.

No, I never sign up intending to SAG. I want to finish. But sometimes my body says otherwise. With my leukemia, I have to be very careful of what my body tells me.

It is very difficult for me to stay hydrated even though I drink constantly during the ride, days before the ride and after the ride. I feel this causes me most of my SAG issues.