Organized Ride: Suck it up -OR- Sit it out?

[Nokomis]

This weekend I'll ride a 65 mile (flat) event - and I'm totally fine with that.
The following weekend is another organized ride event, also about 65 miles but it inclues some very challenging climbs, advertized at 3500 total elevation gain. I'm pretty darn sure I'm not in shape to be able to take that on - but my husband isn't listening :p

The ride info includes the standard 'wear protective gear' and 'be trained & ready to handle the challenges' wording.

If you knew a ride would most likely push you beyond your limits - do you:

Go Anyway, walk the hills if you have to?
Skip it, and stick to training for future rides?

[Blueberry]

What kind of ride is it? Are you just reading the usual disclaimers? Is it supported? Are there SAGS? How comfortable are you with the route?

These are all questions that go into the answer. Assuming 1) It's sag'ed (even if you'd rather not take it) and 2) you're reasonably comfortable with the area, my inclination would be to do it and walk the hills if need be. However, if it won't be *fun*, I wouldn't.

The only way to improve is to push beyond your current limits, within reason, of course;)

[SadieKate]

What kind of riding have you been doing leading up to these events? Any hills at all?

How much of a stretch for you is the flat 65 mile ride?

[Nokomis]

Ride 1: Monster Cookie (http://www.salembicycleclub.org/majrides/majrides.html)
Ride 2: RACC (http://www.vancouverbicycleclub.com/RACC.html): Organized / charity ride, with SAG. I have not seen the route, but it was enough that DH was shocked by the difficulty in previous years rides. The web site talks about total elevation, but doesn't have a route or elevation plot available. Hills are at the end of the ride, from what I can tell.

The 65 flat should be fairly comfortable -- I'll know more Sunday evening :D We did a number of 60+ last year, with nearly 90 at the end of the season.

I really don't want to get out there, only to bonk on the first big climb or to have to walk All of the hills. We rode one event last year where the hills beat me - the kind that you struggle to climb to the peak only to see a second, then third peak looming way above you. (Tons of people walking that day.)

[iFKA]

I would go anyway. It will be good exercise for you even if you wouldn't ride it through the finish line. Don't give up before you even tried.
Once I went on race called "wiled Sljeme" (Sljeme is the name of a mountain near me) Out of more than 100 people I finished last, but I was thrilled cause I've finished it, and there were many (male!) competitors that have given up. So you see, being last is not always the bad thing. Now I have the experience and I know what to expect for the next time.
Anyway, I wish you all the best :)

[caligurl]

GO FOR IT! just be sure to pace yourself!

i do all sorts of climbing rides... KNOWING that i won't come in first.. or near the top! i do it for ME! as long as i finish... i've accomplished a goal! i take my time.... push when/if i need to... relax/go easy when i have to! and get'erdone!

[Dianyla]

I'm sure you'll be fine on the Monster Cookie ride. As for RACC, don't they have some shorter 35'ish mile options? You can attempt the 65 miler but if you're truly suffering then don't feel bad about bailing out. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained! ;)

[tamara_69]

I'm doing the 34-mile option with my husband, and even at that, it comes around by our house, so he figures he can bail out early if need be.;) If you can comfortably do 65 miles, you'll be fine. Most of the hills are just rolling, I think. I don't know what it's like out in the Battle Ground area, but I think still rolling. We rode part of the 65-mile route out to Hockinson last weekend, and it was just fine. No big mountains, or anything. And the weather was fabulous, there were lots of other cyclists, and the scenery is beautiful!

Tamara

[Duck on Wheels]

Ride 1: ... (Tons of people walking that day.)
To me, that would be oddly encouraging. I KNOW I'm gonna be walking hills. Also knowing I won't be alone means I don't have to feel like I'm "letting down the team" or embarrassing myself. Now in my own mind, walking a hill still counts. I'm still doing the hill on my own power. But if the general opinion around me is that to dismount is a failure, then I wouldn't feel comfortable in the company. If "cross-training" is accepted, then any hill I do manage to sit up is a triumph, as is the ride as a whole in spite of walking other hills. In other words, I agree with iFKA!

[Susan Otcenas]

Ride 1: Monster Cookie (http://www.salembicycleclub.org/majrides/majrides.html)
Ride 2: RACC (http://www.vancouverbicycleclub.com/RACC.html): Organized / charity ride, with SAG. I have not seen the route, but it was enough that DH was shocked by the difficulty in previous years rides. The web site talks about total elevation, but doesn't have a route or elevation plot available. Hills are at the end of the ride, from what I can tell.


Hi Nokomis,

I've done both these rides several times.

Monster Cookie - piece of cake (or cookie?? :D ). Nothing resembling a hill, save for one teeny bump.

RACC - I've done both the 65 mile and century route several times. (The century adds an extra loop up at the northern end of the route). The 65 mile ride rolls up and down alot but the only really tough hills are two near the end. The 2nd-to-last is long, but straight, so you can see the top (I always find that helps...) And, about 2/3rds of the way up, there's a nice convenient street that you can turn into and catch your breath (yes, I've done this :o ) Then, the very last hill is this mean little b@stard that is very steep (albeit not very long). One very-out-of-shape year, I swallowed my pride and walked it. Felt like I was walking out of my shoes.

Other than the sections in Vancouver, the ride is very pretty.

But, the very best part of the ride is the upper 40 miles of the top loop. A group of us are riding the top loop on Saturday. Leaving Daybreak Park at 9am. Very nice group - no one ever gets left behind. Why not join us?

Susan

[Nanci]

I vote with everyone else. Treat the 65 mile flat ride as a training ride, get a nice week of recovery, and then do the 65 mile hilly ride! Who cares if you have to walk a couple hills. And you can always do what I do if I can't quite make it- just rest until your heartrate is back to normal, and ride again!

Nanci

[Barb]

I often let hills beat me before I even get my butt on the bike( mostly becuase i live in a VERY flat area)! Just go for it. You may be suprised. Who cares if you walk it. When I feel bad about how slow I am or how many hills I walked, I talk to my non riding sister. She is always amazed at the distance alone. I have never even completed a century. She makes me feel like superwoman. Ya know what? I am and so are you!!!!!

[Geonz]

I find that the ride you're worried about is the one you are more careful with pacing about and it goes okay.

However, just to air the otehr side here, I'd look at the weather that day. Going on a really long ride that ends up being NO FUN can make you reluctant to go out the next time - there's something to be said for quitting while they (your legs) still want more, to keep the desire up.

(On the third side, though, if you *don't* go, if that will mean you hesitate for the next long ride, too... it could be a 'slippery slope' that way.)

[Nokomis]

Thanks Everyone - you are Awesome!! I really appreciate the encouragement to get out of my comfort zone! :) I guess I was putting too much pressure on myself, and viewing the need to walk as a sign of weakness/failure, rather than the next training challenge to overcome. I imagined someone in a SAG vehicle driving by & escorting me off the course for failure to ride or whatnot :rolleyes:

I am going to ride this weekend before making my final decision - but I'm riding it as training / warmup for the RACC. DH will be thrilled when I tell him :p

Susan - thanks for the descriptions! That helps a ton. I'll have to find out who all he's asked to ride with us, then will make plans to meet up &/or ride with ya!

[Nanci]

Hey, you know what I just thought of? Is the course somewhere where you can drive it first? (or pre-ride sections in the weeks ahead?)

A while ago I posted an article about Tim Noake's "Central Governor Theory" which is basically, not all your muscle fibers are allowed, by your brain, to work at one time. It's about 30% of them. How your brain doles them out is by a pre-set distance that you plan on going. If you exceed that distance, your brain makes you feel tired even before you actually are, because your brain planned on going, say, 60 miles and you find out, unexpectedly, that you really have to go 65. Because the brain didn't plan, at the beginning, to go 65 miles, it has been letting you use more muscle fibers at a time than if you had planned to go the further distance, so it tries to save your strength by sending a "tired" message. Same thing happens when there is an unexpected obstacle, like a long or steep hill you didn't know about. The brain says "Oh, I didn't budget for this, I will make her feel tired so she goes more slowly, so she will have enough energy to make it to the end." Noakes says that the best thing you can do is pre-drive the course, so there won't be any surprises, so your brain will allow you to use the most muscle fibers at once. This is also why it is possible for runners/cyclists to have a great sprint at the end of a race- the brain "sees" the end in sight, and releases muscle fibers it had been holding in reserve, for an all-out effort.

So- I think you will have a better chance of completing the ride if, optimally, you can pre-drive it, or if you can't do that, gather as exact a description of the course as possible (such as provided by Susan) from others who have ridden it.

Nanci

[Bike Goddess]

If I were you, I'd stock up on Gel! Just take some before you hit the last 2 hills and you'll be fine1 Nothing like a little boost of energy!

Be sure to stay hydrated. Have some carbs before you leave on the ride, then eat every once in awhile (good for a break)and drink a sports drink while you ride (I'm now using Cytomax which seems to be fine on my digestive system).

AND...Start at a slower pace, get warmed up, and just plug along. The point here is to not wear yourself out before you get to the end.

When you are finished and home, I suggest you have a recovery drink- I use Endurox 4 with milk and yogurt in the blender. Not only good, but you'll feel better the next day!

Good luck! I hope you do the ride. We'll be waiting for your report!

[caligurl]

ya know.... i really need to give that gel stuff a try some time! i know the big rule is never to try something new on a big ride... so i'll have to remember to try some when we do our national park climb here!

oh... to add to BG's advice (if it wasn't stated earlier in the thread) eat a GOOD breakfast!

for normal rides here at home... and "normal" (not climbing centuries that i can get to in a decent amount of time... say within 1/5 to 2 hours) i have my favorite pre-ride meal of oatmeal, natural peanut butter and light chocolate soy milk...

however for any of my epic climbers.... we stop at denny's and i have a good breakfast: eggs... bacon... (even the hashbrowns!) and a fruit filled pancake! so i get some protein... fat.. and carbs! i stay fuller longer than i do on oatmeal (i try to eat my denny's meal an hour to hour and a half before i leave!) seems to work for me! otherwise i get hungry quicker than the first rest stop.... and that's not good!

[Nokomis]

I made it thru the first ride ~ COLD, breezy... spent the majority of the ride sheltered by DH & his coworker (nothing like drafting between two guys to keep you out of the worst of the wind!) I ate well, kept hydrated, but on the last little hill (dead cat hill, for those that rode) my legs started to cramp a bit. The last 20 miles or so I was pretty beat, and frustrated because I never felt "strong" like I did on a much warmer ride the Friday before. :rolleyes:

Ride stats: ~63 miles, avg 15.9mph, top speed 29mph, sustained winds ~15? and below 55 degrees for at least 3/4 of the ride.

Poor shorts/saddle fit during ride; never did get things adjusted right ~ am shocked that I managed to get thru w/out any sores; I'm sure the chamois butt'r saved me.

I'm thinking I just don't have the legs right now to do the RACC. However, my lungs & heart are much stronger than last year... and even if I was creeping up dead cat hill at 6mph, I wasn't sucking wind like I would have last year. Dunno - I'll have to keep thinking about this one, and probably need DH to commit to taking an intentional break before the final climbs.

[SadieKate]

Ride stats: ~63 miles, avg 15.9mph, top speed 29mph, sustained winds ~15? and below 55 degrees for at least 3/4 of the ride.Based on this you can do the next ride. Back off and take the hills easy. Don't even think about your average speed for the ride or your speed for individual hills. That's not important. Start slow and easy at the beginning (ignore all the enthusiastic speedster starters) and your legs will feel better at the end.

When else are you going to try something for the first time?

[tprevost]

I'm throwing in my .02 here but I think you should try it next week. Your stats for this last ride were excellent and the conditions weren't. Start very slowly, don't push yourself, hydrate well, watch your nutrition and I would bet $$ you'll finish and finish well!!! I am still pretty weak on the hills but I just plug along (did you know that I can go 3.8 mph and not fall over on a 2 mile grade? - pretty impressive huh? :rolleyes: ) and I do okay on most.

Let us know what you decide!

Tracy

[Nokomis]

When else are you going to try something for the first time? Next year, of course! :p I never even considered this ride for this year, until one of DH's friends congratulated me for joining them on the ride - less than 3 weeks from the event :eek: hehe

Mon: bike shop to get LOOK pedals on my bike, to go with my sassy new shoes (fit like a dream in the shop - my first real first road shoes) and I'm hoping they'll work well in practice. We'll probably noodle around the neighborhood so I can get used to them.
Tues: spin class, 1 hr
Weds: Pumpkin Ridge - 6.5 miles of low grade climb
Thurs: spin class, 1 hr
Friday: :eek:
Saturday: RACC

[Nanci]

If I were you, I'd _really_ rest up this week, and then do the ride at a comfortable pace for _you_. Draft with your friends if it isn't stressing you, and then take it easy on the climbs. Isn't spin class like, really hard??? I'd skip it...You can not add to your fitness this week, you can only make yourself more tired!!

Nanci

[Nokomis]

Thanks Nanci - the spinning class Can be very hard, but it's also easy to fake out. We'll be using the class to keep the legs moving, flush out any extra lactic acid, and maintain form rather than pushing hard. Our instructor is great, and supports our need to ride to our training goals. It'll be a recovery ride, not a training ride.

[Dianyla]

Good going, Nokomis! It was friggin' cold! yesterday. I kept expecting it to warm up so I could peel off a layer, but that moment never actually came. Not to mention, the headwind for the first half of the ride wasn't exactly pleasant either. At the first rest stop I saw one woman wearing a Hill Slug TE t-shirt and I talked to her to see if it was you, but she was someone else.

My stats:
60 miles (I think my computer blinked out a few times, really I did ride the whole 63 miles)
16.9 mph avg speed
88 rpm avg cadence
152 bpm avg heartrate

All these stats are thanks to the Team Bag Balm folks that I rode and drafted with the entire ride. Solo, I would be considerably slower given the headwind.

Based on the stats you posted, I'm sure you are capable of finishing RACC next weekend. Once you have a certain amount of conditioning (which you seem to have already, based on your numbers) then the rest is all mental and nutritional. Go for it! :D