2010 Daffodil Classic

[XMcShiftersonX]

Hey. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I've been busy as I had to work today 7am-7:30pm.

Anyways, glad to hear your ride went well. Mine was nice as well. I managed to talk my husband in to riding with me. Since it was the most climbing and mileage I've ever done before, I was really scared to do it alone. I'm glad he went with me, because as it turned out, we were alone for most of the route. We didn't start until 10:30am.

I felt really good about how I did. By the time I reached the rest stop at 40 miles, I could start to feel the ache in my legs. That last hill right before the stop was brutal!! I also have trouble eating much during strenuous rides, my stomach just feels sick usually when I try. So I wasn't able to really eat any of their delicious food (though my husband said it was good). I just had a couple of Gu packets and a banana. I need to work on that, because it probably would have helped.

Those last 5 miles were pretty tough. The last big downhill was awesome, and then I was just waiting for it to end. My odometer said I went a little over 63 miles, so I kept going "Okay... where's the end??" By that time I was really aching. But I was so happy when I finished because of what I had accomplished. We finished around 3:30. What about you guys?

Does your computer have an altimeter? My husband's said we only did 2700 feet of climbing, but the ride description said it would be over 3000 feet, so we were a little disappointed by that.

I also wanted to ask you what you ended up averaging for the whole ride on that CATS ride you did? I really want to do their ride that first weekend in May but I'm worried the pace may be too much for me, especially with 60+miles. The Daffodil I averaged just over 14MPH for the whole thing.

[Susan126]

I miss riding with my husband. He is totally unable to ride because of his knee. He has an old injury that just gets worse each year and it’s time to finally get it fixed. He’s been seeing an orthopedic doctor and he wants to do a knee replacement in May. Next year Joe (my hubby) will be back riding again. I can’t wait. But how nice that you were able to talk your husband into doing the metric with you. 10:30 is a late start. I was on the course at 8:28 AM. I wanted to start at 8:00 but I was running late as usual. I had to stop and get my black and white mocha from Starbucks and the line was long!

Yes I would have to agree on that last hill being brutal. I was feeling it in my legs too around mile 55. I was ready to see the finish line. With me it’s all about food. If I don’t eat (real food) I just won’t make it. I learned this fact about myself a long time ago on a ride where I bonked badly. I was eating gels but my body wanted something real. Gels and power bars just don’t do it for me. In fact on the training rides when we stop and everyone is pulling out their gel packs and power bars I’m pulling out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or turkey sandwich. So the beans and rice at the Eatonville stop really delighted me!

I missed a turn and had to back track a bit so I ended up with a grand total of 65.41 miles. And I absolutely LOVED that last downhill going into Orting. I hit 41 mph coming down it! I finished around 1:30. My average speed wasn’t too bad. It was 14.5. I usually ride between that and 16 mph. In fact on my two weekday rides last week I averaged 15.9 on my 30 mile loop on Tuesday and Thursday. But the hills and headwind definitely brought it down on Sunday’s Daffodil Classic. But I was more concerned with getting in the mileage.

I don’t have an altimeter on my computer. Maybe my next one will have one. It sure felt like we did a lot more climbing then 2700 feet. Even 3000 feet! Or I am still out of shape for hills. I noticed that I was pretty slow going up them on Sunday. The training rides should help me rebuild my climbing legs (I hope)!

On the last CATS ride our average was around 14.1. It was pretty hilly and we had a headwind too. In the spring you can always count on headwinds being around. We stayed together as a group pretty well on the flats but once we hit the hills we began to spread out. I don’t think you should have anything to worry about.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Aww that's too bad, I hope he recovers quickly from his surgery. Many patient's have said that they don't know why they waited so long to have it done, because it's so amazing how good the knee feels after it's fixed. I love riding with my husband. Finding good cycling friends is hard, but even then, there's something different about riding with my husband. He knows me better than anyone, and I trust him more than anyone, so I feel totally comfortable and safe. I wish he could be with me on every ride

Wow! You were flying down that hill. I only managed to get up to like 34MPH, kinda wussy. The fastest I've ever gone is 37 down this hill in Renton. I stay pretty consistent on my rides averaging somewhere in the 14 MPH range no matter the distance or climbing. I do often go on fairly hilly rides. However, if it's something completely flat like the Cedar River Trail, I can average a little over 15.

I'm still concerned about that CATS ride. But I think I'll give it a try. I'll keep a map, in case I can't keep up (even though I'm horrible with direction!). I'd like to do the route and the mileage, but the Daffodil is the first time I've done greater than 60 miles. Luckily this ride will be less climbing so that may help me not to feel so worn out at the end.