Sidi road shoe recommendations

[Cari]

Cari,

I think, for your climate especially, you also need a pair of Shimano sandals. I can't tell you how much I love mine and how happy my feet are!!
Nanci

Hi Nanci,

Sandals sound like a big relief in hot weather. The thing is, it can get so hot and especially humid here that I'm afraid that my feet would get sweaty, start slipping around inside the sandals, and I'd get blisters. At least that's what's happened to me with Teva-style sandals, when I've worn them in the summer. Are the Shimano sandals anything like that, or do they fit better? Have you worn them on those ridiculously long rides you like to do when you're taking a break from running marathons and swimming the English Channel?

~Carissa

[Nanci]

Hi Carissa,

I wore them last Saturday for 130 miles in 101F (at last report at 2:30 PM) heat, in Florida humidity, with no problems. It was sure fun to stick ice chunks under my toes and gloat while the others with real shoes boiled!

Seriously, I can't remember my feet ever sweating in them. I think the breeze prevents that. And, they have a snug fit, but I don't keep the straps really tight- but I just really don't feel them, either. It's like I'm just stepping on soft rubber platforms. But I think I have an efficient pedal stroke, still.

Their first ride was Three State Three Mountain. Not horribly hot, but 105 miles with MAJOR climbing. And 1/4 mile of walking! :-) (22% grade!)

Nanci

[Cari]

When I grow up I want to be like Nanci. Or ride like her, at least. Hopefully that will be sometime soon, since I'm pushing 30.

How long does it take you to do a century? And those 130 mile rides?? How do you do it, woman?!?

My first century took me about 7:30 hours -- 6am to 1:30pm -- including rest stops. After forcing down a sandwich for lunch at the halfway point, it took me a looong time to convince myself to even get back on the bike, since two of my good friends were there driving mechanical support vehicles.

At about mile 65, my head felt so hot that I thought I might start seeing Keebler elves materializing out of the asphalt. I abandoned the group and stopped at a gas station to find some ice cold water to pour over my head. By the rest stop at mile 71, my hands were so numb that I couldn't open the Gatorade and water bottles we were being given. And the only thing that got me to the finish was the promise of an air-conditioned car and relief for my sore butt.

That one was on May 20th. I'm still trying to convince myself to do another. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to do the PR MS 300 Bike Tour in December. Ay, ay, ay.

[Nanci]

Maybe it's because I'm such a freeze baby I still have to run the heat in my car in Florida in June in the morning on the way to work. Or because I'd rather have my windows down than the AC running. Or because I go sit on the patio in the evening with my bird, and read a book instead of sitting inside watching the TV with the AC blasting away.

I did a lot of ice stuffing myself, though, Saturday.

Plus I take Succeed Caps! electrolytes every half hour.

I'm not fast, though. My usual Century time is right around what yours is- 14.5-15 mph, plus plenty of stops, especially when it is hot.

I get more for my money that way, the longer it takes!!

It's tough in really hot weather, though. It was very tempting to quit when my riding buddy was calling his mommy to pick him up. But geez, I paid $100 for the hotel room, drove 100 miles each way, paid $25 for the entry fee, so I was going to quit because I was hot??? And give up my chance for the R12 award?? If I wasn't going to do the ride (which was _beautiful scenery, no traffic- it was just the temp that was bad) what did I even go there for???

I've realized that there comes a time in every long ride that I feel doomed- like I hate riding, hate my bike, hate Florida...But it all goes away and the ride is worth it when it's over.

Before my 600k I was panicking about my hands- not numb, but just so irritated and hurting that I couldn't get comfortable during the last hours of my 400k. So I had the shop put those gel pads under gel tape, and bought new gel gloves- and spent time on the aerobars- it really helped.

Neutrogena Cooling Spray Sunscreen helps a lot.

Coca Cola Icees are heavenly.

Washing the sweat and salt and grime off in the convenience store bathrooms helps- if you have new sunscreen to put on.

My undercarriage doesn't get very sore on Century/200ks as long as I keep things dry after I pee. Any rest stops in the bushes are asking for trouble. Still, things get a little irritated on ALL pressure points- hands, feet, crotch- how could they not??? After 8-12 hours of constant contact with the bike? At least the next day things are more or less back to normal, that's all I care about.

Sure, I could be doing "normal" recreational riding, and most of the time, that's what I do. But I love being old, relatively fat, a grandma, not an athlete, but still being able to ride farther than practically everyone I know! All it takes is the will to do it. And a lot of trial and error, constantly improving on lessons learned. But mostly, it's just being too stubborn to quit. And having a good imagination so it all sounds like fun in retrospect!

Nanci