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| My niece and I shredding through the neighborhood. |
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| She's really fast on the downhills. Seriously. |
I'm pretty nervous, and of course, excited. There are about 42 people from around the world on the roster for the race. Some have participated in the World Cycle Race, the Transcontinental, Tour Divide, Race Across America. There is no shortage of talent. I'm going to see how long I can fake it before I'm found out. But seriously, I do feel pretty good about my experiences so far. I've learned so much during my two summers of Bike & Build and racing at Purdue. What's really making me anxious is the presence of the film crew. The same people that made Ride the Divide are filming a documentary during the race called Inspired to Ride. They will be following six racers (not me, but who knows! You might see me in the background). Their presence adds to the legitimacy and makes me nervous about the competition.
So how am I treating this competition? What's my strategy? Maybe this is really a race against myself, and I should just aim to finish with a "good" time. I've been talking with a Purdue teammate and he keeps reminding me to basically take care of myself and not worry about the other racers or the race itself. Kind of a "you do you" attitude. Without destroying my body I'd like to meet one of three goals daily:
1. Ride 150 miles
2. Climb 12,000 feet
3. Ride 15 hours
So how am I treating this competition? What's my strategy? Maybe this is really a race against myself, and I should just aim to finish with a "good" time. I've been talking with a Purdue teammate and he keeps reminding me to basically take care of myself and not worry about the other racers or the race itself. Kind of a "you do you" attitude. Without destroying my body I'd like to meet one of three goals daily:
1. Ride 150 miles
2. Climb 12,000 feet
3. Ride 15 hours
I have a few ideas that I think the top riders in this race will do a few things well. I could be very wrong as I've never raced something like this or read other riders' strategies, but here's the list:
1. Nutrition management. Is each racer getting enough and the right foods to eat? Food is fuel. I burn about 6,500 calories in a 150 mile ride. Eating is a challenge. Even more difficult in stretches of road with no services. Keeping your heart rate lower than anaerobic is essential. Caloric depletion occurs much more rapidly in high heart rate zones.
2. Long steady distance. How many hours can each rider tolerate in the saddle (physically, mentally)? Stopping efficiency will serve each of us well. I learned on Bike & Build that in large part speed doesn't matter, but stopping heavily affects time of arrival to the next host. Of course, adventures were had and roses were smelled, but I figured out how to get to the host quickly if I needed.
1. Nutrition management. Is each racer getting enough and the right foods to eat? Food is fuel. I burn about 6,500 calories in a 150 mile ride. Eating is a challenge. Even more difficult in stretches of road with no services. Keeping your heart rate lower than anaerobic is essential. Caloric depletion occurs much more rapidly in high heart rate zones.
2. Long steady distance. How many hours can each rider tolerate in the saddle (physically, mentally)? Stopping efficiency will serve each of us well. I learned on Bike & Build that in large part speed doesn't matter, but stopping heavily affects time of arrival to the next host. Of course, adventures were had and roses were smelled, but I figured out how to get to the host quickly if I needed.
3. Recovery. Who can get back on the bike day after day and maintain performance? Eating, stretching, eating, and sleeping will help. I don't think anyone will be going for the Race Across America style sleeping strategy - only minutes of sleep per hundreds of miles - but maybe some sacrifice a little bit to have more saddle time or others (me) try to get a lot to allow for a bit more recovery.
All in all, I think each participant is out there to have fun, and they all will. But it'd be nice to get some bragging rights out of it.
For myself, I expect a mid pack finish. Others' are shooting for 18 days (over 200 miles/day). If my legs allow, I will try to better than 28, but we'll see. I could have some knee or IT band problems that have haunted me in the recent past, and I'd do well just to finish. I've been going to physical therapy last semester, and it seems to have helped. I've got some stretches and exercises that I'll be doing as I go. Hopefully, I'll maintain my health and ride strong.
For myself, I expect a mid pack finish. Others' are shooting for 18 days (over 200 miles/day). If my legs allow, I will try to better than 28, but we'll see. I could have some knee or IT band problems that have haunted me in the recent past, and I'd do well just to finish. I've been going to physical therapy last semester, and it seems to have helped. I've got some stretches and exercises that I'll be doing as I go. Hopefully, I'll maintain my health and ride strong.
Lots of links to get updates on the race:
MTBcast - podcast and recorded calls from racers.
Track Leaders - gps tracking of each participant
Trans Am Bike Race - race info
Track Leaders - gps tracking of each participant
Trans Am Bike Race - race info
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