Marquisdesod
Member
Managing devices and route tracking: I used a Wahoo Element Roam 2 which I really like but which needs charging while turned off for several hours each day. I had to start using the RidewithGPS file on my phone the second day and I kept switching back and forth between the two. On day three I had done @ 115 miles by 4 pm and knew I was going to need a long night at a motel to rest and charge devices. I had just switched back to the Wahoo for course info and looked at the file for upcoming climbs because I was really tired already and hurting. It said no climbs for 60 miles so I took off for the next town with motels @ 45 miles away thinking I had an easy cruise and a long nights sleep ahead. Somehow I was on the wrong portion of the route file and it was up and down and up and down for the entire way. I had hit the proverbial wall by the time I got to the motel that night, 450 miles in 3 days, 45 too many. My next three days were essentially half days with lots of walking long hills. I believe that extra effort cost me a full day in race time. In future races I would only use my phone for routing and use the Wahoo to record stats.
Well, so far I have made a short story long. There were 12 riders doing the 1500 mile race to San Diego. 6 finished. There were 4 signed up to do the 900 mile race. I alone finished, so I won. My mileage for the 7.5 days was 141, 151, 159, 58, 71, 63, 146, and 97 miles. Those numbers were not nearly what I had hoped but I am very proud of them. I used many mental techniques from Maria Parker's book to stay motivated and positive. I rolled with some punches and pushed through when I thought I couldn't and I used Appreciation for just being out there trying as my main focus. On day four I was telling my wife that this was one thing scratched off the bucket list to not do again, but, by day 6, I was thinking of how I would do it better the next time. It certainly helped having the encouragement of my wife, family and friends back home. I don't think these races are really "self"-supported.
The rhythm of my days was find sleep shortly after dark and take off as soon as I woke up the first time in the night (between midnight and 3 am). I would eat at a restaurant occasionally, from convenience stores with food options usually (Yeah Aztec Grill!, better than Casey's
and not worry about timing as long as I had water. Being "fat-adapted" let me ride quite a while without feeling hungry and I used up at least 20,000 calories of my "reserves" (you do the math on weight loss). On three days I took afternoon naps of one hour which made the evening riding much better. I preferred riding in the wee hours of the morning when I was fresh rather than later into the evening when I was not as alert. Blame that on the farm boy in me.
I didn't take many pictures. How do you capture the sweep of the countryside, and I like to just take it in as I ride. The Pacific Ocean was clear and blue with huge chunks of coastline rock lying off shore. The forests are glorious, the Avenue of the Giants is a religious experience and the sky at 2 am has stars you can reach out and touch. I loved turning in early and getting out and riding 4-5 hours before dawn. I do wish I knew what some of those sounds were, though! haha.
Finally, I would encourage all to check out this race. The route is spectacular, a rolling picture postcard from start to finish. You can make it as fast or as slow as you want and the participants are helpful, kind and friendly. Everyone seemed to be competing against themselves and encouraging all others. I intend to do at least the San Francisco to San Diego race to complete the coast in the future if not the whole thing again. I am incorporating more weight training and think I will take the S-40 the next time for the hill climbing (more testing needed for that!) There were some super racers on the 1500 mile ride but also people like us that just like to ride the most comfortable bike in the world for uncomfortable distances.
And to top it all off, I crossed paths and had a nice chat with fellow Cruzbiker @Steven Sipma on a nice Eureka, California bike path!
thanks for reading,
Jeff Moore,
Forgottonia, Illinois
Well, so far I have made a short story long. There were 12 riders doing the 1500 mile race to San Diego. 6 finished. There were 4 signed up to do the 900 mile race. I alone finished, so I won. My mileage for the 7.5 days was 141, 151, 159, 58, 71, 63, 146, and 97 miles. Those numbers were not nearly what I had hoped but I am very proud of them. I used many mental techniques from Maria Parker's book to stay motivated and positive. I rolled with some punches and pushed through when I thought I couldn't and I used Appreciation for just being out there trying as my main focus. On day four I was telling my wife that this was one thing scratched off the bucket list to not do again, but, by day 6, I was thinking of how I would do it better the next time. It certainly helped having the encouragement of my wife, family and friends back home. I don't think these races are really "self"-supported.
The rhythm of my days was find sleep shortly after dark and take off as soon as I woke up the first time in the night (between midnight and 3 am). I would eat at a restaurant occasionally, from convenience stores with food options usually (Yeah Aztec Grill!, better than Casey's
and not worry about timing as long as I had water. Being "fat-adapted" let me ride quite a while without feeling hungry and I used up at least 20,000 calories of my "reserves" (you do the math on weight loss). On three days I took afternoon naps of one hour which made the evening riding much better. I preferred riding in the wee hours of the morning when I was fresh rather than later into the evening when I was not as alert. Blame that on the farm boy in me.I didn't take many pictures. How do you capture the sweep of the countryside, and I like to just take it in as I ride. The Pacific Ocean was clear and blue with huge chunks of coastline rock lying off shore. The forests are glorious, the Avenue of the Giants is a religious experience and the sky at 2 am has stars you can reach out and touch. I loved turning in early and getting out and riding 4-5 hours before dawn. I do wish I knew what some of those sounds were, though! haha.
Finally, I would encourage all to check out this race. The route is spectacular, a rolling picture postcard from start to finish. You can make it as fast or as slow as you want and the participants are helpful, kind and friendly. Everyone seemed to be competing against themselves and encouraging all others. I intend to do at least the San Francisco to San Diego race to complete the coast in the future if not the whole thing again. I am incorporating more weight training and think I will take the S-40 the next time for the hill climbing (more testing needed for that!) There were some super racers on the 1500 mile ride but also people like us that just like to ride the most comfortable bike in the world for uncomfortable distances.
And to top it all off, I crossed paths and had a nice chat with fellow Cruzbiker @Steven Sipma on a nice Eureka, California bike path!
thanks for reading,
Jeff Moore,
Forgottonia, Illinois
