Fitness Over 40

Tour de Blast - Done!!!

Mark and I completed the Tour de Blast on Saturday.  This was one tough ride.  Basically it’s 84 miles, climbing one 4,300 foot ridge, and a 3,800 foot ridge - and oh yeah, you do the 3,800 foot ridge TWICE.  All told, it was over 7,000 feet of climbing for the day.

The day started for us at 4 am.  We got up, threw our things in the car, and had to drive 140 miles to the starting line.  Yes, it would have been easier to stay at a motel somewhere close the night before, but I decided it would be a good idea to save some money before I leave my paying job.  Probably would rethink that next time.

We got to the starting line at around 8am.  Another interesting bit of news was that Mark didn’t really feel that well (Mark is my uncle who is going to be 58 in a couple of months - he also happens to be my best friend).  His stomach had been bothering him all night, and he was afraid to eat very much.  Not what you want before a long, hard, ride.

The weather cooperated a little bit better than last time.  It averaged 61 degrees over the course of the day, and although it looked like it might rain a lot, it never actually did.  That was good, because it was already cold in spots without the rain.  We ended up switching our gear out multiple times as we climbed and descended over long stretches.

Once under way, it was apparent that Mark wasn’t going to have a good day.  It created a dilemma.  Should we bale, knowing that he was not feeling great - or continue, knowing that he would have to suffer for a long time.  Also in our minds was another dilemma.  See - if we baled, then we would HAVE to do this ride again.  But if we somehow struggled through, then we could do it again if we wanted, but it would be our choice.  This ride has already been tormenting us the last 3 years.  Ultimately, I left it up to Mark.

Mark is either one of the toughest men I know, or he’s really stubborn.  I suspect it’s both.  Either way, he wouldn’t even think about being sensible, so we forged on.  I ended up leading for the entire 83.5 miles.  Didn’t suck another wheel once during the entire ride.  I pulled Mark for the entire distance, except for the last couple of climbs - when we separated on the climbs but got back together at the top.  But his hanging on my wheel the entire day was way more heroic than anything I did.  Did I mention he’s stubborn.

The ride basically has three equal sections among the 83.5 miles.  The first section starts at 500 feet of elevation, and ends at the top of Elk Rock Ridge at 3.800 feet.  It’s mostly rolling hills for the first 20 miles or so, then a steady, constant climb up the ridge. 

The middle section is from Elk rock to Johnston ridge and back.  You start at 3,800 feet, drop to 2,500 feet, then climb back up to 4,300 feet.  At this point you are at the half way point.  Then you get to drop back to 2,500 feet, and climb back up to 3,800 feet.

The last third is a race back to the starting line.  Starting at the top of Elk Rock, it is mostly a downhill ride back into town.  I suspect we averaged around 20 miles per hour on this part (almost fast enough to keep up with zappoman on a recovery ride).

For the ride, I did a great job managing my heart rate.  I averaged under 140 for the ride, and only had a max of 161 (I purposely didn’t push my max).  I kept to a faster cadence/less resistence to keep my legs from burning out, and I hydrated and fueled frequently.  I probably could have gone a bit faster if Mark was feeling better, but I think worked out well to stay within myself for the ride.  I was really tired when we got back to the top of Elk rock, but I was able to actually recover somewhat during the last third home.  

All told, it took us over 7 hours, with over 7,000 feet of elevation gain.  I burned over 5,400 calories during the ride.  We got back to the finish line, pounded down the free spaghetti dinner they offered, then got back in the car and drove 140 miles home.  The journey that started at 4am was officially over at 8:30 pm.

We did it!!!!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 06/23/2007
• Total Time: 7:22:00.00
• Average Heart rate: 137
• Max Heart rate: 163
• Calories: 5418
• Distance: 83.5 miles
• Average Speed: 11.33 mph
• Ascent: 7,040 ft

Filed under: 2007 Resolutions, Cycling, Goals, Uncategorized, Workout, fitness, fitness over forty, male over forty, over forty  |  Digg! this story.  |  Leave a Comment