Tour de Cure - Race Report
I had also taken the bike apart two days earlier and fit the bike with some new SPD pedals to fit the new shoes I bought at Frankenbike. The unproven changes to the bike should have been left for after the ride but I was being stubborn about them and decided to do them anyway. A broken cleat or blisters or bad fitting shoes could have proven disastrous for 80 miles. Again, the stubborness in me won out and I'd have to live with it
But that's the difference between a race and a training ride. A training ride can always be rescheduled and another workout substituted in its place. A race where you pay your own money is different. There's even more pressure when you've solicited money for a cause. You have to show up. You have to ride. You have to complete the distance, no matter if it's 29 or 100 degrees. So I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and started my pre-race rituals. Emergen-C drink, toast, coffee, shower, gather the gear, depart.
Everything was going smoothly until I heard a pop, which came from the back of the car. Back of the car, as in, where the bike was being carried. I thought the bungi cord had snapped and kept driving, keeping one eye on the bike in the rearview mirror. After arriving at the Texas State University campus and disengaging the bike from the car, I noticed it wasn't the bungi cord after all. It was the front tire. No air. Argh! And upon closer inspection, it appeared the tire was burned. It was. The tire came too close to the muffler and the hot air scorched the tire and the tube. What a way to start the day.
My tire problem messed with my timing. Instead of eating with other cyclists before the race, I was having a tire changed. Instead of lining up to start, I was in the bathroom. I was running for the bike as the 55-milers were lining up to start. I picked up the bike and moved around the crowd and took off. Did that race announcer say left at the first right, or was it right at the first left? I spotted a couple of yellow shirted volunteers and they pointed me in the direction of the others. Throughout the day all of the volunteers were stupendous. Warm, cheery, helpful, and always a smile on their face. Great job to all the volunteers!
Just as everyone seemed to be settled into the correct way to pass and notify others of cars and obstacles, we came around a steep curve. Everyone was slowing down, pulling off to the right or left. As I slowed to come up to the narrow bridge, a few TDC officials were pulling two guys from the creek. Apparently, they had missed the bridge and found the creek instead. Later at the rest stop food table I heard what happened from the two. The first guy did miss the bridge and in his panic, his foot caught his buddy and pulled him in as well.
I stopped and refueled at every rest stop. Heed, water, bananas, oranges and PBJs. I took it all in and supplemented every ten miles with my own gels and hydration. During the course of the ride, the six stops probably added over 45 minutes to the ride but with the heat, there was no way I was going to skip a stop to refuel. I was emptying two bottles of fluids every ten miles and my quads were starting to cramp. Each stop thereafter I took in a cup or two of salted Goldfish. After awhile, the quads weren't great, but they were working. My heart rate was now in averaging 145.
During the ride, there were only two points that I questioned the choice of the 80-mile route versus the 55-mile route. The first came at the point where we separated from the 55-milers. We went straight to add 25 miles, while they turned towards Austin. This was a lonely 25 miles. It seemed like it was me and SAG vehicles during this stretch. Towards the end I came across two other riders. The first words out of each of their mouths was "Why did I choose the 80-mile route." I chcuckled and agreed and then we each looked down and pumped the cranks towards the next rest stop. There was a mental hurdle I got over when I reached the point where we split. I said to myself, "OK, that's done, let's get to Austin."
The sun was in full UV Index mode at this point. Any clouds that made the breeze a little cooler were now completely gone from the sky. I had drenched myself in SPF 45 Coppertone before leaving the house. I wondered how it would hold up. I couldn't tell if I was sunburned or not. The only discomfort I felt at this time were burning quads and sore wrists. During the first 40 miles I would take a break from pedaling and coast to give the legs a break. At this point, when I stopped pedaling, the quads felt like they were going to cramp. The only relief was to keep pedaling in whatever gear I could muster. I split my time between riding in a relaxed position on top of the bullhorn handlebar and tucked onto the aerobars. My wrists were hurting from the bullhorn position. My forearms were starting to chafe from the aerobar position. Since both were uncomfortable I decided to ride the bullhorn position on the uphills and the aerobars on the downhills.
The second point I questioned the 80 mile route was at the rest stop at the 64th mile. Nobody wanted to get back on the bikes. We didn't know each other, but we made conversation and ate more oranges rather than get back on the bikes. There had to be seven or eight of us huddled in the ten square feet of shade the tent provided. After no more conversation was found, one-by-one we each picked up our bike, mounted and head towards Austin. Two of the people in the shade decided to call it quits. They picked up their bikes and loaded them onto the SAG vehicle. As I passed, they gave me a thumbs up sign and said to go get 'em. Who was 'em I thought. Ah yes, the miles. That was the only 'em out there. One of the volunters had said that it was all downhill from here on out. How wrong she was. The two steepest hills were yet to come. Although steep, they didn't get my heart rate red-lined as last week's time trial. I climbed into a relaxed gear and kept pedaling.
By now there weren't many riders left on the course. And so it went until the final mile marker. I slowed down a little and reflected on the ride. At this point there were large trees on the side of the rode that had been absent all day, except for the start. They provided some nice shade and made the breeze, or what was left of it, cooler. As I pulled into the finish line, there were still people gathered to clap for the riders.
Now that I've had a couple of hours to recooperate, my quads are sore but not marathon sore. The knees are good. I'm on my second round of Liquid Advil gels and I did get a little sunburn on the face. Other than that, it was all good. The new shoes worked great, the new handlebar system worked great and the Seton Scrubs raised some cash for the American Diabetes Association. A day or two of rest and it'll be time to get down to business for the CapTexTri next weekend.
One last note. Yes, indeedy, bike seat technology has progressed leaps and bounds since 1985.
Ride Stats
Total Time: 6:00
Riding Time: 4:55
Rest Stops: :45
Mechanic Adjustments: :20
Total Mileage: 80 miles
Average Speed: 17.6 mph
80 mile course (PDF)
Photos
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