Two more stages
7/02/06
Stage 2, Obernai to Esch sur Alzette (Luxembourg)
228.5 km, 145 miles
8:00 hours on the bike, cadence average 71, burned 4630 calories, 145 miles, 160 watts average, 17.6 mph average, top speed 45.3 mph
Today, we had beautiful weather and good feelings. The first half of the day was amazing. We went up and down relatively easy climbs, and I had good power to hang with the front group. I got stung by a bumble bee that flew into my helmet, which was an unpleasant surprise.
At the seventh hour, on the final climb, the lights flickered once, then went out fifteen miles from the finish. I had no energy. I don’t know if it’s the antibiotics, or the heat, but I totally crumped. The good guys kept going and I was on my Jack Jones own.
Then Paul, who was behind me, caught me. We were going to ride together, as misery loves company, but the chain fell off my bike, and I was on my own again. I was grateful the guys in the van didn’t ask me to get in, as I would’ve thrown something at them.
I regained contact with the tail end of the main group before the finish, but I felt badly about falling off the back. This is out of character for me. Usually, I get stronger at the end of the ride.
But the thing is, it’s not like you prepare for a one-day event, taper for a week, ride hard, then recover for ten days. Tomorrow, we have to saddle up for another long day, 216.5 km, or 136 miles. So you just have to shut up and ride.
I’m also doing something about my lot in life. Tonight, I’m switching out my full size crank for the compact, which should be easier on the knees. I’m gong to procure permission to wear my own shorts rather than the team shorts, which aren’t broken in. I’ll be drinking more fluids, and making a pledge to keep it under 200 watts tomorrow, no matter if the big dogs go off on the first climb or not.
We have 90% of the days ahead of us, and about 98% of the pain, including the Alps and the Pyrennes.
The point is to get to Paris.
If I conserve my energy, I believe I shall.
7.03.06
Stage 3, Ech Sur Alzette-Valkenburg
216.5 km, around 8 hours
We ate breakfast at the hotel, and drove from the hotel to a parking lot near the starting line. The team saddled up, and off we went. Rob and Mark are riding very well. I almost had to get in the van, too. That would’ve meant that 60% of the paying customers didn’t make it, and all of the staff did.
That’s when the tendonitis in my right knee became inflamed. This is cause for introspection. If I put out more than 200 watts, the knee begs for mercy. I can no longer stand to climb, so I am locked in the saddle. I couldn’t keep up with my teammates, but I was able to complete the ride.
The scenery was beautiful, and of the 8 hours we rode today, at least 15 minutes was pure bliss.
If you look too far ahead at the schedule, it makes you want to kill yourself. The days don’t let up.
Anybody who says the stages of the first week are either “flat” or “easy” sure as hell never rode ‘em.
After you complete the ride, and take a shower, Bryan from Denmark gives you a massage. He has worked on the great athletes of team CSC. For the next three weeks, he works on middle-aged men.
He works you over and tries to fix what is ailing you. He has his work cut out for him. Presently, he is working around the wound and the knee. He says that the pain I experience is in the mind, not the knee, and I must learn go ignore it.
For the record, Bryan from Denmark once pedaled a stationary bicycle indoors for 84 hours without stopping.
On the bright side, I just consumed my last dose of antibiotics. I hope to feel stronger tomorrow, and not look at every wooded area as a potential refuge should the worst occur. The antibiotics don’t make you feel good, and I am pleased to be done with them.
Tonight, dinner is at 8:00 pm. Breakfast and dinner are a time to eat as many calories as possible. Most people show up at breakfast at 7:00 am and eat the following: 4 eggs, cereal, 4 pieces of bread, yogurt, banana, coffee, assorted fruit. During the day, we have a sandwich for a snack at 11:00 am, and we keep riding, then we stop for lunch at 1:00 pm.
Dinner is at 8:00 pm, and it is the main attraction of the day. You are still basking in the completion of the day’s ride, and you begin to wonder about the next day’s. You can only think of one day at a time. If you ponder the enormity of the task, for example, that we have only completed 3/20 days, it makes one reach for the all-you-can-eat size Prozac.
Switching to the compact crank was a stroke of genius. There were 11 climbs today, and with my knee, I don’t think I could’ve made it without it.
Stage 2, Obernai to Esch sur Alzette (Luxembourg)
228.5 km, 145 miles
8:00 hours on the bike, cadence average 71, burned 4630 calories, 145 miles, 160 watts average, 17.6 mph average, top speed 45.3 mph
Today, we had beautiful weather and good feelings. The first half of the day was amazing. We went up and down relatively easy climbs, and I had good power to hang with the front group. I got stung by a bumble bee that flew into my helmet, which was an unpleasant surprise.
At the seventh hour, on the final climb, the lights flickered once, then went out fifteen miles from the finish. I had no energy. I don’t know if it’s the antibiotics, or the heat, but I totally crumped. The good guys kept going and I was on my Jack Jones own.
Then Paul, who was behind me, caught me. We were going to ride together, as misery loves company, but the chain fell off my bike, and I was on my own again. I was grateful the guys in the van didn’t ask me to get in, as I would’ve thrown something at them.
I regained contact with the tail end of the main group before the finish, but I felt badly about falling off the back. This is out of character for me. Usually, I get stronger at the end of the ride.
But the thing is, it’s not like you prepare for a one-day event, taper for a week, ride hard, then recover for ten days. Tomorrow, we have to saddle up for another long day, 216.5 km, or 136 miles. So you just have to shut up and ride.
I’m also doing something about my lot in life. Tonight, I’m switching out my full size crank for the compact, which should be easier on the knees. I’m gong to procure permission to wear my own shorts rather than the team shorts, which aren’t broken in. I’ll be drinking more fluids, and making a pledge to keep it under 200 watts tomorrow, no matter if the big dogs go off on the first climb or not.
We have 90% of the days ahead of us, and about 98% of the pain, including the Alps and the Pyrennes.
The point is to get to Paris.
If I conserve my energy, I believe I shall.
7.03.06
Stage 3, Ech Sur Alzette-Valkenburg
216.5 km, around 8 hours
We ate breakfast at the hotel, and drove from the hotel to a parking lot near the starting line. The team saddled up, and off we went. Rob and Mark are riding very well. I almost had to get in the van, too. That would’ve meant that 60% of the paying customers didn’t make it, and all of the staff did.
That’s when the tendonitis in my right knee became inflamed. This is cause for introspection. If I put out more than 200 watts, the knee begs for mercy. I can no longer stand to climb, so I am locked in the saddle. I couldn’t keep up with my teammates, but I was able to complete the ride.
The scenery was beautiful, and of the 8 hours we rode today, at least 15 minutes was pure bliss.
If you look too far ahead at the schedule, it makes you want to kill yourself. The days don’t let up.
Anybody who says the stages of the first week are either “flat” or “easy” sure as hell never rode ‘em.
After you complete the ride, and take a shower, Bryan from Denmark gives you a massage. He has worked on the great athletes of team CSC. For the next three weeks, he works on middle-aged men.
He works you over and tries to fix what is ailing you. He has his work cut out for him. Presently, he is working around the wound and the knee. He says that the pain I experience is in the mind, not the knee, and I must learn go ignore it.
For the record, Bryan from Denmark once pedaled a stationary bicycle indoors for 84 hours without stopping.
On the bright side, I just consumed my last dose of antibiotics. I hope to feel stronger tomorrow, and not look at every wooded area as a potential refuge should the worst occur. The antibiotics don’t make you feel good, and I am pleased to be done with them.
Tonight, dinner is at 8:00 pm. Breakfast and dinner are a time to eat as many calories as possible. Most people show up at breakfast at 7:00 am and eat the following: 4 eggs, cereal, 4 pieces of bread, yogurt, banana, coffee, assorted fruit. During the day, we have a sandwich for a snack at 11:00 am, and we keep riding, then we stop for lunch at 1:00 pm.
Dinner is at 8:00 pm, and it is the main attraction of the day. You are still basking in the completion of the day’s ride, and you begin to wonder about the next day’s. You can only think of one day at a time. If you ponder the enormity of the task, for example, that we have only completed 3/20 days, it makes one reach for the all-you-can-eat size Prozac.
Switching to the compact crank was a stroke of genius. There were 11 climbs today, and with my knee, I don’t think I could’ve made it without it.
posted by joe berkeley at 1:42 PM
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