From a personal
standpoint the trip was a big success. In large part because my preparation
took into account the lessons I learned from all of my past experiences
including our 2012 France trip. Additionally fear was an effective and sobering
motivator. Biting off more than one can
chew is a tried and true technique.
We all took this
trip seriously and pushed hard individually and as a group to get ready for it.
The universal encouragement was good on both sides of the equation. Although
fit, we all had creaks and groans that told the dual stories of our dedication
and our age.
Training was
essential to success and I am so grateful to Hottie for not only allowing me
the time to train but for encouraging me to do so. My training reached a point
where a three and a half hour ride was no longer considered a long ride. My four to six hour rides laid a foundation
to allow my body to complete the ridiculous days we enjoyed in Italy.
Hottie and (An)Drew
Six hundred and
fifty kilometers means little but the fact I climbed 18,000 meters does put the
trip into perspective. For you that
still trade in old money that is just under sixty thousand feet of climbing in
seven rides (two of which would have been longer but were cut short by rain).
In addition to
the physical training knowing the daily routine and preparing accordingly
helped me get into the new rhythm quickly.
Items such as having a travel fan to dry things out and a bringing my
own clothesline and stuff sacks for my wanbags meant there was less to worry
about day in and day out.
The story goes
that in order to save his legs Bernard Hinault made people carry him upstairs in
a chair during one of his Tour de France campaigns. This may be fact or it may be legend but it
does illustrate the simple fact that anything that can reduce your physical or
mental stress during one of these undertakings is a good thing.
The group was
pretty special. During the trip I rode a
lot with El Jefe’ and KB and Marco and The Cheetah. I also logged miles with Coz and Lutz and
Jens. I sucked Brad’s when as long as I
could and descended with Einmotron, McWoodie and Whiplaesch buffered by a fast
moving and gap closing monster known as El Jefe’. Arndt rode with us a bit before politely dropping
us when the road turned upward. If I had
his strength I would do the same thing. I enjoying everyone I rode with and the
group didn’t have any friction or outcasts or cliques. It was as if we were all lifelong buddies.
The biggest
disappointment I had was not being able to ride alongside Horst. There are three reasons for this. One is that Horst is fast and I am not. The
second is that the timing just didn’t work out on the day we rode into the
rain. The third and worst reason is that
Horst caught a bug and was sick for most of the trip. More than once Horst shot a long hard look at
a certain man among us as the source of his virus and he may be right and he
may be wrong - but regardless I am truly sad he didn’t get to ride with us as
much as he and we would have liked. The plan was to have a group trip and for
him to be part of the group.
Along the lines
of a group trip we are shooting to host Horst and our newfound fast German
friends for some serious gravel riding in the future. Stay tuned as that develops.
Okay back to the
topic at hand which is lessons learned.
Enough with the generalizations on training. On to specifics……
Bring the extra
brake pads. I started with a fresh set
and in three days they were shot. On
those wet, gritty descents I could almost watch my pads wear down. 60,000 feet of climbing meant 60,000 feet of
descending. Yeah, I should have known
better.
I don’t know how
Brawny Paper Towels managed to be the exclusive toilet paper supplier to Italy
and Germany but they did. You don’t
realize how coddled we are as Americans until you find yourself in a far off
land praying you don’t get splinters from your TP. Kind of a non-cycling variation to “Shut up
legs!”
Gear as low as
you can and even so you will crave lower.
I rode a 34:36 as my lowest gear.
El Jefe’ was on a tricked out 34:40 and I was jealous. If he had an even lower gear he would have
used it.
The top tube bag
was awesome and it contributed to my success.
It was easier to eat and so I am sure I ate more on the bike.
The blinking
lights were good and it helped to be seen by cars and motos behind and ahead of
me.
The charging
tower was good and absolutely necessary with the plethora of electronics we
each had.
My multi-pronged
recovery regiment seemed to work. I used compression, recovery drink,
electrolytes, water bottle leg massage, stretching and hydration and I’m not
sure which aspect(s) worked and what was a waste but the net result was it
worked and I will repeat it all next time.
If I were to do
it again I think I would take my SEVEN and leave the coupled bike. It would cost me more in cash but I think the
lighter weight, better performance on the road and the convenience of not
having to basically build a bike whilst jet-lagged and then tear it down again when
ride weary might be worth the extra money.
In the future I
would take enough bibs that if I needed to go all the way to the rest day
without washing I could. With the rain
and humidity the bibs took a couple days to dry and so I always had two pairs
airing out in the hotel. Bidness side
out of course…….
Dr Bronners soap
was a handy thing to have. I used it to wash bike clothes and get bike grease
off my shirt and shorts. It was also
good for really cleaning those areas where you put chamois cream. You never know what is in that hotel soap.
My lotions and
potions were all effective:
Jack Black
Sunscreen was terrific.
Morgan Blue
Solid Chamois Cream is a flak jacket for your ass
Buttonhole
remains the premier all-around chamois cream
Shea butter with
Tea Tree Oil is a remedy for vacation-threatening skin damage
King of Shaves
is the best stuff ever for shaving your face with a blade
A Nuun Tablet is
a double bonus: electrolytes plus you drink more
By staying Z1-3
I can go all day; day after day. Z4 and
Z5 are like being above 27,000 feet on Everest, you are only making withdrawals
and are no longer making deposits.
“The same only
bigger” was a good model. That is to
say; don’t think you have to do everything different because it is Europe and
the climbs are longer, steeper and higher. We relied on our experience riding
in the rain and adapting to changing weather.
I used the same clothing I have been using for months and years. In fact my BG gloves, Assos bibs, sunglasses
and Craft base layer made the trip with me in 2012 and were back in action this
time.
I am a lucky
man. My training took me to the ragged
edge of my physical limits but I made it.
So many of our group had physical challenges during the trip ranging
from fatigue to sore knees, claves, quads and arches, all the way to life-threatening
saddle sores. I was not unscathed and there were days I had an ice bag on my
knee. Nevertheless I count myself as
lucky to have gone and partaken of this cyclists dream trip.
Final Lesson
Learned is aimed at El Chefe and Big John.
If you get the chance; take it.
Life goes on with or without your daily attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment