I’ll do my best to recap and brief these two absolutely insane days of riding. This note is intended for my future self in case I ever need a source of inspiration, but it may be just as important for you to hear these words.
The days are set and the mission is clear: Ride 400 miles and 24k feet of elevation gain in two days. The bikes, gear, nutrition and housing have all been prepped and staged, all you have to do is show up and ride. But that’s much easier said than done. It’s not very feasible for a cyclist to just daydream about back to back double centuries and expect to accomplish it. The body needs preparation. It begins with 4:30 AM wake ups for at least a week so that on the morning of Day 1, the body isn’t rushed. Sleep routine is 1/3 of the puzzle, the next third is nutrition/diet. It looks different for everyone and my body LOVES ice cream, but I tend to eat a quart in one sitting. So that’s sacrificed in replacement for noodles, rice, veggies and meats. Two days prior, I doubled the amount of water/electrolyte intake. The last and most important third of the puzzle is body and mental prep. I’d say the act of listening to your body is the most under developed skill that serious riders attune to. The body needs to feel proper and the mind needs to be in the right place, above all else. There’s a fine line between encouraging yourself to keep going deep into a double century, with actually holding the ability to do so, and convincing yourself to ride on when in fact the body is trashing itself and failing. I’ve had a couple days to reflect upon this accomplishment, and I think there are two big points to take away:
1. Always push yourself and those around you to new limits.
2. But be responsible in doing so.
Regrading the first point, if you never push your boundary, you’ll never get better. To not reach new limits is totally fine, depending on what goals are, but for me personally, exploring new limits is thrilling and quite necessary. Once accomplishing something you initially thought almost impossible, you not only get a boost in physical performance, but mentally, certain obstacles in life begin to diminish in size. But on the same coin, you have to take these challenges with proper steps, and not train too hard too fast. Prior to Day 1, I rode 100k and 109 miles in Z2 effort; to get into the feeling of holding that position and power for 28 hours over two days. Inadvertently, that week of riding also culminated in 604 miles, my current PR. Another aspect of the two points is that while we were riding and battling the rain and wind, we encouraged each other. But halfway into the second day, one of the riders ultimately decided to bail, and he did so without any of us heckling or name calling, etc. It was still a very valiant effort and again, listening to your body is above all else, the most important. That being said, these guys are hands down the classiest, strongest and toughest riders I know. Now, on to days 1&2 ride conditions.
Day 1, Friday, 11/11/2022
Wake at 4 AM, out the door at 5 AM, wheels down at 6 AM. Six of us in the dark, flashing smiles as bright as our blinking lights. We don’t know what’s about to happen; we’ve never done anything like this. Paul, the organizer, created this crazy idea and he invited those who are able bodied and curious. Five others showed up, interested in seeing this to the end. We take off westward, snaking our way through Texas Hill Country. For those who think Texas is all flat, it is not at all in Hill Country. Yeah, we don’t have mountains, but the land undulates often and elevation gain adds up quickly. We go south, northwest, northeast, west, in every direction except east. We hit a stretch of gravel, suffering one flat and then continue on. Luckily, the rain hadn’t hit us yet, as we would have been in big trouble if the gravel section was rained on. What’s crazy is that we all knew of the oncoming rainstorm that will eventually hit us mid route. We had every right to bail, but none of us said anything on Thursday night. Around 11 AM, cold front and rain sweeps in. We don our rain gear, moving as quickly as possible to get back on the bike to maintain body temperature. April with SAG is the real MVP here; able to tag along and keep us as comfortable as possible. The rain pelts down, wind hitting us from the side, while temperature drops to 40 F. This is a brand new experience for me. How is it that within these horrible weather conditions, shoes and gloves soaked with water, toes and fingers beginning to numb, that we still forged on? Some of us say it was the promise of a hearty dinner at the end. Perhaps the glory of prevailing through the conditions. For me, it was the fact that five other guys were there embracing the suck, going through the exact same hardship and deciding to go on. It was a mind-shaping experience.
We hit the halfway marker, and we all know there’s still a very, very long day ahead of us. The rain stops around 230 PM, and we change into dry socks and shoes. The body has to keep moving to keep warm. Hours pass, miles pile on. Mile 120 comes and go. Each ten mile marker eventually passes, but once the sun sets, they come even slower. It’s dark and cold now. The climbing isn’t done just yet. It’s a hell of a ride thus far, and we finally roll into Kerrville. The taste of victory for completing day 1 is on our lips. And miraculously, we reach our destination; body depleted and shivering. Todd is there with dinner prepped, just knowing that gave us much needed push to finish. We eat and rest, mentally preparing for what is to come tomorrow.