Last night after all was said and done, decided to take the “Q” afterall to ride in the Strawberry Centry. Printed out the registration forms, filled them in brought them with us (didn’t pre-register, as the weather all week was looking very questionable – why pay for an event if your not going to ride it).
Drove to my mom’s home in Albany to spend some time with her, and have a place to stay for the night.
Woke up several times during the night, not sure why, its not like I’ve not ridden a century before (this will be my 4th for the year).
Got up at 5:00am, got ready, and headed out to the start of the Strawberry at Lebanon High School. Arrived at the school, signed in and unpacked the van. The “Q” fits quite nicely once the rear bench is removed.
The morning’s weather didn’t look very good – sprinkling now and then. The forecast calls for scattered showers later in the day, and I don’t purposefully ride in the rain. I took a chance anyway and glad I did!
The Strawberry is a very hilly ride, especially the century. It’s a good thing to pace yourself. What I noticed this time around is that I was able to power down the hills and get enough momentum to keep going to almost crest the next hill! Sometimes extra weight is a good thing!
This Strawberry my average was 17.2 mph! Not bad considering last year my average for this ride was 17.5 on the Micro! I’m getting closer.
Taking time away from riding does wonders.
A bit of advice, eat what you train with. I use NUUN and Cliff Block Shots, no need to eat more than what your boby can absorb (there’s nothing like the feeling of having stones in your stomach while riding).
Another tip that sounds counter intuitive, don’t eat a heavy breakfast nor eat too late the night before before the ride.
What I found that works is to drink about 30 oz of chocolate milk the night before and about 2 hours before the ride. Carbs, fat and protein and cheap!
I also stick to a schedule for my eating and drinking – in order to have a good ride, need to keep hydrated and eat just enough carbs to keep you going, not a full meal, something small that can be easily digested.
