I'll be riding the STP (Seattle to Portland) again this year. The ride is tomorrow. Because I finished this 206-mile ride in one day last year and failed to break 12 hours at Leadville, I have it in my mind that the STP is a cinch while Leadville is nearly impossible.
Today, the day before the STP, all of a sudden I'm getting jittery. I'm just remembering now that I had a pretty serious bonk last year around the 110-mile point. I was dizzy and sick to my stomach. I tried to call Wendy so that I could tell her to forget about meeting me at the next check point and come pick me up right then. Fortunately, we had a bad connection, so I was forced to keep riding. By the time I got to mile 146, I had recovered enough to push through the last 60 miles. By the end of the ride, I felt sore and tired but happy that I made it.
I was in better shape last year.
This year, we're going to ride in temperatures in the 90s. For you desert types, 90 degrees seems like nothing, but in the humid northwest, 90 degrees is hot, especially for people who are used to 55-degree weather seven months out of the year.
In an odd way, I'm looking forward to a nasty bonk. I think one of the reasons I failed at Leadville last year was due to mental weakness. It took me too long to work my way out of pain, and I made things worse by mashing a high gear and getting discouraged. And discouragement is Satan's tool. He has a pitch fork in one hand and discouragement in the other, the foul red beast. I hate him!
Tomorrow will not be a jaunty ride down the coast to meet friends and family. No. It will be Bob's Battle Against Beezlebub! BBAB. Courage! I shall not fail!
Hey, Bub, that's Beelze to you.
ReplyDelete--g
You were NOT in better shape last year. But if it helps bring on the wished for bonk, then yes, you are a total fat slob who can barely make it off the couch.
ReplyDeleteNow that's interesting. Wendy gives us the inside story: you're not in worse shape this year. That must mean that if this jaunt hurts you, and you complain about the hardship, you're mentally weak, weak, weak. Isn't that right?
ReplyDeleteActually, I wonder about the mental stability of anyone who would put himself through such a long day of pain. If some whacko decides to put on a Seattle to San Francisco event, would you feel a need to prove yourself for that one, too? It sounds like the true enemy here is Beelzebob.
I am just kidding, mostly. Good luck. That must be a helluva big accomplishment for one day.
Bob, I hope you did well riding STP.
ReplyDeleteFirst double for me. The tailwind was a gift! Well organized event. The rural middle was my favorite, the city ends not so much. Riding the bridge over the Columbia River was something. Two flats. We rode mellow and arrived in Portland around 8 pm. Nice ride, but I doubt I'll do it again due to the long drive from Utah and riding 200 miles just didn't do much for me (other than to prove to myself that I could do it).