Don't worry, the blog isn't going anywhere yet. I'm writing about my last endurance training ride for D2R2, which is just three short weeks away. The timing of this post neatly coincides with the expected flurry of race reports from the Wilderness 101, which one would think has to be harder than D2R2. What's puzzling is why D2R2 finish times are actually longer, seeing as the W101 goes over trails, not roads? I guess it's because a) D2R2 is not a race, b) the field may not be as deep, c) you have to stop at stop signs and stuff, as well as navigate the unmarked course, and d) we stay longer at the food stops. And possibly e) D2R2 is really fucking hilly.
At any rate, I've done this thing three times now, so 2010 will be my fourth effort. As such, I get a lot of questions from the curious about how to prepare. When people hear stories of 8, 9, 10, 11 hour finish times, they tend to get scared off, or be skeptical, or just bewildered. I'm here to tell you that D2R2 (the real D2R2, not the short 100k version) is nothing to be afraid of -- if you're prepared. My proven formula for getting ready is to 1) choose appropriate gearing. The course is 75% dirt roads, and 40% uphill. On a skinny-tired bike, you will need to do three to four hours of climbing while seated. You probably don't want to do this at 60 rpm. So do the math. 115 miles divided by 8.5 hours riding time equals 13.5 mph average moving speed. Figure on most of the uphills you'll be going about half that. 7 mph in a 39x27 is about 60 rpm... 2) Pace yourself. That's all. Finally, and most important, 3) do some long rides. Eight to ten hours on the bike is a long time. I'm pretty sure enough to make you quite miserable if you're only accustomed to three or four hours at a stretch. The main advice I give all D2R2 wannabees is to make sure they've gone out six hours+ at least a few times during the year. The first time I did D2R2 I think I had one six hour ride prior, and finishing in 10+ was a challenge. The next time I had an eightish hour Six Gaps ride as well as some others behind me, and it was not as bad. Last year I did a bunch of long stuff and I finished feeling good enough to sign up again this year.
Which brings me to this weekend. So far I have been out over six hours four times this season, all of them just barely, and all but one not very hilly. Two of them were a month ago, so at least they were in the heat. The next two weeks I'm busy with some racing, so this past weekend was my last chance to get out for a long one. I know this may sound funny to all the D3 guys who do weeks of six hour days in the spring, and the iron-distance multisporters and their 25 hour weeks. What can I say. It's a lot for me. Most of my riding career I lived by the philosophy that your longest training rides needn't exceed the duration of your longest race. As a lifer Cat 3, that meant around three hours, unless you were training for the district road race -- which used to be 1/2/3 and was always over 100 miles. I only finished it once. And, unlike Colin "Yellow Chamois" Rooter, when I needed to answer nature's call at the 80 mile mark, I stopped at the side of Rt 9 to irrigate the bushes, just like the pros. However, my chase back proved more difficult than they make it look like on TV. I may have even had to hang on to a passing vehicle that was stuck behind the race on a climb. But I got back on and finished...
Enough of that. Wanting seven hours of saddle time, and with no races of interest Saturday, I devised a plan. By this time of year I'm getting pretty bored with the local scenery. Doug's ride in Stowe sounded perfect, except that it was in Stowe, and driving four hours just seemed nuts. Besides, I'd already made plans by the time I heard about that one. Instead, I arranged for two of my teammates, Billy and Hattie, as well as expatriate BOB Zencycle to meet me at the wind tunnel in Plaistow for a ride up to preview the course for the Mt Agamenticus time trial in South Berwick, ME. Knowing what to expect if I propose a seven hour day ("Have a good ride Dave"), I let everyone know that this was only about 45 miles each way, so we should easily be done in around five hours.
We left at 800 and the weather was perfect. The route was simple: straight up Route 108. Nobody in our group seemed to know what to expect once we got past Exeter, but it did not turn out too bad. The last five miles or so of Exeter itself kinda sucked with commerce and traffic lights, but the rest of the route was only moderately trafficked, relatively flat, and with a decent shoulder on most of it. We went through Newington, Durham, and Dover before crossing the river into Maine, where the TT route starts right away. The paved part was great, some of it brand new. Then we hit the dirt section. Right away I was concerned by the amount of loose gravel. Billy and Zen were flying and I'm thinking "they must be nuts, we're all on clinchers, someone will flat" and sure enough Billy does. We fix it and continue on, the road gets better, but still worse than in years past. At the top of Mount A Billy flats again. Turns out his sidewall is all ripped from the first flat. He boots it with dollar bills and another new tube, and luckily this is fine for the rest of the day.
Riding back we went a lot harder. Not crazy, just some good long threshold sections. Zen was taking some strong pulls, and I had good legs. Billy mixed it up with us on the hills and town lines. Hattie wisely conserved his energy as he doesn't race as much as us. Back in Exeter we took Route 85 this time, which was much better than 108, so if you try this route then go that way. No lights. At the end we cut through some big town park and it took us right back to 108 and the crit course. Maybe 10 miles from Plaistow we popped Hattie and figured he knew the way and would probably be happier riding on his own the rest of the way rather than fighting to hold our wheels. Zen peeled off to head home from Newton NH, and me and Billy rode back to the cars. Almost there, I asked him what he had for mileage and he said 93. We were right at five hours. I was pretty tired and satisfied that I'd done enough. But...
Back in the planning stages, thinking I'd needed seven hours, I'd told wind tunnel proprietor Armand, who could not make the full ride, that if he were kitted up and ready to go when we got back, I'd head out for another two hours with him. Knowing he's a busy guy, I'd been thinking all morning there was no way he'd want to do it. Well, we arrive back there and his bike is outside all ready to go, and he's got his shorts on and I'm like oh fuck. Billy just laughed at me. Armand has been getting fitter and fitter and I wasn't about to pussy out so I pilfered some gummy bears from his SUV, filled my bottles and off we went. Nothing like riding against a fresh guy when you've already got five hours in. He was killing me.
After twenty minutes of clinging to his wheel the gummy bears kicked in. Our route took us north and west up through Hampstead. I get confused up there but I know at the halfway point we were on the Boston Prep 16 course, at the top of Warner Hill. By now I somehow had found some legs and we were cruising. At (my) six hour mark he asked if I wanted 20 more minutes or 45 and I said yeah 45, so we turned right on 111 and did a TTT for a few miles on the wide shoulder of the open highway. Eventually we looped back south through Salem and then he was absolutely killing me on one stretch but I clung to his wheel. Near the end we even dipped down over the edge of the Mass border, making this my first ever three-state ride. By then the gummy bears were wearing off but thankfully we were almost back. I died as soon as I knew where I was, limping into the lot with exactly 7:00 ride time, 8:00 outside for the day, around 127 miles. Since the 8:59 et for my D2R2 last year included stops, I think I'm ready. Sorry this was boring as all shit, nothing like a lengthy narrative of a simple training ride, but it's the simple and boring shit that makes a foundation. Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment