A Rocky Mountain Sendoff…
Are you ready for the race?
I’m definitely feeling it. Finished my last ride to work this morning in a personal record 1:13:05 — an average of 17.7 miles per hour! That’s fast for me, especially riding in town, with traffic and stop lights/signs. My legs feel good. Now, the question is, how will I cope with the altitude? Unlike my teammates in Denver, I’ve been training at around 1,000 ft above sea level. I envy Patty, David and Kris, who can jump on their bike and train at 7,000+ ft. But…I definitely have an “Edge” in mileage over David and Kris. According to my Edge, I’ve ridden 635 miles in training. Looks to me like David has ridden a total of 152.63 miles (with his longest ride at 33.37 miles), according to his MotionBased account “dag31”. And Kris admits that she has only ridden 264 miles since she got her Edge! But what about Patty? Patty has ridden 712.61 miles including two rides over 60 miles and one over 70 (my longest ride to date is 43.92)! Patty is the wild card. I’d put my money on Patty!
How has the Edge helped you in your training?
One word…or acronym…or whatever…RPMs. I’ve increased my average RPMs from the low 80s when I first started training with the Edge 305 to around 90. I’ve always heard that you should spin faster to increase endurance and speed. But I always felt like I was “spinning my wheels.” After reading Peg’s Post last week, I understand why “spinning” increases endurance (the whole fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle thing). And when preparing to ride an average of 70 miles per day for six straight days in the mountains, building endurance is critical! But after focusing on increasing my RPMs for the past 2 months, I have also seen my average speed go from @17mph to @18mph! It really works. Try it.
What do you hope to accomplish on Ride the Rockies?
I hope to ride every mile — as I did last year — but hopefully feel stronger and more prepared. I admit that there were times I was ready to cry last year. Especially when we rode 91 miles in 95 degree heat from 5,000 in Grand Junction to 10,800 feet over Grand Mesa. That is simply the toughest thing I have ever done. Period. But it felt great to finish. What I hope to accomplish this year is that same great feeling…with less pain!
Are you ready for the race?
Are you ever REALLY ready for your first 419 mile ride? Though my teammates have done a phenomenal job trying to explain the likely day-to-day expectations, I am mostly concerned that I will leave SOMETHING home that I would really need. Fortunately, I have become so attached the Edge 305, I know that IT will not be left behind! Life got in the way of my training as well. As you may know, I am moving to Texas after RTR. It was prudent to spend time on our ranch getting it prepped for the whole famn damily. Two straight weeks of 18 hour days of hard, manual labor (clearing brush, building a deck, stripping and re-painting a home, etc…) is not conducive to endurance bike training. But I am not afraid of the challenge, just a little concerned how difficult it will be considering the past two weeks effort (or lack thereof)!
How has the Edge helped you in your training?
Wow! What a confidence builder the Edge 305 has been for me! Being able to review the elevation gains, speed and distances has eliminated the concern of whether I can complete an RTR-type Tour. Even though I felt stronger, faster and more fit, I had the data from the Edge to confirm my suspicions!
What do you hope to accomplish on Ride the Rockies?
I would really like to complete each day, from beginning to end, by myself. This self-achievement will really be good for my psyche! Lastly, I want to enjoy the company of the rest of Team Garmin and all my future, new friends I will meet next week.
Are you ready for the race?
Well, are you ever really ready to ride 6 continuous days for 400+ miles in 98 degree weather?? Of course you are once you are among 2000 of your closet friends. Truth be told I have this tendency to not train. I do not know why I do this to myself every year~ I just do. But I do want to share that I have ridden the most this year of any in several years past. According to my Edge, I have put in 264 miles training and countless hours socializing. I know that my mileage is about 400 miles less than Patty or roughly 60 % less.. but hey, I am ready to ride.
How has the Edge helped you in your training?
HOLY MOLY! I have to answer that the Edge has been a tremendous training partner. Not only has it helped me to become a better rider but also it has opened up a whole new social agenda for a quiet and reserved person such as myself. =) As I mentioned earlier, I cannot recall having trained this much in past years. I really enjoyed riding with the Edge as I felt it inspired me to ride a bit more. I really enjoyed viewing the elevation and grade. I think this is what I will use to “remind” myself when I need addition encouragement as I am struggling up a few of those “hills”. I look at it as a game, when I am struggling up the hills first I try and breathe, then I guess my speed. Then I try to guess the grade. I love to yell at my unit and say “are you kidding me this is far more than 7%.” Fortunately, the unit does not talk back. Truth be told, the Edge is such a fabulous unit, I still find new and different things to do with it. I love looking at the hill I have just climbed and then looking at what I get to ride down. I look forward to using the Edge and many of the features that I have yet to explore in future rides this summer. Thanks Garmin!
What do you hope to accomplish on Ride the Rockies?
Having done this ride 13 times I know I will finish. It is how I will finish that will be the accomplishment and fun part. With the Edge on my bike I can now talk to more people, make more friends, sell some Garmins and encourage them up the long winding hills, aka mountains. I can take their mind off the ride by telling them all of the fabulous things the Edge can do. It is time for me to pay it forward~ last year when I was having a rough day~ (out too long the night before- thanks Team Bar to Bar). My new friend Mike and I were struggling up a long pass together. He would pass me, I would pass him, he would pass me and eventually we rode together. He had a Garmin, I just had a cycle computer. I lived to hear that we had climbed even another 25 feet and when I was on “strike” (a term I use when I am over the current situation) he would tell me the grade of the hill was not as bad as the part we had just done. Together Mike and I struggled up the pass and all I could think about was getting my hands on a GPS system. Well this year, I have the Edge, have the best GPS system out there. I hope to be able to share some of this hope with others. So if anyone out there is struggling~ just sit and talk longer then humanly possible at the rest stops and I will find you. I am also proud to take three new RTR virgins along with me to get sucked into this Madness~ GO Dave! GO Karen! GO Jane! And Team get ready for a Fabulous Week!
Are you ready for the race?
Okay, as I tell EVERYONE, it’s not a race. It’s a tour, a ride, but not a race. I’m not really competitive, but I do like to challenge myself. So RTR is perfect for me. Last year (my 1st) I was just glad I was able to do it. I feel stronger this year, so I think I’m ready.
How has the Edge helped you in your training?
The Edge has been amazing. I’ve ridden ~650 miles since I got it and I’m just starting to learn about using all its features. Remember, I had NO bike computer before so it’s all novelty to me. So far I’ve been doing a lot of observing (i.e. my heart rate, speed, elevation) but I’m also starting to figure out some things (what happens to my speed when I drop a gear and raise my cadence?) Plus, it’s fun to look at the elevation profile to see what hella hill you just rode up. What I have right now is endurance and a decent ability to climb hills, but I do it all slowly. After RTR my goal is to start improving my speed. I haven’t even checked out some of the stuff the Edge can do. I think the “virtual partner” and “workouts” are going to keep me motivated to ride the rest of the summer and fall.
What do you hope to accomplish on Ride the Rockies?
To me, Ride the Rockies IS the accomplishment. I hope I’m a little stronger this year but I’ll only know when I start riding day after day. I know it will still be tough. My Team Garmin teammates will help me laugh through the whiny parts (“But I don’t WANNA sit on a bike seat anymore”) as we bike our way across Colorado with 2,000 other adults reliving summer camp.
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