May 10, 2008 I rode in the Armadillo Hill Country Classic and it was the first time that I rode my bike over 100 miles in one day in Texas. I have not ridden a 100 mile ride, or century ride in about 8 years. My last century ride was in Oregon. I rode 105.5 miles in 7.5 hours and I averaged 14.2 MPH. I rode the first 30 miles in 1.5 hours and got to mile 42 in 2 hours.
So what make a person ride 100 miles? Well for me there are several reasons. One of the main reasons that I did thsi ride is because I wanted to reinforce my power to create reality with my words. I have ridden 100 miles several times in the past but for some reason I had this voice in my head that kept telling me that I would never ride 100 miles again. The voice is always there telling me stuff, some of it is positive but a lot of it is negative. We all have this voice and being aware of the voice is key to breaking the control that it has over your future reality. So this ride was a way to create a breakthrough in my cycling endurance in the Texas heat.
I am not in the same shape I was 8 yeas ago when I was riding 200 to 300 miles a week. This year I have been running more that I have been cycling. In fact I have only ridden my road bike on rides over 20 miles three times this year before thsi century ride. I knew that I could ride 100 miles so I created the possibility for a 100 mile ride. I told everyone that I came in contcat with that I was going to ride 100 miles. I prepared for the ride by riding 62 miles the weekend before the 100 mile ride. I took 4 Power Bars and Emergen-C Hydro in my pack. I did 100+ miles.
The first 50 miles was a piece of cake for me. The day started with completely overcast skys and it was perfect for riding. I kept pace with the speedsters for about 5 miles and then the pack of about 100 riders started to spread out. I started the ride in the front of the pack with the other 100 milers. I did not stop at the first three rest stops because I wanted to get to the Dillo Door before 10:30 AM. After 10:30 AM they would not let anyone pass through to the 105 mile option. I rode as fast as I could for 30 miles.
The second 50 miles was not easy for me. Riding the back roads of Burnett County in the heat of the Texas afternoon is difficult and not for the faint of heart. I have a mental block about bad roads and herky jerky hills , but that is what challenges me about this ride. At mile 60 I hit the wall and ran out of energy. I had just left the Lake Victor rest stop and rode 5 miles into 20 MPH head winds. I normally have never stopped on a ride unless I was at a rest stop or had a flat, but this time I knew I needed a Power Bar. I stopped under a tree next to a stop sign and ate it. I got back on my bike and kept riding. It took about 30 minutes before I really felt like riding again.
One of the nice things that I get from endurance riding is that fatigue really frees you mind. As I was riding I was so tired at times that I was able to just be with the road, the rocks, the pot-holes, the cows and the goats. I listen to my breathing, I watched my chain ring, I looked at the grass bend over in the 20 MPH wind, I felt the heat coming off the asphalt. Only one thing can keep me cranking and that is that voice in my head that says, Shut Up and Ride!
Today I left the MidTown RV Park located at 7th and Airport. I rode 25 miles yesterday at the Veloway and on South MoPac. Today I wanted to ride what I consider one of my most challenging rides. I added this route to Bikely. I just joind the web site. It is really cool. I knew that this ride had a lot of elevation but I was surprised to look at the profile to see that it has 1,861 feet of elevation.
I started my ride in East Austin with a leisurely ride down 5th street and then on 2nd street towards downtown Austin. I switched over to Cesar Chavez to make my way across the Colorado River for the first time on Congress. I passed through the trendy restaurant row on Barton Springs and then turned off into Zilker Park. This part of the ride is all flat and the real excitement started as I ventured on to Stratford Drive.
Right after I passed the boat rental I dropped into my granny gear and prepared to stand up and climb the 1/8 mile very steep hill. Stratford Drive has some very steep inclines and descents with some really cool curves so I have to be focused when I ride this route. The homes on this street are incredible so I get a nice view as I huff up the hills.
So after I have gotten my 56 year old legs warmed up on Statford there is Redbud Trail staring me in the face. After the stop sign I turn left and proceed to climb another hill. The last time that I rode this section of Redbud Trail the pavement was bumby and full of pot holes and concrete lumps that fall out of concrete trucks and are left to harden. I always know I am on steep roads when I see concrete truck droppings. Redbud Trail was repaved recently and I was so glad that I can ride up this grade and the fast descent that follows and not have to dodge obstacles that could put you in the hospital.
As I approach the intersection of W Lake Drive and Redbud Trail I am getting ready for another steep granny gear climb. The intersection is a four way stop and in Austin it is very common for moterist to wave cyclist through the intersection. I always wave in appreciation to folks that do this. I am really glad that the guy in the truck waved me through because it is a chore to start up the next grade from a dead stop.
This section of Redbud Trail is a steep climb that is longer than any on Stratford. By the time I get to these climbs my legs are ready. I especially love this part of the ride. Redbud Trail has little traffic and it is a steep climb that tapers off to moderate grades but gives you an enjoyable level or exercise. The views from this point back over Austin are great.
Riding on Redbud Trail is very peaceful even though my heart is pounding and I am breathing hard and sweat is dripping from my forehead to the ground. When I come to the end of Redbud I am faced with Bee Caves Road. Bee Caves is has two lanes in each direction and when you are south of 360 there is no shoulder. I rode on Bee Caves and then went north on 360.
Loop 360 is the autobaun for cyclist in Austin. Sure it has 60 mile an hour traffic and it has lots of cars during rush hour. 360 does have some good points for cyclist. 360 has very wide shoulders and some of the best hills in Austin. If you look at the contour maps you will see that Loop 360 crosses the 600 foot elevation line a few times and then when it intersects HWY 183 it crosses the 800 foot elevation. When you look at the Sttratford and Redbud Trail topographic lines you will see that the cross the same elevation lines but is a much shorter distance. This will give you an idea about how steep the ride is.
From this point I turned on Old Jollyville Road and then to Mesa Drive then To Spicewood Springs. This route is taking me across town towards my favorite inner city street, Shoal Creek. Shoal Creek is cool even on the hottest Texas afternoons because it is lined with big trees. After Shoal Creek I get on to North Loop and then I hit Airport Bl and head back to my home at the RV park.
This ride was really cool because I covered the flat land and the hills. I crossed all social economic neighbor hoods of Austin from Latino and Black to the west hill rich white folks and the north Austin middle class down to the trendy Longhorn areas. The ride was about 32 miles and took me 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Lady Bird Johnson Lake, Chicon Street to MoPac Loop was estimated to be 7.5 miles. Today I used my GPS to measure the run and it came out to be 8.27 miles from my Truck at the upper parking lot. I ran for 1 hour 22 minutes and max at 12.8 mph with a moving average of 6 mph and an over all average of 5.5 mph. I started at 8 PM in the evening and it was about 75 degrees and humid.
I had to slow down for the past two weeks. I felt a train in my right quadriceps’s rectus femoris muscle. I biked to work every day last week and this week so far. My bike commute is the shortest in my life. I have about a 2 mile one way commute. I am riding my Cannondale Jekyll. I have never bike commuted my my mountain bike.
I live at 10013 RR-620 N Austin, TX 78726. I rode 32 miles to work at 900 Chicon Street in Austin. I rode west on RR-620 to Bee Caves and then cut behind the new mall on a road that is still under construction.
I rode from east Austin where I work out to the trailer storage where I now live on FM 620. It was a 30 mile ride that was hilly, hot and humid. I am getting into the rhythm of bike commuteing again. I rode my bike to work and back twice this week. I located my bike light so that I can start riding early in the morning or late at night.