First, I stayed with the lead group for about 63 kilometers or 39 miles, during which I averaged 41.1 kph, or 25.5 mph. Given that I've never maintained such an average even on a 10 mile time trial, it was quite a rush and a pleasant surprise. When I'd looked at the ride info beforehand and saw the ETAs of the lead group at the various rest stops along the route, based on a 25 mph average speed, I was sure I wouldn't hang in with them more than 10 miles or so. What I didn't count on was the enormous draft that is created by 100+ riders moving at that pace, and the adrenaline and excitement that came from realizing I could in fact hang in a group like that. "I guess this is what it feels like to ride a stage of the Tour de France," I thought. Only thing is that often the average speeds among top level pros in big events are 30+ for the first hour or two, with constant changes of pace, until a breakaway sticks. I can't imagine doing that and more day after day after day.
During that hour and a half, my heart rate averaged 166 bpm. Most rides of that duration that I do are around 150, and I've never had one over 160. I was thrilled that I was hanging in, but also terrified every time I looked down to see my heart rate in the 170s. "I can't last at this level; I'm gonna crack hard soon" I kept thinking. I did lose contact when the route got a little hilly, but I settled into a group that I rode with from mile 39 to mile 74.
Interestingly, just as I came off the back, I noticed Spencer Gaddy stopped to relieve himself on the side of the road. A minute later, he flew by me to the front of the group that had developed off the back of the leaders. He drove the pace with us for a minute or two, and then when the road tilted up a little more, he left us. Since the leaders were still out of sight, I thought he had a long road of hard chasing to get back to them, and I didn't envy him much. When I got back to Marion afterwards, and looked at the results page, in 1st place was Spencer Gaddy, 5:00:36. WOW. I guess his chase went well . . .
Robert, Charles, and I shared stories about the ride for a good 45 minutes afterwards. That's always one of the most enjoyable parts of these events, hearing what your friends went through. They both finished well ahead of me, and had the privilege of riding up the big climbs with the frontrunners. Robert finished 13th overall, in 5:24, and Charles 37th, in 5:37. I finished in 6:13 and change, which was better than the 6:30 I was shooting for, so I was quite pleased. Especially considering how much the first 40 miles took out of me. Anyways, as we talked numbers, the subject of calories came up, and though I didn't display it on the Garmin as I rode, I guessed I'd burned 7-8000, since I often do 5-6000 on 70-80 mile rides. When I pulled it up, I found to my surprise that I'd actually burned 10,365. While it's probably a little off due to its inability to factor in the draft I was riding in, it's probably not that far off. I've never ridden so hard in my life. It was a good day's work on the bike. Here are the other figures from Garmin connect:
No comments:
Post a Comment