65 miles biking @ 18 mph = 13.1 running @ 7:19 Pace ... !!!
That's the way I figure it after today's bike ride. My friends at work talked me into riding in this "Tour" call "Tour DeGruene. It just happened to be in the little town of Gruene (it's a tourist town near the Guadalupe River) and the same place I ran the Half Marathon last week. There were about 2,000 riders. There was a variety of distances you could ride with 65 being the longest. Although this was not a race, a few of the people riding (including me) decided to make it something like that. As we started out, I could see there were some more serious riders who jumped out in the front, I stuck with the group of about 25 and rode with them as one by one they dropped off. At about 20 miles, we were averaging 21-22 miles per hour with about a dozen riders and it was about this point that I had my first mishap. As I was going up a really quick hill, I double shifted and my chain came off. This is where lost the first pack. While I was putting, my chain back on I decided to take my light jacket off and tie it around my waist (bad mistake!). (Side note: It was really cold this morning so I had leg and arm sleeves on, toe covers, a windbreaker and full gloves on. Even with all this on me was freezing to death! It was about 38 degrees and really cold when riding at 20 miles per hour.) We after losing the first pack I rode for several miles by myself until a second pack came up behind me. I drifted in with them and started another good run for several miles. We had a quick stop at the halfway point and got back on track averaging, with this pack about 19 miles per hour. At about mile 40 is where I had the real problem...The windbreaker I had tied around my waist hung down and got caught in my rear break causing my back wheel to lock up! At 20 miles per hour, when your back tire locks up, I can tell you what happens. You either crash or skid for about 30 feet! Well, I did the better of the two; I skidded about 30 feet with smoke boiling off my back tire. There were about 6 bikes directly behind me and some how none of them hit me or crashed! I can tell you, it's a pretty scary feeling going that fast and then, all of a sudden, skidding to a complete stop. I got off my bike and after a few minutes got my jacket untangled. My back tire now has a nice long flat spot on it :-( So, obviously this is where I lost the second pack. Again, I was on my own for quite a few miles but finally at about mile 55 I got hooked back up with a third pack of riders.
This ride was supposed to be a "Tour" but I treated it more like a hard training ride and really didn't enjoy the scenery as you're supposed to do on a tour. I don't think my legs are fully recovered from the race on Saturday, as they were tired and a little sore even before I started the ride. I want to go back and look at my Garmin download to see just what the elevation changes were on this ride. It was very hilly! Compared to how the Races (foot races) are run, this was pretty poor. With 2,000 riders, you would think they would provide some drinks and snacks at the end but there was nothing. Just ride across the finish line and go home...pretty boring. I think the entry was $60 or $70. Way too expensive for just a crummy T-shirt. I like running better!
Overall, I would say the experience was okay but I wouldn't plan my vacation around another one. My biggest concern now is that I've trashed my legs for my first marathon training run on Monday. I'll just have to see how they feel on Monday morning. I may be running a lot slower than the plan calls for :-(
Psalm 50:9-11
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine. | 