My Double Century (Cheers & Tears)
rides4sanity
Posts: 1,269 Member
I shared my TOSRV journey from 2010-2013 in my blog, but thought I'd share this years ride here.
2013 TOSRV 52...
My training hasn’t been what I wanted; I had very few miles going in this year. Needless to say I wasn’t banking on making my 20mph average Day 1, but it was still in the back of my mind. It was cold, dreary, drizzling but only a slight wind (10-15mph) Saturday morning when Steve, Ann (Steve’s wife who was just going to ride to the halfway point) and I headed out of town. Nobody really rushed the first 10 miles, too many stop lights and turns. We finally got out of town and I started to ride a bit, I caught up with the Texans, and they couldn’t drop me so they accepted me into their group. There were 3 guys, 2 from Texas and one bus driver from Columbus; they were nice, fun and taught me how to side draft or ride in a V for the cross-winds. We rode from stop to stop, chat, cheer for the sections where we knew there was a tailwind because none of us really ride >25mph. I dropped them on the hill section (yes the rollers I once walked up), we regrouped at the rest stop, they heckled me a bit, likened me to a bad penny they couldn’t get rid of and said “You coming?” Off we went, they caught a quick tandem line that was a little too quick for me and one other, we got dropped, but the line pulled over at the café. Together again, joked about owing me one for losing them on the hills, but then we set out to finish Day 1. We lost one guy, and held up on the way into town, rode by the murals (which I’d never done), all of these things brought my average speed down, but added to the enjoyment of the day. They headed off to Shawnee State where they were sleeping and I headed to the park to meet my husband and friends.
I didn’t finish in under 5 hours, it was 5:40, not to different than last year, but my “fasts” were faster (~20-22 on the long stretches), and I enjoyed my “slows” more. Yeah, that’s okay. I feel pretty good, I'll get a massage, have a few beers, eat a hot dog, and go to dinner (steak & fries). Somewhere around dinner, I’m really not feeling as good. Our waiter didn’t come back and I really needed some water, but I drank my beer. We headed back to the hotel, slipped into swim suits and hit the hot tub for a soak. Well, dehydration and vassal dilation are not a good combo, almost passed out in the hot tub. Hubby starts asking me about my fluid intake, I definitely didn’t drink enough and my sugar was bottoming out on top of that. I drank some Gatorade and we ordered pizza and real soda, but the damage was done. My head was pounding and I couldn’t stay awake (it was only 7:30pm). Tim woke me when the pizza got there, so sitting in the dark holding my head, crying I ate 3 slices of pizza, drank a real Mountain Dew, then went back to sleep. No shower, didn’t even brush my teeth.
Sunday morning, headache is gone, but I can tell I’m low. Damn, I told Joe I’d ride with him today, and show him how to catch a train. I’ve never ridden with Joe, he’s new to the group and rode back with the group yesterday (~13-15mph) and got kind of bored. Okay, you can do this. Tummy is queasy, but you have to eat. Plan was to ride with the group to the café where we will stop for cinnamon rolls, and then Joe and I will head out. I told Joe I wasn’t sure what I had left, but I didn’t tell anybody how hard I crashed the night before. Cinnamon roll & Chocolate milk in, and off we went. The wind was brutal, I pulled us to the first group where we waited for a train to roll by. I saw the train coming, and knew deep down I couldn’t hang on, but I could get us there. I told Joe to follow me out and around our current group so we didn’t get hung up. We sped up and waited. Oh damn, this is a tandem with some experienced riders they were cruising at 22-23mph into the wind. We went, I was working way too hard, and Joe was having fun. I started to weigh my options, and this was not a good place for me today. He was fresher and only had 40 miles left, I was close to empty and had 90 miles left. I pull off and tell him to have fun. Yes, occasionally my logical side does win over my pride. So off I go solo into the wind. I catch a few groups, but they are just too slow, so I rest for a few and move on. This section wasn’t too bad, only 15 miles to Lake White rest area.
I meet up with Joe, next section is hills. We ride these together, he isn’t afraid to turn on the downhill, but I’m a better climber, so it works for us until we leave the hills. The last 4-5 miles to Chillicothe (mid-point for me, end for him) are the wind is straight on, he pulls and we still are at ~12mph, ughhhh.
Lunchtime, I am doing much better with my hydration today, but hubby is worried I look a little off. I take a little more time to hydrate and try to talk Joe into riding to Columbus. No luck. The next two sections are FLAT and open, I’m not looking forward to this at all, but I want to finish. I am NOT a quitter, not today. Yes, I needed a little self-talk to get me out of that park.
Off I go. Oh crap, which way? There aren’t many people heading out. Straight or turn? No arrow, probably straight. This doesn’t look right. I get worried and turn around because I don’t see anyone. Finally some people come through, so I follow them until I get to a section I recognize. I pull away and face the wind. I rode this section alone, just me and the wind. Very few people passed me, but they were singles and too fast for me to hold. The people I passed were way too slow. There were times during this section that I considered wrecking, just so I could quit without admitting defeat. Not good, but I did give it serious consideration. Mostly, I just kept plugging along. I pulled up a few times to contemplate my situation, rest and get a good drink, but when I stopped pedaling, my bike stopped moving. Have I mentioned that I hate wind? I finally make it to Circleville, I am so excited that I miss a turn. I end up at Kroger’s, I see another lost rider so I call Tim to get directions to the park. This is really not what I needed! I finally make it in. Tim begins to tell me a story “You know that guy riding a single speed? He left a half hour after you and he’s already here!” I cry and walk away. I apologize, but explain that I’m feeling low enough right now. He understands, but apparently it was a funny story, he just started with the wrong part. Sigh.
I am finding it really hard to talk myself into the last 30 miles. All flat, no protection from the wind and I’m drained. Tim points out a lady sitting at the table. She has come into every stop about the same time as me, just wait and head out when she does. Glimmer of hope…until a car pulls in and she racks her bike. I think I welled up again, but I got on my bike and I left. I rode and I cried, and I told myself at 3 miles, “Only 9 more like that, you can do this.” I didn’t believe me, but it was all I had. I kept going, and kept going. I tried to hang onto a line that went by, but couldn’t. Then I saw a group of 3 in the distance that were a tad slower than me, but not too much. If I can get there, I can get a break from this God forsaken wind. Finally, I had a purpose and short term goal. I was within a few hundred yards when they caught a yellow light and I hit red. Yep, more tears, but I caught them once, I could do it again. I did finally catch them, but I was SPENT. I was hanging on for dear life, not just for the physical break, but for the psychological break. Riding alone in harsh conditions wears on you, with no outside force to lighten the load it just gets heavier. I needed to share the burden, laugh, *****, swear, get it out and not feel isolated. I thought heard one say, we’ll stop in about a mile. I needed to slow down, I needed a drink. Please let me have heard them right. I dropped off the end. In a few minutes they pulled over. I asked if I could join them. Sure, they said. I thanked them and told them I had just spent so much catching them that I had nothing left. After a snack and some fluids, I headed out behind my linebacker and his friends. We all took a turn, but we kept dropping the linebacker. He needed to lead. Nobody cared anymore about pace, we just wanted to see the city. We stopped once more, and I gave some lady in far worse shape than myself some sport beans. Off we went, only 11 more miles. As we entered the city, there was a slight climb. We dropped linebacker, I yelled up to the others, but they didn’t hear. I hung back, we missed a light. Then we took a wrong turn. Damn, damn, damn, I want this to be OVER! We got back on course. The wind was so strong I couldn’t keep my bike in my lane. There wasn’t much traffic, but it was very discomforting. Less than a mile to go, I can’t go down now! Finally, we made it!
Finally, I finished the TOSRV! This was going to be my last TOSRV for a while because my daughter asked me to stay with her next year for Mother’s Day. I would have stayed home regardless of the outcome, but now I can do it knowing that course didn’t beat me.
2013 TOSRV 52...
My training hasn’t been what I wanted; I had very few miles going in this year. Needless to say I wasn’t banking on making my 20mph average Day 1, but it was still in the back of my mind. It was cold, dreary, drizzling but only a slight wind (10-15mph) Saturday morning when Steve, Ann (Steve’s wife who was just going to ride to the halfway point) and I headed out of town. Nobody really rushed the first 10 miles, too many stop lights and turns. We finally got out of town and I started to ride a bit, I caught up with the Texans, and they couldn’t drop me so they accepted me into their group. There were 3 guys, 2 from Texas and one bus driver from Columbus; they were nice, fun and taught me how to side draft or ride in a V for the cross-winds. We rode from stop to stop, chat, cheer for the sections where we knew there was a tailwind because none of us really ride >25mph. I dropped them on the hill section (yes the rollers I once walked up), we regrouped at the rest stop, they heckled me a bit, likened me to a bad penny they couldn’t get rid of and said “You coming?” Off we went, they caught a quick tandem line that was a little too quick for me and one other, we got dropped, but the line pulled over at the café. Together again, joked about owing me one for losing them on the hills, but then we set out to finish Day 1. We lost one guy, and held up on the way into town, rode by the murals (which I’d never done), all of these things brought my average speed down, but added to the enjoyment of the day. They headed off to Shawnee State where they were sleeping and I headed to the park to meet my husband and friends.
I didn’t finish in under 5 hours, it was 5:40, not to different than last year, but my “fasts” were faster (~20-22 on the long stretches), and I enjoyed my “slows” more. Yeah, that’s okay. I feel pretty good, I'll get a massage, have a few beers, eat a hot dog, and go to dinner (steak & fries). Somewhere around dinner, I’m really not feeling as good. Our waiter didn’t come back and I really needed some water, but I drank my beer. We headed back to the hotel, slipped into swim suits and hit the hot tub for a soak. Well, dehydration and vassal dilation are not a good combo, almost passed out in the hot tub. Hubby starts asking me about my fluid intake, I definitely didn’t drink enough and my sugar was bottoming out on top of that. I drank some Gatorade and we ordered pizza and real soda, but the damage was done. My head was pounding and I couldn’t stay awake (it was only 7:30pm). Tim woke me when the pizza got there, so sitting in the dark holding my head, crying I ate 3 slices of pizza, drank a real Mountain Dew, then went back to sleep. No shower, didn’t even brush my teeth.
Sunday morning, headache is gone, but I can tell I’m low. Damn, I told Joe I’d ride with him today, and show him how to catch a train. I’ve never ridden with Joe, he’s new to the group and rode back with the group yesterday (~13-15mph) and got kind of bored. Okay, you can do this. Tummy is queasy, but you have to eat. Plan was to ride with the group to the café where we will stop for cinnamon rolls, and then Joe and I will head out. I told Joe I wasn’t sure what I had left, but I didn’t tell anybody how hard I crashed the night before. Cinnamon roll & Chocolate milk in, and off we went. The wind was brutal, I pulled us to the first group where we waited for a train to roll by. I saw the train coming, and knew deep down I couldn’t hang on, but I could get us there. I told Joe to follow me out and around our current group so we didn’t get hung up. We sped up and waited. Oh damn, this is a tandem with some experienced riders they were cruising at 22-23mph into the wind. We went, I was working way too hard, and Joe was having fun. I started to weigh my options, and this was not a good place for me today. He was fresher and only had 40 miles left, I was close to empty and had 90 miles left. I pull off and tell him to have fun. Yes, occasionally my logical side does win over my pride. So off I go solo into the wind. I catch a few groups, but they are just too slow, so I rest for a few and move on. This section wasn’t too bad, only 15 miles to Lake White rest area.
I meet up with Joe, next section is hills. We ride these together, he isn’t afraid to turn on the downhill, but I’m a better climber, so it works for us until we leave the hills. The last 4-5 miles to Chillicothe (mid-point for me, end for him) are the wind is straight on, he pulls and we still are at ~12mph, ughhhh.
Lunchtime, I am doing much better with my hydration today, but hubby is worried I look a little off. I take a little more time to hydrate and try to talk Joe into riding to Columbus. No luck. The next two sections are FLAT and open, I’m not looking forward to this at all, but I want to finish. I am NOT a quitter, not today. Yes, I needed a little self-talk to get me out of that park.
Off I go. Oh crap, which way? There aren’t many people heading out. Straight or turn? No arrow, probably straight. This doesn’t look right. I get worried and turn around because I don’t see anyone. Finally some people come through, so I follow them until I get to a section I recognize. I pull away and face the wind. I rode this section alone, just me and the wind. Very few people passed me, but they were singles and too fast for me to hold. The people I passed were way too slow. There were times during this section that I considered wrecking, just so I could quit without admitting defeat. Not good, but I did give it serious consideration. Mostly, I just kept plugging along. I pulled up a few times to contemplate my situation, rest and get a good drink, but when I stopped pedaling, my bike stopped moving. Have I mentioned that I hate wind? I finally make it to Circleville, I am so excited that I miss a turn. I end up at Kroger’s, I see another lost rider so I call Tim to get directions to the park. This is really not what I needed! I finally make it in. Tim begins to tell me a story “You know that guy riding a single speed? He left a half hour after you and he’s already here!” I cry and walk away. I apologize, but explain that I’m feeling low enough right now. He understands, but apparently it was a funny story, he just started with the wrong part. Sigh.
I am finding it really hard to talk myself into the last 30 miles. All flat, no protection from the wind and I’m drained. Tim points out a lady sitting at the table. She has come into every stop about the same time as me, just wait and head out when she does. Glimmer of hope…until a car pulls in and she racks her bike. I think I welled up again, but I got on my bike and I left. I rode and I cried, and I told myself at 3 miles, “Only 9 more like that, you can do this.” I didn’t believe me, but it was all I had. I kept going, and kept going. I tried to hang onto a line that went by, but couldn’t. Then I saw a group of 3 in the distance that were a tad slower than me, but not too much. If I can get there, I can get a break from this God forsaken wind. Finally, I had a purpose and short term goal. I was within a few hundred yards when they caught a yellow light and I hit red. Yep, more tears, but I caught them once, I could do it again. I did finally catch them, but I was SPENT. I was hanging on for dear life, not just for the physical break, but for the psychological break. Riding alone in harsh conditions wears on you, with no outside force to lighten the load it just gets heavier. I needed to share the burden, laugh, *****, swear, get it out and not feel isolated. I thought heard one say, we’ll stop in about a mile. I needed to slow down, I needed a drink. Please let me have heard them right. I dropped off the end. In a few minutes they pulled over. I asked if I could join them. Sure, they said. I thanked them and told them I had just spent so much catching them that I had nothing left. After a snack and some fluids, I headed out behind my linebacker and his friends. We all took a turn, but we kept dropping the linebacker. He needed to lead. Nobody cared anymore about pace, we just wanted to see the city. We stopped once more, and I gave some lady in far worse shape than myself some sport beans. Off we went, only 11 more miles. As we entered the city, there was a slight climb. We dropped linebacker, I yelled up to the others, but they didn’t hear. I hung back, we missed a light. Then we took a wrong turn. Damn, damn, damn, I want this to be OVER! We got back on course. The wind was so strong I couldn’t keep my bike in my lane. There wasn’t much traffic, but it was very discomforting. Less than a mile to go, I can’t go down now! Finally, we made it!
Finally, I finished the TOSRV! This was going to be my last TOSRV for a while because my daughter asked me to stay with her next year for Mother’s Day. I would have stayed home regardless of the outcome, but now I can do it knowing that course didn’t beat me.
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Replies
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Thanks for the write up. I am registered for a back to back 200k the end of this month. Your ride report certainly helps remind me of some important points to keep in mind. I for one am impressed at the average speed for the first day since you complete a second century the next day. I'll be sure to pay more attention to hydration and heart rate on my upcoming ride.0
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Thanks for sharing your TORSV journey. As Dahamac said, you brought up a lot of important points I need to bear in mind in particular that - ahem... I got a 180km tomorrow. The weather is expected to be a bit stinky & I haven't done any preps (only got asked last week - this distance apparently is a stroll in the park for some of my dear friends that no special training is needed...)0
