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2019 Summer biking goals

geargrrl

Angel Diva
“49 seconds...” - LOL!

That’s amazing, @geargrrl. Is he pleased with his time? With the whole experience?

I imagine so. I've hardly talked to him. The nature of the route is that there's only connectivity every so often. When he DID get to a place with a signal, he's trying to eat, shower, buy food and rest so he wasn't real chatty.He would text me, text his coach, put a couple of photos on facebook and call it good. His trained very hard and his goal was to do it in 25 days which he met.

It's probably one of the harder bike races out there. 100% self support, all dirt, no rest days, no team sag, none of that. People get sick, injured, sick of racing; weather can be terrible. I think a guy died of hypothermia one year. It's really hard on the bikes. A rabbit at holes in his shoes. They don't carry stoves as cooking takes too much time. You get a hamburger in a town and put three more in your bag to last you to the next town.

aka, craziness.

Here's an interesting link.
https://tourdivide.org/caveat
 

just jane

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My brother did the Divide Ride many years ago, but didn’t race it. His experience was a lot different without the time pressure! He really enjoyed it. They were also self-supporting.
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
My brother did the Divide Ride many years ago, but didn’t race it. His experience was a lot different without the time pressure! He really enjoyed it. They were also self-supporting.
There are lots of different ways to do it. Some folks do sections every year. Some have sag, some do guided tours with sag, self support, you name it. Hub did 700 miles touring pulling a BOB last year.

The race is BRUTAL. Only for the most committed. Hub is very pleased with his outcome. He prepared and trained for 6 months. He says it is the hardest thing he has ever done.

Sorry for hijacking this thread to talk about some guy.....
 

just jane

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I think it’s awesome! I have absolutely zero interest in doing anything that intense or involved and utmost respect for people who do.
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
There are lots of different ways to do it. Some folks do sections every year. Some have sag, some do guided tours with sag, self support, you name it. Hub did 700 miles touring pulling a BOB last year.

The race is BRUTAL. Only for the most committed. Hub is very pleased with his outcome. He prepared and trained for 6 months. He says it is the hardest thing he has ever done.

Sorry for hijacking this thread to talk about some guy.....
And younger folks might not appreciate the extra challenge of doing something like this as we get older. It's a lot harder! So impressive. You two are living life right--love your instagram posts for sure!!
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I did my little "race" yesterday. 13.5 miles which doesn't sound like much, but I'm telling you, some of the climbing was BRUTAL and I was able to use it to my advantage as several of the ladies rode way too hard early on and burned out, so I passed them. It rained HARD, too! So, settled the moondust BUT made the rocks and climbing over the rocks extra challenging, as they were slick. I almost came off on a couple of switchbacks that have rocks in them because of it. I was I believe 12th out of 30 riders, and as I looked around, there was one other woman who was probably older than me. The rest were in their 20s and 30s. I got intimidated and held back at the start, which ended up holding me behind because many of them couldn't ride the rock gardens and didn't get off the trail so I could pass them. :doh:

I learned that I am a lot stronger on the downhill than I give myself credit for, that I am a really well-rounded rider, and that I canNOT outclimb women much younger than me at least at a sprint pace, but I CAN hang when you spread that climbing out over a distance. I'd love to be able to race more but against women closer to my age.
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
How do they do age categories? Our local series lumps 40+ into one category and I find that really annoying. There's a lot of physical change between 40 and 58.
 

just jane

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The Triple Bypass was also yesterday and I finished. I finished so much stronger and faster than I expected! I had estimated 10-11 hours ride time, and approx. 12 hours total after adding in rest break time. My phone died about halfway through so I don’t have Strava data for the full ride. So I know my start and finish time and my old-school bike computer estimate of moving time.

Total time on course was about 10 1/2 hours, and estimated moving time was about 8:45 hours. I am absolutely thrilled. That is so much faster than I expected. The weather was fantastic. I felt pretty strong for most of the ride although I faded a bit the last maybe 10 miles because I didn’t eat at the last rest stop. I was impatient and knew it was mostly downhill to the finish where there was food and I just wanted to get done. Otherwise I’m super pleased with how I trained and rode tactically. That’s really the only mistake I can identify.

The Sweetie finished about 2 hours ahead of me and met me at the finish line where I maybe got a little emotional.

I’m really ready to get back to cycling just for fun and not to train for something, and also to do a bunch of other stuff for the rest of the summer. I miss hiking!
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
How do they do age categories? Our local series lumps 40+ into one category and I find that really annoying. There's a lot of physical change between 40 and 58.

No age breakdown at all :frown: I don't think there are enough women competing at this time. Maybe that's partly why! And 40+ is definitely not a great breakdown, either.

Congrats, @contesstant! That sounds fab!
Thank you! You too!!!
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
After reading op (s), I was guilted into going for a bike ride today. Beautiful day low 70's. So took out my road bike out and rode about 9 miles (mostly uphill) to UC Santa Cruz campus from the ocean.... Took less than an hour and 800 ft elevation gain....Ocean view the way down!!! Yeah nothing compared to the others but at least I got out there! No rock gardens but definitely a climb.....
 

heather matthews

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My "biking goal" is for my thumb, which I fractured riding park two weeks ago on my d/h bike , to be better in time for our ski season which starts mid June.
My thumb was ready though our ski season has been a bit average my biking season has been awesome-my jumping has improved so much and I've been 'sending' big gaps and features I never thought possible a year ago!!
 

alison wong

Angel Diva
When I first saw this thread, I thought it had nothing to do with me. Biking is never my thing. I had a bike accident 20+ years ago, had bilateral jaw fracture, broken chin, cracked few teeth, spent 2+ months on a liquid diet because I could not eat / chew.

Last fall, I was riding a bike, cruising downhill on a tree lined trail. That sensation of sliding downhill reminds me of skiing, it was a good feeling. In a way, I see why some skiers like to bike off season.

After, I thought about starting to bike again, but had some reservations. In many ways, the bike accident from 20+ years ago was a life-altering and haunting experience, it damaged me more psychologically than physically. I became more fearful. In retrospect, it explained why it took me several seasons just to be comfortable skiing on green trails (vs. most people take 1 season to progress from green to blue). Because I was so afraid of falling and getting injured.

Fast forward, I mentioned my “issue” to one of my ski friends (we take ski lessons together). She is an avid biker but very cautious and big on safety. She encouraged me to check out a local bicyclist association (Washington Area Bicyclist Association, a non-profit org). She took bike safety classes from them and found their classes to be very helpful since she commutes to work by bike.

After talking to her, I bought a properly fitted bike and; signed up a bike safety class last fall.
The class started with practicing few safety drills at a big parking lot, then the instructors took us to bike on roads in DC, I was nervous at first because I’ve never ridden in DC before. But then it was too late to bail, so I had to stick w/ it. I survived that class. In fact, despite feeling nervous initially, I did enjoy riding on roads. If the traffic was light, it felt liberating and free.

This summer, I took few more WABA cycling classes and attended their group rides whenever I can. I found the group rides to be very enjoyable because they are no-drop rides. Meaning, they won’t leave you behind…. Perfect for someone like me, poor w/ directions and ride very slow. There is always a lead and a sweep for group rides. I feel very protected with this kind of arrangement and for some reason, I ride better when I am with a group.

I also paired with a bike mentor, met her 3 times for 1:1 to work on specific things I requested, bike route to library, how to make tight turns etc. With each session, I pick up few extra tips about road biking, I definitely feel less nervous and become more assertive. Best part of it all: costs nothing.

Up until this summer, 1) I never expected I’d have the guts to ride on roads; 2) I did not know there are so many beautiful bike trails around DC area and; 3) I did not realize many bike lanes in DC are so well designed.

It also makes me a safer and more considerate driver. Before, it annoys me when I see cyclists on roads because they slow down the traffic. Now I am more patient and considerate. Before, I tend to cut in and out of bike lanes when driving and pay minimum attention to cyclists. Now I am more cognizant, stay in my lane and give cyclists ample space if they share a road. Now whenever I park on streets, I always remember opening the car door w/ my right hand so it forces me to look behind before opening the door.

I appreciate DC area has this kind of non profit organization, with dedicated volunteers to do outreach, work with the local community, host various classes & rides to promote cycling and offer lessons on how to ride safely. It is a good physical activity, good for the environment too if we can drive less and bike more, whether for running errands or just for fitness.
 

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