I rode in the Continental Airlines Cycling Classic this weekend. It is my favorite organized ride. The course it tough, the rest stops are well supported, and the volunteers always bring a lot of energy. In addition to all of that, this ride has always been my litmus test for the MS150. I’ve always said, if you can do the 67 mile route, you can do the MS150 ride.
I’ve participated in this ride four or five times through the years and rode it last year. Well last year it didn’t go well. I’ve always been a back of the pack rider but even for me I was slow. My body was hurting and I was just plum worn out. I remember thinking last year “when will this hell end”. I stopped at every rest stop and by the time I finished, the free lunch crew that is promised was long gone. The parking lot looked like a wasteland.
What a difference a year makes! Same ride, same route, new bike, new body. I averaged 5mph faster over the course of the ride and including time spent on the rest stops I shaved almost three hours off my time. Heck I shaved 90 minutes off my riding time. I was tired at the end, but I had more in the tank. My watch that grades my workout effort gave me a 2.2. Basically it said, you barely worked out and I didn’t come close to improving my cardio fitness.
Posted below are the numbers from my watch and gps unit from this year and last year. Sometimes the scale doesn’t move enough, and the daily diet grind feels like it is going on forever. Waking up at 4:30am almost every day sucks. Showering at the gym more than I do at home is weird. But the numbers below make it all worth it.
