Longest Bike Ride

As usual, I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning for my long bike ride after a mediocre night of sleep (these seem to be happening a lot this week). Luckily, I had planned on a 4-hour bike with a couple of people who were meeting me at the park, so the accountability always helps to get me going. That, and the fact that I knew I’d feel much better afterwards having done it, and not put it off for another day.

The route was fairly simple and mostly flat: one loop through the park with David before picking up Jeanette for a second loop, and then on to downtown, over the bridge and up Utica Pike. As I told these two when we crossed the bridge: “The good thing about Utica Pike is its flat. The bad thing about Utica Pike is its flat.”

It was a great morning to ride as we started out at 7:00 a.m. The weather was calling for some hot temps later on, so I definitely wanted to get started before the sweltering began. The loops through the park were fairly simple and easy – I’ve ridden this route so many times it’s always a bit of a blur when trying to write about it later. As we made our way out of the park following that second loop however, a good-sized deer ran in front of us: a nice little scene of nature shortly into our ride.

Making our way down Lexington and then Spring Street before heading into downtown was a breeze. And Jeanette and I continued on over the Big 4 Bridge to the Indiana side while David stopped for a small snack at the bottom of the Kentucky side. Pretty soon though, we reconvened to start our journey out Utica Pike to 62 before turning back around. At this point we had gone approximately 27 miles in 1:42 with a 14.7 average pace.

I had eaten half a container of oatmeal in the car on the way to the bike, so I decided to take in a Gu at this point. I had also brought a frozen bottle of water as well as Gatorade. I was concerned with only 4 Clif Bloks on me that I may require some more nutrition; however, since we were already nearly halfway through the ride I wasn’t too worried about it.

Off we went and the three of us played leap frog for the lead (although I have to admit that both David and Jeanette were ahead of me for most of this ride). Wasn’t really much to contend with during this long, flat stretch of land, so I just took it in and noticed my mind wandering to a few different thoughts: first – I recall my first trek down this route was a 28-miler at the beginning of the season, and how tired I was afterwards. Second – being told that 50-mile rides would soon be considered my “short ride” and how daunting that sounded back then, and how it doesn’t now. Third – how it seems the more you ride a particular route the shorter it seems. Maybe because as you get to know a route you know what to expect and how long to anticipate the miles ahead before certain landmarks or turn-around points.

David mentioned a big hill at some point, although I didn’t recall this at all. That is, until we hit that last four miles before our turn-around spot and I found myself with lethargic legs as we made our way towards Highway 62. Not realizing it until just this ride, but most of that road is nothing but a gradual, slow incline with some smaller, steeper hills built in. I’m already making a mental note of this for next time.

At the end of this portion of our ride David sat down for a small break while Jeanette and I refueled on water and nutrition. Within a few minutes we were off again and making our way back DOWN that 4-mile climb we just conquered. At this point the conversation started picking up and we killed a few miles trading war stories about dating and relationships. This is probably one of my favorite things about long rides with others – getting to know them on a personal level while ticking away the miles without even realizing it.

Back down Utica Pike we went and, again, I was bringing up the rear. Probably half a mile to the bridge Jeanette hits a pothole and her back tire goes flat. Luckily, I had a spare tube on me and (luckily again), David knows how to quickly change a tire so we were back at it in no time. Across the bridge we went once more, through downtown, back up Lexington and into the park for the home stretch.

By the time we made our way back to our vehicles, my quads were pretty much toast. I talked Jeanette into one recovery lap around the Seneca walking path, so we got in a little bit more than a mile on that last bit. Final stats: 59 miles in 3:46 moving time at 15mph average.

Final thoughts: 1) No tummy issues on the ride and the oatmeal seemed to sustain me for quite a long time. 2) I may need to get my seat angled up a bit, and my cleats moved forward. Feeling a lot of pressure on my nether-regions and find myself “scooting back” some on the seat. Started to feel some cramping in my right calf about 3 hours in and left foot goes numb at times. 3) Hoo Ha Glide does nothing for me, but the Body Glide works great, although I do feel a bit “rubbed” in some areas. 4) Surprisingly, my mental state during these longer rides has been great – no bonking, no emotional break downs, etc., which tells me that my mental capacity and confidence are definitely improving.