It’s no surprise that I usually feel the cumulative fatigue
of my routine 51-mile out and back ride on the last 14.5-mile leg. My legs feel
heavier and it’s harder to maintain my goal pace of 18-20 mph.
Another thing that has cropped up toward the end of the ride
when I’m tired is a lower backache. When they’ve come up, I start deep
breathing through my nose. If I concentrate on that, it usually eases or even
makes the ache go away and I can pick up my pace. After a few backaches on that
back stretch, I wondered if dehydration caused them. They also cropped up on
hot weather rides. Yes, I seemed like that was it. Hey, it took awhile, but I
finally figured out it was a good idea to stop at a water fountain with about
five miles to go (duh!). There I fill my up my typically nearly empty water
bottle and drink most of it.
By the way, I only bring one bottle on the ride, since I’ve
convinced myself that having the less weight with one bottle is a good move. I
could be completely wrong on this, but hey, I’m convinced!
Back on the bike after a big drink, I’ve been amazed at how
a much needed refresh button is hit. I’m suddenly re-energized and am usually
able to generate good speed for the last part of the ride.
And when I’ve been fully hydrated on that last leg, I almost
never have a backache. Hey, I’m a freakin’ scientist!
It’s funny but the other end of the temp spectrum, cold
weather rides are also a hydration challenge for me. On those chilly forays I
don’t get as thirsty as when it’s hot, and have to remind myself to drink up,
even though it doesn’t feel like I’m sweating too much. But, hey, I am
sweating, and need to replenish just like in hot weather.
So I figure that on a long, ride with plenty of pace, it’s
almost impossible to drink too much water. That may be obvious, but somehow I
haven’t yet trained my brain, especially when I’m tired, to listen closely to
the body’s signals to consistently drink up on any given ride.
But because the mind wanders on a ride, that’s can be hard
to do. A buddy I know has his watch beep every 15 minutes to remind him to
drink up. Now all I have to do is figure out how to program my watch to do
that! But no, here’s my life hack analog
solution. Instruct my brain: Hey when the body is slowing down from long ride
fatigue, drink a lotta water. Ok, got
it.
Fuzzy Thinking II
Riding up long, steep uphills I’ve often found myself bogged
down in a too high gear barely inching ahead. And I’m still in the saddle, so
I’m not generating any kind of momentum to get up the slope. I’ve found that
almost without exception, this happens when I’m at the end of an extended
climb, and my brain isn’t thinking clearly about the best way to tackle a last,
very steep section.
This happened recently on the last pitch of Mount Diablo,
where I had a lead over my buddy Marc going into the pitch. But I forgot to
look over my shoulder to see if he was in striking distance.
When the really steep last several yards came, I bogged down
from a steady diet of hard climbing up the mountain. I knew the gnarly last
pitch from previous rides and decided to parse out what energy I had left and
stay in the saddle. I chugged slowly but surely.
I figured if I went to the well for an energy burst I wasn’t
sure I had, I might just bonk and fall off the bike! Clearly, I was caught in
the haze of fatigue fueled fuzzy thinking.
I should have realized that hey, that’s the reason you look
over your shoulder to see if the guy you want to beat to the top is closing
fast. If I had done that, I’d have seen Marc standing up, dancing on his pedals,
making his move.
No doubt, would that would have given me the adrenaline
spike I needed to stand up on my pedals and hold him off. But no, dude blew by,
chiding me as he did, beating me by a few yards. So, I learned. Even if you’re
dead tired and in a lead, don’t forget to look over your shoulder regularly to
make sure you’re not riding too slowly to keep your lead. But with a hazy
thinking brain, easier said than done.
With that in mind, check out this video. It gives some good
technique to follow on over the shoulder looks and also how to smoothly grab
your water bottle from the cage, and return it after a drink....
Drop exchange
Riders continually drop each other on the bike trail I regularly
ride. But I noticed that if a rider blows by without an acknowledgement with a
wave or nod, sometimes I get irritated 1)at myself for not riding at the pace I
want and 2) for pretty much being shown up by a faster rider.
Yes, I know, it’s a bit pathetic to get bothered. But
sometimes it’s all the motivation I need to jump on it, grab the dropper’s
wheel and draft for a few miles. Then, and this is the fun part, if I save up
enough energy, I pass. And maybe even eventually drop the rider.
But it depends on the energy level that day. Sometimes I
have the energy to speed up and grab a faster wheel and hang with them for a
long time. Other times, when they’re just too fast, I have to drop off. Can’t
do it.
Drafting back and forth with random riders is fun, but I
like it if there’s a nod or a wave so it’s a friendly deal. If it’s too
ego-driven and there’s no effort at acknowledgement, a less than friendly hammer
down contest can happen.
But in those cases, a lot of the fun of riding cooperatively
is missing. So I appreciate fast riders who aren’t a TCFS (Too Cool For School)
hammerhead, giving no respect to other slower riders. When there’s a wave from
a passing near pro-level rider, we mere mortals don’t feel dismissed as
unworthy. Hey, we’re all in the same boat. We’re people who like to ride their
bikes. Why not be friendly?
Til next time, remember to strap on a helmet every time you
get on the bike. Then keep the rubber side down, ride safely and have fun.
--Mark Eric Larson
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