the tao of cycling: ivy leagues and layne lanes

Sunday, July 3, 2011

ivy leagues and layne lanes

many, many people ride harder than I do. harder, longer, faster . . . all of those adjectives. they are gnarlier than me, they are twice as tough, and they sign up for events that I'd like to think I could do but in reality, should never even consider.

I rode with two of them yesterday for a portion of their training rides.

and when I got home after my 6 hours of riding time (layne's target was 8, ivy's was 16) and stood under the pummeling shower, I thanked God that I wasn't training for anything remotely like they were.
my 90 miles were hard enough.
my body was beat-up enough.
and I was so very, very grateful to be off my bike and inside, drinking water from a glass and stuffing my face with (recovery) carbohydrates.

the sole point of my missive today is simply that I have limits, and I'm pretty aware of where they are. I don't mind pushing them sometimes, but I'm really not as crazy as a lot of people might think.
I'm pretty sure I'm never going to sign up for the official Death Ride (129 miles, 15,000' elevation gain over 5 mountain passes) like layne did.
I'm positive I'm never going to sign up for the Race Across Oregon (520 miles, something like 40,000' elevation gain over numerous mountain passes...) like ivy did.

however . . . there was a time, not so long ago, when I described a ride as crazy, absolutely nuts, and something I would never do . . .
and now, it appears I will be doing it. I know, I know, never say never.
stay tuned; more coming about my ridiculous upcoming I-know-I-said-I'd-never-do-it-but riding adventure.
sigh.

I know my limits, I know my limits, I know my limits . . .

1 comment:

Holly said...: Just goes to show you there are always crazier people out there than even you!

Have a happy 4th!; July 3, 2011 at 9:16 PM

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the Male Ego

The other day I was coming down a canyon in my drop bars (two years ago I would have said, 'what's a drop bar?'), working hard, when I came up on two guys who were also heading downhill but at a more leisurely pace. I passed them, said hello as I did so, and pulled back into the bike lane. a few minutes later they went flying past me, faces looking dead ahead, not a single bit of acknowledgment that I even existed on this planet let alone was involved in and enjoying the same sport they were.
I have to attribute this to the male ego. what else can it be? now I know we all have egos, myself included. and mine even shows its ridiculous little head once in a while, or perhaps more often. but the difference between mine and say, those of certain men on bicycles, is that I KNOW mine exists and I can LAUGH at mine. I know my ego was quite excited to pass those guys, and I could also smile because I knew if the men had really been working like I was, they would have kicked my butt down the hill.
I think I pissed them off.
and I'm sure I will be sharing with you much more of my thoughts about the male ego . . .

a little history

I was married, and I had a mountain bike which I rarely rode. we separated, I moved out, and four months later someone stole my bike. the next spring, 2005, I bought myself a new mountain bike. I rode occasionally, and in april 2006 I rode in my first century, the Cactus Hugger in St. George, Utah. I made it 54 miles on that mountain bike, and it took me about 6 hours. I think that included the rest stops where I prayed that someone would steal my bike again . . .
in june 2006 I started riding my mountain bike five mornings a week, a 45-55 minute loop that was intended to be all about exercise. and what I found was that I loved the quiet, peaceful morning full of bird chatter and barely breaking sunrises. by that fall I was hooked, and began considering the purchase of a road bike. I rode up emigration canyon for the first time that Labor Day of 2006, panting and plowing along on my trusty (heavy) bike, and a month later I was the proud owner of my own road bike: I had become a two-bike girl!
a 17-week-long "power camp" over the winter and a handful of new friends kept bicycling front and center in my life, and when spring of 2007 rolled around I was ready to hit the pavement. I rode my first century the end of april, when I again went to St. George and completed that Cactus Hugger. it took me about 7 hours, but this time I rode the entire 100 miles with about 9300 feet of vertical gain. woo hoo!
I started riding canyons around our area, emigration and millcreek, city creek, big cottonwood, little mountain and big mountain, and once--yes, only once--little cottonwood.
then in september of 2007, I rode from Logan, Utah, to Jackson, Wyoming, in the slightly infamous LOTOJA race. I rode, I did not race. and I completed the thing, crediting my good training buddies, the incredibly perfect weather, my support team, and an amazing convergence of all things positive in the universe.
I put in about 3500 miles last season, and as of today, july 19, 2008, I have about 1700 in, adding to it every day.
I have again signed on to ride the LOTOJA race, and my goal is to have just somewhere near as great a ride as I did last year. oh, and to have someone fun to talk with along the way as I got incredibly bored last year . . . star valley is still a nightmare scene in my biking memories . . .
and here is a picture of the machine that has helped me reclaim my life.