So, You Wanna Ride a Century?

So, you wanna ride a century....100 miles....on a bicycle....in one day?

Are you nuts?  Who in their right mind would want to sit hunched over a bike for 100 miles pedaling in traffic, over hills, being chased by dogs, watching for glass so small you can't see it?  Me for one, and I'm guessing you might have the same screw loose as I do since you are reading this.  The difference is I'm talking from the other side of the straight jacket.  Since May of 2012, I have completed 15 century rides, with two being 124 miles, and one being 212 miles.  There are plenty of riders who have done more than that, but I do have the experience to help bring a few more riders into the centurion club.

Why would anyone want to ride that kind of distance in the first place?  This video answers a lot of the questions, and makes some very valid points.  I think that the reasons are about as varied as the people that ride centuries though.  Everyone has their own reasons and motivations.  Some just want the exercise, some want to prove something, some are escaping something in their life, others just like the achievement.  For me, my first century was all about just seeing if I could do it.  After I did, something strange happened.  A 100 mile ride became just another long ride for me.  It was like a 50 mile ride had been for me when I started riding.  It was only ever a struggle to complete that first century, after that, things became different, and I've heard from so many others that have shared that same experience.  You see, there are a few important mile markers in a cyclist's life.  It seems that all cyclists share these particular hurdles when it comes to distance.

The first hurdle is the 25 mile ride.  This is the quarter century, and the distance that an enthusiast will soon want to reach.  It doesn't take long to achieve this goal, but it seems to be the difference between somebody riding a bike and an actual cyclist.  Once you reach this distance, you start feeling different about riding.  All of a sudden you start looking at it through a serious eye.  This is where you start to look at equipment that you probably swore would never enter your house....like spandex.  Yes, it will happen.  I used to laugh at guys riding bikes wearing skin tight shorts and flashy jerseys.  Now...much to the embarrassment of my wife, I have a closet full of matching kits, and gear for all seasons.

The next hurdle comes at the 50 mile mark, the half century.  This is the point where you start to identify with other cyclists, and have looked at rides more as training events than recreation.  You begin to crunch numbers, and analyze your performance a little bit.  You start to figure out ways to climb better, get faster, and you fully realize the need to eat on a ride.  That's right, you have now moved into the realm where eating is as necessary as drinking.  Without food, you will run a high risk of bonking which is when your fuel light comes on and your motor conks out.  The motor, of course, being your mind and body.  However, with each ride around 50 miles you can feel yourself getting stronger and you have probably heard somebody say that they have ridden that century ride.  Unlike at the previous stage where you dismissed the story as a tall tale, you are no actually believing them, and not thinking its all that crazy anymore.

Enter the next stage.....the ONE HUNDRED kilometer RIDE!!!!  That's right, a full 62 miles on your bike.  This is the stage where you really want to consider distances in kilometers rather than statute miles because quite frankly, you can go around and say you rode a metric century, and many wont catch the difference.  Seriously though, this is an important stage in a cyclist's life.  It might just be 12 more miles than your 50 mile route, but once you achieve this distance, you look back on stage one and how excited you were to ride 25 miles.  Now you are riding 62 miles and feeling about the same as you did after the 25 miles.  You have learned how to eat on the ride, and you have learned how your body reacts to endurance riding.  Your body has also learned how to metabolize its fuel, and has become very efficient.  The 62 mile ride will lead to a string of higher mile rides that will take you into the 70 and 80 mile ranges.  While you are adding mileage, these are not hurdles because you realize that nothing much changes with those handful of extra miles.  Wait a minute....nothing changes?  I feel the same after an 80 mile ride as I do after a 62 mile ride?  You now remember that tall tale that you heard about when you were riding 25 miles, that you started to believe when you were riding 50 miles.  Now, you realize that it is just another 20 miles from your longest ride.  You start to think that you can do it...the century ride is possible, and you are almost ready for it!

What does it take?

You have now made it to the last major hurdle in your cycling life before the century hurdle.  You have gotten comfortable with the metric century, and have potentially added some extra miles in here and there.  The 100 miler is just 38 more miles and can't be that big of a deal.  Well my friends, it is kind of a big deal.  You see, cycling is mostly mental, and over the miles, you have built the century ride up to be a super human undertaking.  That means that when you set out on your first attempt at 100 miles, you will be all kinds of apprehensive, and nervous.  That's the first problem.  The second problem is that you have an understanding of the food requirements, but in many cases, the needs actually change slightly when you do a full century.  You will need to be prepared for that.  The last problem is that any fit issue that you have with your bike will be amplified many times over as you bring in the last few miles.  The point of this entry is to help you with these problems, and let you know what to expect, and what you can do to counter these issues ahead of time.  My goal is to help you achieve your goal of riding that full century!

Lets talk about the mental part of a century first.  Arguably this is the most important part of any distance ride.  You need to feel prepared for it before you even put air in your tires.  If you doubt yourself, don't even try to ride it because whether you think you can, or think you can't, you are absolutely right.  You have to start your ride telling yourself that you WILL finish it.  The only way to do this is to work your way up to the distance, and know your body.  Training will put your mind at ease on the day of the big ride.

You have already put a lot of miles under your tires, and you are no stranger to riding long distances.  Always remember that.  After you have a few 62 mile routes under your belt, you are ready to start working toward the 100 mile goal.  It won't take long at all actually.  What I would recommend is to ride as much as you can through the week.  Yes, I know...we have jobs and obligations.  That's not a problem because if you have gotten to the point of riding 62 miles, you have plenty of time to train for the 100.  Base miles are important, and you need to keep that in your program, but don't underestimate the importance of short, intense rides either.  Everyone's needs are a little different, but the general school of thought is short intense rides are as effective as long endurance rides for distance training.  This is great news because the majority of your rides need to be in the 25 mile range.  Remember the 25 mile stage...of course you do.

These are the after work rides, or the rides when you are pressed for time.  Since you are capable of riding 62 miles, 25 is nothing for you right?  Wrong!  This is where you push yourself.  When you go out for these short rides, Think about your body, and how its feeling.  You need to estimate your energy reserves and then ride at a pace that will leave you wrung out at the end of that 25 miles.  That might be a 15 mph pace, or it might be a 25 mph pace.  Either way, let your own body decide, but be honest with yourself.  These 25 miles are valuable, and you need them.  If you aren't feeling particularly strong that day, just back down to a level that you can maintain for the full 25 miles.  Over time though, you will be surprised at the increase in speed of these rides.  The endurance rides will help you with these mini time trials, and the short all out efforts will build you up for the endurance rides.  They seems to go hand in hand.  Look for about 2-3 of these 25 mile rides a week.

After the ride, you should stretch at the minimum your quads, IT bands, and hip flexors.  There are plenty of examples found through Google on options for these stretches.  It would also be a good idea to consume about 24g of protein to help rebuild the muscles.  You were pushing yourself to the limit for an hour or two right?  It goes without saying that any ride where you are pushing limits, or exerting yourself for any length of time you should do this recovery routine.

Once a week, you need to introduce a long ride.  This will more than likely be a Saturday or Sunday ride.  You will alternate weeks, with your base miles falling every other week.  For me, a base ride is 50 miles, but anything between 40-60 will suffice here.  The intensity will be moderate for these rides.  You don't need to go all out, but keep a nice pace that you are comfortable with.  When you are done, you should feel tired, but still wanting more.  A good rule of thumb here is you should be 1-1.5 mph slower than your 25 mile average speed.  This is a moderate effort ride, and it helps to build your aerobic engine and your endurance.  You need to concentrate on listening to your body about food and water.  Get used to regularly drinking so that you are not guzzling a half bottle once an hour.  You want to sip it gradually as you ride to keep yourself hydrated.  You should be consuming about 300-500 calories an hour in food as well.  This is where you can experiment with your food, but I recommend the tried and true high carb foods.  You also want a fair amount of fat in the foods you eat, and a little protein never hurt either.  Stay away from sugary stuff though, as the boost in energy is nice, but the crash afterwards is not fun on a long ride.  By experimenting at this stage, you can see what works at a distance you are very comfortable with.

On the opposite weeks from your base miles, you will add to your distance and put your fueling regime into practice.  These weeks you will add 5-10 miles to your longest comfortable ride.  Lets just assume that the 62 mile ride is as far as you have gone without nearly killing yourself.  Lets start with that distance.  You would do 62 miles on week 2, after your base miles ride the week before.  It would look something like this.

Week 1......base miles
Week 2......62 miles
Week 3......base miles
Week 4......70 miles
Week 5......base miles
Week 6......78 miles
Week 7.......base miles or light short ride
Week 8.......85 miles
Week 9.......base miles
Week 10.....100 miles
***A light intensity, short recover ride is strongly recommended the day after each of these long rides.

This is just one variation on the plan, but you can see how you just easily work your way up to the century.  The idea is with each passing distance week, you are fine tuning your fueling needs, and perfecting your pace. What I have found is that your pace should drop about 1-1.5 mph off of your base mile pace.  This is your endurance pace.  The slow and easy beginning is your investment in a strong finish.  I will get into that a little bit more later.

My first century!

What we have essentially accomplished here is gradually working up to the century ride.  If you are lucky enough, it will sneak up on you and you won't have time to stress it.  For many, the first century ride is the result of getting lost, or feeling pretty good at 80 miles.  These are the best first centuries because you choose to do it AFTER having invested a whole lot of miles.  Let's face it, its easier to convince yourself to ride 20 more miles when you feel good, than buckling up your shoes and saying, I'm going to ride 100 miles today.  its a mental trick of sorts but it really does work out.  If you can, make your first century a surprise...because its always a good idea to have extra food with you anyway.

If your first century is to be a planned on, then you have hopefully put the training time in that you know how your body will react, you know the needs it will have, and you know what pace will work for you.  Also, I hope you know the route, because this isn't the time to try new roads.  Link several of your existing routes together to get to that 100.  Doing this will help keep the stress level down because you will know what to expect in terms of terrain and traffic.  Start the ride calm, and watch your pace.  You will be so excited to get to 100 miles you will be tempted to try to knock out the easy miles quick and hurry up to the second half of the ride.  Resist that urge!!!  I recommend keeping your bike in the small ring for the first 10 miles of your ride to force a high cadence, and easy pedaling.  Remember, this is an investment in your completion.  After the first 10 miles ticks by, move into the big ring when you are able to (not climbing a steep hill preferably).  This doesn't mean to hammer it though, keep your pace where you know it needs to be based on your distance training.  When you are faced with an incline, use a lower gear than you really need to and just spin up and over it.  No sense in wasting your leg muscles when you don't have to.  Speaking of leg muscles, remember that recovery routine I mentioned above?  Yeah, do that after these rides as well.  Even though you aren't exerting yourself the same way you did with the short rides, the distance dictates you need to feed and stretch your muscles after these long rides.

Pay attention to your hydration and food intake.  If you need to, set an alarm for once an hour to remind you to eat between 300-500 calories.  As you can see from the shot of the Garmin above, you will burn a ton of calories on this ride.  You have to replace a good portion of them as you go in order to not bonk in the second half.  Hydration is also very important, and you need to be drinking about a bottle of water an hour, even more in the heat of summer.  Once you get dehydrated on the bike, you won't be able to recover from it, no matter how much you drink.  It is vitally important that you stay ahead of dehydration the entire ride!

I keep bringing up food and hydration, and there is good reason for that.  I've said that riding a century is mostly mental, and that is true.  However, if there is no fuel in the tank, that century ride will be but a dream...or a nightmare.  If you have done the training like I've suggested, you have gradually tweaked your fueling needs over the weeks and found what works, as well as what doesn't.  You have undoubtedly figured out that what does work at 62 miles might not work at 80+.  Something I have discovered over the years about me, is that my body starts to reject solid foods after about 75 miles.  I have a hard time chewing anything, and I cease to be hungry.  Since I am usually self supported, I have only four water bottles with me, and that might not be enough to keep the carbs I eat from turning to cement in my belly.  On rides beyond 75 miles, I have learned that my best bet is to go with a liquid diet for the last portion  of the ride.  Hammer, makes a great product called Perpetuem which I learned about while training for a double century.  This powder is magical for my needs.  It provides the calories and nutrients that I desperately need, only in liquid form that is easy to digest.  I relied on it for the last 50 miles or so of a 200 mile ride and without it, I don't think I would have finished.

That being said, everyone is different and their needs are all different.  Things to consider when choosing foods are, natural foods that are fresh and not processed.  Skratch Labs not only sells great fuel for distance cycling, they also have cook books so you can make your own fuel at home..  There are also energy bars and gels that are packed in calories and nutrients.  All I can say about the gels is I tried one once, and I almost gave up cycling because of it, but others swear by them.  Bananas are a great source of Potassium which gets depleted along with other electrolytes.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a great choice as well.  Lots of carbs, protein, and calories to work with.  A perfect option for this is a kid's lunch treat called Uncrustables by Smuckers.  They are individually wrapped, frozen sandwiches.  You grab one, stick it in your pocket and when you are ready to eat it, it is thawed, and ready to go.  I've found these to be awesome!  Fig Newtons are also a good choice because the fig is a great food to eat, and when you add the breading, you get the carbs and calories.  They are easy to digest as well.  As you can see, there are a lot of options on food, and there are a lot of different schools of though as well on what is best for you.  This is where your own personal experiments comes into play as you are building your miles.

Something to keep in mind when choosing your fueling options is that when you are cycling, your muscles feed off of glycogen which is created from carbohydrates.  You don't want to deplete your glycogen stores too early in the ride, so you should consume mostly carbs which is converted quickly to fuel.  On longer rides, your body will also tap into your fat stores for energy which is a good thing, unless you are a seasoned cyclist with minimal fat stores to pull from.  This is why you need foods that are relatively high in fat when you are riding.  Protein is a good energy source, but it is quick burning on a bike.  It will help to liven you up, but won't really feed your muscles the way they need to be.  Protein is still invaluable for a distance rider though, but it is after the ride where you really need it.  The protein is the building block of your muscles, and will rebuild them after you have torn them down with use.  Unless you are doing just a light ride, 24 grams of protein is needed to aid in the quick recovery of your muscles, and will help keep them from being as sore.

Don't get to this point due to lack of fuel

Also related to your diet and hydration on the long rides is your electrolytes.  As you sweat, you lose valuable minerals that need to be replenished.  The bananas help to replace some of that, but here is where you need the sports drinks, or a dedicated electrolyte beverage.  Especially in the summer months, the need here is very real and essential.  for a century, I will typically carry two bottles of water, and two bottles of Gatorade.  One of them might be replaced with the Hammer Perpetuem depending on my specific needs for the ride though.  If I replace a Gatorade bottle, I will pack some Slim Jims in my jersey for the salt content.  I don't get the calories, but they do give me an energy boost, and replace some valuable electrolytes as well.  The key is to know what your body is getting rid of, and to replace it as quickly as you can.  Never let a deficit get so big that you notice your body is lacking something.  At that point, it's too late!


One last mention on nutrition and hydration before we move on.  We have all heard of carb loading, and I'm sure we all know what that means.  It has a very important place in cycling when it comes to endurance rides.  The night before your long ride, you need to consume a carb rich meal.  Typically, this is a plate of pasta, or something with a bread base.  The goal here is to build up those glycogen stores so that what you are not consuming during the ride, can be forgiven by what your body already has stored up.  However, don't rely on these glycogen stores because they will be depleted long before you are done with your ride.  Also, don't think that more is better here.  Don't overeat the night before.  A good health portion will be plenty enough.  If you go overboard, you will wake up the next morning feeling bloated, and unable to ride comfortably.  Plus, you will have a hard time digesting as you are on your ride, so keep it reasonable.  The morning of your ride, easy to digest foods, low in fiber are a good idea.  Fiber actually absorbs water and will affect your hydration needs.  I like bagels, but rice and eggs are a really good option for a century breakfast.  Again, the idea is to pad the glycogen stores before you get rolling, and to boost your energy with a long duration power source.

Blisters from my shoes after 212 miles

Let's talk about comfort for a bit.  Any fit issue, or comfort issue that doesn't really bother you at 62 miles will become a huge deal at 100 miles.  Before Double Down, I had ridden a half dozen centuries, with two 200 kilometer (124 mile) routes.  I had sorted out all the pain issues, and thought that I was totally comfortable on the bike.  At the end of 212 miles though, I realized that my shoes had hot spots under the top buckle.  I never knew this, and never had any problems with it before.  However, when I took my shoes off, this is what I found.  Any issue that you have will be amplified over the course of a long ride, and you owe it to yourself to address any issue that you might have before embarking on that century ride.

My first professional fit

I am a big proponent of getting a professional fit done.  There are a few different types out there, and they are all a little different.  The goals of these fits are largely the same.  They put the rider in a position on the bike that gives the best balance between comfort and performance based on the needs of the rider.  I chose to go with a BG 3D fit at Paul's Cycling and Fitness.  So many problems were addressed with how I fit on the bike, and so many changes were made.  It was so dramatic that my first ride after the fit felt like the first time I rode a bike.  I was shaky, and the steering was in a whole different world.  However, I soon adjusted to the new fit, and was riding in a much greater degree of comfort, and the performance eventually improved.

The bike fit is only part of the equation though.  Your pants are also very important.  This is where you don't need to skimp.  If you are planning on being in the saddle upwards of 6 hours, you need to invest in a very comfortable chamois that wicks moisture, allows blood flow, and doesn't chafe your skin.  That chamois that works at 25 miles, might not cut it at 100.  Get a high quality pair of shorts or bibs for your long rides.  Trust me on this one.  There is nothing worse than having to stand in the saddle every 10 minutes because your butt is in pain.  However, it is a good idea to work in some standing every so often just to open up the blood flow and prevent numbness over the long miles.  Just click up about two gears and pedal standing for about a minute.  That will alter your cadence, and the way your muscles are working.  Essentially, it will give your body a break from the constant rhythm it is operating in.  Plus, it keeps the nether regions from feeling funny.

Gloves are also important on the long rides, although I argue they are important on all rides.  You need to cushion on the palms to help dampen the road vibrations which will lead to numbness in the hands.  This is always an issue with cyclists unfortunately, but that is why we have the awesome bar design that we do.  The best thing to do on a long ride is to rotate hand position as much as you can.  At least every 10 minutes move from the hoods to the drops, and throw in the top bar occasionally as well.  You can change your grip location in each of the positions to help keep from inflaming the nerves in your hands.  Just remember, that if you are in a group, or in a high traffic area, you need to keep your hands close to the brake levers.

Am I ready?

We've addressed the common hurdles that one must overcome before riding 100 miles.  You've trained, you know your diet needs, and you are riding a bike that doesn't hurt you.  Hopefully, the stress and nervousness of embarking on this length of a ride will be small enough not to matter.  You should be able to start the ride out with a positive attitude that says you WILL complete this ride, and you are confident in that!

We've got you on the road now, and you are pedaling nice and easy to set a comfortable pace for yourself.  The first 50 miles will pass by very easy, but will take longer than you want.  Your legs will be itching to go faster.  Part of that is the reduced pace you have set for yourself, and part of it is the anticipation of what you are about to accomplish.  Once you get to that 50 mile mark, you realize that you are only half way there.  More than likely you are in a group, and have been talking and carrying on the whole way.  This will start to diminish, as the reality of the distance hits you.  The conversation will fall off, and you will start talking about your ride, not how the family is doing, and what you saw on TV last week.  This is where you start getting serious.

You now see the purpose in the slow start to the ride.  After 50 miles, you can't really go any faster, or slower.  You have set the pace and your legs are comfortable there.  Ideally, you are just now starting to feel any amount of fatigue in your legs.  The first 50 was just a warm up, the second 50 should feel like a fast paced 50 on your body, only you will be maintaining your same pace.

When you hit 62 miles, that is when things really start to change.  Your body is in full swing on processing fuel, and you are more than likely living off of what you are consuming more than anything else.  This is where you need to pay particular attention to what you are eating and make sure you are getting the proper calories and nutrients every hour.  Nibbling is a good idea for those who can eat while riding.  For me, I have to stop before I can eat, or I will crash.  This makes it more difficult to eat regularly, but it can work.  You are also going to be entering a dehydrated state by this point, so do everything that you can to stay ahead of the hydration loss.

The last 25 miles of a century are going to be the hardest.  This is when conversation all but stops, and it is replaced with incessant inner dialog.  You start trying to solve the world's problems in your head.  Well, at least that is what it feels like.  In actuality, you are trying to subtract miles to find out how much further you have.  Simple math becomes darn near impossible at this stage.  Logic fails you.  You enter into a state where higher brain function will prove to be impossible.  You can operate a bike, and that will be about all you can do with any appearance of competency.  It is best not to talk at this stage because it will sound like complete gibberish.  To compound that, the person you are talking to won't be able to process what you are saying anyway beyond short sentences.

True story time...In the middle of this group is a friend of mine who went on his first century ride with me in 2013.  At this very stage of the ride, we were coming back into town and he stopped to get something to drink at a convenience store.  He went to pay, and tried to use his driver's license.  The cashier obviously took issue with that, but the logic of license versus Visa was lost on Mike.  As you see, the higher brain function will cease in the last 25 miles.

However, something else will happen in these last 25 miles that defies the lack of brain power.  In these remaining miles, you will find out just who you are, and what you are made of.  You have trained and prepared for this ride, but when you complete it, you will have entered a whole new level as a cyclist.  Something changes within you.  You remember the pain, and the fatigue, and you remember all the voices in your head that say "quit now", "you can't do this", and you remember your heart beating out the statement "You WILL do this."  When you are done, you will be completely exhausted, but you will remember the cyclist you were at 25 miles thinking that the buddy that said they did 100 miles was full of crap.  You will remember the rider you were at 50 miles thinking that some day you might be able to do a full century.  You will all of a sudden realize that you are now the cyclist who has completed that daunting 100 miles on a bike.  You will realize that you have forever changed, and a 100 mile ride is just another long ride.

So, are you ready?

The End of a Season, or the Beginning?

Normally at this point, I would be writing about a full year of cycling and what I have learned from the events I had ridden in.  Normally at this point, I would be winding down and working on maintaining my ability, or working on some particular weak spots that surfaced through the year.  But, this was not a normal year, not at all!  However, I have learned a good bit in 2014, and continue to learn more and more about myself and about me as a cyclist.

The first thing I learned was that Getting Old Sucks!  Of course, this is not cycling specific by any stretch, but when I discovered this, I was not a cyclist.  Actually, I felt like a has-been more than anything else.  I had stopped riding at the end of 2013 because of a crash.  From November to August I gradually got heavier, slower, and more lethargic.  It didn't happen all at once, but by August I was not feeling like myself and felt that I had aged 10 years in a matter of months.  I learned that cycling had a place in my life that was beyond that of a hobby.  It was the key to life, the key to feeling good about myself.

Not that weight is the end all, be all of fitness or how you feel, but when I started riding again I topped the scales at 205 LBS.  My lightest while I was riding in 2013 was 174 LBS.  Obviously, things had taken a turn for the worst, and I was feeling all the negatives from the weight gain.  I learned that being dedicated with a training program, and paying attention to what you ate was the key.  I've always been told that you add weight quicker than you can take it off, but the graph above shows that to not always be the case.  In a period of 3 months, I had reached my goal weight of 180 LBS, actually 179 LBS.  I was feeling 10 years younger again, and my riding ability had taken off!

That leads me to another thing that I learned about my body.  It doesn't forget something that it has done for so long.  The performance that took me years to achieve in the saddle I was able to recoup in just a couple of months back in the saddle.  While my first ride was dismal at best with a muddy 14.9 mph average albeit over 50 miles, I was able to very quickly improve on that number.  It seemed that thanks to time on the stationary trainer, I was getting my legs back, and getting back into shape.  Right on the heels of that 50 mile ride that nearly killed me, I was riding a strong 62 mile route, followed up by a very strong century (second fastest time ever).  It was partially due to my training regime that kept me on the bike for 6 days a week, around an hour or more every day.  I also know without a doubt that my muscle memory was still there and I was able to tap into my previous 12,000 miles on a bike in order to get back into the groove.

Coincidentally, one of my goals for 2013 was to ride a 50 mile route at a 20 mph average speed.  That was the one goal on a bike I could never accomplish.  I came close, but had to let that goal go as 2013 came to a close.  I didn't feel bad about it, but I remembered "the one that got away."  Well, as 2014 came to a close, with only four months of riding time under my belt, I turned in my first ever 50 mile ride with an average of 20 mph!!!  Really?!?!?!?!?!   After all the training I did in 2013, I hop back on a bike after 10 months on the couch and bang out times like that?  Awww, who am I kidding, I'll take it!  It turned out not to be a fluke either.  A couple of weeks later after getting over one of the worst colds I've had in a long time, I scorched another half century with an average moving time of 20 mph.  It was official, I had broken that 20 mph barrier, and I was still improving.  In fact, my training average had gone from 17.5-18 mph up to a solid 19.25 average.  I'm sure some of that is due to the new SL4 Tarmac, but no matter how you split it, I'm doing the work, and these numbers are from the same guy that turned in an all out 14.9 mph performance just months before!

While I was doing all of this training, I learned some other things about myself.  I learned why I needed to ride so desperately.  It wasn't just for the fitness aspect, it was something much deeper in my psyche.  I am pretty sure that I suffer from PTSD, although I am not diagnosed.  All of the symptoms are there, and had been getting worse through 2014.  I think I was able to identify a lot of areas where cycling proved to be very beneficial before and had kept my PTSD at bay.  Without it, my brain became a war zone.  I'm happy to say as 2014 is coming to a close, I have all but stopped thinking about the negative stuff that had kept me up at night just months before.  I've learned that the bike is not only my gym, but my therapist.  This was a very good realization because I'm pretty sure the bike costs about what a doctor and a trainer together would run me for several years.  Regardless, I know I should have buyer's remorse for spending all the money I have on cycling, but I'd do it all again tomorrow knowing what it has done for me physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Something else I have learned through my reentry into the cycling community is that I don't want to keep all this positive to myself.  I seem to have a knack for using my bike as a vehicle to make a difference in a larger world.  In the past, I have participated in the Tour to Tanglewood where I raised money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis.  Over the years, I have raised nearly $10,000 for this cause which I'm quite positive has made a lot of difference.  After getting back on the bike again, I decided that I wanted to try something a little bit different.  I decided to change gears and do a different stage event for a different cause.  2015 was going to be the year of "A Ride to Remember."  This three day event would add another nearly 100 miles to what I was used to riding for a charity ride, and would introduce a much different motivation.  This time I was riding for my wife's family, and quite possibly for her.  I hate that I hadn't known about this ride before, but I'm glad I found it now, and plan to do everything that I possibly can to make a difference here as well.

Without even trying, it seems that I'm already making some waves for this ride.  Even though I just registered for "A Ride to Remember" in early November, my quest for donations landed me a contact at the Kernersville News that ultimately resulted in a front page article on the first day of 2015!!  I'm going to count that as an accomplishment for my abbreviated 2014 cycling year.  It makes me feel really good to take something that I love doing, and using it for the betterment of others, and helping those that I love all at the same time.  I don't think that there can be any more pure joy that that!

Speaking of my cycling getting attention in the printed form, I became aware about the time I was getting back into cycling that a post that I had made about a year before on Facebook had been put into a book.  "Why I Ride" is a collection of first person testimonies from cyclists about why they ride.  When I wrote this post, I just barely hit on the reasons I've now determined to exist.  However, It was a bit of serendipity to see this post again and realize that it had made it into a book.  It was almost as if the universe was telling me I was making the right decision about getting back in the saddle again.  I'm rediscovering the fun that I felt about cycling before, and for that I'm very thankful!


My end of year stats aren't as impressive as year's past with my longest ride being the single century that I rode, as opposed to the 11 I completed in 2013.  My total mileage is just over 2,000 miles which is only a third of the 6,000 I rode in 2013, but it represented only a third of the year to be fair.  I did no event rides, no group rides, although I did try a group ride once.  I was foiled by one of the strangest flats in history which killed a tire and my chances of riding with the group before I even left the parking lot.  I might not have done as much as I have in the past, but My own personal achievements of getting back on the bike and improving my personal performance far overshadow the concrete numbers that the year recorded.  I'm in the best place on a bike I've ever been I think.


As you can probably tell, the end of my 2014 cycling year is reading a lot more like the beginning of a season.  We have the training improvements, the self actualizations, and even a few accomplishments scattered in for good measure.  Even with the close of the year, I have no idea what kind of cyclist I am about to become.  Most are looking back at this point at the cyclist they were at their peak.  While others were cranking out impressive rides, I was flipping channels on the television, while they were sweating, I was eating, and while they were doing what they loved, I was missing a very important part of me.  Now, I'm riding again, and finding that my time off didn't hurt me as bad as I thought it would have.  I've actually come back faster, stronger, and better than when I left the sport.  Obviously, I'm still improving, so the so called "off season" will be a real page turner for me.  I'm looking forward to Spring when I can get out on the road without the added bulk of winter kit, and see what my legs are truly capable of.  Even if I see no further improvement, I can still look at my recent experience as being similar to that of the Phoenix who rose from the fire better and stronger.

Intro to the 2015 Ride to Remember

Intro to the 2015 Ride to Remember

Training Update: 2015 Ride to Remember

Recap: 2015 Ride to Remember

In the past, I have always participated in one fundraising ride each year.  This has always been the annual Tour to Tanglewood which benefits the National MS Society, and ultimately helps to find a cure for my Mother who has MS.  This year, I am doing something completely different as part of my entry back into the world of cycling after about 10 months away.  As part of a promise that I made to my wife Toni before buying a bike, I will be participating in a ride to benefit Alzheimer's research.  Why would this be a part of the deal you might ask?  Well, while MS has touched my life, Alzheimer's has touched Toni's life.  Her Grandmother Maybel died with this disease.  Toni remembers her as being the single most important person in her life growing up.  She credits Maybel with doing the vast majority of her raising.  This impact on her life was had before Toni reached middle school.  Her Grandma passed away in July 1988 because of this disease.  In addition to her Grandmother, Toni's Aunt Margaret also currently suffers from this disease.  While she is still alive, the disease has caused her to have to leave home in favor of going to a nursing home which is better able to meet her increasing needs.  As if that wasn't enough, Toni's Mother is also starting to show signs of this disease.  While it has not been diagnosed, it is safe to say that the evidence is there to support that Alzheimer's runs in the family.

Margaret Stout-Brandon 2012
She needs your help, please donate today

So, with Toni's family representing two, and possibly three of the roughly five million who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the US, where does that leave us?  The law of averages would suggest that Toni, will at some point, develop Alzheimer's disease.  We talk about this frequently, most of the time in a joking manner.  Its not that we find it funny...quite the contrary in fact.  Its a big elephant in the room that we just don't know what to do with.  At 39 years old Toni has to ask me in a most serious way whether or not I will still love her if she gets Alzheimer's.  This is just not something that a person of this age should have to consider.  My answer is always the same to her.  Yes, I will still love you and care for you even if you don't remember who I am.  I mean that with every fiber of my being, and fully intend to do so.  Even with that conviction, its a little terrifying to me to think that at some point I could be looking into my wife's eyes and seeing an emptiness where I used to always see a love shared.  Just my mere presence could frighten my beloved bride because she thinks that I am a stranger there to hurt her.  In her mind, she could be trapped in her childhood which was a very scary place to be.  All of the wonderful things we have experienced as a family could be locked away, hidden from the very brain that possesses the memories.

Yes, I have given this a lot of thought, and my only conclusion has been...Yes, I will still love her, and I will care for her to the best of my abilities no matter what happens, good or bad.  It seems like a bunch of reactive lip service though.  Its easy to make promises now when you can still hope that it won't happen.  I've never been much of a fan of being reactive when I have the ability to do something about a potential problem.  I call it stacking the deck in my favor.  How do I stack this particular deck...well, when I was riding to support the NMSS I was raising a lot of money to fight a disease that my Mother has.  Toni and I spent a good bit of time looking for something similar that would benefit the Alzheimer's Association in our neck of the woods.  Sadly, there were no bike rides, only walks and runs.

Mary Belle Ellis Stout circa 1979
06/1921 -- 07/1988
Please donate today

While I was in the middle of my cycling sabbatical, I started seeing some posts on Facebook from a friend of mine about a ride that he was riding in.  It was called "A Ride to Remember" and he was participating in the month of July.  I only half paid attention to the posts until I realized that it was a ride to support Alzheimer's research.  I was too late to make a donation, but I started to read about the ride and found that it was a total of 252 miles in length.  Wow!!!  that's a lot of miles for a single ride.  Then I realized it was spread out over three days with the first day only 67 miles, the second 85 miles, and the third a full 100 mile century.  That is still impressive with the progressive distances.  I found myself wishing that I had known about this ride when I was riding a bike before.  It would have been a great ride to participate in!

Oddly enough, shortly thereafter, I got bit by the cycling bug again and found myself back in the local bike shop buying a new bike.  I had already made the decision that I would ride and train like I had in the past because that was the only way I can truly enjoy cycling.  Unfortunately, that meant a lot of hours away from home, and away from Toni.  She was fine with that because she wants to see me happy and enjoying life.  However, I really wanted her to see some form of benefit from my riding again.  Of course, A Ride to Remember popped right into my head.  I discussed this briefly with her and said that if I did get back into cycling, I would strongly consider doing this ride in Grandma Maybel's memory, and in Aunt Margaret's honor.

Support my ride by donating today

After just a couple of months back on a bike, the registration opened up for the 2015 Ride to Remember.  It was time to put up or shut up.  This was going to be a large scale undertaking for our family.  First off, it was going to be an entire weekend where we would be involved with the event.  Since it was out of town, we were going to have to spend nights in hotels, and with this being a stage event going from one side of South Carolina to the other, we would be in different hotels each night.  Toni, and our daughter Sierra would be bringing the transportation for me and my bike which meant that they would be following along the way.  Logistically, this was going to be a more involved event than my one day ride to the NC coast for a double century.

I started to have second thoughts about this ride, not so much because of the distance, although, that is a lot of miles for just three days.  It was the cost for hotel stays, food, and travel expenses.  Not to mention time away from work, and the training needed for a ride of this scope.  I really thought that it was going to be too much of a drain on our family resources.  Honestly, it will be....but I was losing sight of why I was wanting to ride this ride in the first place.  I was tired of be reactive to a disease that might be getting closer to Toni as we speak.  Almost overnight, my attitude changed, and I decided that I was going to do this ride one way or the other, and I was going to give it my all.  I will ride the 252 miles across SC while Toni and Sierra volunteer along the way.  As a family we are going to make a stand against Alzheimer's disease!  If just one of those 252 miles is the one that allows Toni to remember her own life, then every pedal stroke will be worth it.  Of course, without your generous donations, those 252 miles will just be for my own health.  It is your dollars that make my miles worth it.  Lets stack the deck in favor of beating this disease, and raise as much money as we possibly can!

In April, a slight change was announced to the second day's route.  No longer would it be 85 miles, we would now be riding 88 miles through the heart of South Carolina.  This is getting dangerously close to being a second century.  Oh well, I'm committed, and a few extra miles won't keep me away!

2014 Ride to Remember

Ride details for each day.
July 17 Route--67 miles, Simpsonville to Newberry
July 18 Route--88 miles, Newberry to Orangeburg (Updated)
July 19 Route--100 miles, Orangeburg to Charleston

Please donate by clicking this link, any amount is greatly appreciated.


My personal challenge for fund raising...

What have I done to make this a ride to remember?  Well, I decided that I would do a little challenge to help motivate some donations.  I had set an early goal of $1750.00 for this ride, and saw that I was getting close to it.  In order to possibly set myself up to surpass this goal, I offered up a little personal challenge.  If I could reach that goal by March 1st, I would shave my legs.  Simple enough, and something I had been toying with for a while now.  It was what a proper cyclist is supposed to do, and I also know first hand how bad pulling a bandage from a hairy leg feels.  I figured that if I had enough donations, I would go ahead and make the plunge.  Well, I got the donations needed and that sealed the deal.

The last time I rode a bike with hairy legs

Yeah, I used one of my daughter's disposable razors, but not quite yet.

First, I had to take the clippers to my legs, much like they do to sheep.

Then it was time to shave.  This is not fun at all, is it ladies?

In the end, I had smooth legs, ready for a bike ride.  All in the name of raising money!

So, what exactly is Alzheimer's disease?

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia which is a general term for memory loss as well as other intellectual abilities.  The result is enough to interfere with a person's daily life.  Typically, Alzheimers represents between 60-80% of the dementia diagnoses.

Alzheimer's typically affects those who are ages 65 and older, however, it is not a "normal" part of aging.  There are up to 5% of cases diagnosed as early as the 40's which is referred to as "Early Onset Alzheimer's".  Alzheimer's is a progressive disease which means that the symptoms gradually worsen over time.  In the early stages, memory loss is mild, and could actually go undetected.  In the late stages though, its not just memory that is affected.  Patients will lose the ability to carry on a conversation and even the ability to respond to their environment.  Even though Alzheimer's is most widely known for the memory issues, it is also the sixth leading cause of death in the US.  The average mortality rate of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's is roughly eight years after the symptoms become noticeable.  However, survival can range from four to 20 years depending on age and other health factors.

Right now there is no cure for Alzheimer's and there isn't even anything available to stop its progression.  What is currently available as a treatment option is designed to slow the progression.  This is just a temporary solution for those who have the disease.  For the most part, once you are diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it really is just a matter of time.  It is only through your donations that research can possibly find a different way of fighting this disease.  Of course the goal is to wipe it out completely, but just think how the quality of life for the patients would be improved if the progression of the disease could be halted at an early stage.

The 10 signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's

1.  Memory loss that disrupts daily life:  This is the most common sign, and typically deals with forgetting recently learned information.  One can also forget important dates or events which can lead to asking for the same information over and over.  The responsibility for remember things starts to fall on notes, electronic devices, or family members when they used to be able to handle these things on their own.

2.  Challenges in planning or solving problems:  Some patients experience changes in their ability to develop or follow through with a plan.  They also can develop difficulty working with numbers.  Just following a recipe or keeping track of the monthly bills becomes troublesome.  Concentration suffers which makes normal activities take longer.

3.  Difficulty in completing familiar tasks:  This might be something like remembering the rules of a game, managing a budget, or driving to a familiar location.

4.  Confusion with time and place:  The simple passage of time might be lost with a patient with Alzheimer's.  They can lose track of dates, and even seasons.  If an event is not happening currently, they may have a difficult time fully understanding what is going on.  Sometimes, they might forget where they are and how they got there.

5.  Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships:  Those with Alzheimer's might have difficulty reading, judging distances, and even determining color and contrast.  Obviously, this could be problematic with those who are still driving.

6.  New problems with words, whether spoken or written:  Those with Alzheimer's may exhibit problems following or joining in with a conversation.  This could cause them to stop in mid statement and pause, or start repeating themselves.  They could also have problems finding the correct words to use, and could call things by the wrong name.

7.  Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps:  Typically, those with Alzheimer's could put things in unusual places.  They have difficulty going back over their steps in order to find the item again.  This can result in the person accusing somebody else of stealing the item.  Over time, this will increase in occurrence.

8.  Decreased or poor judgement:  Those developing Alzheimer's could experience a change in their judgement or decision making ability.  This could result in the person falling victim to money scams and giving away large sums of money.  They could also pay less attention to their own personal hygiene.

9.  Withdraw from work or social activities:  A person with Alzheimer's may start to neglect their hobbies, friends, social activities, or even work activities.  They may develop difficulties keeping up with a favorite sports team.  The changes make it increasingly difficult for them to be social and discuss these interests with others.

10.  Change in mood or personality:  Somebody suffering from Alzheimer's can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious.  They can appear to be easily upset when they are out of their comfort zones.

Please donate by clicking this link, any amount is greatly appreciated.

Grandma Maybel with family that she no longer recognized

Toni's story

What does a disease like Alzheimer's do to the loved ones?  Like I alluded to before, Alzheimer's is a disease that has personally affected Toni at a young age.  I wanted to put a little bit of her story in here to show just how important A Ride to Remember is to us.  Toni would spend her Summers with her Grandma Maybel.  This was a time to look forward to, not for being out of school, but for the time with her Grandma.  This was a bit of an oddity to others because Maybel was very strict, and would not give Toni any breaks.  It was this structure that Toni wanted and needed though.  She learned so much from her Grandma in her early years, and became very angry when Alzheimer's took Maybel away when she was just 13 years old...the most crucial time in a child's life.  This was a trigger for many of the negative things to come.

It was not just this premature exit from Toni's life that affected her, it was the decline in Maybel's life that deeply impacted her view of the entire family.  During the decline, Toni watched the whole family distance themselves from Maybel which was confusing for Toni who has always had a very strong sense of family and what that unit stands for.  Maybe it was the fact that the only person that Maybel would remember was little Toni, her Brown Sugar as she was called, while she could not remember anyone else in the family.  That, of course, made the bond between them so much stronger as the disease progressed.  There were times when she wouldn't recognize Toni, but those were fleeting times, and Grandma would return again.  It made Toni angry the way that everyone treated Maybel and she just couldn't understand why they were being that way.

Toni still feels to this day that her Grandma was the only one who truly loved and cared for her.  She knew this because Maybel would show it through her actions as well as her words throughout their short time together.  There was always a very special connection between them, and to pay tribute to that, our daughter's middle name is "Belle" after Mary Belle Stout.  Toni still visits her grave regularly, and she talks to her when she is needing advice and guidance.  I can only imagine what an impact Maybel would have had on Toni had she had the opportunity to be there all through Toni's teen years and young adulthood.

Toni remembers very well the loss that she endured when Maybel died, and the void in her life that it left.  She is now seeing her cousins going through the same thing, only at a much older age with her Aunt Margaret.  She was diagnosed about three years ago and has since been placed in a nursing home to care for her needs.  Toni stays in contact with her cousins and hears the stories about how Margaret doesn't remember either of them, and in some cases is frightened by their presence.  This brings back all of the memories from what she remembers about her own Grandma Maybel.

Aunt Margaret and Grandma Maybel together

We can make a difference, in the hopes of preventing stories like this from happening again and again.  Please donate to show your support by clicking this link.  Your sponsorship is greatly appreciated, more than you know.

Media Attention

Jan 1, 2015, I was featured in the Kernersville News on the front page, with an internet reprint a week later.
Mar, 2015, There was a small story in reference to my participation in this event.

Thank you to all who have donated in support of this cause!

Intro to the 2015 Assault on the Carolinas

Intro to the 2015 Assault on the Carolinas
Training Update
2015 AOTC Recap

For those who have been with me for a while, you will probably remember this ride from when I rode it in 2013.  I had a lot of training to do because all I knew about this ride was that there was going to be a lot of climbing in it, and quite frankly that kind of scared me.  Since the ride happened at the beginning of Spring, I knew that I wouldn't have a lot of time to prepare after a winter of not riding.  I decided to make use of the trainer that Toni had gotten me in the late Fall of 2012 to keep my legs in shape over the winter.  As it turned out, the trainer did the trick, and when I was able to ride outside again in March, I was able to do a little bit of hill work.  When it was all said and done, I was ready for the AOTC and conquered the cat 1 climb known as Caesar's Head which is 2000 ft of climbing in only seven miles.

That was then....this is now.  Why do I need to do this ride again after completing it in 2013?  Well, its kind of a litmus test for me to see how my training is coming along after 10 months off of the bike.  Unfortunately, my entry back into the cycling world comes at a time when the weather is getting colder and the days shorter.  I have a lot of rides planned for 2015 which will tax my endurance and abilities, and I now know from 2013 that the AOTC is a great way to open up the season and build confidence in myself and my machine.  I'm not looking for a repeat of 2013 though.  In fact, I am looking to do better in 2015 across the board.  I learned a lot from my first go at Caesar's head and the rest of the 100K route of the day, and I plan on using that knowledge to have a stronger showing this time around.

This is "Flo" which I will be riding in the 2015 AOTC

So, what kind of things am I planning on changing this year.  Well, the first change was the bike.  That was less by design, and more due to circumstances.  The bike that I chose to ride just happens to be one of the top tier Specialized Tarmacs, although I would have been happy with a lesser ride.  The only glitch was the drivetrain options.  The only way to get a Tarmac with a SRAM groupset was to spec it out with the Red 22 groupset which only came on an S-Works level bike.  The bad part of that was the price of admission.  Lets just say for what I paid for this bike, I could have paid for many...MANY sessions of therapy to determine why I paid so much for a plastic bicycle!

The good, however, outweighed the bad for a ride like AOTC.  For starters, this is the stiffest carbon fiber frame that Specialized makes and is a world class climber.  It is also very light at approximately 14lbs.  While I am not a weight weenie, I do respect the part that weight plays in cycling, especially when it comes to hills.  This bike is also outfitted stock with near bulletproof carbon fiber wheels which are quite light as well.  The wheel hubs, along with the drivetrain bearings are all ceramic which make for much less friction in the moving parts.  In short, this is a race bike designed for climbing quickly.

The rider plays a huge part in the climbing as well, and that is where my training comes in.  Much like in 2013, I find myself needing to drop some weight to get down to what I consider a decent power to weight ratio.  The difference is I was at about 187 lbs at this point in my training before.  When I started cycling again this past September, I was tipping the scales at 205 lbs!!!!  To make matters worse, there is a term for a cyclist that weighs over 200 lbs.....A CLYDESDALE!!  That doesn't sound like I will be able to do much climbing, so the weight was going to have to drop off.  I set a goal for myself of 180 lbs which was about where I was when I stopped riding at the end of 2013.  Twenty-five pounds I was going to need to lose before I had a chance at riding the AOTC with legs that were not used to turning the pedals anymore.  To make matters worse, I was going to be doing this training in the winter months with a bike that should never be put on a trainer.

This is "Snoopy", which is only trusted on the trainer

The answer to my biggest problem happened in a very unlikely way, in the form of a crash.  I now had a bike to put on the trainer.  I started to do intervals six days a week.  After about two months of doing intervals, I had dropped a huge chunk of that weight and as of this entry was down to 186 lbs.  This gives me a fighting chance to get below 180 for the AOTC, and while the weight is dropping, my performance is increasing thanks to the intervals.  Having finally received my replacement bike, I have completed both a 62 mile ride and a 100 mile ride, both of them as fast or faster than I was riding them at the peak of my fitness before.  Of course, part of that is due to the new bike, but it will always be my legs turning the cranks, powered by my lungs and heart.

So, I'm addressing both the bike and its engine to get the most performance out of both that I can muster.  I also know that there will be a lot of tactics involved in this ride thanks to my experience before.  Having never rode this ride before, I listened to what I had been told about the importance of riding in a pack with the others to share the energy.  I thought I was going to be in a bad way when I was dropped from the group I was riding with.  However, what I found was that I was able to ride my own ride, which resulted in a very strong climb up Caesar's Head.  I will take this personal knowledge with me in 2015 and will not get caught up in needing to be with a group.  Sure, I would love to conserve as much energy as I can by hiding out in a peloton, but I think riding at my comfort pace will serve me much better in the long run.  Since most of my rides are solo, I view riding in groups as a luxury for the most part.  I'm much more comfortable relying on myself over the course of a ride.

Elevation profile from my 2013 experience

My trusty steed atop the category 1 climb

Totally worn out, but exhilarated from climbing the cat 1 

Unlike my first attempt at the AOTC, I'm not really worried about not finishing or having to take my bike for a walk up Caesar's Head.  I am curious as to how my performance will compare, and fully expect a stronger ride since I know more about the demands, and at least right now seem to be in a better place physically than before.  With five months to improve on where I am now, I think I will be able to really put a hurting on the big climbs of the day.  This will be a big achievement for me since I have never been a particularly good climber, and by all rights, after so long being away from a bike, I should be struggling to ride anywhere near the level I was at before.

My triumphant finish in 2013 with a 16.9 mph avg speed