I completed - scratch that, SURVIVED - the 66-mile route at the 2009 Ride For Heroes bike rally today in Aledo, TX. This caps off a week of (indoor) cycling: 60-minutes of spin on Tuesday (155 bpm avg hr), 75-minute spin class on Wednesday (155 bpm avg hr), and a 45-minute spin class on Thursday followed by a 2-mile treadmill brick run in 16:04 (8:02/mi pace).
Walking up to packet pickup to get my T-shirt and feeling the wind and cold, I didn't think I was even going to do even the 8-miler, but ended up doing (a very windy and hilly) 66.7 miles in 4:31. Very slow between miles 30 and 50 - only 13 MPH average speed. I'm glad I did it, though - the hill/wind work now will pay off in the future.
Even though the turnout for the ride was low (probably only 200-300 people total), there were great volunteers at Aledo High's Bearcat Stadium - handing out complementary gloves at the start (which I wore on top of my running gloves!) and cookies at the finish. I could see this ride having several thousand riders on a good day.
The hills were tough (especially combined with headwinds) and lactic acid was building up in my quads. Had to take them slowly to work through the onset of leg cramps. The ride through the neighborhoods of Aledo and Annetta was relaxing with lots of nice homes to look at. The route finished with a scenic ride around Lake Weatherford. I would have stopped to take pictures, but didn't want to stop for fear of not wanting to start again.
After finishing the ride, I met up with Don and Wilhe in the cafeteria for the post-ride lunch. Derek had done the 40-mile route but I missed him at the start and he had left long before I finished, so I never got a chance to see him. I actually didn't think my friends would still be there either - having done a shorter route and finished about 2 hours earlier. However, they had stuck around for the raffle (new Trek bike) so I lucked out and had some company while I enjoyed a couple delicious burgers, chips, hot cider, and other snacks.
(Check out the elevation: 4,265 feet of climb/descent and weather: 21.9 MPH average wind speed)
Ride Review:
- Course: 4/5 - Overall, a pretty good course. Roads were in good condition with little chip seal. Had decide between 20/40 miles vs. 66 miles routes at the 5-mile mark! Lots of hills, but that is a good thing if you are looking for that kind of workout. lightly traveled roads. Turns were generally well-marked and/or well-staffed with police pointing the way, but there were a few places where the signs were not prominent enough. It's tough to cover them all because the route had A LOT of turns, but regardless it's something that must be paramount to make sure riders don't get lost.
- Rest Stops: 3.5/5 - I only stopped at the 30 and 50 mile stops. Limited selection - fruit, cookies, and water/Gatorade. Some miscellaneous breakfast bars at Mile 50. Competent, but average. Volunteers to hold bikes was nice to have. I also saw a fair number of SAG vehicles along the way so thumbs-up for those.
- Logistics: 4/5 - online registration available; no issues with race day packet pick-up; lots of bathrooms at the stadium and in the high school; T-shirt was a crazy fluorescent yellow color - I guess it's something "unique"; limited parking at Aledo High School due to construction - but not an issue with the low turnout; Good burgers, cider, other refreshments in the cafeteria.
- Overall: 4/5 - Very good ride despite today's poor weather. Looking forward to next year - maybe I'll do the 100-miler! :-)
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