Distance Traveled, Lessons Learned

Thing 1, Cycle Guy and I are training to ride in the STP this July. Not the race car oil you might expect... this is an 204 mile organized bike ride from Seattle Washington to Portland Oregon. We plan to ride it in 2 days at 102 miles per day. In order to prepare and train for a ride of this magnitude (and trust me, it is magnitudinal!) much time must be spent in the saddle. We ride trainers at home frequently but there is nothing to compare to the lessons learned by actually riding a good distance to understand what needs to be worked on in order to be ready come July.Here are some things I already knew:
1. You MUST spend time in the saddle. (The sit bones really CAN get used to sitting on that tiny surface for multiple hours at a time.)

2. Doing squats and lunges makes your legs stronger for the uphill climbs as well as more speed on the straightaways.

3. Hydration is key.

4. Nutrition is another key.

5. CG's new bike is really fast.Things I learned on Friday:
1. You MUST spend time in the saddle. If you don't your sit bones hurt.

2. Doing squats and lunges makes your legs stronger for the uphill climbs as well as more speed on the straightaways. If you don't your legs hurt.

3. Hydration is key. That hydration contest was AWESOME. I felt energetic all day!

4. Nutrition is another key. Eating energy food every hour or so keeps you from getting weak and negative. I just couldn't stop smiling all day long!

5. CG's new bike is really fast. Wow, even when I put the camera away every now and then I had a hard time keeping up.Well, for those of you who didn't read Mike's blog yesterday, we rode 70 miles. The sun was out in all it's glory, the tulips were beautiful, we had some strong winds in our faces at times but luckily sometimes they were at our backs! All in all it was a glorious day!