You wish you looked this good at mile 160. But you probably don't even have the right shorts. The R.I.P. is for the state of Indiana, and the 2006 RAIN ride which we killed at around 9 hours and 45 minutes (with stops). I don't have the other numbers with me but we ended up averaging just over 18 mph (while moving) and finishing at 216 and 217 in a field of about 1300 riders. I was hoping to finish in the top half, instead we finished in the top quarter.
Apparently the folks that finished first, at a time of 6 hours and some minutes, work for Zipp Speed Weaponry, an Indianapolis based wheel and component supplier for quite a few Tour de France teams. I'd like to say that they had the advantage of better equipment (and I'm sure they did), but better equipment can't buy you 3+ hours. That's impressive stuff.
Our training really paid off; I wasn't sore yesterday or even after the ride, apart from some foot cramping (and the fact that my foot is still numb). I rode 6 miles yesterday to work some kinks out, but that was the extent of my post-ride recovery.
We'll be back next year, hopefully with a team of at least four, looking to cut an hour off.
6 comments:
cdI came accross your blog at random, using the "Next Blog" function.
There is one thing I've always suspected about cycling enthusiasts: part of why they do it is so that they can wear those...um...interesting outfits.
What's with the company names all over them too? It's not like John Amateur is being sponsored by anyone. Doesn't Spandex come without the corporate tags all over it?
I'd say most folks make the decision on what they're going to wear based on what they think looks best on them. You could argue that what would look best on most of us would be regular clothes (and you're be right), but that's ignoring the function of a cycling uniform.
In my case, part of the reason I'm wearing a jersey with ads on it is because it does a nice job of hiding my stomach.
As for the shorts, I have more pairs without logos than with, but when I went to go buy a nice expensive (and more comfortable) pair, I couldn't find what I wanted without the ads.
But everyone has their own reasons for wearing what they wear; sometimes a group of guys will just pick the same logo'ed jersey so that they can pick each other out in a group, some guys will wear the jersey of their favorite team (which really isn't that unlike any other sports fan), and some guys just want to pretend they're professionals.
The jersey I'm wearing in the picture is a Ben and Jerry's jersey. I figured if I was going to wear an ad, it might as well be for something I actually use (or eat). I've also got one for a beer I'm particularly fond of.
You might also note that a lot of cyclist shave their legs; even I don't understand that one.
At least you finished the race. Our neighbor is on a team that had to quit at mile 100 because they had problems with their support vehicle and ran out of water and Gatorade.
Anyway, props to you for riding in such horrible weather.
We rode without a support vehicle and just stopped at the normal stops (plus 1 stop at a gas station).
Were they trying to set a fast time?
The lunch stop was at mile 90, seems odd to stop at mile 100, unless you were skipping stops.
We saw a lot of guys quit early, some as close at 10 miles from the end. I don't get it.
run out of water!! they must have missed the memo on the heat warning!!
anyway, nice ride and time. this was my first and i will be back next year looking for 10 hours total time. later.
Yes, they were, Mike. They were part of a team that was trying to keep up with the leaders. He said that they were setting a super fast pace.
Post a Comment