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Do You Road Bike?

Roadstergal said:
Everyone is different and everyone reacts differently to a physical challenge like that. It's ultimately going to have to be your call.

Do they have SAG support to pick you up if you try the 65 and it's too much? Would you respond better, motivation-wise, to challenging yourself and perhaps not making it, running up against your limits and trying to force yourself over them - or doing a ride you know you can do and attacking it with a will? You'll have to decide.

Looking at the climb you're pointing out, it looks like it stays under 10% for all but one little bit at the end, which isn't bad. Maybe comparable-ish to Kings Mountain?
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Im not sure if they have a SAG support. BUT a friend of mine who isnt doing the ride will be in Napa. Im sure If Im laying on the road looking at a white light she can come grab me in her car. And as long as its just one little bit and not a sustained 10% grade I think I can do it.

I did From Chrissy fields down into Sausalito> Marin >Mill Valley> Corte Madera >Larkspur> Kentfield> San Anselmo> Fairfax and back (only 37 miles :|).

That hill on Alexander was the last little bit I had to do at the end of the ride and I remember what that felt like. It was my first ride ever. And although I did it I was paying for it big time for awhile. If I dont have to do Alexander type hill on Napa I may just go ahead and do the 65er.
 
Then maybe try it. The worst that will happen is that it'll kick your butt and you'll get a ride back.

But the Q is - which option will best motivate you more for future rides? If you say, "I did it, that sucked, I'm not riding again for a month" - there's no benefit to that. If you say, "I did it, it sucked, and I'm going to ride like hell now to kill these mountains," that's a good outcome. But if it'll work better for you to say, "I did the 30, it was fine, and now I want to ride like hell regularly so I can work my way up to the centuries," that's a better outcome than getting discouraged.

You have to be honest with yourself (don't worry about us, you don't have to tell us) about how this ride can best serve as a kickstart for your riding.
 
Ah very true! I like that thinking! I will say that if I do and finish the 65 mile I will feel totally proud of myself for completing. Not caring if it took me all day but just being able to say yea I rode 65miles it was fucking horrible but I did it. That will be a huge confidence booster and probably make me want to ride more so that the next time I want to do a 65 miler it will be a piece of cake.

But doing the 30 would like like yea I did it so what. Not much motivation there.

Then again. I dont like to fail and failing will shoot my confidence to the ground. I will say fuck riding I just cant do it.

Im going to ride again tonight to get my butt use to my new seat and try and get into a competitive mentality and see what I can do.


:laughing :|
 
You probably shouldn't do that ride if you haven't been on the bike consistently. Get a ton of quality base miles first. Slowly start "bike training" after a buncha base miles. Eventually completing 65 or 100 or 200 miles will become physically easy.....but not from practicing riding 65 miles every day.
Kinda like marathon runners can run 26 miles with no sweat but they don't have more than one or two 26 mile training days/yr. Non runners could collapse at mile 4.
I think you'll stop having fun 20 miles into your 65 mile ride but lotsa folks are surprised at what they could accomplish if they leave their cell phone and wallet at home.
 
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I havent been doing 65miles. Ive been doing 15-21miles. Im really super slow at the beginning. Everything hurts and I think theres no way I can do more then this...BUT I get into a groove I get faster and I start pumping out miles no problem. It just takes me awhile at the beginning to get started. I dont like to sprint at the beginning. Im better at slow and steady then progress.
 
It takes me about 10 miles to warm up before I'm 100% ready to go. Sometimes more.
If you get stuck on a hill look around at all the other dudes stuck with you. Tell the ones with a DA 7900 53/39 crank that I'll buy it on the spot and drive them home. Thanks.
 
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I dont think Ill ever get STUCK. I know I will probably stop rest and tackle the hill a bit at a time. The way I think is. "Well Youve gone too far to turn back now!"

But Ill be sure to not feel self conscience if I decide to take a break.
 
So... I've been cycling now for 18+ years. Most of those have been on MTB - & for the longest time, I've considered myself more mt biker than roadie. Within the last 3 years, however, I've been more road focused & shamefully, haven't hit much dirt. I'm now considering selling the MTB & moving on. I'll retain my cycling fitness via my road bike, but this is the first time in almost 19 years I've ever considered being MTB-less. My MTB simply stays untouched in my garage as I grab the CDale 100% of the time. Are you guys/gals full-time roadies or have a MTB just hanging around for hitting singletrack from time to time? I could stand to reallocate some funds from the sale of my MTB... or will I regret it? Help...
 
Full time roadie. I've seen people mountain bike and did it few times. It does look like tons of fun, but I live in the middle of suburbia so getting to trail requires driving in to SC mountains. I hate driving, I hate even more dealing with weekend drivers up there. So I stick with road biking. If I lived in Marin like my friend I would have taken up MTB also. Lucky bastard can just ride to a trail from his home.
 
i really want to get into mountain biking.

@fourT2infinity: go take your mtb up to skeggs and ride the trail. if you still feel like selling it, then sell it. if you rekindle your love affair, thats cool too. either way, you need one last romp before you decide to call it quits. just like a relationship with a girl.
 
UDRider said:
Lucky bastard can just ride to a trail from his home.
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When my boyfriend was my boyfriend, he lived in Oakland and we could ride all kinds of awesome road rides in the hills right from the house. Now that we're living in South City, it's a drive to do any kind of decent riding. :( It sucks to be living in primo biking country and not near the good rides!

42, if you have a good mountain bike that works well and fits you, what's the harm in keeping it? You might find your love of dirt again after some time on the road, and you'll be happy you'll still have it hanging in the garage to ride off on.
 
UDRider said:
getting to trail requires driving in to SC mountains. I hate driving, I hate even more dealing with weekend drivers up there.
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I'm about 9 miles away from the really good trails and driving is still the main reason I don't do it. I really like road racing cuz everyone is physically so close to one another and you can mentally dick with one another.
 
so kim... yeah the 30 mile route is mostly flat. the 65 mile has 2 climbs. one is about 500 ft (so... more than alexander) and the other about 1000 (say the same as the tunnel road climb in oakland). alexander isn't that bad, but it always comes at the end of the ride and it usually has really unpleasant wind.

can you make a choice at game time? the two routes diverage at mile 13. you can also potentially turn around at the top of the first climb, but make sure the organizers know this (though usually big rides don't really look for people who disapear).
 
mbsv said:
so kim... yeah the 30 mile route is mostly flat. the 65 mile has 2 climbs. one is about 500 ft (so... more than alexander) and the other about 1000 (say the same as the tunnel road climb in oakland). alexander isn't that bad, but it always comes at the end of the ride and it usually has really unpleasant wind.

can you make a choice at game time? the two routes diverage at mile 13. you can also potentially turn around at the top of the first climb, but make sure the organizers know this (though usually big rides don't really look for people who disapear).
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:| That right there scares me. Alexander was beyond brutal. Im hoping that I can take off with everyone and see how I feel and either take the 30mile route or the 65. Have you done this ride before? Im going solo if I do the 30mile route so hopefully its easy to follow and I dont get lost :laughing
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
It takes me about 10 miles to warm up before I'm 100% ready to go. Sometimes more.
If you get stuck on a hill look around at all the other dudes stuck with you. Tell the ones with a DA 7900 53/39 crank that I'll buy it on the spot and drive them home. Thanks.
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:laughing I'm going to try that next time I go out. Thanks for the shifters btw, got them yesterday. Now I just need to order a new rear derailleur and I can see if I'm slower or faster on the hills with a compact.


Also you could try going out with the local social bicycle group.. the one I've gone out with here stops all the time to regroup, and you just chat while riding the whole time and get coffee halfway through and take about 6 hours to cover 40-50 miles.. but it will get you used to being more relaxed riding. A lot of those guys can cover miles and miles and miles no problem, but they just go really slow the whole time. Kind of boring but if you need motivation there are people around it can help.
 
aram said:
:laughing I'm going to try that next time I go out. Thanks for the shifters btw, got them yesterday. Now I just need to order a new rear derailleur and I can see if I'm slower or faster on the hills with a compact.


Also you could try going out with the local social bicycle group.. the one I've gone out with here stops all the time to regroup, and you just chat while riding the whole time and get coffee halfway through and take about 6 hours to cover 40-50 miles.. but it will get you used to being more relaxed riding. A lot of those guys can cover miles and miles and miles no problem, but they just go really slow the whole time. Kind of boring but if you need motivation there are people around it can help.
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:laughing OMG the old people bike ride. 70 miles in 12 hours with three lunch breaks and XTR derailleurs propelling an 11mph avg. speed. Lemme know if you're not happy with the shifters or they're not what you expected. Satisfaction guaranteed until I need to fill up the car. The two matching ders. and crank were sold a long time ago:(....but apparently to a local famous guy. I didn't even know.
(It was only $4.60 to insure them for $400. I was kinda hoping they'd get lost!!)
 

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