ADA Tour de Cure Ride Report

Today I rode in my fourth American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure. This is an annual two day bike event that goes from San Antonio to San Marcos on Day One, and then continues from San Marcos to Austin on Day two. This year I decided I was going to mix it up a bit and ride all the way from San Antonio to the house on the first day so I can go help out (or sit around and drink a few beers) at the Austin Duathletes tent at the Skeese Greets Tri tomorrow. So here is my report...

Friday: Drove down to San Antonio without any issue. Checked into to our usual Hampton that is a few miles from the start line and then headed out for a bite to eat. Usually we just go to Bennighan's which is right next to the hotel but this year decided to go with something with a higher carb quotient. And of course 2 years ago we had the following conversation at Bennighan's with our server...

Us: We are looking for something to get some vegetables.
Server: Well we have these things called broccoli bites.
Us: Really, are they any good?
Server: Yes I love them and I do not even like broccoli.
Us: Okay, that sounds good we will try them.

Well needless to say we got them and basically they were fried cheese balls that maybe had broccoli dust in them, or was that just green food coloring? I still don't know. But Carri and I laugh about that to this day.

So we headed to Macaroni Grill for some pasta. I had the Chicken Scampanini (I know it does nothing without pictures Wylie), a Miller Lite, two huge glasses of water and tons of bread. After a stop at a convenience store for one more beer (more carbs) and a Gatorade it was time to turn in for the night.

Saturday: 5:30 AM comes very early in a strange hotel bed but that was fine. After a quick breakfast it was time to head over to the start. This year I rode with Team KLBJ as they gave all team members a free jersey, and since I am not buying clothes this year it pretty much killed two birds with one stone.



Of course this was just like any other time where you "ride" with a team you do not know...you say hello at the start, and then basically break off and do your own thing. This was certainly the case today.

Once we got out on the road it was really nice. The weather was cool, the roads for the most part were in good shape, the rest stops were nicely stocked (including peanut butter and honey sandwiches), and the course was well marked. All the things that make an event ride fun. And couple this with a much more positive attitude this week and you have the makings of a great ride.

After the first 20 miles or so I got in to a nice group and we were all riding pretty fast and it was great. Everyone was taking their turn to pull and we were just humming along. After a rest stop we caught up with another group and just rode nice and easy at about 24-26 mph for about 10 miles before the group started to blow up a bit. Myself and two other guys kind of pulled ahead and stayed together until the rest stop at mile 50. From there I waited as long as I could but started to get antsy and took off from the rest stop on my own. I thought the group would catch me but they never did and I rode alone for the next 20+ miles, until the 80 mile and 60 mile route re-converged. I pulled into the Day One finish at Texas State in just over 4 hours and had averaged 20.4 mph for the first 80 miles.



At TSU, Carri met me, snapped a few pics, and watched my stuff as I fueled up, used the restroom, etc. From this point it was only 30 more miles to home along the Old San Antonio Road route. As anyone who has done this ride can attest it certainly is not hilly, but it does have some little rollers, and the last 30 miles were far more difficult than the first 80.

Although it was nice to ride in a mass event, it was also really nice to just be out there on my own to ride the final 30 and accomplish this goal. My speed slowed but I didn't care, anything with a 1% or greater incline became a hill, but I didn't care, at times I was creeping along and would stand to try to build momentum at which point my right quad would cramp, but I didn't care...it had turned into me thinking "this is a nice day to ride, I am glad I am out here, holy sh&t I am about to ride from San Antonio to Austin."

Nothing was more satisfying then turning onto Wampton for the final .25 or so and seeing Carri sitting out in a lawn chair with music blaring for me, with video camera in hand. Also she made a very nice finish line banner for me.



So it was finally time to get off the bike, get out of the sweaty gear, take a picture of the odometer on the bike, and have an all natural recovery beverage.





What? It says All Natural right there on the label.

Anyway to finish my report I just want to thank everyone who sponsored me for this ride. Through your generous donations I was able to raise over $2,000 for the American Diabetes Association. You guys are simply amazing. Every year you continually sponsor me for this and other charily rides and I am truly thankful. I certainly gain strength through your generosity. Thanks again.

Final Stats:

Total Miles: 112.4
Avg. Speed through the first 80 miles: 20.4 mph
Avg. Speed for 112.4 miles: 19.0 mph
Total Calories Burned: 4925
Total Clock time from San Antonio start to Garage Finish: 6:37.53

Armadillo Hill Country Classic Ride Report

This past Saturday Glenda, Gina, Triscuit, and I headed up to Liberty Hill for the annual ACA Armadillo Hill Country Classic. We all met up in the beginning and headed out on our varying routes. Gina was doing the 60, Triscuit was doing the 80, Glenda was doing the 105, and I was wavering between the 80 and 105. At the start it was already getting warm with the humidity creeping up there, luckily the sun was behind the clouds, but this would not last long.

Everyone started off pretty easy except for Gina who must have remembered she left the oven on as she took off from the start. After corralling her in we all rode together until the 'Dillo door where she turned off for the 60 mile route. For the next 15 miles or so it was just Triscuit, Glenda, and I and the pretty rolling farm roads Northwest of Austin. At the 43 mile rest stop I had to make my decision, turn around and do the 80 as originally planned or push on with Glenda for the 105. Unfortunately for me the sun was still behind the clouds at this point and I decided to push ahead with Glenda. This would prove to be the wrong decision.

As most people know Glenda is an amazing rider and I was very impressed that I was able to ride with her for about the first 60+ miles but after that she had to go and I simply could not keep up. And by this time the sun had burned through the clouds and the heat was coming on in waves. So for the next 30 or so miles I was really hurting and just giving it everything I had to keep going.

After a few rest stops, some water, and a clif bar I was feeling a little better but the heat and the distance was starting to get to me. Every few minutes I had to change positions on the bike as my back, hands, arms, and shoulders were starting to seriously hurt. Also due to the heat (the high for the day ended up being 97 degrees) and the fact that I could not see anyone in front or behind me I was starting to get very bored on the bike. This led to the mind wandering and negative thoughts creeping into my dome...boy you are tired, man it is hot, boy your body hurts, etc. So I was not in the greatest frame of mind. Then the oasis of a rest stop at mile 93.

I thought if I just sit and rest here for a bit I will be okay and finish the route, however I had mentally convinced myself that I only had about 7 more miles for an even 100, of course I knew this was not true but sometimes those little tricks keep you going. So when I asked the rest stop worker how much further and he said "Only about 14 miles with a headwind most of the way", I knew I was finished. So for the first time in my life I sagged to the finish. Of course this was where the real adventure began.

Instead of taking me to the finish and dropping me off we had to sweep the course and try to find another rider to go in with me. So we headed back out on the course in the opposite direction for 1.5 hours looking for someone. Every rider we passed I was glad they were okay but secretly wanted them to need to sag as well. The A/C in the van was cold but I sure wish I would have been able to go right to the finish, jump in my car and head home.

When I finally got back to the finish Glenda had been waiting for me to make sure I was okay. Thank you, thank you, thank you Glenda.

So lessons learned...

- Stick to your original riding goal
- 97 degrees in early May is hot
- 6.5 hours on the bike plus 1.5 hours in the sag wagon make for a long day
- Carry cell phone numbers of everyone you are riding with
- Don't ask the distance to the finish line