Spent last weekend riding the MS150 from Cape Charles, Va to Camp Silver Lake (Exmor, Va) and back with the guy I am going to ride from Pittsburgh to DC with, Mike DeSantis. I met a lot of really great people (thank you Team Heroes Live Forever for letting me ride with you all) and helped raise some money to fight MS.
Day One:
Saturday morning we got off to an enthusiastic start, the temperature was in the low 70's and there was almost no humidity. This was a weekend of firsts for me. I've always classified myself as a mountain biker, and never really got into group road riding. Even over the course of the last year, while training for the Pittsburgh to DC trip, I've ridden by myself. Adjusting to a group ride/pace line was quite the experience. I spent most of Saturday morning sorting out the lingo and hand gestures as well as the basic group ride etiquette. At about the 20 mile mark, we came upon a wreck where two riders had crossed wheels. The resulting crash was pretty bad and both riders had to be moved via helicopter to Norfolk General. Thankfully, we learned later that evening, that one of the riders had been released and the other was resting comfortably. My thoughts and prayers go out to both of them in their recovery.
Miles 20 - 60 were fairly uneventful. I found a nice speed that I could maintain and spun happily along averaging about 18 miles an hour. Just before the 2nd to last rest stop I began to feel my calves and hamstrings cramping up. By the time I reached the rest stop, I could barely unclip my feet without my legs knotting up. I've played soccer my whole life, charlie horses are nothing new and usually go away with some mild stretching and rehydration. This however surpassed anything I've ever felt before. Not only were the main muscles in my leg cramping but also the insides of my legs from my groin to my knees. I didn't know you could cramp up there? I pretty much limped to the last rest stop and camp on sheer determination... nope, not even gonna try and lie. It was total peer pressure from my riding partner and the team I was riding for, the desire to not be called a pussy and have to sag with less than 10 miles to go that got to the finish line. I learned later that evening that the internal cramps where most likely caused by my seat being too low. Lesson learned: 1. The whole "car up" "bump" thing, albeit annoying, is crucial when you are riding half a foot from some random dudes back tire. 2. You cannot ride 70+ miles and just sip water every once and awhile. 3. Yes, you can cramp so hard in your legs that you feel it in your stomach. Day 1 stats: 4 hours and 24 minutes of riding time, 72 miles covered, 4547 kcal burned, average speed 16.5 mph.
Day Two:
Sunday morning started with a pretty hardcore thunder storm at 4:45am. Thankfully, the rain was all but gone by 6:40 as we made our way out of camp. Armed with a raised saddle, 2 packs of Clif Shot Bloks (thanks Rob Ostermaier) a crotch full of chamois butter and 1500 ml of motrin, I hit the road. The weather was great, overcast, low 70's, a bit more humid than Saturday. We made really good time and I was impressed and slightly spooked at how quickly we became the only group out on the road. The MS150 had over 700 riders, but for most of Sunday, it seemed like Mike and I were the only two on the road. We had a pretty nice tailwind most of the ride and the miles seemed to click right along. Not a whole lot to discuss, I spent a lot of the ride sort of day dreaming and humming the chicken dance song (wtf!). Lots of comments and questions on the road and at rest stops about riding a single speed. Most centered around riding fixed or freewheel. After awhile I just threw out the standard "I gotta coast" reply. Since I ride mtb with mostly single speed 29ers, I forgot that not having gears was a bit weird to some people. I actually got a kick out of listening to all the gears switching as we went up 1 and 2 percent grades. The ride back seemed a lot shorter, and we were back in Cape Charles right at noon. Mike and I scarfed down a quick plate of chicken and bbq and headed back to the car to head home. Oh yeah, what's up with finishing a mile away from the parking lot? Just asking. Lesson learned from day two: 2 shot bloks and a bottle of gatorade every 10 miles = not a single cramp. Day two stats: 4 hours 5 minutes ride time, 76 miles covered (including ride to parking lot), 4703 kcal burned, average speed 19.9 mph.
The MS150 2011 riders raised over $450,000.00 total for MS research, that is amazing!
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