clean and hungry bikers waiting for dinner after a day's ride
A Day in the Ride
In the course of summarizing the recent long distance ride, I have had several inquiries about what a typical day on a long distance road tour is like. Below is an outline of a "typical" day for the riders on the Breast Cancer Tour. Of course, the schedule varies according to the length of the days’ ride , the riding conditions, and the condition of the rider.
Our group consisted of 27 riders plus two guides, a tour van complete with kitchen which was also used to transport the luggage from stop to stop, provide a mid route SAG stop for snacks, water and on a couple of the long days, make it yourself lunch, and a suburu station wagon SAG vehicle named "Little Bo Peep" who looked after her “sheep”.
Of the 27 riders, the majority of whom were over 50, at least 6 had completed a southern or northern tier transcontinental ride, four were alternating riding and driving the SAG, there was another set of sisters besides my sister, Kris and I, two had never ridden any further than around the local neighborhood and the rest ranged in ability and endurance from "oh **** what have I gotten myself into?" to "this should be good for me, if I make it." The two guides, Lori and Michelle who was also our chef, alternated driving the van and riding sweep with the last riders of the day. The policy is that everyone is encouraged to ride as far and as long as they can, but when darkness or safety become an issue, the sweep will stop the ride and call for the SAG (Support And Gear) car. Fortunately, even on the longest days, the last riders made it in before dark.
During the day, the SAG van and car did a leap frog pattern with each other in 20-30 mile intervals with the SAG car starting out just after the last rider left. The guide/sweep rider and the tour van left a leisurely interval of an hour or more after the last rider had left. The van usually stopped at the first SAG stop to confirm the head count of bikers and those riding in the SAG with the SAG car driver before continuing on to the next SAG up the road. The stops were alternated so that the van could get into the overnight stop parking lot ahead of the first riders. This allowed the van driver to confirm the rooming arrangements and be available as the first riders rolled in so that they could get their after ride snack, claim their luggage and check in. Michelle the cook rode primarily in the mornings so that she could park the van and start dinner with her assistant Vicki the self named “Galley Slave who also rode most mornings as well as some afternoons.
The night before-
The after dinner route and map meeting takes place. The cue sheet for the next day's ride is handed out, and the lead guide Lori corrects distances, adds comments about local history, local sites, construction, obstacles and probable SAG car and van locations, expected dinner time and breakfast and luggage down times for the next morning.
The Riding Day Itself-
4:00-5:00 AM the legs start pedaling even in sleep.
5 -5:30 AM
The wake up call or alarm clock goes off. I turn on the light so I won’t fall asleep, pull on some clothes and stagger out to the van for snacks for the bike pack and coffee.
5:30-6:00 AM
Time to finish packing the suitcase, gear up, check the bike if I didn’t do it the night before. I check the weather channel, make whatever final clothing adjustments are needed, and haul my suitcase out and stow it in the luggage section of the van. I eat breakfast and if needed, take advantage of the pump and lube on the van to fill the tires and lube the chain.
6:30 AM-
Back into the room for one final pit stop, meet up with riding companion, reset bike computer to zero, check the time, check out with the SAG driver and head out.
6:30- 7:00 AM
This is the warm up riding period. Everyone generally rides slowly, checking out their bike and muscles for complaints, contemplating the road conditions, the route , staring to focus and to set goals for getting to the first sag stop.
7:00-9:30 or 10:00 AM
This is usually a period of steady riding at tempo with occasional stops for photographs, with brief butt breaks and nutrition breaks as needed. The objective is to get some miles knocked off the days’ total and find a pace that suits the conditions, the distance and agrees with me and whomever I am riding with.
10:00-1:00 AM
Depending on road conditions, parking and general speed of pack this is when the first SAG stop occurs. A brief stop allows us to grab snacks, water, stretch, check in with SAG driver, and talk with other riders. Sometimes the SAG stop is in or near a gas station or store with amenities. If not, everyone usually takes the opportunity to find a quiet corner and water a bush. Back in the saddle again it’s time set a new set of mental goals, adjust pace and ride steadily with breaks as needed to next SAG stop. This is usually when the mental theme song for the day starts singing in my brain. Depending on conditions, this can me anything from an “Exultate” from a Mozart Mass, through “Marching through Georgia,” (although it was actually Mississippi at that point) to Queen and “Bicycle Race” remix. The theme song hums in the background behind conversation, and random thoughts and sets the pace.
1:00 PM
SAG stop and lunch. Time to get off the bike, stretch, reapply chamois butter, sunscreen, chapstick, make a sandwich and eat, lie down or sit on the trailer hitch for a 15 minute rest. After the rest, I refill my water bottles and camel pack, and gear up for the long afternoon miles through the heat of the day mentally and physically before getting back on the road again.
1:00PM onwards
After a short warm up period,this is afternoon riding at a steady but probably slower pace and cadence with more and more frequent stops for butt breaks, water, stretching as the burst of lunchtime energy begins to burn off and long term tiredness sets in. Drafting in the group begins if we weren't already doing it. As the afternoon moves on, white line fever hits along with tunnel vision, theme songs start humming out loud to keep cadence and everyone starts wishing for a bit of cloud cover or a cool breeze, preferably from behind. The only real changes are the SAG stops with chances to replenish the water and ice, eat something salty or caffinated, check in with SAG driver and hear about how everyone else is doing.
4:00-
By this time we are usually into the final stretch of distance. Like horses in sight of the stable, the pace picks up and everyone digs deep to find a last little bit of energy to start pushing a bit. Although the butt breaks are needed every 10 miles everyone starts encouraging the others in the group so they will encourage you. The group feeling is that everyone you are all riding in together. In your head you contemplate the wisdom of turning down the final opportunity to throw the bike onto the SAG wagon and finish the ride in air conditioned comfort. You wonder how many more miles you can do before you fall over or off, compare today's ride in distance and time with yesterday's ride, think about tomorrow's ride, look around for cloud cover, play the alphabet game with the license plates of the cars passing you, randomly create stories, poems and run through Fibonacchi series of numbers in your head, anything to take your mind off your body and still remain alert to the road. As you approach town, you start checking your cue sheet frequently for routing while you ride through traffic, stop at stop lights, note the location of the nearest drugstore and quick food place and wonder what the locals do to amuse themselves, or how they feel about an invasion of 30 plus women passing through the town.
5:00-5:30
The final roll into the motel parking lot . I carefully dismount so as not to fall off, park my bike by the van, stretch, high five my riding companions for another day completed. I sign in on the check sheet, see who else is in and who else is still out and what time dinner is. If you are a conscientious biker, or like me, a little paranoid about break downs on the road and having learned you always take care of your mount before yourself, you check your tires for damage or embedded objects, check the chain to see if it needs to be lubed, check the brakes and headset for grab and stability and give the bike a quick wipe down and whatever routine maintainance is needed while you are still dirty, sweaty and vertical. Next comes heaving through the luggage in the van for my suitcase, grab a cold drink from the cooler and a snack from the table and check in to the motel.
5:30-6:30
With my key in hand I find my room, rearrange the furniture so it can accommodate two bikes, haul in my bike and luggage, greet my sister if she has arrived. Since I am generally a faster rider than she is, unless she has come in on the SAG car, shower quickly so that she can shower when she arrives. I flop on the bed in dry clean non restricting non bike comfort clothes and eat my snack, turn on the weather channel and contemplate the clock to see if I have time to either take a nap, a swim or start my laundry before dinner. I usually opt for a nap and try to set the bedside alarm. Now thoroughly frustrated and awake, I end up going out and hanging around the pool and chat with other riders or go do laundry.
6:30-
By now , feeling somewhat recuperated, I wander out to see who else is ready for dinner. Everyone helps pull chairs out of the van and set them up for dinner. Lines form for another cold drink and some veggies, we sit and talk with people about the ride, applaud the riders still coming in, comment on the obstacles and triumphs of the days’ ride and generally reconnect with everyone in the group.-
7:00-
Dinner which has been cooked by Michelle with the help of her “galley slave” in the van kitchen , or on grills and in Dutch ovens usually consists of fresh fruit, salad, a meat dish, a vegetarian protein dish, pasta, rice or cous cous, a steamed vegetable, bread, chips, fresh finger foods and cookies or more fresh fruit for afters. As people finish eating, Lori the guide gives random rounds of applause and "good jobs" for various accomplishments and starts a round of general silliness which allows everyone to let go of today’s ride. This followed by a map route meeting for the next day. As we put the chairs away, and wander off to bed and evening activities, I connect with my riding companions and set a start time for tomorrow.
8:00-
Back in the room, I lay out clothes and gear for tomorrow, call home, write up notes, put in a wake -up call, finish laundry and hang it up, hope that it finishes drying by morning, it get ready for bed in case I fall asleep watching television, which I invariably do.
9:00 or some point soon there- after, bedtime. I usually sleep soundly until the legs start moving the next morning.
In the course of summarizing the recent long distance ride, I have had several inquiries about what a typical day on a long distance road tour is like. Below is an outline of a "typical" day for the riders on the Breast Cancer Tour. Of course, the schedule varies according to the length of the days’ ride , the riding conditions, and the condition of the rider.
Our group consisted of 27 riders plus two guides, a tour van complete with kitchen which was also used to transport the luggage from stop to stop, provide a mid route SAG stop for snacks, water and on a couple of the long days, make it yourself lunch, and a suburu station wagon SAG vehicle named "Little Bo Peep" who looked after her “sheep”.
Of the 27 riders, the majority of whom were over 50, at least 6 had completed a southern or northern tier transcontinental ride, four were alternating riding and driving the SAG, there was another set of sisters besides my sister, Kris and I, two had never ridden any further than around the local neighborhood and the rest ranged in ability and endurance from "oh **** what have I gotten myself into?" to "this should be good for me, if I make it." The two guides, Lori and Michelle who was also our chef, alternated driving the van and riding sweep with the last riders of the day. The policy is that everyone is encouraged to ride as far and as long as they can, but when darkness or safety become an issue, the sweep will stop the ride and call for the SAG (Support And Gear) car. Fortunately, even on the longest days, the last riders made it in before dark.
During the day, the SAG van and car did a leap frog pattern with each other in 20-30 mile intervals with the SAG car starting out just after the last rider left. The guide/sweep rider and the tour van left a leisurely interval of an hour or more after the last rider had left. The van usually stopped at the first SAG stop to confirm the head count of bikers and those riding in the SAG with the SAG car driver before continuing on to the next SAG up the road. The stops were alternated so that the van could get into the overnight stop parking lot ahead of the first riders. This allowed the van driver to confirm the rooming arrangements and be available as the first riders rolled in so that they could get their after ride snack, claim their luggage and check in. Michelle the cook rode primarily in the mornings so that she could park the van and start dinner with her assistant Vicki the self named “Galley Slave who also rode most mornings as well as some afternoons.
The night before-
The after dinner route and map meeting takes place. The cue sheet for the next day's ride is handed out, and the lead guide Lori corrects distances, adds comments about local history, local sites, construction, obstacles and probable SAG car and van locations, expected dinner time and breakfast and luggage down times for the next morning.
The Riding Day Itself-
4:00-5:00 AM the legs start pedaling even in sleep.
5 -5:30 AM
The wake up call or alarm clock goes off. I turn on the light so I won’t fall asleep, pull on some clothes and stagger out to the van for snacks for the bike pack and coffee.
5:30-6:00 AM
Time to finish packing the suitcase, gear up, check the bike if I didn’t do it the night before. I check the weather channel, make whatever final clothing adjustments are needed, and haul my suitcase out and stow it in the luggage section of the van. I eat breakfast and if needed, take advantage of the pump and lube on the van to fill the tires and lube the chain.
6:30 AM-
Back into the room for one final pit stop, meet up with riding companion, reset bike computer to zero, check the time, check out with the SAG driver and head out.
6:30- 7:00 AM
This is the warm up riding period. Everyone generally rides slowly, checking out their bike and muscles for complaints, contemplating the road conditions, the route , staring to focus and to set goals for getting to the first sag stop.
7:00-9:30 or 10:00 AM
This is usually a period of steady riding at tempo with occasional stops for photographs, with brief butt breaks and nutrition breaks as needed. The objective is to get some miles knocked off the days’ total and find a pace that suits the conditions, the distance and agrees with me and whomever I am riding with.
10:00-1:00 AM
Depending on road conditions, parking and general speed of pack this is when the first SAG stop occurs. A brief stop allows us to grab snacks, water, stretch, check in with SAG driver, and talk with other riders. Sometimes the SAG stop is in or near a gas station or store with amenities. If not, everyone usually takes the opportunity to find a quiet corner and water a bush. Back in the saddle again it’s time set a new set of mental goals, adjust pace and ride steadily with breaks as needed to next SAG stop. This is usually when the mental theme song for the day starts singing in my brain. Depending on conditions, this can me anything from an “Exultate” from a Mozart Mass, through “Marching through Georgia,” (although it was actually Mississippi at that point) to Queen and “Bicycle Race” remix. The theme song hums in the background behind conversation, and random thoughts and sets the pace.
1:00 PM
SAG stop and lunch. Time to get off the bike, stretch, reapply chamois butter, sunscreen, chapstick, make a sandwich and eat, lie down or sit on the trailer hitch for a 15 minute rest. After the rest, I refill my water bottles and camel pack, and gear up for the long afternoon miles through the heat of the day mentally and physically before getting back on the road again.
1:00PM onwards
After a short warm up period,this is afternoon riding at a steady but probably slower pace and cadence with more and more frequent stops for butt breaks, water, stretching as the burst of lunchtime energy begins to burn off and long term tiredness sets in. Drafting in the group begins if we weren't already doing it. As the afternoon moves on, white line fever hits along with tunnel vision, theme songs start humming out loud to keep cadence and everyone starts wishing for a bit of cloud cover or a cool breeze, preferably from behind. The only real changes are the SAG stops with chances to replenish the water and ice, eat something salty or caffinated, check in with SAG driver and hear about how everyone else is doing.
4:00-
By this time we are usually into the final stretch of distance. Like horses in sight of the stable, the pace picks up and everyone digs deep to find a last little bit of energy to start pushing a bit. Although the butt breaks are needed every 10 miles everyone starts encouraging the others in the group so they will encourage you. The group feeling is that everyone you are all riding in together. In your head you contemplate the wisdom of turning down the final opportunity to throw the bike onto the SAG wagon and finish the ride in air conditioned comfort. You wonder how many more miles you can do before you fall over or off, compare today's ride in distance and time with yesterday's ride, think about tomorrow's ride, look around for cloud cover, play the alphabet game with the license plates of the cars passing you, randomly create stories, poems and run through Fibonacchi series of numbers in your head, anything to take your mind off your body and still remain alert to the road. As you approach town, you start checking your cue sheet frequently for routing while you ride through traffic, stop at stop lights, note the location of the nearest drugstore and quick food place and wonder what the locals do to amuse themselves, or how they feel about an invasion of 30 plus women passing through the town.
5:00-5:30
The final roll into the motel parking lot . I carefully dismount so as not to fall off, park my bike by the van, stretch, high five my riding companions for another day completed. I sign in on the check sheet, see who else is in and who else is still out and what time dinner is. If you are a conscientious biker, or like me, a little paranoid about break downs on the road and having learned you always take care of your mount before yourself, you check your tires for damage or embedded objects, check the chain to see if it needs to be lubed, check the brakes and headset for grab and stability and give the bike a quick wipe down and whatever routine maintainance is needed while you are still dirty, sweaty and vertical. Next comes heaving through the luggage in the van for my suitcase, grab a cold drink from the cooler and a snack from the table and check in to the motel.
5:30-6:30
With my key in hand I find my room, rearrange the furniture so it can accommodate two bikes, haul in my bike and luggage, greet my sister if she has arrived. Since I am generally a faster rider than she is, unless she has come in on the SAG car, shower quickly so that she can shower when she arrives. I flop on the bed in dry clean non restricting non bike comfort clothes and eat my snack, turn on the weather channel and contemplate the clock to see if I have time to either take a nap, a swim or start my laundry before dinner. I usually opt for a nap and try to set the bedside alarm. Now thoroughly frustrated and awake, I end up going out and hanging around the pool and chat with other riders or go do laundry.
6:30-
By now , feeling somewhat recuperated, I wander out to see who else is ready for dinner. Everyone helps pull chairs out of the van and set them up for dinner. Lines form for another cold drink and some veggies, we sit and talk with people about the ride, applaud the riders still coming in, comment on the obstacles and triumphs of the days’ ride and generally reconnect with everyone in the group.-
7:00-
Dinner which has been cooked by Michelle with the help of her “galley slave” in the van kitchen , or on grills and in Dutch ovens usually consists of fresh fruit, salad, a meat dish, a vegetarian protein dish, pasta, rice or cous cous, a steamed vegetable, bread, chips, fresh finger foods and cookies or more fresh fruit for afters. As people finish eating, Lori the guide gives random rounds of applause and "good jobs" for various accomplishments and starts a round of general silliness which allows everyone to let go of today’s ride. This followed by a map route meeting for the next day. As we put the chairs away, and wander off to bed and evening activities, I connect with my riding companions and set a start time for tomorrow.
8:00-
Back in the room, I lay out clothes and gear for tomorrow, call home, write up notes, put in a wake -up call, finish laundry and hang it up, hope that it finishes drying by morning, it get ready for bed in case I fall asleep watching television, which I invariably do.
9:00 or some point soon there- after, bedtime. I usually sleep soundly until the legs start moving the next morning.
2 comments:
During your training for next year, you should consider riding in the Ride of Love, a 150 mile bike ride to raise money for a Children's Camp here in Alabama! You can find more information at http://www.rideoflove.org
Jim
http://jim.taylorwatts.org
Unfortunately, since I am a solo unsponsored rider, I can only afford to train locally in Texas. However, I am hoping to do at least the MS 150 as a charity ride in preparations for the Mobile to Ontario breast cancer tour next year.
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