Recreational pastime or nightmare... I am still not sure
Yesterday Matthew, Brett & I competed in the Elephant Rock Cycling event. For Brett and myself it was our first Colorado event ride. Matthew did the metric century ride (62 mile) and Brett and I did the 32 mile (50km) course. We have been here 6mths now so our lungs have acclimatised to high altitude living and exercising, but our training for this event was somewhat lacking. Matt and i started about a month ago, cycling 30 miles on Saturdays and hiking on Sundays but we have been so busy midweek with work that we haven't gotten to the gym! So when the 30 to 40 kph winds were in our faces as we rode along we were really feeling it. I might as well be back in Perth if i want to ride into the wind!!! And of course this is Colorado so there were plenty of hills, OMG I am sure 90% of the loop Brett and I did was uphill. This is the elevation profile of the course. It took me 3hrs and 8mins and Brett came across the finish line about 10 or 20 mins after me due to his lack of training LOL.
There was of course picturesque scenery:
But when you are as knackered as we all were you barely notice the rolling hills and Rocky Mountains in the background.
By the halfway mark i was sure I would never make it. And every time the event trucks went past picking up exhausted riders or those whose bikes didn't make it the distance, I thought to myself
"I wish i was the sort of person who could give up and get on that truck" - but I am not so I did make it to the end of the 50km circuit despite the brutal wind and relentless hills.
Matt's elevation profile for the 62 miles looked like this:
Even Matt the cyclist extraordinaire was bitching about the wind by the time he texted me a quarter of the way into his ride!
But boy do Coloradans know how to put on an event, there were plenty of volunteers and county sheriffs directing us along the route, well stocked aid stations to refuel our bodies and rest and when we got to the end no line up at the ladies toilets & there was a free lunch for the thousands of participants:
The food may have been reminiscent of the cafeteria food at work (nasty) but I would have eaten anything! After Brett and I ate we then had a 2hr wait for Matt to finish his longer circuit before we could head home, so this is the view that helped me while away that time:
Yes that is right I was laying on the grass looking up at a tree and even that took more energy than I had left!
So back to my question 'Is cycling a recreational pastime or a nightmare?' The answer to this question undoubtedly depends on which part of the circuit you are on, by the halfway point I was determined i was giving up cycling and i would have deemed it a nightmare, but the sense of achievement once i finished was amazing. This for me was like running a marathon, my PE damaged lungs were not meant for hill climbing I am sure of it, but I made it and will no doubt ride again soon so I guess for me cycling is both a recreational pastime and a nightmare:)
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| 32 mile course |
There was of course picturesque scenery:
By the halfway mark i was sure I would never make it. And every time the event trucks went past picking up exhausted riders or those whose bikes didn't make it the distance, I thought to myself
"I wish i was the sort of person who could give up and get on that truck" - but I am not so I did make it to the end of the 50km circuit despite the brutal wind and relentless hills.
Matt's elevation profile for the 62 miles looked like this:
Even Matt the cyclist extraordinaire was bitching about the wind by the time he texted me a quarter of the way into his ride!
But boy do Coloradans know how to put on an event, there were plenty of volunteers and county sheriffs directing us along the route, well stocked aid stations to refuel our bodies and rest and when we got to the end no line up at the ladies toilets & there was a free lunch for the thousands of participants:
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| A Sloppy Joe I think |
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| The 'cafeteria' |
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| Brett eager to eat after climbing all those hills |
The food may have been reminiscent of the cafeteria food at work (nasty) but I would have eaten anything! After Brett and I ate we then had a 2hr wait for Matt to finish his longer circuit before we could head home, so this is the view that helped me while away that time:
So back to my question 'Is cycling a recreational pastime or a nightmare?' The answer to this question undoubtedly depends on which part of the circuit you are on, by the halfway point I was determined i was giving up cycling and i would have deemed it a nightmare, but the sense of achievement once i finished was amazing. This for me was like running a marathon, my PE damaged lungs were not meant for hill climbing I am sure of it, but I made it and will no doubt ride again soon so I guess for me cycling is both a recreational pastime and a nightmare:)
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