I decided on Florida because my parents live there, and I knew it would be flat.  Elisa intended to join me in this endeavour, but alas work and illness prevented her.  I contemplated putting it off until there was someone else available to go with, but in the end I decided to go ahead and ride solo. I found the following route on Map My Ride, and determined a goal of 15 mph average speed.  After a stop at Homewood Cycles for needed equipment (thanks for all the help Andrew!), I was ready to go!

Destin area century

The weather couldn’t have been better – partly cloudy so I didn’t get blinded by the sun, a cool 50 degrees so I never got too sweaty, and no rain in sight.  Alas, there was wind, and plenty of it (I did not realize this until later).

And so it begins

Bike lanes or wide shoulders the majority of the way made a very comfortable ride safety wise.  The route was pretty unattractive for the first 40 miles – strip malls and the like, with extended periods of nondescript coastal scenery, i.e. flat as hell with skinny pine trees.  I learned after the ride that there was a road that went onto the beachfront that I could have taken, and that sure would have been nice for viewing sake.  My average speed was a little over 20 and I was absolutely blown away; I felt like a speed demon!

Flat as hell with skinny pine trees

It felt like in no time I had arrived in Panama City Beach, and ran across one of those bizzare little township/vacation/shopping places.  It promised coffee, so I decided to take my first break for an espresso. Said espresso was shit, but hey it did the trick. And I got to read about John Mayer’s sex life while drinking, so that was a nice consolation.

Hot Java was not so hot

I got back on the road and shortly there after had my first turn.  Immediately after turning I realized that I had been enjoying the wind at my back, as I was buffeted with a huge gust of wind that knocked my speed down to about 11 mph. This was not good, but I was not discouraged.  Seeing some good ol’ boys getting ready to hunt something made me happy to be in the south.

Aw hell yeah!

Still feeling like I was karate chopping this ride

So…yeah after this I was just riding, fairly mindlessly, no scenery to speak of, while fighting with the wind.  I was debating as to whether the wind would change once I turned back toward home, but I didn’t have much hope.  I came upon my first “climb” at some point, which was up and over a bridge.

Nice to see some water

There was also a fair amount of roadkill on the shoulder, which was unfortunate.  Finally I reached my second turn, and was greeted with a resting place in the form of a motel.  I pulled over and stumbled off my bike onto the grass, not noticing that there was a woman walking out of the office.  I must have looked pretty rough because she asked if I was OK.  I said that I was just really tired.

Resting place for Whitey and me

It was about 12:30 and I realized that it was about time to eat.  Unfortunately there wasn’t anything too appetizing around, so I continued on in hopes that a restaurant would pop up soon.  I had been eating some jelly energy…things, so I wasn’t too worried about immediate loss of power.  I rode a while more, and the wind did not abate.  I was pretty unhappy.  I was running out of water.  No food was appearing.  I began to panic.  Then this little cutie popped up at mile 60.

Bruce would be the name of the town

On the menu was chicken and dumplings, pot roast, and ham.  I had the pot roast.  There were a few toothless old folks in there enjoying lunch.  They were very friendly.

I jumped back on feeling nice and refreshed, then after about 5 minutes of riding I was blasted by a gust of wind that brought me down to 8 mph.  I almost started crying.  If this was going to be my speed for the remaining 40 miles I wasn’t sure I would make it.  I set goals, told myself that I would stop at 10 mile intervals – only 5 more to go, only 3 more, 1 more, then I laid down in the grass at a church.  My back and shoulders were killing me.  I couldn’t see straight, but I continued on.  I saw some cows grazing, chickens hanging out in someone’s driveway, and a fish fry to raise money for Haiti.  I would have liked to stop and take pictures, but I just couldn’t or I would have never made it back.  Every time a gust of wind would slow me down to an excruciating pace, I would let out a little yelp of despair.  It was pretty pathetic.

Around 80 miles I stopped at a little picnic area and laid down on a concrete table.  I called home and told my mom that I didn’t know if I could make it back before dark, and that I knew there was a huge bridge ahead that I would have to climb.  I thought I would have to walk over, which would have taken forever and would have been incredibly unsafe.  I felt absolutely broken.

The scenery was nice at least

Getting up, I told myself that I had less than 20 miles to go.  I could do it!

Then I saw the bridge in the distance.  I almost cried again.  It was huge, and I just knew that the wind would be fierce up at the top.  I imagined myself getting blown off into a watery grave.  (Side note: I actually imagined myself getting killed a lot on this ride.  Decapitation mostly.  Every time a truck would drive by with two-by-fours or ladders in the back, I imagined them swinging around in the bed as the truck drove by and hitting me right in the head.  Weird.)

I kept riding.  The sunset was beautiful.  I made my turn and stopped one last time.  Then I noticed that the wind was at my back again!  I couldn’t believe it  (although now it makes sense).  I came up to the bridge and it looked much more manageable up close.  The wind pushed me up to 23 mph, and I made it up and over the bridge with no problem.  It really was amazing guys.  After that it was just about two more miles until I got back to my car.  I set my seat warmers to burning hot, cranked up the heat, and drove back to my parents house.

97 miles total.  Average 15.5 mph.  Can’t believe I did it.  And Whitey didn’t even get a flat!

]]> http://bikeskirt.com/2010/02/08/100-miles/feed/ 21 http://bikeskirt.com/2010/01/06/embrocation-trial-two/ http://bikeskirt.com/2010/01/06/embrocation-trial-two/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:54:14 +0000 Anna http://bikeskirt.com/?p=1090 It’s been a while since I’ve ridden just to ride, so Sam and I decided to head to Oak Mountain a few weekends ago to enjoy our bikes and have another go with embrocation.  This time we were equipped with Northwest Knee Warmers‘ medium strength embrocation.

But first, we had breakfast. Gotta have them grits ya’ll! Stick to your ribs and all that!

V. Richards Market

Once we were fueled we headed out to the park and sheen’d ourselves on up.  I liked the way the Northwest embrocation smelled – less edible than the Mad Alchemy…more medicinal, but in a comforting sort of way.  It was a similar color and consistency and pretty easy to put on.

The temperature was about 40 F – I was pretty cold, but once we started riding it really wasn’t bad.

Sam is much more pro that I am, but he was kind enough to ride slow for me.

Roll ‘em up!

You might notice that I am sporting some new clipless shoes.  Cross season destroyed my converse and made me realize that there are benefits to having cycling specific shoes.  At this point I just have the shoes; I haven’t started using clipless pedals yet.  Strange, I know.  I’m having to ease myself into it.  I’m also having to eat crow since I gave Elisa such hell whenever she went clipless. I deserve it.

Anyway, after we embrocated, we hopped on the bikes and started to ride.  I could notice a difference immediately – no leg discomfort/muscle sluggishness at the first incline!  It was like I had already been riding and had warmed up, even though I hadn’t.  With my first embrocation experience I had expected my legs to be nice and warm and didn’t really think about the state of my muscles.  And who can really think that clearly when you’re doing a cross race?! This time I was more conscious of what the actual point was, and it came through for me most excellently.  Sam was equally pleased.

Unfortunately my power grip bolt broke off shortly after we started, so Sam had to ride back to get the necessary equipment for fixing (i.e. electrical tape).  I think he enjoyed it though because he was able to ride fast and get some energy out!

Bummer

After the power grip was re-attached we rode the remaining distance (about 17 miles total – nothing crazy), legs felt good, and I thoroughly enjoyed riding past the…interesting…Christmas decorations.

Good ride! Thanks embrocation! I’ll now say that I like you!

Well, I have done it. I have gone clipless. Sold out, gone roady…say what you will. I can take it. Go ahead.

ok, done?

Cycling friends (and the local bike shop guys) have extolled the virtues of clipless riding since the beginning. I eschewed the very idea, saying that I didn’t want to be a ‘clippy person’, clicking into shops and being forced to wear special shoes. I was perfectly happy with my Power Strips. I loved them actually, as much as I loved being able to hop on my bike in heels, or Vans, or flip flops. I was simply not ready to commit to being a ‘roadie’ (a term I hate, like fixie kid, or commuter…can’t we all just be cyclists? I digress…).

Then I did a really, really hard ride. My feet kept slipping from my Power Grips, they broke off midway through an uphill climb, the soles of my feet were aching from soft soles and I knew I could get more power if only I could pull on the uphill. Not to mention the hiking I had to do in soft soled Vans (still my favorite shoes for riding, btw). Power Grips are incredible on normal hills, but major climbing is a bit of a strain for them.

A week went by and I talked to my ‘clippy’ friends. I visited the bike shop. Most importantly, I found out that I could get reversible pedals! Not forced to wear only clipless shoes?! This is getting better. Wait, there are shoes that I can wear that don’t click?! All for under $200. Things were looking up. I was still nervous and, honestly, a bit worried about what friends would think. We have always said that we want cycling to be more accessible and scoff at the idea of full spandex kits, choosing a bike for it’s weight and spending all of our money on accessories.

I was at a crossroads. Do I go clipless and increase my speed and make my climb over the mountain easier, or do I hold tight to my ‘urban riding’ pride? For a flat city, there would be no question-no clipless. However, with a mountain to traverse and rolling hills the entire way, a little help would be nice.

In the end, efficiency won out (hey, I do have a degree in Economics). I bought the pedals and shoes, had a quick lesson at Homewood Cycles and was ready.

I love it. I was really kind of hoping to hate it. Nope. My average speed increased 3.5 mph and my knees feel better. My climb each day is still hard, but not as hard as it used to be. Between the heat and the mountain, my commute is a bitch. However, now it is my bitch.

Shoes: Bontrager Race Mountain Shoes $89.99
Pedals: Shimano PD-M545 $89.99

If you decide to take the plunge, I highly recommend these for beginners who don’t want to fully commit. I can take off for the bars in heels, or clip in for a serious ride. Best of both worlds.

Oh, and I have only fallen twice. I consider that a success.

Are you clipless? What do you think of it?