dreadedmonkeygod . net

I joined some new friends on Saturday for the 2008 Wildflower ride. When we registered a few months ago, a few of us wanted to do the full century ride, but with the event looming, we all did a quick reality check and opted for the 70-mile "¾ century" ride instead.

I'm really glad we did. Nearly everyone in the group was either getting over being sick, or was in fact still sick. Weather forecast called for temperatures in the 90's, and 75 miles would mark the longest ride I've ever done. So even the "easy" option would mean a day of personal bests achieved under markedly sub-optimum circumstances.

Huge props to to J, who had to abandon at mile 35. She's sick (sick enough to be on prescription antibiotics), and it took cojones just to roll out from the starting line.

And huge thanks to D for inviting me, and to the whole gang for welcoming me into the group and letting me ride with them. I had a great time, and I'll certainly be back next year!

(Map: "Wildflower 2008")

A Few Notes on Gear

Clothing: I wore: SmartWool PhD socks, Under Armour boxer briefs & short-sleeved stretch tee, bib shorts (not knickers), jersey, arm warmers, and full-finger gloves. This worked really well: warm enough from 7:30-9am, then stripped Under Armour tee and arm warmers for the rest of the day. No butt butter, and no chafing, no saddle sores, no friction-related trouble of any kind.

Sunscreen: Bull Frog's Superblock SPF 45, augmented with some other stuff bummed from other riders to cover a small patch I missed on the back of my neck. Also wore SPF 30 lip balm. Forgot to put sunscreen on the tops of my knees, but they didn't get burned; just a little red. 7½ hours in the sun, and no bad burns!

Nutrition & Hydration: I brought two Snickers bars and a Clif bar. I've noticed that the energy from the Snickers is short-lived, and when it's gone, it goes fast and leaves me with an immediate need for more food. So the Snickers Experiment is done. I may still carry them for variety, but I'll stick to Clif bars from here on out.

I hate Gatorade. Dries out my mouth and lips, and doesn't provide enough calories to keep me going. I've found that once I reach for the Gatorade, I'm on my way to being done for the day. I've ordered a canister of Carbo Rocket powder, and we'll see how that works.

Bike: Once again, my Giant OCR1 is a champ. I was comfortable the whole day. Consistent trouble getting into the bottom chainring, but that just needed a quick adjustment. (Bottom limit screw was a bit tight.)

General Gear: Flatted at second rest stop. Need to remember to park my bike somewhere other than the brush beside the road. Too many sharp seeds.