First Long Ride of the Year

Today's was the first long ride. I was going for 56 miles with the group and felt pretty good about doing this distance. Since my bike computer didn't work properly the last couple rides, I didn't get any info on speed or distance. I replace the batteries, but realized later that it was setup for kph instead of mph. I was able to keep up with some of the faster riders until they threw down the hammer. I wasn't too far behind, but I don't have the strength to really hammer. At one of the stops I was able to switch the bike computer to mph, but lost all the previous ride data. I was feeling pretty good and was getting comfortable on the aero bars. My speed was hovering between 18-20 mph, which is pretty good for me, so there has been some improvement.


I got to the turnaround point and started heading back when I got a flat. I reached for the spare and took a look at it and noticed it had a patch on it. It wasn't a new tube and it had been in my seat bag for at least 4 years and looked in poor shape. I put it on and it seemed to hold air. At this point the rest of the fast pack was heading back (they went a bit further than I did). They asked if I was okay and at that point I was. I rode for about 5 miles and flatted again. I had no spare tube or patch kit. I found the hole in the original tube and tied a knot, hoping to seal the tube. It did an okay job, but lost air every 2 miles. I was still 20 miles from the car. I knew I was close to another rest area where I could ask someone for a spare tube. Just as I approached I came across another team mate, when she said hello, it didn't register who she was. I quickly called out to her and asked her if she had a spare tube, which she did. Since this was a rest area, I took my time changing out the tube, removing my outer shell, eating some Gu and Power Blocks and filling up my water bottles. I was good to go.

Since everyone was way ahead of me and I had lost so much time, I wasn't going to push it too hard. There was no way I was catching up to anyone. I started slow to make sure the tube was holding air and the bike was handling well. Once I got going again, I got into a rhythm and resumed my normal pace. I could feel my quads burning a bit and I was getting really hungry. I had enough fuel from the Gu and Power Blocks, I just needed real food. I finished feeling pretty good. If I hadn't wasted so much time with the flats, I would've run a 10-20 minute brick, I felt that good. Typically, I start getting leg cramps around 50 miles, I didn't this time. I guess I had enough electrolytes. I carried a tube of Nuun and added to the water.

I've got to make a trip to the bike shop and get some spare bike tubes. I learned today not to ever recycle old tubes. I'm sticking to new tubes and I'm going to check them to make sure they're in good condition, especially before a race. Lesson learned.