ornoth_cycling | (no subject)

Well-o well-o! The PMC is a two-day, 190-mile event; If there’s anything that’ll prove that I’m ready for it, it’d be riding 190 miles in two days, which is just what I did this past weekend.

On Saturday, the usual 40-mile Quad Cycles ride expanded into a 70-mile ride (that also concluded with some massive hills on Trapelo Road and Park Street). Add the 20 mile round trip from home to Quad Cycles and back, and you’ve got a 90-mile ride.

Sunday’s QC ride was the same 70 miles, but instead of going home, I wandered around a bit. I went to Davis to visit iniren (and shower) before riding out to Lexington for a party. Then there was the 15-mile midnight ride home, which I opted to do on the completely deserted bike path. By the time the clock struck one, my odometer read 190 miles.

Yep. Although I didn’t plan it that way, this weekend I wound up doing the same distance that I will be doing on this year’s Pan-Mass Challenge. Of course, the PMC is broken up 125/65, rather than 90/100, so it’s a little different, but I don’t think there can be any question that I’m in great shape for it!

And yes, that was a three-digit number you saw for Sunday. Although it came in three slightly distinct chunks, I did a century yesterday: only the third one I’ve ever done, and the first that wasn’t part of a Pan-Mass ride. That’s pretty cool, too!

But after all that, my butt is pretty bruised (yes, literally), and my legs are tired. The real question now is how quickly I can recover, because I’m going to be facing one of my biggest cycling challenges ever later this week, and certainly also setting a new all-time one-week mileage record in the bargain.

Stay tuned for that story next!

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Wow, that's awesome! Very inspiring. Maybe I should try one of the Quad Cycles rides -- can you point me to info about them? That part of their web page was broken... :/

(Next week, I was planning to do a ~60 mile pocket ride from the Arlington Center series, because, hey, I need a 60-mile ride, and someone else has already planned one...)

Here's the real link: Quad Cycles fitness rides (http://www.quadcycles.com/events/fitnessride.htm).

They go from Quad Cycles (Mass Ave in Arlington Heights) every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30am, and support both a slow and a fast group and many different distances. It's a very friendly group, usually.

I won't be there this weekend, as I'm out of town, but I am there pretty regularly...

I'm staying tuned, but I see no story!

Anyway, I have a couple of questions...do I get the PMC jersey on the day of the ride, or before? How's it for pockets? And how's the en route food & hydration situation?

Journal updated.

You get the jersey when you check in, which is usually Friday night. It's a standard three-pocket cycling jersey, unless you ordered the tee-shirt instead. The waterstops are on average every 20 miles and are pretty well stocked with Gatorade, water, ice, bananas, and usually more. There's also a lunch stop on the first day that is a bit more exhaustive, but still mostly sandwich stuff. But there's definitely plenty of food and drink.