Had my first 40-miler yesterday, Sunday. Excited to get into distances, this week it's 45. Came upon this great idea to start at Dunkin Donuts/Albertsons, go out 10 miles, come back, go out 10 miles, come back. That way I "only" have to go 10 miles at a time, which helps. Also makes nutrition very easy to figure out by cutting it into chunks. This week it would be 11.25 X 4. I think of it as two loops =)
So got back after the first 20 and leaned the bike on the car and reapplied sunscreen and the bike fell on the derailleur side. Went to DD for a pit stop and when I set back out the pedals were catching and I had troubls shifting. Got a guy to stop and he said I had a bent derailleur (de. for short, gets long to type all that out) hanger, and that it was probably $15 or so to replace. I had to pedal in the fourth gear because the other three were clanking and going up those hills is hard on the fourth gear. Stopped at Calico Basin and this guy tried to fix it and he made it worse so now I had to be in the FIFTH gear for the remaining 10 miles or so. 8 miles out from the car I had a flat tire. A guy stopped along with a couple in a tandem. The guy owned a sandwhich chain (forget the name) and the guy in the tandem manufactured tires for commercial bikes. The guy with the sandwhich shop seemed to know how to change a tire better and quicker. My tube had a valve that was too short (shot a safety valve at me!) so the sandwhich shop guy gave me his spare tube. Made it back in the fifth gear.
Screw flats (as in terrain), I will take my bike out to Red Rock every week at 11 MPH.
Getting the de. fixed today so that I can get on the trainer for the lactate test Tuesday and then the trainer for the 45 miles Sunday, and getting 2 GatorSkin tired on Friday + shipping time, I should only have to do one ride inside before I get the tires changed (the tire with the puncture is toast). Did get the 40 miles in. Although I had a total paused time of 1:01. If I have the bike shop switch out the front and back tires I can use it in the trainer indefinitely (hopefully not too indefinitely, just three rides, two group trainer Tuesday sessions and Sunday's long ride).
When it rains, it pours! I was like, seriously? A flat? Today of all days? And the same week I shelled out $656.XX for Ironman. Well, it lasted 1400 miles or so.
Two things
ReplyDelete1. There is a bike shop about 50 feet from Dunkin donuts at desert foothills and Charleston. Hopefully this helps the next time something happens.
2. you could also ride up and down desert foothills for some hill/interval work. It is about a milt to the top at Alta
okay 3 things
3. Good Job
1. Someone said The Broken Spoke was closed Sundays. Didn't verify, just went on their word.
ReplyDelete2. This was for distance, not intervals. I do have interval work sometimes but I prefer 215 and Far Hills, steeper. If you're gonna do a hill... :)
Thanks!