#11 Davis 12-hour TT

Rode about 180 miles in 12 hours.

This ride went pretty well -- and there are lessons learned!

John Henry, Sandy, and I drove down on Friday and stayed at Lee's "bike hostel". (Thanks to Lee and his wife!)

I didn't sleep well the night before. Any sound woke me up, including the chimes of a grandfather-style clock. I recall hearing the chimes every hour. (It really wasn't that loud -- I didn't sleep as soundly as I usually do. Maybe it was just the fact that I was sleeping in a different place...)

At the starting line I was cold and starting to shiver -- so I put on a jacket. For some reason I was hacking a bit. Perhaps it was the dry air or all the grass pollen. On the ride, as we started to climb, I felt like I was burning up, so I surrendered the jacket to Vicky (thanks!) who returned it to me later.

I rode my red De Rosa, clicking bottom bracket and all.

I used two bottles of Perpetuem between SAG stops. I even stopped at a rider's personal support vehicle and got an extra bottle of water and drank a small Gatorade I was offered. (Thanks!)

Here's a summary of what I consumed.
- 11 bottles of Perpetuem
- two breakfast bars
- two "nanners"
- can of Campbell's tomato juice (last SAG)
- can of diet coke (last SAG)
- ~ 5 endurolytes

There wasn't much solid food at any of the SAGs. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches, cooked potatoes, etc. would have done the trick I think. We did have the option of sending bags ahead, which I didn't take advantage of.

Next time I will bring a load of Cliff bars and perhaps some Grandma cookies (oatmeal-raisin is best) and send them ahead to the sag stops. And wear a Camel-bak if I don't have a PSV (personal support vehicle).

One problem is that I ran out of water before most SAG stops. It was a little warm on some of the climbs and probably got dehydrated, which in turn made it hard to eat solids after finishing the 162 mile day loop. (I was able to sip some soup and eat a little ice cream, however. Great soup at the finish line!!!!)

I really didn't get my legs until we got 40 miles into the ride, which was about the time I normally wake up. Bottom line, I had a good time. No major issues with soreness, though my lower back ached a bit on the long 11-12% climb where I sometimes had to stand on my easiest gear, a 39x25.

On the next 12/24 hour TT, I intend to do the 24 hour ride. By then I should many more longer rides under my belt and hopefully have the nutrition thing better dialed in... Feet and bike fit are on the money!

Calories expended: 8390 calories
Miles rode: 180.7 (179.5 officially)
Ascent: 8225 feet
Temp: 66F

Many thanks to the volunteers to made the Davis TT a great experience!

Note: rode over 250 miles/week for both this and last week