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Mt. Washington Century - advice needed


Square Wheels

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I am going to NH this weekend for the Mt. Washington century ride.  I've accepted that I am not ready for it and am currently thinking of doing the 40 mile ride instead.  It just feels like I am whimping out.  Last night my wife and I toyed with the idea of riding the 108 instead.  The 40 has 1 hill, the 100+ has 5.  A little under 7,000 total feet for the full century.  She can definitely do it, she's been riding a lot this year.  I have less than 1500 miles so far.

I've done it twice before and it's a terrific ride.  I really want to do the full thing.  I can't decide that morning.  I'm more than OK with bailing out and doing a shorter ride, but if I am going to do the full ride, I need to have my mind in it ahead of time.

What should I do?

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I wasn't expecting any real advice, I think I was more talking out loud.  Your advice is actually pretty good.

Enjoy the view....  http://road.cc/content/forum/124393-moral-dilemma-see-through-bottoms

I wasn't expecting any real advice, I think I was more talking out loud.  Your advice is actually pretty good.

I would have given more advice but I am helping some asshat who can't work a three hole punch.

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I am going to NH this weekend for the Mt. Washington century ride.  I've accepted that I am not ready for it and am currently thinking of doing the 40 mile ride instead.  It just feels like I am whimping out.  Last night my wife and I toyed with the idea of riding the 108 instead.  The 40 has 1 hill, the 100+ has 5.  A little under 7,000 total feet for the full century.  She can definitely do it, she's been riding a lot this year.  I have less than 1500 miles so far.

I've done it twice before and it's a terrific ride.  I really want to do the full thing.  I can't decide that morning.  I'm more than OK with bailing out and doing a shorter ride, but if I am going to do the full ride, I need to have my mind in it ahead of time.

What should I do?

If you're not ready, 100 sounds great until you start riding it.  Do the 40 and let the wife finish the 100.  That way you can treat her afterwards.  Let her be raised up for a day.  It'll do wonders for your sex life.

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The last couple of miles has several shortish 20+% climbs.  So it's not over until it's over.

20% climbs are attention getters ,no matter the length of them.  at the end of the ride you could walk them.  Again, how far have you ridden recently?  and what is your longest ride this year?

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Don't forget to hydrate.

I will never again forget that.  I did last year.  It was a cool morning to start, I probably went 40 - 50 miles on 2 bottles.  I brought my own mix to make 8 bottles.  I was convinced I used them all.  It ended up I only had 4 or maybe 5 total bottles for 115 miles (got lost).  I spent a couple of hours in the medical tent getting pumped up with gatorade (yuck) because my heart rate would not come down and the tingling in my arms would not stop.  I felt awful for a long time.  I'll never not hydrate properly on a long ride again.

The exact details above are a little fuzzy, but the general feeling of yuck is accurate.

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I will never again forget that.  I did last year.  It was a cool morning to start, I probably went 40 - 50 miles on 2 bottles.  I brought my own mix to make 8 bottles.  I was convinced I used them all.  It ended up I only had 4 or maybe 5 total bottles for 115 miles (got lost).  I spent a couple of hours in the medical tent getting pumped up with gatorade (yuck) because my heart rate would not come down and the tingling in my arms would not stop.  I felt awful for a long time.  I'll never not hydrate properly on a long ride again.

The exact details above are a little fuzzy, but the general feeling of yuck is accurate.

Maybe you should chug a few Gatorade's and go give that three hole punch another go.

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 The best advice I can give you is to keep peddling... if you are not ready for the long ride... just do the short one. Why cause yourself more body ach and injury to prove a point. 

You do have to be in mindset to push through the pain then to fall into a head game trap 

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I'm all for optimism - and I have never ridden a century myself - but if you think/sense/know you're not in shape for a century I think you shouldn't.  The experience of agony on a bike (with which I am familiar) maybe builds character but I don't think it's productive enough to be worth it.  In this case, being able to cheer your wife on is a bonus.

My max for one day remains 62 miles and even that I was woefully unprepared for at the time, on a bike that didn't fit right.  I felt like I was pedaling through mud from maybe mile 45 onward - I was passed by a couple of rollerbladers at one point.  And miles 59 and 60 were through one of the worst cities in the country, while I wouldn't have been able to outrun a kid with a squirt gun.  

After that ride my bike sat idle for at least two weeks - I wanted nothing to do with it.  I don't recommend this feeling.

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My longest ride so far this year was a week ago, 40.  :(

I can do this!  It's 90% mental, I should be able to ride forever.

Man up and ride the century. 

Last July I did a 5:30ish solo century just a few months into my recovery. 

I'm sure you won't be the only one that's struggling to finish. 

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Man up and ride the century. 

Last July I did a 5:30ish solo century just a few months into my recovery. 

I'm sure you won't be the only one that's struggling to finish. 

Not trying to rip on you here, but I'm sure you aren't the most out of shape person thinking about riding the century. 

I think you'll be disappointed in yourself if you only do the 40 mile ride. Don't be afraid of finishing slower than in past years. Be proud of yourself for completing a tough century, in less than your best form. 

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Hey, anyone know how to get ahold of you-know-who? He had ALL KINDS of info about Mt. Washington! He was an expert. Could climb it in under an hour.

but I believe that you have to do all of the training inside in the dark.

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Not trying to rip on you here, but I'm sure you aren't the most out of shape person thinking about riding the century. 

I think you'll be disappointed in yourself if you only do the 40 mile ride. Don't be afraid of finishing slower than in past years. Be proud of yourself for completing a tough century, in less than your best form. 

I agree with this.  thanks for the positive words and inspiration. 

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I am surprised few people are not taking your wife's point of view in all this.  Nothing sucks more than trying to ride 100 miles while having to 'pull up' and wait for gimp to get his act together.  If you're really out of biking shape and you still wanna ride it -- then start 2-3 hours earlier than her.  Don't be the anchor dragging on the bottom.

Edited by dotman17
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I am surprised few people are not taking your wife's point of view in all this.  Nothing sucks more than trying to ride 100 miles while having to 'pull up' and wait for gimp to get his act together.  If you're really out of biking shape and you still wanna ride it -- then start 2-3 hours earlier than her.  Don't be the anchor dragging on the bottom.

Wow, I suck, but not that bad.  I'm not in horrible shape, but not as good as last year.  There are 5 climbs, I know I can do them all.  Some are harder than others.  There is one bonus climb at the end, maybe a mile or three.  That one I haven't been able to do yet.  Maybe Saturday, we'll see.

Overall I'm still a lot stronger and faster than my wife.  We agreed to ride the 100 together.  I will not drag her down.

Here is 2 years ago
Here is last year, a little longer because I missed a turn

I suspect this year will be slow, but I'm OK with that.  Maybe next year I'll be in shape to try and set a personal record.

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Wait a minute….. you rode the same course a second time and missed a turn???  You don't see a problem with that?

Actually I did.  Since I rode it once I got a feeling this was some new landscape.  I'm old so I hadn't memorized the entire 108 miles of roads I'd never been on before.  About 4 miles off-course someone who had passed through one of our stops noticed I had a number on and suggested I may have missed a turn.  I went back.

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Not trying to rip on you here, but I'm sure you aren't the most out of shape person thinking about riding the century. 

I think you'll be disappointed in yourself if you only do the 40 mile ride. Don't be afraid of finishing slower than in past years. Be proud of yourself for completing a tough century, in less than your best form. 

Well that is just stupid, you are going to get him sore, injured, and a longer than 4 hour erection that will require medical care.

You are right, but so am I, I am sticking with the over/under 70 rule.  If you die, can I have your slow Boyd wheels, SW?

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