WhyFi

No, I understand completely. That's why I was mentioning HR zones the other day in regards to longer rides. Like mvnsnd mentioned, pay more attention to HR than speed. If you can, configure a screen on your computer that doesn't even have a field for speed. You'll feel like a knob early on, but you'll get used to it and you'll be thankful when you start to really stretch out your rides.

WhyFi

Other than necessary bathroom/refueling stops, I would do it in one shot. One advantage is that the Twin Cities are relatively flat and, once I'm north of the metro, it's even flatter - damn near bampilot06 and Trsnrtr flat. I've plotted the route on Strava, and there's only ~2,300' of gain over that 170 miles. As long as I don't have wind in my face the entire time, it shouldn't be too bad - there aren't really any hills that would burn matches for a guy my size.

I think that I did 3 or 4 centuries last year. One so far this year. Longest is still only 108 miles, though.

Velo Vol 

I thought about taking my seatpost off and taking it to the bike store, rather than the entire bike. Loosened the clamp but the post seems stuck. Won't move. Guess I won't be doing that.

Mechanicaling is hard.

datlas 

There is always the Coca-Cola trick.

Velo Vol 

As if I know any tricks.

big john

I'm not a fan of the "Classic Rock" radio stations, or the concept itself. Once I've heard something tens of thousands of times, I want to move on. A lot of what I love from the past doesn't make it on to those radio stations, anyway.

In LA we have 2 so called "Alternative Rock" stations. They have very limited playlists and just copy each other. It's not uncommon for them to play the same song at the same time, or close to it.

The one station where I can consistently hear new stuff is a public station at Cal State Northridge. Lots of local bands and new stuff you wouldn't hear anywhere else.

I want new stuff, always have. I've worked with people who want to listen to the same 12 songs all day, every day, for years. The 50s do-wop stuff is the worst, to me. A guy I know sings along with Loco Motion, and all the other ones, each time he hears them. He'll listen to it all day at work, then plays the CDs in his car.

Bah Humbug

Well and I notice newer cars looking like crap compared to what I drooled over as a teenager, which I was told were crap by older people at the time.

And in line with your profession, wow do I think the teen-series fighters looked better than the F-22 and especially F-35.

LAJ

Longer and longer rides, with little to no food consumed. That's the easy way. I know it sounds simple and it really is when you think about it. Unfortunately, the bonk and 600 calorie an hour crowd have convinced folks that fueling is absolutely necessary to ride across the street. If you have a somewhat healthy diet, and eat somewhat regularly, it's just a matter of time for your body to to do what it needs to do to keep moving.

If you had a normal day the day before, you start the day with 1800 calories in the bank. You can ride a hard-ish 50-60 miles with water, and have a couple hundred calories left over. When done, a whey protein chaser, and go on about your day. As you progress, you'll realize you're not really hungry, but being thirsty is a real thing. Do not ignore that on hot days, because that will wreck a ride quicker than anything. I think much of the "bonk" stuff I've heard about, is dehydration, not being hangry.

Ride as hard as you want, continue to increase the distance and have a couple Nutri-Grain bars in your pocket as a security blanket. Do the ride knowing your body will take care of you, as long as you aren't doing something silly.

I can do a club century on two bottles, on a somewhat cool day. Granted, it's Roctane, but it's easily doable. The reason for that is: I get to stop pedaling here and there. I get to coast, I get breaks on the bike. It's tougher on a Z2 ride, simply because none of that's an option. I'm not keto by any stretch, but I don't live on carbs either. I rarely eat bread, most carbs are veggie type stuff, and most of the protein I eat is white meat, either turkey or chicken, along with a couple 25g protein whey drinks a day.

BillyD

What?!?!?



Hall & Oates's best stuff was in the 80's, which means he was only in his 30's then.

noodle soup

Most people I know weren't listening to top 40 music, by the time they where in their 30s.

BillyD

I would never say 70s music was better than ALL that came after it. For example in just the following decade alone we experienced legends like Prince, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Elton John, as well as the early stages of Rap.

What the 70s DID have exclusively was an unbelievable amount of talent, spread about amongst a wide variety of genres. For some reason we may never see such a concentration of talent and diverse popular music again.

bampilot06

Nothing sexy about the F22 or F35. F14 transforms my pants, and taking back to ww2, On both sides the planes looked good. P51, P38, even the FW190 was nice looking.
Prettiest was the spitfire IMO.

BillyD

You're Out of Touch . . . there was also Man-Eater, One On One, She's Gone, I Can't Go For That, Say It Isn't So, and those are only the ones I see in my library.

indyfabz

"Decent" is the key. She's Gone. Rich Girl. Sarah Smile.

indyfabz

I should be doing this at this very moment, local time. But I am not.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33013239

Sad.

Then again, it's only 55 degree at the lower elevation, and it's supposed to rain later.

BillyD

noodle soup

Not a new song, but a great version of one of my favorite songs.

Velo Vol 

Yep.

BillyD

F14 is my fave too, but also love the F16 and F18.

Velo Vol 

bampilot06

I think I might just htfu and ride in the rain today. I didn’t really want to do it to my bike, but I don’t think it’s going to hurt anything. And for once I have the time.

phrantic09

Many years ago I worked in a building pretty close where the ANG 174th Attack Wing F-16s took off (before this group changed to drones).

Was always amazed at their ability to go vertical almost immediately after takeoff.

MoAlpha

Yup.

My ride length is limited to well under century length by other factors, but I don't need to eat for anything under about 3.5 hrs, which for me translates into about a 60 mi ride mostly in Z2. It's just a matter of amping up the enzyme systems that scavenge fats etc. and convert them into alternative fuels and glucose after you've depleted your muscle and liver glycogen. That is trained, as LAJ says, by successively longer rides without food.

I also agree that water and sodium are the first and most critical need in warm weather and you can bonk pretty quick if you start to run out of one of them.

As for riding with protein snacks, forget it. They actually require energy metabolize! If you want energy, eat carbs and there is no point in carrying anything else. When you're on the edge of bonking, you live from gel to gel.

As for the lack of hunger from hard cycling once you're metabolically trained, it's actually a problem and why I look like camp survivor. After burning the same number of calories in a day of sailing, I will eat drywall with mayonnaise and enjoy it.

And the diet: Vegetables, vegetable protein, milk protein, eggs, meat a couple of times a week, and moderate amounts of whole grains and fruit. No bread, no desserts.

datlas 

One fun trick you MIGHT know is the flutter tongue technique. Can you do it??

indyfabz

Today I learned what a fistulotomy is. From a zombie thread no less.