I completed a 300k over the weekend. The original route was supposed to feature a steep hill near the halfway mark but a recent landslide forced the organizers to change the route to a tamer, flat-ish route instead.
Riding relatively "light" for this 300k - tools and tubes in the small saddle bag, spare tire hanging underneath, snacks and USB power bank in top tube bag, rain jacket hanging under the top tube.
It had rained throughout the night so at the start of the ride, the roads were wet and the air was cool. I was fortunate to latch on to a fast group and got a nice, long tow to the first checkpoint at the 55km mark. Afterwards, that same group stopped for breakfast so I rode on with a friend along a very lumpy countryside course to the second checkpoint at the 105km mark. This checkpoint appears to be
a tourist attraction of sorts; I wanted to make this a quick breakfast stop but a puncture turned it into a much longer stay.
I couldn't find the source of the puncture, but there was a large cut which had gone through my tire so I'm assuming whatever caused it was lodged in there tight, and then decided to dislodge itself and deflate the tire during my stop. I patched the tire with an inner tube patch, and then discovered that I had brought the wrong tubes - the presta valve was too short! Not sure what happened there, I can only assume I mixed up the wrong set of tubes as these were meant for my other bike. Fortunately one of the three tubes I was carrying had the right 80mm valve but that meant if I get another puncture, I would be screwed.
I feel like it's just mocking me, at this point
Therefore it was a good thing that the route went through a major town center next, so I took the opportunity to find and stop at a bike shop to buy the proper tubes. Gave the owner my other incompatible tubes to save space, and for that he gave me a discount on the new tubes that I bought.
By the time I got to the next checkpoint at 173km, the weather had changed from cool overcast morning to hot sun with not much cloud cover. It was a slow slog to the next checkpoint at 231km where in between, I wasted time on two stops for cold refreshments to try and deal with the heat. At this point I also started getting stomach problems - not being able to take solid foods and feeling bloated. Nothing unusual, but no longer accustomed to it after not doing any long rides since the last lockdown was lifted.
Coconut milk shake
There was a bit of rain afterwards, and then after the sun began to set and temperatures went down to more comfortable levels, I felt my strength return. There was one more checkpoint to stop at, at the 273km mark before the final push to the finish. By this time it had gotten dark and I was riding on some pretty ****** roads which included a short section of unpaved gravel. It's a good thing I had a bright and powerful light with me, as it was also drizzling along the way and the glare from oncoming vehicles reduced visibility significantly.
Recorded an elapsed time of 16:13 - not my best of results, but it's obvious I've gotten a bit out of shape since the last lockdown occurred and I haven't done any long rides afterwards.
Here's the local club's medal for this season's ride. Pretty nice piece of metal, but I think I prefer the official version better.
