Weekly Summary

Calorie Intake

As I expected, we are eating a ton of calories. Just for an example, on the 108 mile day, I had at least 400 – 500 grams of pure carbs between gels, honey, bananas, sports drinks, and sodas. That doesn’t include the big breakfast, lunch, dinner, and after ride snack. That level of carbs is equivalent to about 12 cans of Coke worth of sugar!

But, we’re burning it up. For anyone concerned about that level of sugar, I even confirmed with my doctor that eating sugar that you are burning immediately does not harm you the way it would if you eat it just sitting around. In fact, I have to eat that or else I would bonk / hit the wall because I’d burn through my energy stores.

The Impact Of Weather Is Real!

I’ve really gotten a lesson in how varied weather can be in some areas even in the summer. We’ve been well below freezing and almost to 80 degrees over the span of just a few days. The wind is also a bigger factor out here. It gets very strong and can heavily impact both the effort required to ride and the safety of riding.

For this next leg coming up, it looks like we could have a lot of rain and possibly thunderstorms. But, at least it looks to be over 50 degrees, if not 60 degrees, which will make it bearable (I hope!).

Ironing Board Trick

I’ve been using a trick to get my stuff dry. Almost every hotel room has an ironing board and most have heat and A/C units low on the wall that blow out at thigh level. So, I have been putting the ironing board by the heater, putting it on high “fan only” and hanging my stuff off of the board. It really dries things quickly. Perhaps you can use this trick sometime?

Cardio System Vs Muscle Stamina

So, my Garmin is still recommending that I exercise longer and more often. It just can’t handle this level of activity with its algorithm. However, I have noticed a trend.

At the start of the tour, I was mostly in my zone 2 cardio zone. As we’ve progressed, I’ve been in zone 1 more than anything, even with all the hills mixed in that drive my heartrate up for a while. Zone 1 means I’m really barely out of breath. So, I know I’m really building a base of fitness. However, like usual, my cardio system can outlast my muscles.

In theory, I could just pedal harder and go faster and, as a result, get my heartrate back into zone 2 or 3. However, my leg muscles just don’t have it in them. I’m not feeling stressed at all from a breathing or overall stamina perspective. But, my muscles are definitely feeling the pain. 

The Hardest Part Is Over

We just finished our last really hilly days until New England. This past week had the most miles and most climbing of any week. From here, we’re going to be doing a lot of flatter rolling hills with only short climbs. It will be very different.

The biggest concern will be wind direction. If the wind is at our backs, we’ll have some smooth, fast days. If it turns against us, some of the upcoming “easy” days might not be so easy …