My gut check is also in full bloom as I prepare for my first attempted trek across Iowa with all things mechanical. With Mom and Dad here this weekend Dad has said repeatedly that "I have trained more than he ever did". He's furthered such comments with "and you have better equipment" and "you're much younger than I was". I'm sure all three comments are true ... which makes it even more incredible that Dad successfully rode RAGBRAI at age 62, and Uncle Frank at age 72. And on Huffy's!? Impressive!
I rode for three straight days this weekend (hopefully another mental block broken) and must say that riding with your legs tired has an entirely different flare. First, you just don't have the juice to motor over hills so gears come much more into play. I "discovered" the ability to shift my front sprocket this weekend and used it for the very first time. Up to this point I had only shifted the back sprocket and stayed in one of the middle 6 or 7 gears. This weekend I used them all. I still rode a relatively flat track ... but it didn't feel like it. The slightest hill becomes a mountain when the legs are noodles. I'm averaging somewhere between 16 and 17 mph, on a relatively flat course.
And I've been working my liver too. 7 beers in three days, along with a lot of melon salad, and neither bothered me too much. So on the gastrointestinal front I'm feeling much more confident.
It's the muscular physical front that I need to keep the pressure on ... and will between now and the event. It will be great chasing you both across Iowa!
The age and training thing sure, but tell Dad directly from Lance's book "It's not about the bike".
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