An item in the Grapevine section of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News caught my eye. They reported on a study that showed chocolate milk was a highly effective sports drink. The VeloNews Forum picked up on it.
In 1988 I rode 200 miles, from around Rye Beach, NH, to the Canadian border above Beecher Falls, VT, in one day, just to see if I could. My training schedule got blown to bits when I had to move within a month of the ride, but I decided to try it anyway. Short on money and time, I rushed into it with short sleep and a sketchy breakfast, with no ride longer than 65 miles.
Despite these handicaps, I managed the first 100 miles in 6 hours. The second hundred took me 9 hours and 40 minutes, including a fairly long lunch stop in Twin Mountain, NH, because I really needed substantial food.
With my haphazard preparation it's no surprise the second hundred was such crawling agony. But you learn a lot about how your body works when you drain it like that. The second hundred also included most of the climbing, starting with Crawford Notch. Crawford Notch ends with a 13% wall. After that I still had at least 80 miles left.
Lunch and a rest revived me a little, but when I got to the Connecticut River I felt like my wheels were turning the planet. I crawled from one convenience store to the next, downing a chocolate milk at each one. It got me to Canada. And now it's legit.
2 comments:
Wow. 200 very hilly miles -- I'm very impressed. I'll have to check out that chocolate milk idea.
Cafiend--I'm impressed by the 200 miles. My longest is still only 130, so you've inspired me to do some serious miles this summer. Chocolate milk sounds good, but what I really like is Yoohoo--it's like a Powerbar in liquid form!
BikeProf
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