Bicycle Training
I was invited for a marathon bicycle race next May so it will be my personal Tour. I figured I need the full year to train. Not only do I need to be able to ride 100+ miles a day but I also need to be able to hold my own in the drinking category. So this weekend, I started my training by drinking several beers (and not any of the light stuff) and then riding the following day. I think that I am on target for the drinking aspect of the training.
I planned on a 30 mile ride up the hills on Long Island. I accept that my description of hills on Long Island is charitable since the best way to describe Long Island is flat, flat and more flat.
So off I went and I quickly realized that I am not in biking shape and I was struggling to average 16.5 miles per hour (after taking into account my little hill). The next lesson that I learned is that roads under construction have a higher than average chance of resulting in a flat. As I tried to swap out the old tube for a new one, I realized that I am not that good at it. End result, the replacement tube pooped because I could not shut off the pump. Now I am stuck with two flat tires. I started to walk my bike to the nearest store (about 5 miles away).
A nice lady picked me up and drove me there. She saved me from the long walk. The key question is why did a woman stop and pick up a strange guy who was all sweaty and dirty with a tire tube around his neck. I was not a pretty site.
The bike shop took 3 hours to repair the flat. I called for a lift home in the meantime so my first endeavor ended after 16 miles.
I have a long way to go but fortunately I do have some time.
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