For the Glory!

I spent last weekend at the Near Death Experience.

Cliff Notes:

1. It rocked.

2. I registered for the Death Ride.

3. Next year I'm going to go to another biking camp. It was an amazing experience.

The gory details of the Near Freezing to Death Experience. Aka ( hail and headwind and snow, OH MY! )

Hard Earned Lessons

The things I learned the hard way last weekend at Near Death Experience:

1. Be prepared. Pack all your gear, even if you think you don't need it. Warm gloves, light gloves, battery chargers, long shorts, short shorts, insulated pants, leggings, etc. Be prepared = happy rider.

2. High altitude biking is hard on the body. At home I start at sea level and go to almost 4k ft. Up there you start around 4k and go to anywhere from 7 to over 8k. The symptoms include diahrhea, dehydration, naseau, fatigue, headaches, ... I had all of them at some point. So I started drinking water as soon as I woke up and I took 2 asprin. I packed a tube of asprin on my bike for just in case. I think it helped. I stretched at the top of each pass and forced myself to burp when I had cramps.

3. There are not a lot of bathrooms in the area - almost none. All that water drinking = full bladder. Most of the men ran off to the bushes. I got over "it" on Sunday. I was the first there, pulled up in my car and pee'd like Niagra. Then I reparked.

4. See Number 3. Don't walk through puddles anywhere that looks like a rest stop. Especially if there are no other puddles. It's up there with avoiding yellow snow.

5. When you bike, your blood goes to your thighs. Therefore eat at the top of a pass so that your body will let your stomach digest while you descend. Otherwise you might get cramps like me.

6. Crack kills. When you bike, your blood goes to your thighs so don't plan to slip into your fitted jeans when you are done or, like me, you won't be able to pull them up over your thighs.

7. Have warm, dry clothes in your car. Being cold and soaked after a ride is miserable.

8. Glucose is good. It's like a little energy spike for your legs.

9. Facial wipes in your car are a good thing after a ride. How could I have forgotten that?

10. Rob taught some solid climbing techniques: ride in the saddle for 100-150 strokes, then rise out of the saddle for 20-30. If nothing else, the counting might take your mind off the pain.