Training with the Pros, it sounds like fun but it can’t be. Pros are genetic freaks; they put more kilometers on their bikes than any of us civilians do on our cars each year, they ride around whole countries at an average speed greater than 40km/hour and they can dish out such Rule V style day-after-day-after-day. We all dream about it but we don’t have it.
In an earlier life I came close to landing my dream job in Monaco with the IAEA. Serious people counseled me not to take the job, they said it was a bad career move. How could I explain to them I didn’t give a shiet if it was a bad career move, the chance to live, and more importantly to be a cyclist near San Remo and La Madone was all I cared about? Yet I knew if I even saw Tom Boonen or one of the many Aussies who call Monaco their home out on a training ride, I would only be seeing their lycra-clad asses disappearing up the road. Could I at least catch up to Stuart O’Grady to chat him up for a minute before my inability to talk and breathe would force me to lie and say I was turning right HERE? Maybe I could drink beers with the Aussies, I could keep that professional pace, actually no, I would get dropped there too.
Oh that job fell through and my dreams of commuting into work on Merlin on the Cote d’Azure disappeared like those watery mirages on a hot highway, but I digress. I have some good and funny direct video evidence why training with the Pros would be a cruel lesson in our mortal failings. One such Pro is Ted King, an American racer living the dream; he is based in Lucca, riding for Liquigas, riding in support of Ivan Basso and Peter Sagan. He is tough, he has finished every Giro d’Italia he has started. He broke his collarbone this summer racing in Philadelphia when his front wheel dropped into an inexcusably lame drain grate (thank you very much, oh third-world infrastructure that defines the USA).
To bring his training back up to speed he did the 200 on 100 with fellow Pro Tim Johnson and amateur racer Ryan Kelly. The 200 on 100 means 200 miles on Route 100, riding North to South from the top to the bottom of the state of Vermont, the Green Mountain State. Unless you are Marcus, 333 km seems like an impossibly long ride to do at once, I would be in broom wagon long before the end of such madness.
And by madness I refer to the 338 km at 34.1 km/hr average speed with 3,197 meters of climbing thrown in for good measure.
Video credit to Chandler Delinks
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@Cyclops
I'm guessing it's not the chocolate milkshake but Ted King mentions that he was chatting to his friends on the start line of the last stage of the Giro d'Italia (as you do...) and someone says "How much money would you have to be paid to turn around now and do the whole thing again ?"
Apparently the consensus was about 100 grand.
So for the 200 on 100 Tim Johnson says he'd do it for 10 grand.
And Ryan Kelly just looks like someone has asked would he mind donating a kidney without anaesthetic. In fact I think he would probably have regarded that as a better option. Man he was whacked, but chapeau for finishing.
@frank
Frank, That is it, you hit the nail on the head, as usual. I accept this June epic ride for the experience of it and the focus it will bring to the dark hours coming. It is great to have goals. In the day it was easy to stay "on" through the winter with roller racing, some speed skating and X-country skiing. These days out in the hinterlands it is all about how to amuse myself to make the motivation.
Another reason to go for the June date is that it will only push the boundaries out further and how often in our little lives do we get to do that? This is legal and not hurting anyone, it is just another kind of trip.
In truth I have never been a fan of long distance and I am not going to start doing RAGBRI (what ever that is). My m.o. was to finish what ever ride as fast as possible not sit there slowly enduring discomfort and pain and long training miles were the medicine that made that work. This, because it is couched in terms of "a long training ride" works for me. Yes in august I will rip up a couple of centuries - as long as the little bump at 163 miles does not kill me!
@brian
Thanks for the CX link, that looks like fun to race and watch.
@All
I'm glad to have lit a fuse here. That ride will only be "enjoyable" if fit so people have a nice incentive for April peaking-in-two-months training.
@Buck Rogers
Weekday would work best as I work weekends, and they don't like to give us weekends off very often. Plus Sundays in New England is church day, which means at least in the morning traffic will be heavy anyways, and in summer the weekends in New England are plenty busy in general. I would like to see a weekday for those reasons personally.
@mcsqueak
I vote you should still come out. My longest has been a century, and I'm sure your just as good a cyclist as I am. Plus the more people that come the shorter the pulls and the more draft, which makes it easier for everyone. If you force yourself to put on some long but easy miles this winter your endurance will be well prepared for the ride. The hard part is obviously putting a lot of miles in on the trainer.
@Godsight
Just curious, which university? I recently finished school myself.
@frank
Another +1 for the calendar idea.
@Marko
Ha...I was thinking the same thing. "Jeez, Ted king of has a round, fleshy face for a EuroPro." Considering his height though, I probably wouldn't point this out if I met him.
kind, not king...Hmm, wonder why I made that mistake!
@King Clydesdale
Cool! Now we have the route (mapmyride link), the time of year (early June) and the time of week (weekday).
Now I'll try to hammer out a few days that will possibly work for everyone and we can finlaize the date.
My trainer and I are going to get even closer than normal this winter! :)
Keep me in the loop re. Vermont. I'd definitely like to make it over for that one. June works for me. Make sure you have your passports for the border crossing...
@Steampunk
Steampunk, looks like you've been demoted to a Level 4 Velominati. How'd you piss Fronk off this time?
As for the border, we actually start at the border but do not cross into Cananda, do we? (if you were jesting, please excuse me, subtly in humor often escapes me).
@King Clydesdale
Stop trying to tempt me! This is how it always gets started. Then before I know it, I'm 50km into some crazy ride, hurting like fuck, and wondering how I'm going to finish.