Preparing for a Ride

This posting is the first of a couple of posts that attempt to capture what I experience as I prepare for and perform a bicycle ride. Most of my riding is a combination of recreation and training. I am a goal oriented person who is almost always in training for some event or to reach some desired level of performance. This leads to the postings containing a fair amount of content related to training even though the postings are not meant to be a training guide. I will add a posting in the future that will focus on that topic.

I try to ride four days a week and almost always am able to keep to this schedule. A ride usually starts at the end of a work day or in the morning on weekends. If I have daylight and the weather is dry and above 25 degrees Fahrenheit, the session will be a road ride on one of my bicycles. If it is evening or the weather is miserable, I head to the gym to ride the LifeCycles. Before I ride there is some preparation to be done, particularly if I am riding on the road. These preparations have become a ritual and are part of the experience.

Prior to a road ride on the road I will look over the bike, check tire pressures, then reset the cycling computer so that the trip distance is zeroed out. For rides that are going to last over an hour but less than two hours, I mix up some Cytomax in a 22 ounce water bottle, diluting it to half the normal strength. For longer rides I go with the Cytomax at full strength and also bring a second water bottle full of plain H2O. For all rides of over one hour I take along some Clif Shot Bloks. For rides longer than two and a half hours I may bring along some stuff to nibble on that contains complex carbs and a bit of protein. The drinks and food are essential to keeping my body fueled during the longer rides. I will write a separate blog on that subject some time soon.

The other part of preparing for a road ride is to put on the riding outfit. It starts with biking shorts for milder temperatures or full-length wind-resistant cycling pants for when it is cold. The upper body is handled with the appropriate undershirt and jersey for the temperature. The cycling specific clothing is a wonder of function. The undershirt and shorts work to keep the sweat away from the body. The shorts are specially designed to cushion the crotch and minimize chaffing. The jersey provides handy storage for the assorted things a cyclist needs to carry with them. Loading these assorted things (Clif Shot Blocks, wallet, house key, snacks) into the jersey is the next step before completing the ritual by pulling on the specialized socks and the riding shoes that will clip tightly to the pedals of the road bike. In cooler weather I may also put on a cycling vest and some shoe covers to get a little more warmth. At this point I am almost set to go, just having to put my water bottles into the holders on the bike and then put on my cycling helmet, wrap-around sunglasses, and riding gloves. At this point I am ready to hop on the bike and ride. A description of the road riding experience is contained in another posting on this blog.