Two years ago my son went to college and suddenly I had a lot of time on my hands. I started cycling again. That was 2019. I quickly found out that I was in awful shape.
I got serious by riding a lot. My stamina improved. My speed (gradually) improved. A lot has changed since I last rode: there's a lot of training info on the web and services like Strava and Zwift make it easy to track activity and train effectively. Well, it doesn't make training easy but it does make it easier to know what to do. I embraced the training. I embraced the technology. I got a heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, power meter, and turbo trainer. No more excuses that it's too cold: that's what the turbo trainer is for. I rode (outside) more than 1,000 miles in 2019.
In the Fall of 2019 I stumbled upon a reference to RAGBRAI. I started reading about it. I watched YouTube videos. I decided to go. I subscribed to Rouvy and started training. A lot. I didn't know I could sweat that much. I got a Lasko fan that's designed to dry a flooded room's walls. I have it blasting air on me when I train. I (virtually) rode all Winter. As soon as RAGBRAI registration opened, I registered for the lottery. I booked a charter company for the ride from the end town to the start town.
Then I heard about COVID-19 in early 2020. I kept training, hoping there would be a quick shutdown of the disease. But no, it got worse. RAGBRAI was cancelled.
I kept riding indoors when it was cold, outdoors when it was warm. I kept training. I was enjoying it. I set personal records for distance. I rode 2,000 miles in 2020.
Finally, it's 2021. I got my COVID-19 vaccinations. The rates of new infections are dropping fast. RAGBRAI is on. My RAGBRAI registration rolled to this year with no lottery for me. My charter company did the same.
So now it's the home stretch of training. I have about 6 weeks left. And it's HOT now. I've switched from 20-30 mile rides to longer ones. My plan is to ride 60 miles on the W&OD trail every day that I have off from work. That should get me ready for the heat, distance, and hours in the saddle on successive days. Others who have ridden RAGBRAI in the past have said that day #2 is the hardest because it's the first day that you start with a sore ass. It seems to me that RAGBRAI prep is more about training my ass for hours in the saddle than it is about speed or stamina. The route passes through several towns each day. It's really like several 10-15 mile rides in one day. It's not 40-80 miles nonstop.
And finally I need to make sure my bike is in good working order. When I went out on my first long ride in a few months, I started with a quiet bike and ended with creaking and groaning and a rattling stem. I went through a thorough round of greasing parts and found that one of the bearings in my stem was broken. So I ordered a new one and installed it. Next up: replace the chain and then I'll reindex the derailleurs. And I'll make sure to test ride before I leave for Iowa. My rear tire is looking a little worn too. I just ordered two new tires today.
For now, it's train, train, train, sweat, sweat, sweat.
