Background
I've been an avid recreational cyclist since about 1987 (kind of). Back then, motivated by a cute girl in spandex who rode a lot, I bought a used Shogun road bike, bike shoes (Diadoro road shoes), bike shorts and strapped into the toe clips to ride early morning loops around the Charles River with her. In a theme that would repeat itself too often in the future, I spent as little as possible on the bike and then proceeded to spend a small fortune ungrading and modifying it into what I really wanted - kind of. Although my attention span for this girl was relatively short, the same cannot be said for my love of cycling. Early the next year (the fall of my second year of law school), I spent the ungodly sum of $500 on a Cannondale road bike. It was one of the first aluminum bikes with Cannondale's distinctive oversized aluminum tubing. With a combo of Campagnolo and Suntour components, Look clipless pedals and Cinelli bars, it was an incredibly stiff, quick and fun to ride.
Back then, I was in pretty good shape and used to ride all around Boston, Brighton, Brookline, Lexington and Cape Cod. I road my first century on it and would've ridden it when I rode from Montreal to the Cape with my father, brother and uncle, but it was totaled when I was hit by a car near Boston College, in Cleveland Circle (thankfully insurance replaced it, just not in time for the ride from Montreal). During summers on the Cape, I would ride in the morning and head to the beach. For 2 1/2 weeks in July, I would leave the beach early to get home to watch coverage of the Tour de France. Although some of my friends, by that time, probably knew who Greg LeMond was, I can assure you not one could tell you who the hell Pedro Delgado or Laurent Fignon was - and forget about the greats like Bernard Hinault or Eddy Merckx
For reasons unknown, I stopped riding from about 1991ish (Susan?). My Cannondale gathered dust and cob webs until around 2003 when I hopped back on my "new" Cannondale and went for a ride with a friend who is a serious cyclist. Half-way through the ride (which was probably only about 18 miles), I thought I was going to die. I was completely out of shape and the stiffness of the bike (and maybe an extra 25+ lbs) made me feel every pebble in the road and pray for the end of the ride. Despite that ride and many other painful rides, I wanted back into cycling. I went to Belmont Wheel Works and started looking for a new bike, ending up with a bike I've loved to ride for the past several years -- a K2 Mod 5.0 Aluminum and Carbon Fiber frame with Shimano Ultegra Gruppo and Speedplay Zero pedals (great bike!).
I road 6 Pan Mass Challenges and countless miles around Wellesley, Needham, Dover, Natick, Concord, the Cape and Vermont. A month ago, I retired the K2 and moved into the 21st century with a 2009 Cervelo RS (love this bike even more!!) - all carbon, Ultegra gruppo (I wanted Campy Chorus, but opted not to spend the extra $ - something I'll likely regret when I upgrade to the Campy later this year or next once my afore mentioned penchant for buying "low" and then spending more to get what I wanted in the first place takes over).
The Challenge:
I'll never run a marathon. I HATE running. When I do, it is a complete and utter chore. I wear an iPod and run from telephone pole to telephone pole (you know the feeling... "just one more and then you can stop...ok, really, at the next one you can really stop", until the 2-3 miles is over). On the other hand, I love being on a bike. While I can find any number of reasons to procrastinate and/or nap instead of ride, once on the bike, I absolutely love it. Whether with others for the banter, speed and fun of a group ride, or (maybe my favorite) alone, quietly working by myself....in my own private Idaho.
For the past several years a number of my friends have been riding the Harpoon B2B - a 147.2 mile 1 day ride from the Harpoon Brewery in Boston to the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT. I doubt I'll be able to keep up with some of them but, this will be my marathon. Centuries (single day 100 mile rides) are relatively easy. It's just a matter of sitting on the bike and spinning for long enough to finish. The B2B, like a marathon, is a sufferfest. At around the 90 mile marker you begin a 7 1/2 mile climb called "The Leviathan" -- enough said. Around the 110 mile marker (as I'm told) you get to a dark place psychologically and the ride takes another of its many upward turns for another long pull uphill. Your body starts to break down at about mile 120, but you still have 27 miles to go. So here we go. Sounds like fun.
Right now I weigh about 200 lbs. Weight is not a good thing on a bike. -- ever look at a professional cyclist? -- this is especially true when you're climbing the hills/mountains necessary to finish the B2B at an average overall speed of not less than 16.0 mph for the entire 147 mi. I want to drop about 15-20 lbs. and, for the winter months, average at least 100-150 miles a week, inside on a trainer and outside on my cross bike. I just subscribed to dailymile.com to keep track of my progress.
I'll still, maybe, add a wine post or 2, but I think the rich, red meat focus to my diet has come to an end as my focus for the near future will be training for the ride....
