Double header -Gravel Style!
This weekends plan was executed exactly how I was hoping it would! I wanted to head out on my bike and do two solo rides and get a feeling of what riding on gravel for the back to back days on long rides would feel like. In preparing for the Gravel Royale this August, I know that settling in and finding ways to embrace the fatigue and tired legs will be key.
As I prepared for the fatigue and tired legs, it wasn’t what I was expecting. In fact, I learned that I actually can manage this quite well in hitting the reset button.
Do you ever find that when you do the same route over and over that you come to expect a hill to be hard or intimidating? Something I learned during Saturday’s ride is that I seem to take some of these steep hills and over glorify them into something they are not. It’s almost like I’m preparing them in my head as I’m approaching them and saying “You know this will be tough. Maybe you’ll need to walk your bike. That’s ok. Walk your bike or stop and talk a break.”
I get to the hill and I don’t get off, I don’t stop, and I keep peddling.
I learned a few key things during this process: Don’t give more credit to the hill than it deserves and don’t make a preemptive plan of plan B in case I “fail”. Keep moving, keep peddling and when you approach a hill, let it be what it is.
When you’re out during your training, try these few suggestions to see if you have a more positive experience through some of the challenging areas:
Saboteur Sage
URGH, this hill is too much Take it one movement at a time. Breath, relax your shoulders.
I’m too tired. Maybe I should take the easy way home Let’s see how this plays out. I can refill at the next rest stop and I’ll check my food supply.
Work \ Family\ Friends issues RESET! I’m grateful for this experience and so happy to be outside and doing what I love.
Maps: Check out both Day1 and Day2 from the weekend on Gaia!
Hydration: Nuun Endurance
Food: Potatoes with salt, honey stingers and granola bar
Gear: Peppermint Cycling kit, Norco Search 105 Tire Size 36 - Challenge Strada . Added in the Redshift stem to help make it a more smoother ride!
Route difficulty: Both of these routes are great for anyone that is starting out to an expert. There’s no forest roads on these routes or ATV type trails. Some nice downhills to work on scanning the road in front of you and learning how to get more comfortable on dry and loose gravel.
