OK, with that as intro, how did 2019 go versus my plans? My friend Bob says for most people it'd be a "career year" but when measured against what I planned to do the results are mixed. Here's the summary of the longer rides:
- Geelong Flyer 1000K. First long ride of the year (March/April). Had a fantastic ride, felt good the entire time and rode well. Did the Oppy (fléche) the previous week so I got off the schneide in Australia with two good rides. Spoiler alert: going back in 2020.
- BNBB 1000K (April): put on by my Hill Country Randonneur friends. Surprising to me, I've done a full series plus 1000K with HCR. Always enjoy the company and liked the route. It was really hot - definitely a case of "too much, too soon" but I managed with careful attention to electrolytes and fluids plus I discovered the power of a sun sleeve filled with ice around the neck. Historically, I've really struggled with riding in the heat so I felt pretty good about managing this one.Spoiler alert: going back in 2020.
- Florida Sunshine 1200K (May): I did this as a pre-ride since the regular ride conflicted with two of my own events. It was hot! I mean really hot with temperatures in the middle 90's and a heat index above 100 with characteristic Florida humidity. I managed the heat pretty well with only one brief episode of heat related nausea but the real secret to success was the exceptional support that Wayne and Melanie provided on the ride. They met us about every 12-15 miles during the heat of the day with cold drinks and ice and that made all the difference. There's a lesson there somewhere about regular hydration stops in extreme temperatures, sadly I didn't learn it (see below).
- Herentals 1200K (July): I did this with my friends Dave and Hamid. I was more than a little worried about whether or not I'd be able to do the ride because about 10 days previously I fell and broke my coccyx (tailbone). It was definitely a test of my ability to tolerate pain and the ride included a number of sections of cobblestones which were pure agony. Very satisfying to finish despite the pain and enjoyed riding with my friends.
- Prague 1200K (July): Dave, Hamid and I hatched the scheme to drive from Herentals to Slovenia to do the Prague 1200K and it was one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time" sorts of things. I'd previously done three 1200K's in less than 2 months with the shortest interval between finishing one and starting the next less than 2 weeks. This however proved to be too much for me or possibly I managed/paced my ride poorly. At any rate, it turned out that 3 days between finishing one ride and starting the next was too much. I rode pretty well the first day (204 miles) but just felt tired. Overnight and the next morning I had diarrhea like symptoms and my stomach was upset. As I lay awake thinking about it I thought mostly about the logistical difficulties should I DNF somewhere out on the road so I decided to not start day two. With benefit of hindsight, I might have been able to continue but the second day was a pretty tough one and I still feel like I made the right call.
- Paris-Brest-Paris 1200k (August): Had a fantastic ride and great experience. My goals weren't very lofty: enjoy the ride and finish inside the time limit. I accomplished both. I rode strongly and had 7+ hours stopped each night.
- Texas Hound Dog 1200K (September): As the date for this one approached I became increasingly anxious as I looked at the forecast: hot! I thought seriously about just not going but I'd already made all the arrangements so I decided to go with the lessons about heat management from the Texas 1000K and Florida Sunshine 1200K in mind. Long story short, I completely bolloxed my ride, didn't manage the heat well and DNF'd on day two. Although I take some solace in the fact that I wasn't one of the three people who ended their day in an ambulance I do think that had I done a better job of managing the heat I'd have been able to continue. This one hurts because basically I just screwed up.
- Geelong 1200K (November): Another painful experience although in this case I didn't start. I hurt my back really badly and decided not to go literally on the morning I was supposed to drive to the airport. Was really looking forward to seeing my Aussie friends and to riding with my friend Mark as he completed his 60th 1200K. A real disappointment.
Stay tuned.
