In preparation for my long race in July I signed up for the 6 Hours of Washougal mountain bike race this past Saturday. (hmm...have I mentioned on the blog that I'm signed up for a 100-mile mountain bike race in July? Maybe not. I'm doing the High Cascades 100 on July 23! Yowzers!!!) My friends, Abby and Rachel, are also training for a 100-miler this summer (the Cascade Cream Puff) - so we decided to do the 6-hour race together....and then ride home from the Washougal Motorcross Park to Portland! It was a big day. The race itself was 7.2 miles/lap with 800 feet of climbing per lap. We knocked out 8 laps in 6 hours - 4 minutes for a total of 57.6 miles and 6,400 feet of climbing. After phase 1 of the day we changed clothes, pumped up our mtn.bike tires, and hit the road for the final 30 miles home to Portland. Technically this put us at 87.6 miles for the day, but we're calling it 90 because we had to back track a couple of times due to route finding issues on our way home. :) Fortunately the last 30 miles on the road are mostly flat or downhill - I'm not sure my legs would have tolerated too much more climbing!
I was lucky enough to have Mom, William, Adele & Thor waiting for me back in Portland - and they whipped up a delicious dinner of burgers (thanks Thor), with blue cheese (thanks Mom!), and a delicious rhubarb/strawberry desert (thanks Adele!). William provided good company. :)
Overall it was a great day - I was glad to get to test my legs at a long distance, and I was happy it was hot out (~85 degrees) so I could see how I felt riding for that long at that temperature. I am happy to say I did not have any trouble with cramping, or my stomach getting upset. Yay! The worst part of the day was my feet - admittedly I do need new mtn.bike shoes - but my feet were going numb by the end of the 6-hour race. I felt like my pedals were grinding a hole in my foot on every pedal stroke.Yuck! Obviously I survived though - and although my feet are still tender today I didn't suffer any blisters - so that's a plus.
Anyone out there really like their mountain bike shoes? I am now officially in the market for a new pair!
I was lucky enough to have Mom, William, Adele & Thor waiting for me back in Portland - and they whipped up a delicious dinner of burgers (thanks Thor), with blue cheese (thanks Mom!), and a delicious rhubarb/strawberry desert (thanks Adele!). William provided good company. :)
Overall it was a great day - I was glad to get to test my legs at a long distance, and I was happy it was hot out (~85 degrees) so I could see how I felt riding for that long at that temperature. I am happy to say I did not have any trouble with cramping, or my stomach getting upset. Yay! The worst part of the day was my feet - admittedly I do need new mtn.bike shoes - but my feet were going numb by the end of the 6-hour race. I felt like my pedals were grinding a hole in my foot on every pedal stroke.Yuck! Obviously I survived though - and although my feet are still tender today I didn't suffer any blisters - so that's a plus.
Anyone out there really like their mountain bike shoes? I am now officially in the market for a new pair!
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| Abby and I at the end of a loooong day. Rachel is already at home at this point! |
You can just put a little dirt smudge on that photo and say it's me.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I got home and Ira suggested salad for dinner - it was all we had at home. I think I snapped a little.