Tour de Tulsa 2008
Saturday was our annual bike ride known as the Tour de Tulsa.
Not sure where they got the name, but its been going on for years, and is always a good ride, and very well-supported. There was a little less support this year, according to my friend Adam, owner of Lee's Bikes and the Trek Bicycle Store. He told me that one of the guys was in a car accident last week, and totaled their support van. No one was hurt, and it wasn't the kid's fault, but it did leave the participants of the ride in a bad place, and Adam felt really bad about it. From my perspective it didn't seem to matter, I didn't see to many people having mechanical problems, and there seemed to be plenty of sag support, as well as communications support from some local Ham Radio operators.
I don't always do this ride, but elected to ride in it this year because I needed the miles. I'm glad I did. From what I could tell, there were more riders this year than ever before. I was amazed at the huge crowd, and glad, because every year it seems like cycling is becoming more and more popular. In spite of the horrible roads we have in Oklahoma, Tulsa is a great cycling town, thanks to the hundreds of miles of paved bike trails, which continue to expand throughout the county. I asked a lady at the registration table how many riders had registered, and she said they did not know, but they had prepared for 700, but ran out of packets a long time ago. My guess is that there were at least 1000 cyclists out there. Remarkable.
It looked like there were a lot of new riders out this morning.
I base that observation on several things. One, the clothing people wear. I saw a lot of sweat pants (not good for cycling), and some people wearing running shorts (a little immodest on a bicycle). Speaking of immodest, one young lady was riding, and her...um...thong panties were showing out of her knit pants. I have a feeling that after a few miles, those things are going to venture places she does not want them to go.
Another way I could tell there were some new cyclists out there was the etiquette. One guy could not seem to hold his line. Anytime someone tried to pass him, he would veer into their path. It was very frustrating. A young lady was riding two abreast with someone she apparently knew, but she was taking up the entire lane. I called out "on your left," but she didn't respond. When I came along side her, I could see that she was wearing an ipod. An ipod. Please. Its not so bad to wear an ipod when you're out on the river trail. But when you're riding in traffic, with 1000 other riders, it is not only a big no no, it is plain stupid. Your ability to hear is one of the most important things when cycling in traffic and in a big group. But she is new, so I'm going to cut her some slack.
The weather was brutal.
The temperature at the start was about 45 degrees, and the high was only set to hit 66. And 66 degrees is more the normal low for this time of year, rather than the high. Adding to the problem was a north wind that was blowing at about 20 mph. Organizers have no way of knowing what the wind is going to be doing when they plan the route, but they rightly try to allow for a south wind. You start out the ride into a headwind, then finish up with a nice tailwind. That's how I like to ride--get the tough part out of the way first. But today, we had a tailwind in the beginning, then soon turned back into a stiff headwind. Forty-five degree temperature with a 20 mph headwind--do the math. This was not a fun ride.
Did I bonk?
If you're not into cycling, let me introduce you to a term with which you may not be familiar. To bonk is to have a physical, or mental, or emotional breakdown while engaging in some athletic activity. Not a breakdown of equipment, or a crash on the road, but a palpable event that occurs, where you know that you cannot finish the ride. I've bonked before, in different ways. Sometimes it has been physical--my body is just so sore, that I know I'm done. Once, on FreeWheel two years ago, it was emotional. I found myself so broken emotionally that I thought I was going to start crying before I finished the 62 mile ride. Turns out, that day I only needed some sodium, then I was good to go. Today, I was just not having fun. I've ridden enough miles in the past seven years (close to 20,000), that I've determined that if I'm not having fun, I don't feel the need to finish. I have nothing left to prove, to myself or anyone else. Today, I almost didn't go on this ride. I was feeling really sick last night, and could not get to sleep until about 2:00am. I woke up at six, feeling a lot better, but exhausted from getting so little sleep last night. Then I got to the starting line, and the weather was so bad that I didn't feel like being there. But I pressed on, and left on the ride. I'm glad I did, but I almost immediately knew that I would not finish. The route took us within a few miles from my house, so when we got to the point on the route where going straight would lead to more hills and more wind, and going right would take me to the house, I chose to go right. I finished the day with 32 miles. Lisa gave me a lift back to the car, where I had a Subway sandwich and a little Gatorade, and I felt a lot better. While sitting in the park, listening to a band and eating my sandwich, I heard a couple of ladies telling their boyfriends that they had bonked on the ride. It made me wonder, "did I bonk, or did I just not care?" I didn't finish, so I guess technically I bonked, but if you know you're going to bonk, is it really bonking? Questions to ponder.
I will finish the week with about 120 miles, which is about twenty over my weekly goal, so I have no complaints. Lisa took my picture when I finished. Check it out.
Yes, I know my legs are white. And no, I don't shave them.
Not sure where they got the name, but its been going on for years, and is always a good ride, and very well-supported. There was a little less support this year, according to my friend Adam, owner of Lee's Bikes and the Trek Bicycle Store. He told me that one of the guys was in a car accident last week, and totaled their support van. No one was hurt, and it wasn't the kid's fault, but it did leave the participants of the ride in a bad place, and Adam felt really bad about it. From my perspective it didn't seem to matter, I didn't see to many people having mechanical problems, and there seemed to be plenty of sag support, as well as communications support from some local Ham Radio operators.
I don't always do this ride, but elected to ride in it this year because I needed the miles. I'm glad I did. From what I could tell, there were more riders this year than ever before. I was amazed at the huge crowd, and glad, because every year it seems like cycling is becoming more and more popular. In spite of the horrible roads we have in Oklahoma, Tulsa is a great cycling town, thanks to the hundreds of miles of paved bike trails, which continue to expand throughout the county. I asked a lady at the registration table how many riders had registered, and she said they did not know, but they had prepared for 700, but ran out of packets a long time ago. My guess is that there were at least 1000 cyclists out there. Remarkable.
It looked like there were a lot of new riders out this morning.
I base that observation on several things. One, the clothing people wear. I saw a lot of sweat pants (not good for cycling), and some people wearing running shorts (a little immodest on a bicycle). Speaking of immodest, one young lady was riding, and her...um...thong panties were showing out of her knit pants. I have a feeling that after a few miles, those things are going to venture places she does not want them to go.
Another way I could tell there were some new cyclists out there was the etiquette. One guy could not seem to hold his line. Anytime someone tried to pass him, he would veer into their path. It was very frustrating. A young lady was riding two abreast with someone she apparently knew, but she was taking up the entire lane. I called out "on your left," but she didn't respond. When I came along side her, I could see that she was wearing an ipod. An ipod. Please. Its not so bad to wear an ipod when you're out on the river trail. But when you're riding in traffic, with 1000 other riders, it is not only a big no no, it is plain stupid. Your ability to hear is one of the most important things when cycling in traffic and in a big group. But she is new, so I'm going to cut her some slack.
The weather was brutal.
The temperature at the start was about 45 degrees, and the high was only set to hit 66. And 66 degrees is more the normal low for this time of year, rather than the high. Adding to the problem was a north wind that was blowing at about 20 mph. Organizers have no way of knowing what the wind is going to be doing when they plan the route, but they rightly try to allow for a south wind. You start out the ride into a headwind, then finish up with a nice tailwind. That's how I like to ride--get the tough part out of the way first. But today, we had a tailwind in the beginning, then soon turned back into a stiff headwind. Forty-five degree temperature with a 20 mph headwind--do the math. This was not a fun ride.
Did I bonk?
If you're not into cycling, let me introduce you to a term with which you may not be familiar. To bonk is to have a physical, or mental, or emotional breakdown while engaging in some athletic activity. Not a breakdown of equipment, or a crash on the road, but a palpable event that occurs, where you know that you cannot finish the ride. I've bonked before, in different ways. Sometimes it has been physical--my body is just so sore, that I know I'm done. Once, on FreeWheel two years ago, it was emotional. I found myself so broken emotionally that I thought I was going to start crying before I finished the 62 mile ride. Turns out, that day I only needed some sodium, then I was good to go. Today, I was just not having fun. I've ridden enough miles in the past seven years (close to 20,000), that I've determined that if I'm not having fun, I don't feel the need to finish. I have nothing left to prove, to myself or anyone else. Today, I almost didn't go on this ride. I was feeling really sick last night, and could not get to sleep until about 2:00am. I woke up at six, feeling a lot better, but exhausted from getting so little sleep last night. Then I got to the starting line, and the weather was so bad that I didn't feel like being there. But I pressed on, and left on the ride. I'm glad I did, but I almost immediately knew that I would not finish. The route took us within a few miles from my house, so when we got to the point on the route where going straight would lead to more hills and more wind, and going right would take me to the house, I chose to go right. I finished the day with 32 miles. Lisa gave me a lift back to the car, where I had a Subway sandwich and a little Gatorade, and I felt a lot better. While sitting in the park, listening to a band and eating my sandwich, I heard a couple of ladies telling their boyfriends that they had bonked on the ride. It made me wonder, "did I bonk, or did I just not care?" I didn't finish, so I guess technically I bonked, but if you know you're going to bonk, is it really bonking? Questions to ponder.
I will finish the week with about 120 miles, which is about twenty over my weekly goal, so I have no complaints. Lisa took my picture when I finished. Check it out.
Yes, I know my legs are white. And no, I don't shave them.
Hey does that Coke shirt mean you are like a Nascar driver and you're being sponsored by Coke?
It's a good look for you.
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Thanks Tim! I am not a Nascar driver--I'm into sport, and everyone knows that Nascar is not a sport, its a bunch of rednecks driving in a circle.
There's nothing like a Coke and a bike ride!
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The wind was brutal! There was a headwind from every direction, but I disliked riding through construction zones in Sapulpa even more. I think I recall seeing you and your Coke kit several times along the ride. Too bad you had to drop out, the last half was fairly flat.
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The construction zones, and the chug holes! They were brutal, and I think my wheels were knocked out of true because of it. I didn't mind dropping out, and got in a few miles on Sunday afternoon to pay my pennance. Maybe we will see you at the 55 mile ride on Saturday.
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