160 kms | 7h52 | avg speed 20 km/h | 3.655 kcal | 144 bpm
| Note to self: if the longest rides you are doing are around 90 kilometers, don’t go out and try 160 kms with a strong team. You will pay a terrible price. And try no to crash. It is not good for your skin. That is what I did today. Bonked so bad a dog overtook me and crashed in a stupid way… Strange day. | Nota para mim mesmo: se o treino mais longo que você estiver fazendo for 90 kms, não invente de fazer um de 160 kms com um time fortíssimo. Você vai pagar um preço terrível. E também tente não cair. Isso tudo aconteceu hoje. Eu perdi minhas forças de uma forma que até um cão passou de mim e leveu uma queda estúpida… |
7:30 sunrise in Maarssen.
Not a minute later, we crossed the railway beside the office and I was a bit outside the cycle path again. Tried to get in and my back wheel hit the curb and sledded sideways. My front wheel cave in and I was on the ground in a split of a second. All that around 30 km/h. The first impact was absorbed by the handlebar and my arm. Followed by the right knee and tight. I even hit slightly the helmet. It hurt quite a lot but it wasn’t only bruises on some holes in my best wind breaker. The only thing broken was the plastic tops of my right shifter and my pride.
I stand up with the help of Peter and my left tight was hearting like hell. But I managed to get on the bike and move slowly to Nike. With the movement things got better and we met the rest of the team there for the rest of the ride. A good reminder was the small hit on the helmet. A proved to be nothing and it didn’t even scratch it but I guess it would cause quite some damage if it was in the head. Some days I thing about not wearing it. Not anymore…
From there we rode in the direction of Zandam to visit Jos, our cycling buddy diagnosed with the Lou Goering disease (ALS in Holland). It was nice to see him surrounded by his amazing wife and kids. What a nice family and the way they all are coping with the situation is quite inspiring. We had a nice break and everybody was keeping the spirits high to give the best vibes to Jos.
On the way there and on the back we were pushing quite some speed and accelerations. Speeds of 32 to 36 kms/h or even 30 with cross winds. The team is quite strong and in some points I was pushing 180 bpm to keep up with them. I was happy that I didn’t drop in any moment but I kind of suspected what was in store for me.
Another interesting point was the amount of times we got lost or had to stop to discuss directions. To use a phrase coined by Tom Harper, it was very apparent that we are a sport company and not a navigation company like TomTom. Just before we got to Jos house we did a big loop instead of just going straight to his house. And that was not intentional.
BONKED - On the way back we got separated in two groups and Peter, Tom, Romeo and I went straight to Utrecht. Tom and Romeo are very strong guys and we decided to separate to avoid holding them back. At exactly 130 kilometers the man with the hammer got me. I bonked so bad as it hasn’t happen in years. All strength left me and I was reduced to struggle against a fairly strong wind pushing a mere 17 to 18 km/h. No power, no speed and only pain.
Peter was a great friend and he stayed with me, giving me pace and waiting for me every 5 kilometers or so. That makes you keep going. My whole body was aching and my legs felt like they weight a ton each. I wasn’t able to get my heart rate above 135 bpm and I even felt nauseated and had to stop 2 or 3 times. With 10 kilometers to go I asked Peter to go ahead and leave me. I was quite sure I would manage to get home. But those 30 kilometers were the hardest from the last 5 years. I need to find time and start training for real…
Strange day… even a discussion with a colleague happen for a stupid reason. Should have trained alone…
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