"Colleen and David - Thanks y'all for the great ride to Poughkeepsie -wonderful weather, challenging hills, apple orchards. I shoulda ordered apple pie with lunch! mmm, apple pie...
Colleen and Susan - Thx for looking after me as I fell off to ""pick apples"" dreaming of pie
I guess my 'tip' for cleaning the tables at lunch was ""When operating without immediate orders, ATTACK""
- Derek"
Today's B18 to Poughkeepsie
Sat, 09/24/2005 - 8:13pm
Sun, 09/25/2005 - 3:22pm
#1
Had a great time
We had a great time too. Thanks to Fred Steinberg (with additional suggestions from Robert Gray) for a spectacular route (another version of this ride will be done by Fred in later October). Thanks to a great group that rode steadily and at pace through the ride, with nice camraderie.
David
P.S. A note for future ride planners: Painters in Cornwall has some great food at reasonable prices, but they failed in a major way to serve our group on this occasion (took over an hour to get our food, over 30 minutes just to get water; 2 hour lunch in all). All this after I had called the day before to let them know of our arrival and see if they could accomodate our group, and then again 1.5 hours before we arrived to give them an exact number and ETA (again being assured by the restaurant that they would have no trouble feeding our group).
There is a deli in town with a place to eat and, after this experience, I would give it preference for a ride trying to get back to the city at a decent hour.
Sun, 09/25/2005 - 5:11pm
#2
to lunch or not to lunch...
Large groups always are at risk of slow sevice. This has been a problem with 3 rides I have been on this year. One tactic is to break up into groups of 4 per table. If time is essential, your best bet is to eat quick, uncomplicated fare at delis or fluid stops en route and saving the group meal as a post ride event.
A personal and touchy topic among cyclists, nutrition during the ride really only needs to be simple and from a few food groups. The much touted solid food is a cultural myth. If you are in the throes of an aerobic event you need water, carbohydrates and salt. A little protein might have some benefit as in Accelorade but it isn't going to get you to the train. Fats are even less important. Unless you are anorexic, you will surely have more than enough fat in your system for the day. As far a fiber goes, that and vitamins can be taken at breakfast before the ride. If it makes you feel better in your head, you can add some nutitional yeast to your sports drink. I do but we are not talking about a need to get this at lunch.
I will stand up and take anybody's best shot at refuting what I have just written. We are talking about basic nutrition, not rocket science.
Sun, 09/25/2005 - 5:51pm
#3
I agree on the basic nutrition - my personal experience
I have read and found through trial and error on several 140 mile plus rides this year that I can efficiently digest about 250 calories per hour. Any more food per hour seems to be wasted. So, I eat regularly every sixty to seventy five minutes while riding and rotate in different types of carbs such as half a bagel-with some cream cheese(fat), a powerbar, etc. In about the fifth hour I rotate in 250 calories of pure protien - 1/4 pound of lean ham from a deli. Half of my total fluid intake is a sports drink mix, the other half is water and I drink about a large bottle every sixty to seventy five minutes.
I can actually time the full energy release to my muscles - which is about 12-15 minutes after ingestion. It is very interesting and consistent. I have found that regularly eating and mixing these food types up and in these amounts gives me the most power and endurance especially when I hit the 120 mile mark and need to squeeze out another 30 miles. Moreover, I have found that when I get home I have lots of energy - much more than I did when I was eating full deli sandwiches and drinking only water on 100 mile rides.
If anyone has a better strategy or something different to try for even more endurance and power, I would like to try it.
Bob
Sun, 09/25/2005 - 6:02pm
#4
To Eat or Not to Eat
Certainly the logistics of splitting riders at tables would make sense. Unfortunately, just splitting up into two groups was too much for our server.
What seems to be missed, however, in the two posts above is the pleasure, sometimes, of enjoying a meal with friends on a ride. We were not setting speed records (especially with lunch, but otherwise too!). Though I too prefer a light lunch on some rides, I've actually had some great experiences with some sit-down lunches on rides, including with sizable groups. This one was a sad exception.
Sun, 09/25/2005 - 7:04pm
#5
If you have the time to gamble on poor service ...
then enjoy the comradeship of lunch. But if time is a factor, you have to throw out a low card. Poughkeepsie, Peekskill and Cold Spring all have restaurants near the stations where you can meet before the train ride home if the time still exists. But most of the time cyclists will try to catch the earlier train if they have the choice.
Tue, 09/27/2005 - 12:11am
#6
Riding to eat versus Eating to Ride
"I understand those who advertise ""WE RIDE TO EAT"". Its great to ride for a couple of hours, then sit down and socialize while waiting for a hot meal, then leisurely riding back home. A recipe for a good time.
I find that that philosphy has to be tempered when you are on a ride over 60 miles, have significant hills, have a large group and/or have a train to catch at the end of the ride. It's more time efficient if everyone gets their food separately rather than sitting down at a diner waiting for service.
This allows the ride to resume more quickly, and I find there are three good reasons to do so:
1. The longer the lunch break, the longer it takes to warm up the muscles to get going after the meal. I experience ""lunch legs"" in cycling and skiing when the break is over 45 minutes.
2. Nobody wants to have mechanicals, but they do happen which gives another opportunity to have a snack that has been carried with you while repairs are made.
3. In the early season and in late season, there isn't a lot of daylight, so it's best to keep moving.
My opinion that we should eat to ride is offered regardless of the advertised ride speed. Fast or slow, you don't want to ride in rushed state of mind. That happens enough commuting, plus riding rushed invites accidents.
"
Mon, 09/26/2005 - 6:15am
#7
Bob Shay: Thanks for the suggestion...
Bob,
Thanks very much for this suggestion, which makes sense to me intuitively. It is very useful, because I rarely ride long distances and so don't have many opportunities for trial and error. I rode 135 miles recently and was very wiped out by the end, but I bet it would have been much better if I'd followed your regimen. I'll try it next time. Thanks!
Best regards, Chaim
Tue, 09/27/2005 - 9:35am
#8
NYCC photo
Cool pic of the group on NYCC's home page. We look so lean and mean, but mostly too lean. (Peter, dude, look a little less mean, you monster)
Everyone should eat more. Mangia! Mangia! Sit down, grab and go, whatever. Apple pie for all!!
Thu, 09/29/2005 - 5:29pm
#9
A little less mean?! That's a smile!
Sat, 10/01/2005 - 2:41pm
#10
yah but
"but i guess you're smiling cuz you LEFT THE RIDE 25 miles early supposedly for a ""social engagement."" weenie.
i look like a midget in the picture - but then sometimes I bike like one."
Sat, 10/01/2005 - 3:51pm
#11
I really just could not bear to watch you bonking on the hills, so I left the ride to go home. But, wait! How could I see you when you were at least a half-mile behind me on the hills?
Mon, 10/03/2005 - 9:51pm
#12
Yah, yah, Pete, it's kinda like the tortoise and the hare parable -the tortoise gets the apple pie!
While you were drafting behind the group conserving 40% energy, I was EARNING my turns alone and enjoying the beautiful day. I did it the old-fashioned way, I EARNED it.
I heard a rumor that you're taking performance enhancing drugs. No way you could have ridden to Poughkeepsie in the shape you're in......
Tue, 10/04/2005 - 5:02am
#13
uh huh
Jenny Craig seems to be a better performance enhancer than apple pie, based on the results of the rides we have been on together.
It was mano a mano on the climbs buddy! No drafting. In the paceline, I had only one or two people to draft off of. How much energy did you conserve behind the 10 or 12 people who were in front of you?
Wed, 10/05/2005 - 8:32pm
#14
Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship? Although I'm still holding out for Renee Zellweger, esp since Katie Holmes is preggie. sigh.....
I love you, man. (not that there's anything wrong with that)
Thu, 10/06/2005 - 8:41am
#15
Katie Holmes? Ugh! How about Jennifer Anniston? She's free.
Sat, 10/08/2005 - 2:20pm
#16
Free, But as Brad Pitt would tell you...
...she's not cheap.
Sun, 10/09/2005 - 5:30pm
#17
Chris,
That’s ok if she’s paying :)
Peter
Sun, 10/09/2005 - 7:43pm
#18
"would you leave a 75 mile hilly ride on a nice fall day to return early for a dinner with Katie or Renee or ....Jessica Alba...or Tom or Kenny or Aston....? (If you're all spending time reading this thread and this post then the obvious answer is: ""NO! I'd rather be attacking the hills!"")
i'd personally rather be ""picking apples"" since NYCC bikers rock.... yes, even those weenies who bail out early...like PETE....
"
Mon, 10/10/2005 - 7:55pm
#19
Well, I won’t be leaving a ride early, again, because I dumped her on Saturday night!
