Ujamaflip
New Member
- Location
- Karlsruhe, Germany
Cycled my first 200km ride yesterday! I cycled a route I found on www.gpsies.com which took me through the North Vosges in France. I wasn't really planning the trip, in fact I'd had quite a hard cycling week having had commuted to work three times and beating my own personal best on Wednesday (29km in 58minutes for the return trip). However it was a nice, sunny day and after breakfast decided to get my gear together and set off on the trip.
I took my Koga racing bike, two 750ml flasks of water, and a backpack with a sandwich, a couple of energy bars, a sweet pastry and another litre of water. I set off towards the Rhine, crossed it and then turned South towards France. After entering France I turned West towards the Vosges. I followed the course on my Garmin GPS, which worked out well but was sometimes tricky in the built-up areas.
After about 50km, shortly before I was due to enter the Vosges I stopped in a village and ate my sandwich and an energy bar at a picnic table. I also refilled my water bottle from the litre in my backpack. Refuelled and ready for the hills I set off again. The scenery had been quite bland until now, but the Vosges are beautiful, with picturesque little French towns and wonderful scenery. It was a long, steady climb up towards the mid-point, Bitche, with a couple of steep little hills thrown in. When I got half way I stopped again, ate my pastry, refilled a water-bottle from a spring then carried on.
I was getting pretty tired now, I knew from the profile that there was one last climb in the 2nd half but I wasn't really sure whether or not I'd passed it already. After a few km the ascent began and I realized this was it, the Col du Pigeonnier. I pushed on, knowing that when I'd got to the summit it would be plain sailing home!
After a speedy descent I was almost drained of energy but I could see home in the distance as I descended. With about 50km to go I'd run out of water and was feeling quite thirsty. Afraid of dehydrating in the heat I stopped at a house where there were people in the front garden and asked them to fill one of my water bottles, they kindly obliged.
In the late evening sun and with barely any energy left I crossed back over the Rhine, into the city and home. By this point everything ached, my back, neck, ass and hands were all sore, but it was worth it! I finished the day with a long shower, a banana smoothy, steak and rice and then slept like a baby!
I completed the 204km in about nine and a half hours. There was about 1,400m of elevation gain with a maximum elevation of 432m at the Col du Pigeonnier. I drank about 4.5 litres of water during the ride and I could have done with more! Today I don't ache much, but I feel pretty drained and tire quickly trying to run up stairs. I'll be taking it easy for a couple of days!
Here's a photo of the citadel at Bitche, the town which was 100km into the trip.
I took my Koga racing bike, two 750ml flasks of water, and a backpack with a sandwich, a couple of energy bars, a sweet pastry and another litre of water. I set off towards the Rhine, crossed it and then turned South towards France. After entering France I turned West towards the Vosges. I followed the course on my Garmin GPS, which worked out well but was sometimes tricky in the built-up areas.
After about 50km, shortly before I was due to enter the Vosges I stopped in a village and ate my sandwich and an energy bar at a picnic table. I also refilled my water bottle from the litre in my backpack. Refuelled and ready for the hills I set off again. The scenery had been quite bland until now, but the Vosges are beautiful, with picturesque little French towns and wonderful scenery. It was a long, steady climb up towards the mid-point, Bitche, with a couple of steep little hills thrown in. When I got half way I stopped again, ate my pastry, refilled a water-bottle from a spring then carried on.
I was getting pretty tired now, I knew from the profile that there was one last climb in the 2nd half but I wasn't really sure whether or not I'd passed it already. After a few km the ascent began and I realized this was it, the Col du Pigeonnier. I pushed on, knowing that when I'd got to the summit it would be plain sailing home!
After a speedy descent I was almost drained of energy but I could see home in the distance as I descended. With about 50km to go I'd run out of water and was feeling quite thirsty. Afraid of dehydrating in the heat I stopped at a house where there were people in the front garden and asked them to fill one of my water bottles, they kindly obliged.
In the late evening sun and with barely any energy left I crossed back over the Rhine, into the city and home. By this point everything ached, my back, neck, ass and hands were all sore, but it was worth it! I finished the day with a long shower, a banana smoothy, steak and rice and then slept like a baby!
I completed the 204km in about nine and a half hours. There was about 1,400m of elevation gain with a maximum elevation of 432m at the Col du Pigeonnier. I drank about 4.5 litres of water during the ride and I could have done with more! Today I don't ache much, but I feel pretty drained and tire quickly trying to run up stairs. I'll be taking it easy for a couple of days!
Here's a photo of the citadel at Bitche, the town which was 100km into the trip.
