It’s time my Sunday rides were getting longer. Here it is,  already August; and Tour de Cure day will be here before I know it.

Last week I tried a 50-mile ride; and it obviously was none too soon to start working at that distance. I got pretty tired on the way back home; and wanted to coast too much.

The desire to coast can mean things other than fatigue. It can also signal dehydration, so I tried to be sure I kept drinking; both water and electrolyte drink. That gets harder as the day gets hotter, and the fluid heats up.

Fatigue and the desire to coast can mean that I need to eat, which gets harder late in a long ride. But you’ve got to keep the fuel supply coming; and as my rides are getting longer, I’ll need to carry more food. It’s the old “train your gut” admonition. All I can do is to keep working at it.

I need to keep working at 50 miles between now and late October. When I can do 50 miles reasonably comfortably, the 63-mile Tour de Cure will be more doable. The last Sunday before the big day I can do a shorter ride; tapering, it’s called.

As to the riding itself, I’m pleased to find that I can often ride up the ramps and humps along my route on the big ring! There was a time when riding on the big ring tired me in ten seconds, even on flat ground.  On the way home today, I had a bit of a tailwind, and for 20 miles averaged almost 15 mph! But I’ll need to be able to ride that fast for much longer. There’s still a lot of hard work to do!