There are things that I should have down pat by now; or at least, so I think. Among them is handling a water bottle on the road bike.

I still can’t do it consistently. Sometimes it goes fine; and sometimes I waver all over the place while I struggle to get that bottle back into its cage.

UShake Water Bottle Cages

Windy conditions make it even trickier; and especially a gusty sidewind. Sometimes I’m tempted to use the Camel-Bak for any and all rides; but for my Sunday long ride, I need the Camel-Bak for plain water; and a bottle for electrolyte drink. Thus I’ve got to be able to manage it.

Today I extended my ride to 45.2 miles. On the way back home, the wind seemed to keep getting stronger; and indeed, there were gusts up to 20 mph. Of course I was tiring; and that didn’t help matters. My legs love to ride; but prolonged spinning wears them out!

I apparently don’t have my fueling down pat. Today I tried eating slightly more than I did for my last few long rides; but it still might not have been enough. Even plodding along at an average of 11.73 mph, I seem to need a lot of fuel! Two Gatorade Whey Protein bars and one GU-Gel amounted to 780 calories; and I burned off 1100 calories!

I did a lot of fast, low-gear pedaling; and when I do that for a long time, my stomach begins to feel uncomfortable. That’s quite an appetite-killer; and I have to remind myself, Train Your Gut! So, for my next 45-mile ride, should I eat three of those Gatorade bars?

The wind tomorrow will be 15-20 mph by 10:00 am. I’m glad I won’t be riding 22+ miles against that!