Today I rode long, not so strong: I finally cracked 50 miles! But I kept feeling tired on the way home; and I\’m trying to think why.

Did I need to eat more? Was I flirting with dehydration? Of course there was the wind. It was blowing 13 mph before I finished my ride; and a headwind on the way home, of course! At such times it\’s hard to remind myself that my weekly long ride is more about improving my long-range endurance than working for any set speed.

Going for a ride of more than 20 miles means extra preparation. Here are some things I use for those rides:

First and foremost, the Camel-Bak. It can hold up to 100 oz, or about three liters. In this hot weather, I also bring along a 24 oz bottle of water, stowed in a the bottle cage on the seat tube. During one of my stops today, I emptied the bottle into the Camel-Bak; and later refilled it at another stop. It\’s lucky I had that extra water! The Camel-Bak was almost drained by the time I got home. (Total time, 4:33:00).

Electrolyte drink is important for any long ride; but especially when it\’s hot. This morning I used Nuun. I began with an energy type, which has a bit of caffeine in it. I also brought along Nuun hydration-style tablets. When I stopped on the way home, I dumped what was left of the energy Nuun; put 16 oz of water in the bottle; and dropped in a Nuun hydration tablet. Even if I\’m riding long, not so strong, I need that Nuun!

The \”Skinny\”?

Sunblock! What a nuisance that is. The type shown at left needs to be reapplied every 80 minutes. One reason I use a visor on my helmet is so that I don\’t need to put sunblock on my forehead. With heat and sweat, sunblock gets runny; and it is not fun to have the stuff get into my eyes! 

Chamois Butt\’r makes for more comfortable long-distance riding; especially in hot, humid conditions. I carry a tube of it in my Camel-Bak\’s pocket, so I can use it when I make a \”pit stop\”.

Which sunglasses I use depends on expected conditions. If it\’s overcast, I prefer the Tifosi® vermillion lenses shown at left. If it\’s going to be sunny, the HDO dark lenses at right are what I need. Today I wore the vermillion lenses, because the forecast was for partly cloudy — even the chance of a thunderstorm by 8 am.

I ended up wishing I had worn the dark lenses! It was sunnier than I expected. I\’ll have to learn to pack along whichever pair of sunglasses I\’m not wearing; or else find a pair of glasses that automatically adjusts the degree of darkness.

Don\’t Forget About Food!

And of course I took along food: several GU-Gels; Clif Bars cut into pieces; and so on. I try different things; partly to prevent boredom, and partly to see whether one thing or another works better.

A cable lock adds to the load on my back; but I bring it anyhow. Is that extra weight why I rode long, not so strong? But I never know when I might have to make a stop where I\’ll need to secure my bike. Besides, if I practice riding loaded down like that, things should be a bit easier when Tour de Cure comes. I won\’t need to lock up my bike at rest stops; and will be riding at least a pound lighter!

And I take my cell phone in case of an emergency; extra food; and — er — tissue in case there isn\’t any where I make my pit stop.

I usually don\’t pack along rain gear on my weekly long ride, because even with a poncho I\’d get wet. Rain slows me down, too; and I have to remind myself that it\’s about long, not so strong.