Perfect weather, great people, super experience

In the end, it was a rewarding and memorable experience. In addition to doing something that touches the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, my cycling fitness improved dramatically.

My account of the 2006 Best Buddies Hyannis Port Challenge begins 6 months earlier, before the snows of Winter lay on the ground. In fact, it begins about a year earlier.

1. Setting the Goal

In early spring of 2005, before I had ever heard of Best Buddies, I started a fitness program. Being badly out of shape, I started walking, then walking and jogging a few steps, then eventually working up to jogging 5 miles twice a week at a 10-minute per mile pace. It took several months to reach this level of fitness, and I thought I was in pretty good shape. I started taking up biking late in the 2005 season, and after doing a few 15 milers near where I live, I did a 40 mile ride with the Charles River Wheelmen (CRW) in October. Being with other riders who were in good shape from a full season of riding put my physical condition in better perspective: I got dropped at 30 miles, having made every one of the classic beginner mistakes in pacing, feuling, and training. Ok, so I wasn't quite as fit as I thought.

I set a fitness goal of doing a century ride (100 miles in one day), and initially wanted to do the Pan Mass Challenge for cancer research, but I got discouraged by the $3600 fundraising minimum. When I heard about the Best Buddies Challenge I realized it was for me: I have a son on the autistic spectrum, and I understand the important impact that BB can make on the lives of this population. What started off purely as a fitness goal for myself became a larger cause. I could do something that mattered and made a positive impact on people's lives.

It's important to have a goal that's larger than yourself. Having such a goal will motivate you in times that you'd really rather skip that workout or when your committment to the fitness goal wanes. If you intend to stay in shape over a New England winter, you'd better have a motivating goal.

2. Cardiac Drift and the 25 watt bulb

Being annoyed at the rubber tire that had been developing around my midsection, I dropped about 20 pounds between August and December, losing a combination of fat and muscle that left me weaker than I realized. In the end I had to put all the lost muscle back on, and then some, before I could do any serious endurance cycling, so I'm not sure that the dieting was worthwhile. At the time it had not occurred to me that the heart is a muscle too, and that general muscle atropy would affect my heart.

I purchased an elliptical trainer with a heart rate monitor that can display power output in watts. This particular model can adjust resistance based on your heart rate, which is a nice feature. What I found was that the heart rate program would progressively reduce resistance until I was putting out only 25 watts by the end of an hour-long workout. 25 watts! Just try reading by a 25-watt bulb and you'll realize just how little power this is. What was going on here? I could jog for 5 miles if I pushed myself to the max, but my power output was pathetic. If I were to limit myself to 25 watts on a climb while cycling, there's a good chance of getting a parking violation.

What I came to learn is that there are different aspects of endurance that need to be developed separately, including cardiorespiratory endurance, aerobic endurance, and muscular endurance. When a fit athelete does an aerobic workout, their heart rate will climb to a point, and then level off. When an unfit person does an aerobic workout at a constant level of output, their heart rate continues to climb in an effect known as "cardiac drift".

I'll summarize some of what I learned about endurance training:

i. To build cardiorespiratory endurance, you need to train at your "Aerobic Threshold" until you can exercise for an hour with no detectable cardiac drift. Your aerobic threshold is that level of effort where you feel like you're working pretty hard, but you can still carry on a conversation... but just barely, and you might not want to. Your heart and lungs can't tell that you're not on a bike, so this is something that you can and should work on in the off-season, off the bike.

ii. To build muscular endurance you need to first build muscular strength and cardiorespiratory endurance. I got myself a home gym so I could do strength training (especially the leg press) in my home, but I also climbed a lot of stairs in the office building that I work in. Stairs can be a great workout, but being able to work out at home is a great convenience, and it doesn't require a shower at work. You need to spend about 8 weeks working out at fairly light weight just to get your body adapted to working out with weights. Later, at about the same time that you can work out without cardiac drift, you can start pushing bigger weight to maximize strength.

iii. To build aerobic endurance after developing (i) and (ii), you need to work out at a higher heart rate, adding intervals such as hill climbs that send your heart rate up to, but typically not exceeding, your anaerobic threshold. This increases the power output that you can maintain at your aerobic threshold. Being an engineer, I calculated that with my combined body weight + bicycle weight, I could simulate climbing a 6% grade on my indoor trainer by pedalling at 18.6 mph in my biggest gear, a 53-12. I would ride this way for several minutes, until I reached my anaerobic threshold, then cool off and spin easily for a few minutes until my heart rate recovered, then repeat. I think the simulated climbs really helped me develop climbing ability. I also added some spin-ups and threshold intervals, but by the time I was ready for these, the weather started getting nice enough to go outside.

3. Moving Outside and Peaking

I joined the Charles River Wheelmen (CRW) cycling club, and bought myself a bike on eBay. It's the same bike that Lance Armstrong rode on at least two of his Tour de France wins. A Trek 5900. It's a very, very sweet ride, and I upgraded it with new carbon handlebars, new Trek tape with fizik gel pads, new Thompson stem and setback seatpost, new Speedplay X/2 pedals, some light euro-styled bottle cages, a new Alias gel split-saddle, and a pair of Bontrager handlebar plugs that reduce vibration. I also got a pair of Specialized carbon cycling shoes. It took a long time to get the bike set up correctly, and I continued to tweak it right up to about 2 weeks before race day (which is not recommended, but it really helped in my case). This bike is 10lbs lighter than my old steel bike, and the differences are dramatic.

Drop 10 pounds on the bike, add muscle, lose fat, and increase cardio fitness dramatically, and you'll see a BIG difference in your ability to climb hills, guaranteed.

The CRW has a large membership of about 1400 members, so I'm told, and about 150 or so showed up for the early Spring rides. I joined them for a ride the previous October and got dropped after 30 miles, having made every mistake in the cycling book. Now things were different: I wasn't up with the elite 20mph + riders, nor yet with the 18mph+ riders, but I was among the fastest group in the 15-18mph category. I was passing riders with ease in the hills after about 30 miles, and learned a bit of strategy for doing the hills faster.

I did one of the Friday night rides with the CRW, which is advertised as a fast-paced ride that riders are encouraged to attend, even if they get dropped, because it will help to improve their fitness level. I found that I was leaving the other riders behind, and when I let them catch up I was advised that I might need to either go on ahead or slow down!!

I started working out at a higher average speed to peak my fitness. It got a little wet for a while and I didn't want to use my good bike, so I got out my heavy 1983 steel bike to train, and did my usual 15 mile loop through Carlisle at an average speed of 18.7 mph. My strength was improving, and the climb into the center of Carlisle that left me gasping for air last year was just a little mound in the road now. On my next ride with the CRW I joined some of the strongest riders, hanging with them and even leaving one of them in the hills. Wow, this was different! My average speed on longer rides was up close to 18 mph by this point, and I was pretty sure that I could finish the BB ride, and probably ride pretty strongly at that.

4. The Patriot Pedalers

A few weeks before the ride I got an email response from an ad that I put on the Best Buddies web site, looking for people to train with. The email said: Are you the same Jim F. who sold me my house? Indeed, I was. The fellow who I sold my house to a few years ago turned out to not only be doing the BB ride, but to be one of its top fund-raisers. He started a team named the "Patriot Pedalers". This team raised over $35,000 this year, which is quite impressive. I went for a 45 mile ride with them two weeks before the Best Buddies ride, at an average speed of 17.7 mph, staying well down into my aerobic zone. They agreed to let me join them as a visiting member of their team this year, and I'm planning to join their team next year.

To complete my preparation, I created a time trial on the steepest hill near where I live. You start at the intersection of Annursnack Road & Strawberry Hill Road in Concord, and ride up to the radome at the top of Annursnack Hill. After about 1/2 mile or so of climbing you have to dismount to walk around a chain fence, then remount and sprint to the top on the insanely steep service road. I did it in 4 minutes, 21 seconds (4:21), including a clumsy remount that lost a few seconds. I challenge any cyclist reading this (who is healthy enough) to beat that time, and to please let me know what the new record is if you do. I figured that if the going ever got tough on the ride I would just think back to this sprint and then dig a little deeper.

5. Rain, Rain, Go Away

The ten days leading up to the race saw record amounts of rain. Water, water everywhere, and not a day to ride. The Patriot Pedalers did the BB ride the previous year when the weather was horrendous, and somehow all of them managed to finish. This was an impressive accomplishment, and the support of team members was clearly going to be helpful. I resolved that I was committed to doing the ride, and if they could do it in the rain, then I could too. I bought myself some rain gear and prepared to train in the rain... fortunately, the weather cleared just in time for the ride, but it was a character-building experience to prepare myself and to resolve to do it anyway, regardless of the weather.

The week before the ride I did "carbo loading", which meant that on Sun-Tue I ate fewer carbs than usual (target 50%), trimming down a little, and on Wed-Fri I ate more than usual (target 70%). I took off about 1.5 lbs on the way down, and put back about 4.5 on the way back! Wow, by race day I was about 5 lbs heavier than I wanted to be. No matter, really: at least my muscles, liver, and bloodstream was feuled and ready for the ride.

6. The First Leg of the Ride

The day of the ride was clear and beautiful. I agreed to pick up some of the Patriot Pedalers in the morning to take them over to the JFK Library, but after the group picture had been taken, one of the other drivers couldn't start their car. Time ticked away and I started getting worried about making it in time, but in short order the car was jump started, and we were off.

The BB ride was very well organized from start to finish. Joe Kennedy was on his bike just a few feet away, and I wondered how many other famous people were there as well. Last year John Kerry did the ride, but I didn't see him this year. There were a few ultra-fit cyclist types that seemed to do this more seriously than the rest, and I think that they announced the presence of a rider from team Discovery, but I didn't recognize the name.

Loud music over the loudspeakers got everyone into a party spirit, as television cameras rolled, and it started to warm up a little. Carl Lewis of sprinting fame made a short address, and got the ride officially started. We then crept along at an enforced snail-like pace as we followed a police escort down Morrisey Boulevard, occasionally to the sound of cheers from bystanders. Avoiding other bikes and major holes in the road became the initial concerns, and I was glad that I left my fold-up windbreaker on as the cool wind blew in off the water.

I noticed that some of the most athletic-looking cyclist-types were riding along out of the saddle, which I presume was to save their tender parts for the long ride. Also, when you're pedaling there is actually less pressure on the seat than when you're coasting (I think), so it's a good idea to stand while coasting at a slow speed. I copied this technique. You always learn something every time you ride.

The escort went on all the way to the first rest stop. After about 10 miles it picked up speed to 15 and then 20 mph, so it was moving along comfortably by the end.

There was much hooting and cheering at the first rest stop, and I nearly ran into the rider in front of me as she slowed unexpectedly to a stop. When I turned in to the rest stop I spotted Carl Lewis walking by. I yelled out "Carl Lewis"! and we exchanged a high-five, after which I could hear him say "ow" as I passed by on my bike. Sorry Carl!!

I stuck with my "feuling" plan at the first rest stop, eating the food that I brought with me. I've read that after inadequate training, inadequate feuling is the main reason why riders don't finish a ride. I stayed with my Gatorade and 200 calorie pop-tart plan, plus an orange wedge.

It was getting very sunny and warm, so I packed my windbreaker and shoe covers in the back pocket of my jersey, and put on some sunblock. Miss Teen USA was among the celebrities at the first rest stop, and I asked her if my sunblock was applied evenly. "It looks fine", she said. "Great", I said, "Now I can tell my wife that Miss Teen USA helped me put on my lotion". We laughed, and then it was time to find the other Patriot Pedalers and move on to the next leg.


7. The Second Leg

The second leg was spent in a smooth paceline with the Patriot Pedalers. We moved at a comfortable pace that kept my heart rate at or below 141, except on a few hills where my heart rate edged into the 150's. We attracted a couple of other good riders along the way, and travelled some beautiful backroads between Norwell and Duxbury. There are no really big hills in this stretch, but I like to spin at the same cadence in the hills as I do in the flats, or maybe a little higher, and with my good preparation I noticed that I started to pull ahead the group on the climbs, but we stayed together for the most part and we enjoyed the smell of lilac and the ocean scenery. Oh yes, there was the female rider who joined us along the way who needed to spit while near the front of the pack. Oops. We called out the various holes, sand, birds, sewer grates, or whatever other danger that we might see, and smoothly spun toward the second rest stop.

Policemen were stationed at most of the important intersections along the route, and we gave them a cheery "thank you" as we passed each one. A few people came out to see us or happened to be outside as we came past, and most of them would wave and cheer us on.

My right leg started to feel a strain in that stringlike connector on the inside of the leg, behind the knee. It made me progressively more reluctant to pull up with my right leg in the hills, so I had to adjust my pedaling stroke a little. For the most part, though, it was ignorable.

Before any tiredness set in we were at the second rest stop, with 40 miles behind us. I took the opportunity to eat a chicken sandwich, figuring that I should get some protein, but I was disappointed that the organizers didn't provide any sports drink... just water.

8. The Third Leg

The third leg gets hillier, winding through the outskirts of Plymouth, down Indian Hill (or was it Indian Path) road, and on to the rollers of Miles Standish state park. Prior to the ride the weather report was calling for 16mph winds from the Southwest, and the path through Miles Standish took us on a Southwest track, straight into the forecasted wind.

One member of our group invited another rider named Mike to join us. Mike had prepared for the ride pretty seriously for several months as I had. When the hills arrived, he and I found ourselves riding together, with one or two other riders. We tried slowing down a little to let the others in our group catch up, but we just kept rolling along, and acting on instinct we cranked up the hills together, and then began the passage through Miles Standish State Park.

Surprisingly the wind wasn't too strong in this section, and we sped up before the trough of each rolling hill so that we could reach the next peak without any heavy climbing effort. This created a roller coaster effect that got us through with less than the expected amount of effort. On the other hand, the road surfaces in Miles Standish were horrendous, and I started to worry abouut the effects on my hands or my bike as my wheel crashed over each unavoidable crevasse in the road. I started taking the huge cracks like the mountain bikers do, jumping them like stumps. Mike and I carried on a nice conversation, and he told me about his 7-year-old son, who is diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, and I told him about my oldest son. This comeraderie made the time pass quickly and pleasantly.

The fatigue of the ride was just starting to be noticeable by this point, but we had only 30 miles to go according to the notoriously inaccurate signs. My feuling strategy was to start eating more energy gel and my homebrew maltodextrin drink on the second half of the ride, so I started gulping it down. According to what I've read, after about 2.5 hours you're basically burning fat and glucose in the bloodstream, so it becomes critically important to replace the glucose in the bloodstream as you go. The best way to do this is with a highly digestible complex carb like maltodextrin, which is the main ingredient in energy gels. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the bloodstream, and I knew that the first big hill was about 20 minutes away.

While enjoying a relatively long rest stop, the other Patriot Pedalers arrived. One of the riders sat down, looking very weary, and said he was dropping out, having started out too fast. I would later find out that another rider had to drop out also. I decided to leave with Mike as the others rested. We picked up another rider and moved on.

9. The Fourth Leg

From a car, the fourth leg seems to be mostly downhill, but on a bike it doesn't seem that way. It's a mix of ups and downs, but there are two hills worthy of mention. Knowing that this section was coming, we took it slow on these climbs, and this was the only time on the ride that my heart rate got above 163 (to 165). My goal was to stay aerobic the entire ride, and except for a few seconds at the top of the first big climb, it did.

Just before reaching the Sagamore bridge we caught up with the two strong women riders that had been riding with us on the second leg. We rode together for a while up and down the hills including a significant grade to get up to the Sagamore bridge, before we dismounted and walked across as we were required to do. I found this to be a pretty good calf workout, since walking in cycling shoes closely resembles a calf raise. It sure gets windy on that bridge, and I was glad to be walking. A mile or two after the bridge the others dropped back and Mike and I were cruising toward the final rest stop. Mike previously suggested that we might want to skip it and keep riding, but by the time we got there he was tiring and needed a pit stop, so we refeuled with more gel and maltodextrin drink, got some more water, wolfed down a bananna, then hit the road again.

10. The Final Leg

The wind was building from the Southwest now, and this generally helped us along, although as a quartering crosswind. The biggest climb of the ride came as we entered the service road along route 6, but we ground it out, with me feathering what felt like a pulled muscle in my leg. We made it to the top without going anaerobic; Great! We were grateful that the wind wasn't coming straight at us.

There were more hills than expected in the final leg, but while they were fairly long, none were terribly steep after the hill leading to the service road. Later, the hills started rolling like they did in Miles Standish state park, and I would shoot down near the trough and rocket up over the top without climbing effort. Mike said that he was doing 24mph in the climbs, and I was going faster. I can tell you that this was a lot of fun, although strategically we probably should have gone at a more measured pace to preserve blood sugar, but I was feeling strong so we swooped over the hills and moved on. Mike and I cruised past many of the 20-mile riders that started at the last rest stop, as well as more than a few 90-mile riders. Among these was a strong group that initially passed us, and then we later passed. Amazingly, my rear end didn't hurt all that much even at this final stage of the ride. Either the adreneline took care of it, or my preparation was good enough.

The final 5 miles seemed longer because the anticipation made us want to see the finish just beyond each next bend. There were a few moderate climbs near the end, but before we knew it we were in the high rent district near the Kennedy compound, cruising downhill toward the finish line to a crowd of cheering well-wishers. Our names were announced shortly after crossing the line, we were adorned with medals, and we were directed to an area facing the beach where we picked up the bags that we had checked in at the starting line.

The organizers gave us some freebies, including a plush orange towel embroidered with the best buddies logo, a camera, and a rather nice fleece pullover. There were two changing tents with a good shower nearby that helped to revive us. I put my name in at the massage tent, and about an hour later received a great Japanese-style massage. Next year I'll know to sign up immediately after I cross the finish line to avoid the long wait.

The ride distance was supposed to be 90 miles, but I clocked it at 94.5. I was considering finishing the century even if it was 90, but there's no way that I was going to give up my original goal of doing a century with only 5.5 miles to go. That's about the same distance as going from my house to the center of the town where I live and back. So I did it. After changing into my street clothes and before my massage, I hopped on my bike and asked a local for a flat course. He directed me to the road that borders the water, and I pedalled on that road into Hyannis and back, and then did a couple of laps around the neighborhood until my odometer read 100 miles. I completed my first century, and rode pretty strongly. I never went deeply anaerobic. I rode with my friends, and made some new friends. I made a difference in the lives of some people. I met all my goals.

11. Post-Ride Festivities

After I completed my century and received my massage in the massage tent, I headed up to the beach party at the Kennedy compound, which was already well underway. There was a long line for lobster, and the drinks were free. I met a couple of dentists from the Brockton area who had done the ride before, and after waiting a long time for another batch of lobsters to be cooked we had dinner together at an unoccupied table. This turned out to be a table reserved for the Go-Go's and/or their parents, but there was no sign indicating this on the table, so we wolfed down our lobster dinners at record speed so that it would be available for them.

Awards were handed out for some of the special atheletes, and we got a chance to see some of the people whose lives we were touching. It was very gratifying, and I think I can speak for all the riders when I say that it made us glad to have done the ride. Next came an auction, where items were sold for what seemed to be a great markup to their actual value, but it was all for a great cause.

Finally, the Go-Go's took the stage, and a lot of people stood up on the dance floor, although very few danced. It was fun and high-spiritied, but the best part was the last song where many of the buddies got to take the stage with the musicians. That was terrific and memorable.

There was a bit of last-minute shuffling as I learned that my bike was supposed to be on a truck that had departed before the bus transporting the atheletes, but this was easily worked out. The bus ride home seemed LONG, and made me realize just how far we had ridden.

It was a great day. It made all the preparation worthwhile. See you there next year!

/Jim F