How to survive Gran Fondo NY

I am a simple cycling teacher and thought that I would become a better teacher if I learned how to ride a road bike; the “road” I have been on over the past five years has been unbelievable, from not knowing how to change the gears on my first used $300 dollar Fuji (courtesy of my good friend Nelson of Strictly Bicycles fame) to being part of Gruppo Sportivo GFNY, leading the C Group training rides every Sunday morning with Heidi Brocking and meeting some really fantastic people.

Davis Phinney, one of the pioneers of American road cycling and therefore a man to whom many American cyclists owe a huge debt of gratitude, when talking about how he placed fifth in the 1984 Olympics said “…that by obsessively and entirely focusing on the goal (the gold), I forgot to celebrate the process.”

I tell those two stories because I believe that is your first and most important survival tactic – enjoy the ride!  Gran Fondo is a cycling celebration; sure there are a lot of really great prizes but for most of us completing the ride and feeling a sense of accomplishment is the real goal.  Look around as you ride, take in the scenery, talk to people along the route, say thanks to all the volunteers at the rest stops and the police officers who will keep us safe that day.  Take all the photos you can – SAFELY – and your memories of Gran Fondo NY 2012 will last you a lifetime.  By all means do your best and don’t be a gOMo (someone who goes through the motions) but remember that “champions finish strong”.

Preparation is key so between now and May 13^th:
If you are riding Medio Fondo then consider riding the River Road segment, doing the Alpine climb, continue to Nyack, go up Old Mountain Road to Rockland Lake then come back through Nyack, stop for coffee and then ride 9W back to Strictly Bicycles.  That will help you understand the climbing required in the Medio Fondo; there is absolutely no shame in walking a climb, it happens in pro races like Tour of Flanders all the time.
Gran Fondo riders ought to do at least two of the climbs in one ride if they can, either this coming weekend or the weekend of May 6^th.
Please do your longest ride no later than May 6th and then begin to taper the length and intensity of your rides.  Your Sunday, May 13^th ride should be no longer than half the distance of your expected May 20^th ride.

Final Week
Read the Rider Guide at least once each day so that you can absorb the ride.  If last year’s guide is any indication it will be a really great read.
Do not make any drastic changes to your eating habits thinking that you can try to “drop those last five pounds” the week before the ride so you can keep up with Wade Wegner on the climbs.
Rest on Friday and Saturday.  If you are riding Friday then that ride ought to be no more than 30% of your expected May 20^th ride.  Rest equals sleep.  Friday evening, early to bed then nap on Saturday and get to bed as early as possible Saturday evening so that you can get up and eat breakfast two hours prior to the start time.
If you want to ride on Thursday and/or Friday, short distance and low intensity; no more than 30% of your Sunday ride length

Friday and Saturday
Participate in Bike Expo.  I realize that you have to show up for your race packet and wristband however if you can set aside some time to visit our sponsors’ booths and see what they have to offer.  There are so many great exhibitors and so many interesting people, don’t run in and out; it is a great place to learn a little bit more about some of the products hat will help add to your passion for cycling.  DO NOT STAY LATE – not everyone can be Joe Namath or Mario Cippolini!
Try on your GFNY jersey along with the rest of your clothing and prepare your bike no later than Saturday morning, then check your bike Saturday evening two hours before you go to sleep – that will save the heartache of getting up and finding a deflated tire or some other issue that will distract you on Gran Fondo NY Sunday.
Prepare all the items that will go in your back pockets – two tubes, CO2 and three cartridges, levers, our GFNY wallet with cell phone, ID, and cash (a $20, a $10, a $5 and 5 singles).  Also, some snacks – I prefer real food like PBJ but high quality snacks like Clif Bars work just fine. 

Give yourself time to get to the start line at least 45 minutes before the expected time. You will either get thereearly and have an opportunity to talk to other GFNY participants, take some photosget rid of the butterflies OR something will happen to delay you and you will still get there on timeDuring the Ride

Be there no later than 5.30am.

and

Stay hydrated, no matter the temperatures, carry two water bottlesand refill at every rest stop so that you will always have more than enough fluids.  If you can try to use electrolyte tablets in your water, but do not experiment for the first time on ride day.  If you haven’t tried the electrolytes prior to ride day then mix water and Gatorade – 50/50.  Drink at least one bottle per hour, two if you can.
Eat while your ride.  If you can prepare snacks for the ride and bring them with you that will save you having to stop at the first rest stop.
TAKE IT SLOW IN THE BEGINNING.  Conserve some energy for later in the day, especially if you are participating in Gran Fondo; the first two climbs, Buckberg and Bear Mountain are leg sappers but don’t be fooled into believing that once those two are under your belt you are home free as the next two climbs are challenging as well.  You will be home free when you get back to this side of State Line climb – start feeling good there because you are on the ride home and it is almost literally downhill from there on!

Challenges
If you are feeling tired then take 5 minutes to stop, re-hydrate, eat something, stretch your legs and then carry on.  Your interpretation of this feeling will determine your ability to continue – simply view it like this – you are the waiter, your body is the customer and your customer has just signaled you to refill their water glass and requested some more bread – no issue, happens all the time, take it in stride and roll on after the 5 minute break
Mechanical issues – pull over to the right out of the way of the thundering herd and see if it is something you can fix on your own.  If so, fix the problem and then give it just a little bigger effort to make up some time.  If not, signal for help – the ride is fully supported and someone will be by in a short time.  Please be patient with yourself and the support team.
Health issues – don’t be a hero (or heroine); if you start to have difficulties like cramps, dizziness, nausea, serious pain, etc – please pull over to the right and signal for help with the Universally known “slump over with your elbows on your knees and your head hanging down”; someone will help you or get someone for you.

Finish Line
What can I say – eat, drink and be merry!  As I said in the GFNY interview – anyone who has ever thought of doing something special should sign up for this Gran Fondo; it will change your life forever!

As Steve Jobs would say “just one more thing.”  Thank you to all the people who have made Gran Fondo NY a reality – Uli and Lidia for conceiving the idea and following through against sometimes painful odds, the sponsors who have generously supported the event, the partners who believed in GFNY, all of the supporters and volunteers who will line the roads, people like Nelson at Strictly Bicycles who have donated so much of themselves to help GFNY, the other seven members of Gruppo Sportivo GFNY and of course the 5,000 riders; the collective energy and spirit that you have thus far created and will continue to create on Gran Fondo NY Day is going to make a positive change in many people’s lives and help make the world a better place – Andiamo!