It already has been more than a week when I am writing this. Already back to work and even training again for the last cycling event of the season.
I made a video vlogging/ compiling my experience with the TTDrenthe500, but I still think it’s nice to put some words about it on paper.
The crazy idea forming
The adventure started on the first of march when I got a facebook message from a friend. ‘Something for you?’.
A lot went through my mind. First of al:AWESOME! But what about training..? This is quite serious. I always have great ideas for crazy events, but in the end I never follow through with my training.
Once I bought a new TT bike before an event and didn’t train on it -> fail. This is just one example. So can I do it? Can I cycle 500km in one go? Well maybe I should just go on my racing bike and I should be fine. I have a big slow engine.
These thoughts took up about a minute in time and before I knew it I clicked on the registration button.
Training
I registered for the event and then it took some time before I actually started training.
In May I went on a mtb trip and that was really the start of my training cycle. I don’t have a trainer, I just do what feels right for me. If I would actually hire someone to help me, it would be a coach. Everybody loses motivation from time to time or could use some advice, someone that listens.
The plan
The idea of the training cycle was as follows:
- Don’t focus on just cycling, because that will drive me crazy and kill my motivation.
- Train for about 10hrs per week, because that’s the max next to working 40.
- Work on your core stability
- Have fun!
- Do one big training ride on the weekend, getting longer and longer.
- Every fourth week have a recovery/rest week.
- Listen to your body and mind.
- Change when necessary.
And I am really proud to say that this time I followed my plan :-).
Actual training
As planned the training cycle started after Slovenie. Cycling/spinning 3 times a week. Taking my mtb for a trip when the weather was up for it. Doing a trailrun. Strength training.
Due to some personal stuff I had to switch gyms. It was a hard decision, but in the end one of the best decisions I made this year. The new gym welcomed me with open arms and I have created a whole new routine. Which gives me the much needed diversity and extra fun in training.
Every couple of weeks I would have a bit of a dip. That’s where the recovery week came in. The only thing I didn’t do was the long ride on the weekend. That ride never surpassed the 130k. I even split it up sometimes, to still be able to have a social life. Cycle in the morgen, go crazy and afterwards cycle again.
To conclude, I trained about 10hrs a week which consisted of 6hrs of cycling.
Preparation
The event takes place on a saturday (and a sunday) so I decided to take the friday off from work. Prep the bike, clean it (for the 2nd time this year…), put on a new chain. Buy lots and lots of food. Taking to much time to film and edit said food ;).
Packing loads of clothes.
The prediction was rain. And the rain rain rain came down down down.
So lots of extra clothes. Bike lights, more lights and some more. Extra batteries.
That’s a very long list. How are you going to take this with you on your bike? Well, I wasn’t. The idea of the event is to ride 10 loops of 50k. So I parked my car in a parking spot a couple of 100m from the starting line. This way I would have everything need at the tip of my fingertips. Locked and loaded.
The day! Go go go!
I am not really an early riser, but I managed to be the first participant to pick up their nr. Registration started at 9:00 and I was present at 8:45.
I couldn’t wait!
A couple of weeks earlier you had to give a prediction of your average speed so they could make sure you would have enough time to finish. Or better said. The slowest starts first. And guess who was number one? ME!
Just before eleven I took place at the starting line waiting for the gun to fire. It was rainy. The press (motorcycle with camera) was ready to follow me for the first loop. The gopro was on and I was excited. And then… the gun didn’t fire. “Just go, PAF!”.
So that was a good start haha.
There I went. Eleven o’clock in the morning. Some rain. 10 rounds to go.
I opted to let the route surprise me today. I already have to cycle it 10 times, why would you do it a week beforehand? Testing, sighting. Then it’s eleven!
So on I went, a new day a new route. Follow the red (my favourite color :D) arrows.
Like a real cycling celebrity I rode, accompagnied by the motorcycle.
After the first kilometers I gave him some trouble. Riding of a really high curb at a busstop. He survived, thankfully, because it was great fun to have him ride along.
When an arrow was somewhat confusing he took off in front of me to see if we were on the correct route (yes). And later when we were of the route (oops) he brought us back with google maps. (My garmin had some issues).
So the first round flew by, including motorcycles, camera’s, rain and detours.
One down, nine to go. The gameplan, if you don’t feel like taking a break, DON’T TAKE A BREAK. Which meant that after this first round I went straight into the second. This time without my buddy on the motorcycle. I did see him somewhere along the lines, he was adjusting some arrows which we got mislead by on the first round. For the rest he was riding around filming some other participants. Apparently I was not the only star in the peloton.
After about two hours I got back to the startarea. Chatted a bit. Ate food, a recurring theme and then I took off again. And surprise! about a 100m afters the start were my parents waiting to cheer me on.
I wasn’t in a hurry, therefore I had all the time in the world to stay there for a while.
In the third round the route was kinda familiar, which made it a bit easier to look around, whistle, enjoy the sun that peeped around the corner. (Drop my phone whilst changing music during cycling).
When you cycle ten of these rounds you play mind games. I had planned to go to sleep after five rounds so when I finished the first three it was only two till my big break. And only one till the past party.
My thoughts about the pasta: can I stomach this? Stop biking, eat a big plate of pasta and then after just a few minutes really start cycling again? The answer: yes, I can.
After ‘dinner’ my parents took off, as did I. Round 4.
Somewhere along the lines people convinced me to not take a break to sleep. Just continue. Your legs will get heavy. You look fresh. And I listened, I changed my plan.
I did make my breaks a couple of minutes longer and after the break went to my car. Change clothes. Add clothes. Add visibility. Put on my glasses. Put on some lights. Vlog….
It was good. I didn’t only look fresh, I felt it as well. My clothes, my legs, my head. And somewhere along the lines, I didn’t.
It was really dark, a beautiful dark sky with stars. I kept getting distracted. I couldn’t see the arrows. Took some wrong turns and make extra kilometers searching for a way back. It was time to go to sleep. I don’t like feeling out of control. Three o’clock. I set my alarm for an hour. Just one hour of sleep.
Ok, maybe two…? No, THREE hours of sleep and it will be day when I wake up. A new dawn, a new day :D.
It was the best decision I had made the whole day.
Waking up I had three loops left. Just three. 150km. Oh my.
So I pressed the button, I put myself on autopilot and there is really nothing more to say. I enjoyed the dawn. Enjoyed the sun. Tuned out and even smiled a big smile to the photographer.
Somewhere midday sunday it ended. The finishline.
It was an amazing feeling to finish this. They titled me ‘oerheld’, provided me with a local beer and even gave me a special prize. I was the first lady to start cycling and the latest to finish, which was something to be rewarded. Roompot offered me a weekend in a bungalow. Thank you!
It’s already been put to use. In january I will run the half marathon of Egmond and will be staying there for the weekend.
Concluding: a weekend for in the books. The only muscles that hurt were the ones in my face from smiling so much. Even if they told me that they had made a mistake and I needed to ride another loop, well okay, that would have been fine.
The only thing that I felt some hours later, when the high started waring off: I WAS REALLY TIRED.
The day after
What now?
Well first of all, I’ve already started training again for the Monstertijdrit. Which is 140km! this year.
I can only use my TT bike for the coming month and am actually really excited.
The 500km didn’t turn me away from my bike at all.
What now on the short term is as said the Monstertijdrit. What’s next on the long term. I don’t know. The last couple of weeks my wishlist of endless possibilities has grown exponentially:
- Trailrun in the mountains of france;
- Multistage mtb event in Iceland;
- Styrkeproven in Denmark;
- 999 Miglia in Italy;
- From the Netherlands to Paris in one go;
- Cycling to Rome;
- The full length triathlon in Almere;
Let’s see what I decide upon ;).