Even your pet can take full advantage of a hypoic tent if it has to compete at soaring altitudes.What's in a title? My title to this post could sum up a lot of what's been going through my head as of late - alas, like I said in an earlier post last week, more to come on that later.
Why bother? Why bother training, preparing for my trip to Colorado (which I leave early Wednesday morning for) and the very high country and altitude in which I will be riding at when everything I've read, heard and been told tells me that I am going to suffer regardless of my efforts?
"Altifuckingtude. Pillow to the face." - Dieter from Misfit Psycles@ Brek Epic
"I got winded brushing my teeth today. And running up the stairs...forget about it, I end up doubled-over at the top, feeling like I'm trying to suck a fish eye tapioca ball out of my mango bubble tea with a regular size straw; not one of those bubble tea specific, gigantic diameter straws." - Thom Parsons @ Brek Epic
Whatever I do I am fucked. No spinnerval gear ratio, no amount of Ginkgo Biloba, no sleeping in a hypoic tent (can you imagin farting in one of those?) is going to save me at this point....so why bother.
From now on, until my flight leaves the safe and oxygen rich altitude of sea level, I will be exercising less and frequenting the refrigerator more.I checked the altitude of Ottawa compared to that of Denver (probably the lowest elevation that we will ride in my week long stay there):
Ottawa = 74 m/246 ft above sea level.
Denver = 1600 m/5280 ft above sea level.
Fuck me.
Should I be worried?
From some things I've read . . . "No. For some people altitude change does not affect them. For some it's a mental thing." Pfffffttt. I get winded and lightheaded climbing the basement stairs to the ground floor of my house. 10 ft of altitude change occurring almost at sea level and I get winded.
I'm fucked.
5 comments:
"for some it's a mental thing"
yeah, right..
maybe they're referring to impaired mental function? That could maybe be a mental thing.
you should be fine up to mid to upper 7000's at least, so thats like a vertical km or so to play around in.
(added bonus, the higher you go the fewer pizza joints. So staying near Denver has a real plus side!)
Hi Craig, I follow your entertaining blog but I don't believe we've met. I'm currently on vacation for a few weeks in Utah from Ottawa. The first few rides at 5000-7000 felt like I was going to have a heart attack--lots of hike-a-bike--but later I've been riding up to 9000 pretty well. The best experience I've had coming from Ottawa to high mountains is to spend the first night or two camping at 10000 feet or so. If you can manage it, drive to the top of any number of passes in Colorado and sleep in your buddies truck or whatever you can do. Bring lots of water. Your resting HR will drop significantly over the night. Sleeping through the adjustment is more fun than trying to ride through it in my experience.
Have fun in CO!
-will
Mmmmm......pizza.
Will, thanks for the tips. I'm resigned to the fact that I am screwed six ways to Sunday due to the fact of my short stay and little time to acclimatize. Meh. It'll be painful fun. Cheers!
So...before you wrote this you were contemplating training for vacation? Guess it has been a tough year.
But don't worry, it only takes about 14minutes to adjust to the elevation change. You'll be fine before you discover they lost your luggage.
My 1st two weeks in Colorado from NC I rode with two locals...Kenosha Pass to Breckenridge. 30 + miles, 10,000 ft starting elevation...almost 12,000 ft high point. I ripped their legs off. It did feel good.
Jeremiah Bishop just won the Breck Epic. He is from Virginia.
You are Epic Bacon Boy. You will do fine. Canned Air will be supplied by yours truley. Already, you are welcome!
See ya tomorrow!
Word ver: Porshe...I take that as an omen you'll be riding like a finely tuned machine.
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