I wanted to complete a 50+ mile ride for my training for the SINZ unitour, so I decided to unicycle
into DC and back for a total of 55 miles. My plan was to leave from my house
and unicycle to the W&OD trail at Reston(an old railroad track that got converted into a
bike trail http://www.wodfriends.org )
and from their I would take the trail all the way into D.C., more specifically
into Georgetown. I left my house at a little after 10:00 AM and it was chilly
outside. I had on my new cycling fleece and a shell jacket since it was in the
upper 30 degrees (fahrenheit), and my new biking shorts. After riding about 5
miles I got really hot, so I put my shell jacket into my backpack that I was
carrying with me. The roads and trails leading up to the W&OD trail were
really bumpy and hilly, so the first 7.5 miles was the worst. Once I got onto
the W&OD trail the ride was a lot smoother and my average speed increased to
about 11.5 mph. I took my first break after about 15 miles even though I didnt
have any saddle soreness yet. I drank some of my bottled water and stretched
out some more. After about 5 minutes I was back on the saddle and continued
onward. After about being 20 miles into the trip my right crank started making
some noise, so I got off once again and tightened it (thank goodness I brought
tools in my backpack!).
After about 22 miles into the journey I passed by a school on the trail and the
kids (aged maybe around 8-10 years old) all saw me and started yelling and
chasing me. They were amazed at the size of my unicycle and were all saying
“WOOOAH”. I surprisingly didn’t have any saddle soreness so I just kept on
going till I hit the Key Bridge, which connects a part of northern virginia to
Washington D.C. and takes you into Georgetown. I stopped at a Subway (sandwich
shop) in Georgetown and got a 6" sub. This was basically my halfway break since
I reached my destination and had done 27.5 miles. I finished my sub, ate a
chocolate powerbar I carried with me, and had some more water. The break
lasted a total of 25 minutes maybe, and then I got back onto my saddle and went
back over the bridge and back onto the W&OD trail. My right crank started
giving me problems again, so I got off and was able to tighten it a little more
(I think I need to use some loctite). On the ride back I stopped after about 13
miles at the 40 mile mark on my journey. I was hungry again so I ate another
chocolate powerbar and had some Vitamin Water that I was carrying with me in my
backpack (basically an electrolyte drink). I stretched some more since I was
starting to get some pain in my knees and the muscles right above my knees. To
my surprise I didnt have that much saddle soreness either. This break lasted
about 7 minutes, and then I got back onto the saddle and continued on the
trail. The rest of the ride was not that memorable except when I passed the 50
mile mark of my journey. I had never done over 50 miles before so I was excited
that I finally had done so. I continued on for the last 5 miles of my trip and
got back to my house. My legs hurt a little and that was about the only pain I
had. I was surprised because I thought I would be in a lot more pain,
especially related to the saddle, but I was feeling a lot better than I
thought.
All in all it was a 55 mile trip, and my average mph was about 10.8, but I think
it was a little higher since I did not pause my cycle computer at the stoplights
(and there were a few that lasted a while). I had 3 UPDs, which is a lot for me
because I usually never have UPDs, but the trail was really bumpy for some parts
and I fell at a few bumps and a gravel detour that I was not paying attention
to.
My setup was as follows:
Coker with airfoil rim, snafu pedals, 125 mm cranks.
Saddle: small slab of old KH foam on top of a miyata base with a stiffener
plate, and on top of that I put the full foam from the new KH freeride w/ the center cutout. All covered
with a gemcrest leather cover laced below since the saddle was sort of bulky.
GB4 handlebars.
Clothing (I think helped a lot):
Pearl Izumi Kodiak Light jersey (kept me warm, and dry)
Novara Strada road shorts (best cycling shorts I have ever had)
Wool Socks (A must for the cold! My feet were nice and warm)
Sweatpants (I could probably buy some cycling pants, but oh well)
My next ride I am planning is going to be 75 miles, and hopefully I can attempt a century ride before going to New Zealand. Keep in mind that I have sort of been working up to these distances as well, so I think that is why I didnt feel so bad after the ride. I did a lot of 25 mile rides, then a couple 30 mile rides, and then a couple 40 mile rides in the past month and a half. I am now able to comfortably ride 50+ miles, so hopefully with some more training rides I can increase that even further.
Nice write-up of what sounds like a great ride. I’ll be trying to put in some longer rides like this in the upcoming months and I’m inspired by your effort.
Nice write up. Bad timing though - just when I was feeling really proud of myself for riding 23 miles. Oh well, perhaps I’ll be able to increase my distances too.
Nice James. Are you using a Coker tire or a TA? 2 things on your cranks loosening. I had a set of cranks that no matter what I tried would not stay tight. I got some others and had no problems, so it could be a bad “fit”. I’ve found that, rather than loctite, antiseize works well for cranks, both on the tapers and on the bolts. I put my Kookas on my Coker and have done 1000+ miles with no loosening. I think it takes a combination of a precise fit in the tapers and well lubed tapers. I’m envious of your training and future trip. I wish I had the time for such endeavors. But alas a wife and 5 children have to be priority.
You guys are all doing awesome rides. My whole plan with unicycling right from the start has been to do distance riding. That is what I was always into with my road bikes. I just got my Nimbus 36 and then the weather turned to $h!t. Cold and icey and snowy. So far the longest ride I’ve taken was on my 29er at about 10 miles. Keep writing up your distance rides. They give me inspiration.
(Begin shameless self-promotion)
I did a 75-mile ride from Lunen, Vermont to Rumford Maine in the pooring rain through the White Mountains. I had a pair of nice Giordana nylon leg warmers under my bike shorts and under my waterproof pants. This was plenty warm, and kept me dry.
I rode a Coker airfoil 150mm cranks bulletproof alloy pedals with the KH fusion air saddle. It improves riding comfort, but you have to fight with it for a month before it sits right. I also fought the whole day with my right crank arm. I kept tightening it until finally, the bolt was as tight as it could get, and the crank was still loose. When I got home, I tossed the cranks and got new ones, and haven’t had much trouble.
Lately, I’ve been riding on 4 1/2" cranks (105mm? in that range, I guess), and that has improved speed, although it really puts the wheel in charge of the ride.
On any long ride, I make sure to have the tools necessary to perform minor repairs (tighten pedals and cranks, maybe a patch kit and some steel tire levers.) Eat a lot and drink a lot.
You know, it sounds like you guys could be gearing up for RideTheLobster in Nova Scotia in 2008. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s an 800K unicycle relay race from yarmouth to Sydney. When I last talked to the guy organizing it, he mentioned prize money somewhere near $10,000. Check it out at www.ridethelobster.com
I am using the Coker tire. I have not tried the TA yet, still using the tire that came with my coker.
and as far as my cranks go, I have had problems with them coming loose before, but if it keeps on happeneing I might put on my spares. I learned long ago to always keep a spare set of cranks with you so you dont have to wait a couple days for the new ones.
Yeah, I signed up for the mailing list for ridethelobster. I am looking into it and seeing how it plans out.
Also, I am ordering some 110 mm cranks to try out since Ken seems to be so keen on them for average rides. I have never tried anything shorter than 125mm, but 125s seem to be just enough to get up some steeper sections and not die going downhill.
It’s good that Mike Fule isn’t the only one with the writeups though. 