RecumBum

With temperatures in the lower seventies and lots of sun, it was a glorious day for the Johnson County Bike Club’s annual early season ride, the Spring Classic. Several hundred cyclists were already milling around as I arrived at Shawnee Mission Park around 7:30, and after a few minutes registering and setting up the bike, I was headed north with a few early-starters.

The first part of the route runs through suburban Shawnee, then runs along K-7 highway as it crosses over the Kansas River and into Bonner Springs. There is a long flat stretch along the river, then a climb of the bluffs before descending again into the river valley, then back across the river into DeSoto, and a SAG stop at DeSoto’s city park. From there the route goes south to Gardner through rolling countryside. This portion of the ride was the toughest, as it headed directly into a strong and gusty wind. The second SAG stop was at 151st and Gardner Road, where the route split into 46-mile and 70-mile options. The 70-mile route headed west to Edgerton, while the 46-mile route went east towards Olathe, where Lakeshore drive passes by the southern tip of Lake Olathe before a few hills on Dennis Avenue, the north on Kansas Avenue and 119th street, which is a busy four-lane road with no shoulders. At Renner road the route heads north towards Lenexa, with several robust hills. Normally, Renner would lead directly back to Shawnee Mission Park, but there was road construction, so the last few miles were routed through a twisty maze of residential streets. This part of the route was not particularly well-marked, but eventually it made its way back to the park. The route, with the construction detour at the end, turned out to be a little over 48 miles, according to my odometer.

After last year, when I could hardly finish, I took care this year to keep my pace down, and not try to keep up with the crowd. That sounds easy, but when someone’s passing you, the natural inclination (at least for me) is to try to keep up. I think I was pretty successful in keeping the ego in check. My average speed for the ride was almost exactly what it was last year, but this is on a faster, lighter bike, so that indicates that I wasn’t pushing as hard as last year.

The other step I took was to take a couple extra breaks, in addition to the SAG stops provided. I took a break at about 11 miles (which is when the pictures below were shot), then an official SAG at DeSoto at about 19 miles, then another official SAG at about 30 miles, then another self-SAG at about 40 miles.

And finally, I tried to do a better job of fueling myself pre-ride, taking it easy and eating bananas and energy bars in the days before the ride.

The end result was a successful ride. I ended the ride feeling great, and the hills that I’d had trouble on last year were no problem at all this year. I even passed a few people on this hills, which is quite unusual. I’m sure the nice tailwind on the last leg was part of the reason the ride ended so well, but I think my three strategies paid a positive role as well.

I saw very few recumbents this year. Last year I saw a fair number, perhaps 10 or so. This year there was just myself, a guy on a Bacchetta high-racer, and a couple riding a RANS Screamer tandem. Last year there was a Trek recumbent, a Haluzak, a couple Bacchettas, and a few Tour Easy’s.

Spring Classic 2007

Spring Classic 2007