『The previous day to the start of the day Part 1” is here
『Start - Niigata sightseeing edition” is here
Reflection/Consideration
Sado Long Ride 2023I participated in the 210km A course,I had a DNF due to running out of time at Tada AS at the 138km point.
This time, I will consider and reflect on the causes and factors, and the event will be held in September 2023, when I was successfully selected and able to participate.Tour de Tohoku, I will probably make the most of it for the Sado Long Ride 2024, which will probably be held next year as well.
Cause 1: Not enough practice
First of all, I simply didn't practice enough.
The training involved riding the Arakawa Cycling Road (commonly known as Arasai) on a day off, going back and forth from Shinsuna to Asaka Water Gate, about 80km.
On weekdays, I ride 20km to 30km once or twice in 5 days from Monday to Friday.
On days when it's too rainy or windy to ride, I go for a run, and my muscle training mainly focuses on foot training, and I started doing it in earnest about a month ago.
I simply don't have enough practice,I felt that I should have started these trainings at least a month and a half, preferably two months in advance.
Also, as I crossed 80km, the longest ride I had ever ridden in practice, and got to over 100km in the actual race, things happened to my body that were not part of my training, such as mental issues and vibrations in my hands and lower back.
It is difficult to drive 200km in practice,I thought it would be better to at least experience 100km to 140km, which is about 50% to 70% of the time.
Cause 2: Measures against slopes
The route is basically on the Arakawa cycling road, so it's pretty flat.
It also runs on general roads in Tokyo, but since Tokyo is located in the Kanto Plain, there are not many hills.
Sado has several hills with an altitude of about 100m, and there are quite a few ups and downs.
Although there was a headwind, the slope cut into my legs and slowed my pace.I felt it was necessary to prepare for the slope and practice.
To practice on the slopes, I would like to go to famous places such as Mt. Tsukuba's Dark Pass and Yabitsu Pass in Hadano.
Cause 3: Weight
The longest distance of my life was running 170km in the Tour de Tohoku about 5 years ago.
Including the round trip from the hotel to the starting point, I would have covered about 190km in one day, so I decided to participate this time thinking I could cover 210km.
However, my weight five years ago was 65 kg, and my current weight is 75 kg. .
I'm carrying an additional 10kg of weight on my back, so things won't be the same as they were five years ago.
The solution is simple, just lose weight.
I'm not saying I'll be 65kg by the Tour de Tohoku, but I'd like to at least get around 70kg.
Cause 4: Understanding the course
I had miscalculated the distance between Ryotsu BS and Tada AS, so I took a break and slowed down because I couldn't make it in time.
I needed to pass Tada AS by 13:45, but I arrived at Tada AS about 5 minutes after the time limit, and I ran out of time and got a DNF.
It is necessary to understand the distance between each AS.
Course maps will be distributed in advance, so be sure to check them when you take a break at AS.
Detailed correction points
I won't go into the exact cause, but I will point out some points to correct.
① Choose a single room at the hotel
This time, we stayed in a shared room with 6 people, and to be honest, there was snoring and other noises, so it was really hard to wake up in the middle of the trip. .
From now on, I would like to avoid dormitories or shared rooms and stay alone if possible.
②Apply with A2 instead of A3
I applied for A3 this time, but the start time was around 6:00.
If you apply for A2 and can start near the front, you should have about 30 minutes to start around 5:30-5:40.
③Drinking the previous day
It also affects my sleep, and lack of sleep can affect my performance the next day, so I felt it would have been better not to drink at least the day before.
Since I came all the way to Sado and stayed at a nice inn, I can't help but drink as much as I want once I'm done drinking, so I'll try to hold back the day before.
What I felt
I felt it was more about the engine than the equipment.
It's the same when I usually ride the Arakawa Cycling Road, and it's also the case at events like this, but there are many road bikes that cost 500,000 yen or nearly 1 million yen.
The road bike I ride was purchased at a discounted price of about 150,000 yen, and I paid for things like wheels and bikes, so the total cost should be around 250,000 yen at most.
At Arakawa, you can easily be passed by people riding high-end road bikes, so before I participated, I thought that if I wanted to ride long distances over 200km or go fast, I had no choice but to buy a high-end road bike.
When I participated, I definitely passed people on road bikes that were more expensive than my road bike, and conversely, I was also passed by cross bikes that were cheaper than my road bike.
In other words, I felt that it was not the equipment, but the engine, and the person riding the car.
There are places where you can still pay, so I might change the tires or bar tape, but I don't feel it's necessary to buy a new car or change parts to save a few grams.
Of course, I think changing a high-end road bike would make it easier to ride, but I felt it would be better to strengthen the bike and the engine first and make it lighter, rather than making the body and parts lighter, before spending a large amount of money.
Toward the Tour de Tohoku
The next long ride event will be the Tour de Tohoku, which will be held in September 2023.
So, in preparation for the Tour de Tohoku, I would like to do the following.
- Start training at least a month and a half in advance
- Try running more than 105km, which is half of 210km.
- Experience slopes such as Fudo Pass on Mt. Tsukuba
- Weight less than 70kg
- Check the course map by AS
- Stay at an inn or hotel where you can stay alone
- Don't drink alcohol the day before
