18 halfway through. At that point, I knew something was off, and if I didn’t back off soon, I wouldn’t make it. Around mile 60, my heart rate would not go below 180 bpm, even in the draft. At that point, I started burning far more calories than I was taking in. I was beginning to feel miserable, and instead of fueling as I should have, I tried to get in a zone and block it out. By mile 70, we realized we would be very late getting to the lake. I felt terrible slowing the group down, so I told them to go on without me. Riding alone left me to battle the headwinds by myself. By mile 85, the cramping had set in. I was so disappointed with myself that I chose not to take the last SAG in Morgantown. What should have been a fun social ride turned into a sufferfest. What to do when preparing for endurance cycling events: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Sign up for rides where you know you can do it based on your current physical condition and actual training that matches the rigor of the ride. Pay attention to the weather forecast and wind direction. If the forecast is hot/humid, plan on more stops/breaks. Allow advance training time in the heat to get accustomed to the conditions. Most training rides are a loop where you go against the wind and with it. Sweetwater is a destination ride, meaning one-way. If the wind is out of the S/SE, you will have a longer/slower ride than you would at the same distance during training. Bring extra electrolytes and easily digestible food/fuel. While you train, having a heart rate monitor will help you determine how many calories you burn in an hour. Bring enough food to make up for most of the calories burned. Regarding bike food, finding something that works for your body can be tricky. On the bike, you want something easy to get out of your pocket and eat while moving with the group. You want something with calories to keep up with calorie burned. For Cliff bars and waffles, I like to unwrap them at the house and put in a Ziploc baggy. This makes it easier to open and grab than to rip open a wrapper or seal while in a group pace-line. Regardless, plan on eating something at least every 45 minutes. The big challenge on long rides is remembering to drink and eat throughout the ride. By the fourth or fifth hour on the saddle, my stomach starts to reject these foods and wants something more substantial. You will need to experiment to see what works best for your body.