One of my stated goals for the summer was to do at least a 30 mile ride.  In the last couple of months I have gone on three rides 30 miles or longer.   My Uncle Dave has been cycling the past couple of years, and he completed a 50 mile ride this year. Not to be outdone, I decided I would like to try a 50 mile (half century) ride. Although I knew it would be difficult, I was looking forward to completing this milestone.    

The Route

Two of my previous 30 mile rides included a lot of climbing.  In order to make this ride a litte easier, I picked a relatively flat route.  I decided to follow the cherry creek regional trail from 470 and arapahoe road into downtown Denver, and back out. I would have liked to start this ride further south, however, the trail has a short section that doesn’t connect (near Arapahoe road), and there is really no safe way to navigate this missing section.  

On Cherry Creek Trail cyclists, walkers and runners enjoy varied scenery as they travel beside Cherry Creek. From the urban setting of Downtown Denver to the rolling hills of rural Parker, the Cherry Creek Trail offers visitors a taste of the wide range of habitat that calls Denver and its surrounding areas home

There is a map of the trail at the bottom of this post

My Trusty Steed

I rode on my Trek 7.6FX hybrid bike.  I bought this bike back in March, and I have been so happy with it!  Having a quality bike has made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the sport. 

This ride was not part of an organized event, so I needed to cary or purchase all my snacks and drinks.  I carried my Osprey hydration pack with 2 liters of water, a pack of cliff shot rocks, and a stinger waffle.  I also had a water bottle with a full packet of cytomax in it.  

The Ride 

Here is my run keeper data for the ride.  I went way faster for the first 30 miles I had an average pace of 3:40 per mile (roughly 17 mph). I didn’t pause my run keeper except for the break at REI.  I slowed way down the last 15 miles.

The ride went really well.  I felt good most of the time.  My legs hurt bad for about 5 miles after I stoped at REI, and they hurt for about an hour after the ride.  Here is a video with the story of the ride itself.

Here are some more pictures of the ride

Tips 

• Training – a good rule of thumb is to have your weekly mileage at least equal to the distance you are planning to cover (i.e., 100 miles) and have ridden at least 3/4s of the distance in a single ride one to two weeks prior to the ride. Don’t over train on the week before the ride
• If you are going on a long ride such as a half century, I would suggest buying a pair of padded cycling shorts, and using a lube such as chamois butt to prevent chaffing.  
• Bring plenty of water a high calorie snacks.  A long ride is not a place to cut carbs, calories, or limit sodium intake.  Keep your energy stores up and you will ride harder and enjoy it a lot more.
• Don’t stop for more than 10 minutes or you will really stiffen up.  When you do stop stretch out and move around instead of sitting still.
• Move around on your bike as much as possible.  change your hand positions, wiggle your fingers, stand up, shift forward and backward in your saddle. 
• I ride a comfort bike and just bought some bycicle ends that give me two extra hand positions.  I think it really helped me keep comfortable.