A Humbling Reminder

I felt that my 1st ride up Kinglake mountain was easy, and it did feel that way since we stopped every now and then to wait for the less experienced riders. But my second trip, with Cameron, was a straight ride - no stops. It's surprising how tough it was getting TO Kinglake, and climbing UP Kinglake was a lot easier. But the trip to its foot had taken its tool - as had my lack of activity during this exam season - and I was 2 Km/H slower than I was the first time.


However, it wasn't until we started home that I realised I might have overestimated myself. For the first time, I felt leg cramps. Starting mildly the knees at first, like an aching quiver, it gradually encompassed my calves. About 30 Km from home (the total trip was 110Km on undulating rolling terrain with headwinds on the return), I had to stop at the traffic lights - and I couldn't move. The cramp had seized up my left leg and I wobbled onto the footpath. It was a full-on cramp but it hit even harder when I tried to dismount, leaving me straddled across the bike and massaging my thighs that, by now, felt as hard as my helmet. It took a bottle of gatorade and the sodium from a pack of chips to calm things down. 10 minutes later, I was riding home again. Slowly (about 28-30 Km/H).


I've identified some of the mistakes I made:


1. Overdressing - despite the temperature, the Australian sun made things very hot. An inner shirt, jersey, vest and leg warmers were excessive. I even thought I might need the arm warmers stuffed in my pocket.


2. Hubris - I pedaled in a gearing that wasn't sustainable, especially against this terrain and trip distance. I also dismissed what my body was telling me because I wanted to meet or beat my previous numbers going up Kinglake. This, I think, was the biggest factor.


3. Insufficient preparation - My first trip up Kinglake was a week before Melbourne's annual Around the Bay challenge. I had been carbo-loading and brought gatorade with me. This time, I only ate pasta two nights before the trip and brought tap water. I didn't start the ride with the 'invincible' sensation.


Since this blog is my a copy of my cycling diary, I'll put up this post to remind myself that this isn't Karate. I can't stake everything on the one-hit-one-kill paradigm - I've gotta conserve for later. This isn't a sport where you can succeed on one drastic attempt. It's an endurance sport, requiring different skills and strategies. It is also a new sport to me, having started cycling in January 2010, and hubris clearly spells disaster.


It's the first time I've ever cramped. I always thought I played smart. Being a rookie, I couldn't keep pace with the guys in Singapore or Melbourne based on pure endurance - I only did so during the cycling camps and centuries by honing my techniques and sound preparation. I never thought I would get cramps, and I admit I'm not proud of it. Hubris isn't smart: discretion is the better part of valour.