I learned my lesson the hard way about how to plan for nutrition on a long ride with few controls. The first leg of the Davis Bike Club 300K was almost 70 miles. So I drank two bottles of Gatorade before, and two bottles during, thinking that would be enough. Wrong! From now on I will probably continue to use the Camelbak to insure proper hydration. I rode with or near the front group for most of the first leg, and was only seven minutes off the lead at the first control, after a pretty good amount of climbing. I must admit that the usual hammerheads were not in attendance, so the vibe at the front was a little odd.
Anyway, I rode strong for 6-7 hours before the effects of dehydration began to set in. You know, the usual; lack of appetite, loss of power, and eventually cramps. I was sitting in sixth place when the cramps came on the final climb. I lost 5 places in the last 40 miles, finishing 11th in 11 hours and 5 minutes. I didn't bonk and the dehydration was not bad enough to be a major setback.
I am considering scratching Copperopolis in favor of riding 400K alone in two weeks. In the meantime, more long threshold intervals, and a couple of trips to the track for giggles.
