GOBA. . .Thursday Day 5 - 100 miles in the heat!
June 30th, 2009by Sandy Donaldson
Sorry for the delay in getting my updates posted, but the last couple of days of my adventure on the bike did not allow for much time at the public library, so here’s the scoop from my notes on the trip.
Thursday Julie, Doug and I participated in the 100 mile ride, fondly referred to in cycling terms as a century. The weather report was calling for late afternoon thunderstorms and a warm windy day throughout, so Julie was a little apprehensive about the whole ride - clearly the distance wasn’t the issue for her, she’s competed in and finished over 10 full Ironman Triathalons, but the thought of thunder, lightning and all the other good things that come with a storm was not appealing to her at all. Doug and I on the other hand, were thinking lightning around the 80-90 mile marker might be just the thing to get us to the finish.
So in spite of our concerns, we got up early and were on the rode by 6:15am. Already it was close to 80 degrees and getting warmer with each hour. Doug rode a demo bike offered by one of the bicycle dealers at GOBA, it was a brand new carbon fiber road bike, feather light and equipped with the latest in cycling technology. I was a bit concerned that he might not adapt to the bike fit and would struggle to finish the hundred, especially since this was his first century ride. I was wrong, he did just fine and now is convinced he should be riding a nice, sleek road bike for future rides of this type…I would agree.
One of the most fascinating elements of outdoor cycling is the wind. It is always going the opposite way you are. This day was no different, the wind was busy shifting around throughout our 100 miles to ensure that we always had a nice strong crosswind or hot, humid headwind all day.
As you ride throughout the day the hours and events of the ride seem to blend together with one exception - the last ten miles. . .those are miserable and extremely easy to remember just how painful it can be.
Enough about the pain - here’s one for general party talk. Along about the 60 mile mark Doug and I found ourselves sitting in a small town at a red traffic light in the left turn only lane. Two cars ahead of us, so we patiently waited for the light to turn green. Seconds later - green light, but the cars aren’t moving - so being the type triple A personality that I am, I quickly became anxious to get through the light before it turned red. I look ahead and it appears as though the first car is abandoned - no heads showing in the car. What the hell, I make my move and alert Doug that I am going around these cars to make a left. As I pass by the lead car I discover a little old lady slumped over in the front seat, not dead, asleep! Honestly - first time ever in my 20 plus years of cycling that I encountered a driver truly asleep at the wheel!
A few miles down the rode was a scheduled stop to pick up our Century Patch - at a winery! That was down right cruel of GOBA. As we were leaving the winery I overheard one rider say it was 107 degrees on his bike computer. . .that’s just way too hot to be riding, but we did it anyways!
After 8 long hours we arrived back in Defiance and made our way back to the home of our friends. After jumping into the pool - still in our cycling clothes, we cracked open a few beers, some of those Bud Light Limes, and floated around in the pool for about an hour reminding ourselves why we thought riding 100 miles in 100 plus degrees was a good idea!
Later we ate a great meal, and drank a few more beers before calling it a day. . .whew! Would I do it again? Absolutely. . .
Although we have so many modern conveniences at our disposal, its seems rather ironic that a recent trend in fitness harks back to primitive man. New methods of “punishment” are taking the country by storm as more and more people are participating in cross training programs that are quite simple in design but extremely brutal. Programs like Crossfit training have become extremely popular in recent years because they “specialize in not specializing.” They create dynamic workouts based on powerful motions that incorporate many muscles thus creating fatigue at a quicker rate and generating more potential power from the body.
Let’s face it, I can’t begin to count the number of people that blame their bad diets on lack of time to prepare food or that healthy food is too expensive. These are probably the most ridiculous excuses I’ve ever heard for a poor diet. I get it, fast food is easy. Fast food is cheap. Fast food is convenient. Well if you are also comfortable with fast food giving you an ever growing gut, not to mention a huge list of potential health problems, then be my guest. I’m hear to show you how healthy eating can not only be faster than other options, but also MUCH cheaper than conventional American diets. 
I just signed up for my annual week long cycling trip with 2,999 of my closest friends. It’s called GOBA which stands for the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. GOBA is a week long cycling tour that travels through a different region of Ohio every year. I was first introduced to GOBA back in 1998 when the group came through my local community of Hudson, Ohio. I was driving home from a game of golf when I noticed the high school literally surrounded by tents, bicycles and rows of port-a-potties. 
