joesacher.com

For over 20 years, the American Diabetes Association has held a fund raising event that gives cyclists the chance to ride around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This event
is called “The Smoothest Ride in the World”. The only thing required to participate is $35 in pledges, a human powered cycle of some sort and a helmet. It is the most diverse cycling event, with pace lines going for a sub 5 and a half hour century through weekend cyclists bringing the young kids to ride. The track is large enough to accommodate the variety. Each time around you just have to answer the question, “Can I ride another 2.5 miles?” With “pit stops” between turns 1 and 2, in the middle of the back straight away, and between turns 3 and 4, you are sure to be fully energized.

Once you go through the registration desks and sign a track waiver, you prepare for the mass start. The ride begins at 8:30, with the cyclists lining up in pit row. Many riders don’t arrive until an hour or more after the start. Here is what it looks like from the middle of the pack. The person I caught unattractively, right in the middle of a blink, is my dad. He rode my Vision R40 recumbent. The first lap is a little cramped and slow as everyone gets going. However, with the wide track and 2.5 mile oval, the traffic quickly thins out to an enjoyable level. Dad did good for as little riding as he has done this year.

I started out riding the entire first lap with my father. When I was in need of a slow spinning lap later in the day, to help clear out one of the numerous charlie-horse cramps I had, I was able to ride another lap with dad. The rest of the time I had a serious goal to meet, so I had to be satisfied with giving a good, hearty “Hey Pop!” as I cruised past him every couple laps. He seemed to have a good time talking with everyone, and I don’t think he is planning on giving my Vision back any time soon. I guess my Rocket will have to do.

About 20 miles into my ride, I hear this deep rumble from behind me. It didn’t sound like a motor from the trucks or tour buses that had been driving around the track while we rode. I realized what the sound was as Richard Myers passed me the first time. The rumble was the streamliner shell reverberating any road roughness. Richard continued to lap me every 2-3 laps. I didn’t get a chance to ask about his total mileage, because by the end of the ride I had trouble even standing up and my brain wasn’t working too well.

I recently learned that Richard 100 miles in 4 hours and 6 minutes. Top speed 32 MPH. I also stole another picture from the Bent Trail Riders site. They have a photo page with other shots from the ADA ride. I was able to meet Richard and take some more photos of his bike at the Summer Heat Rally (will fix link when I get this page up into the new format).

This is the second year that I have participated in this ride. Last year, I decided to challenge people to give me a pledge per mile, instead of a fixed dollar amount. My goal last year was 50 miles and I was able to complete 65 miles. The biggest problem with riding distance is not the distance, but the time. A time limit is an unrelenting master. I can ride all day at 12 mph. A fairly long day on the bike at that speed can complete a century. However, to meet my goal this year of 80 miles, I would have to average about 15 mph over the 5 and a half hours of riding time. The track closes at 2 pm, so I couldn’t slowly add up the miles as I usually prefer to ride.

I started out warming up for the first few miles, keeping a 15 mph pace. Soon I was able to jump on a 19 mph pace line and wrap up some fast miles. During the first 2 hours, I held a 17+ mph average. But, the day kept getting hotter. A place where 90% of the ground is some type of pavement and no shade exists is not the ideal location to ride on a hot, humid, sunny day. I was hoping that missing breakfast would not leave me bonking before I got close to my goal. I didn’t end up running out of energy, but I did have a problem with getting enough fluids in me. When 12 o’clock came around, I was just passing 54 miles. I knew that holding a 15 mph average would get me to my goal in time. My average was still a respectable 16.8 mph and I thought it would be cake to finish.

A half of a lap later, I noticed the clouds clearing. The temperature would continue to rise. I stopped at a pit and found out that they had run out of bananas. I had been drinking Gatorade and PowerAde with my water, but I was not getting enough minerals and salts and my muscles were whispering of a mutiny. Around 60 miles, my left leg locked up in a charlie-horse cramp. It was bad enough that I couldn’t get out of my clipless pedals. I drifted over to the inside wall and hung on to the fence. It slowly passed, but I knew that my last 20 miles were going to be hard. I managed the half mile to the nearest pit, drank down a full PowerAde and laid down for a few minutes. Then, slowly moving again, I began playing a mental game against my muscles. I could feel how much they would let me get away with. A few times I rode with a light charlie-horse, until it went away. I was not able to absorb the water as fast as my body was getting rid of it. My stomach was half full of water and sports drink and it just seemed to slosh around without going anywhere. The last 15 miles were completed using will power alone. This is the hardest physical challenge I have ever put myself though and I couldn’t be more proud with my effort.

We were forced off the track at 1:52, stealing my last lap that I could have finished before 2 pm. If I had another 20 minutes, I could have finished my 80 miles. However, it was probably a good thing to stop when I did. I was getting badly dehydrated and my mental capacity was rapidly dwindling. When the day was done, I had logged 75.5 miles during 4 hours and 39 minutes riding time (16.2 mph moving avg.) and 5 hours and 22 minutes total time (14.1 mph overall avg.). I endured 5 major charlie-horse cramps and 11 minor ones. With around $5 per mile in pledges, I was able to raise just over $375 for ADA. I also made it into the Channel 8 report about the ride. The report is available for viewing (Channel 8 ADA Report - 3.7 Mb), and requires a player that can handle Window Media Player 7 format.

For more information on the Smoothest Ride in the World, contact the Indianapolis office:

American Diabetes Association
7363 E. 21st Street
Indianapolis, IN 46219
Phone: 317 352-9226
Fax: 317 357-4288