New milestone: metric century

Yesterday I completed a new milestone on the Coker,
a metric century of 62 miles. The Clarksville Labor
Day Weekend Classic in Tennessee is billed as one of
the flattest century rides in the country.

A lot of bicylists use this as their first 100 mile
century ride, my brother was one of them. Kudos to
brother David!

At first I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do this
ride on a unicycle or even if I'd be able to. My
Miyata air saddle has been shipped to David Stockton
who's fitting it on a new frame from Hunter Cycles.
On the day before the ride, I took the Viscount
saddle off my 24" trainer, trimmed down the seatpost
with a pipe cutter, and took it out for a brief 4 mile
ride. Everything seemed to be okay, though I probably
should have put in a shim on the seatpost.

On the morning of the ride, I left about 20 minutes
before the official start so as not to get tangled
up in the mass start. I was also worried about my
speed, since the SAG vehicles would pick up any
stragglers at 4:30 pm, and figured an early start
would give me an extra margin of safety.

About 2 miles into the ride, the 62 mile and 100 mile
courses diverged. After 40 minutes of riding I started
getting passed by people riding the metric century.
It was fun being out on the road with other riders
who would whoop and holler as they passed. By the
time I'd arrived at the first rest stop (15 miles)
I was still ahead of some of the slower metric
riders. I arrived at the rest stop about 2 hours
after I'd started, without a single dismount. This
would be my longest continuous riding for the day.
Thereafter, I would be forced to dismount about
every half hour to relieve myself of saddle pressure.

I didn't have a cyclocomputer on the Coker, but I
could estimate my distance by checking my watch.
I was probably averaging slightly over 8 miles an
hour. After the third hour, the traffic from the
metric riders had mostly passed me by, including
some children on mountain bikes. I would often
push down on the nose of the saddle with my
left hand, stand up and balance on the pedals to
relieve saddle pressure. This slowed my progress
and was tiring on the quads, but kept me going
forward.

After 4 hours into the ride a yellow VW beatle SAG
vehicle pulled up and warned me that there was a fast
paceline approaching. It was the lead group in the
100 mile ride, perhaps 25-30 riders strong. Soon
afterwards, I rode into the second rest stop
at mile 31, near the Jefferson Davis monument.
(Why a monument to Jefferson Davis in Kentucky
which fought on both sides?) The 31 mile halfway
point to the metric ride was the 70 mile point for
the century riders, and I got the chance to see many
of my friends in the Harpeth Bike Club riders there.

I pulled out of the second rest area feeling pretty
strong, but knew the next section would take its
toll. My initial plan was to stay on the unicycle
for 30 minutes, then take a 1 minute break to
relieve the saddle pain. So I was constantly
watching my wris****ch, waiting for the blessed
break time. Occassionally I'd cheat and dismount
after 20 minutes. Additionally I was having some
minor problems with the saddle twisting whenever
I'd apply too much torque. I was regretting not
taking the time to shim the seatpost.

On my other saddle I've got GB handlebars which
help (a little) to get some relief while riding.
I'm not sure how much this would help for longer
distances, but I've got to find some solution for
long rides. I also took some Ibuprofen, which
is pretty rare for me.

After leaving the second rest stop, the next one
would be at mile 49. On my bicycle, I'd normally
pooh-pooh these short distance rest stops, but in my
present transportation mode I welcomed them. For
the remainder of the ride I would be passed by the
slower 100 mile riders. It was great to hear their
encouragement, and it kept me going when all I wanted
to do was get off the stupid unicycle. Several times
someone would whip out their camera and say "I've got
to get a picture of this." Even a few cars not
associated with the ride would slow down and yell
out "Totally awesome!".

One advantage (the only advantage?) with traveling
at such a slow speed is that I never missed any of
the road markings. At one point I yelled at some
riders who missed a turn and redirected them to the
route. At another I yelled but the riders were too
far ahead to hear me. I later heard one of them
exclaim as we met at the last rest stop, "I've already
done my 100 miles!"

The toughest part of the ride was the last few miles
into the third and last rest stop. We encountered
some brief rain, which wasn't unexpected and actually
somewhat refreshing. The overcast day had kept the
worst of the heat from scorching us.

I had miscalculated the time/distance and thought I
had another half hour until the last rest stop. It
was somewhat discouraging. Then the rest stop appeared
as an unexpected surprise. I talked with a few riders
including two of my brother's riding buddies, Kenny and
Jim. They told me David was only a few miles behind.

Leaving the last rest stop, I was feeling confident
that I'd finish the ride, with only 13 miles to go.
It helped that there was a continuous stream of
riders still on route. Interestingly, most people
were curious as to the difficulty of climbing the
hills, (what hills?) which were the least of my problems.
Saddle comfort is the only killer issue. I wonder if
(like bicycling) saddle comfort will increase with
training? I hope so.

Soon after I left the last rest stop, perhaps 10 miles
from the finish, my brother passed me. He was looking
in pretty good shape and said he only hit a rough
patch between miles 60 and 70. He would have enough
time to shower and get back out and take some photos
of my arrival.

I arrived about an hour later, still ahead of a very
few scattered 100-mile riders. My finish time was
under 8 hours. On the way home we stopped and ate
dinner with some friends from the Harpeth Bike Club,
always a pleasant way to end any kind of ride.


--
rubic - Unstable Coker Addict

It's never to late to have a happy childhood.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
rubic's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3956
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

Great write up! Congratulations.

Did you have to take any "circulation breaks" besides rest breaks?

My longest time in the saddle for both Coker on yesterday's 22 mile ride
and a 24x2.6 on a similar railroad grade 15 mile ride is 2.5 hours for
each. It seems the time to get the circulation back comes before the
rest break is needed.


--
UniBrier - Its Time to Ride

Steve DeKoekkoek - I've got a one track mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UniBrier's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1404
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

Did you have to take any "circulation breaks" besides
rest breaks?

Yes. After the first 2 hours, I got off the Coker
about every 30 minutes, for a 1-2 minute break. It
was frustrating because I wasn't tired, but I had
to give my butt a rest.

Do you have any suggestions as to what a good seat
design would be?

Silk and gossamer? 0.5 wink

One of the more radical ideas I had during the ride
was a seat that could be rotated 90 degrees, using
different pressure points. Rotating it once every
half hour to effectively change seat positions.
But that's probably not practical.

This is a major factor in uni distance riding.

Yes. I could have easily gone 100+ miles, but
the cumulative saddle pressure is just too much
to bear. It is definitely the limiting factor
for long rides. Bummer.

Questions:

1. Does training improve the ability to withstand
longer saddle time?

2. Has anyone adopted a leather Brooks saddle for
the Coker?

---

One last thing I may seriously consider, though I'd
like to get feedback from others first. It would
appear that the aerobar setup I've seen with some
Cokers might permit some weight to be shifted from
the saddle, especially those with elbow/forearm
rests. Comments?

-Jeff


--
rubic - Unstable Coker Addict

It's never to late to have a happy childhood.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
rubic's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3956
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

Wow!

A helluva distance in a helluva short time!

I'm impressed.


--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

The long distance Fule on his farcycle
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mikefule's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/879
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

A helluva distance in a helluva short time! I'm impressed.

Coming from you Mike, that's a helluva compliment. I'm
quite impressed with your 12+ miles in a hour's ride.

-Jeff


--
rubic - Unstable Coker Addict

It's never to late to have a happy childhood.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
rubic's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3956
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

Jeff,
Nice Post. It's weird how much pain you can endure when everyone's
yelling out support
I'm in training for my 5th MS150 on my Coker. I don't ride (train)
nearly as much as I used to, but I try to keep "my foot in the door" for
bike rides in this area.
I need to come over to TN from OK and ride with you sometime.
Are you still planning to ride the NATCHEZ trail?
-Mark


--
Cokerhead
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cokerhead's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/136
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

rubic wrote:
*1. Does training improve the ability to withstand
longer saddle time?*
Some. But I think there's a limit, and that limit is somewhere below the
# of hours in a saddle you get on a bike. Training will also improve
your speed, which will cut down the saddle time for a given ride. But in
the mean time you can play with equipment.

*2. Has anyone adopted a leather Brooks saddle for
the Coker?*
I don't know about that, but I did once buy a new unicycle that came
with a similar saddle (Ideale, from France). That was a Langenberg
unicycle I bought in Germany in 1982. I no longer have the seat, and
don't know if I have the "determination" to find out whether it would
conform to my crotch before I died. Does today's average road bicyclist
still use those things?

*It would appear that the aerobar setup I've seen with some Cokers
might permit some weight to be shifted from the saddle, especially
those with elbow/forearm rests. Comments?*
Heck yeah. I'm a relative beginner to road Cokering, but the handlebar
is the only way to go. I can't imagine doing 100 km on a Viscount seat
with no handle or handlebar. My hat's off! I really like my handlebar on
my 8 mile ride each way to & from work. I especially like that I've set
it up with two different hand positions. I have pictures of mine in the
"Misc. MUni and Commuting 2003" album he
http://www.unicycling.com/ofoto/unistuff.htm

In any case, believe what works for the riders on the big uni tours
(www.unitours.org). If they don't know what works, who does?

On a bike, the ability to coast makes it easier to stand up every once
in a while and give the crotch a rest. Handlebars support up to 40% of
your weight. And I think the different pelvic angle of your body against
the seat also makes a big difference. Scot Cooper used a bike seat for
the Norway ride.

For a unicycle with a handlebar, the rider probably no longer needs a
saddle with the typical unicycle shape. You're not making lots of fancy
turns, and you need comfort more than control. Sounds like it's time for
the designers to start coming up with new seat shapes....

-Jeff [/b]


--
johnfoss - Now riding to work

John Foss
the Uni-Cyclone
www.unicycling.com
________________

"Where's my kids?" -- Amy Drummond
"Where's my unicycle?" -- Andy Cotter
spoken one right after the other, mostly to themselves, at NAUCC 2003

------------------------------------------------------------------------
johnfoss's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/832
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

johnfoss wrote:
[b]Some. But I think there's a limit, and that limit is somewhere
below the # of hours in a saddle you get on a bike. Training will also
improve your speed, which will cut down the saddle time for a given
ride. But in the mean time you can play with equipment.

I don't know about that, but I did once buy a new unicycle that came
with a similar saddle (Ideale, from France). That was a Langenberg
unicycle I bought in Germany in 1982. I no longer have the seat, and
don't know if I have the "determination" to find out whether it would
conform to my crotch before I died. Does today's average road
bicyclist still use those things?

Heck yeah. I'm a relative beginner to road Cokering, but the
handlebar is the only way to go. I can't imagine doing 100 km on a
Viscount seat with no handle or handlebar. My hat's off! I really like
my handlebar on my 8 mile ride each way to & from work. I especially
like that I've set it up with two different hand positions. I have
pictures of mine in the "Misc. MUni and Commuting 2003" album he
http://www.unicycling.com/ofoto/unistuff.htm

In any case, believe what works for the riders on the big uni tours
(www.unitours.org). If they don't know what works, who does?

On a bike, the ability to coast makes it easier to stand up every once
in a while and give the crotch a rest. Handlebars support up to 40% of
your weight. And I think the different pelvic angle of your body
against the seat also makes a big difference. Scot Cooper used a bike
seat for the Norway ride.

For a unicycle with a handlebar, the rider probably no longer needs a
saddle with the typical unicycle shape. You're not making lots of
fancy turns, and you need comfort more than control. Sounds like it's
time for the designers to start coming up with new seat shapes....



--
johnfoss - Now riding to work

John Foss
the Uni-Cyclone
www.unicycling.com
________________

"Where's my kids?" -- Amy Drummond
"Where's my unicycle?" -- Andy Cotter
spoken one right after the other, mostly to themselves, at NAUCC 2003

------------------------------------------------------------------------
johnfoss's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/832
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

Congrats rubic on the long ride, especially w/o a handlebar! I am a firm
believer in that training can only help out, both in less saddle time
because of improved efficiency, and the old bum just getting used to
being it. A handlebar is a must as well for long Coker rides, I use a
air saddle with a handle bar and it is the only way I can ride for hours
at a time. Way to Go!


--
aspenmike - unicycling albino
------------------------------------------------------------------------
aspenmike's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3768
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495

Hi John.

But I think there's a limit, and that limit is somewhere
below the # of hours in a saddle you get on a bike.

With my current bike setup (Brooks saddle, relaxed geometry
frame) I can almost ride indefinitely ... or at least until
sleep deprivation takes its toll. I doubt that will be
possible with my Coker, but any suggestions to extend my
"cruising range" is appreciated.

Does today's average road bicyclist still use those [Brooks]
things?

After last year's Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200K, the only
people who weren't complaining about their seats were the
Brooks saddle cultists. So I joined. 0.5 wink

Sounds like it's time for the designers to start coming up
with new seat shapes...

Interestingly enough, David Stockton made the same point in a
conversation we had last night.

Thank you for your comments.

-Jeff


--
rubic - Unstable Coker Addict

It's never to late to have a happy childhood.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
rubic's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3956
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/27495