There are some of us who don't really like going for a bike ride. I mean, just toodling around enjoying the freedom and pleasure of bicycling. I certainly don't.
I don't have the patience for it. I start building `to do' lists in my head. I get stuck in that `I need to do something PRODUCTIVE' trap.
Paradoxically, I am almost never bored when I cycle. Numbers running through my head. Assessing how much effort I can afford to put into a training session so that it isn't too much or too little.
Not many cyclists will agree as to what constitutes `ultra' cycling. For some it is getting in a fast thirty miles before church. Some consider anything more than one hundred miles in a day `ultra.' And then some push the pedals for a specific number of hours before they consider it `ultra.'
The term `time trial' is equally elastic. How fast can you cover 10 miles? How far can you go in 1 hour? "A road race set over a specified distance with the riders being timed. Also known as a race against the watch." Individual time trials. Team time trials. You are your own competition.
Below is a fairly standard description of an `ultra' cycling time trial.
Ultra 12 Hour
This is an Ultra-Marathon Cycling Association sanctioned 12 hour event. Competitors ride as many miles as they can in 12 hours.
24 Hour Option
This is a non-drafting RAAM qualifying event, open to the public. This event starts at the same time and place as our Ultra 12 Hour event, but doesn't end until the next morning.
Here are a links to just a few of the `ultra' time trial events:
I'll be participating in the Sebring event in February of this (2016) year. And for the first time I'll be doing an `ultra' event without taking it `gravely.' That is, I'm `serious' about it but not to the point of being my usual grim, gruesome self.
You should try it. It's more than a `ride.' It's a challenge. It's a social experience. And it's probably got some discovery in it for you.
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