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Completed: Central Coast Double
Related: cycling, double century, exercise, hard core, health, road biking, ultra endurance exercise
I completed the Central Coast Double Century (Highland route), my 5th double century this year. See the 2017 route sheet.
But no worries, I have a full 7 days to recover for the Davis Double a week later (usually 4-5 days is enough), then a lazy two weeks until the Eastern Sierra Double Century where the snow-capped mountains ought to be lovely this year and the fish nervous.
I don't think I'll be as fast as 2016 and my chances of winning it as I did in 2015 are slim to none, as I’ve been fighting some fatigue problem for several months (allergies and perhaps food reactions). Cutting out all grains (not that I eat much wheat but I do adore Panda licorice now abandonded for the time being), and also peanuts seems to have helped in eliminating the bloating. But the heavy rain this year has every grass and tree and bush pollinating the air heavily.
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Update (finished): all done and with no stomach cramps or physical isuses; I felt decent the whole time. That in itself makes it a huge win for me. But I took care to eat more and my stomach felt good to start with. Being 10 pounds too heavy and not in 2015 or even 2016 shape, the decline in average power (graphs below) from 199 watts (2015 win) to 184 watts to 168 watts (course harder this year, somewhat) is more than a little frustrating but it has been a tough few years so I’m going to be delighted in not feeling nauseated or wanting to vomit or falling asleep on my bike as in the past two doubles—no physical problem this time.
I cut out all wheat and peanuts and cut way back on dried fruit* about two weeks ago and this seems to have eliminated the bloating and problems I was having. Food sensitivity has been dogging me for months, though I still don’t have a hard answer on which food(s) are the primary cultprit. [Update: I had a reaction two days later, I suspect cantaloupe now which some say may be related to ragweed proteins].
* See Are Grains the Culprit in Health and Weight? Is 'Wheat Belly' a Crackpot Diet? (UPDATED through 29 April). However, on this ride I did consume 100 grams of Panda black licorice which I think worked very well. The whole sensitivity (to what exactly?) remains murky but I won’t be eating bread or wheat products in general this year I think—I want it to stay settled down.
Photo tip: Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd offers some really lovely stream shooting on the east side, and the view the west is spectacular, with many excellent viewpoints. I had no time to admire the view, being much more interested in not crashing the twisty descent, but I stopped for this one photo.
Below, yet another garbage-quality iPhone 7 Plus photo from the 2X lens —barely acceptable even greatly reduced in size to 2400 pixels. I am hugely disappointed in the 2X camera of the iPhone 7s.
Pacific Ocean from Naciemiento-Fergusson Rd, a few hundred vertical feet summit.
Aid station is near the bridge down below, 2017 route wends its way down, then reverses.
iPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back dual camera 6.6mm f/2.8 @ 57mm equiv (6.6mm)
[low-res image for bot]
