Challenge Accepted

This year, from the very start, I decided I would devote my time and energy to getting fit.  Seriously.  While dropping pounds is half the goal, being able to get out and pedal the terrain (in various European locales) with some form of satisfaction was the other half.  By the time Fall fades into winter I want to be able to look back and say that 2013 was the year of the bike and it was good.

Despite the fact that Winter has yet to fade into Spring, the first quarter of the year has been pretty darn pleasing.  Sure, about 90% of my riding has been on the trainer, but my numbers are all looking positive.  A significant amount of 2012 holiday poundage has been kicked to the curb, my resting heart rate is waaaaay down, and road performance is way up on those rare occasions that my bike and I actually do get outside.  To top it off, for the first time since my brief childhood careers in equestrian and soccer I actually have some definition in my legs.  It feels good to see results.

So, when a Rapha newsletter landed in my Inbox announcing a global 100km ride for women on July 7th, I thought, "Hey, this is a good opportunity to keep my motivation up, train with an actual purpose, and be involved in an event with other women that spans the globe."  I filled out the form and the training officially begins next week.

www.rapha.cc

The cool thing about this event is that it is completely doable, no matter where you live or what kind of cyclist you are now.  Yes, Rapha is sending 100 women to ride the Etape du Tour on July 7th to ride 100km.  But, that's not the point.  The point is to get women everywhere to ride 100km together on the same day.  Let's face it, cycling is still very much a boys' club.  If it wasn't you'd be able to watch women's races, the lady pros would be able to make ends meet, and the rest of us would would have access to the equipment we need without having to place special orders or settling for a bunch of pink stuff we don't really like.  Perhaps we have to jump up and down and shout in one massive group to get the industry's attention.  We're here, we ride, and we don't plan on leaving any time soon!

I hope you'd like join in with the jumping and shouting, or at least the pedaling.

100 kilometers.  Sounds like a lot, but let's convert that to the old imperial system.  It's really only about 62.1 miles.  For those that ride daily, 62.1 miles isn't a big deal.  For those that ride less than that but frequently, this challenge will help step things up a bit.  For those that don't ride very often, but have an interest in spending more time on the bike this is a completely realistic goal and the perfect way to increase those miles.  There are several ways to train for it depending on your fitness level and schedule.  Training apps, like Motivo, have programs designed for 100km rides.  Google will pull up even more.  Picking the right one is completely up to you; they anywhere vary from 4 week programs to 15 week.    I opted for a 12 week one that allows me to work around our travel schedule.  For those that have more time for a higher frequency of long rides, a short program may be a good fit.

Well, however we prepare for it, the cool part is that we won't be alone in the the preparation.  I'll be training for my version of the Women's 100 taking place in Luxembourg and Germany.  Other women will be training in France, Italy, Britain, the United States, and elsewhere.  Some will be riding solo, some with a friend, some with a group.  All of us will be riding together on July 7th.  In the meantime, we'll be tweeting, taking Instagram photos, and blogging about the preparation experience using the #womens100 hashtag.  When you sign up with Rapha, they'll send you the occasional newsletter.  There are also a handful of riders doing the Etape who are the sponsored Rapha documentarians   The links to their stuff are available through the website, the newsletters, and the Facebook event.

I'll keep the training documentation to a minimum here on Relish, but will be posting the occasional update via Twitter and Instagram.  I hope you will consider joining in too.  Remember, July 7th, 100 kilometeres, no speed or location requirements.  It's a great opportunity to support and be a part of the women's cycling community.

See you on the 7th!