Climate Ride Spotlight
Tips from a first-timer
By Jill Holloway
The 2022 Northern California Green Fondo was not only my first Climate Ride, but it was my first time riding a century. I started training in March for the event in May, before that the longest ride I had been on was 40 miles. I would highly recommend this event for everyone who’s even a little bit interested, even if you’re nervous about the distance. The Climate Ride team does an awesome job at organizing everything from the check-in to meals and snacks to the programming. I was really nervous going in because I didn’t know what to expect, but once I arrived at the campsite there were tons of people to ask questions and give encouragement. I felt so excited and prepared setting off in the morning for my century that almost all my nerves were gone.
In case you are still considering a Climate Ride this year, or maybe next year, here are some tips I picked up along the way.
- Do one hilly ride and one long ride before the event. The first day of Climate Ride I rode 100 miles with almost 7,000 ft of climbing. So in preparation I did one 50 mile ride with 5,000 ft of climbing and one 75 mile ride with 2,000 ft of climbing. Although I didn’t complete a century before the event I felt confident I could handle both the length and climbing after I completed both these training rides without feeling completely exhausted afterwards.
- Don’t bring snacks unless you want something specific. I packed probably 10 bars/GUs/snacks in my bike bags and promptly ate almost none of them. At the start of the day and at stops along the way there were more than enough snacks to refuel with. And you can take some with you if you need something in between stops. I also recommend eating something fresh, like apple slices or an orange, at each stop.
- Don’t eat too much at lunch. My eyes and hunger were way bigger than my stomach when we stopped for lunch. I also tend to eat really quickly. So I ended up eating way too much at lunch and then feeling borderline sick for the next hour or two. I eventually burned it off and felt fine, but eating smaller portions and more frequently is a better system for me.
- Take some time to stop and enjoy. Yes this was a physical challenge and I wanted to do something I’d never done before, but there are lots of other great aspects of Climate Ride. On day 2, rather than doing another long ride, I opted for the short distance and stopped along the way including at a zero-waste store, coffee shop, bakery, and goat farm. I rode the entire day 2 with another Bike East Bay team member and we had so much fun exploring and eating our way through Pescadero. Also, stop and take some photos of the scenery and of you with your bike.
- Make friends. I met so many awesome people over the course of the weekend. Everyone was extremely friendly and I found myself taking long breaks, especially on day 2, because I was having so much fun talking with other riders.
