Big Fun, Big Pain, at the SUUNTO Big Rides!

This ride is gonna be hard to top! Last February 11, 2012, 26 brave souls attended the SUUNTO Big Rides Cycling Camp. The 2 day event promised 2,200 meters of climbing and 230 kilometers of riding and it didn’t disappoint!

SUUNTO Big Rides is the first of a series of cycling camps, organized by Andy Leuterio of Alpha Training Systems. With 2,200 meters of climbing, this ride is surely not for the faint of heart!

SWIMBIKERUN.ph got invited to join this event and of course, since I desperately needed some serious training miles, I decided to join! Besides, how hard could a 230 kilometer ride be right? Plus it’s 2 days! So you’ll only do 115km on day 1 and then get a full rest and do the other 115km the other day. Easy!

Or so I thought…

The ride started in Westgate Alabang, where Andy briefed us about the suffering that we’re about to endure. Now with a 5k registration fee, I’m sure most of you guys are wondering if this is “sulit”?

You can’t get any better bargain than this! How’s that for an answer? :)

For the 5k registration fee, we were treated like royalty all throught the ride! I dunno if it’s just me since I’m used to riding alone. But it sure did feel nice riding with 3 SAG (Support and Gear) cars, eating good food all the way, while enjoying the scenic views of Pico de Loro.

The ride started nice and easy… for about 3 kilometers! As soon as we hit daang hari the bullet train of Edmund Mangaser of All Terra, Eric Buhain, Vince of Giant/Lifecycle pushed the pace! I tried holding on (and managed to!) for about 10km ’till I decided to back off. “Far too fast!” – I said to myself.

Other SWIMBIKERUN.ph forum regulars like orioner, rbpops, etc joined the ride.

Now here comes the best part! The climb! I made the HUGE mistake of underestimating this ride.  I love hills and I love climbing! So without any knowledge of the elevation that awaits me at Pico de Loro, I simply packed my old but trusty Giant TCR Once Road Bike, armed it with compact cranks and 12-25 cogs! This should be enough!

Climbing on a road bike is fun and easy…  climbing the hills of Pico de Loro after doing 100km’s is definitely not! Not to be outdone by the other riders, I willed myself up the steep hills… till my speed slowed down to 2kph! Now when your speed reaches 2kph, you know it’s time to bail and walk! Walking is faster! :)

It also didn’t help that the ride got separated into three groups, I was part of the slowest group and was the last to arrive at Pico de Loro! One by one I noticed my group mates starting to disappear, till I saw one waving at me while he was riding inside the car! Crap! So many times I was tempted to hitch a ride, but what got me going was the Ironman inside me. We all know what the old Ironman adage says right? Just keep moving forward! So that’s exactly what I did. I walked, walked, and walked. But the most important thing is, I finished the ride and earned my finishers shirt :)

I have NO MORE intentions of riding the second day. So I was relieved when I started hearing talks of people not wanting to ride the following day too. So what did we do? We celebrated and enjoyed the night away.

The three Support And Gear (SAG) Vehicles were provided by Hyundai, the Official Vehicle of the training camp. All SAG Vehicles were loaded with food, ice, water, and 100 Plus – the Official Hydration Partner – with one Grand Starex van carrying spare parts and a Mechanic’s Team courtesy of Dan’s Bike Shop. On arrival at Pico de Loro, participants were treated to a sumptuous lunch while Glenn Colendrino of Primo Cycles gave a demonstration of their Retul 3D Motion Capture bike fitting system. Coach Andy Leuterio also gave a talk on training and racing with Heart Rate Monitors and Power Meters.

All in all, everyone had fun at the SUUNTO Big Rides! I’m definitely looking forward to the next one! Armed with a triple chainring and 12-35 cogs, I’ll get my revenge!

View the album slideshow!

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