Embarking on the 100-mile endeavor
Many enjoy a relaxing Sunday morning, drinking coffee and sleeping in, but Asa Fletcher, Ben Kreinces and Nate Porter are exceptions. On the earling morning of Dec. 10, the three boys were awake and preparing for their 100-mile bike ride challenge. The group rode from Camarillo through the Pacific Coast Highway, to Topanga Canyon, to Calabasas and back through Potrero road.
After finishing up cross country season, Nate Porter, senior, was eager to stay active and spontaneously decided to complete the 100-mile endeavor. “Sitting on a bike for six hours is hard because you can’t really get up. Occasionally you get up out of your saddle to shake out your legs and just ease that pressure from sitting for so long. But that was definitely a challenge and then also nutrition wise, having enough nutrition and fuel to survive that ride. We didn’t prepare on that aspect enough,” Porter said.
Although he admired the grand landscapes surrounding him, Porter would argue his Albertsons sandwich as the highlight of the adventure. “We stopped at Albertsons to get a quick bite. We were all hungry and I got this really good sandwich, like literally it was like the best sandwich I’ve ever had because I was so hungry,” Porter said.
Holding oneself back from going full speed in the beginning can be a challenge, as many desire being able to complete the ride as fast as possible, overlooking the need to save energy for the longevity of the ride. However, Asa Fletcher, senior, holds the strategy high as he often incorporates it during track season. “Just keeping in mind that we wanted to slow the pace down early on and not absolutely crank on the bike. Some of the guys early on wanted to go out at 25 miles an hour plus, which is pretty fast so I was just like ‘Guys, let’s slow it down’ and that helped with being able to get through,” Fletcher said.
While the cross country runners pushed their boundaries, Ben Kreinces, senior, has been biking since his elementary years and is familiar with these ventures. “A five hour ride, a century, is just about my normal Saturday,” Kreinces said. As an experienced mountain and road biker, as well as a longtime lover of adrenaline, Kreinces is well equipped with the necessary measures to take before a long bike ride, including preparation the night before. “I’ll try to carb load or at least have maybe some form of pasta,” Kreinces said. Then, the morning of, energy is crucial, “I’ll have four or five eggs and a bagel,” he said.
The challenges on the ride can often be overlooked. Regardless of fitness, sitting for hours and peddling is mentally and physically straining. “It doesn’t come to strength at that point, it’s just getting used to putting in that amount of hours,” Kreinces said.
Ultimately, the challenges are what make the ride worth it for the group. “It’s definitely something that Nate and I will walk away from being happy that we didn’t just sit on our butts on Saturday morning but instead went out and rode 100 miles,” Fletcher said.
Similarly, Porter lives by the saying: “Either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret,” as he does not want to reflect back on his life, pining over what he missed. “The feeling afterwards is so rewarding, like knowing that you actually did what you said you were gonna do months ago. Just being able to complete that goal and prove that you can do something like that,” Porter said.
