I woke up today with a whoop score of 95! After a 100 mile day I wasn't expecting such a great recovery score. I sure hope I can replicate strong recoveries through the trip.
Also, it turns out I can ride with the big kids. Today the guides broke us into three groups based on day 2 lunch and finishing times. The goal being to try to get everyone into lunch during a shorter time window and not to the next hotel too early. I was slotted into the fastest group, which made me a bit nervous because I was really hoping to try to conserve some energy for the big ride on day 4. However, it also meant I didn't have to start my ride until 8am. I normally like to get started early, but since it was another cool, cloudy, misty day, the extra 30 minutes in the morning to chill was nice.
As for the ride, it was a fairly easy one today. There was one brutal climb and then a stretch of 10 miles on the Interstate, but otherwise a good ride. My group stayed together from Portland all the way to Troutdale. The speed for that first hour or so was a bit higher than I was hoping for, but I was able to hang onto the wheel in front of me. By riding together we were able to cover a good distance without expending too much energy. Once we passed Troutdale we turned to ride along the Columbia River. At this turn, most people stopped at the aid station and I kept going. This allowed me to start riding my own ride through the climbs and not be tempted to push too hard. I think this strategy worked well.
The ride along the Columbia River was beautiful. So many amazing views and waterfalls. I was tempted to stop every few miles to take photos, but then it would've taken forever to finish the route.
Tomorrow is a big one with almost 8000 ft of climbing!
Day 3 stats:
distance: 73.8 miles
elevation gain: 3681 ft
nutrition:
breakfast: eggs, potatoes, fruit, scone, NuGo protein bar
lunch: fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwich
post-ride: 1 recovery drink, 1 small coke, kate's real food chocolate mint bar, banana
gels: 1
bloks: 1 sleeve
26 oz scratch superfuel, 26 oz zym, 26 oz water
Day 4 details - Hood River to Condon
planned distance: 93 miles
planned elevation gain: 7788 ft