Home > News > Finally! Details on the 300 Mile Ride

The Final Chapter

    

What does it take to ride 300 miles in 1 day?

- One person crazy enough to propose the idea and a few other crazies who agree to do it

 

- about 21,000 calories!

- about 44- 64oz of water per hour - over 80 lbs of water all day - we each carried about 8.5 lbs of water at a time. Sweat rates probably varied between 3-7 lbs/hr.

- 20 or so endurolytes, 4 ibuprofen, 400 mg caffeine

- 200-400 cals/hr - for me this was: about 20 gels, 8 gatorades, a myoplex shake with 2 scoops recoverite, 8 servings of perpetuem, 6 servings of heed, 3 bags of potato chips, 4 hammer bars, 1 protein plus bar, a snack pack of trail mix, a turkey sandwich, bunch of grapes, 2 oranges,

- a bike loaded down with all the supplies Aaron suggested (about 30-40 extra pounds - Aaron carried 50-60lbs)

 

 

- A bait shop about 40 miles out with cool drinks and food at the T near Murphysboro. They were very kind and I made friends with a little boy named Zachary. Trying to discuss something a kid could talk about I said " I saw Toy Story 3 yesterday with my kids" Zachary said " I like Freddy Kreuger. Did you see the part where Freddy came up through the boys guts in his bed?" Different parenting techniques in Murphysboro I guess. 

He also asked me later "If my kids were the cutest kids in the world like him!

 

   

   

 

 

- the kindness of a woman at a fruit stand who agreed to keep waters we bough in the cooler until she closed and then place them outside for us to get when we cam back by near sunset. She did and we were very excited she didn't forget.

- a horse we wished we could get to take us home the last 125 miles. He didn't last very long.

 

 

 

How was it?

- Hot - it got up to 93 degrees, was 93% humidity, and a heat index of 105. Very little shade all day except an occasional cloud which we always noticed and talked about.

- Long - it took us 23 hrs total - about 20-21 hrs of continuous riding, very few hills. Just ongoing, pedal after pedal stroke of long continuous grinding. Stephanie spent the day counting pedal strokes but lost count after she got to 60,000,000,000...she wanted to start over but we talked her out of it.

- painful - the last 4 hrs were probably the worst. It's not the leg muscles like you'd think, but the stabbing pain in your neck, she shooting pain up your wrists from having them bent all day, and the pain in your ass as Aaron so accurately described which feels "like raw hamburger". We all contemplated switching from glide products since they quit providing any relief around mile 200 and discussed using biofreeze instead.

 

How did you pass the time? (I may have the miles off a bit)

Miles 1-100 meeting new people, chatting, and joking around - generally having fun

Miles 1-110 - calling all the people who turned around at mile 100 a bunch of weenies (you really aren't and we were proud of each of you, but we were subconsciously jealous and angry)

Miles 110-120 Discussing/estimating where we would get to and where we should turn around

Miles 120-123 - Calling Stephanie's computer stupid (hers was the only one still working - most manufacturers don't think anyone would be dumb enough to ride this long)

Miles 123-125 - Cussing at Stephanie's computer and wishing we were off the HWY we were on because the shoulder disappeared and there was a lot of traffic going really fast

Miles 125-127 - still cussing Stephanie's computer - it was the damn computer's fault we were still on this hwy! I swear it really was possessed. At one point the mileage started going backwards! In retrospect that could have been Stephanie getting delirious.

Miles 127-200 - talking about when to stop (which started to get closer and closer together - pee breaks became a very common occurrence which at least for me were sometimes a convenient way to get off the bike for a few seconds. See how much water we consumed below and you'll see why! During these miles we also were getting hit pretty hard by the sun. Climbing the only hills there were the sun was right in our face with very little breeze or shade.

At Mile 200 - Stephanie proclaimed "Only 1 century to go" and we all cheered and hooped and hollered. Just 100 miles to go!?

Mile 200-250 - Hoping we'd make it to each place we needed to before they closed

Mile 240 - we were approaching the Bait shop in Murphysboro - wondering if it was open. The owner said we could call him if he was closed and he would come back up and open for us. He gave us his number but we started thinking "what if he closed up and started drinking and doesn't answer the phone?". As we pulled within view we could see the bright lights of Christmas lights strung into the word "open" in true bait shop style. We were ecstatic as we were all low on fuel, getting very tired, and in quite a bit of pain. The folks at the bait shop were very drunk. One guy just kept repeating "You got more energy than me!" and swaying back and forth. I was pretty tired thought I was hallucinating because I swear I saw a butterfly on Stephanie's head? Can you guys see it? 

 

Mile 260 - we stopped at our favorite bar to get some water and chips right at closing time. Stories of these choice minutes can't be shared over the internet...just know these folks were fairly entertaining.

Mile 260-261 Cussing at Colin because he left his MF'ing shades in the bathroom at the bar. It's funny how I found enough energy to sprint back to the bar like Mark Cavendish at the end of a stage in the tour de France. I made it before they had locked up and caught back up to Aaron and Steph. 

Mile 261-300- going mentally numb - not as much chatting, riding in the dark and probably only doing about 14-15 miles/hr so as not to exceed your light's field of vision. Somewhere in here we had to cross what was earlier in the day 1 inch of water across the road. Aaron knows the roads very well and reminded us it was coming. We all agreed it would probably almost be gone because of the heat and evaporation of the day. As we came into it we were all shocked to realize it had gone up to about crank high. Which was nice. Now we had wet shoes and socks for the last 30 miles or so. Aaron's bike also developed a nice (interpret annoying) creek from getting water in somewhere. Vanessa found us and tailed us with her car lights about the last 10 miles or so. And greeted us with large ice waters and orange juice! Vanessa you ROCK! As proud as we all were about conquering this MFER - there was not a lot of time spent commiserating  - Vanessa maybe took a picture of us  (I can't remember)  - but we all just wanted to go home. 23 hrs, 300 miles... an adventure of a lifetime.

 

 

 

Thanks to Aaron for organizing the trip and thanks to everyone who came out. I hope you accomplished your goals and had a good time. Let's ride again soon! Just not that far!

 

Colin

 

 

Pre-Ride Story:

 

 

Local Adventurers Take Off for 300 Miles on Saturday

 

I plan on heading out with a group of several to send off the adventurers as they begin their 300 mile journey at 5am from the Columbia Marketplace parking lot. As I find this exciting and courageous, I asked the organizer, Aaron Fanetti to give me some background on this crazy ride that he has planned. There is a method to his madness....I think.....read on!

The 2010 MF-er ("Mostly Flat") Bike Ride

Two years ago a few St. Louis locals, Annette Koob, Dennis Regelsperger and Aaron Fanetti, decided to push their cycling distance limits and tackle their first double century. Starting in Columbia, IL they traveled 100 miles down the Mississippi levee and back again. It was a tough ride, but they had a fun experience and many great stories to share.

They decided to do the ride again the following year and felt it needed a name. Still aching from the ride, Annette shamelessly proposed "The MF-er". Everyone quickly agreed, with the understanding that it was to officially mean "Mostly Flat" for the hill-free route through the Illinois farmland.

The stories of the first MF-er piqued the interest of a small group that decided to join them for the 2009 ride, this time targeting 250 miles. While not everyone wanted to do the full route, most were interested in pushing their individual distance limits. So a tradition began.


2009 MFers :-) A tough group! Colin Peeler, Aaron, Dennis Regelsberger

This year it continues with a 300 mile route from Columbia, IL to Cairo, IL and back again. As before, a small group will converge at the start just before sunrise, each with the goal of pushing themselves beyond their previous limits. Some will complete their first century, while others will tackle the entire 300 miles.

It's not a race, it's a ride - and it's completely self-supported. There is no registration fee, no SAG, no aid stations, no one to help you change a flat or put a band-aid on you. Your only competition is yourself. Can you push yourself physically and mentally? Can you push through that extra mile?

The MF-er leaves from the Marketplace in Columbia, IL on June 19th. Roll time is 5am.

Aaron Fanetti, Lead MFer and Founder

Aaron has a history of adventures that he has sprinkled in between triathlons, including Ironman. His most recent and very significant event was the Itidarod Trail Invitational 350 mile ride over the frozen tundras of Alaska. Not only did he finish the race, but he signed up for 2010 (along with Ironman and a few adventure races, who knows what else! Go Aaron!).

Aaron's Blog