Fairmont to Austin, MN

 Fairmont to Austin, MN

Today was a short day, 80 miles with about 1600 Ft of climbing. It’s interesting in that I label 80 miles a short day. In any other place 80 miles is a full day’s work. But on this tour, we count our blessings when we have a day’s measure less than 100 miles. Perspective…

Most of us know the jingle, ‘In the valley of the jolly…ho, ho, ho, green giant’. When I was a kid I recall that tag line being played during commercial breaks of my favorite shows…The Legend of Davey Crockett, Bonanza, Get Smart…and many others. Today I got to get up close and personal with the big guy. He’s located in Blue Earth, MN. A few fun facts about him: He’s located in Blue Earth as acknowledgement of the long standing relationship of the areas pea and corn farmers with the Green Giant company. He’s a bit over 55’ tall, and he weighs about 8,000 lbs. Every winter since 1962 he’s received a red scarf to ward off the bitter cold of Minnesota winters, and in 1962 it also helped the Green Giant company launch their frozen foods business.

Speaking of food, let’s talk calorie burn and food consumption. At rest, a man my size (75”, 205lbs) burns about 2500 calories per day on a normal day. With the level of exertion required for riding a bike for about 7 hours per day at a relatively fast pace (avg @ 17 to 18 mph), an additional 7500 calories are called upon to support that effort. A conservative estimate is that I’m burning about 10,000 calories per day. To compensate for that energy burn, I’m consuming mass quantities of food. A typical breakfast is 4 eggs, 6 slices of bacon, 2 sausage patties, a bowl of fruit, a bagel, muffin, or English muffin, glass of juice, and yogurt. Usually I also consume a banana just before my first pedal stroke. Lunch is a stacked sandwich of turkey and cheese, some sort of pasta or bean salad, two cookies, and some fruit. Dinner is at least 10oz of meat, a large helping of some sort of starch (potatoes or rice), two servings of vegetables, bread, and of course, a large helping of dessert, something chocolate if available, or carrot cake. During the riding day, In between feeding sessions, I consume at least 3 gel packs or energy bars while on the bike. At the feeding stations (about every 20 miles), I’ll consume a banana, energy bar, and two fistfuls of mixed nuts. Along with this, I’ll consume about 4 to 5 bottles of electrolyte solution along the way. My preference for electrolyte replenishment is both LMNT powder mixed in my water, along with 2 Salt Stick pills every hour. At the conclusion of the ride, I’ll down a Muscle Milk drink with 30 grams of protein, to aid in muscle recovery. With all this, believe it or not, I still wake up hungry, and I believe I’ve lost about 5 lbs. So, if you like to eat, and you want to drop a few pounds, I have just the program for you!

Until tomorrow…sleep well! And I can’t say it enough, thank you for your prayers and encouragement, as food alone can’t keep me going.