For my 36th birthday last week, I decided to ride the longest ride I had ever done - 200km.  I had ridden long rides before, including races that were more than 170 km, but this would be just me and the open road. We are living in Portugal for a few months, and there are no mountains here, but there are also no flat places. I could expect just as much uphill as in the mountains.

In this episode, I talk about what I was thinking and feeling as I rode more than 9 hours, how i prepared for the process and some of the more philosophical reasons behind doing a big adventure challenge like this

Here are some themes and concepts that I cover in this episode:

* The film that inspired me: "35"
* Last years birthday challenge: 24 hours of adventure in Bali
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The amount of planning that goes into a big ride
* Why its important to test yourself
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Feeling the experience - there is no other way to know
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Comparison of this ride with other hard things and making future things feel easier
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Physiology change - did I "get in shape" in a single day?
* Managing nutrition during the ride
* Managing mental chatter during the ride
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The story of the world record setting "3 peaks challenge"
* My previous biggest day of cycling in Spain
* Racing against Lance Armstrong
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A near death experience being caught in a snow storm
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Why the ride was never too hard at any moment, but overall extremely challenging
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The superpower of being ok with discomfort
* Physical vs. Emotional discomfort