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A 228-mile bike ride without leaving the room

Lake Placid senior Fletcher Codd pedals for 24 hours straight on a stationary bike ride for charity

Fletcher Codd nears the end of his ride Wednesday in the weekly Placid Planet time tiral series on River Road in Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

LAKE PLACID — Each year, Lake Placid High School seniors select a project to take on as part of their academic requirements. Fletcher Codd spent 24 hours on his project, and it was a pretty demanding 24 hours at that.

Codd, who is one of the top junior long track speedskaters in the United States, incorporates loads of cycling into his training, and he’s really become passionate about riding over the years while developing his abilities on the ice.

Codd began his “journey” at 10 p.m. Thursday, May 18 and pedaled his bike for 24 hours straight to raise money for the American Heart Association. A native of Niagara Falls, Codd had originally looked into riding from Lake Placid to the Buffalo area as a fundraiser for the charity, but a combination of factors, including lots of rainy weather and the time the undertaking would require forced a change in plans.

Instead of hitting the road to western New York, Codd set up his Quintana Roo road bike on a trainer at the Cobble Mountain Lodge in Lake Placid and logged 228 miles without leaving the room in which his father and brother were staying.

On Wednesday, the Enterprise caught up with Codd at the weekly Placid Planet bike time trials to hear about his experience.

Codd poses for a photo after loading up the van following his time trial ride. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

“It was definitely the most mentally taxing thing I’ve done in my life,” Codd said. “I just really enjoy biking and that kind of played a role in it, and springtime is when I start getting on my bike again. So I figured I would do a ride. I had five-minute breaks every two hours and that was brutal. I only got 12 short breaks.

“I went from 10 p.m. Thursday to 10 o’clock at night Friday,” he continued. “I was thinking about riding to Buffalo, but then I didn’t have time to do that. All the weather was screwing up my plans. So I couldn’t do it earlier, and then we decided that it would be better that I did it for 24 hours on a stationary bike. I know a few people who have biked from here to Buffalo, but I never met anybody who has done it 24 hours straight on a stationary bike, so I wanted to try that out for myself. “

Codd said his father Tim and his younger brother Nolan were in town visiting, in part to help him while they were on a short vacation. After completing his ride, Codd said he slept for more than 12 hours and attended the prom that night.

“My dad came to make sure I survived,” Codd quipped. “I got off my bike at 10 at night Friday, went to bed at 10:15 and woke up at 11 o’clock the next day. I went to the prom, and I was so tired. I tried to not act tired in front of my friends and say the ride was easy, but I was really tired during the prom. I pretty much sat around and ate food. I enjoyed the prom. It was fun.”

Codd said his ride went well early but eventually, he “hit a wall.”

“When I started off, I was going strong and hitting a decent pace. I went from 10 to 3 in the morning and felt really good, and then from about 3 to 5 in the morning, it got brutal. At that 5 a.m. Wall, I said ‘I don’t know if I can do this,” but I got through it. I knew that it was one of those walls you hit when you are racing. When I hit that brick wall pretty early in the morning, I had some food, got some light stuff in me like an egg sandwich, and then I got going again. Snacking helped me through it too.”

After getting through the first difficult run, Codd found smooth sailing until the final hour of the ride.

“The last hour, that was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “It was pretty brutal just knowing I was so close, but I still wasn’t done. I just wanted to stop.”

But he didn’t quit, and looking back, Codd said he enjoyed the experience.

“I had an idea that I’d make it, but I didn’t know for sure. I figured I’d get through it, and in the end I did,” he said. “It was fun to a certain extent, but I think the best part was just finishing and being proud that I did it. This might sound ironic, but I like feeling the wind. That’s what I enjoy the most about biking, and I really like the bikes.”

Codd didn’t raise a ton of money, but he said he was pleased to have the chance to help out.

” I always think of the American Heart Association when I think of charitable causes,” he said. “I raised $150. My goal was 100, so I was happy with that. Though that may not seem like much, I just wanted to put my impact in.”

Codd moved from Niagara Falls three years ago to train as a speedskater while attending Lake Placid High School. As soon as he graduates, he’s heading back to western New York to train for half the summer, and then it’s on to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he plans to ramp up his skating in an elite program with the ultimate goal of becoming an Olympian someday.

Codd said he has a few rides remaining before he graduates later in June, including a hopeful trip around the Ironman bike loop course.

“I’ve wanted to try to do an entire Ironman loop just for fun with a couple of my friends, but I haven’t organized that yet,” he said. “We’re going to do the full 112 miles. I’m trying to figure out when I’m going to do that. The most I’ve ever done at one time was 78 miles on the road, and really, I just want to give it a try with my friends and have fun.”

During his three-year stay in Lake Placid, Codd has made plenty of friends, and it’s easy to see why. When it comes down to it, he’s a nice kid, who is also pretty dedicated as a young, up-and-coming speedskater.

“I’m leaving as soon as I’m done with school,” he said. “I’ve spent three years in Lake Placid, and probably what I like the most is the people. I enjoy the people here a lot. Over the three years, it’s kind of like everyone here is my family. It’s pretty nice.”

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