Horsey Hundred Log - The First Century

[Mr. Bloom]

Well, it's 6:30 AM in Georgetown Ky. Silver and I are getting ready for my first century. We are hoping to meet Indysteel and Makbike at the start.

Silver and I have realized that each of us brought two deodorants, but neither of us brought toothpaste! So, we'll smell good as long as you're not too close:D :D

I'm looking out the hotel window to a beautiful sunrise. I now have the route map and have input it roughly into routeslip.

Now I'm scared:eek: :eek: (no macho in me, huh?)

Here's the elevation:
http://www.routeslip.com/routes/42699

I'm still going to go for it, but I admit being a little concerned.

We'll update you in about 12 hours.

[Mr. Bloom]

Well, We Did It!!!

We started by meeting makbike and truly enjoying her company for the first third of the ride...(until she moved on at a faster pace). She's a very good and experienced rider :D

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/etsterling/IMG_2671.jpg

As noted above, this was MUCH more hillly than I expected. Therefore, I started with a great deal of apprehension. Our goal was to average a 14mph pace

First 18 miles, rolling hilly and very scenic - averaged 15.8mph.
Next 14 miles, intense hills...couldn't enjoy the scenery, but raised our overall average speed to > 16mph.
Next 12 miles, hills were easier, but some were still tough. A highlight for me was hitting one of the tallest peaks right at noon when the chimes at the North Fork Baptist Church were peeling out hymns. It was really cool...because at that moment, I knew I was going to be able to make the century!! Really, Really Cool!
The rest of the ride was beautiful. This is some of the prettiest country side in America. Beautiful horse farms, rolling hills, unbelievable architecture.
After about 80 miles, a "group" formed and we stayed together for several miles. It was cool too.
But, for the last 10 miles, we were able to fly. I was feeling very strong and pulled way ahead.

Our goal was to average a 14mph pace and overall, I showed 14.9mph at the end. Silver was still feeling a little puny from her illness, but she stuck in there and finished strong.

So, I've completed my first century. It was a tough one. But, I feel good (and my knees only hurt a little!).

The only bad things:
- zipper on saddle pack broke and so I couldn't access anything inside.
- serious eye allergies...they're so red right now that, if pulled over, a cop would have thought I was stoned
- brought a bad camera battery, so I couldn't take several pictures.

[Fredwina]

Congrats all!:)

[Zen]

Good lord, man!
I looked at that elevation graph, that's a LOT of climbing for a first century:eek:
Fantastic job!

[makbike]

Mr. Silver/Silver - great job! It was a pleasure meeting you guys and I hope you enjoyed your brief stay in Kentucky. I'm off to get ready for the second day of the Horsey Hundred. I'm not sure which route I'll ride at this point but whichever one I select will be a winner. I'm sure my legs will let me know early on what I can and can't do today.

[SouthernBelle]

Very impressive with the hilly choice. I choose the one I did specifically because it was relatively flat. & I can't say I finished strong!

Good job.

[Mr. Bloom]

SouthernBelle, there's a really intense one sometime soon at Land Between the Lakes. I hear it even includes a 15% grade!

Silver and I pondered signing up for about 10 milliseconds:D

[silver]

silver's observations:

Mr. did awesome for his first century.:D
makbike is sweet, kind, and an awesome cyclist :)
my hind shorts with the black stitching are the ones that chafe :mad: :(
cyclists in Kentucky are friendlier than cyclists in Indiana :confused:
The Goergetown, KY area is beautiful :)
a century in southern Indiana does not equal a century in central Kentucky (flat versus hilly) :eek:
The "plague" that I had last week took more out of me than I thought :o
I love cycling!!! :cool:

[Flybye]

Way to go!!!
I just checked out your weight loss blog and think that what you have accomplished so far is great. Congratulations on your first century.:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D I did my first half century on Sunday and woke up with the flu on Monday - no wonder it was SO hard!!!:rolleyes:

I copied this off of your blog:
THROW OFF everything that HINDERS and the sin that so easily entangles, and RUN with PERSEVERANCE the RACE marked out for me. Hebrews 12:1

This is the very address of the scripture that started all consistent determination for weight loss for me. I so easily started strong with dieting and then flopped like a fish. If you don't have your sights on the end product - the finish of the race - then there will be no consistency, so discipline, and no determination. It really is the middle of the race (or diet, or century) that gets us to the end. That is where we are tested, tried, and refined. Physically and spiritually speaking. It is a great anchor to hold to.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Your wife must be very proud of you! You must be very proud of you, too!:D :D :D :D :D

[SouthernBelle]

SouthernBelle, there's a really intense one sometime soon at Land Between the Lakes. I hear it even includes a 15% grade!

Silver and I pondered signing up for about 10 milliseconds:D

Come on down here & I'll take you up a 22%'er and not that short either. When I dl'd my info off my Garmin, it said max grade was 22% for yesterday, but it must have been short because I don't remember it.

[Mr. Bloom]

I copied this off of your blog:
THROW OFF everything that HINDERS and the sin that so easily entangles, and RUN with PERSEVERANCE the RACE marked out for me. Hebrews 12:1


And yesterday, I kept repeating that "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength".

Now, my sights are set on the Ride Across INdiana - RAIN. It's 164 miles from Terre Haute to Richmond.


When I dl'd my info off my Garmin, it said max grade was 22% for yesterday,

Tell me about your Garmin, since I'm a toy junkie. Is it one for your bike or a bigger one?

[SouthernBelle]

Garmin Edge 305, bike specific. Gadget-Queen here luvs it. Over in my century thread click on my link to the motion-based website and it will show SOME of what it does. I'm still learning it. You can also program in workouts, like intervals, courses, race against yourself on a previously done route. Fun, expensive toy.

[Mr. Bloom]

Over in my century thread click on my link to the motion-based website and it will show SOME of what it does.


I did...looks like Silver and I will have about $500 less cash in the account!:eek: Neat toys are bought in 2's around here!

[SouthernBelle]

What!? Silverson doesn't get one too!

Retail is $399, so even discounted it's gonna be more than 5. If you're gonna get it, get the whole 9 yards, HRM & cadence.

[Mr. Bloom]

What!? Silverson doesn't get one too!


SilverSon has more money than me!:eek: He can get his own!:rolleyes:

[SouthernBelle]

Let me know when ya'll get them. We can look at each other's rides!

[indysteel]

I'm so glad that everyone had a good ride(s) at the Horsey. However, I'm so sad that I missed meeting you. As I indicated in a PM to Silver and Mr. Silver, my friend and I ended up starting the ride on Saturday earlier than anticipated. We slept horribly on Friday night thanks to some really soft mattresses at the dorm and ended up waking up and eating at the crack of dawn. We were on our bikes by 7:30 and (after one more pit stop) on the road by 7:40. I'm so glad that some of you were able to meet and ride together though, and I love the picture that you posted.

It sounds like everyone's ride was pretty similar. I thought the first half of the ride was pretty tough, especially after that hill (you know the one I'm talking about I'm sure) between the first and second stops. Even though it's pretty similar to the hills we have in Southern Indiana, it just about did me in for a bit until I got a second wind at the third stop. From there, I felt pretty good. In fact, I felt positively great for the last forty miles or so.

I enjoyed myself immensely, but it was still a long day in the saddle. I was so pooped by Saturday night that I could barely stay awake. A shower, clean clothes and dinner helped my feel human, but I felt like a zombie. WE went to bed at 9 p.m.--before it was dark out. As tired as we were, however, we had another horrible night's sleep. I even took some Benadryl to make me sleepy and still didn't sleep well.

Wisely, we had already decided to do the 52 miler on Sunday rather than the 71. I was fully expecting a hard day in the saddle, but the ride actually went well. I would describe the terrain as more "rolling." I don't think I had to use my granny gear at all (I used to pretty darn liberally on Saturday). We got to the lunch stop, however, before it was set up. We weren't hungry for lunch anyway, so we just rolled on through. We stopped for a bit at the next stop and chatted with some people that we know from Indy and who are also doing BRAT in September along with us. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful but my mile 48 or so, I was ready for it to be over. My tank was empty......

My friend and I averaged just under 16 mph for the ride. Given the nearly constant elevation changes, I'm very pleased with that. The scenery was lovely and it was a wonderful change of pace from the cornfields of Indiana. With few exceptions, the road surfaces were good and there was little traffic. I was impressed with the overall organization of the ride and would do it again in a heartbeat.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. I'm really proud of myself for finishing my first century and a hard one at that. I wish it hadn't exhausted me to the point of not fully enjoying the rest of the day, but I kind of expected that. I'd really like to stay in a hotel next year and to arrive early enough on Friday to walk around Georgetown or do a little siteseeing in Midway (the town where we had lunch). The only changes I'd make to the ride would be to forego a couple of the stops--i.e., the first and last--or in the very least to keep them very brief. The food I ate at the first stop didn't sit well after that hill and my legs really stiffened up after a couple of the stops to the point that they were more of a curse than a blessing. Beyond that, I felt like I ate/drank enoughl and was well trained for the ride thanks to lots of miles in April and May.

I'm planning on doing it next year again so I hope to have better luck meeting up with you. Now that I know the layout of the school and how the ride is organized, it will be much easier to figure out a specific meeting place.

And if anyone's interested, we're doing the Bicycle Ride Across Tennessee in September. I'm heard really good things about it and can't wait. Silver and Mr. Silver, lots of people keep trying to talk me into doing RAIN, but I can't seem to muster the enthusiasm. I hope you enjoy yourselves though! I might go to the lunch stop that day just to cheer my friends on!

Kate

[Geonz]

For whom does the bell peal? It peals for thee!!! Awesome :) :)
(Maybe the bell hill was the 22%? Or maybe the technology misready things).

[SouthernBelle]

Oh! BRAT is coming to Cedars of Lebanon State park this year!! That's where I live. Shout out before you leave and I'll come see you.

[indysteel]

SouthernBelle, I'll definitely give you a shout when we're out your way. I'll contact you later by PM as the ride nears and exchange some info! That's so exciting that you live out that way.

Ugh. I can't get Routeslip to work for me but would love to see the elevation profile for the ride. Is there any other way to access that information?

I'd love to get my hands on it because I'm having a hard time describing it to the flatlanders here in Indy. When they think hills, they think the Hilly Hundred. To me, this was A LOT harder than the Hilly because the elevation changes NEVER STOPPED. The mental focus it took just to pick the right gear was exhausting. We just don't have anything to compare it to here. When I decribed the hills as rollers, people picture something rather gentle but I wouldn't describe Saturday's century as gentle.

[SouthernBelle]

I'll see what I can get together for you on the route. I think the guy that lives behind me is planning on riding one day of it. Or my LBS may have it. OR they will probably have something soon on the state website.

Without having seen it, I can pretty much promise you no flats.

[Mr. Bloom]

Ugh. I can't get Routeslip to work for me but would love to see the elevation profile for the ride. Is there any other way to access that information?


Try to drill down from the root directory at www.routeslip.com then "Discover Routes", then drill geographically to Georgetown. I labeled it "hh100". Maybe this approach will work...

If there's one for BRAT, I'd love to see it too...it really helped me to know what to expect beforehand. On the other hand, if I knew the elevation before I arrived in Georgetown, I might not have come...

[SouthernBelle]

Some puters just won't run Routeslip. My laptop won't, but both my desktops will.

Doubt there is a route for this year's BRAT. It's different every year.

If you already have the specifics of the route, you can try Bikely.com

[bikerchick68]

MrSilver... I don't know any of the routes you rode, but the elevation chart looked wicked... CONGRATS on completing your first century! way to go... it's a big deal! well done... :)

[lauraelmore1033]

This was the "minor" accomplishment you were talking about?! You have a talent for understatement! Well done! :cool:

[silver]

I'm so glad that everyone had a good ride(s) at the Horsey. However, I'm so sad that I missed meeting you. As I indicated in a PM to Silver and Mr. Silver, my friend and I ended up starting the ride on Saturday earlier than anticipated. We slept horribly on Friday night thanks to some really soft mattresses at the dorm and ended up waking up and eating at the crack of dawn. We were on our bikes by 7:30 and (after one more pit stop) on the road by 7:40. I'm so glad that some of you were able to meet and ride together though, and I love the picture that you posted.

It sounds like everyone's ride was pretty similar. I thought the first half of the ride was pretty tough, especially after that hill (you know the one I'm talking about I'm sure) between the first and second stops. Even though it's pretty similar to the hills we have in Southern Indiana, it just about did me in for a bit until I got a second wind at the third stop. From there, I felt pretty good. In fact, I felt positively great for the last forty miles or so.

I enjoyed myself immensely, but it was still a long day in the saddle. I was so pooped by Saturday night that I could barely stay awake. A shower, clean clothes and dinner helped my feel human, but I felt like a zombie. WE went to bed at 9 p.m.--before it was dark out. As tired as we were, however, we had another horrible night's sleep. I even took some Benadryl to make me sleepy and still didn't sleep well.

Wisely, we had already decided to do the 52 miler on Sunday rather than the 71. I was fully expecting a hard day in the saddle, but the ride actually went well. I would describe the terrain as more "rolling." I don't think I had to use my granny gear at all (I used to pretty darn liberally on Saturday). We got to the lunch stop, however, before it was set up. We weren't hungry for lunch anyway, so we just rolled on through. We stopped for a bit at the next stop and chatted with some people that we know from Indy and who are also doing BRAT in September along with us. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful but my mile 48 or so, I was ready for it to be over. My tank was empty......

My friend and I averaged just under 16 mph for the ride. Given the nearly constant elevation changes, I'm very pleased with that. The scenery was lovely and it was a wonderful change of pace from the cornfields of Indiana. With few exceptions, the road surfaces were good and there was little traffic. I was impressed with the overall organization of the ride and would do it again in a heartbeat.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. I'm really proud of myself for finishing my first century and a hard one at that. I wish it hadn't exhausted me to the point of not fully enjoying the rest of the day, but I kind of expected that. I'd really like to stay in a hotel next year and to arrive early enough on Friday to walk around Georgetown or do a little siteseeing in Midway (the town where we had lunch). The only changes I'd make to the ride would be to forego a couple of the stops--i.e., the first and last--or in the very least to keep them very brief. The food I ate at the first stop didn't sit well after that hill and my legs really stiffened up after a couple of the stops to the point that they were more of a curse than a blessing. Beyond that, I felt like I ate/drank enoughl and was well trained for the ride thanks to lots of miles in April and May.

I'm planning on doing it next year again so I hope to have better luck meeting up with you. Now that I know the layout of the school and how the ride is organized, it will be much easier to figure out a specific meeting place.

And if anyone's interested, we're doing the Bicycle Ride Across Tennessee in September. I'm heard really good things about it and can't wait. Silver and Mr. Silver, lots of people keep trying to talk me into doing RAIN, but I can't seem to muster the enthusiasm. I hope you enjoy yourselves though! I might go to the lunch stop that day just to cheer my friends on!

Kate

Kate, your first century deserves it's own post! What an accomplishment! you rode much stronger than we did! My average was 14. Great, Great Job!

[indysteel]

Some puters just won't run Routeslip. My laptop won't, but both my desktops will.

Doubt there is a route for this year's BRAT. It's different every year.

If you already have the specifics of the route, you can try Bikely.com

That's the problem I've encountered on Routeslip. Mr. Silver, is there any way that you can "cut and paste" the elevation profile into a post or print it off?

Thanks much,

K-