Death Valley Century on Saturday

I posted a few months ago that I will be riding the Death Valley Century. It is here already!!! Saturday.

This is my very first century and I am terrified. I know there is really nothing to be that scared of, I just want to finish. Everyone says I can do it, but I am not so sure I can make the time cut off. There is only 10 hours to do this in and I am a pretty slow rider.

Any words of wisdom? Encouragement?

Oh, on another note, I am having a terrible tightness in my right levator scapula. I am thinking I may need a shorter stem. Any experience with this?

Good luck. I remember feeling pretty nervous at my first century, too.

I'm sure there's not universal agreement about this, but my best advice is to make your stops short. Don't linger any longer than needed to grab some food, go to the bathroom and stretch. Especially on a ride that invovles some climbing, I find it much harder to keep my climbing legs if I stay too long at stops. This will also, of course, help you with the time cut off.

Stay on top of your hydration. While it'll mean more frequent potty stops, I would suggest having a big glass or two of water first thing that morning.

Let us know how it goes!

If you have been logging the miles you will be fine.

I would not make any big changes to your bike before your ride, at risk of only making things worse. Ideally, you would have solved this problem during training.

Stuff your pockets with snacks, eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty, and have fun!

If you have put in good training rides (up to 75 miles or so) you should be fine. 10 hours may seem scary but it is pretty generous. 5 miles before each rest stop, start making a mental checklist of what you need to do, so that you go in with a plan: check tire air, fill bottles, potty - whatever it is you need to do. Keep repeating the list to yourself as you near the rest stop so you don't forget anything and can be as efficient as possible.

When it seems easy, ride hard. When it starts to feel hard or tough, ride easy. :)

On the stem/scapula issue - that is something you may want to get checked AFTER your century. It may be a bit uncomfortable, and perhaps your fit should be adjusted, but it's a good rule of thumb not to change anything significant like that right before a big ride.

Have a great ride--DH just did his 2nd ride in DV on the 16th. It was super hot that day (only in the 90s the day before and day after, but 111 on the day of his ride), but keeping on hydration makes a big difference. Also make sure you're getting electrolytes, since you will be covered in salt crust by the end of the ride.

Thank you for the encouragement everyone!! I am pretty sure I can do the distance, but still pretty worried about time.

I am planning on getting a bike fit in the near future. I am hoping that will solve the levator scapula issue.

Thanks again!