Yes, you read that right...I completed my first century yesterday!! A year ago this weekend, my husband and I rode in our very first group ride having only possesed our bikes for about 2 weeks...and here it is a year later and we have successfully completed our first century. :D
The stats: 102 miles exactly, 3500 ft of climbing, 15.8 avg mph, 7.5 hours (including breaks)
First, I want to thank all the girls here for all the wonderful advice. I can't tell you how many valuable pieces of information I've learned from the ladies here that made this ride SO much more comfortable than it could have been...from chamois cream to seat angle to training tips to nutrition....you gals ROCK!! :) THANK YOU!
The ride started out a little hairy. It was overcast and chilly (64 degrees) at 7:30 when we were to head out and I seriously debated whether or not to bring my rain jacket. I don't own much in the way of rain gear (one lousy plastic jacket for emergencies) so I figured I'd get wet either way, so I left it behind. As we rolled past the start line, it started to sprinkle. From there on out, it pretty much rained off and on for the first 40 miles or so. The rest stop at mile 35 was cold and miserable (though kudos to Bikefest for the awesome home baked goodies at the rest stops!) and had I not desparately had to pee...I would have suggested we kept going to stay somewhat warm. Anyway, after waiting in a long line (mile 35 was a mass rest stop for all the routes that day), we were able to get going again. It was COLD! We'd spent the summer purposely planning our rides mid-day to get used to the heat for this August ride...and here it was the coldest day of the season!
At mile 40 or so, the century riders split from everyone else, and we spent the next 60 or so miles riding virtually alone. About 5 miles after the split, the rain let up and the road started to dry (as did we, of course!). At about 48.5 miles, I noticed that we were almost half way and I was marvelling at how good I felt...I really felt strong, fresh and like another 50 miles would be a piece of cake. I told myself that at 50 miles, I'd share this observation with my husband. Less than half a mile later, we experienced one of the biggest hills of the ride. It wasn't all that remarkable except that until then, there had been very few. Additionally, because of the rain, we'd kept our pace down and subsequently, I hadn't yet challenged my cardiovascular capacity yet. That hill was MUCH more difficult than it should have been...and I could feel it in my heart. Oh well, I just chalked it up to almost 50 miles with no heart and lung warm up! I was wrong. I have no idea what happened, but from mile 49 to mile 62, it took everything I had just to keep my feet moving. My legs were sapped of all strength. The rest of me felt good...I just couldn't make my legs move. I even spent some time checking out my breaks, because I could have sworn that they were engaged!! At mile 62, there was a rest stop. I made sure to sit down (on a swing set..which was fun!) and rest my legs a bit. I also did some stretching and of course had a snack or two. Used the rest room, and then headed out again. I felt better, but no where near 100%. I was lucky if I had about 50% of my normal leg strength.
From mile 62 to mile 82, the wind was incredible. It was nice that everything was drying out and that the sun was making an appearance. In fact, it was a gorgeous day...barely making it to 80 degrees when the sun was out and crystal clear. But, back to the wind...unreal. It was gusting bad enough that I really had to work hard to keep my bike on the road. And when we were riding into it..it was so discouraging. I'd be going down hills and having to pedal to maintain my speed. The rest stop at mile 82 couldn't come fast enough...we were exhausted.
Some more snacking, a bit of resting under a tree and we were ready to tackle the last 18. I was prepared to take it slowly and DH agreed to accomodate me. As we started warming back up, I realized that I was back to 100%. Whatever had knocked me down was gone, and I was ready to go. We took off...flying. If I had a way to figure it, I'd say that our pace over that last 18 was likely close to 19-20 mph. When I saw my computer cross into triple digits, I got all giddy and the last 2 miles into town were a blur.
We had parked not 10 feet from the start/finish line (we were REALLY early that morning!), so we rode right through the line and to the car. Put the bikes on the car, and headed down to use the bathroom. While I was in the john, some of the guys that were behind us pulled up and asked my DH were our fanfare was....we agreed. It was super anti-climatic to finish our first century and not even have a single person around to acknowledge it! Weird.
Anyway, we are very proud of our accomplishment. I saw our average speed and was pleased. I thought for sure we'd be a lot slower after my 'dead-leg' segment.
Today we are relaxing...planning an easy 20 mile spin...and mowing the lawn!
Our next century is in one month as part of our local MS Bike Tour ride. After that...we haven't decided. What goals should be next? I'm thinking etiher mountain centuries or racing, my huband is investigating Randonneuring. What do you girls think? :D
