Civil War Century

[pfunk12]

I did the Civil War Century on Saturday - first one for me. A total of 105.2 miles with 4 unbelievable mountain climbs totally almost 7,400 feet. There were 20-25 riders from the shop (including 7rider) with the majority doing the full century. My confidence wasn't very high and I really didn't think I could finish it. The longest distance that I had ever done was 83 miles (twice) but since my (2nd!) crash in early August, I shied away from the group rides (long rides). I would go solo on the weekends but wasn't doing more than
35ish. Because I come from a running background, I had convinced myself that I "hadn't put in the mileage". And I know that when you train for a marathon, if you don't put in the mileage, you're going to hit the wall. Knowing that this course was really difficult, I had told myself that if I had to bail early for some reason, I would be perfectly fine with it.

The ride started in Thurmont, MD and ended up going through several of the Gettysburg battlefields. It was a cloudy, overcast day. It started to drizzle lightly during the first few miles so the roads were really slick. The first 8 miles were mostly uphill. One of the shop riders asked me what I thought of that climb and I said that it wasn't that bad (for some reason, I like climbing ). He said, "Well, that was nothing. Wait until you get to the next climb." The descents were absolutely terrifying. The road was wet...I would try to apply the brakes gently (no brakes ) and I think I started praying for another mountain climb so I could go up instead of down. I started to doubt myself around mile 50 (the 2nd rest stop). My legs were a little sore and I honestly didn't know if I could do another 50. The entire group started together and after a few miles, they pulled away. At that point, I told myself that if I ended up riding by myself, I would just enjoy the experience - solo. But one of my riding buddies (Phil), slowed down so I could catch up to him. This was now the beginning of the 2nd climb around 62 miles. It was absolutely brutal. It went on and on and on...and up and up and up. But for some reason, I do really well on hills. So Phil and I ended up catching Kathy and another shop rider. I pulled ahead and I heard Kathy mumble, "Look what you did, Phil! She didn't need your help and now she's pulling ahead of us." I know that 7rider will find her comment amusing because the group from the shop is hysterical - a good group that is supportive and very, very funny. I met a guy climbing the mountain and we worked together until the next rest stop at 75 miles. After conquering that horrible climb (and another one that followed), I knew that I could finish the full century. Everyone told me that the last 25 or so were a piece of cake. I rode with Phil, Kathy and the other shop rider and we cruised in. At times, we were doing 30 mph on flat roads! I jokingly asked if there was a sprint to the finish that no one told me about and they said, "Yes...for the ice cream!"

I had a blast. A very tough course but riding with a great group of people was so much fun. And I had something left in the tank so I think I could have gone further. Or maybe that was just the adrenaline making me think that I had something left in the tank?

[Zen]

I got the t-shirt but couldn't make the ride.
Of all days for a job interview

[pfunk12]

Oh, that's too bad. Hope you did well on the interview!

I thought of you after the ride. The guy that I rode with for several miles was a sweetie. I was going to finish the ride with him and his friend (from 75 to the end) but then decided that I would ride with Kathy and Phil. So he took off with his buddy. But he was waiting for me at the end to congratulate me on the finish. 7rider comes over as he's walking away and says, "Who's he? Is he married? Did you get a phone number? What's his name? Social security number? Address? Birthday?" Okay, maybe she didn't say all of that but she was suggesting strongly that I go up to him and find out if he is available. Well, darn it...I guess I've been out of the game too long and I'm shy. But I was thinking that if I had my camera, I could have "pulled a Zen" and taken a photo of him and then I could have gone on Craigslist (another 7rider recommendation!), etc.

I got the t-shirt but couldn't make the ride.
Of all days for a job interview

[Becky]

I was wondering who else from TE did it!

DH, our friend Rick, and I were there. What a great ride! We don't have hills like that in Delaware (ours are short and steep), so the climbing was different. But I enjoyed it, much more than the last 15 miles in a head/crosswind over flat-to-rolling farm country.

I did the first two climbs with no largest cog because my rear derailleur had slipped out of alignment. The anchor bolt must have loosened. So, if you saw a woman working on a carbon Fuji hanging from the Gathland State Park sign at the first rest stop, that was me I was super-grateful to have that low cog on the third climb- what a monster!

Kudos to the Baltimore Bicycle Club for a well-executed event. I'll be doing this ride again next year

[7rider]

Pfunk....you rock! You were the ONLY one in the group who lacked the confidence that you could do it. Everyone else there knew you'd do it in fine fashion.
Next year...I'm going to assume my back will be better by then....I'm doing the full! Sure, I won't do it as fast as you - and Kathy and Phil won't wait for me (huh...how do you rank so high? Sheesh!). But, yeah...the metric was fun....but I really want to tackle that beast again.
eta: Yeah...BBC does a great job with it. The logistics of that have got to be a monsterous headache! Props to them.
Here's a picture of the crew that Pfunk ripped the legs off of (but sadly, she's not in this picture...she was off in the long registration line, getting her wrist band.).

[runningteach]

Congrats on finishing it! It sounds like it was a challenging course but you did great.

[spindizzy]

Wow! I am so envious and in total awe. I wish I had that kind of strength...congratulations on a fantastic centry ride!! Legs, heart and lungs of steel - I think you need to change your avatar..

[Tri Girl]

Congrats! Sounds like a tough ride- and you did it!!

[pfunk12]

Thanks, everyone! And good job, Becky! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the ride and conquered those mountains! I rank so high, 7rider, because I'm the new, inexperienced girl. What a great photo of the crew. And yes, BBC did a great job. And the food was really yummy.