How was the Tour de Palm Springs??

[tprevost]

Good Morning Ladies!

I know that BikerChick68 and Caligurl both rode yesterday... anyone else? That was supposed to be my first ride this year and I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering how it went!

Can someone give me a ride report when ya get the chance so I can live vicariously??

Trac'

[bikerchick68]

Hi Trac'...

well... we finished it... LOL... I am calling it "Calamity Weekend"

I had the Aerosmith concert the night before and they didn't actually come onstage until 10PM... sheesh... so crawled into bed at 1am and alarm went off at 4am... the guy I'm dating offered to drive so I could sleep... bonus points for him!... an extra hour and 15 minutes is a whole lotta sleep to a deperate chick.. LOL

So got there and got on the road around 7:40am... all is well.. riding OK... tired, but hanging in... we get a paceline going at one point and we're cruising around 25mph with about 8 of us.. the highlight of the day for sure!

It was hot, hot, hot out! Somewhere around 90 I'm guessing... so mile 53 comes and we roll into lunch... and they had run out of sandwich stuff... not even any PBnJ! I was NOT happy about that at all. I have emailed the event director to let them know... just not cool... we were by no means late rolling in, nor were we even close to being last in to that stop... sheesh...

so we meet up with another guy I know at lunch and he and his boy ask if they can ride with us... sure no problem... get on the road and at mile 58 I'm riding along chatting with the guy and I suddenly hear a scream, a crash and a vehicle stopping hard... My female friend crashed... clipped a weird divet in the bike lane and landed in traffic!!!! OMG... I slammed on my brakes, dumped my bike in some shrub and RAN back... she was still lying in the road clipped in as I ran.. some other rider got her unclipped and outta the road... I thanked the truck who was actually paying attn and stopped without running her over... so she lies there for 5 minutes, then decides she is well enough to ride and refuses to DNF... so on we go... 5 more miles and the kid with us flats... (there were 100's of flats... never seen so many people flatted on a course before!!!!)

we change the flat and this kid is struggling... dad is pushing him (literally, one hand in his back thru the flats) to keep him at about 13mph...we were struggling to stay slow enough not to drop them... part of riding to me is not abandoning anyone your riding with... which means sometimes you gotta ride slower...

so we are approaching the 90 mile SAG and can't find it... we realize we're about 5 miles off course... UGH! Finally get turned around and roll into the 90 mile SAG... they were shut down other than water and Gatorade... no problem... only 11 miles to go... but the boys crank broke so he and my friend had to shuttle in... DNF at mile 96! Now THAT sucks... I feel for them... what a drag...

so my female friend and I take off, it's getting dark and we're hauling butt trying to get in safely... pushing 20mph and we cross the finish line!!! Her husband and my guy are standing there alone under a streetlight cheering us in...

I have never been so physically and emotionally drained after a ride before...

My friend is hurting after the crash... full weight landed on her left shoulder... donated some skin to the asphalt god... scrathed the shifters, lost the Shimano Ultegra cover off the other shifter, scratched up her BRAND new shoes... absolutely a testament to determination and will power that she completed the ride...

106.3 miles, 7 hours 41 minutes and 13.5 avg speed... my slowest century every, but thrilled to have completed it all things considered...

ya know, sometimes I really question my sanity... century a month??? Yeah, I'm a sick puppy.

[tprevost]

WOW! You're right, what a Calamity! How is your friend doing today? Did she go get checked out? I've not fallen on my bike (while moving ) but my recent asphalt landing is enough to know that she HAS to be really sore. Also a bummer about scratching her bike and her new shoes ... that s***s. Your boyfriend definately scored some points by driving! I bet he was the best sight ever standing there at the finish! Does he ride at all? Did you at least get to enjoy Palm Springs? I'm starting to think it was okay that I didn't get to do this ride - although I was going to ride w/a friend who has barely ridden so we were doing a much shorter option.

I read over on bike journal that the flats were due to the fact that there hasn't been any rain to wash off the stickers that accumulate on the street - not sure how accurate that is though...

I can't believe that whole SAG thing- that is just wrong. I wonder if you'll get a response from the event director on your e-mail.

Thank you for telling me about it! I can't wait to get back on my bike - I'll be starting from square one. You are really inspiring!

Tracy

What did you say is your next ride????

[bikerchick68]

yeah, there were a TON of thorns... it was not nearly as nuts last year, but we had 13 inches of rain by this ride.... I think we're under 2 inches for 2006!

Haven't heard from my friend yet... she promised she'd call and let me know... I cannot believe she finished... 50 miles more riding like that! pretty amazing..

the guy I'm dating does not ride... he is a competetive level dancer... my other hobby is western and ballroom dance... he scored a lot of points this weekend... hung around PS alone for 8+ hours so I could go do my thing and NEVER grumbled about it... THEN he gets reservations at a swanky steakhouse and takes me out to dinner after... I ate a 16oz steak on my own! It may have been the best steak ever... Sunday AM we took the tram to the top od Mt San Jacinto and hiked the nature trails for a couple hours... then back down for a seafood lunch and a little shopping before heading out... overall had a good time!

I really am disappointed in the lunch situation... I pay for rides so I won't have to stress over food/restrooms/help on the road as needed... oh well, hopefully they'll respond...

next ride... it MAY be one in Paso Robles to support a friend who is qualified for RAAM (the one who rode with us from lunch with his boy!)... I'd have to get off work on Friday tho so not sure it's do-able... if not, I'll ride Solvang again...

I SO wish you lived closer... it would be fun to help you get there again and complete your first cent too! YOU CAN DO IT!!! (heck if I can do it, anyone can! LOL)

[bcipam]

Having done PS several times, I can say the flat and lunch problems this year are not unique. It's the same complaint every year. One year they didn't even have the PBJ sandwiches. We had to complain and two years ago they served baloney sandwiches for lunch!!! Or well, it was food.

It's not the most organized and well sagged ride which is why I never recommend it for a first century. Something like AMTRAK or COOL BREEZE is better because of the great sags and support.

And there is the fact the Century is early in the year when it gets dark early. I remember my first one years ago - I finished around 5:30 and it was dark!!!

To those ladies that struggle to stay with friends - I say good for you. My riding partner and I have had this discussion before. We can both ride fairly fast and hard and neither like to stay long at sags but... we always run across a friend who is struggling and needs the support and we have to slow down our ride (and those sags stops - ugh - anything over 10 minutes is way too long for me!). I don't always like it but I hope if I ever am having a hard time, someone will be patience enough to wait for me. Like he tells me "you won't leave those people will you...?" I say "no" "Then quit complaining, that's the way it is"... always like a man's perspective on thing. Practical and to the point. ie quit whining!

[Bike Goddess]

BikerChick- That must be Homey- AKA Bernie! He's a great guy. Hope you will support him on the RAAM fundraiser. I met him at the Furnace Creek 508.

[caligurl]

i actually had a good time! i've read reports on the other two forums that are either good or bad... my ride as good!

my most lasting impression of the ride... the sheer number of riders fixing flats! NEVER have i seen that many flatted riders on a century (including palm springs last year when i rode and the year before when i drove it, as i wasn't riding yet, then.. but went from stop to stop to cheer hubby on/take pics) ! i just kept praying that i wouldn't get one.. cuz even though i can change my tire.... it takes me a while

plus.. i had already had my time consuming adventure.... as i was climbing up the hill (if you can call it that).. before the first SAG stop... i realized my right cleat was moving around.... so i unclipped as i was riding and looked and sure enough... a screw (or screws) was missing.... now silly me... i had taken the multi-tool out of my bag for this ride.. thinking i wouldn't need it... i knew my bike shop was going to be at the first SAG stop.. so i figured i'd get there and let chris (owner) fix it... but then it seemed to be getting worse (not sure if it really was or i was just paranoid at that time)... so then i stopped.. couldn't unclip that foot at first and started asking riders as they sped past: "does anyone have a tool?"

some really nice guy named victor stopped and fixed me up! i got to sit on the side of the road, shoeless watching tons of riders whizz b.... i finally got back on the road... had chris check my cleats at the SAG and he deemed them good enough to get me throgugh the century!

my only other "adventure" was my self-imposed stress over the battery in my new edge.... i had just gotten it the day before... and for whatever reason.. it lost part of its charge overnight (or wasn't completely charged like it said it was) and i was down partially on my battery.. i just KNEW i was gonna lose it and not have my computer for the remainder of the ride.. fortunately that never happened.. and i made it back to the end with a bit of power to spare! PHEW! (but i still stressed about it the whole way!)

other than that.. it was an uneventful century.... as always the sag stops were loaded and with stuff i actually liked! (there were tons of sandwiches when i got to lunch and NO LINES!! YAY!) the park sag had put their orange slices on ice and were even icing the water! nice touch since it had gotten so warm!

i started out with armwarmers, leg warmers and a light windbreaker.... lost the windbreaker when i stopped to get my cleat fixed... finally got rid of the arm and leg warmers at lunch! (was holding out as long as i could with the arm warmers cuz i HATE tanlines from shortsleeves.. so was trying to avoid them i did end up with a little sunburn on my legs)

and of course... the infamous "cobble" section of road in coachella (airport road).... nope.. they didn't fix it in the past year! .... i wonder what the reason is for having 1 side nice and smooth and the other so crummy.. guess they ran out of money?????? the only other 2 really bad road spots were the downhill on dillon (where the paramedics were with a rider putting him on a backboard... a sign warning of the potholes sure woulda been nice) and then at the end again right before varner.. the "new" part that was a change from last year's route.. pretty bumpy (even with carbon fiber) other than that... i thought the roads were typical of other centuries i've ridden....

oh... right after the park SAG stop... it was in a construction area where the road itself wasn't bad.. but there was an obvious 1-2 inch higher section along the side of the road... well two guys in front of me were talking.. but they were one in front of the other... i guess the front guy got distracted.. hit that section.. and down he went.....

the riders taking up the whole road were annoying.... there was no need for it and stuff like that is what gives all cyclists a bad reputation... even at the beginning where there was even a whole lane specifically blocked off for us... there were riders going into the other lane... at one point on dylan.. some jerk tractor trailer driver started honking.. scared the bejeesus out of me! kept honking and honking.. of course if he encountered hordes of riders blocking the road.. i guess i can see why he felt like he had to blast us

plus the trash! plastic water bottles! tire tubes! sheesh! they'll be lucky to get permits to do the rides again if too many people that live around there complain about the mess left!

but other than that.. i enjoyed myself.... had a good ride... did it faster than last year even with the 30 minute side of the road camp out! (6 hours 39 minutes/15.4 mph average) so i'm happy.... i did push myself near the end cuz i was playing "beat the battery" since i was sure my edge battery was gonna die on me (it never did thank goodness!) plus i was riding alone.. no group... not pacelines.. just me, by myself!

i wish i had gotten to meet/see more people.... considering the number of bikejournal folks listed in the rides section (34)... the ones here.. the ones from bikeforums.net... and i'm sure that riders from the other forum must have been there.. but i have no idea who was planning on coming from there!

i got back... browsed the expo (lame) went to my bike shop to get a new saddle to try (a serfas terrazino or something like that?) and then went to in no out! (bad, cali!!!)

OH.. my gps said an average of 73.3... low of 55.9.... high of 82 so all in all a gorgeous day for a ride!

[tprevost]

Caligurl - I'm glad you had a good ride! What time did you start riding in the morning? Does your DH usually ride with you or do you ride at your own pace? I've only done the metrics so far but I always started as early as possible because I'm pokey and didn't want to stress about running out of time. My average speed is one of the first things (after some base mileage, of course) that I'm going to work on... maybe eventually I'll get good enough to tag along with other riders!!!

Bikerchick68 - that is WAY cool that your BF is a dancer! I took some ballroom lessons eons ago and it is SO fun!!! My DH hates to dance (some girl made fun of him in jr high and that was the end of that!) but when his traveling normalizes, I've already told him we are going to take a swing class. How fun for you! And, what a nice guy to organize a nice weekend! Once I get going again, I just may track you down! It'll be my hard ride and probably a recovery/easy ride for you!!! However, I've managed to talk myself into doing the 100 up at the Little Red Riding Hood on 6/3..... ummm, so I guess I'd better make every ride count! I'm sure that I can get lots of great tips from you! Hey, you should come too! Caligurl might go - logistics willing (unless you already know one way or the other CG), along with a few others from this board.

What a bummer about the garbage/SAG issues. I agree; they know who is coming so they should have enough. I may write too - didn't do the ride but I did pay for it and may not do it next year based on what has been said.

Thank you everyone for the great ride reports! I can't wait until I have one to do!!

Trac'