Century nears!!

[presfoxm]

If you can ride 70 miles you can ride 100! If you have figured out eating for 70 miles, you can figure it out for 100!

A couple of suggestions: 1) Ask the organizers if there are convienence (sp?) stores along the route. That way you can stop and get any snacks and beverages you want. If so, don't bring any more food than will get you through 40 miles. It is cumbersome to carry food for a 100 miles trip. 2) Bring some gatarade or pick some up along the route. It is a horrible drink, but it can help. 3) Don't stop for more than 5-10 minutes at any one time, you will cramp up some and the rest of the ride will be unpleasant. 4) Maintain a steady pace thoroughout, pick an effort level-a 7 on a scale of 1-10-and maintain that. That way at the end when you need to ramp up when you are tired you will have extra energy. Don't focus on time only effort.

My training schedule called for me to ride between 80-85 miles the weekend before the century. Remember that the last week to take it really easy. Ride only the 20 mile loop at pace once, every other day ride easy. Make sure to ride at least 10 miles really, really easy the day before the event.

Some good advice is here: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...3182-1,00.html

Good luck! It will be great! Have an excellent time!

[latelatebloomer]

Thanks for the great tips and support, SadieKate & presfoxm! & Road Raven and EVERYONE!!! I love you!

[7rider]

I'll keep my eyes peeled for you LLB, and everyone.
DH wants to meet up with the folks from the shop at the pedestrian bridge at 7:45 a.m., so it looks like that's where we'll be at the start.
I said "Look for the Bicycle Place" jerseys...but it's looking like we may all be covered in rain slickers!
So...saying "look for me in a day-glow yellow jacket probably won't help, as there will be a million of them there! I may even have my black helmet cover on, so other than that I'll be riding a ti and black Seven, I'll be pretty indistinguishable from the rest of the horde.
I'm regretting selling my fanny pack at the last bike swap. I'm thinking that this is going to be a ride where you'll have to carry lots of stuff "just in case" - as in, rain jacket just in case it rains, arm and leg warmers just in case it's cool, and some place to stash it all just in case it clears up and gets nice. My jersey pockets only hold so much!
Good luck, everyone doing the ride!!

[latelatebloomer]

Call me crazy, but I don't want to let a storm keep me from achieving my goal. I don't have much experience riding in bad weather, and I have all the road handling skills of the total newbie that I am, but I have a brand new rain jacket and I DON"T LIKE TO QUIT! Maybe I can still make it!

But maybe we need to get helmet covers.... I think if I tell my husband we need to buy one more thing for this event, he's gonna cry.

[SadieKate]

Hotel shower caps.

[latelatebloomer]

Sk, you're a lifesaver.

[bikerchick227]

I'm dying to know...how did it go yesterday? That was a TOUGH ride with all that wind and rain. Any mileage seems like amazing mileage to me. I thought of you all during the ride and wished you well.

We left pretty late (10:05) so we were being from the get-go. Strange conditions out at Assateague. When we were there it was so windy! I was very concerned that we were going to blow off the bridge.

Anyway, I hope you will let us know how things went!!