Seagull Century

[madscot13]

Who is heading this year?

http://www.seagullcentury.org/

I know I am!

[F8th637]

I may consider this with my company. Sounds like a great time!

ETA: Just checked my calendar and I might be out of town that weekend. . darned it!

[juliemcd]

I'm definitely up for this....I'll think I'll sign up later this month, but probably only for the metric century...

[Blueberry]

Hmmm....would this be worth the trip up from NC? Looks like a cool ride!

CA

[HillSlugger]

I already did my metric century this year, so probably not. There's a triathlon the same weekend I'd rather be doing

[ny biker]

Take my advice: if there's a nor'easter the weekend of the ride, just say no. Forget about how much you already spent on pre-ride registration. It will take you 2 hours just to travel the 5 miles leading up to the Bay Bridge, by the time you get to Salisbury the cafeteria will be closed so you won't be able to eat the dinner you pre-paid for, and you will have to buy new bike shoes because it will rain so hard during the ride that they will fill with water and your feet will go squish-squish when you pedal and then when they dry they will shrink.

[Blueberry]

Or you could wear bike sandals They tend to be rain tolerant.

CA

[madscot13]

I'm crossing my fingers for no foul weather.

[emily_in_nc]

Take my advice: if there's a nor'easter the weekend of the ride, just say no. Forget about how much you already spent on pre-ride registration. It will take you 2 hours just to travel the 5 miles leading up to the Bay Bridge, by the time you get to Salisbury the cafeteria will be closed so you won't be able to eat the dinner you pre-paid for, and you will have to buy new bike shoes because it will rain so hard during the ride that they will fill with water and your feet will go squish-squish when you pedal and then when they dry they will shrink.

+1

DH and I did this ride (the full century) back in 2003 and got poured on. Finished it absolutely freezing -- I had to coach him through the last 10 miles as his lips were turning blue (mild hypothermia, perhaps), and we were on a tandem. Kinda scary. I think I held up a bit better because I had hot coffee at the last rest stop. Kid serving at the (very much needed!) beer stand after the ride said that it rains like that nearly every year. Too bad as it would have been a lovely ride minus the rain and chilly wind.

Emily

[withm]

The reality is that the Seagull is at the height of hurricane season. Now you say, we don't have hurricanes up here.... alas, we do indeed suffer the side effects of hurricanes as they ply their nasty way up the east coast. The odds of the Seagull weekend are probably more in favor of wind/rain than they are of being a nice day. And a look at the last few years will certainly corroborate that claim. Last year was gorgeous and after several years of wind and rain we are due for better weather for the ride but mother nature has her own agenda.

Having said all that, yeah, I'll probably sign up. But if it's raining, I won't bother driving to Salisbury (and it's only 45 minutes for me).

I'll do the metric.

Who else is "in?"

Martha

[madscot13]

Perhaps I will finally put the fenders on my bike? I thought I was going to strip my frame barebones for the century. haha I will be wet though anyways?

[ny biker]

From what I've heard, the weather for the Sea Gull is usually great, it just was not great the two times I rode it. But I'm not planning to ride it again, so it will probably be a beautiful weekend.

For me it works better to do the Cannonball Century that is sponsored by the Fredericksburg cycling club the weekend before the Sea Gull. It's closer to home and doesn't require a hotel stay. It's not as big a ride as the Sea Gull but it's still fun.

[juliemcd]

Hmmm...the Fredricksburg century would like be closer for me also. Maybe I'll check that out.
I did the Seagull years ago, 2001 or 2002 and got caught in a lightning storm...I didn't realize the weather was typically a factor.

[ny biker]

I think there's actually a fair number of people who ride the Cannonball as a warm-up to the Sea Gull.

Here's their website:

http://bikefred.com/CBC/cbc.html

The first time I did the Sea Gull the rain wasn't too bad because it was just rain. If you've got a good waterproof jacket, you'll be okay in those conditions. It was the nor'easter in 2006 that sucked - the combination of heavy rain and high winds were just no fun.

[7rider]

I did that '06 in the Nor'easter. I suppose it was only marginally worse than the '05 ride in the dying gasps of Tropical Storm Tammy (7" of steady rain that weekend and wind). At least in '06 we had less rain. But wind driven sand is always a joy for your drivetrain!
Ahhhh...the fond memories of the Seagull!!! If only it weren't such a darned good time!
The first time I did the ride in '00, it was sunny, mild, and calm. Last year was supposed to be good too (but foggy in the a.m.). So it can happen!
Yeah...weather is often a big part of the challenge. This year, they've moved the weekend. Perhaps too much juju associated with Columbus Day??
I'll be doing it (if we can get reservations squared away soon) with DH and the BPVC crew. My personal goal is to break a 5 hour ride time. I'll be sucking a lot of wheels to do that.