first century report

[Bike Writer]

Blue angel.. if it was "one helluva Ride" I was there too!

How did you like the OHR and which mileage route did you do? I've heard it's pretty big with lots of riders.

[blue_angel]

BeccaB, it was OHR! I wonder if we passed each other at some point--I ride a baby blue Giant and am visibly/heavily tattooed.

BikeWriter, I would definitely recommend OHR. It was nicely organized--route well marked, other riders friendly and conscientious, registration was easy, there were even extra jerseys (I didn't register in time to pre-order, so I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get one), and well-stocked rest stops. I liked my strategy of starting as early as possible. The last 15 miles of the ride were heavily trafficked by the people doing the shorter courses, so that made things challenging sometimes. Mostly because those are the riders who are less familiar with proper road etiquette and do things like ride 3 across, or weave around a lot. For the most part, it all went really smoothly and it was a very nice route to cycle.

[beccaB]

I like the OHR too. I've done it 4 times, the first time I did the metric and then centuries after that. At one point I decided to pass a woman and I stayed with her and chatted for a minute. We are allowed to ride 2 side by side. I didn't stay there very long, but this fast group of paceliners passed me and one of them told me I shouldn't ride in the middle of the road. Normally I would have a nasty comment like "who gave you permission to talk to me" or something with more character. But I just let it go. I don't consider this ride one of those elite events that people like me shouldn't participate in. People look at my hybrid bike and turn up their noses. At one time I was riding alongside a guy on a fancy bike and he commented on my hill climbing abilities. My husband was with me for the first few miles but he was grouchy and I rode on ahead to be out of his space. He ended up riding with a friend of ours who was struggling. As it was I beat my personal best by 15 minutes!

[MKRookman]

Congratulations!

[blue_angel]

I like the OHR too. I've done it 4 times, the first time I did the metric and then centuries after that. At one point I decided to pass a woman and I stayed with her and chatted for a minute. We are allowed to ride 2 side by side. I didn't stay there very long, but this fast group of paceliners passed me and one of them told me I shouldn't ride in the middle of the road. Normally I would have a nasty comment like "who gave you permission to talk to me" or something with more character. But I just let it go. I don't consider this ride one of those elite events that people like me shouldn't participate in. People look at my hybrid bike and turn up their noses. At one time I was riding alongside a guy on a fancy bike and he commented on my hill climbing abilities. My husband was with me for the first few miles but he was grouchy and I rode on ahead to be out of his space. He ended up riding with a friend of ours who was struggling. As it was I beat my personal best by 15 minutes!

Well, that guy sounds like an a$$. The people I was complaining about were literally in the middle of the road, such that if you wanted to pass them, you had to ride into the oncoming lane--very dangerous. Anyway, for what it's worth, I think that if you can ride 100 miles on a hybrid you ARE elite! I couldn't do it. And that's super that you set a new personal record!

[beccaB]

Holland hundred is another awesome well supported ride, taking place this Saturday at the Herman Miller plant.