The 5 hours flat goal proved to be a bit aggressive for this year. Final time was 5:15 rolling, and 5:51 total time.
Our group started with James, Andy, Jonathan, Gabrielle, and myself; and once the start traffic started to spread out we set a solid 22+ mph pace for the first quarter. James stopped at a rest stop around 26 miles in, but no one else needed water, so we kept rolling.
60 miles in, Gabrielle (Jonathan’s wife) started to feel the cumulative distance. This was her first century, and THIRD road ride since she started riding. Jonathan and Gabrielle hung together at a reduced pace for the rest of the ride, while Andy and I kept up a fairly steady effort.
By 80 miles my legs started to cramp, a result of not eating enough and the continuous effort for that many hours. Most centuries allow for some fast riding in a group, some sitting up and taking it easy, and some solo climbs below threshold. Not this one. I suppose you could ride the Sunrise Century at an easy pace, but why would you want to? It is flat, not very scenic, and there isn’t much reason to ride it at all unless you plan on going fast.
I could have done without the last 5 miles of slightly uphill grade back towards the school. By this point in the day, the temps had risen to the 80s and the sun was directly overhead. A slight headwind, coupled with the grade sapped what little energy I had left. Once Andy and I rolled into the parking lot and over the timing line, I sat in the shade until my legs started to cramp again. Stretching was of no use, so I hopped back on the bike and rode slowly around the parking lot for 20 minutes to work some of the fatigue out of my legs.
I felt this one for the next three days.
One Comment
Loved reading the report. This was my first century in 2006 and has a special place in my heart because we have made it a family weekend. I finished about the same as you this year. Rolling time of 5:06 and total time of 5:59. Probably would have shaved several minutes off the total time (and maybe a few off the rolling time) if I had not crashed at about mile 81. Took me a little time to get things lined up again, a little extra time at the next rest stop (rinsed out the wounds a little) and I lost my concentration on fueling and really suffered the last 10 miles or so. But that suffering was nothing compared to that initial shock of shower water hitting the road rash in the hotel room. I was speaking Klingon for about 2 minutes!
I was able to ride with a large group for a while and a group of about 6-7 for a good part of the ride. That helped immensely. Maybe we can ride together next year! And hopefully I won’t crash. My ride report is on my training blog. http://johnkscott.com/training
Like your blog!