The day started out great -- 70F, 100% humidity (a very light mist), cloudy skies and a South wind
at 6 mph. I was up at 6:30 and on my bike by 7:15, freshly shaved legs eager to warm up with the
7-mile ride to the starting point of the Tour de Goodwill
(bicycle-stuff.com09goodwill.pdfOpen ↗). I arrived with time to spare and chatted up
friends until the start, then we left. I was doing the 70-mile route. I paced with the fast group
until the second rest stop, then I stopped while they went on. I was already sure I would be
extending the 70 into a century, so I knew I had to pace myself.
The Tour de Goodwill is a fun ride here. For the long route, the first third is flat, the second
third is hilly, then it's flat again coming in. I had no problems riding the route, but some of the
roads were in poor condition. Later, a strong wind made the final flat section harder than usual. I
stopped three times total to tank up on gatorade and food. I had a good riding companion -- the
former president of our local bike club -- and we talked agriculture most of the way in. He's a
pecan expert, and I picked up some new methods for growing organic pecans.
When we returned to the starting point, I topped up again, then went to the nearby bike shop
(formerly Johnny Cobb's Bicycle Sports bicyclesports.combicyclesports.comOpen ↗, now City Cycles). I talked to
my friend the wrench there about building up a fixie, then I left. It was another 7 miles to my
house, and from there, sitting on about 84 miles, I just made up the remaining 16 with a familiar
ride I do often.
I had a good time doing this century. The only three problems were 1) I drank so much gatorade that
the sugars started upsetting my stomach 2) I fought a hard wind coming in the last few miles that
slowed me down way too much, and 3) my neck and left arm hurt a bit from getting back into the road
bike position after almost two weeks on an ATB almost exclusively. When I finished, I had done
100.23 miles in 5:40:01 averaging 17.7 mph. The temp was 84 with 51% humidity, mostly clear skies
and West wind at 13 mph. I think I may start doing a century a month if I can keep up the
enthusiasm. Perhaps one of them will even be on a fixie.
Long rides rule!
--
home.sport.rr.comcuthuluOpen ↗ human rights = peace One FISHWICH coming up!!
100:1:40 AM 14 September 2003