I enjoyed reading your description and congratulations on the achievement. I will try to do this ride next year.
On Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 12:47:15 AM UTC-4, Lungimsam wrote: > > *The weather:* > Low 30’s-high 40’s(?), according to the Weather Channel. Sunny, cloudy for > long periods at times, a sprinkle of rain, twice, later on in the ride. > *The clothes:* > I wore a wool cycling cap with ear flaps, helmet, Head long finger gloves, > J&G waterproof breathable rain jacket and pants, two lightweight and two > midweight wool shirts, midweight wool ski socks, wool knee warmers, Nike > sneakers, ¾ wool tights. Took off the rain pants and jacket after the first > rest stop and just rode with the wool layers the rest of the ride and was > plenty warm enough. I added another long sleeve lightweight wool shirt > around the 55 mile point and was warm for the rest of the ride. Yes, it > took that much to keep me comfy. I am not a hardy person and I do not enjoy > cold weather. > *The Route:* > A 3,869 feet of climbing century ride from Kinder Park in Anne Arundel > county, MD to end(?) of B&A Trail, across Severn River into old town > Annapolis, through Galesville, Davidsonville(?),and around Anne Arundel > County, back up to and around the 10 mile BWI Airport MUP trail loop, then > down the B&A Trail back to the start. > None of the hills seemed hard, and there were only a handful, or less, of > steeper ones. The first 10 miles was on flat MUP, the last 20 on flattish > MUP. I got in my lowest gear for some of the hills just to spin up easy to > avoid over exertion, but it was no trouble and never breathed really hard > or went anaerobic or anything like that. An easily doable ride. Similar to > the Indian Head 100 ride back in September, and a step up from a flat > century if you are looking to tackle something with a little hilliness to > it. > *The Ride:* > My friend and I started out late, around 8am (supposed to start at 7). He > thought he heard someone say there were over 600 people registered, but we > weren’t sure how many total showed up. We started along the path from > Kinder Park, down the B&A trail to the end(?) and then through olde > Annapolis in the first part of the ride. We made it to the first rest stop > at ~22 miles with plenty of time. I removed the rain jacket and rain pants. > They were wet inside despite the pit zips, and vented jacket. I stayed > warm, though and wasn’t soaked or anything. Just damp. So, I rode in just > the wool layers for the rest of the ride (except for one lightweight wool > layer that I saved for later). I figured if I got colder I would put the > rain jacket and pants on as my last line of defense against the cold. > > We made the second rest stop in Galesville in time. See attached pic for > the picturesque waterways. My pal seemed to be getting tired and slowed > down a lot once the hilly areas started. He was still fast on the flats > though. The clothes worked well to keep me warm, but riding so slowly to > stay with my friend, I started to get cold, as I didn’t need to exert > myself so much and I seemed to be cooling down. I started to worry what > would happen if I couldn’t keep warm for the rest of the ride. The easy > pace may have been just what I needed, though, to help me finish the rest > of the ride later. > When the sun was out I was plenty warm, but when the clouds covered the > sun for a while and I started getting colder. I was concerned because I > have never ridden this long an event in the 40'sF before. I’ve ridden > shorter rides down to ~28F before, but I was concerned about what to do if > I couldn’t keep warm for the whole 100 miles today. Sorry, I am not the > hardy winter weather type like some of you outdoorsy northerners and > midwesterners on the forum. > My energy was good though, and I felt confident I could complete the ride > with or without the rest stops as I had enough food with me and could stop > somewhere for more drinks if needed. I’d just follow the cue sheet. > > We got to the 55 mile rest stop (water only stop) very late and it looked > like no one was there anymore. It appeared that they had closed up. A > little rain started. I started feeling a bit demoralized. We were about ½ > hour late to arrive, if I remember correctly. I put on my last layer of > lightweight wool shirt in the hopes I’d do better at keeping warm. It > worked and I was warm for the rest of the ride. So I now had on three > lightweight, and two midweight layers, wool ¾ tights and knee warmers. > > It started to feel like a solo ride, not an organized event, because we > hadn’t seen many riders in a long time, and wouldn’t see hardly any more > for the rest of the ride. > > Just before leaving the rest stop, a very tiny lady pulled up on her ~30 > year old Shogun. She was cheerful and confident and it made me cheer up. I > have noticed how male riders on these organized rides seem to be stoic, > hard faced, and inexpressive as to their state of mind during the ride. I > have found women on these events to be cheerful and confident. It is > contagious. It’s amazing how having a positive rider around can help lift > you out of your bleak points. > > By the time we reached the 64 mile rest stop, they were closing down and > the lady on the Shogun was behind us somewhere. We told them we knew of > three riders, or so, behind us and to please stay open for them. There were > some SAG vehicles there and people on radios discussing how many riders had > come through so far (300+?) and how many were behind us. Then one of the > workers said they got a transmission that there were no more riders on the > course behind us– we were the last two! > > We were advised that the 80 mile rest stop was closing in less than an > hour and we could hitch a ride back on the SAG vehicle to the start if we > wanted. My friend was tired and his shoulder was hurting so he rode back > with them. I decided to cycle on to the 80 mile rest stop alone. I wanted > to do the whole hundred. I knew that the last 20 miles of the century > course is a loop around the BWI Trail, and then onto the B&A trail to the > finish line. They are easy, paved, MUP trails. If you can make it to the 80 > mile rest stop on this century ride, you can pretty much recovery ride the > rest of the course to the finish if needed, it’s that flattish. Look for > the Emu along the BWI Trail, too. > > I wanted to do the whole hundred and I knew that the 80 mile rest stop was > at the Dixon Observation area, a good place to watch planes come and go > from the BWI Airport, which is 20 miles from my home via my favorite > training route (B&A trail/Grist Mill Trail, through downtown Ellicott > City). If I could make it to the 80 mile rest stop at Dixon, I could ride > directly home, making it 100 or so miles for the day. And I’d *have* to > bike home since my riding buddy drove us to the start this morning in his > van, and now I wouldn’t have a ride back home if I completed the actual > course after the 80 mile point to their finish line. > > I set off from the 64 mile rest stop and noticed my legs getting tired. > Along the way I started to see familiar roads, though. Roads that I had > been on once before on one of the RUSA populaire rides I had done. > Spechwachcr, maybe? It had some hills but was easy to handle and as I got > to the last road before the Dixon Observation Area rest stop, I saw a SAG > wagon pass by me going in the opposite direction. He waved and I nodded and > pedaled onward. > > I felt great when I arrived at the rest stop. Energy was up. They were > breaking the rest stop down. The sun was getting low in the sky. I grabbed > a bottle of water and took off for the 20 mile ride home on that familiar > training route I like to ride. It was getting dim, so I turned on my tail > light. Through the winding trail along the airport grounds, then a jaunt > along a few roads in Elkridge, MD, then onto the beautiful shaded River > Road and Grist Mill Trail with its forested river and suspension bridges. I > remember colorful skies and beautiful blue-ish/purpley clouds as the sun > was getting lower. I toyed with the idea of going 20 more miles when I got > home if I felt good to make it a 200k (didn’t realize that a 200k is 125 > miles, though). This cold weather was making it not so fun, though. I have > been thinking about getting into Randonneuring, but I don’t think it would > be fun to do 200+k’s in weather colder than this. I can’t imagine how > people do it. There is no way I would want to be on a ride all day (and > into the night) when it is colder than today was. I guess I am not that > hardy a person. I think I would like it if I lived in Florida - flat and > warm weather. I like warm weather. And I like riding with less clothes on. > T-shirt and shorts is comfortable. I don’t like bundling all these layers > on. Expensive and heavy and always guessing what to wear/bring on the ride > and hope you get it right. > > As I crossed one of the suspension bridges at the Grist Mill Trail head I > walked the bike along the expanse as a pedestrian was also on the narrow > bridge, and I had the bike in one hand, the cycle computer temporarily in > the other. I thought about tossing my bike computer off the bridge and down > into the waters of the Patapsco River below. What would that be like to not > track speed and distance anymore, and just ride for pleasure without > keeping track? Just riding when I want and where I want, as far or near as > I want, and with a much cleaner looking bike without the computerware? I > imagined riding that way and felt very free and light and laughing-happy > with relief, having no pressures. > After remounting at the end of the bridge and following the lonely River > Road past its lovely rock formations in the vertical roadside earthen faces > to Frederick Road, I passed under the B&O railroad bridge and ascended up > through the old stone rows of townhomes in olde towne Ellicott City, now > occupied by retail stores, some which have been there for decades. I turned > on my headlight and contemplated my loop to add near home to make enough > mileage to make it a “200k”. I thought that if I only had 13 miles short of > a 200k I would ride it out, if not, just go home. My left butt cheek was > starting to get sore, and I had been feeling it lately on rides as my > saddle has been getting deeper sit bone divots in it. Occasionally I was > getting quick pains along my lower right kidney area. I have been getting > them sometimes in the last month while off the bike, so I reckoned it > wasn’t from riding. I decided not to push it. I decided it would be much > more easy and fun to round off a century into a 200k in the warmth of > springtime or summer. Perhaps I’d do one then one day. Once I left the > downtown Ellicott City area I was homeward bound in a few miles and I made > it home to make it 105 miles. I think this is the longest I have ever > ridden at one time, though I have done other centuries. > *The Bike:* > 53 Noodle Bleriot. Loup Loup Pass Tires. Grand Bois 650b rims. SunXCD rear > derailer, bar ends, etc. > *The People:* > Another interesting person I met was Igor, from Velo Orange. He seemed to > be a very nice man. I was in a rush to get started and pin on my riding > number and orient myself, so I wasn't as good a conversationalist as I > should have been, which I regret. Maybe I will meet him again sometime and > we can chat bikes more. > *The Bikes:* > Mostly the alu/carbon stuff, but I did also see: > 1. The 30 year old Shogun, silver, DT shifters. > 2. One recumbent I remember. > 3. Igor's orange proto VO lugged steel bike. Looked like low trail with > disc brakes road bike of some kind. I believe he told me the name but I > forgot. > 4. My riding friend was on his green 1995 carbon Trek bike. > Anyway, this is a great ride to try if you are looking for a century that > is a step up in hilliness from a flat century, and you don't mind the brisk > temps of mid-October. Igor said it was colder on last year's ride, but I > wasn't there. > I thank the Lord for all the great riding he has blessed me with over the > years and I pray that he will bless me with more. Cycling is such a > wonderful and fun gift. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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