First – i’d like to congratulate Sarah for taking on the 50 mile ride @ the Fletcher Flyer. Given her busy schedule, a bout with a few odd sinus issues and everything else, Sarah rode great! Her first 25 miles were her finest 25 miles on a bike. I am sure the next 25 were equally as good! Good job, babe!
I don’t think my Century was my best. I had some issues… mostly with my brain! You see, at the third rest stop, you were supposed to go ride 14 more miles and come back to the same rest stop. I screwed up and missed that, but joined in with one of the front Century groups. I did ride enough extra miles to cap off the day with 102 miles and that felt good. It was hot, but I focussed on hydration and it went pretty well. A good day on the bike.
What I can tell you about the ride is that Asheville, North Carolina is a wonderful place to ride a bike. I truly enjoyed the back roads around that town. They have the “Hilly Hellacious” coming up in October and I’m at least pondering making a return trip to the mountains. A lot will depend on how my quest in VeloLosers is going. Over doubling the climbing from yesterday could put me in the hurt locker!
One thing that is always fun is the “professional century riders”. These guys are killing themself to make their PR (and this was a good PR course), but they have no clue how much extra work they are doing. I can now see how the coaches around the country could definitely help people who want to ride a century a little better. One guy was yelling at me because people at a rest stop got in his way – dude – let it go!
Now… a special shout out to my buddy, Cici! You are a rock star! You came from NOTHING to 100 miles and you did it! Yes you did, Cici and I am proud of you! Your riding is only 1/4 of it … your passion, your energy, your love of the cause. It’s all an inspiration to me! I am glad I could play a part in your ride, even if it was a small one! Next year, at Fletcher, when you are a mentor – I’ll come see all the little Cici’s all ready to take on the ride! Good job!