Century a month....1/12 completed
Well, I'm dumb. I planned to do my January century on Friday, but the winds on were pretty bad (20+ mph) so I opted to do my century on Sat. Winds were not bad, but it rained the whole time. I should have just stuck with Friday.
I did it in 3 sections: 33.0 mile loop, 32.2 mile loop, 36.4 mile loop for a total of 101.6 miles (per MS streets).
Loop 1: 33.0 miles. Non-Ice commuter bike. (JTS) 2 hrs 30 min.
Loop 1 was okay, with only a slight drizzle, but by the end it stopped. I was feeling good. I went inside, changed clothes, ate some hot oatmeal and decided to change bikes for loop 2 since the rain had stopped.
Loop 2: 32.2 miles. Road-bike. 2 hrs 10 min.
Loop 2 started out great. I has happy to have shed about 10 lbs and my speed went up substantially. Everything was going great until about 5 miles when the rain resumed, and it wasn’t a drizzle this time. All the water from my jacket and pants ran down into my gloves and boots and everything about me was totally soaked. I was still pretty warm though so it was okay. When I got home, I changed into dry clothes, and began the process of drying off.
Break:
My wife and daughter got home from their shopping trip, so in addition to waiting for things to dry I chatted with them about their day. This turned into a very long break, and I almost bailed. Then I decided I better go.
Loop 3: 36.4 miles. Hybrid w/studs 3 hrs 40 min.
My boots were still soaked, so I put plastic shopping bags on my feet. My gloves were still damp, but there was nothing I could do about that, so I just went. I chose the hybrid knowing it would take longer, but since it was getting dark I knew I needed to be wary of ice, so I took the bike with the studs. I rode through town, and up and around the capital square, then out towards the zoo and home. I started to get really cold so I stopped at a Culvers (fast food place) for some hot chocolate. Then I headed home for the last 12 miles of my century.
3 major Lessons Learned:
-Keep gloves inside of the jacket so that water runs off the jacket to the OUTSIDE of the gloves instead of the opposite so that the water runs into the gloves.
-Socks wick. Keep them dry even above the boot-line or they will get soaked.
-Water resistant is not sufficient for 2-3 hours in a cold rain. Time for some rain-gear.