Fifty Plus (50+) - Santa Fe Century ride report

I picked this as my 1st Century because it sounded like fun and my wife loves Santa Fe. I knew my training was a little light -- I did a 60-mile hilly ride and a 75-mile mostly flat ride, but it seemed a shame to drive 450 miles and not do the full Century.

I took DnvrFox's advise and got out early. I got my ride kit the day before, and was up by 5am. Hey Denver, it's still DARK at 5am! But I did get out the door and on my way a little before 6 o'clock, and rolled through town on empty streets. I got out on Hwy 14 with only a few other riders that also jumped the gun ("Official" start time was 7am). Early morning outside town was absolutely beautiful -- there is something really magical about sunrise in the desert. The first part of the ride for over 20 miles is downhill and fast. It starts heading up just before the old mining town of Madrid, the 1st aid stop. It ascends past that for another 5 miles. One thing obvious in retrospect is that if you leave early, and you're not very fast, most of the riders you see will be going by you fairly quickly :o I had a lot of people going by me, mostly on the climbs, but I felt really good so far.

At mile 39 you hit the 2nd aid stop, just before Heartbreak Hill. This hill isn't long, but it's as steep as everyone said. I didn't walk it, but about 2/3 of the way up I did stop for a couple minutes to catch my breath. Then a nice long downhill stretch to the 3rd aid stop at 50 miles. Except that I started to get cramps in my quads. I've never had that happen in any training ride, and here I am not even halfway through the ride. Nuts. But I stretched my legs at the aid station, and made the flat 14 mile ride to the 4th aid station at Stanley with no trouble. 65 miles down, and I'm averaging 15mph, pretty good for me. And the biggest hills are behind me. This is pretty barren landscape now. There are areas in this part of New Mexico that are hilly, wooded and greener than you would expect. And in other areas there isn't a tree for miles around. Around Stanley it's the latter.

The land slopes up after Stanley for 8 miles. Doesn't look like much on the elevation map, but this turned out to be the toughest part for me. My quads are threatening to quit, I'm struggling to go 9mph, and the faster riders are still zipping by me. Finally, the road starts heading down, there are a few rollers ahead, but I can see Galisteo, the next aid station, as a patch of green off in the distance. Yeah! After Galisteo, one last long hill at Lamy, but it's not too steep. By now my stomach's feeling a little queasy, another first for me. But I had brought along a GU gel pack just in case. I swallowed that with some water (at this point I'm absolutely sick of Gatorade). Does it really work? I don't know, but if I think it helps, then I guess it does :rolleyes: I made it up the hill, then just keep pedalling to the finish line, except that instead of stopping I went a couple miles down the road to where we were staying, took a nice hot shower, a short nap, and went out for a really great dinner. And if you haven't been there, trust me, Santa Fe has some terriffic resturants.

Bike time was 8 hours for 108 miles. This ride was tougher than I expected, and apparently tougher than I prepared for. But it was a beautiful day, the other riders were friendly and encouraging, and the aid stations were frequent, well stocked, and manned by cheerful volunteers. Would I do it again? Sure, but first I need to lose some weight and ride some more hills :D

Nick

"Hey Denver, it's still DARK at 5am! But I did get out the door and on my way a little before 6 o'clock,"

It's dark at 5:00 am?

BP - get to bed! (05-23-06, 12:31 AM)

Congratulations are in great order! Terrific job. Those early morning s are really great, aren't they?

Well done! And thanks for the story - I really enjoyed it. Overcoming the quad problem is another example in that distance riding is often a question of mind over matter.

Way to go! Great review of the ride.

Alright!! I'm impressed. Not only did you do the Century in an excellent time you even rode a few more miles afterwards! Terrific!!

Over time you will find the combination of fluids and nutrition that will help you and keep your stomach from getting too queasy. Sometimes a diluted version of gatorade works......

I've got to put the Santa Fe ride on my list "to do" one of these days. It sounds pretty neat-especially the part about the good restaurants afterwards!!

Thanks for the report and pictures. Sounds like a wonderful century. Don't you just love it when your computer flips to 3 digits?

Congratulations on your accomplishment!! Yours was a really good ride report, I felt a true sense of what the ride was like. I think you were smart to leave out early, I love the morning light and air when I am heading out for a long ride.

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I completely understand Hwy 40 Blue's comment on another thread about not wanting to do another Century. My take was a little different -- I really don't want to do this again until I'm better prepared for it.

I really enjoyed getting out early and riding. The air feels cool and crisp, the light is wonderful, it really is the best time of the day.

What a ride. We have heard about this one in the UK, and its reputation is high. To just do this ride is enough, but to do it with a set of quads that are beginning to cause problems is more than enough. Then 8 hours for a first century ride, and a hilly one at that shows how Fit you must be.

Well done and Just try to find a gentle ride for next weekend. A Flat metric might do it.