Northeast - PPTC 100: Historic Back Roads Century

Anyone else doing this?:

PPTC 100: Historic Back Roads Century: September 17, 2006, starting at 7 am (http://www.bikepptc.org/)

It may be another hilly ride like the Civil War Century last weekend.

http://bikepptc.org/web_final/images/dsc00889.jpg

I'll be there with a couple of buds. Doing the metric and looking forward to a nice day.

I'm doing the half with my fiancee. We went a year ago and it wasn't NEARLY as hilly as the Civil War Century, but lots of rollers. Beautiful ride.

I had planned to do the metric, but my wrists are still sore. Will take this week off biking to let them finish healing.
Sorry to miss it. Very pretty riding out there.

Going to play tourist in DC instead. Need to wear something "colorful, talk loud, act lost and pretend we're not-from-these-parts. ;)
Maybe we'll find a local to harrass.

Well, another BBC member and I will be there by about 7am for the century! We both did the Civil War Century and now, this one.

Before the end of the year, I'd like to climb Skyline Drive and/or bike from Queenstown to Ocean City (along Route 50.)

Hey, I rode it with a friend today! My first century. Held a 19 mph pace, which I thought was pretty decent for my first time. I had a blast too. It was so well organized and fun and the food was great, and people were friendly, both fellow cyclists and passing motorists. About the only not fun part was leaving DC at 5:30 am, but even that wasn't too bad.

Miles 30-60 were the hardest for me, with the never-ending up and down "rolling terrain". But after that I totally got a second wind, thanks to the Mike and Ike candy (sugar pills :)) that I had been snacking on bit by bit... they kicked in and I went flying for the last third and especially the last 20 miles.

I'd encourage everyone who can to ride this next year!

Hey, I rode it with a friend today! My first century. Held a 19 mph pace, which I thought was pretty decent for my first time. I had a blast too. It was so well organized and fun and the food was great, and people were friendly, both fellow cyclists and passing motorists. About the only not fun part was leaving DC at 5:30 am, but even that wasn't too bad.

What century where you at?

Organized? They had nothing ready by 7am. The on-site registration was a catastrophe. Long lines at 2 tables split into A-L and M-Z--no one there to take money. No cue sheets. No one there to explain that you had to fill out a registration form AND a waiver (they could have made it all one sheet.) The food was just ok. Not much to take with you back on the bike, unless you want to cram a PB&J, banana, soft cookies, or bagels into your jersey pocket. :rolleyes: They needed some "real" food at the end... MEAT!

I payed $30US at the BBC Civil War Century (CWC) last weekend and got more for less money.

Positives--the roads were marked well. Lots of SAG vehicles. I saw many more compared to the CWC. Friendly people manning the rest stops. Blue grass band at the first rest stop. They had a high school band at the end. Unfortunately, the one instrument in tune was the electric guitar. And, I like how the first loop ended at the Start for the second rest stop. It gave one a chance to change into a dry jersey and apply more chamois creme, if needed, as well as stock up on food and liquids.

The second loop was hillier than the first. It was all rolling, but when there was an incline, it usually was steep. The PPTC may want to consider putting the first loop second so that one is fresher on the harder climbs. But... no biggie for me and my ride partner, though we passed many who were struggling at the end.

All in all, I guess I'd give it a "B+".

What century where you at?

Organized? They had nothing ready by 7am. The on-site registration was a catastrophe. Long lines at 2 tables split into A-L and M-Z--no one there to take money. No cue sheets. No one there to explain that you had to fill out a registration form AND a waiver (they could have made it all one sheet.) The food was just ok. Not much to take with you back on the bike, unless you want to cram a PB&J, banana, soft cookies, or bagels into your jersey pocket. They needed some "real" food at the end... MEAT!

I payed $30US at the BBC Civil War Century (CWC) last weekend and got more for less money.

Positives--the roads were marked well. Lots of SAG vehicles. I saw many more compared to the CWC. Friendly people manning the rest stops. Blue grass band at the first rest stop. They had a high school band at the end. Unfortunately, the one instrument in tune was the electric guitar. And, I like how the first loop ended at the Start for the second rest stop. It gave one a chance to change into a dry jersey and apply more chamois creme, if needed, as well as stock up on food and liquids.

The second loop was hillier than the first. It was all rolling, but when there was an incline, it usually was steep. The PPTC may want to consider putting the first loop second so that one is fresher on the harder climbs. But... no biggie for me and my ride partner, though we passed many who were struggling at the end.

All in all, I guess I'd give it a "B+".

Okay, well... I guess my expectations were low :) I didn't expect there to be much of any food, or any road markings at all, or anything like that. Also, I was pre-registered so I didn't have any problems signing in. They did have turkey, ham, and hot dog sandwiches at the end. My turkey sandwich was good. I had a great time!!!

They did have turkey, ham, and hot dog sandwiches at the end. My turkey sandwich was good. I had a great time!!!

MAN! I missed the REAL food! Where were they hiding it? Let me guess. Back behind the high school band. My rider partner explicily stated that she was in the mood for a hot dog. (Alright... no jokes, please.)

MAN! I missed the REAL food! Where were they hiding it? Let me guess. Back behind the high school band. My rider partner explicily stated that she was in the mood for a hot dog. (Alright... no jokes, please.)
Yes, the real food was sort of over to the right of the high school band :) They also had Snow Cones. I thought the food at the 80 mile rest stop was pretty "real" too... I had a hummus and egg on pita, and a tomato, cheese, and mayo sandwich (surprisingly delicious!). I would estimate that I consumed roughly 3000 calories during the ride and rest stops.

On another note, does anyone know of any upcoming centuries not too far from DC? I would love to ride some more!!

Me as a happy camper after the 80 mile rest stop:
http://myxo.css.msu.edu/danimal/bike/dan_with_heph_hbrc.jpg

On another note, does anyone know of any upcoming centuries not too far from DC? I would love to ride some more!!


The 9th Annual Cannonball Century (http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1311583) in on OCtober 1st.

The Seagull Century (http://www.seagullcentury.org/) is on October 7th, but it's In Salisbury on the eastern shore.

I've never ridden these, so I can't comment.

The 9th Annual Cannonball Century (http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1311583) in on OCtober 1st.

The Seagull Century (http://www.seagullcentury.org/) is on October 7th, but it's In Salisbury on the eastern shore.

I've never ridden these, so I can't comment.
Thanks for the tips! I love the Eastern Shore, but why is the Seagull Century so expensive ($75)??? The HBRC was $35 with a lot of food, and the Cannonball century is only $25. Is anybody here doing the Cannonball century? That looks fun!

I rode the Metric with a couple of buds and would offer the following comments. The food was OK for me. I don't like to eat real food on the bike so a PB&J is about as far as I would go. It would seem pre-registering was the key as far as a smooth check-in goes as I had no problems either. The weather was perfect and the folks manning the rest stops were nice and helpful if needed. Only two minor complaints. The two rest stops on the metric could have been spaced a little better. #1 was around mile 12.5 and #2 was around mile 43. The 2nd nit-pick was the fact they only had 1 cooler of H2O and 1 of Gatorade. Made for some lines. Like I said, not really major complaints. I rode in the Oxen Hill Bike Club Indian Head metric the week before which was almost perfect as far as route setup and support so thats all I have to compare it to from recent memory.

As far as the Seagull being more pricey then others I would offer the following. 1. Alot of the proceeds go to different charitys. 2. They are supporting 6,000 riders so the costs are higher. 3. They can.

I have not done the ride (this year is my first), but from what I understand its very well run.

One more note on the PPTC. I hate rolling hills!!

As far as the Seagull being more pricey then others I would offer the following. 1. Alot of the proceeds go to different charitys. 2. They are supporting 6,000 riders so the costs are higher. 3. They can.

I have not done the ride (this year is my first), but from what I understand its very well run.

One more note on the PPTC. I hate rolling hills!!
Enjoy the Seagull Century. I've heard it's fun. I imagine it's mostly very flat. I go camping at Assateague frequently and like to tool around out there... the Eastern Shore is flatter than my home of mid-Michigan!

I found the "rolling hills" (a rather optimistic description) of the PPTC century to be awesome. It was tough in the 30-60 mile section, where it was sometimes a non-stop roller-coaster of 200 ft hills. I got very good at doing an aero tuck so that I could bomb downhill with enough kinetic energy to get me almost to the top of the next one :) I had never done a ride longer than about 35 mi before this one, and so I was a bit intimidated, but I felt really good about my performance on these hills. I got a second wind at about 75 miles and was able to hammer and keep up with a fast group after the 80 mile rest stop.

I think the reason for the weirdly spaced rest stops on the metric century was because they wanted to be able to "reuse" the rest stops from the full century. I'm sure it was a bit frustrating to have the first stop come so early though.

I was preregistered so I had no problem getting checked in. I was surprised at the turnout - I had expected a smaller turnout than the Reston Century, but it looked like there were more people. I think nearly 3000 showed up.

This year I did the Tour de Cure and the Reston Century in addition to the Back Roads, and I found the Back Roads to be the easiest of the three. There were rolling hills but not nearly as many as on the Reston Century, and nothing like the two monster hills on the hilly version of the Reston Century on Taylorstown and Stumptown road. The scenery was also very nice and the weather was perfect.

I also found the road to be well marked; there was no need to consult the cue sheet. I also liked the shape of the arrows that they used. They couldn't be confused with stray arrows that may have been painted on the road by someone else - they were in bright colors and very distinctive.

As someone said, the SAG support seemed very good. Seemed like every half hour to every hour I'd get passed by two of the SAG motorcycles. Fortunately I didn't end up needing any help.

I had no complaints about the food. I liked the food they had at the end better than the food at the end of the Reston Century. At Reston there was soggy chicken and noodles, as compared with the ham, turkey, and barbecue sandwiches on the Back Roads. I also liked the Sno Cones they had.

All in all, it was a good 100 mile ride.

I found the "rolling hills" (a rather optimistic description) of the PPTC century to be awesome. It was tough in the 30-60 mile section, where it was sometimes a non-stop roller-coaster of 200 ft hills. I got very good at doing an aero tuck so that I could bomb downhill with enough kinetic energy to get me almost to the top of the next one :) I had never done a ride longer than about 35 mi before this one, and so I was a bit intimidated, but I felt really good about my performance on these hills. I got a second wind at about 75 miles and was able to hammer and keep up with a fast group after the 80 mile rest stop.


We did the ride on our tandem so the low rollers in the middle were great. However, I thought the last 15 miles were tough. They seemed to have a lot steeper and longer "rolling hills". Some of the grades were 13%.

I agree that they should switch the loops, but many of the historic sights were on the second loop.

Before the end of the year, I'd like to climb Skyline Drive and/or bike from Queenstown to Ocean City (along Route 50.)

Be sure to wave when you pass Route 404, as that's just a few miles from where I live. Party on!

Be sure to wave when you pass Route 404, as that's just a few miles from where I live. Party on!

Heh, it took place two days ago on Sunday the 16th ;) It was a great ride again, with good food and good people and good T-shirts to boot!

Thanks for the tips! I love the Eastern Shore, but why is the Seagull Century so expensive ($75)???

It would have been only $55 if you had registered before August 31. ;) Still, even that is a bit expensive, as century rides in this area go. I guess the logistics are just exponentially more expensive, since it is such a huge ride -- you'll be "sharing the road" with something like 6-7000 other cyclists. Every year, I wonder why I keep going back . . . I'm really not all that fond of completely flat rides, and the weather is quite often hideous, and the wind is almost always howling in your face. :) It's just become a tradition for a lot of people, I guess -- it's one of the last "official" century rides of the season.

Of course, there is always the Savage Century, which is held the following weekend. I've never done it, but if you're a century novice, you might want to save it for next year. It's got some beastly climbing.

http://www.whiteclaybicycleclub.org/Events-WCBC/savage.htm


Major Hills of the Savage Total Climb(ft) Total Distance (mi) Avg. Grade Max Grade

Duck Hill 190 0.31 12% 16%
Fishing Creek 366 0.77 9% 16%
Bald Eagle 246 0.56 8% 11%
Red Hill 553 2.43 4% 8%

But, hey, registration is only $20 at the start! :D

It would have been only $55 if you had registered before August 31. ;) Still, even that is a bit expensive, as century rides in this area go. I guess the logistics are just exponentially more expensive, since it is such a huge ride -- you'll be "sharing the road" with something like 6-7000 other cyclists.

The Lancaster Covered Bridge's ride-day registration is still less than the Sea Gull's pre-registration. Something does not compute!

I figure I'll just show up and do the ride without paying as I won't need a cue sheet with that many people to follow. :)

Heh, it took place two days ago on Sunday the 16th ;) It was a great ride again, with good food and good people and good T-shirts to boot!

Yeah, the already happened, but I was referring to NoRacer's Queenstown to Ocean City run down route 50. Nothing quite as exciting as riding down a road with end of the season beach traffic trying to run you down.

I'm a filthy thread hijacker and I admit it.

Yeah, the already happened, but I was referring to NoRacer's Queenstown to Ocean City run down route 50. Nothing quite as exciting as riding down a road with end of the season beach traffic trying to run you down.

I'm a filthy thread hijacker and I admit it.

Oh it's cool :) Yeah, I love riding around Assateague... but I always get scared riding to Ocean City because of the unbelievably rude and dangerous drivers on the bridge. Despite the prominent "Share the Road" signs :(

I stumbled upon this thread and went to the PPTC ride schedule. I see that Willis Van Devanter is still leading PPTC rides. I haven't ridden with PPTC for nearly 20 years and I thought Willis was older 'en dirt even then! It's great that he's still riding and leading club rides.

Yes, the real food was sort of over to the right of the high school band :) They also had Snow Cones. I thought the food at the 80 mile rest stop was pretty "real" too... I had a hummus and egg on pita, and a tomato, cheese, and mayo sandwich (surprisingly delicious!). I would estimate that I consumed roughly 3000 calories during the ride and rest stops.

On another note, does anyone know of any upcoming centuries not too far from DC? I would love to ride some more!!

Me as a happy camper after the 80 mile rest stop:
http://myxo.css.msu.edu/danimal/bike/dan_with_heph_hbrc.jpg

The Amish 100 this Saturday in so Md. It's about a 75 minute drive from DC. Do a google searcah and it comes up. A very nice and scenic ride and organized by a club with lots of experienced racers.

I stumbled upon this thread and went to the PPTC ride schedule. I see that Willis Van Devanter is still leading PPTC rides. I haven't ridden with PPTC for nearly 20 years and I thought Willis was older 'en dirt even then! It's great that he's still riding and leading club rides.

That is great. I think Willis' kids are my age and I'm OLD

as far as the century went, I thought it was pretty good. Having the north loop be the last half is a nice idea but the logistics are simplier having it as the first loop.

I thought the food at the stops was fine, but I tend not to eat 'regular' food on the bike. There were plenty of breakfast bars for pocket food. The after ride food might have been a little hidden but I was able to find it. I actually had my BBQ mid ride (I was thinking of stopping after the first loop, otherwise I wouldn't have).

Registration was fine -- I wasn't preregistered and when I showed up at 7:30 there was no wait.

The only gripe I had was the lines for the toilet. I think it might have been faster to ride to first rest stop and use the bathroom there