The Ride To Montauk (Glen's) Ride Reports

[Lucky07]

Post yours here.

[Lucky07]

Here's my looong report.

It was a great day. Beautiful weather (not a drop of rain, nevermind the predicted 'thunderstorms'), really nice ride. When I left the apartment it was already 70 degrees.

Got up to Penn around 4:50am It was funny to see people staggering out of bars on my way uptown, just as I'm getting ready to do a long ride. I got a couple of 'heeeeey, can I get a riiiiide?' comments. I wanted to tell one very large woman, leering and yelling at me at a stop light that she was over the bike's weight limit, but I held my tounge.

Mazaev (Eddie) introduced himself at the start. We waited around a bit for the no-show Slvoid. Meanwhile we got a small group of 145 milers together with 2 other guys, Josh & Michael. We kicked off around 5:20.

The group took it easy through Manhattan & Brooklyn & picked up a few more riders on the way to Queens. Glen was one of these guys. He was a total hammerhead. In the end, he wound up pushing the group all the way to Montauk.

We started formed a tight paceline in Queens & picked up the pace, averaging around 20-21mph. At the 25 mile rest stop, I was getting warmed up & feeling good. We picked up a few more guys after the that stop, so we were up to 9 riders. We kept a good pace all the way to Babylon.

Eddie was taking pics & recording movies on his digital camera the entire ride. He'd pull out to the side or front of the group & casually take a bunch of pics as cars were blowing by him, honking. It was a minor miracle he didn't crash. Glad he didn't, because he got some great stuff.

We ramped up the pace after Babylon to 22-23mph. The group stayed together nicely. The scenery started getting better & we rode lots of long, rolling straight-aways. Perfect paceline terrain.

On one of my turns up front I got a little too excited & pushed it up to 24-25. Eddie yelled at me to slow down as we dropped about 4 guys off the back. Glen told me to take it easy as there was a very long way to go. Was he ever right.

We passed a few guys & I asked which route they were on. They said the 100 & when I told them we were on the 145, one guy groaned audibly. Eddie said he would have kicked my ass if I had said that to him as we passed. "Man, that's really demoralizing..." In the end, those guys wound up passing me, so they got their revenge.

By the time we rolled into the 80 mile reststop, I was feeling it. We were averaging about 18.9mph at that point. Glen happily calculated with all the stops and starts, we were doing around 24mph for most of that section. I was pretty beat at that point, though. The fastest I had averaged on any ride over 50 miles was around 17mph. Everyone seemed reluctant to leave the rest stop, but we finally got going.

They had blueberry pie at that stop. Pie seemed like a weird rest stop food, but I had some and it was really, really good.

A few miles after that stop, I got blown off the back of the group. The pace started picking up again, and I just couldn't hang. I dropped off & started doing a nice leisurely 18-19 pace. Glen wasn't having that though. He dropped back to get me & said we should pick it up to catch the group. We did 24-25 for a bit before I begged off. He said ok, & took off like I was standing still. That guy is ridiculous.

I dropped back down to a casual pace and incredibly, caught up with the group. The must have hit a bunch of lights or stops. I rode for a bit before getting blown off again. A few of the guys saw me pull off & said "We'll be joining you in a minute..."

Rode a nice casual pace again & took in the sights. Really pretty brackish swampland out there. Lots of birds. There was a sea breeze for the last half of the ride. It felt great. The temperature was over 80, but I was perfectly comfortable.

Caught up with the group again at the last rest stop, they have been lingering there a good 15 minutes, so I thought they were going to slow down a bit for the last section. I hung in with them for awhile & led for a bit, but I started gapping the group, so I pulled off again.

The last 25 miles were a slog for me, since I had burned everything up on the first 125. I slowed way down, but just kept cranking. A crazy hippie guy was telling everyone to 'burn up the hills! Don't linger on them!' I passed him later on one of the rollers. He was definitely lingering.

Finished up the ride just before 3pm. It was a looong day in the saddle. Still I had averaged just over 18mph for the ride which was easily my best long distance average. All the credit for that goes to the group. There is no way I would have gone that fast on my own. It was great riding with those guys while it lasted.

Took a shower & ate and met up with the group at the finish. They had rolled in about 15 minutes before me.

Eddie said they picked it up even more in the last few miles & the group blew apart. Eddie kept going with a couple of the guys & Glen blew by them to the get to the finish. Insane.

We missed the 3:30 train. You had to be at the station by 2:45, so we wound up lounging around the restaurant & eating ALOT of food. Caught the 5:30 back to the city & slept a bit. Eddie actually got a beer & a shot off of some college kids who were toting around a case of beer & a gallon of Wild Turkey.

Got back to Penn & waited for our bikes to come off the trucks. We memorized the truck number so we wouldn't be running back & forth between them looking for our bikes. I've learned my lesson. Eddie took more pics as we waited.

Meanwhile, a drunken postal worker befriended us. He has an almost empty half gallon on Jack Daniels & asked us which marathon we were doing. We told him we had just finished a 150 mile ride & he seemed impressed. Then he challenged us to drink as much Jack as he did. "You can't do it! No way, my man!" Eddie challenged him to a Vodka drinking contest, but he didn't seem interested in that. He told us we should be hitting on 'all the cute girls in shorts around here..." I told him I was married & he said "SO WHAT?! SO AM I!?" Then he shook our hands and staggered off.

Saw Mr & Mrs. Oboeguy, but didn't get a chance to say hi. I don't think I was capable of coherant conversation at that point anyway...

Rode downtown, got home, ate dinner & zoned out for ahwile. All in all, a really good ride. The ride was far less crowded than the 5BBC version a few weeks earlier, so it was a little less chaotic on the road & the rest stops were fully stocked every time I stopped.

This was my second 150 mile ride in two weeks. The base miles put in the 1st ride definitely helped in the 2nd. :D. Don't know if I'd do that again though. I'd probably do the 100 one week, and the 145 two weeks later.

All in all, a great day. Nice work, Glen!

[Mazaev]

Will post some semblance of a ride report later. For the time being, some pics are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mazaev/sets/72157600303586479/

Like a complete ass, I forgot to change some settings on the manual mode of the relatively new cam so quite a few pics came out as a white blur and as a result, not as plentiful as originally planned.

[6thElement]

Great pictures!

[Mazaev]

Ahh, report time. I won't be too comprehensive as Mark as much of the ride is covered above so I'll just make random comments on stuff.

I thought I had a cycling tan before. Today I look like a fat Rasmussen.

This was my first organized ride as well as the longest. I rode out to Nyack and back with nycphotography on Monday and it probably paid off on this. Still, my bike suffered a string of bad luck throughout the week, including a broken saddle and a pedal, as well as a mysterious slow air leak in the rear tire that, after 3 new tubes, I could not for the life of me seem to be able to diagnose. Spent the whole week trying new saddles and mounted a brand new Toupe the night before this ride; a horrible idea by all standards that worked out great as the saddle turned out very comfy for the whole ride. Threw on my old eggbeaters and a new tire and hoped for the best. Decided to take the train to the check-in as I figured that a 12-mile handicap was gonna make feel anything but badass as the ride went on.

Anyway, I got to Penn station around 5 and right away saw a dude in a white helmet with a red Allez and figured it was Lucky07. I was right. We met 2 more and took off, soon finding ourselves surrounded by other 145 milers. After crossing the Williamsburg bridge, we had about 9 or so in a rapidly developing paceline, as well as another dude on a mountain bike, with an ipod contraption with speakers strapped to his handlebar blaring 90's hits as our soundtrack. This guy kept up all the way to Babylon, riding next to the pace line duly impressing and creeping everyone out.

The first rest area at the 23 mile mark made the ride up until then feel deceptively easy.

At Babylon, the last of the 66-mile riders were being rushed to the train as we had finished up our 45-mile warmup for the real century. Found myself drinking progressively more and made a mental note about staying hydrated. Those Larabar bars Glen pimps for on the website really did turn out great and, complimented by bananas with Nutella and mild pastries, did a great job of keeping the energy flowing without bogging me down. We regrouped and set out.

Around the 80 mile mark, my back was quite uncomfortable and I found myself struggling. Messing with the saddle configuration a bit at the rest area brough soe much welcome relief and kept me going.

A few miles before that rest area, as we were hauling ass at like 26, a bunch of people were sitting on someone's lawn and flagged us down and asked us to stop. Thinking that it was something serious, we pulled over to see if we could help. "Hey, any of you guys know anything about derailers?", said a 40-something y/o dude from the lawn, looking like was dissapointeed that he wasn't immediately handed a shiny new bike upon the first sign of trouble, "I mean.. I can still ride this thing, but it's shifting funny".

On to rest area #3. This was a surprise as we suddenly found orselves at the beach. The urge to run off into the waves was only superceded by the need for food and drink and to spend some time adjusting my bike. All of these were well worth it and make the rest of the ride much more pleasant.

Sometime later, we found ourselves approaching a long bridge with quite an incline. The two guys in front of me blurted something out that sounded to me as "... something something HAMMER something something..." Seconds later we found ourselves sprinting up that bridge at a faster pace then what we'd been keeping on the flats. "Well, i figured we'd just coast down", said the same guy after we managed to lose half the group and stopped to wait.


At the last rest area people looked pretty beat. The coldness of the (relatively free) ice-cream was a very welcome sensation and I ate a couple of bananas and Larabars knowing that I would need the energy for the last stretch. It paid off.

We set out at a slightly more relaxed pace and were trying to keep the group together. I was quite curious about those rollers I'd heard of on here. As we finally hit them, knowing that it was the final stretch, me and another dude decided to hammer it and see how much we still had in us. Of course, out of nowhere flies up Glen and passes us like he was R600DA passing commuters up the PP molehill. Still, we managed top keep up and spent those 7 miles going all out. Glen noted that his overall average after those those last 7 miles or so shot up by over a mile an hour.

In one of his many much-appreciated maneuvers that kept the group together and made this whole day much better for everyone, Glen suggested that we stop and regroup about a mile from the finish and so as to roll into the finish line together which was precisely what we did (Sorry Mark :rolleyes:)

Once we got to the end, I found it a relief that there was no need to rush to the trains and proceeded to take a much needed shower which felt like stepping into a little booth of heaven.

Afterwards, Mike, who one one of the guys we met at the start line, bought me a beer which I was very grateful for and made the pasta-eating experience, grand as it was in and of itself, that much better. An hour of so of lounging around on the grass, enjoying the breeze, scenery and friendly company (as well as grabbing another portion of pasta and beer) enhanced the whole experience n-fold.

On the ride back, after the Jamaica transfer, I sat near some girl and a few guys drinking beers and, well, talking about whatever endeavors she had been previously engaged in. Then, all of a sudden she reaches for her big-ass purse and pulls out a gallon jug of Wild Turkey. One of the group noticed the grin on my face and offered a shot which was gladly accepted, followed by a beer, which, combined with the entertainment of half-listening to their conversation made the last leg of the train ride seamlessly quick.

Once we got our bikes, I decided to ride it back to Brooklyn to meet some friends for food and drink. Taking it easy, in jeans, no gloves, and helmet still strapped to my messenger bag, I realized just how damn tired and out of it I was as I started off about 10 blocks in the wrong direction. Rode home and took the car to meet the friends. I didn't last long. Final mileage for the day, 163.49 miles.

Mark, and the other guys in our group if they read this: Thanks so much for an absolute blast of a day. It was great riding with you guys and it was most appreciated to have found such a friendly bunch to spend the whole day with. And Mark, sorry if I ended up chewing your ear off for half the day. It was great to share the experience of this thing with someone.

[Lucky07]

Great pics! Totally forgot about the mtn bike dude. He was amazing. Picture a 200 pound, 50 yr old hippie cranking 20mph on a loaded mountain bike tricked out with aero wheels, slicks & a full iPod sound system. Eddie: "Hey, that lady can really crank!" "Uh, that's a guy..."

Eddie, had a great time riding with you. The chatter was welcome. It kept my mind off the ridiculous pace. PM me if you want to meet up for a weekend ride. No problem with not waiting for me. I fully expected you guys to be showered, fed & gone by the time I rolled in.

Thanks for taking the pics. Can't wait to see the edited movie opus.

[oboeguy]

Lucky you shoulda said hello!

Brief ride report here. The most excitement was getting there! We left home (from around the GWB) with a solid hour to get to the start. Wife didn't want to ride so up we went to the subway. No A train running, CR@P! We zipped down to 168th where the trains started running again (track work between 168 and 207) and waited. And waited some more. We were literally getting off the train that was sitting there to beg a taxi driver to put our folder bikes in the trunk and take us to the line when the new shift of MTA employees for the train showed and said the train was about to leave. It made all local stops! We got out at 34th, hoofed it to the reg desk, dumped our bikes in the truck and RAN to the Babylon train. We made it with barely a minute and change maybe to spare. THAT CLOSE. Yikes!

We took our time getting things together at Babylon but eventually hit the road. It was fun to ride this thing together for once the whole way. My usual riding pals were doing the 145 and the expectation is that they'd catch us at some point after the 100 miler's 50 mile mark which is exactly what happened. They caught us shortly after "the bridge", IIRC. It could have been later or sooner if we hadn't taken so many pics or if my friends hadn't picked-up a few "bonus miles" from a wrong turn.

Anyhow, they rode with us for a bit during which a woman 10 ft behind me managed to crash herself without provocation. I heard what sounded like an incipient crash, swiveled around and saw her and bike go down in a heap. Fortunately, lots of riders were around and stopped to help (including us). I got to her right away (being the rider in front) asked her her name and if Ronald Reagan was the president of Afghanistan (my old soccer coach in 6th grade would do that it somebody took a big hit or fall). She seemed fine so while others checked her wounds I did a quick bike check. It looked to be none the worse for wear so off we went.

My friends stayed with us a bit and then took off for the last rest stop. The plan was to meet at the end and catch the 5:30 train together for the return. That plan worked very well only the last call for the train interrupted my 2nd plate of pasta <sigh>. Still, all the stops for pictures and the leisurely pace made for a very relaxing century if there is such a thing. The train ride back was great; I hadn't been able to get out and ride with my two friends for a while so we had some catching-up to do as well as rides to plan.

When we got topside back at Penn Station, magically the bike trucks were already there! (Saturday traffic back from Montauk must not be so bad as Sunday) I had forgotten to remember which truck had our bikes so I asked the guy unloading if his was the truck at which the shirtless guy with falling down pants had been helping at the other end. It was. The guy then said that he needed help unloading so I and a couple of other guys got to work. Once all four of our bikes were down, I gracefully bowed out and headed home by subway with the wife while my pals hit the road to ride home.

I was disappointed by the (expected) lower attendance but hey, the lines were virtually non-existent at rest-stops and at the finish (woohoo!). The blueberry pie at the rest stop mentioned above was indeed delicious. I hope Glen runs his own ride again next year.

Edit: I forgot to mention that at the ice-cream rest-stop a guy asked me if I had a bike tool. I said sure I do, what's the problem? the FD on his bike with rusty drivertain was rubbing. I tried the barrel adjuster with limited success. The guy informed me that he only ever used the big chainring (it was an MTB setup, IIRC) so what the heck, we let out some cable and he was happy as could be.

[Lucky07]

Oboe, sorry. Will definitely say hi the next time I see you. I have to say, I liked the fact that there weren't thousands of riders. Less crowded at rest stops, fewer newbies to ride around, very comfortable friendly atmosphere. It's probably what the Montauk ride was like 10-15 years back. Very nice.

[Avatar]

Looks like the other Montauk ride with fewer people!

I would have loved to have reattempted this ride.

Glad you guys had fun, though I would have had to keep up a 20+ mph pace to keep up with you.

[Islander2260]

Great pictures Eddie. Thanks to everyone, especially to Glen, for keeping our 145-mile group together.

Sorry I left this out before. I'm Michael -- the guy riding the red Trek Madone and wearing the Carmichael jersey.

I will be riding in Dutchess County on Saturday. Send me a note if you would like more information or would like to join me.

[Beachboy]

Eddie and the rest of the 145 team.

Great riding with you guys. We worked well as a team with Glen being an excellent Captain. Sorry I had to run after to catch the early train but I wanted to see my kids before they went to sleep.

Mark and Eddie did a great job of summarizing our ride. Lasting memory for me was the Ipod dude......and the strong paceline riding over a huge distance.

In case you guys are still wondering who I am - I was the 'Big' guy in the group on the Trek Madone 5.0.

Islander - Not enough info in the post above to determine who you were....

Did you guys get contact info on the team - Mike, Glen, etc