Montauk Century!

[MrCrassic]

Who's going? Since I missed BNY (was meant to be more of a fun ride), I am going to try hard to make this one and two other centuries this summer.

[bikegummo]

I'm doing the Ride to Montauk 145 (or 100 if I chicken out) on June 21. Can't do the other one as I'll be out of town.

[Lucky07]

I'm doing the Ride To Montauk as well. I was going to do the 5BBC Montauk ride too, but I'll be travelling that week.

[MrCrassic]

I'm going to try and do both.

[zowie]

I'm in, 5bbc Montauk Century. Will be attempting the 145, which will be my longest single day mileage to date, unless the weather is really bad.

I don't see any reason to basically repeat it with the Ride To Montauk. There are other good century rides that give you a more diverse route and are also less expensive like Bike-Boat-Bike which is in early June. That one is also a loop. You have to get way out on the North Fork for the start, but no screwing around with trucks and trains for hours when you're done.

[Pablo.]

I'll be a first time Montauk (the May 18 ride) rider. Any BFer's wanna hook up?

[Air]

I'm doing both rides, both 145 (hopefully).

I'll be leaving from Penn during the 100 mile checkin (3 somethin') - I'll need the extra few hours to finish :D If anyone wants to have a leisurely stroll out next week drop me a PM!

[Lucky07]

I have a ride number to sell (cheap) if anyone wants to ride and hasn't registered yet. PM me if you're interested.

[zowie]

I'll be leaving from Penn during the 100 mile checkin (3 somethin') - I'll need the extra few hours to finish :D

You can do that?

[Air]

Unofficially ;) The cue sheets are combined, as long as you don't have a bag or don't mind bringing your stuff with you (or finding a friend jumping on the train to the 100 mile start who doesn't mind throwing your bag on the truck, or riding the first 50 miles with your bag then throwing it on the truck at Babylon).

If you're interested PM me and we'll meet up and head out!

[cparekh]

I am in for the the Montauk Century. I am riding the 100 with BrooklynRider if anyone else wants to join up. We will be leaving from Babylon. Air, if we time it correctly, we should be able to join up with you as you pass by. We met, briefly, in the line for the bathroom on the Tour de Bronx. Anyone else if welcome to join, as long as they are willing to stick to a more leisurely pace.

/cp

[Air]

Yup - I remember that!! I remember last year svloid and a few others blasted past me, couldn't keep up and I still had a three hour head start. Yikes!

[SpeedyTSO]

cant make it this weekend (Queens biathlon). When's the Ride to Montauk?

[Air]

June 21st.

[Air]

Does anyone have last year's GPS info? I want to load it into my unit - I found this (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/dashboard.mb?episodePk.pkValue=2790720) but for some reason when I try to download the GPX file Mapsource can't open it.

[cparekh]

Sorry, I don't have the GPS info. Plus I enjoy making all the wrong turns.

[sukram]

I'll be there. Probably just doing the 100 though, trying to stick with a small group and 100 is about right for them.

[BrooklynRider]

I'm riding (5bbc) with a couple friends, including CParekh from BF, whom I met last year on the train returning.

We're not racing it and might even pull-over to look at the ocean at some point. We'll have a Blue Scott Sportster (Charlie's), a White Scatante XRL (mine) and another friend on an older high-end LeMond (with toe clips) (not sure what color!)

I expect a nice steady ride. Not slow but not fast either. Figure average 15mph for the ride.

[cparekh]

I'd like to keep it to 14.9946463 mph on average, please. If anyone else wants to join the three of us, let's try to figure it out.

[Air]

Are you going from Penn? What time?

[BrooklynRider]

I'd like to keep it to 14.9946463 mph on average, please. If anyone else wants to join the three of us, let's try to figure it out.

We are starting from the shores of Babylon station.

I will be naturally attracted to the food table where the coffee urn is!

We need a visual marker to stand out.

How about a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with 14.9946463 mph in bold letters pinned to our backs? I think that will work, actually.

Simple enough. Charlie (cparehk), Gerry and BrooklynRider (nelson) are staying over night in the Huntington area on Saturday. We gain 4 hours of sleep and maybe a minor hangover this way.

So see you by the coffee and donut area in Babylon around 7 - 7.30am?
PM CParekh and BrooklynRider.

We will likely want to start as ASAP.

I will print out the 14.9946463 mph flyer for our backs.

If you all want to see each other wear your own version! But 14.99 must be on it! ;) Say Hello to 14.99ers.

[revolator]

I'd like to keep it to 14.9946463 mph on average, please. If anyone else wants to join the three of us, let's try to figure it out.

Why not 15.001? What is the next ride you guys are doing on the Island?

[Air]

Couple of ideas from last year (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=300602). One that I liked was to use a magic marker on your calf with your BF name...though I guess that would depend if you're in shorts :D

[zowie]

Does anyone have last year's GPS info? I want to load it into my unit - I found this (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/dashboard.mb?episodePk.pkValue=2790720) but for some reason when I try to download the GPX file Mapsource can't open it.

It sound like the section through the city is going to be considerably different than last year.

[cparekh]

Why not 15.001? What is the next ride you guys are doing on the Island?

Are you crazy? The sheer friction from the atmosphere would incinerate us at that speed, not to mention the high probability that some sort of space-time vortex to another dimension might occur. Do YOU want to be responsible for the destruction of all mankind?

[cparekh]

One that I liked was to use a magic marker on your calf with your BF name...though I guess that would depend if you're in shorts :D

If the marker were really magic, it wouldn't matter. In my case, though, leg hair would more of an impediment than the magical properties of the marker. I'll PM you my mobile number. If anyone else wants to join up, let me know, and I'll PM you as well.

[BrooklynRider]

Sharpie might work. It needs to be water proof, whatever idea we end up with... Looks like rain and cool for Sunday... :/

[Air]

Sharpie might work. It needs to be water proof, whatever idea we end up with... Looks like rain and cool for Sunday... :/

Yeah....grrrrrr......

[Air]

Weather upgraded - looks partly cloudy and a high of 66 on Sunday!!! Woot! May rain Saturday night though which is about when some of us are starting anyway ;)

[Air]

Sorry for the triple post.

I found a GPS route and trimmed it down to below 500 points for a good sketch of the route exported as a text tab delimited file so I can attach it below.

[Pablo.]

Ok, I'm doing the century from Babylon. I'll be in a 53x11 coffee jersey and white helmet on a stealth pedal force. You'll probably see me. :-)

[BrooklynRider]

Sorry to burst the weather bubble again but it's still looking a bit ugly for Sunday.

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location=USNY0939

At least we start dry in time for Thunderstorms in the early afternoon. Of course, all these weather reports have been wrong all Spring so far. So we can still hope. I just switched my frame and have a new BB and headset. Just in time for torrential rain on it's maiden voyage...

Reminds me of when I was an avid backcountry camper. If I'm going camping, it WILL rain. At least I don't own a down sleeping bag! Nothing like synthetics for foul weather!

I have the new Montauk 2008 Jersey I will wear in all my Fredness! I'll put BF.net and BklynRdr on my calves... Hope the sunblock doesn't interfere with Sharpie.

[Air]

Crap - that was an ugly turn.

Oh well - guess we'll just see what happens!

[cparekh]

I have the new Montauk 2008 Jersey I will wear in all my Fredness!

Just take the visor off your helmet please. :p

Weather for Babylon looks okay. Tops out at a 50 percent chance of rain, but should be okay most of the day. I'll take a 50 percent chance.

[Air]

Visor off - check.
Bike wiped down with pledge for protection against the heavens - check.
Chain cleaned and lubed - check
Everything packed minus water - check.

Sleep....here I come!

If anyone's going to the Penn Station stop and can grab my bag and throw it on the truck in Babylon I would be eternally grateful.

See you all on the road!!

[My Nishkiki Sport has the number vertical on the steering tube - should be easy to spot]

[Pablo.]

Right on time. It's 5:04 AM. I didn't sleep that well (I'm staying at my Grandmothers house in East Meadow), but hey, I'll be alright.

It's time for the oatmeal.

[jeebusaurousrex]

Everyone alive?

[Junker]

Everyone alive?

Alive, though a bit sore. Did the 100 mile with an average speed of 17.9 mph, the fastest I ever did a length like that!

[zowie]

145 in the can. Some rain at the end, but overall a great day!!!

[MrCrassic]

Alright,

So I tried to do 145 miles, but the weather got the better of me at mile 135 and I got SAGed. The finish was extremely disappointing, as whatever they advertised on their ad was either not there or was in limited amounts (like food). On top of that, the food was very forgettable (as they claimed it wouldn't be).

At least my legs (and my pinky finger, for some odd reason) got a good beating. Walking is going to be interesting today!

I'm not doing the Ride to Montauk as I have other adventures ahead of me that also require some $$$.

Met up with Air and a few other BFers, which was nice. I'm definitely putting my ID on my helmet, since I apparently run into many.

[MyKneesHurt]

Hey don't complain. A friend and I also did the 145 and atleast you got food! If I see one more packet of crackers and peanut butter I will probally get sick to my stomach (because that is what they offered us at that dive at the finish). I guess it was partially our own fault as we decided to wait until the line went down, and it did when there was nothing left. But as for the ride, it's always a good time. They just need to fine tune the food issue.
Ride on and ride safe!

[cparekh]

I did the 100 with BrooklynRider and and some (gasp! non-BF) friends of ours. We made plans to meet up with Air, who was riding the 145, at Babylon. We got shoo'ed out of the parking lot by the 5BBC volunteers about 2 minutes before Air arrived, so we met up with him 20 miles later at the first rest stop. Air did complete the full 145, so props go out to him.

The weather started out perfect, and it held on for most of the ride. At about mile 70 it started to get cooler, and it was raining a bit by the last 10 miles. The ride was spectacular as far as the route, the scenery, and the people doing the ride. I was quite disappointed by the finish. As it was last year, it was too crowded and the food was gone by 5:30 PM. I did manage to get a couple of hot dogs, though, which is much better than many others got. My feeling is that the ride needs to end in another location with more spacious facilities, as there was no place to sit inside, and outside it was raining. The consensus was that for the price paid, the food (and lack of it) was sub-par.

I am doing the Ride to Montauk in June, so we'll see what the Glen offers as competition. Last year, the food was top-notch, and there was plenty of it.

[Air]

Started off from Penn Station at 4 AM. Unfortunately as soon as I was on the road my right knee started hurting a little bit above and below the kneecap. I haven't had knee pain since I started riding so that was an unwelcomed beginning. I had a pretty good pace going, around 17-19 mph or so.

Stopped at the first rest stop to pee and grab a few cookies, then back on the road. Cparekh and BrooklynRider were going to kick off from Babylon at around 7 - it was 5:50 when I left the rest stop. So now I started hammering trying to get to Babylon. Almost made it - got there two minutes after they left (7:18ish). Stretched for a minute and back on the road, now hammering at 80% to try to meet them at the next rest stop since the thought of riding with a 15 mph group sounded great for the whole ride out.

By now my knee was really hurting and in my mind I was just hoping I could make it to 100 though I had my doubts. Got there and met them and Jerry. BrooklynRider had some Advil which totally saved me, after about 20 mins it felt tons better. We left soon after so at this point between the three rest stops I stopped for under 20 mins for 65 miles - for me that's very minimal. I started feeling it a little when we had a 18 mph pace going - 14.9 my ass! Surprisingly I was able to hang, at a quick stop BrooklynRider showed me some stretches that also helped.

Another weird pain crept up around this point - on my left side about even with my bellybutton if I pushed it in. Not sure what it is, doesn't feel like a strained muscle but something hurts there and I never experienced it before. Still there today. Dr. appointment tomorrow.

We picked up other riders along the way (Tracy, Chad and a few other Teams in Training) and had a nice friendly group. I hung with BR for most of it, showed me how to ride in a pace line and a few other tips and tricks that really helped. After the West Hampton rest stop the group started hammering down Dune Rd, after 90 miles I couldn't keep up the pace and dropped back with BrooklynRider. Great conversations along the way, beautiful scenery. I hit my century mark (second one ever) going up the bridge at the end of Dune Rd - for some reason it looked smaller than last year, time was about 6:55 which was 25 mins faster than last year (can thank riding with the group for that!).

We caught up to cparekh and Jerry at the second to last rest stop and struck a mostly easy pace for the last 30 miles. Along that straight stretch along 27 Jerry went to pull off the side of the road but hit the sand and endo'd - after the initial shock it was pretty funny since he landed so gracefully into a huge pile of sand.

Started the rain for about the last 10 miles but boy did that feel good. At the beginning of the rolling hills I needed an extra rest but then was able to hammer down which got me through the end. I really didn't eat enough on the trip and was really looking forward to some food that wasn't there. I was trying to hold a cup and kept spilling it until Jerry stuck a hot dog bun in my mouth, I must of seemed pretty unsteady!

We had a fun group on the train ride back - ran into Mr. Crassic who hung with us until the rest of the group left at Babylon and then we hung out until Penn Station, grabbed some slices and then was the last to get our bikes off (so no waiting but a brief moment of panic when it seemed that the truck was closing up). Someone (can't remember his name but sat with us at first and then left) left his bag and helmet on the train - we grabbed it and then ran into him as he was leaving so that was the good deed of the day.

Can't thank BrooklynRider, cparekh and Jerry enough for all their help and encouragement along the way. The fact that I was able to sorta keep up (and hopefully not slow them down too much) and catch up to them at the 100 mile start were bigger accomplishments for me than the 145 miles. That and they called me a Fred. Also a big thanks to Stevesurf for the Mavic Aksiums and Gatorskins that got me there without any mechanical issues. Thanks guys!!

Final average - 14.6 which for me is the highest average of any ride (since I constantly have to stop in traffic my averages never get above 12 or so).

Calories burned - 9435

Ass on saddle time - 10 hours, 10 mins.

Total time my gps was on from Penn Station to Montauk - 13 hours.

Good points:
- Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous weather. I even enjoyed the rain for the last bit but may not have if it was that way the whole time. I do well in cooler air so when everyone was putting on jackets I was getting my second (4th? 9th?) wind.

- The cheesecake at Corey Beach was a nice change, one slice gave me lots to use since the other food was pretty meh.

- Strawberries - saved both me and BrooklynRider when we were both starting to bonk near the Water Mill rest stop. So much better than oranges and bananas.

Bad points:
- Were there any markings? They were really hard to see, really small, and many times (earlier on) under parked cars. Seriously there were markings in parking spots - who thought that would be a good place?

- No ****ing food at the end. For a group that's done this as long as they have that was inexcusable especially since we got there with plenty of time before the last train. Most of the people on the train didn't eat or just had one plate - I burned over 9,000 calories yesterday and I was able to munch on some hot dog buns, chips, and salad. Oh boy.

That last one pissed me off enough that I'm not sure I want to do the 5BBC version again compared to what Glen's put into his ride. I may feel differently but that was a huge downer.

[timmhaan]

whoa... the food situation at the end sounds rough. think glen's ride will be better with food?

[cparekh]

Air, I am glad you were able to get Ernie back his stuff. That is, indeed, and good deed.

[Air]

Ernie - that's right! By the time I got off the train I wasn't quite that coherent...ahh good times.

[slowpete]

I'll be doing the century on June 21st from Babylon... on my 79 Schwinn. It's bright blue with lime green bar tape. Wave if you see me :P

[cparekh]

I'll be doing the century on June 21st from Babylon... on my 79 Schwinn. It's bright blue with lime green bar tape. Wave if you see me :P

I think it is about time we start (revive?) the Ride to Montauk thread for the ride on the 21st. I'll look for it or start one.

[BrooklynRider]

It was great meeting you, Air!

Glad I over-packed those Advils! I almost put half of them back in the bottle before I left, thinking I would only need 6 of them at most. I'm glad I didn't! Chad had 4, Air ate like 15-20. I think I had 4 and 1 left at the end!

It's frustrating when you know your muscles and lungs can keep an A Group pace, but knowing the connecting tissues can't (yet). I need to keep training to get the knees to behave. Probably get a sports Doc involved. I was so jealous of cparakh at the end when I asked him if anything hurt, and he said the sit bones "A little"... Grrr! I cussed him out in a very petty way! Maybe I need to run more?

I totally fell in love with the Scattante XRL Comp frame I put on 3 days earlier. A HUGE risk to ride an unproven frame with a 3cm longer TT than my last ride, on the first Imperial Century of the year... A risk worth taking this time! The only adjustment I made was 2mm lowering of the saddle. I got some back of the knee pain in my left leg at the end. Left Knee wasn't happy, but it wasn't angry either. Methinks I have a longer right leg than left. Who knows.

I enjoyed riding the paceline with cparekh and Gerry while the knee was doing fine. I'm looking forward to the Prospect Park workouts where we can practice that more. The 3 of us sprinted the last 3 miles or so over the rolling dunes at the end. Intense and fast! They lost me right before the Left Turn to the home stretch off Main Street.

The weather as mentioned was fantastic until the end, and even the rain that came was not heavy or depressing. 5BBC did a great job on everything but the food. I hoarded my favorite Smart Water bottles with spouts (I took 5 of them away!)

The strawberries saved me from a bad bonk at mile 70. I wish there was a better supply of savory foods at the rest stops. Cake and muffins don't interest me at all. The hummus was appreciated but at the second stop. The Mini packs of Lays Chips were good, but more savory snacks please! How many cookies and cake can you eat without bonking again in insulin shock 30 minutes later.

I think next year I will put a Turkey, Provolone with Mayo hero in the food processor and mill it with 2 cans of V8 and put it in a 1.5 liter Smart Water bottle! Or maybe liquefy a few slices of Brooklyn Pizza and bottle it.

Last year it was Gerry and myself, and this year it was great riding with a group of what, 8 people give and take?

Met a lot of cool new folks this year.

I'm pretty pissed about the lack of food at the end, but that was mentioned already.

Great ride! I have several more Metrics and at least 2 more Imperials this summer. Let's keep in touch! I also have a ride I want to do at some point that a friend showed me. A slight variation on the 9W theme. About 75-80 miles. Details to come, but make sure you have your Metro North or LIRR bike pass!

[cparekh]

I now recall that I was bonking a bit at the 71 mile mark too, and I had a bunch of the strawberries. I felt strong the last 30 miles, so I am guessing the strawberries had something to do with that. Maybe I've found my miracle biking food. :thumb: