Spartan112
06-14-08, 01:36 PM
So I was ready to go last night, but of course I had to wait until this morning. I woke up at 6:30 got my gear together, ate a breakfast of oatmeal and a slice of banana bread and off I went. I brought a couple of power bars, gels, a bottle of water and one of Heed. I took off with a group that decided to leave a skosh early (good thing I guess) and things were going along just fine, this was a group I could hang with no problem. The one thing I was worried about was going out too fast and bonking before I finished the course. Of course what happens? A flat tire about 3.25 miles in...I get the tire off the rim no problem but here's where my troubles begin. I've never had to change a tube on these rims before...what a disaster...I have a heck of a time getting the tube in and the tire back on the rim...and of course I pinch a hole in the new tube and it goes flat...ugh...luckily today was the day I decided to bring a spare tube just in case. I learned from my mistakes on the first tube and was able to get this one in and the tire back on the frame without too much trouble (though I'm now a good 40+ minutes behind the group I went out with and every other rider has passed me already). I had gone through one CO2 cartridge on round one so I was into my back up cartridge and of course the seal in the inflater goes nuts and the CO2 empties out...no air...thankfully another rider comes by in the other direction with a fresh cartridge and I'm able to get going again...about an hour behind the entire ride, yuck. Off I go...I pumping alogn moving at a good clip and at about mile 15 I catch up with a rider and go on by...I didn't thin he could have been with my ride as he wasn't too far ahead of me and I don't recall him passing me. At the rest stop (mile 22) I catch a group of three older riders and tool around with them until about mile 35 when their pace is starting to put me to sleep...I keep motoring...as I reach what is probably the highest point in the ride I run into 3 guys who are taking a break. Turns out they had missed a turn so they added about 13 miles to their ride...their metric was becoming a 3/4 century.
This is about mile 42 or so, so I'm only 20 miles out and things are going ok. I pass a couple of other groups and as I make the turn that is about 10 miles out that reconnects me with the century and double metric riders I see a couple of guys ahead and make it my goal to catch up to them...slowly but surely I start to gain, but I can feel myself bonking a touch. I don't think I had taken in enough calories...shoulda had one more break. The pull away a bit on the flats, but I catch up on the final climb into home base.
15.5 avg for the metric, probably could have been 16+ if I had taken better care of myself along the way. All things said it was a decent day. I did get a coupl of saddle soars, I have to work on applying the butter a bit better. We'll see how recovery goes over the next day or so, right now it includes a Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager.
This is about mile 42 or so, so I'm only 20 miles out and things are going ok. I pass a couple of other groups and as I make the turn that is about 10 miles out that reconnects me with the century and double metric riders I see a couple of guys ahead and make it my goal to catch up to them...slowly but surely I start to gain, but I can feel myself bonking a touch. I don't think I had taken in enough calories...shoulda had one more break. The pull away a bit on the flats, but I catch up on the final climb into home base.
15.5 avg for the metric, probably could have been 16+ if I had taken better care of myself along the way. All things said it was a decent day. I did get a coupl of saddle soars, I have to work on applying the butter a bit better. We'll see how recovery goes over the next day or so, right now it includes a Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager.