tasr

I'll be there at 7:15'ish. I'll be wearing a white jersey and riding a yellow and black Scott.

Hope to see all of you.



grahny, you up for 5:30hr finish time?


James

grunzster

This is going to be my first, doing the 70 mile course.
Didn't get any training in this week, but did do 65 miles in the Ramapo Rally last week,
with some nice climbs.

I'll be there, probably by 6:30, closer to 7:00 if I decide to drive down tonight to get my kit.
I'll be the short guy on a silver Trek, white jersey with rainbow circles and ACA 2008 logo on back.

If go I today, I'll probably be walking around in white St. Maarten shark diving T-shirt.

grahny

I was thinking about my goals for this event yesterday...

1. Raise money... done
2. Finish the ride safely... God willing
3. Beat last year's time and finish in 5 1/2 hrs... may take a small miracle

I think if I take less time at the rest stops I can do it, but grahny needs his rest stops and cantaloupe . Last year my ride time was 5:41, total time was 5:55. As long as there's a medic waiting for my corpse to roll over the finish line, I'll give 5:30 a try

I just picked up my goodies... rider # is 558. I decided against the livestrong kit, so I'll be in a white giordana jersey, same as last year. Hope to see you all there!



EDIT: Oh, I checked out the staging area and there is only one 100 mile lane this year... 5K lane is closest to the start, then 100, 70, etc...

SgtPepper64

I'm all registered.

1273

grunzster

I'm still up in NJ!

Heading down in the next few, but not checking in until tomorrow.

HigherGround

I'll be there - number 1507.

I'll be wearing a LiveStrong jersey (just like a bazillion others) with BikeForums.net shorts, and riding a Litespeed with yellow handlebar tape and saddle. If that fails, just look for the guy with the whitest legs in the peloton.

uncadan8

1244! Have a great one today, everyone!

grahny

I'm back... thank God. 5:55hr time... EXACTLY the same as last year. I'll say this - I've never had a worse day on the bike ever - nothing in the legs right from the start... just brutal. If I had a day like last week in Lancaster I could have done 5:30hr easy, but it just wasn't there today. Landis Store Rd sucked the very being right out of me.

Good to see you again Tasr - I lost you at the 2nd rest stop, which was probably good 'cause I never would have been able to hold that pace we started with (had to stop and use the porta john, we can't all be like LA and just piss off the bike ). When did you finish? You must have had a kick ass finishing time. I know Lance finished in 4:50 or so.

Nice to meet MasterOMayhem too... how'd it go for you?

Cool part of the ride... Tasr and I caught up to the LA group and rode with them for a while. LA took a whiz off the bike while I was behind him and almost nailed me (the f'er) - some lady on the side of the road got a picture

Some pics here... In the group shot, LA is up front in yellow (where else would he be?)

https://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii66/grahny/LSC/

I almost had a Frank Schleck moment going over a guard rail on one of the descents - scary moment. Probably 10 of us or so were cruising down and someone up front misjudged the turn (at 45mph) and almost took us all off the side. Brakes were squealing, tires skidding, and I came about a foot from the rail. Luckily no one was hurt though and we all pulled around somewhat safely, but it was close. From that point on I kept my distance from others when bombing downhill.

Sorry I didn't get to see anyone else though - Hope you all had a good time. I hung around with a friend of mine that showed up for support and had a beer at the end... went down smoooooooooth

hankwk

just returned - all i can say is... HOLY HILLS. anyone know the grades of some of those nasty ones?

dan.lavelle

Sorry I couldn't meet up with you dudes, was a crazy morning and we were rolling around all day!

My group finished in 6:00 flat (ride time, not including the rest stops), very respectable for both of my brothers' first centuries...it was six hours of me pulling a group of 8 guys around, but we had a blast. Lance signed a few of our "Spin For Nance" tshirts, and we hung out with Doug Ulman for quite a bit during the course of the weekend.

Man, that Landis General Store climb was funnnnnnnnnnnn....it was the punishing kickers that really tired our guys out, the short 18% pitches were killer by the fourth hour in the saddle.

Oh and if you're going to try to cut someone off while riding in a pack, make sure your skills are up to par....on Morris Road on the way out some jackass tried to swerve through our group (who were riding two wide and about 10 deep) and got too close to me, so I've got enough race experience to know how to protect myself. I put my elbows out and sure enough he plowed into me with some good force, to which I leaned my full weight into him and gave him the good-old head ram. I scared the living daylights out of him, and then had some choice words him before he fell back in line. Doofus was going to kill someone, so I'm glad I got to him first.

uncadan8

I look forward to the day when a 5:55 time on a century is a "brutal, life sucking" ride!

So LA rode the whole thing, eh? I figured he just did the leadout and then got driven back to address the walkers and runners. Pretty cool that he did the whole thing though.

I'm still waiting on Motionbased to get it's act together to see how I did. I got in around 3ish. Felt pretty good the whole time and cut 30 minutes off my time from last year.

uncadan8

Wow! Nice work, Dan! There were quite a few real knobs out there today. The ones I had to deal with were all in Amoroso kit - rode like a bunch of wannabe's. I hate to be negative, but those guys weren't at all up to the task today. I actually had one of them telling me I needed to learn to ride - of course, I left him in the dust and never saw him after the #6 rest stop (after the Oysterdale Road climb). And to put that in perspective, I'm about 250 and slow as molasses in January on the climbs.

grahny

Just wait until the MS150 my friend... I'm aiming for sub 5 on the day one century. Zero climbing, slight tailwind (hopefully), I think it's more than doable if we get a decent train going and skip the 9am lunch stop - I'll pull

They made an announcement at the beginning about the person at the LAF that was just diagnosed with cancer (don't remember her name). She was the challenge organizer apparently and this was the first one she couldn't attend due to being in the hospital and recovering from surgery, so LA rode for her.

tasr

grahny,

I looked back and you were there then when I looked back again I didn’t see you. I felt bad leaving you. For what’s it worth, I stayed with Lance till the 70/100 split about 35 miles. Then he flew up the hill and left me.

I was amazed to be able to ride with him for so long.

Some of my Garmin figures were;
5:09 ride time
97.13 miles
18.9 average speed
7037 total ascent

The Garmin also reported 4 peaks in between 14 - 16% in grade. I got to the base of Carls Hill Rd (40 mile) at 2 hr ride time. When I got to Landis Store (55 mile) it was 2:55 hr ride time about 11am. Landis Store was my 2 nd stop and I was feeling really good. That stop was the best! I made a total of 3 stops, in total, with only 14 minutes of stopping time. I am very happy with my ride. So I left at 8:03 am and returned at 1:26 pm.

It was good riding with you.

uncadan8

That's super cool that he did that! Shows that he is willing to put his legs where his mouth is, you know? Some people like to say he's just in it for the money for himself. I don't know - getting out there for the whole 100 shows some dedication to the cause.

I'll jump on that train with you! My aim was a 5:30 ride for the first day century - and I don't really stop other than to pick up water - same for the LSC. I carry all my nutrition (liquid) with me. Flats and rollers are my specialty (plus I'm a little wider than most), so I'd be glad to take some pulls! I'll hang in as long as I can.

By the way, here are my stats from the Garmin - pretty happy with my result!
https://trail.motionbased.com/trail/i...kValue=6597458

grahny

No worries my friend

Awesome ride stats though! Damn. Next year I'll actually prepare for this and be right along with you.

dan.lavelle

the woman was Renee Nicholas, I got to know her really well last year...shame that someone so involved in helping other people fight cancer now has to take the fight on for herself. Alas, she is home and recovering well so she will be just fine

MasterOMayhem

Hi guys nice to meet you guys... Well last you saw me i was yelling for you guys to catch up with the lance group. I was able to ride 3rd wheel with him for 3-4 miles then i blew up a bit. went out too fast, then you guys passed me. its was a great day, rebooting my stomach on the first climb.... then trying to rehydrate and eat on a sour stomach for the next 2 hours. I waited for this one guy on many climbs because he didnt look all that good and i wanted to make sure he was ok. I spoke to him and his determination was unmatched. he made 70 miles and put in a huge effort it slowed me down alot but i was able to finish before the course closed. all in all it wasnt about the ride. it was about the commitment people put into the effort. there were many people i saw who just kept riding and made it. particularly a teacher who won one the award for most donations. she just kept moving and rode the whole 100 mile route. she didnt go the fastest but she finished. I spoke to her after the event and told her that she rode like a champ and that i saw her throughout the day. she thanked me and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. that made my day.

Jay68442

Well I didn't make the 100. Around mile 60 I started to develop pain in my left knee. I continued to push until around mile 75 when the pain on each stroke became unbearable. It just sucks because outside of the pain I felt pretty good and know I could have finished. I can say that I never walked a hill, I climbed every hill on the bike. I had a sag vehicle drop me off 2 miles from the finish so I could ride across the finish line. The last 2 miles hurt like I can’t even put in words. I just hope I didn’t do any long term damage. To say the course was a challenge is an understatement. My hats off to all of you that completed it, Job well done.

morgolf

Every one of you is making me jealous. Since I am still rehabbing my elbow, I did the 5K walk/run (mostly run...with some walking). As I saw all the cyclists going to the staging area, I was excited for all of you and the *cough*fun*cough* times ahead. Congrats on your rides, and hopefully next year I will join you.

the engine

Well, I can breath again ...

My ride was excellent. I cut 30 minutes off of last years time. Finished in 7 hr. 30 min. Not bad for a Clydesdale ... I didn't walk a climb this year either. I figure, if I make it in before they sweep the coarse, I've won (so to speak).

Sorry I didn't catch up with anyone at the start, but the traffic coming in was terrible. I ended up parking at a shopping center about a mile and a half way, and riding in for the start. I did pass "higher ground" while climbing up to Landis Store (sorry I couldn't chat HG, I had momentum, and wasn't about to slow down) ... after that climb, I felt like I was pushing cinder blocks around the crank.

This year had a lot more participants. I saw a bunch of riders in up to there ears ... and yes, those Amoroso boys were funny to watch all day. They'd come blowing past me on the flats, and then I'd catch them at the climbs ... funny, me, at 235 catching the boys with the fancy kits on the climbs. I didn't see them much near the end. One, by himself, passed me in the homestretch on Morris Rd., but that was it. I saw a lot of people suffering though. There seamed to be a lot of riders cramping up. For some reason I never got my second wind. Maybe it was the heat. I felt pretty good at the end, but couldn't hammer the last 20 like I did last year. That might have shaved another 15 or 20 off my time ... but it's not about the time, it's about the effort.

Sounds like you had great rides Grahny, Dan, uncandan8 ... isn't this a great event. I don't think I'll ever have the times that you guys have, but I try and better myself each year. I can't wait for next year. I'm starting my training today ... a nice EASY 20 miles.

Great job everyone

the engine

Here I am post-ride, getting the biggest prize of all ...

SgtPepper64

OK. Here's my report.

I was able to finish the whole thing without a problem. I started getting tired around mile 50 but a gel and a banana kept me going. I started slowing down in the last 10 miles because it flattened out a bit and I started to feel a bit of burn from lactic acid.

I paced myself from the start as was suggested in here and I suppose it worked. There was a bit of confusion though at the start because they didn't separate the 70 and 45 people so it looked like nobody was moving when the 70s went out. I think I was one of the last ones out.

Anyways, I rode up all the hills and only had to dismount once before crossing that really busy highway. I stopped at every power stop to update a podcast that I was doing via phone so people who visited my blog would know my progress. But when I was on the bike, I stayed on the bike.

It was awesome this year and I hope to do it again.

Sorry I didn't catch up with any of you guys. We'll have to try again next year!

grunzster

Ok, here's my report.

My whole plan for Sat, went to @#$%, and I didn't get out there until much later than expected, and since I heard it's impossible to get a room without booking way in advance, I crashed in my car in some office parking lot.

Got there nice and early, though, and got a really close parking spot.

At the first stop, I met up with another solo rider, and we pretty much stayed together for almost the entire course, except for the last few miles, when he just pushed through as I was hitting a wall. Although, I did at least get that one last wind and flew on the last few miles.

Hit every stop mainly just to fill up. Would have liked to spend a little less time, but damn those water/gatorade lines were long. Finished in a very unimpressive 5:25 I think, but not bad considering this it was the most climbing I've done since my mini tour in CO back in 2000 and my laziness when it comes to REALLY training. I'm happy that I was at least able to climb every hill. I saw a lot of people walking on that 70 mile course.

BTW - does anyone know who the photographer was? They don't it anywhere in the rider pack or on the website.

patzza

My report...

I finished the 70 mile ride with my MTB & 10lb pannier without too much aches & pain, but I'm not ashamed to say that i did have to walk up a few of those hills. My muscles felt like a ton of bricks on some of those inclines but no cramping or spasms, otherwise. Thank god for those low gears, never had to use them before on my MTB. Not bad considering, 0 training with recreational rides once/twice a week with no hill training. Now, I know better for next year. BTW, I saw a few riders with 1 gear in amazement!!
I saw a few riders in the ditches on some of those 30+MPH descents with the ambulance in assistance, hope everybody was OK.