http://connect.garmin.com/activity/84538752

Date of Ride: 05/07
Type of Ride: l'Etape du California
Actual Mileage: 98.88
Ride Time: 6:26:16
Total Time: 8:40:22
Avg Speed: 14.9
Avg Power: 230W
Avg HR: 149bpm
Top Speed: 49.5
Climbed: 11,224ft
Weather conditions: Perfect. (Hopefully we'll get Santa Ana conditions on the 21st, so the pros can really suffer.)
Synopsis of Ride: Great, great ride. Beautiful. I was afraid of a clusterf**k coming down GRR & East Fork, with all the bandit-riders, but I had a smooth ride down and passed dozens of riders easily on the descent. (Had to cross the double yellow a few times, but did so safely.) BUT they didn't have any water at the Azusa waterstop and that really screwed my pooch. I arrived at Azusa with two empty bottles and it was another 15 miles (and about 4000 feet of climbing) until the next water. I had tunnel vision, seeing swirling spots and was just concentrating on turning the pedals without blacking out by the time I got to the water. Probably added 15-20 minutes to my time. It also screwed me up for the last 4 miles--some weird little muscle on my inner thighs started cramping and I walked for 200 yards on one of the steep sections. Still felt happy at the top to look around and see all the skinny, muscly dudes I'd finished with (and a good number I'd beaten.) Will definitely do this ride again with water.

Numbers on Garmin data don't include the 4-5 miles from Memorial Park in Upland to the start line, because I didn't start my timer until the start. Total elapsed time also includes resting atop Mount Baldy and eating peanutbutter & banana sandwiches, and eating pasta back down at the start line and talking with the awesome people down there. Met MrC and a BUNCH of other neat, insteresting people, including this older guy, Sverra who came all the way from Norway to ride l'Etape. There were many gorgeous ladies down there, and I also saw THREE, three-legged dogs. (Is this the new fad, now that hybrid breeds are passe?)