Better luck next time. Chalk it up to one of those days!
You know I hear the same thing and have seen the same thing with Conti 3000GP's all the time. They have fragile casings. I keep telling people they are race-only tires and I see alot of them with cut sidewalls.

Next time, get the Conti Armadillios. They are, as the name suggests, tough.

I hope you get on the century soon. I feel like the toughest spot for beginners comes around the 60-70 mile point. After that, you will be ok.

Hey, next time bring a tube and CO2 cartridge!
What kind of shorts do you wear? Sounds odd to have them fall apart like that.