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i just decided to not do the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company's 'Ride Off Your Hangover' New Year's Day Century. i...just....couldn't....make....myself want to do it. je suis un weenie!!
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"Teenagers," funny topics--- and they could motivate me to ride a century--- especially the ones who come to my youth meetings! Last month, the BF dropped off his Dad's '68 Raleigh Record and his Mom's early '80s Miyata One Ten for me to restore. I haven't touched the Miyata except to make certain the seatpost and stem were removable. It will be an easy restoration. The Raleigh has lots of patina! But it is coming along nicely. I need to talk the BF's Dad into a set of aluminum rimmed wheels. |
Okay guys, the month is almost half over, we have a foot of snow on the ground, and the temperature may get up over freezing for a little while tomorrow. I know, that's not exactly encouraging, but the prediction for next weekend is no better. So... who's riding a century tomorrow?
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I would really like to meet your challenge, Rudi. I have some major obstacles to overcome in the next two weeks if I'm going to do it, though. The only bike I have that is ready to ride today is a '73 Sports. My Jeunet is close, but it's a fixed gear. My Voyageur (loaded tourer) will be ready soon. I haven't ridden since November and I've never ridding 100 miles in one day. That said, I would really like to man-up and meet your challenge.
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The main obstacle tomorrow, I think, will be the cold; which is especially hard on hands and feet. As long as you keep moving you won't get chilled. Narrow roads, black ice, and the relatively short day make it all that much more challenging. Riding a century in warm weather involves drinking quite a bit of water and making an effort to eat as much as possible. In the cold it's hard to drink as much, but then again you don't need to drink as much. But it is especially hard to eat on the bike when it's cold out. So for snacks, I'm planning to stop and get indoors whenever possible. If all goes well, it shouldn't be bad at all. The real challenge is what to do when things don't go well. If your hands are cold, fixing a flat tire is no fun, if not impossible. And you're likely to get chilled in the process. |
I rode one last week over the 4 days I commuted. I have a feeling that's the closest I'm going to get to a century this month.
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We don't have a lot of snow, but it's cold. The nature of our deep sandstone canyon topography creates stretches of perma-ice where the sun never hits. We have 4 bike friendly roads leaving our little town, none of which offer more than 10-15 miles before the shade or increased altitude turns them into hockey fields of solid black ice.
I want to join, though. Maybe I'll go as far as I can on each road. The issue with that is every 20 or so miles I'll pass through downtown with all its bakeries, coffee houses and cozy eateries. With numb fingers and frozen toes such temptations may just be too much to bear. Or, at second thought, that may just be an ideal set-up for warmth recovery... |
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In all seriousness, this does sound like a reasonable plan. My issue is that road maintenance budgets have obviously been cut in my town and some surrounding towns, so there are lots of roads that are snow packed and ice is everywhere. And the main county and state roads have little to no shoulder. I did have a winter beater and some studded tires, but I gave the bike to my uncle last summer and none of my current bikes can fit the studded tires. Not that I have any interest in riding a century this winter! But yeah, keeping your toes warm is a good idea. |
I feel for you all that live in less moderate climates. I have been commuting in the ice this past couple of weeks but generally heat and UV are the biggest enemies out here.
Count me in as long as I can count 200k (or more) brevets as centuries. I could get my first R-12 (a 200k brevet per month) on this challenge. Already did on on New Years Day. My general rule is to ride anything 200k or less on a vintage bike. The Jan 1st ride was on my 1970 Gitane SC. Jim |
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My main strategies, arrived at over Yuengling.
1-Keep at least two bikes ready to roll at any moment. 2-Split the ride into before/after lunch until the miles become automatic (April or so) 3-Stay awake. 4-Try to ride with pretty girls. 5-Let the hectic pace line go. (this is hard to do sometimes) 6-Do not carbo load with beer. |
I'm thinking about eating 100 potato chips this weekend.
Neal |
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andy |
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andy |
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Wh, Wha, What ???? |
You definitely pay the next day, at about 80 miles.
Replenishment, now that's a different situation. |
I suggest that this be a Quest. I'm in. In have been traveling and working my ass off and want to get out and get the mileage. A work in progress. Ride hard, ride long, check in, ride more.
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ok, i got all the proper clearances and i'll be doing my january century one weekday next week. Not sure which one yet, but if anyone local can swing it, I'll be riding sometime between the hours of 6am and 5pm, probably tuesday or wednesday the 25th or 26th.
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