oldschool56

Yesterday I completed my first metric century plus a few extra. The final distance was 64.7 miles. I rode the Red Poppy Ride in Georgetown, TX. Weather was perfect being cloudy/partly cloudy. Three quarters of the ride however was facing either a headlong or side wind of 22 mph! The route was relatively flat with rolling hills, mostly through open farmland, providing little protection from the wind. Seeing the crops bending toward you was a constant reminder and at times quite depressing. Several times I considered calling it quits but the backside of each hill provided enough incentive to keep moving. Finally, six hours and 7 minutes later, the end was in sight. With less than 300 feet to the finish, I was scanning to see where my wife had parked. Before making the turn around the building, I hit a curb on my right and crashed. I lay on the grass (luckily not pavement) and for a few moments took a quick assessment. Ok, no major pain and all body parts present and/or accounted for. I got up, checked my bike, replaced the chain and finished the ride. Later, after the adrenaline wore off, I soon realized I bruised a few ribs and definitely lost a chunk of skin on my right arm. Definitely more injury to my ego than to my body. Luckily, only a couple of the ride officials witnessed my grand finale. What did I learn form the experience? Well, I can ride four miles more than my age and don't ever look for your wife until you have crossed the finish line.

OldsCOOL

Ouch!! Congrats for an enduring finish. Good job.

berner

Good job. Soon you'll get the hang of pedaling and watching where you're going at the same time.

jppe

Well, you certainly know how to finish with flair!

Gerryattrick

My first thoughts on reading your post was "I could easily do that speed" but then I read about the strong winds for over 40 miles. Well done, strong headwinds are more debilitating than climbing imo.

The injuries and embarrassment are temporary. The satisfaction of your first metric century will remain.

canklecat

Good thing you tackled it Saturday. Today the wind is really fierce here in north central Texas. I've ridden in steady 20 mph wind with occasional gusts but it's much stronger today. The trees are whipping around in my neighborhood -- even when it's windy out on the open prairie I don't see the trees in my area doing that.

BobbyG

Congrats on your first metric century! Glad you're okay! But at least you didn't finish upside-down, backwards and on fire.

DougG

I did that exact thing many years ago on my dirt bike (motorcycle): motoring thru a subdivision, looking behind myself to see if my buddies were still following, and next thing I knew I was rolling on the grass and watching my bike fly over the top of me! Ripped out a cable and bent a couple of levers, but not much lasting damage to either of us!

Anyway, glad to hear that you and the bike made it through!

BlazingPedals

I've never done anything like that! Nope! Never! (At least not when anyone was watching...)

oldschool56

I wasn't expecting it which is probably why I got off with very minor injury. No damage to the bike either.

JanMM

Got a video of that finish?

Good job and congrats on no serious injuries. But guessing you will be pretty sore for a while.

Bike Life

maybe it was better to happen at the end rather than the beginning.

Baldy1953

Congratulations on the Metric. I did a couple in the last month. This weekend took a 37 mile ride (tour de Fortes) but had a headwind for half the ride at about 15 mph. The friends I was riding with could only do 10 or less going out and we did around 18-20 on the way back. Much easier that way. hahaha

oldschool56

I wish I had a video so I could see what caused me to crash. I obviously wasn't paying enough attention but I may have also hit some debris that threw me. Anyway, thanks to all for the kudos!

1989Pre 

We need to be extra careful at the ends of long or fast, exceptional rides, when we are fatigued. Low physical physical energy levels directly translate into low mental energy levels. Recognizing that we are in the danger zone can cause us to ride more intelligently and defensively.

Biker395 

I've been there with the long rides into the wind. Even a few trees and large shrubs can make a difference, but when you're out in the farmland, you're completely exposed. Great job in pushing through all that!

Crashes happen when we least expect them. I guess that kinda makes sense ... if we think the risk of a crash is elevated, we ride more carefully.

Hope you heal quickly and get back on the bike. The wind is waiting for you.

Mountain Mitch

There you go! Stick with that story!
Congrats on the Century.