Finally victory.
 

Not long after I got back into cycling I joined a group and started learning from them. One of the better riders in our group told me that within the first year he expected that I would be doing my first century. At the time I thought he was nuts but sure enough I did my first century within a year and have been doing three to four a year ever since. Last year a city close to me came up with a new Century and I decided to sign up. The posted route went around a lake and then down to the Temecula Wine country and wound its way back. I made it for the whole ride the first year but I came in with not a drop left in the tank and the feeling that the climbs had kicked my bottom.:mad:

I planned on signing up again this year and all I could think of was how hard it had been the year before. I even pre-rode the ride in two parts just to be sure I was ready. Disaster happened on the second section where most of the climbing happens. I got a mild case of heat exhaustion and didn't make the last climb. Now the ride and the climb was in my head and I was worried about failing.:cry:

So I started working on a plan. I talked to a lot of riders I respect and after a careful description of my beat down they felt I was underhydrated but more importantly under fueled. So I developed a plan. Last year I chased the big dogs for the first 50 miles and in fact set a personal record for 50 miles. But it was there I had to pay the piper. The next 30 miles were pretty much all up hill with three pretty good climbs inbetween. Twice I had to stop and recover in my first two attempts on that section of the ride. :o So this year I decided to back off on the first 50 and save my energy for the climbs and the run back to the start finish. The ride was saturday October 6.

I was 2 MPH slower reaching the mid point. But for some reason my first two climbs were better than the year before and I wasn't pushing it. But I was sticking to my plan. As I got to the 56 mile mark the climbing started. But instead of attacking the first climb I started downshifting early and kept a spin going all the way to the top. At I crested I grabed a few swallows of electrolytes and braced myslef for climb number two. Like the first climb I decided to use my gears and try to keep the spin going. In fact if I found myself going too fast I backed off a bit and saved my energy. I was past by a few people but that climb was subdued as well. Now came the third climb and the one I dreaded the most. But I kept the spin going and finally got into granny but kept going. In fact I caught some of the riders than past me earlier. At the top of that last climb they had a sag stop where I downed gator aid and a Banana.

I ended up pulling one of our fellow club riders the rest of the way back to the start finish and took a look at the results between this century and the year before. I was 2 MPH slower on the first 50 miles. But I was 1.5 MPh faster on the climbing section and finished the ride a hour quicker than last year. The key for me, your results my differ, was staying within myslef and not trying to match the 20-30 and 40 years olds. Oh and telling myself all the way up that last climb, 'this isn't as bad as climbing to Idyllwild" over and over again. This ride is no longer in my head.:D

Nice going!

Super!

Awesome, just another example of what makes bike riders a different breed! Your dedication and training really paid off. I bet you feel Like you can do anything now :-)

Congrats on the victory!! Good job on pacing yourself and getting the job done.

Thanks guys. The hard part was the ride was in my head and I knew I had made harder rides just not with the climbs at the end. I could see the climbs in my head well before I got to them. But this time I slept well the night before and kept to the pace I had planned even when I thought I could kick it up a bit to stay with or pass some of my friends. I have charted my average speeds for over a year and looked at my average heart rate when I climb just as long. So I was pretty sure I had the Century in me I just needed that first big climb and the fact that the gears were letting me spin to clear my head and let me know I could do it. Not once did my HR get over 154 even on the last 3 mile climb. I got a lot of good advice from fellow riders and Stapfam and took it all to heart. For me it was staying within myself and sticking with knowing what works for me.

Look familiar? :D

Still got a video coming sooner or later with Metric Man.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...e/IMG_2708.jpg

Metric Man

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...e/IMG_2707.jpg

Great job. A nice description of the ride. Thank you for posting your story.

Karen

The advice I offered was how I do all rides with my current lack of fitness. Hold something in reserve for when it has to be used. Why stay with the fast boys when there are hills coming up? Take the hills at a pace that will get you up and once the hard part of the ride is done- Then push a bit harder.

I follow this advice on all my rides except although I get the hard bit done with energy left--I no longer push harder afterwards.:rolleyes:

But looked at this ride on elevation and those hills are not in the best place on a century ride and they follow on from each other. Just the sort of ride where exuberance could take over from sanity and you could burn out too early.

As Mobile found out-Experience and sensible riding pays on this sort of ride and Mobile proved it.

Well done.

Yes Beanz, that's me just to the right and front of Metric Man and his Utah Y jersey. He past me on the second climb on Mesa and Benton. I stayed with the Big Dogs till we got to the Lake Perris climb on Bernasconi Rd. Backed off and picked up another group on Goetz. Some of the rest of our group caught me on Sage but once over the hill I cruised at 17.4 all the way to Menifee Lakes before getting hit in the chest by the wind on Murrieta. Still I had gas in the tank when I got back and that felt good. Last year I was looking of oxygen at the end.:D

I saw some of Metric's video on his facebook page.

After I took a half hour lunch break I was very surprised to see Bob as I was spinning up the grade. But the closer I got the more I knew it was him. It seems he didn't stop for lunch ;)

Here's a clip from my GoPro HD bar mounted camera. After a 13 mile climb I crested the hill on Sage Rd and started the decent. I had been warned about some bumps the would create havoc if you hit them going too fast. Apparently 40+ is too fast. About the 48 second mark you'll see me near the center line, and then suddenly I'm on the right curb and about to go over the edge. What you can't see is I almost pooped myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB0FZ...ature=youtu.be

.be

Metric, I nearly soiled myself watching that near disaster.

I stopped for lunch but unlike last year I didn't eat anything other than fruit, Odwalla Bar and gator aid. Things that digested easily and quickly. And I had that under a tree where we made the turn off of Rancho California. I had a banana or grapes or nuts at every sag stop up to that point. I pulled up to the SAG on Sage just as David was cresting the hill and dropping down the back side.