Bike Forums - First century and unplanned!!

Woo Hoo! Completed my first 100 miler and it was a spur of the moment choice. Been averaging about 30-40 mile ride 6 times a week with a 40-60 mile one ever now and then. Since there are many posts about first centuries on the boards I think I might do something different (or I am still loopy from all the energy drink and gels) So here is the day as retold by my Specialized Roubaix Elite. Her name is Tayce.....what? Everyone names their bikes......right?

-----------Short Version------------
Did normal group ride. 49 miles. Still felt good. Did another 51.

-------------------Long, Long version-------------------
Oh, I hear the alarm going off. I see rider now awake and headed over to the closet, probably grabbing a uniform and off to work. Wait. No, he's grabbing a cycling jersey! Oh boy! Are we going for a ride today? I hope he picks me even though my older brother Hardrock could use a ride, he's been feeling down ever since the S-Works Epic frame has moved into the room. It's only a matter of time until it's complete, when thats done, who would want to ride an old hardtail? I feel for him. I see rider is grabbing one of the expensive cycling bibs. Yes! That means it's my turn. He only wears the pricey ones on the road after some rocks and trees tore up a pair off-road. Now he's lifting my off my perch on the bike rack above Mr Hardrock. Yes, yes, pump my tires up, brake check, yes the quick release skewers are tight. Lets Go!!!! I'm ready, I'm good, just hop on already! Enough checking.

Out the door we go. It's early and overcast, and good thing, things can get hot in the New Mexico desert. We zip down the hill from the house passing a few joggers. Looks like we are headed to a friends house. Ah, must be Saturday, going to meet up with a few friends and do a 2 or 3 hour ride, that will be nice. We all meet up, just 3 of us today. Us, a girl and a German guy, he talks funny. I like them and off we go.

Looks like our normal route out from Alamogordo to La Luz area for some hill climbing. What, did we not get enough hills and mountains with the 2 months we just spent up in Colorado? A hot air balloon is flying by about 20 feet above our heads, quite a sight, and makes a landing about 100 yards from us. RIDER! Eyes back on the road, yes the balloon was nice but there is nasty stuff on the roads and my tires are delicate.

We are now turning down a road I have not been on before. Appears we are headed to Tularosa. Yippie, a new route. This road is not as nice as other ones, very bumpy, but I do my best to eat up all the vibrations. Its been about 20 miles or so now and I am being led in strange paths, I'm swerving back and forth on these untraveled backwoods roads. Slowing down and speeding back up. Has rider lost it? Having a seizure? What is the cause of this behavior. Suddenly I am placed down on my side on the grass and I see him run off behind some trees. Ah, that explains it, potty break. We all turn around and start to head back to the house we all met up at. The German guy and I take turns being up front. Some cows stare at me as I zip along. I don't have the heart to tell them that one of their loved ones will probably be on rider's plate tonight. We cruise past the Space Museum and glance at the 18 percent incline to it, not today though, we are just riding with friends. We get back to where we all met up and go our separate ways. Not a bad ride, nice, shady with overcast skies and cool out. We've gone 49 miles as we pull up to our house and rider unclips and walks me inside.

Hey! What's going on! You don't just prop my up against the couch in the living room! Take me back to the bedroom, give me a once over than put me back up on my perch on the bike stand. Somethings not right. He seems to be refilling the bottles with sports drink and grabbing some more gel and bars. This is a first. After a couple minutes on him standing under the ceiling fan, he grabs me and back out the door we go.

It takes my a few miles to realize what's going on. We must be going to work. But it's Saturday, he doesn't normally work on Saturday. Still unsure of what is going on, I sail along the roads en-route to Holloman Air Force Base. Mile 60 hits and we zoom right past the entrance to the base. Hmm, guess we are not going to work. What are we doing? Then it sinks in. Flask full of energy gel, multiple energy bars, refilling of water bottles. Are we to do our first century today?! This is unplanned. But lets roll, we can do this.

We hammer along in the flats as he starts pedaling in the drops. Normally he only goes there for descents, but I've noticed him varying his position more than normal. Must be trying to delay numbness from the road. He's commanding me to the big gear on the flats also and standing up. The rush of air over me seat feels nice, several hours of someone sitting on you gets a little warm. He starts singing along, If I hear "Dancing Queen" I'm bucking him off at the nearest soft patch of land, it'll be better that way.

Mile 68. Somethings wrong. He is messing with the front of the jersey. Might just be skipping a track on the iPod Shuffle hanging around his neck under the jersey. No, he's been messing with it for too long. OH NO. It's dead, there wasn't enough charge for a long ride like this today. Dear God! Without the low volume of Shakira in his right ear giving him visions of her shaking her thing, he might not be able to go on. I need to find him some motivation somewhere. Keep holding on. There it is. Whites Sands National Monument 1 mile ahead. Come on, you can make it there.

As we pull in the powers that be are not making this easy. The overcast and haze is now gone, just the desert sun beating down now, my computer's showing temps in the mid 90's now. He unclips and heads over to a shaded bench. Some passer-byes comment to themselves about the "tapping" noise his shoes make. I get leaned up against the bench as he paces back and forth taking in more drink. What, don't put you cleat covers on, we are not done yet. 30 more miles, we can do it. You better not reach for the cell phone in your pocket. He disappears from my sight and into the bathroom. Now out, he heads to the water fountain and refills a bottle with some water and promptly pours it over the back of his head and neck then refills the bottle and takes off the cleat covers. I knew you weren't done yet. We head back in the direction we came from.

No music anymore, just me and you, just keep me pointed at that horizon and keep those legs spinning. We are a little past mile 80 and I feel our speed dropping. A quick check, no we are not going up and incline, road is still flat. Don't you quit on me! What's it been 5,6 hours, this is nothing, get your head back in game. Shake that fog from it. You don't fatigue, you're an NCO in the Air Force, this is nothing, you've done a 60 hour work shift non-stop before. Geez, you've even played video games for over a day straight. Don't tell me this little thing is getting inside your head. Look see that mile marker a hundred yards up, bring it too me. Good. See that billboard, go there. That's it. Don't look far out at the city against the mountains where we live. Look to that bush, that mile marker, that billboard. OK, problem adverted, speeds are back up.

I notice he is riding with only his right hand from time to time now. Must be the left elbow acting up again. I soaked up all the vibrations I could, but having broke it a little over a year ago and the doctors not noticing it was broke leads to it bugging him from time to time. No one said there wouldn't be pain doing this, we are still good. Little circles, keep them coming.

We take the route back up to the house through the park. Go left at the turn. I said left! Not right, right is slightly uphill. Now you are just punishing yourself for no reason. Oh wait, thats right, there is a cover picnic table up this way. We pull into the shade and once again he grabs the bottle full of water and dumps it over the back of his neck. I notice only about a gulp-full of drink left in the other bottle. The house is only a couple blocks away, we can make it there and refill.

While cooling off, a Native American looking guy appears on horse back. If rider saw this alone, I'd claim his mind is playing games with him now. But as clear as day, there he is right in front of us on what has to be the prettiest horse I've ever seen. Being New Mexico, a sight like this is not uncommon.

"How far you ride today"

We check the computer quick. "89"

"9?"

"No, 89"

"Wow, you trying to take over for Lance?" The look on his face was priceless

"If I can get his girlfriend......sure"

The man on horse laughs then adds "She isn't all that"

"That might be, but I could use a sugar mama"

More laughter from the man and he says goodbye and rides off

OK, 11 miles. Back on the trail and with a mile, we are back home. As we walk in I keep saying to myself "Don't put me in the room yet, we are not done" He doesn't. A refill of bottles and a couple minutes stand under the ceiling fan is all and back out the door.

10 Miles left, where to go. Looks like we are headed down the same roads we took out to Tularosa this morning when the air was cool and the sun shaded unlike the heat that is beating down right now. Cant quit now, remember when you were in like the 5th grade and your basketball coach said you lacked heart and how much it pissed you off. Well just think of what you will hear in your head over and over tonight if you stop on me right now.

Mile 95. Now don't get carried away, turn us around, It'll be enough. We hang a U-Turn and are greeted by a slight decline for about the next mile or so. A slight reward for pedaling up it the same distance. He stands up on this decline and just lets the air flow past. No need to push it. Almost there, but I know in the back of his mind he does realize we live near the top of a hill. The price for having a nice downhill into the city is when you go back home, it's uphill.

Mile 97. Biggest hill left in the day. We charge up it hard and past the coffee shop at the plateau aptly named Plateau Expresso. Enjoy the downhill. We go back up a smaller hill at the bottom. We make it past the lesser hill. Only the one left in our subdivision. Keep your eyes back on the road and away from the Space Museum road. Thats not the goal today.

Mile 98. Keep pushing, almost there.

Mile 99. Turn at the gas station. Come on, our house and the goal is not far off. Uphill it is, but just a small 3%. You cant let that stop us.

Mile 100!!!!!!!! Still headed up the hill. Our street is 2 roads up. We head down it and off the uphill climb. Nobody comes running out of their house to cheer as we slowly spin down the road a couple times cooling off. No podium girls kissing us on the cheeks. Just us.

Walking inside the house now. Our roommate asks "Where the heck you keep darting in and out to today"

"It's done. 100 miles. just over 6 hours"

With the same priceless look on his face as the guy on horse back he replies "Today?!"

We head back into his bedroom as he places me up on my stand which almost seems like a trophy case right now and give me a quick once over. So what's our next goal?

--------------End Long Version--------------
Stats.
100.33 miles. 6:19 on the bike. 6:43 total time. 2858 ft climbing. Avg. speed of 16ish
168oz Cytomax drink, 72oz water, 5 servings Hammer gel, 4 cliff bars. 2 packets oatmeal.

Lessons learned.
Planning for it would helps. Would have had better/bigger breakfast
Meant to put sun-block on at halfway point but forgot. Real good base "biker tan" so just ever so slightly burnt.
Using house as "home base" and branching out from there was nice. I know where stores, bathrooms, help was if i needed. Just going 50 miles out puts me in middle of nowhere. Stayed close to home.
Take 3rd water-bottle just for water. dumping water over neck felt good. cant do that with sport drink.
Riding with people the whole way would be nice, not just first half.
Rear end a little sore at around 85 mile mark. Need to try some chamois cream, might help.