10 little loops. 10 agonizingly long loops. 10 boring loops. 10 not-so-bad loops.
I'll go with the last. It wasn't too bad. I did some out and backs, some normal loops, rode all the extra little roads that I could to add as much mileage as possible (4/10ths here, 7/10ths there- it all adds up).
I saw A LOT of people enjoying their morning workouts. Some people were out there for a very long time. Saw a group of soldiers in full packs hiking around the lake. I saw them lots of times as I passed them on 3 loops. I was going to see them again, but at mile 32 I heard the sound you don't want to hear: kkssssssssssssss....
Rear tire went flat (why is it always the rear I ask you?). Sounded like it was the valve, so no fixing that tube. Flipped the bike over, changed the flat, had trouble with the CO2 inflater so I couldn't get the tire fully pumped back up. Luckily I was close to home, so I rode home, took a rest stop and pumped the tire back up.
My ride was broken down into three segments:
30 miles- then rest stop at the house
40 miles- then rest stop at the house
30 miles- then finish!
I figured this would give me opportunity to refill the camelbak, the water bottle, and sit in the cool for a few minutes. It worked out well- better than I thought. I was thankful to be able to use my own bathroom, change my shorts after 70 miles, and re-apply chamois butt'r without prying eyes.
Here is my progression of pictures from the day:
Sunrise over the lake
Lap 1
Lap 2
sun getting brighter
Lap 3- still smiling
Lap 4
I wish I could go as fast as the cars on the highway
woo hoo- halfway done
number 6
Lucky #7
8- don't let the smile fool you- I'm hurting here- and two pedal strokes from tossing my bike over the dam
90 miles- almost done!!!
YES!!!! Done!!
It took me 7:03 to do it. Not great. I averaged over 15 on the first 50, but the last 50 was not good. My overall average was 14.1. It was hot and I was getting very tired.
Well, and the longest training ride I've done in the last 5 weeks has been 32 miles... so there you go.
2 comments:
What a great idea doing a century at Hefner - the fact you rode 100 miles going round and round in this heat is very impressive! I used to ride at Hefner about 3 years ago, but stopped because it was just too crowded/crazy with people and too much starting and stopping all the time. Maybe I'll give it another try -
Way to go!!!
Hefner can be both great and a major pain in the rear. Just depends on the time of day. I absolutely LOVE riding there in the early morning hours (right before and after sunrise). Lots of people are out, but most are friendly and considerate and know what they're doing. Afternoons are bad at Hefner. Too many people, more cyclists, kids, dogs, etc. I've also been known to ride from the north Hefner lot around the dam to the south side of the lake and back. That side of the lake doesn't have near as much traffic as the Stars and Stripes and restaurant area.
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