We Turn 100!

Savannah Century Ride
September 4, 2011

Does this look like people who have just finished a 100 mile bicycle ride? (I don’t think that Dick used Photoshop magic on this photo—we really were smiling and standing without assistance).

Here is the evidence—Dick photographed his bicycle computer odometer to capture the moment (just under 7 hours riding time, 101.27 total miles, at an average speed of 14.5 mph and a maximum of 29.3).

Here are the top ten keys to our success:

10. Heat Trials: We have ridden 598 training miles over the last six weeks, mostly in temperatures over 90 degrees (it was 97 degrees when we finished our 80 mile training ride). So, we were ecstatic when today’s ride was under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures topping out at a "cool comfortable" (relatively speaking) 88 degrees.

9. Torrential rain: Our favorite part of the ride was a zero visibility deluge at Mile 75 that soaked us in seconds, pulled the temperature down (very briefly) to 77 degrees, and pulled our heart rates down by 15-20 beats per minute.

8. Training diet: A double dip hot fudge sundae for Gayl and Red Velvet Cake a la two scoops mode for Dick the night before the ride, and cookies at every rest stop. Now, that’s carb loading!

7. His and Hers Heart Rate Monitors: Mine says I burned 6,819 calories on the ride. So, why am I afraid to get on the scale? (See Training diet above.)

6. Ibuprofen: and lots of it, at 800 mg a pop!

5. Chamois butt’r: Any explanation is too much information.

4. Team work: I drafted on Dick’s pulling power in our little pace line of two for most of the ride. When I had a hard time keeping up with him, Dick boosted my energy by pulling cookies from his personal stash and passing them to me on the fly. In return, I think I might have pulled him for a tenth of a mile. It’s that kind of reciprocity that cements our relationship of equals.

3. Fear of Failure: After telling forty or fifty of our closest friends about our plans to ride the Century, we couldn’t face the prospect of telling them all that we failed to make it.

2. A kiss for luck at every rest stop.

1. Our greatest motivation: This is our big chance to grab our lives back from the tyranny of training. It is time to check this one off the list and get on to the next adventure!