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May Century

Charlie Schuessler

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Trip Report of the 100-KM Century Ride

Trip Report of the 100-KM Century Ride

After most of last two weeks consisting of flooding rain preventing me from obtaining good outdoor training, as well as thunderstorm rain expected the afternoon of the event, I decided earlier in the week to ride the 62-mile (100-KM) course in lieu of the 100-mile course. I felt my training and conditioning would be better suited for the short course and I would stay out of the rain, however I did carried my rain gear with me just in case (Murphy’s Law…it did not rain while on course…it did rain during my drive home).

First let me say this about the Charles River Wheelmen and the way they prepare a course. P E R F E C T. I was not familiar with the region of the ride and due to closed roads by both construction and flood damage, the course differed slightly from the cue sheets. However their road markers were easy to identify and follow, and I made it through the entire course with no wrong turns or delays.

The 50, 62 & 100 mile courses travel along the same route for some time before the 50-mile route splits off and then somewhere near the 40-mile marker the two Century’s split.

The ride pretty much consisted of rolling hills where the climbs and descents were moderate. I recall only two climbs caused to me to get out of the saddle and work. The other times I got out of the saddle was to stretch my legs. I did ride through some very picturesque areas that offered fantastic views as well as riverside cruising. Having selected the shorter Century ride and living earlier than Metric group, I rode alone mostly and enjoyed the solitude. And even though they had two rest-stops with water and refreshments, I had all I needed with me and just rode right on through from start to finish.

I believe I saw Skibum at the Rider’s meeting at the front of the Century route starters looking like he was ready to take-off…

This is an early season event and a very nice one at that. Mostly back roads with minimal traffic. I spoke with the event Director when I finished and he handed me a flyer for their upcoming "15th Annual Climb to the Clouds" event scheduled for July 15, 2006. The event has routes set at 45, 62, 80, 90 and 105-miles. The two shorter routes begin at Nashoba High School @ 9:30 and the three longer routes begin in Concord-Carlisle High School at 8:30. Go to www.crw.org for more information.
 

skibum1321

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I decided to go for the 100 miler even though I definitely had not trained enough for it. I started out riding with a very fast group - a pace that I soon found out I could not sustain. For the first 47 miles (the first rest stop), I averaged 21 mph and was absolutely beat. I think I pulled for a little bit too long at the front of the group. It was a good experience for me to try and keep up with the top dogs, though. I clearly hit the wall and I had a much slower avg speed for the rest of the ride. I finished with a 17.5 mph avg, which is still pretty decent for a century. I finished in 5:45 minutes with a massive burn in my legs and a sore back. Today will definitely be and off day. I must have missed you Charlie - it was pretty crowded in the starting area.
I agree that it was a really nice ride and well-planned. They spent a lot of time in the last week to determine the detours to get around the flooding.
 
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