Mile 0-46
The first 46 miles or so were spent leading our normal Sunday group ride out of Loantaka Park. Because I was the only one who knew the route, I was delegated the responsibilities of a group leader. My good friend helped me out when things got a little hectic by staying back or rushing forward to give some instructions but in general the ride was enjoyable. This was only the second time I have led a group ride and I must say that it is tougher than you expect. People, of course, have varying levels of skill in the sport and making sure all of them are happy and not getting lost can be hard work. There was one time where I repeated a hill a couple of times as I shuffled myself backwards in the strung out group. In the end, however, the awesome company from the other riders made the first 46 very enjoyable.

Mile 46-70
At mile 46 I stopped at home to refill the water bottles and was in the mindset that I would just do an extra 20 or 30 miles which would bring me to a season high of seventy. As I set off I remarked how good my legs were feeling and let the idea of a century creep in slowly. It was at this point that my mind started to take a downward turn. When you are in a group for many hours it is easy to pass the time by with conversation. In a sense it is as if the group can feed off itself for energy. On the other hand, when you are alone with the sun beating down, it is tough to stay focused 100% for so long. Luckily at mile 70 I decided to stop at my local bike shop for some food and some discussion.

Mile 70-90
As I left the LBS I made the crucial mistake of not topping off my water supply. I have always been a big consumer of water and with no clouds in the sky I should’ve known that my half bottle of gatorade would not be enough. At about mile 75, I realized the situation at hand but pressed on knowing that I would start to feel really dehydrated. At this point my mind was going crazy because water was all I could think about! At mile 85 I was seriously close to hallucinating and took my last sip to try and take my mind off the increasing stiffness in my back. I stopped by a vending machine but it wouldn’t take my money and so I set off for home, finally making it at mile 90 exactly.

The Home Stretch
Hitting 90 was certainly enough for me to be happy and so my spirits were on the up at this point. As I sat down and consumed at least 1-1.5 liters of liquid and ate a banana I could feel mile 100 was well within reach. I retopped both bottles at this time despite only having to go 10 and set off. I took a fairly flat route and when I hit the 5 mile marker I turned around and headed home with refreshed legs. Suddenly I found myself going 19-20 mph again, a speed I hadn’t seen since the 65 mile mark, but I let it continue since the adrenaline was kicking in.

A tenth of a mile from home I saw it: 100 miles. I was grinning like a stupid kid at Christmas, as happy as the one who got the N64 [in that commercial]. I had finally made it to one of my more epic goals and with fairly no planning either. While it wasn’t the most exciting route ever, the mileage is what counts.

Total time in the saddle? 6 hours and 37 minutes…

Here are some other stats from my Polar CS200:
Execution Time: 6:38.55
Avg HR: 140
Max HR: 185
Calories: 5436
Distance 100.1
Avg Speed: 15.1
Max Speed: 41.7
Avg Cadence: 85
Max Cadence: 126
Ride Time: 6:37.44

Extras…
Start Weight: 214.5lbs
End Weight: 208.5lbs (yikes!!!!)
Water Intake: 5-6 liters
Gatorade Intake: 1-2 liters
Food: 2 powerbars, 4-5 Cliff ShotBlocks, 1 banana

My next goal for distance will be something over 100, but with a much better route. I definitely repeated some of the easier parts of my local courses several times and I can’t help but feel it contributed to my poor mental state in the late portion of the ride. One idea I have toyed with was to ride to High Point Monument (and perhaps back) which will be very interesting and certainly epic.