Century Day is Here! This ride sold out within 12 hours of open registration several months ago.
Early reports were for rain... didn't happen. Did get pretty windy in some parts though. A little chilly in the morning but they offer drop bags for extra layers at two rest stops - these guys know how to put on a ride.
Left home about 5 o'clock. Not many people on the road before dawn on a Saturday morning. I'd occasionally see another vehicle with bikes getting on the freeway and that's kind of a neat feeling to know you're all going to the same event. As I got closer to Santa Rosa there were more and more cars with bikes and people in bike clothes.
SRCC said they had 400+ volunteers to support the ride; what a logistical masterpiece. Check in was fast enough. Rest stops were perfectly organized and had all the right stuff to eat and sit on. Saw SAG vehicles every 10 miles or so. Police and safety folks stationed at key intersections. Lots of services I didn't use but others did - like massage tables and mobile repair booths. Could've used a few more outhouses at the busier stops but I've seen worse.
There were four rest stops, breaking the ride into 5 legs. No really long climbs, but a few half-mile grunters.
I don't know what this guy's selling, but if you go to his website, tell 'em "Diablo Scott sent me!"
Klein Krown goes to this Aura - don't see many of those. Didn't find the owner.
I felt really good for the whole ride. I've gotten some pretty bad leg cramps in the last few centuries I've done, including the last time I did this one, so I was a little worried. I've tried those Hammer Endurolytes but they didn't seem to work, and I always use the sport drinks and gels that have even more electrolytes, and still I have a problem. So I was reading the jar on the Endurolytes and it says to take 1 to 6 caps per hour! I'd only been taking like one per rest stop so maybe I just needed to take more.
Century Project Plan: one bottle of Cytomax and one bottle of Perpetuem in each leg. One E-Gel, three Endurolytes, and one ibuprofen at each rest stop. Planned on no more than a handful of rest stop munchies between legs and not too much lunch. This worked great; no cramps, and never felt close to bonking and only a little sluggish after the veggie sandwich at the mile 70 lunch stop.
Before the ride, I decided that my rear tire was worn out, so I rotated the front one to the rear and put a new one on the front. 43 miles into the ride I get a blow out on the front and I realize I pinched the tube with the new install. No problem, quick fix in a shady location and I was back on the road.
Roadkill Report: skunk and jackrabbit.
Thanks to Miles John photography for the action photos - I hope he makes a ton of money from this event.
Now it has always been my view, that there are very few cyclists who can pull off the "lycra short-short" look. But the ones who can, are shaped like this:
The last rest stop was at mile 85, and Chalk Hill was at mile 92. Not an especially tough climb if you're fresh, but there were a lot of people going really slow in here. I was happy to be feeling good and not have any cramps even though the legs were starting to wear out so I kind of powered up the hill and then did a fast pace over the last few miles finishing strong.
As I got closer to the end at the outside of town, the riders would get bunched up at stop lights and then all roll together on green - that was a neat feeling too. We've all been out there for hours doing our thing, and now we were finishing together.
Some data:
| SEGMENT | MILE | DURATION |
| LEG 1 | 0-26 | 1h 43m |
| REST STOP 1 | 12m | |
| LEG 2 (including flat) | 26-48 | 1h 39m |
| REST STOP 2 | 24m | |
| LEG 3 AND REST STOP 3 (forgot to hit stopwatch) | 48-70 | 1h 55m |
| LEG 4 | 70-86 | 57m |
| REST STOP 4 | 15m | |
| LEG 5 | 86-100 | 54m |
| RIDE TIME | 6h 07m | |
| TOTAL TIME | 7h 49m |
Vineyards and redwoods and quaint little towns and great people. This century is an 11. Well done Santa Rosa Cycling Club!
Requisite event video worth a click:
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