Up before sunrise with the bike in the car and headed to the south shore for a long ride with good friends. The air was still chilly but watching the horizon turn orange and then yellow brought a smile to my face. John C, Tony, Neil, John M, Laurie, Dan and I agreed to participate in the annual Trek century ride as a fundraiser for the South Shore YMCA. We met in the parking lot of the nicest YMCA facility I have ever seen, got our bikes together, last minute adjustments made and, at 6am, we were off for 100 miles.
The air was warming up and the countryside was beautiful. Unfortunately, my legs felt like lead and my lungs were not excited about my choice of early activity so I told myself to just get into a spinning mode and take the pressure off until the muscles got warmed up. This worked a little better although Neil and Tony were gone off the front at a 19mph pace leaving me far behind. I hoped that I would be able to pick up my own pace soon but was doubtful that I would see my fast friends until the first water stop at 35 miles (or even then). John C, Laurie, John M and I rode along at a similar speed although not always together for about 12 miles and, unexpectedly, we came across Neil and Tony by the side of the road. Tony had encountered a sliver of glass and now had a flat. We offered advice, tubes, C02 cartridges, pumps and tools until Tony seemed to have the damage repaired and was ready to head out once more.
Laurie, John M and I were at the front this time but we soon realized that we had lost the rest of our gang off the back. We rode on for another 12 miles or so expecting that Neil, John, Tony and Dan (all strong riders) to catch up at any time. We were with another small group of cyclists and, finally feeling warmed up and strong, I was in the lead. I was feeling pretty good about my pace until I realized that NO ONE was behind me. I had missed a turn and was well off the course. By the time I discovered how to correct my error I had lost a half hour and added 10 miles to my extended TREK.
I did finally meet up with my group of friends at the first water stop. Tony had experienced two more flats and John C and Neil had stayed with him until he finally got the glass out of the tire and enough air to give him a decent ride. Laurie and John M had also strayed off the route and added to their ride as well. We commiserated as we refueled and then headed off again.
We quickly recovered and re-established a good, quick pace. This time I hung in there with Tony, Neil and John C and we got into a pace line and pulled the speed up to 19-22mph. The roads were through beautiful rolling countryside and we rocketed along making up for lost time. By the time we got to the Sagamore Bridge at 60 miles (70 for me) I felt great.
The roads from the bridge to the YMCA camp in Sandwich were familiar as they traced the course of the Pan Mass Challenge. There was a long climb and then more rolling hills. We had missed the second water stop and pulled over to the side of the road for a brief break and to let all the group catch up. At that point, we realized that our earlier delays would keep us from completing the full 100 miles in the allotted time and, since we needed to stop at the Y camp to check in , we would call it at 75 miles (85 for me) and relax with a cold beer.
Even though I did not get the full century into my ride calendar, I felt good about the way I rode and my speed over all. I actually felt like I got better, stronger and faster as the ride went on. It was a good day with good friends, no injuries and lots of laughs.
I look forward to more.
