Millersylvania Double Metric Century
2003

I almost didn't do this ride this year... After some last minute phone calling, it was clear that I'd be on the road all by myself this time and that prospect didn't really appeal to me Saturday evening. But, after weighing my options, and realizing that I really DO like to be fed while I ride (this is a supported ride after all), I decided to give it a go.

Show up, pay my fee, change my clothes, grab some fig newtons and I'm off. The forecast was for mostly sunny and 60 degrees so I had on two jerseys, arm and knee warmers, a wind vest and these cool, thin fleece shoe covers that I got at the Bike Expo this year.

Say hello to the big chainring! This ride is mostly flat with the exception of some medium-sized rollers in the middle of the course. As I recall, by the time I rolled into the second rest stop (my first stop for the day), I had only shifted between my 15 and 17-tooth cogs. It was BEAUTIFUL out. Small clouds would dart in front of the sun but they would not last long and soon my vest was in my jersey pocket. Cruising along by yourself is kind of fun when you're not tired. You get to pretend you're some hotshot rider! I was all hunkered down on the hoods, arms really bent, slicing through the wind and feeling all fast and shit. Actually, now that I think back, I DID spend just about the entire ride in that position trying to avoid any excess wind resistance... I was either on the drops, on the hoods with really bent elbows or doing my best Andre Taffi impression (hands on the tops, arms really bent, ass all the way back in the saddle, big gear).

Not having a walkman but having my phone, I was amusing myself with calling a friend (who was also on the ride doing a different loop) and giving them constant updates about my progress. With the exception of about 30 miles right in the middle, I had decent coverage - props go out to T-Mobile!

Currently, my 'training' schedule consists of riding a bunch on the weeks that my son in with his mother and then not riding at all when he lives with me. Yep, you guessed it, this is NOT the most conducive to getting in great shape. The one advantage it does have is depending on the day of the week that a particular ride might be, I show up really well rested! Suffice it to say that I'm not a machine and after four hours I started to slow down a tad. Some of those 'rollers' in the middle of the course are actually substantial hills when you are tired...

ASIDE - on one of those hills, the pavement was all wet like right after a big cloud burst. And it was quite warm too! As I was climbing and striping off the layers, steam was rising from the warm blacktop. It was in a really wooded section of the course and if you squinted and let your mind wander, it felt almost tropical at the time. It was one of the nicest sections of the ride.

MORE PROPS TO T-MOBILE - well, Samsung really... So there I am, on the steepest downhill of the ride, doing something like 45 in a tuck when I hear this sickening sound of impact. I turn my head back just in time to see my phone bounce up from where it hit the pavement and sail - in pieces - into the ditch. OUCH! I haul myself to a stop and ride back up the road looking for what I'm sure are just going to be scraps of plastic when lo-and-behold, I find both pieces of my phone. The battery had just come disconnected from the main unit. When I plugged it back in and turned it on, it worked! Now my phone has character. And I'm a happy guy 'cause I didn't have to buy a new one.

All day long I would see riders up ahead and use them as carrots to keep up the pace. But after about 90 miles, this wasn't that fun anymore... It was right after I caught this big group of faster riders/racers. I was actually thinking that since they were not coming back to me so quickly that it might be the perfect group to latch on to. Well, when I did catch them, my pace just slowly took me past them and I was once again alone. Then somewhere in the next five miles I got tired. Luckily it was not the kind of tired where someone flicks a switch and you are left for dead, rather it was the realization that perhaps adjusting my pace one mile per hour was not such a bad thing if I could benefit from a draft. So at the last food stop I waited. "Sure, we'd love to have you along." Whew...

Guess what, when you ride in a group (as opposed to riding alone) you are able to conserve energy. And when you get towards the end of a ride, some of this pent-up energy just wants to be released. Although there are not really any 'hills' in the last 20 miles of the course, we still managed to drop one third of the group before the finish... I did NOT instigate any moves, I just wanted some company.

With the exception of about five miles where it rained - just enough to allow me to feel it soaking through my shoes - it was quite nice. Arm warmers were the right call as I had mine on and off all day long. And just off for the last 20. By the finish I was totally dry.

I have heard lots of people talk this ride down because of the supposed 'harsh' pavement (chip seal) and the 'long' drive (it's just south and east of Olympia) to get there. Ha! It's about 1:15 one way and the roads are great! The food is just okay but this ride gets a big two thumbs up from me. I'll be back next year for sure.

The numbers:
• Distance: 126 miles
• Total time: 6.5 - 6.75 hours
• I think I averaged 20 mph for the first four hours and then slowed a bit, this one guy told me that I was doing about 23 mph or so on the flats.
• Food consumed: lots of Sustained Energy mixed with a little Metabolol Endurance, a few Endurolytes, some fig newtons, pretzels and one banana. I'm really starting to like Sustained Energy!