I skipped 2016 due to funeral in Taiwan. 2017 bike season had been unfocused and plagued by equipment issue. I was confident PR of 4:36 was out of reach. The legs struggled to recover from 9-mile time trial. I wasn’t sure if the wheel alignment and new chain fixed the rear derailleur issue. I was not anticipating ideal weather.
I was disappointed Murrells couldn’t make it. Casey was recovering from Leadville 100 trail run. Voon decided to do another race. Casey’s coworker Joe took up the spare bedroom at Ann’s.
_goal
Good visit with Ann.
Injury-free, bonk-free.
Finish before noon => average 20.3 mph
_expo
Rudy Project continued to have attractive helmet and sunglasses at unattractive price.
Most products made me feel I belong to an older generation. The attendees made me feel young. A 70-year-old observed that average age seems to rise by 1 year every year.
I bought bunch gels for Brandon and Robert’s first marathon and some gifts for Raluca. I acquired enough Roctane for A2A and next 2 marathons.
Rain came before spaghetti dinner. I put on the rain coat and was unconcerned about wet ride. I scripted a 5:30 mostly solo ride. This would be a training ride for A2A.
_century ride
Pre-ride went as planned. I watched the fly by and office start from top of the bridge at 7:05am. Air was humid but cool. Mild wind. Hurricane Harvey was 400 miles away.
The lead pack was led by a unfit-looking road cyclist using aero bar. I let couple hundreds go before jumping in.
_easy first 50 miles
Garmin 310XT said mostly 23 or 26 mph with low heart rate. I appeared to be in better shape than anticipated. No one seemed to work too hard. We were on track for 4:30 finish. I wished I was fit to capitalize on the condition. I disposed a full bottle at rest stop, disgusted I carried the dead weight for half the race.
_Hells Gate
I cut the timing chip to barebone and wondered if the sensor would pick the signal (it didn’t).
The big group split. I was with 20 other guys and started to play team time trial. Half the group wanted nothing to do with rotation. We were quickly down to 9 and was swallowed by a chasing group.
Most boy scouts were surprised to see us. Some riders didn’t get the anticipated water. I took a long sip on my 2nd 700ml bottle and gave the remaining to a grateful triathlete. I carried 100% too much water and felt like an idiot.
It wasn’t hard to stay in the group, but yo-yoing was scary at times. The pace was erratic. GPS showed 18 to 24 mph. The pack lifted its pace suddenly; not everyone was ready. I jerked my handle bar to avoid rear-ending. I ended up riding on mud and grass.
_riding into ditch
I never unclipped. By the time my wheels contacted pavement again, I was 20 seconds behind. I chased. Pack’s acceleration felt like deliberate: it spitted out 4 other guys. I burnt all my matches futilely.
I worked with the only willing rider in sight. I provided short pulls for which he excessively thanked me. He pulled into R8 rest stop at mile 77. I struggled to stay in the group that caught me. I anticipated the wall to hit.
The wall didn’t come; the struggle prolonged. The sun came out. I worried I didn’t have enough water. Things looked up at the mile-91 turn. Head wind ended; pavement improved; suffering didn’t ease; we just went faster. Left calf hinted cramping; I regretted carrying extra water instead of promotional sample Hotshot from the expo. The twitch didn’t bloom into full cramp.
Top time in 2017’s beautiful weather was 4:04:55.
In 2015, top time was 4:13:18 when I rode 4:36:44
_#’s
Water: 2x 24 oz + 2x 700ml (1000 ml unused).
Gel: 7
Jelly bean: 1
Endurolyte: 4 pills.
GPS: Garmin 310xt
Distance = 100.2 mi
Speed = 22.0 mph
Time = 4:33:52
HR = 147/171 bpm;
Power = 142/788 w
No stop
_aftermath
Butt was sore from riding at the seat tip. I was unable to bend over to unbuckle the shoes.
I screwed up the chance to break 4:30 for the event but cherished the experience to struggle for the final 30 miles. I remembered the 2004 promised: I wouldn’t waste the freedom if spine surgery succeeded. 2017 turned out to be a beautiful ride.
_reference point
2009 with yoga injury:
Time: 4:42:57
Speed: 21.2 mph
Heart rate: 155/180bpm
Stop #1: pee against fence at mile 27
Stop #2: regroup after bonking: mile 91
slow final 12 miles
Ride data: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/858125375
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