A white VW bus just like this one tried to keep up with us Sunday.It couldn't.
The New Sweat & Ice course record: 4 hours, 58 minutes.
The New Sweat & Ice course record: 4 hours, 58 minutes.
I'll get back to memories tomorrow, today I want to tell you about a century that Dante and I rode earlier today. The 98-mile ride started and ended in Clifton Park, NY, that's a few exits south on the northway. Called the "Sweat & Ice" century, because, at this time of year, you're sweating to ride hard, and there's lots of ice around. Although I'm still in base-mileage mode, and will be for the next few weeks, most people have long since hung up their bikes for he season. Therefore, there weren't too many people who showed up this morning.
A group of about 30 turned out wearing layers and layers of lycra, neoprene, fleece and wool, and signed in with Heather, who runs the ride single-handedly. After signing us in and giving us a few bits of information about the ride, we all took off as one giant peloton. She and a friend jumped in a white VW bus just like the one pictured above. The idea was for her to act as a support vehicle, and one-site ride supervisor. Her plan was to arrive at each of six rest stops before the first riders, quickly set up shop with PB&Js (no shortages on this ride!), and then hang out as each of the 30 riders came through, checking everyone off on a list. She would then pile back into the bus, and beat the first riders to the next stop.
Everything went swimmingly for the first 20ish miles. It was cold enough that I was wearing full-tights under my bibs, a heavy thermal top, a short sleeve jersey and arm warmers, and then a heavy BVF jacket over it all. My feet were encased in neoprene booties, and I wore absurd-but-warm lobster mitts on my hands. I crammed a wool cap under my helmet, and I was cold. Like shivering cold.
Dante and I easily rolled with the front of the group, as we cruised along at about 24 MPH. The group quickly split into a lead group of 8 (Dante, me, 6 others), and everyone else. We were the first to pull into the first rest stop, and quickly rolled back out. That was the last time we saw the van.
This an elevation profile of the ride.
The first big spike is West Mountain.
The second is the climb away from Sacandaga.
The course, which headed north toward some of my normal rides, was flat for the first 40 miles, then headed over the moderate grade of West Mountain. Then we hit Lake Sacandaga, headed south along the lake, and then hung a swing east back toward Clifton Park. Dante and I remained in the lead until West Mountain. The pace up the climb was fast, and couldn't keep up. Dante, a guy named Kevin, and some other guy whose name I didn't get, were the first over, with me a couple minutes behind.
I mounted a strong chase, but eventually had to stop to pee, and caught back to the front group around mile 70 when the three of them briefly stopped for a gel. Then we were a group of four, then it was three again, when the guy who wasn't Kevin or Dante got dropped. We kept riding a hard pace and stopped only for water at mile 80. At that point, the guy behind us caught back up and passed us while we were inside a store buying water.
The last twenty miles passed in a blur of coldness, assuaged only by the thought of getting back to the car and warming up. Well, we were disappointed not to be the first into the parking lot, especially since we had been very confident that we were the first group on the road.
BUT, he took off before the post-ride beer an burger party at a local pub, so Dante and Kevin and I got to set the new course record. So, we thawed out in the parking lot, and then drank our beers, enjoyed the company of our fellow riders, and ate our burgers (which were incredibly delicious), and headed home, tired and weary.
I managed to escape without any permanent damage from the cold, save the customary surface numbness on the tips of a few fingers. I am seriously considering riding another century next Saturday with Heather and her boyfriend(?), since I've always done a post turkey ride, but this year, I can't do it with the Brooklyn crew...
A group of about 30 turned out wearing layers and layers of lycra, neoprene, fleece and wool, and signed in with Heather, who runs the ride single-handedly. After signing us in and giving us a few bits of information about the ride, we all took off as one giant peloton. She and a friend jumped in a white VW bus just like the one pictured above. The idea was for her to act as a support vehicle, and one-site ride supervisor. Her plan was to arrive at each of six rest stops before the first riders, quickly set up shop with PB&Js (no shortages on this ride!), and then hang out as each of the 30 riders came through, checking everyone off on a list. She would then pile back into the bus, and beat the first riders to the next stop.
Everything went swimmingly for the first 20ish miles. It was cold enough that I was wearing full-tights under my bibs, a heavy thermal top, a short sleeve jersey and arm warmers, and then a heavy BVF jacket over it all. My feet were encased in neoprene booties, and I wore absurd-but-warm lobster mitts on my hands. I crammed a wool cap under my helmet, and I was cold. Like shivering cold.
Dante and I easily rolled with the front of the group, as we cruised along at about 24 MPH. The group quickly split into a lead group of 8 (Dante, me, 6 others), and everyone else. We were the first to pull into the first rest stop, and quickly rolled back out. That was the last time we saw the van.
This an elevation profile of the ride.The first big spike is West Mountain.
The second is the climb away from Sacandaga.
The course, which headed north toward some of my normal rides, was flat for the first 40 miles, then headed over the moderate grade of West Mountain. Then we hit Lake Sacandaga, headed south along the lake, and then hung a swing east back toward Clifton Park. Dante and I remained in the lead until West Mountain. The pace up the climb was fast, and couldn't keep up. Dante, a guy named Kevin, and some other guy whose name I didn't get, were the first over, with me a couple minutes behind.
I mounted a strong chase, but eventually had to stop to pee, and caught back to the front group around mile 70 when the three of them briefly stopped for a gel. Then we were a group of four, then it was three again, when the guy who wasn't Kevin or Dante got dropped. We kept riding a hard pace and stopped only for water at mile 80. At that point, the guy behind us caught back up and passed us while we were inside a store buying water.
The last twenty miles passed in a blur of coldness, assuaged only by the thought of getting back to the car and warming up. Well, we were disappointed not to be the first into the parking lot, especially since we had been very confident that we were the first group on the road.
BUT, he took off before the post-ride beer an burger party at a local pub, so Dante and Kevin and I got to set the new course record. So, we thawed out in the parking lot, and then drank our beers, enjoyed the company of our fellow riders, and ate our burgers (which were incredibly delicious), and headed home, tired and weary.
I managed to escape without any permanent damage from the cold, save the customary surface numbness on the tips of a few fingers. I am seriously considering riding another century next Saturday with Heather and her boyfriend(?), since I've always done a post turkey ride, but this year, I can't do it with the Brooklyn crew...
1 comment:
PODO BRO!!
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