Becoming a mountain biker after being a trail runner felt very natural. Both groups share the love of hilly single track trails, preferably in the woods away from civilization.
Becoming a road cyclist did not feel natural. I always felt like an imposter, especially when it came to the colorful outfits road cyclists wear. (I know the idea is to be seen by drivers on the road.) Also road cyclists speak a different language.
One of the rites of passage to becoming a "real" road cyclist is to complete a century ride. Ultrarunners call it a 100-miler, cyclists call it a Century ride. Go figure. Also note it's a ride, not a race. Obviously there are cycle races too.
Anyway the point of a century ride is to cover a predetermined route with support. Ultramarathons have Aid Stations, Century Rides have SAG (Support and Gear) stops.
I completed the OBX Century Ride last fall and had a blast. I immediately started looking for more. Unfortunately the OBX Century Ride was the last one of the season. Finally I found the Tarwheel Century Ride near Elizabeth City, NC on April 14 and signed up for it. There are lower mileage options, such as a Metric Century (62 miles.) In ultrarunning it would called be a 100k. I think they also had a 33-mile option.
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| T-Shirt |
When I arrived at Camden County High School for the start I was surprised at how many cyclists there were. I later read there were about 270 riders. I spotted a rider who had done the OBX Century and we chatted for a while.
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| Getting ready |
There was supposed to be a pre-ride briefing but it never happened. Everyone just spontaneously pulled out of the parking lot at 8:00 a.m and took off down the road.
We were given paper cue sheets which tell us where to turn but they weren't necessary. As long as you paid attention there were color coded arrows on the road telling where to go. Century riders followed the yellow markings, Metric Century riders followed the blue markings, etc.
For the majority of the time I rode by myself. My pace didn't seem to match anyone else's. I wasn't pushing hard but I wasn't going slow either. I was a little jealous when I saw club riders in groups taking turns at the front pulling their groups into the wind.
Speaking of the wind, it was out of the SSW which was exactly the direction we were going for a lot of the first two or three hours. It wasn't bad at first but got progressively stronger throughout the day.
I was glad to finally get to the first SAG stop. It looked a lot like an ultramarathon aid station. I felt right at home there. It had all of the usual pretzels, cookies, candy, etc. Apparently this stop is famous for its deviled eggs. The lady there told me to have as many as I wanted so I ate four halves. Was that wrong?
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| SAG stop #1 |
They put up stands to park your bike on. It reminded me of a triathlon.
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| My bike |
After heading into the wind all morning I finally reached the turnaround point at the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound.
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| Southern end of the course |
After a while I reached the 2nd SAG stop at a park. Off in the distance you could see the giant blimp hangar. My photo doesn't do it justice. Thankfully, they had spray on sunscreen there which I applied liberally. Otherwise I would have fried. It got very warm after lunch. I doubt many people were used to that heat.
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| Blimp hangar in the distance |
Much of the ride is on country roads, past farms. When it's open like this you have no relief from the wind.
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| Two lane blacktop |
Before the third SAG stop a guy pulled up beside me in a pickup and asked if I was okay. I said yes, but I was sick of the wind. Because there were a lot of loops I kept finding myself heading into the wind. It had to be 25mph at times. I kept having to downshift. A couple of times out there I remember thinking I should have done the Singletrack Maniac 50k instead. It would have been easier!
The 3rd SAG had a real treat - ice cold raspberry smoothies! The volunteers there were super friendly and funny. It was a nice break.
I finally finished after 7 hours and 32 minutes. Would I do it again? Probably, but I would hope for less wind.
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| My Strava track |
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| Organizer photo - I'm the 3rd rider back |
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