23 July 2011 Ride: 100 Mile Ride

I wasn't planning a century ride today.  In fact, I was feeling so nauseous and dizzy last night that I doubted I would end up doing more than the minimum.  But, just in case, I prepared my gear last night in anticipation of riding from home to the starting point of the Roadies 15 miles away.  I thought I might take some pictures and wish them well as they headed down Hwy 71 and took on the climb up Mt. Gaylor and perhaps beyond.

I woke up still feeling a bit queasy and, thinking it might be a parasite, I took a couple of cayenne capsules.  This might seem counter-intuitive but I have had this work in the past and it seemed to help this morning.  I arrived as Dorothy was giving her talk to the group.  And what a group!  At least 50 riders.  I stayed back, watching from a distance.  I still wasn't sure of my biking plans as the group headed down the road.  I thought I might ride the 5 miles to West Fork and do a loop back making a trip of about 50 miles.

Somewhere along the way to West Fork, the idea of doing a century ride entered my mind.  After all, the morning was relatively cool, there was a bit of a cloud cover and the body felt good.   Seeing the sign, the literal sign, cinched the deal. So, with only 80 more miles to go, off I went.

The good thing about going solo is that it's easy to change plans or course in midstream.  Off of Hwy 71 I saw County Road 45 (not to be confused with State Hwy 45).   I was fairly certain it turned into gravel before long but I wanted to give it a gander.  Besides, I needed to rack up the miles.  It did only go 1.5 miles before the pavement ended but it was a very pretty ride in a small valley.

A few miles south of West Fork.

West Fork Creek

 Up until about 10:00 and the first 50 miles, the weather stayed relatively cool thanks to a light cloud cover. By 11:00, the heat was starting to become intense and I dealt with some severe cramping at mile 75.  Fortunately, a store was nearby and I gulped down a bottle of Gatorade which seem to do the trick.  

I managed to keep the ride mostly flat but the last five miles contained a few hills.  Nothing that normally would bother me but today their slight rise was enough to get my heart really pounding.  With only 3 miles to go I thought it best to pull over in the shade until the pounding in my helmet eased.  I tried pouring water from my water bottle on my head but the 100 degree water offered little relief.   Once back on the bike, the last 3 miles went well, including a 1.5 mile stretch on State Hwy 45.  I do know that if I do the 24 hour ride, I will wait till it cools down.

I took an ice bath when I got home but I am BEAT!

Today's Ride: 7hrs 27mins. (Actual time: 8hrs 5mins).  100.26 miles.  78-98degrees.  Miles YTD: 4,748.27

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