The century ride yesterday was only the second 100 miler I have logged in one day but, as I am sure others can identify with, there were other rides that felt as if they ought to qualify as a 100 miles.
The path to a century ride has been a very rewarding one. I can remember when I got back into biking a few years ago and I logged 10 miles on my mountain bike; there was a great sense of accomplishment. A couple of years later I switched over to a road back and the miles just kept amassing.
My first century was back in the fall of 2009. Interestingly, its route was not at all flat like yesterday's ride was for the most part. Starting in West Fork, that ride included several climbs, the biggest being the nine miles out of Mountainburg to the top of Mt Gaylor...and with a slight head wind, no less.
But other rides that felt like centurys were the 75 miler where I was loaded down with 45 pounds of gear on the trip to Georgia. The long Alabama hills came unrelentingly one after another like huge waves on the ocean.
Then there was the 85 mile ride from Ft. Scott, KS to Overland Park, KS where I only had 30 pounds of gear but I had a head wind of 25mph most of the way. Sometimes the wind would gust up and stop me in my tracks and almost brought me to tears.
Or the oh-so-close 92 miler on the Katy Trail. The day before I rode 75 miles and, even though the crushed limestone is not the same as asphalt, I still moved rather freely along. But, during the night, it rained. The next day I felt as if I was expending twice the energy to go two miles per hour slower than the day before. The only way I was able to get through that day was that I followed the asphalt for 30 miles of that ride. 92...so close. Given those conditions, surely that was equivalent to a century. Maybe, but that magic 100 number was not recorded, did not roll over and show itself, so, no.
I pondered yesterday what magic number riders shoot for in Europe where they follow metric. Surely not 100 kilometers which would only be 60 miles. Rachel suggested 150 K. Maybe. It's all so arbitrary but there is indeed something special about watching the odometer roll from 99.99 to 100.00.
On the other side, I still remember and cherish those small milestones and, thus, when someone tells me with pride that they rode 10 miles I can sincerely delight in their achievement knowing that wonderful feeling of accomplishment for such a seemingly small number. 10 or 100, they both have their magic.
Today's Ride: 1hr 42mins. 20.43 miles. 75-80 degrees. Miles YTD: 4,768.70
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