Sue and I drove down to Mammoth Lakes Ca. and I rode in the fall century. The drive there took longer than expected, but was partly offset by the drive going through Yosemite via the Tioga pass rode. Took us up to 9900 feet and left us a bit breathless and overwhelmed by the granite expanses of the place.
The ride was definitely challenging and I was happy to have completed in 5 hours 25 minutes, over 95 miles or so. The actual elevation is just over 6000 feet but my garmin posting shows it a bit less. Some sneaky hills on the back side of this ride along with some headwinds which were reminiscent of nevada and times past. I found the early part of the ride to be great, but once we turned onto highway 120, heading east, it felt much like the barren landscapes of Nevada. Evocative, but generally not the kind of riding I enjoy any more. The visit are definitely spectacular, and so are the boring long sections of road. Guess it will be a while before I am motivated to ride across such vast landscapes, especially in a group. Strange experience in many ways, looking back, as this was the first organized century I have done in many years. I walked away feeling, how do I say, happy to be done... reflective on the number of miles I felt like I was struggling through (physically and mentally), and somehow a bit out of whack on the whole bike gang concept. Not sure what that means exactly, except for the reality that everyones focus is clearly on surviving the ride and finishing, and there was a general lacking of overt friendship and joy on this ride. Don't get me wrong, people at the rest stops were pretty great, but there was very little emphasis on whipping up the energy of the ride and there was actually no completion celebration at the time I finished. Granted, I was very early to finish, but never the less, it was odd. Food smelled good, but after such an event, pulled pork and french fries weren't hitting the spot! The complimentary beer, on the other hand, settled nicely. I spoke to as many people as I could and was intentionally overt on the ride, and during the breaks. Some strange responses from people, as expected, given the tendency for the challenge to set in and worry you.. creating full absorption in your fear and pain.. someone walks by and starts chatting you up and it must feel like you are awakening from a dream or something.. wandering around makes.. OH!! was often the reply. But, Im sure that in coming days, the edge of the ride will be forgotten and it will be replaced by the fond remembrances and the becoming of challenge and achievement. As usual, this is my pattern. Ouch, then.. Ahhhh...
One last thing: it would have been best to get up there 2 days early and get better acclimated. The reminder that when you get altitude stressed, the body doesn't perform as well. Also, it would have been good to have done a difficult and challenging ride just a day or two before to help my body adjust. The first days of an epic series of challenging ride days are always the worst for me.. mentally and physically. Very little in the tank after 60 miles, and this feeling of sort of diminished reserves (and reliance upon brute force and stamina) creates mental uncertainty that plays out in a bunch of different ways. To have that out of the way via an early "suffering' training ride is always wise. Im sure that if I climbed on the bike today, I would hammer the crap out of it. maybe I will do that.
Oh, and one last thing 2: modular clothing is AWESOME.. I bought a windproof vest which is by Mavic and is totally opened in the back, and combined it with some insulated knee and arm warmers.. It was GREAT. Very little sweat, and just warm enough. My hands were a bit chilly, but I was really pleased to not be dragging around my typical riding jacket and popping that off later as a sweaty mess underneath. Love the modular idea, contrary to my pal Tom Mann who likens it to being a big west coast pussy... Gotta admit feeling a bit like madonna out there, but who cares.. doing a century in comfort and in 5.5 hours at age 51 aint bad at all. Call me whatever you want.... as I go right on by!
