North Shore Century 2012

I figured that I would start a thread to see if we could get some sort of chainlink group to ride together. My plan is to ride at a fairly casual pace and enjoy myself, so I'm looking for others to do the same. And, as many people know, the ride is much more enjoyable and goes by faster when you're in good company. I know I already asked James, but who else would be down for this? And, what time would you all plan on meeting?

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on September 14, 2012 at 4:29am

Some of us will be having all we can do to finish the ride we are planning--I am with Jim S!  ;-)
 
James BlackHeron said:

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind a little light rain.  It sort of makes it more romantic as an epic struggle of man against nature.  

But I'm a weirdo.  No point in trying to hide that :-D

Maybe it is because I spent money on nice fenders, rain gear (even a helmet raincover) and all that stuff and I'd like to put it to a little use every once in a while.   A bit of casual schadenfreude directed at those who came less prepared can be fun too...

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 14, 2012 at 4:37am

I did say that I'm a weirdo, right?

I've been accused of being hard-core more than once, although I'm not as hard-core as I used to be when I was still in the army.   Cav Scouts!  It could be worse -we could be walking -I feel sorry for the slogging infantry..

Permalink Reply by David Barish on September 14, 2012 at 4:50am

Being on the cleanup crew at Dawes, I hope it does not rain. Last year we had a lot of wet stuff to pack up or throw out and it was an ugly mess.  Although the pictures of the late arriving century riders who had slogged through the day were priceless.  Lets hope its a brisk and crisp day like today that brings a tailwind on the southerly return and allows an easier time when we strike camp in Evanston.

 

The rain can also hold  down total ridership and we, of course, want as many as we can handle. That being said, I unerstand the satisfaction in riding in bad weather. It appeals to my inner Charlie Brown.
 
kiltedcelt said:

James,

Be careful what you wish for. It rained pretty much the whole day last year and it was miserable, not to mention, almost all of the other bikes DO NOT have fenders which means you can forget riding in any kind of a paceline because you'll be getting covered with the tire spray of the person in front of you who never thought he/she needed fenders, and is now paying for it with a skunk stripe up their backside along with soaking wet shoes and legs. I spent a lot of my ride last year trying to stay far enough back from the guy in front of me to keep from getting soaked which meant either I couldn't draft, or worse yet I had to ride closer to passing traffic.

James BlackHeron said:

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind a little light rain.  It sort of makes it more romantic as an epic struggle of man against nature.  

But I'm a weirdo.  No point in trying to hide that :-D

Maybe it is because I spent money on nice fenders, rain gear (even a helmet raincover) and all that stuff and I'd like to put it to a little use every once in a while.   A bit of casual schadenfreude directed at those who came less prepared can be fun too...

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 14, 2012 at 4:58am

OK, maybe a tiny little sprinkle here and there to keep the air clean and fresh, cool, keep the dust down,  and maybe some wispy clouds to keep the sun from directly baking us all day?

James hates wearing a ton of sunscreen.  It's icky-sticky-ookie -that's why I wear sunsleeves  and always wear a cap under my helmet to keep the hot sun off of my bald spot.   

So much for being a hard-core ;)

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 14, 2012 at 7:03am

I just got them sometime around the beginning of August so I missed the hottest days of July and the first week of August this year.   I too got REALLY burned a couple of times this June.  I didn't get to ride a lot this July anyhow as I hit some personal tragedy issues in my family.  That screwed up my CX training pretty badly :(

But all in all the sunsleeves  seem to be very cool as long as you are moving.   There is no "neat" of the sun hitting them which is nice in itself.  It feels like you are in the shade.   They give you a nice hug and keep your flesh from moving around just like spandex does on your legs and elsewhere.  That is comfy.   I can tell that I am sweating because when I feel the sleeves they can sometimes be damp.   But when I'm moving there is always wind and that wind is wicking up that moisture and keeping me cooler-feeling than just wet sweaty arms do when they are soaked with sweat.  I think it is a surface-issue with the fabric having more of it than smooth skin.  The moisture also wicks around and does a better job spreading than it does on bare skin so it does more good in evaporative cooling. 

They were very comfortable.  When it gets a little bit cooler they also work as a bit of warmth and keep the wind from whipping at my skin and feeling raw.  I suppose if you were really hot and sweaty and then it got cool all of a sudden it would take a while for them to dry out and that might over-cool you.  I've never ridden with them in bad rain so I don't know how that will work either.   I don't suppose it would be any worse than a good tight-fitting lycra jersey or pants.   I'd rather have a jersey on in the rain than go bare-chested.  We'll see.  It hasn't rained much on days I planned to ride this fall. 

I never got to wear them on days over 100.  Maybe the wicking/cooling starts to fail once they get REALLY drenched in sweat.   It could be.  I don't know.   I really like them -I only wish I could afford a second pair of them right now but I'm trying to save up for better winter gear for CX season. I'd like to have a nice winter set of arm warmers.   Having 2 pairs of these sunsleeves would make it easier to keep clean in the hot summer.  i don't like putting on dirty/yesterday's sweaty kit.  It's really yucky and uncomfortable/itchy for me.   So right now I've been washing everything the minute i get home from a ride and hang-drying.  It's holding up well to that.   Most of my gear hang-dries inside overnight except for some of my thicker chamois. 

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 14, 2012 at 7:30am

ok, be in touch.  Sorry about the leg.  I'd like to ride at least 50 (want to do the whole thing, but gotta coordinate the Chainlink table too).  We have to bring our own table too. 

dan brown said:

I can probably help a the CL table julie as my ankle will still be broken. I may also be volunteering at the rainbow ride table; but I can figure it out next week. I will miss riding !

 

Dan

Permalink Reply by Len Krietz on September 14, 2012 at 9:37am

For your planning - Did a century last week at a "leisure" pace" (hey I'm 60+).  Averaged 14.1 mph , 7hr ride time.  Add rest stops(5) 9 hr total.  Last year with less wind we averaged 14.5 mph. 

kiltedcelt said:

50missioncap - just replied to your message. This is the thread for the slower group. I think everyone is planning on getting all their stuff together and hitting the road around probably 6:30. Riding at about 14 mph will get you about 70 miles into it, but that doesn't take into account stopping at the rest stops and such. I'm thinking total time on the bike may be around 6 1/2 hours or so to do the full 100 miles at a don't-kill-yourself pace, however, once you figure in the rest stops it's about a 7 1/2 - 8 hour day I think.

Permalink Reply by Neal J. N ey on September 14, 2012 at 10:32am

I am the ride chair for the North Shore Century and can answer a few of the questions raised in your exchange. Registration opens at 6:00 AM. All routes start at Dawes Park and run together for the first 5 miles. The 25 mile route separates from the others at that point. It has its own rest stop. The 50, 62, 70, and 100 mile routes continue on together to the first rest stop which is at 18 miles. The 50 mile route will separate from the others about a ¼ mile north of the rest stop. The 62 mile route will separate from the 100 and 70 mile route about 3 miles further down the road.

The 70 and 100 mile route run together to the next rest stop which is at 33 miles. The 70 mile route is essentially a short cut between the 2nd rest stop on the 100 mile route and the 4th rest stop on the 100 mile route. We added it in a few years ago for people who bite off more than they can chew. If you are trying to decide between doing the 62 or the 70 mile route, I’d do the 62. It is much more interesting than the 70 mile route.

The routes will be very similar to last year with a few modifications because of road construction or the completion of road construction. The biggest change will be on the north bound 100 mile route. Delany Road is unavailable this year. It is all tore up. We will be using Dilly Road instead, which is very nice, but it does require a short segment on the sidewalk to get to it. (Sorry about that.) Dilly Road adds a few miles to the 100 mile route, so we will not be going to the Velodrome this year, although it will be available as an alternative for those who want a few extra miles.

The 50, 62, 70, and 100 mile routes all link back up together on the return south. By about mile 85 on the 100 mile route, all of the routes (except the 25) will be back together. They all share a final rest stop at Sunset Woods in Highland Park  - mile 91 on the 100 mile route. This would be the best place for people to meet up if they are doing different routes but would like to finish riding together. Or you can meet up at the rides finish in Dawes Park. We will have a band there in the afternoon.

I am not likely to look back at Chain Link this next week. I have a few things on my plate, but if any of you have specific questions feel free to contact me at nney60202@gmail.com.

 

Permalink Reply by David Holmquist on September 19, 2012 at 2:48am

Sunday forecast for the North Shore, as of 8 AM Wednesday:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?w0=t&w1=td&w2=hi&a...

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 19, 2012 at 2:58am

A little bit of light rain the night before should keep the dust down, and that's a good thing.  I was up in the Lacrosse area this past weekend and the dust was brutal.  Those guys could use some rain up there too.  Hopefully this fall and winter we'll all get caught up on precipitation here in the midwest.   Some snow-cover would be nice too this winter. 

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on September 19, 2012 at 3:08am

Yep, it looks like the forecast took a dip. It's going to be a chilly morning start! I'm trying to figure out how to carry layer(s) for when it warms up to 60.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on September 19, 2012 at 3:14am

Suggestions welcome--I am still trying to get this layering thing figured out!
 
Jim S said:

Yep, it looks like the forecast took a dip. It's going to be a chilly morning start! I'm trying to figure out how to carry layer(s) for when it warms up to 60.

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