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 Lanterne Rouge on September 25, 2012 at 4:45am

Interesting. I was just curious, as I really liked the pace we were riding at and wanted to see if I had to make any large improvements to get ready for brevet season next year (which I will ride, hell or high water.)

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 25, 2012 at 5:02am

I think we kept getting faster and faster as the day went on.  We started out pretty slow those first few miles.   Then I got a little crazy there at the end leading out of Highland Park.   I must have got a little sniff of the barn and wanted to find my feedbag in my stall.  I feel bad about losing you guys there for a while.  I should have been paying a little more attention there but got so focused on getting done and finding some real food. I was getting light-headed is my only excuse!  But a poor one at that.  Before we stopped and waited for you guys at the outskirts of Evanston on Sheridan I was beginning to bitch about hitting all the green lights -I wanted an excuse to rest but I'm too hardass to give myself a rest otherwise. 

Permalink Reply by djm on September 25, 2012 at 7:20am

James BlackHeron said:

Before we stopped and waited for you guys at the outskirts of Evanston on Sheridan I was beginning to bitch about hitting all the green lights


I found that quite amusing. I didnt record it but IIRC our rolling average was 14.4 mph.  Our first miles were pretty slow.

Perhaps next time there is a Chainlink group we should exchange phone numbers to better coordinate our meeting.  Our group was hanging around for a while to see if anyone else would show before deciding to depart.  I would have been happy to wait a bit longer for others to join up.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 25, 2012 at 7:59am

I'm a barrel of laughs sometimes.  Not many folks complain about a light turning green just as they  roll up to them.  

Permalink Reply by David Lieb on September 25, 2012 at 8:01am

Yeah, I suppose I got spoiled by the Apple Cider Century and just expected too much from a local event.

Permalink Reply by Michael A on September 25, 2012 at 8:15am

I have been on chainlink for several years now, this is the first thread I had to to stop following due to all the cry babies.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 25, 2012 at 8:20am

tsp?

Teaspoon?

Tri Sodium Phosphate?

Tawdry Sex Party?

Inquiring minds want to know what this TLA means. 



Michael A said:

I have been on chainlink for several years now, this is the first thread I had to tsp following due to all the cry babies.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 25, 2012 at 8:54am

Nevermind, I see now that tsp was edited to "stop following" later on.

James BlackHeron said:

tsp?

Teaspoon?

Tri Sodium Phosphate?

Tawdry Sex Party?

Inquiring minds want to know what this TLA means. 



Michael A said:

I have been on chainlink for several years now, this is the first thread I had to tsp following due to all the cry babies.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 25, 2012 at 3:47pm

Next time we should get together a little bit more with a firm start time as well as grouping with regards to both speed and the time spent at each stop.   I felt the pace we took in our group was about right although I could have gone with shorter stops.   Not a big deal though.   I didn't mind it so much at the earlier ones but every time we stopped later on my knees started to swell up pretty soon after I got off the bike.  Grab water, food, pee and go would be great for me although I'm sure there might be others who might want to spend more time at them.

I agree that the food thing really is a minor gripe and I know I'm not typical.  Many folks do just fine with sweets and starches. The first 2 stops were freaking amazing with all sorts of food available besides carb-heavy choices.   Had I thought to stock up then on substantial food with protein when it was available  I'd have been totally fine for the rest of the day.  

Lesson learned and I'll not make that mistake again.  2-3 of the little sandwiches and 3-4 builderbars  at stop 1 and/or 2 would have carried me through the 3rd and 4th stops when there was nothing but high-carb/sugar bars, bagels, and pretzels.   I know that if I would have eaten a bunch of that stuff, even though I was hungry for lunch & dinner, I'd have passed out on the bike after I bonked.  I know I can't eat all carbs like that or I crash hard a while later.  This is why I ate a big bowl of scrambled eggs before I left home that morning.  

I had one little brownie at stop #3 and it gave me more of a sugar rush that I liked. I love cookies and ice cream but it really knocks me out later.  I better have a comfy chair ready for me after eating it.    But I'm a crybaby so I'll keep my mouth shut about that from now on ;)



kiltedcelt said:

That sucks. It really sounds like you folks left just a few minutes before we arrived. I second the idea that next time there's a big ride like this that some folks need to get each others numbers so we can at least find out if someone is running a few minutes behind schedule or whatever. I don't think our arriving a few minutes late would've adversely affected pace or run times or whatever. We rode at pretty much the same pace as you folks and probably would've caught up if we had gotten in and out of the rest stops a little quicker.

Still, I don't think we spent any more than about 15 or 20 minutes at a stop, tops. I think our longest stop was the "halfway point (60-ish miles?)" stop. The food thing is really a pretty minor gripe overall. I expect there to be potential shortages or food that I wouldn't necessarily like so I usually try to plan on having some stuff I bring along myself like Clif chews or Clif bars, etc. Also, I realize that some folks would've been at the stops for a long time, but that's why you schedule so some folks come on later in the day and don't end up spending 12 hours plus at a site. Still, I got the impression that there was supposed to be some big party and shindig at the end of the ride but I guess that was all an early afternoon thing or something.


Permalink Reply by Adam Z on September 25, 2012 at 4:24pm
As Ilter and I were running late all day, we made use of a friendly convenience store for our secret weapon in endurance cycling: convenience store bag o' pickle and fig newtons!

I was happy with all the services and snacks provided by the club. Potato soup, all you can eat bananas, h2o, and great sag support. A good time!
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 25, 2012 at 4:35pm

I think for the next ride I'll bring along a big bag of pork rinds. 

Permalink Reply by MeganK on September 25, 2012 at 6:18pm

This was my first century so I really didn't know what to expect. My friend and I averaged a bit over 13mph but didn't finish until 6:45. I ride in the city so I'm not used to hills, especially with headwinds. The park was empty and we were too late at all of the stops to get much food aside from the first one. I've never eaten so many bagels and bananas in one day before. Now I know to leave earlier, take less time at the stops and bring some protein. We were looking forward to getting our certificates and figured at least one person would be hanging around since we weren't the last ones coming in.

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