Well, that was intense ;)
Yesterday I completed my first Metric Century, Breakaway to Sugarloaf, with Caitlin and her dad in Clermont, Fl.
I've done this distance (61 miles) once before, but I had only trained up to 25 miles for this race. Cycling comes easy to me so I approached the ride as an intense morning workout with fun people!
Too bad I underestimated the hills! These hills were plentiful and these hills were STEEP! I don't think it's possible to describe the amount and elevation of the hills we climbed!
The course was exceptionally beautiful. It felt as if I was transported to another state with the rolling hills, forests and farms.
I actually felt great for most of the ride! Caitlin asked me how I was doing and I kept replying that I felt like I had just gotten on the bike.
Sixty-one hill miles does take a long time, so I was extra happy to have Caitlin and her dad to chat with along the course- when we weren't tackling hills, of course!
There were three aid stations throughout the course. The aid station was a single man set up on the side of the road with a table and a rack for bikes. Very different from the bigger running races I'm used to!
I ate about 1,200 calories throughout the ride (not including pre- or post-race fuel). I had one Hammer Gell, several fig bars, a sports drink and plenty of pretzels. I have trouble eating anything at all when I run, but my stomach begs for food on the bike!
For most of the race the hills were manageable with some extra effort, but things changed around mile 37 when I fell. It was only my second ride with clipless pedals and clipping in wasn't second nature yet. I had stopped on a steep hills halfway up and unclipped. When Caitlin realized we actually needed to turn before the hill and not go up it I had to make my way down. It was raining so the roads were sleek. I just knew I was going to fall looking down that hill. I tried to turn my bike sideways and clip one foot in but as soon as it go in I fell over with my bike. It was a relatively small fall (I only banged my shin on the bike), but it startled me. Falling on a wet hills that steep while being slipped in introduced fear to the ride. It was rainy and that made fast speeds and steep hills a bit more intimidating.The race is named for Sugarloaf Mountain, which Caitlin says is the highest paved point in Florida! This hill was STEEP! When I caught my first glimpse of it I muttered "holy crap." LOL I especially loved the group of cyclists waiting at the bottom, gathering enough guts to go up!
I really wanted to stay on my bike for the whole hill, but halfway up my body just gave up. I was going so slow that I felt I was going to fall over. Again, being clipped in on a wet hill and thinking you might fall is super scary. I unclipped and walked the rest of the way up with Caitlin. Next time I'll get you, Sugarloaf Mountain!
The last 12 miles after Sugarloaf Mountain were full of hills. At one point we were climbing solid hills for about 20 minutes. There was one hill... a few feet of flat pavement... and then another hill even steeper! I told the others that this must be a practical joke!Approaching our finish was funny. It was just us three coasting up to our cars. No finish line. No medals. No clock. It was so different from running races! Still, we had the satisfaction of sticking together and finishing an intense and long metric century!
I really loved doing this bike "race." (It was considered an organized recreational ride.) At the beginning I started out faster and actually had a whole pack of cyclists with me. I dropped back so I could stay with Caitlin and her dad, but I knew I could keep up with the group of cyclists the whole race. Now I'm inspired to do more cycling races- and to give the next one my all!!
From Caitlin:
- Distance: 61.81 miles
- Duration (with approximately 30 minutes of stops): 5:13
- Average Pace (counting stops): 11.8 mph
- Approximate Average Pace (not counting stops): 13.0 mph
I wasn't sore at all during the race, but my muscles definitely feel it now. I'm going to stretch them out today and take it easy with a swim before I head into work.I'll be back later with today's post!
Have you ever participated in a cycling event?
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