Loon Echo Trek

I did my first Loon Echo Century over the weekend.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful course.  Actually, the day started out pretty darn foggy but by noon the sun was out and by beer and BBQ time it was warm and clear.  Mrs Candid Cyclist did her second organized 50 mile ride and I'm sure she will be itching to try a century within the next year.

Beer O' Clock

 I spent the first 60+ miles riding with my friend John who was pacing with the lead group for the whole time despite a relatively low number of training miles and a bike that was a little heavier than the average steed in the pack.  We stopped to enjoy 2 of the well stocked rest stops.  Many of the roads in this part of the ride were beautiful traffic free back roads, awesome!  After the second one John was starting to fade on the hills so I bid him farewell and joined the next pack of riders coming by.  I knew Even's Notch was coming up and I like to climb.  The group dropped off and I got to ride the notch by myself.  At the top was a group of riders just starting to descend.  I got "stuck" behind them for the several mile ride down which kept my speed in check but made me think about replacing my brake pads.  I stopped at the rest stop at the bottom of the notch for a quick bite and was off for the last 25 miles.

In this stretch I rode with a group of 3 other riders for a while, then with another rider who was doing the 50mi+ and then alone for the last 10 or so miles.  By the time I crossed the line at 1:55 I thought I might have worked my way up to be the first across from the century riders.  Ultimately I think I was 3rd with a moving average of 18mph for the whole ride.  But it's not a race, it's a ride, Right?  Right, unless you are passive competitive like me.

The after party was great as we hung around to cheer our friends and other riders over the line.  We left in time for a trip to Rene's to by tea and toothpaste.  What a great day!

And for my next trick: I've signed up for the Dempsey Challenge Century.  Donate Here

And that's all I have to say about that.  Actually, it isn't.  We hit the hay by 9:00 and slept until 7:30 the next morning.  I recent sleep record for me.