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Written by Vince
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Monday, 04 August 2008 07:07 |
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I've been doing a lot of longer rides with hills lately. I've been to the top of Mt. Diablo twice in the last couple of weeks and yesterday I rode the Mt. Tam (Mount Tamalpais) Century which is technically not a century since it was only 95 miles. It was quite challenging none the less. When I arrived at the starting point, I realized how popular this event was when I had to park about a mile away. They started us in waves in order to keep the flow of riders down but I think I had to wait a mere minute or so before we started.
It seemed like only a few miles before we were already climbing. I am not many things including: a sprinter, a podium finisher, or a youngest rider. I am a climber though. And despite not even being warmed up yet, I was already being presented with the first climb of the day. And like that, the first 1.5 mile hill was conquered and I was ready to go. But instead of continuing to go up, we start descending. In fact, I think we descended farther down then our small climb up. With the ride claiming nearly 8000 feet of climbing and Mt. Tam only being 2600 feet at the summit, I guess I should have expected climbs and descends.
Being a bit older, slightly smarter, and having broken bikes, wheels, and body parts, my fast descending is reserved for racing only. I figure if I have to hang it out on the line for something, it'll be for where it's worth it... racing. Needless to say, I was cautious on the descents. Every time I see a car across the line or a biker zigzagging across the line, I confirm my choice to be cautious. Further confirming my cautious behavior were the two bikers who had apparently crashed on a particularly technical section of the road. They appeared to be ok but I'm not sure about their equipment.
Silverman boasts lots of climbs and I keep hearing about the "three sisters". I finally found some information about them. The "sisters" are three steep climbs with 18% grades. If I am anything, I am prepared... which is why I decided to ride my tri bike instead of taking my road bike on the Mt. Tam Century. I will be riding my tri bike during Silverman and I want to be prepared for the sisters and whatever else is in store for me. My bike is equipped with a 12/27 cassette and a 53/39 crank. This combination allowed me to take on almost all of the hills while remaining aero. There were some sections where I did have to pop up and a couple of times I actually had to get out of the saddle but the majority of the ride was aero. I'm not sure whether he was being sarcastic or complimentary but as I was passing a younger rider, he called me a stud for riding aero on one of the longer hills. I also rode my Hed Jet 60/90 combo wheelset in order to see how they would handle the climbing with gusts of wind. All in all, I was not disappointed by either the decision to ride the tri bike or the wheelset and am confident with taking both to Silverman.
It seemed like we were climbing for a long time before we arrived at an intersection where a volunteer was shouting that we were almost to the summit. He was sort of lying because "almost there" in my mind was a lot closer than it actually was. After a total of 35 miles of mostly climbing, we arrived at the summit. I wish I had more time to enjoy the scenery because it was an absolutely gorgeous day and you could see all the way around without the typical blanket of fog covering San Francisco. My stop was brief, just long enough to refill my water, steal some food, and get back on the ride.
What goes up must come down and we did. It wasn't all descending though and to be honest, from what I can remember, it was mostly a blur of twists and turns with trees and breathtaking views everywhere. In the moment, I am more about the goal than I am about the route. I did thoroughly enjoy the route but even now as I sit here writing this, I have already forgotten what I had done and was just glancing at a map to remember the town I was approaching with the stop sign. I think it was Bolinas.
I did the Napa Century a few years ago and I remember the volunteers specifically stating there was a police officer that liked to hang out at the bottom of a steep hill where a stop sign was placed. He would write tickets for anyone that would roll the stop. As I was descending that hill, I saw the stop sign and remembered to stop. I nearly had cyclists crashing into the back of me but they all thanked me when they saw the police officer who apparently had his hands filled with tickets he was giving out to the not so lucky cyclists waiting at the side of the ride.
Upon entering the town of Bolinas, I saw a stop sign. And ever since Napa, I will unclip one foot and touch it to the ground as I make my complete stop. As I was doing so, I looked left and noticed a police officer on a motorcycle. Thank you Eagle Cycling Club of Napa. The cyclist behind me also came to a complete stop so I think I saved at least one today.
The next section of the route was flat and fast. I felt strong and cranked out speeds in the mid to high 20's for quite some time. But all good things must come to an end and they did. The next section seemed to wear on me a bit. It consisted of a series of upward rollers heading towards the town of Olema. I used to cycle in this area so maybe it seemed a little worse because I knew what was in store. It eventually ended but I was starting to run out of water and was impatiently waiting for the next rest stop arrive. It was much farther out than it should've been. I wasn't the only one that felt that way either since a fellow rider was also complaining about not having water.
We intersected routes with the metric century group which made things a little more interesting because it was getting lonely out there. We eventually found that rest stop and I refilled my water bottles, ate a few snacks and again was on my way. But this time, I knew the next stop was the end. Feeling strong, I picked up the pace and cranked through the last 15 miles as if I had fresh legs.
I've done my fair share of centuries and I can tell you that the Marin Cyclists who hosted the event are at the top of my list. With the exception of the missing rest stop, this was a top notch event. Don't expect swag, or discounts for your local sports store but what you can expect is a well stocked ride including many things that you wouldn't normally expect as well as a feast waiting for you when you finish. If you guys are reading this... thanks for a great event, I will be back next year!
Silverman, I am ready for you.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 December 2008 19:26 |
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