North Shore Cyclists' Blazing Saddles Century

"So, are you going to taper or something?"  A friend of mine who runs marathons asked me late this week.  A good question given my weekend plans of doing the North Shore Cyclists "Blazing Saddles" century 100 mile route.  My answer was I was riding very slowly on Thursday and not riding on Friday, surely that would be enough even though the 200 miles I had ridden that week since Sunday was about the most I've ridden in a week for a year.

Turned out I was incorrect.  Tapering -- reducing your training load before a big event so you have fresh legs -- would have been an excellent thing to do.  I would sorely regret this decision.

In any case, I was up before my alarm went off at 5:20 AM.  I had packed all my cycling gear and post ride clothing the night before.  My bike was all prepped as well -- tires topped off the night before to full pressure.  Since the forecast was for a strong chance of showers and the roads were already wet I went with my touring bike.  It's got fenders on it and has a powerful headlight to use in case of actual rain.

Not a morning person.

I got to the start in Byfield (part of Newbury, apparently), got my wristband & map/cue sheet.  My registration was paid for back in May.  I used to do Blazing Saddles every year in the late 90's.  It was offered in a two day format.  You could pay one registration and ride both days any length route you wanted each day.  A couple times I did the 100 mile route both days and even set my personal best for a century on this route back in 2000.  Now it's only run one day.  Typically, it conflicts with my oldest daughter's birthday, so I don't get to ride it anymore.

The route map.  So well arrowed/signed I never had to look at my cue sheet.

As I rolled out I knew I wasn't going to set or come close to my personal best.  The 300 mile week I was so excited to get to was my summertime cycling norm back then.  These days I usually bike less than half of that mileage each week.  It was cool and foggy.  My legs felt achy and didn't have much pop in them.  I jumped on a couple pacelines for bit but didn't feel up to it.  I was paying a price for not tapering.  My legs just weren't there.

Water stop One

I did a good job with keeping up on eating and drinking.  It was helped greatly by the three rest stops along the route.  What a difference from riding on my own.  I didn't have to worry about stopping to get more food.  The variety of food at the stops was really good.  The middle stop featured sandwiches.

An overcast Merrimack River

Very quiet rural roads were the norm.

The terrain on the ride was typical rolling terrain for the area.  The roads were fairly quiet.  We rode along the Merrimack River and then up into New Hampshire for a bit.  Quite a bit of the route was along coastal areas.  I also saw farms with cows, goats, sheep, horses and fields with corn.  It was just gorgeous. A couple standouts was a loop in Ipswitch that went out along a small peninsula and a section along a salt marsh.  The day had been slowly warming, but it had been overcast all day.  Suddenly around one o'clock the sun burned through the clouds and the temperature jumped up to the mid 80's.  It was hot.

Scenic Ipswitch

Towards the end of the ride -- really from the last pit stop around 75 miles or so -- people got quite focused on how many miles were left on the ride.  Riders would repeat how many miles were left or ask each other how many miles they had on their bike computers (due to calibration differences you can get some variances).  People can get really fixated on this and in a way, it's kind of self-defeating.  Yeah, we've got 20 miles left, or whatever, but if you aren't having a good day, this can just get you down.  After all, that's really the toughest part of the ride.  Anything that might have slightly annoying you can become a major issue.  Have you been keeping up on hydration?  Eating enough?  That slight cramp in your leg isn't going to get better.  Achy shoulders start to feel worse.  Keeping ahead of all that early in the day is important -- as is addressing those problems and not obsessing on them in later in the day.  I tend to think that a mileage count down doesn't help with that stuff.  Anyway, we were rolling through some amazing farmland and all I could think was that people pay money to go on bike tours of places like this.

Snacks at 75 miles in.  I had lots more pickles than shown.

In any case, you keep pedaling and what do you do know, you eventually come to the finish.  Hats off to the people who laid out this route, it came in at 100 miles on the nose.  There was an excellent post ride spread, including vegetarian hot dogs.  It was a great ride all in all.  I was very happy to have had the chance to ride such a scenic route after so many years.  I finished my coke, veggie-dogs, said goodbye to the fellow rider I'd been chatting with and went home.  Satisfied with a long day in the saddle even if I didn't hit the pace I'd wanted (taper before events kids!).

Veggie dogs!

Very happy at the finish -- not the least due to getting out of that cycling kit!

82 mile ride "Marlboro Man"

Yesterday I went out and did an 82 mile version of my "Marlboro Man" route.  Here's one version of it:  http://www.mapmyride.com/us/brookline-ma/marlboro-man-simplified-route-20668048

Added a few miles to that version by going out on Beacon to Comm to Weston to 126 to 117 to 85 instead of going via Watertown.

Before the ride I fueled up with the AMAZING cheesy grits with a soft boiled egg from my local Clover.  Lots of pre-ride calories and I didn't feel hungry for a couple hours.  It was a perfect day.  The weather was sunny and in the upper 80's.  I think it was also fairly dry, so I was quite comfortable.  It was going to be a long day in the saddle and I was not feeling terribly frisky, so I kind of spun easily out of town.  I saw a lot of cyclists coming in the opposite direction.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Sudbury Road in Weston has been repaved.  It really needed it badly.

Look at that fresh silky smooth pavement!

I hooked up with 126 and headed north until I caught 117.  This is really a lovely road.  Traffic moves fast in spots, but generally it's wide and there's some beautiful farms and other Olde New Englande views.

Here's a shot of a bridge over the Sudbury River.

There are any number of places to stop along this stretch.  I was carrying two water bottles and hit the second one around here.


If you're looking to stretch the route out to 100 miles you can continue on 117 until you get to Leominster.  I did that once back in the day.  You can then double back until you get to 85.  You can also shorten the route a bit by taking 62 where it branches from 117 and hooking up with 85 in Hudson.  This flexibility is one of the reasons I like this route.  It's got some excellent climbs, beautiful views, and you can vary the distance from 55 miles to 100 by altering a couple turns.

I was starting to think about stopping to get some food and drink when I saw this sign for a farmstand.

I took a couple photos.

But I did not stop.  Go figure.

I think this is one of the drawbacks of me riding on my own.  I can be pretty bullheaded and will just ride.  Anyway, I kept riding, picked up 85 and headed south.  During the whole day I only had a couple interactions with other cyclists going in my direction.  Around this bit I talked to another cyclist -- he was surprised that my rear red light was on.  I told him my front back & front lights were rechargeable and I ran with them on during the day for extra visibility.  He said if his were, he'd do the same.

Down the road in Hudson I finally drained the last of my water.  I stopped at a playground to see if they had a water fountain, but there wasn't one.  Oh well.  I rode along and came across a Dunkin Donuts.  Since I was jonesing for an iced coffee too, I stopped in.  Most Dunkin Donuts don't seem to care if you bring your bike into the store -- another consideration for solo cycling.  The people working here were incredibly friendly.  They offered to fill my water bottles with ICE WATER.

It was nice to sit down in the AC and cool off a bit.  I also ate a "croissaint".  Downtown Hudson has had a beautiful revival, partially due to the Assabet River bike path that runs through it. I ran across that path earlier in the day, though I decided not to take it.

With full water bottles I continued south on 85 for the major challenge of the day: the climb up to Hopkington.  The road just goes up and up.  I got down into my lowest gear and spun to the top.  Not setting any speed records, but I got there.  I passed up on taking 135 (the Marathon Route) back into town.  Instead I continued heading south on 85 towards Holliston.  At some point I ran across the "Upper Charles River" bike path.  I crossed the road to check it out and sure enough, one of its spurs dumped out onto 16.  So, I hopped on this path.

I rode along for a bit.  The path was QUIET and shady.  It was a nice break from the road.  I sat up for a bit and rode no handed and stretched for a bit.  I stopped and chatted with a couple cyclists about where the spur to 16 was.  They expressed some surprise regarding how far I had gone/where I came from.

The path eventually became packed dirt, but it was still OK riding.  I was running low on water and thinking about stopping for a refill.  At some point the path looked like it was turning into a more gravel mix, so I jumped off at a convenient point and got on the road.  Which turned out to be route 16!  Exactly the road I wanted.  After running out of water I stopped at two shops in South Natick -- both of which were closed.  Kind of bummed out I got back on the road and saw an open gas station just shy of the Wellesley town line.  I stopped and loaded up on the fluids.

Another in a series of "snacks that saved my life".  One of the great things about cycling.  It makes everything better.  Iced tea, Gatorade, and almonds pretty solidly fall into that category.

Looking a little worn around the edges at this point.

Refueled and with full water bottles I got back on my bike feeling a whole lot better.  In a couple miles I hit my regular commute route home and "the horses smelled the barn".  This is a stretch of road where I know every pothole and bump.

Finally, I was home.  Hungry and tired after a very long day in the saddle.  I think the salt stains on my jersey tell the whole story.  After dinner I walked to JP Licks and had the chocolate frappe I'd been thinking of all day long.  ;-)

If you've read this far and feel like it, here's a donation link for the event I'm training for, the Harbor to the Bay Ride:  https://www.harbortothebay.org/profile/atsolo

Bicycling Magazine's old ten week century training plan

Bicycling Magazine published this ten week training plan back in the early 90's.  I used it to prepare for my first century ride.  These days I do a daily 30 mile round trip bike commute that sets me up nicely for a century if I do it five days a week.  Commuting to work by bike is an excellent way to train.

What to Wear for Cycling in New England autumn weather

What to Wear for Cycling in New England autumn weather.

Technically, the Harbor to the Bay Ride occurs in summer.  Long time riders can attest the weather in late September can be quite variable.  We’ve had dry years, rainy rides, hot rides, and one year when the temperature at rollout was a brisk 42 degrees.  Given that we’re riding out to Cape Cod, you could run into all of the above in a single day.

How can you dress to be comfortable and safe with variable weather like that?

Here is what I do to prepare:

We’ve all got the snazzy looking ride jerseys and our favorite comfortable cycling shorts.  I also carry a wind vest, knee warmers, and arm warmers.  The warmers come in different weights, but a light set will suffice for any cold or wet conditions we might run into.  The warmers are made of materials similar to your shorts and turn your summer clothing into three season gear.  All of that rolls up small and fits into the jersey pockets with room left over for a wallet, snack bars, and what have you.  Here’s a photo of me wearing knee warmers and the vest:

Various combinations of vest/arm/knee warmers can keep you comfortable as conditions warrant and as they change through the day.  I’ve been on lots of rides where it’s chilly in the morning, so I wear all of it.  Then in the afternoon it’s hot and they’re all in my pockets.  And then as the sun goes down I stop to put bits of it back on.  If it rains, this stuff won’t keep you dry, but will keep you a bit warmer.

For rain I also carry one of those little cycling caps. Wearing the brim down & low keeps the rain out of my eyes.  If rain is in the forecast, there are snap on fenders you can put on your bike to keep the road grit and splash off of you.  It makes a big difference.  

Here I am with the cap under the helmet and my rain bike with the full permanent fenders.  Note the lights I use in rain too -- rear red & front white.

 

You can get all of this at your local bike store. Don’t forget to ask for that H2B discount!