The Assault on Mt. Mitchell - CycleCentury


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Spartanburg, South Carolina
United States
Freewheelers of Spartanburg
45F / 7C
Overcast
Total Time = 8h 51m
Overall Rank = 558/750
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Had breakfast in the hotel and headed over to the race start. We prepped the bikes and ourselves and headed to the start and got lined up with the rest of the criminals.
Event warmup:

None. Watched the countdown on the race clock to the start.
Bike
  • 8h 51m
  • 102 miles
  • 11.53 mile/hr
Comments:

I was 20 minutes faster this year as I took it much easier out to Marion with only one stop at Mile 65. My next planned stop was when I reached the parkway at 86. Then I really had no plans to stop again unless I needed water. Unfortunately, while we were riding a nice pace up the parkway, I started to bonk. Not enough nutrition I think and maybe a bit light on the drinking during the first 65. I really didn't want to stop prior to that and was probably conserving my fluids to ensure that goal. I had to stop at 92 to eat and regain some energy. There is a 2+ mile descent at 92 and then nothing the really the rest of the way to the top. At 96 my psoas and adducter on the left leg wanted to cramp. I got nervous because once this genie is out of the bottle it can really wreck the rest of your day. I sent Deb up ahead and focused on relaxing the leg and continued riding and occassionally standing to stretch. Eventually I lost track of Deb and continued on to the park entrance. Deb was standing there waving me on. What a hoot! I told her to keep going and we rode up the rest of the way. The two mile wall into the park entrance gave me a little bit of trouble with the cramping but I was able to overcome it and gather my strength again. We finished strong and I was very excited to see Deb finish sub 9 hrs on her first try. She would've been much faster if I didn't act as the anchor! :)
What would you do differently?:

More eating and one less stop. We screwed up our first stop with a minor mechanical issue and some poor communications regarding the port-a-john. That cost us some time that we could easily eliminate. I would like to try and go for a sub 8 next time.
Post race
Warm down:

Dried off, got on some clean clothes and boarded the bus down the mountain.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Possible nutrition mistakes here. We were also adhering to a strict 138 bpm HR limit.

Event comments:

I was not motivated for this event so I approached it with minimum expectations. However, in the end, we had a very good ride. A few mistakes were made but overall I was very pleased with my performance. I would like to come back next year and focus on a sub 8 hr ride.




Last updated: 2010-05-21 12:00 AM
Biking
08:51:00 | 102 miles | 11.53 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 558/750
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: This is arguably the hardest century in the SE US. It starts in Spartanburg with a relatively flat to rolling profile but is gradually climbing 70+ miles to Marion,NC where you start the significant climbing to the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is a time and place component to get on the parkway and continue the ride. The next 17 miles are very difficult. The last 5 into the Mt. Mitchell park are hell on earth with the first two of that @ 9% grade.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5