Tour de Palm Springs - 102 Mile Route - CycleCentury


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Palm Springs, California
United States
Tour de Palm Springs
75F / 24C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 5h 51m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 5:30, ate a small danish,rode to Coffee Bean and met up with the rest of the cycling group one block from start. Waited about 45 mins before we rolled out.
Event warmup:

Not much of a warmup, rode 4 blocks to the our meeting place. The warmup came as we rolled out of Palm Springs.
Bike
  • 5h 51m
  • 102 miles
  • 17.44 mile/hr
Comments:

Despite the strong winds at the beginning and towards the end (as we headed back into Palm Springs), this was a fun, fast ride. I was able to jump in a paceline, the group staying together from mile 55 until the finish. Quads were on the verge of cramping, starting arund mile 80. Took the cadence down a notch and kept a steady 18mph.
What would you do differently?:

Train more, with long training rides.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line, walked through the expo and rode my bike back to the hotel.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The wind gusts in the early part of the ride. Tightness in the quads during the last 20 miles.

Event comments:

2nd year riding the century. They moved the start to the main street in the city, which worked better. It eliminated the backup of waves. The expo was also moved to the same street, much more festive. Slight change in the first 15 miles, but no biggie. Winds were intense at the start, but once we turned south, the winds deminished and our pace sped up considerably. Winds picked up as we headed back into town.




Last updated: 2012-01-14 12:00 AM
Biking
05:51:00 | 102 miles | 17.44 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: This is a relatively flat and fast course. However, the winds picked up as the ride started. We were greeted with 30+ mile wind gusts for the first 8 miles. The first 4 miles were cross-winds, forcing many riders to get off their bikes and walk through the gusts. Many riders decided to shut it down and turned back into town. Around mile 5 we turned left and the gusts were now headwinds for a couple more miles. After getting past the wind, the coure sped up quickly.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Too easy
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4