Death Valley 100 and 200 - CycleCentury


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Death Valley, California
United States
Adventure Corps
88F / 31C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 8h 54m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Drove up on Friday via Trona, one of the weirdest/saddest little towns I've seen in these parts. Up at 6:00 AM on Saturday. Started hydrating right away. Mixed my first batch of Perpetuem. Packed up some food and gear and went out to watch the double century riders start off for the day.
Event warmup:

Stretched a little bit and checked over my bike one last time. Fired down three Clif blocks about ten minutes prior to the century start.
Bike
  • 8h 54m
  • 108.4 miles
  • 12.18 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my first successful century (second attempt). Things could not have gone any better. Showed up healthy and injury-free this time around, which made a big difference. Also benefitted tremendously from my improved nutrition plan. The course was a good one for relatively inexperienced riders like me. A challenging front half (3000' climbing, including 2000 fairly grueling feet between miles 40 and 54), then lunch, turn around and enjoy the flats and downhills that brought us there. Did extremely well on the climbing portions, which I'm starting to see as one of my strengths. Felt comfortable in the saddle all day. A little soreness in my knee after 70 miles, but nothing serious. Started feeling gassed at 90 miles, but took some fluids and a few more Clif blocks to get me home. What a great ride!
What would you do differently?:

It wasn't the fastest centry ever (about 7:20 ride time; 8:54 start to finish), but it was a great experience. Paced myself well and made good decisions with respect to nutrition/hydration. Other than continuing to build my training base, I don't think I would do anything differently next time around.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked around and strecthed for a few minutes. Sat down with some V-8 juice and a sandwich. chatted with a couple friends and watched other riders coming in.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I don't put in big miles, and I haven't really entered the world of speed work yet. But the gradual approach seems to be working. I'd like to incorporate interval training and weight work into my regimen eventually, but I'm in no rush. Hope to stay healthy and pedal for years to come.

Event comments:

Exceptional setting with plenty of experienced and supportive volunteers.




Last updated: 2006-10-06 12:00 AM
Biking
08:54:00 | 108.4 miles | 12.18 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: For those who know the park: Furnace Creek to Scotty's Catsle and back.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5