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Chico Wildflower - 65 - CycleCentury


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Chico, California
United States
Chico Velo
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = /4,000
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Avoided coffee
Hydrated and ate very well - very satisfied!
Event warmup:

Stretch - bathroom - stretch more
Bike
  • 4h 10m
  • 65 miles
  • 15.60 mile/hr
What would you do differently?:

Ride the full centiry
Post race
Warm down:

Stretch
changed my clothes

What limited your ability to perform faster:

no excuses

Event comments:

Well placed and abundantly supplied rest stops. Large number of bathrooms to accomodate the number of riders - no waiting around in line to use facilities. Also, handwash was available to riders for after bathroom breaks/before eating.

Very well organized event with lunch afterwards. This was the 25th year of the Chico Wildflower. I would definately ride in this century again.




Last updated: 2006-01-18 12:00 AM
Biking
04:10:00 | 65 miles | 15.60 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/4,000
Performance:
62.5 mile course. 2.5 add'l miles ridden in order to meet the goal of 700 miles ridden this month as part of a BT monthly challenge.
Wind: Headwind
Course: 4,000 riders 2,000 ft elevation Course begins at the Butte County Fair Grounds in Chico California. The course takes the rider through the City of Chico heading east toward the Buttes that are at the Sierra Foothills. The first 13 miles or so, consists of a nice smooth rolling course through the countryside, and at one point I passed a band playing live music on the back of a hay wagon. The first bathroom stop is located at the 13th mile, and after that the climb into the town of Paradise begins. The climb takes the rider up through the Buttes, and somewhere around the 18th mile the rider emerges in what appeared to be downtown Paradise. After this the course consists of a series of quick rollers and somewhere around 19 mile mark the second rest stop is perfectly located. I hit the bathrooms, ate a banana & a GU and refilled my water bottles, then headed out for the next leg of the ride. From Paradise, begins a long, steady descent from the Buttes and down into the valley. This leg of the ride is very fast, and on the rare occasion I had to glimpse at my speed on the descent I was hanging-in there at 35 MPH. At the 27.5 mile point, the rider approaches the intersection of Durham-Pentz Rd (also the site of the 3rd bathroom stop). Riding Durham-Pentz Rd was also very fast. This section is very scenic as it goes through beautiful cattle and horse ranches. By the time I hit the 35 mile point, I had emerged from behind the protection of the Buttes, and arrived in the valley and found myself riding into a headwind. Miles 35-41 were slower-going, but the scenic dairy farms and orchards made up for the wind conditions. At the 41 mile point located in the little farm town of Durham, I stopped for my 4th bathroom break (indeed I stayed well hydrated), where I also ate some fruit and a pastry. From 41-50 miles I rode through the orchards and this stretch of road proved to be very fast. At the 50 mile point, there was a right hand turn that pointed me north, heading directly into a headwind, and for the remainder of the ride I either tackled the headwind or was riding with a crosswind, but the crosswind did not seem to slow me down much.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2006-05-01 5:45 PM

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Master
1862
10005001001001002525
San Mateo, CA
Subject: Chico Wildflower - 65


2006-05-01 11:07 PM
in reply to: #411582

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Expert
704
500100100
Durham, CA
Subject: RE: Chico Wildflower - 65
Nice work on the 65 - you definitly got the best of the roads on your race. The Table Mountain loop was a little rough, as was the humboldt loop.Just a little geography lesson, you were no where near "the buttes". The Buttes are the stand-alone little set of mountains about 30 miles south-west of where you were riding. You were in the Sierra Nevada foothills.Anyway, good job finishing. Dennis
2006-05-01 11:11 PM
in reply to: #411916

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Master
1862
10005001001001002525
San Mateo, CA
Subject: RE: Chico Wildflower - 65

Oh I thought the buttes were down lower.  Ha, whatta ya know.

The roads were in good condition overall.  The road going up to Paradise was a little chewed up, but it's probably best that we were climbing that section rather than descending.   

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