Spending a Century on a Bike

Actually, it all started Saturday night. I made sure to head to bed at a reasonable hour the night before the ride, about 10:15. Before falling asleep, I lay in bed with my eyes closed and took a few slow, deep breaths. I thought to myself. “I am going to wake up tomorrow and have a wonderful ride.” And I did.

Sunday started off with perfect weather for a bike ride. Just before 8 AM, the temperature was in the high 50s or low 60s. Sunshine was expected all day with a bit of wind… Okay, more than a bit of wind. It had rained for two days previous and the natural follow-up included wind.

Downtown Cocoa is rather quaint with tiny roads and buildings jammed up next to each other and the road in all directions. From the start, we headed north on Indian River Road towards Titusville. A group of about six of my teammates and I stayed together in one pace line for the bulk of the first 40 miles. Made for a fairly speedy trip (in my book) and easier pedaling. The course was mostly flat with a few low rises. This is Florida after all.

The real fun began after the second SAG (Safety And Gear) stop at mile 40. Our team cycling coach had caught up with us and I opted to stay behind, since I knew I was starting to fall behind from the group and I don't like riding by myself! It’s also nice to have someone with you who is required to be the last one across the finish line.

Anyway, pulling out from the SAG stop, I realized my back tire was flat. Oh, joy! Luckily, we’re required to carry a spare tube, so about 10-15 minutes later; I had a newly inflated tire. Ready to go. Unfortunately, about ¼ of a mile down the road, it went flat again! Double joy! This time we patched both tubes and replaced one. Off again!

About two miles later, we started heading south, which meant the wind was behind us. This made for very easy pedaling and quite brisk speeds. Until… you guessed it. A pop and a rush of air. Another flat. Now it should be noted that all three flats were on the back tire, completely unrelated, except that maybe the tread was too worn on the tire. After a quick fix, we were on the road again. This time the adventure of flat tires was over!

The next 30 miles were fairly uneventful. Some wind, some sun, stops ever 15 miles or so and lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Yes, it is possible to get tired of them! We rode through some very interesting neighborhoods. One minute we’re next to million dollar mansions right on the Intercoastal and a few miles later, the homes are a step above a double wide. Coach even noted how some people’s money was in the house and some people’s money was in the toys out front (ie RV, boat, etc). Says a lot about the people living in the area.

Right about 80 miles into the ride we started making our way back north towards the finish line. Here, the wind picked up quite briskly and speed was definitely affected negatively. However, we battled our way through the next 22.5 miles to finally make it back where we started.

My teammates were waiting to cheer me on as a reached the finish line. They even went so far as to create a finish line for me out of toilet paper! What friends!

So after 102.5 miles on the bike, my rear hurt, my knees ached and every muscle in my body was stiff from sitting in one position for too long, but I still smiled.