Horrible Hundred
I rode today perhaps the most horrible 100 miles in my entire life. It should have been a tough 100 miles in Harriman State Park, but a busted chain 1 mile into the ride quashed that idea quickly. At least the chain didn’t break while I was climbing up Tiorati Brook Road. It was too early to head to a local bike shop, so I had no choice but to head home to replace the chain and go for a 100 miler in Prospect Park. The only good thing about my trip up to HSP was my 30 minute nap in my car before I attempted the ride.
By the time I returned home, replaced my chain and headed back out, it was 10:45am; just in time to begin the ride as the mid-day heat was to arrive. I had 30 laps to ride which is enough to drive a person insane. Besides the misery of having to do this endless loop more times than a rational person should ever desire, I had to contend with the fumes of diesel trucks and hot asphalt from a repaving project along one of the park’s transverses. The road around this area was littered with bits and chunks of asphalt that was spilled and dragged out over the main roadway.
This was going on for most of my ride. At about 70 miles into it, the trucks, steam rollers and pavers had finally left, leaving behind a freshly paved road. It also opened access to one of the water fountains. I headed over to it for a water bottle refill. When I started to ride away, I found my tires sinking into still soft asphalt. A bunch of tar coated my tires making them a disgusting gumpy mess. I scrapped off as much of the gunk as I could, but a couple of clumps stubbornly refused to dislodge. My pace started to suffer a bit from the increased tackiness of the tires. After another 30 miles, most of came off, but it appears the tires are basically ruined.
While I ride, I sometimes listen to the MP3 player that is part of my Treo phone. The phone is also connected to my office email and chimes through the music every time an email message arrives. At a couple of hours into my ride, the chiming had become incessant. I couldn’t ignore the chimes any longer and this necessitated me to stop on a few occasions to answer some important messages and make several phone calls.
The average temperature for the ride was 85 degrees with a peak of 93 and blazing sun and wind. By the time I finished, I was dehydrated, sweaty and grimy. I flirted with going the full iron distance (112 miles), but after 101 miles I figured I’d had enough torture. I just wanted to get home, have a cold drink and take a cold bath. I must love being miserable in order to do something like today.
By the time I returned home, replaced my chain and headed back out, it was 10:45am; just in time to begin the ride as the mid-day heat was to arrive. I had 30 laps to ride which is enough to drive a person insane. Besides the misery of having to do this endless loop more times than a rational person should ever desire, I had to contend with the fumes of diesel trucks and hot asphalt from a repaving project along one of the park’s transverses. The road around this area was littered with bits and chunks of asphalt that was spilled and dragged out over the main roadway.
This was going on for most of my ride. At about 70 miles into it, the trucks, steam rollers and pavers had finally left, leaving behind a freshly paved road. It also opened access to one of the water fountains. I headed over to it for a water bottle refill. When I started to ride away, I found my tires sinking into still soft asphalt. A bunch of tar coated my tires making them a disgusting gumpy mess. I scrapped off as much of the gunk as I could, but a couple of clumps stubbornly refused to dislodge. My pace started to suffer a bit from the increased tackiness of the tires. After another 30 miles, most of came off, but it appears the tires are basically ruined.
While I ride, I sometimes listen to the MP3 player that is part of my Treo phone. The phone is also connected to my office email and chimes through the music every time an email message arrives. At a couple of hours into my ride, the chiming had become incessant. I couldn’t ignore the chimes any longer and this necessitated me to stop on a few occasions to answer some important messages and make several phone calls.
The average temperature for the ride was 85 degrees with a peak of 93 and blazing sun and wind. By the time I finished, I was dehydrated, sweaty and grimy. I flirted with going the full iron distance (112 miles), but after 101 miles I figured I’d had enough torture. I just wanted to get home, have a cold drink and take a cold bath. I must love being miserable in order to do something like today.
posted by Rebel at 10:22 PM
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