The ride started as a way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of founding of Wichita Falls – 100 miles in 100 degree heat for 100th anniversary.  That was back in the 1980s and the ride has continued since.

Each rider is asked to a categorize themselves as scorcher (5 hours or less), gatekeeper (5-8 hours) or hopeful (more than 8 hours).  I went with hopeful category since I knew I wasn’t so fast.  That also meant I was further back in the starting lineup.

Once the ride started, I found the course was surprisingly flat and I was able to get a good start, passing many people along the way.  Rest stops were every 10 miles and first 10 was very easy.  Next 10 was still pretty crowded on the road, but gradually the riders spaced out.  Before 30 mile marker we had our first headwinds.  This was part of a ~20mph wind from south.  By 40 some more winds but there we turned the corner away from wind.  There was surprise rest stop at 44 and then a larger lunch-type stop by 50 miles.

I was feeling reasonable by 50 mile mark, though hadn’t eaten a huge amount.  I’d gotten up at 3am to drive last bit to the course and breakfast was so-so.  Also the rest stops had fruit but nothing real big.  So I at four cookies but still felt a bit hungry.  I’d been drinking one water bottle per 10 miles.

Getting to the 60 mile mark, I could tell my body was feeling effects of heat and not as much food.  We had a brief 3 mile stretch into wind and then mostly cross wind for a while.  I found myself stopping feeling pretty warm.  By time I got to 75 mile rest stop, I was definitely feeling a light heat exhaustion.  I tried to cool down with some cold towels.  Drink some though felt slightly sick.  Wasn’t quite sure I would be up to rest, particularly with headwind section coming later.

Decided to SAG from there to next stop.  That was mixed blessing since it took a while for SAG to show up and that didn’t help me cool down.  In hindsight time would perhaps have been better spent cooling down and regrouping.  I did learn that I could ride fast to start, but still needed to see what better I could do for the worst of the heat.  Disappointing to have my body slow down like that, though better safe than sorry.  Next time, I’ll bring bigger lunch/breakfast and try eating as well as drinking before it gets too hot.

The route from Eugene is fairly flat and speed was ok though not very fast.  Stopped in Junction City to pump up the rear tire, a pressure of 30 psi so that helped rolling speeds.  After this a brief stop at rest area for Applegate Trail and then on into Corvallis for a morning break.  Bike was riding well, though after Corvallis, started to get a bit slower.  There was a slight headwind and a few gentle grades though I’m sure I wasn’t in top shape either.  Without too much difficulty made my way into Salem and relaxed in afternoon before taking morning train back to Portland.  So far the new bike has “connected” Eugene with Portland.

Specifics of the ride can be seen at: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/161385290

[See image gallery at bike2013.com]
[See image gallery at bike2013.com]
[See image gallery at bike2013.com]

I started the ride Saturday night with a train trip from Portland to Salem.  From here a mile to the Howard Johnsons and overnight.  Time for sunrise was 6:45am but I was on the road before then.  Not that I actually saw much of the sun on this ride.  Initially it was cloudy and misty, just enough to collect on my glasses to make it hard to see – but not enough to really worry about getting cold or wet.

I followed 99E from Salem and the first 30 miles or so is pretty flat.  The bike rode well.  I experimented with putting on/off the suspension lock.  On the flat stretches didn’t make much difference since my weight keeps the suspension mostly in one spot anyways.  The hand positions are comfortable.  I’m still a bit cautious on downhills and disc brakes seem to be better stopping power than cantilever.

At 18 miles I made a short stop for breakfast.  After this another 9 miles to Canby and there I found the back roads to the ferry.  I was the only vehicle on the ferry and the ride was free.  Can’t make much money with that business model.  There was another cyclist on the other side to take back.  After this more hills to climb: mountain road and then via Lake Oswego.

Overall a good ride.  Specifics can be seen on Garmin web site: http://connect.garmin.com/player/154938240

[See image gallery at bike2013.com]
[See image gallery at bike2013.com]
[See image gallery at bike2013.com]