Wilson 101: Post-Game Report

I did it, folks. Here's the rundown.

Wheels down at 8:15a. Light breeze, mid-upper 70s, and overcast skies. A few miles in, it started to drizzle lightly. No big deal, it was refreshing and cool, though I immediately regretted not putting on my booties (they were left, forlornly, at the start in the car). About 7 of us were in a pace line, zipping along.

At mile 50, we had stopped at two of the three SAG stops and were averaging around 16mph.

At mile 61 we stopped at a SAG stop for water and to stretch because the wind had picked up and one of us was struggling. Discover the struggle was likely due to a soft tire. We refill the tire, vow to keep an eye on it, and take off into newly pouring (and slightly chilly because of the stop) rain.

Mile 65ish, we stop to change the now-flat tire; rain lets up and doesn't get worse than a drizzle for the remainder of the ride.

Mile 73 we stop to put proper air in the tire and keep on.

Mile ~76 I realize I hadn't turned on the computer since the previous stop, costing me 3.5 miles of stats.

Mile 85 I drop my chain. Fix it, pedal three strokes, drop the chain again. Both times it gets jammed up in the crank. Fix it, pedal, rear derailleur starts ghost shifting up and down the cassette. Unfixable on the road, so I ride like that for the remainder of the ride, with the Gaps coaches keeping an eye on the bike and me company. Couldn't shift in front, to avoid dropping chain again.

Mile 97 hit the one hill on the course: short and steep. Knees aching from poor gearing for previous twelve miles, extra tension on chain causes bike to take sympathy on me and my knees and it shifts to granny in front just long enough for me to make it up the hill without dropping chain or having to walk.

Mile 101, I finished happily and with enough energy to keep riding, except for the mechanical issues.

All told, I'd say it was a success. Except for my quads tightening after the series of stops in the rain for the tire (they eventually worked out), and the achey knees, I felt great for the whole ride. Pace lining the whole ride was fun and awesome, and the TEAM was great. I had a great time and was only disappointed that I couldn't ride back to join Diane and Curtis for their finish, since they were my most frequent riding buddies this season : (

Stats (the 3.5 miles are accounted for within):
Maximum speed: 37.1 mph
Average speed: 15.7 mph
Distance: 102.30 mi
Time: 6.31.36

And, just as a point of interest, I burned 4,246 calories on the ride. That's offset by the fact that I feel like all I did yesterday was eat.