Another Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival and my first metric century (100 km) has come and gone.
I didn't get to ride to Bucyrus like I had planned because it was pretty harsh rain and storms between home and there all day. At least the weather man had upgraded Saturday's forecast from "rain" to "partly cloudy" so all hope for a fun weekend was not lost.
I thought about taking my road bike since I wasn't doing the loaded ride beforehand. But since
the weather for Saturday was not definite and likely to be cold and wet I decided
to take my touring bike instead so that I could carry my rack trunk for extra clothing
layers. I also didn't know what kind of roads to expect for my first time out
or just what 62 miles would feel like, so I figured the touring bike was a safer
bet.
I got to my cousin Todd's house about 5 p.m. Despite the cold rain we went uptown to the festival and I had my usual first bratwurst from the Bucyrus High School Band Parents booth. I played in the BHS band over (dare I say it?) 20 years ago, so I always support the Band Parents.
It stopped raining while we were there, but it was still cold and wet so instead of hanging out outside we went into the Moose for a couple of drinks. While we were there I learned that a very good friend of mine had died unexpectedly a year earlier. We had lost touch a couple years ago and the fellow she lived with had no idea how to find me to let me know. I'll write more about that in my regular journal.
I didn't get to sleep until about midnight. And for some reason I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. So I went into the ride on a little over 4 1/2 hours of sleep.
I
got to the the fairgrounds a little before 7:00. There were only about 20 people
registering at that time. The sky was beautiful and the air was crisp with just
a bit of a breeze, so it was obvious it was going to be a great day for riding.
This being my first organized ride I just kind of watched other people for a few minutes so I could see what to do -- what did people say at the registration table? where did they pin their numbers? Did any of them look as confused as me? I met one fellow who was also taking his first organized ride. I asked if I could ride along with him for a while. I warned him that I was no speed demon and if I dropped back I wouldn't be upset if he just kept going. He said he was in no hurry either and was glad to have someone to ride with.
He was riding a Raleigh hybrid with what looked like 32c wheels like mine so I figured we would be in good company.
The air smelled great and felt light and cool inside my lungs. As I enjoyed the scenery and that wonderful air I thought how fortunate I am to have found this sport last summer and to have quit smoking almost 5 years ago.
For
about the first 10 miles we averaged between 15 and 18 mph on fairly flat ground.
We stopped once so I could get a picture of some Longhorn steers relaxing in
the field. Right about then the roads started to get a bit hilly and we cut
back to 15-16 mph then right around 15 mph for the next 15 miles until our first
rest stop.
At
the rest stop I noticed a lady working that I knew over 15 years ago when I
lived in Bucyrus and worked on the Bucyrus Athletic Task Force. We had worked
on committee of people that planned large events to help bring back school spirit
and pride in general within the small community. I reminisced with her for a
bit before riding on.
After
that stop the hills, though not mammoth, were pretty continuous and rolling
and maintained a pretty general upgrade (or so it seemed) for about the next
30 miles. Now, I know that to more seasoned riders the hills were probably nothing, but keep in mind that I'm still new at this. We slowed down quite a bit after a while and our average cut back
to between 12 and 15 mph. I probably would have slowed down much more had I been riding
alone, but I was determined to keep up with Steve and he kept encouraging me
which really helped. I lagged quite a bit behind for a while and he stopped
to let me catch up. I told him that he could just keep going and I would meet
him at the next stop, but he said no, and that it really helped him having someone
to talk to.
We
were really starting to drag when we got back to the rest stop (both rest stops
were at the same spot in a little village called Nevada). But after a bite to
eat and what we thought would only be another 10 miles to go, we were more than
ready to hit the road. Coming out of the rest area onto the road we had to stop
as about 70 to 100 motorcycles came cruising into the small village. We weren't
aware of anything organized going on (there were probably more motorcycles than
the town's population) or if they were just touring together, but they did all
stop in the middle of town.
The rest of the ride was generally downhill, but still quite rolling, so
it was a good hard finish getting back into Bucyrus.
The ride actually turned out to be 69 miles, not the advertised 62. At least the extra 7 miles were pretty flat! We rolled into town about 1:45 p.m. We clocked almost exactly 5 hours of riding time, and had a final average speed of 13.7 mph. Not bad for a 40 and 50 year old on their first metric century.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was clear and in the mid 70s, just perfect for spending time at the "Eatingest Festival in the World". My feet and legs were definitely sore, but it felt great.
View
all photos from the ride and the Bratwurst Festival.
This ride was much more well attended than the one in Bucyrus. According to a friend of mine, Tricia Green, who is a member of the Handlebars there were about 750 riders. Pre-registration was held at the High School Saturday evening. A number of vendors had displays and I was very good. I only spent about $15 on an accessory holder for my touring bike.
Sunday morning started out a bit on the chilly side, about 58 degrees, but there was very little wind and it didn't take long to warm up. I rode by myself this time and had decided that I would just take it easy and not worry about time or average speed. Of course once I got going I couldn't help but to watch what I was averaging and try my best to keep it up.
The ride took us south of Findlay to Bluffton, then around Jenera and through Arlington. From Arlington the route I was on then came back into Findlay. Those riding the 100 miles went further east into Carey then back around to Findlay. The route was mostly flat with just a few small hills which was nice for someone of my ability and experience.
I kept up a pretty comfortable and even pace through most of the ride. At about 35 or 40 miles, though I started to really zone out for a while and suddenly decided to go off-roading for a couple minutes. I hit the gravel and grass just off the edge of the road and lost control. I was holding my water bottle at the time so I didn't have a good grip on the handlebars. I didn't completely wipe out though. I managed to hop off the bike and keep it from flying away. I scratched up my left brake handle and mangled up the deraileur cable a bit, but nothing serious.
