July 4, 2007
Fabulous 4th 100k Ride

This was my fourth riding of the Fabulous 4th 100k. I hadn't ridden many long rides yet so I expected to have some trouble. Last year I'd done it in four hours flat. I expected to take at least 4:20 this year.

I started out a little fast and had a few early bursts of energy where I passed dozens of riders at a time but they'd always pass me up shortly thereafter.

The scenery was fantastic. Pastoral landscapes and plenty of horse farms greeted me at every turn. The weather was perfect. I rode comfortably and didn't push it too hard.

This ride is famous for its short, steep grunt hills. I had to drop to granny gear to climb them. I attacked the steepest one, which was only twenty feet high, just past a dam. I dropped to an easy gear and hit about 130 rpm, blowing past several riders. Over the winter, I worked on increasing rpm in my training. It works the lungs a little harder but the leg muscles recover more quickly.

I rode intermittently with Dave and with Drew Shelfer. Drew was riding a mountain bike with street slicks. I stayed with him for most of the ride. The big grunt hill just about wiped me out but the long climb went smoothly. The final descent toward the finish was the fastest I'd ridden in the four years I'd done the ride. My time was 30 minutes slower than last year. The lack of time on the bike was showing through.

Raging Bull