Philadelphia LiveStrong Challenge

My first 100 mile bike ride, also known as a century ride, was part of the LIVESTRONG Challenge 2006 in Philadelphia. The ride meandered through Montgomery County outside of Philly and into Philadelphia proper. We passed most of the main sights and attractions including the uber-controversial art-installment, the Rocky Statue.

In preparation for the ride I had done several solo rides in the 40-70 mile range. I felt that I had built up my stamina enough to be able to grind out 100 miles with the drafting advantage you get while riding in a pack. After completing my first century I have an enhanced amount of respect for those bike riders that are able to race 100+ mile races. They are able to maintain a pace far faster than mine, and for much longer distances. Below is the mile-by mile progress of the century ride.

• Mile -2 The traffic approaching was forced onto a two lane road and came to a stand-still. I was supposed to start at 7:00 am and the clock was showing 6:50. Seeing that I would never arrive on time I just pulled off to the side of the road, took the bike off the roof, and began riding to the starting line. I figured if I was going to ride 100 miles that day, what was another two? I arrive at the start with enough time to fill my water bottle, and then we are off!
  
• Mile 0-10 I feel great, riding along at about 21 mph with a group that seems very strong.
• Mile 10 - 20 skipped on by the first rest stop since I have plenty of water and food and feel comfortable.
  
• Mile 20-30 The rolling hills are starting to feel like big climbs and they start to take their toll on my legs. I drop back a bit to about 18 mph.
  
• Mile 30-40 I am at a lonely point, the front group is way ahead of me, and I can't see any other riders behind me. I just grind out the miles alone, stopping for a needed rest at the second rest stop. I regulary ride 40 miles several times a week, but today I am feeling much worse.
  
• Mile 40-50 I seem to be spiraling downward. Mile 45 is the worst point of the ride, my legs begin to cramp up and I can feel a knot in the muscle developing around my right knee. It is becoming difficult to turn the pedals. I pass the Rocky statue and the tune 'Eye of the Tiger' starts to play in my head.
  
• Mile 50-60 A group catches up to me and we take a leisurely pace throughout Downtown Philadelphia. Approaching a stoplight I put my foot down to stop and nearly fall over. My quad and hamstring seize up to a painful point. A fellow rider offers me two white pills to alleviate the cramping, stating that they are pure electrolytes. They are like magical elixers, a cure for what ails you. Within 5 minutes I am back to my old self and the muscles are actually able to function. A second bonus was that at mile 58 a fellow rider I had met before, Bonnie, caught up to me a and together we set a great pace through the dock yards of Philadelphia.
• Mile 60-70 Bonnie and I are riding along together, passing the Philadelphia stadiums, Navy Yard, South Street, and out river road. We take turns drafting on each other and are able to maintain a relaxing 15-17 mph pace, even into a headwind.
  
• Mile 70-80 Exiting Philadelphia we manage to bypass the Manayunk Wall and took a side street that offered a slightly more gradual climb. It was still very difficult we passed a few riders that had resolved to simply walk their bikes. Arriving at the apex was a much needed rest stop where we topped off our fluids and food. We get back on our bikes and proceed to descend down a road that had been prepped for resurfacing. The road surface is horrendous, heavily rutted, pot holes, and glass everywhere. Bonnie unfortunately suffers the first of four flats. She changes her tube, but the tire looks shredded from the road surface. Ingeniously Bonnie patches the holes in her tire with the wrapper from a powerbar. My bike also suffers some cosmetic damage and the plastic chain/spoke guard breaks off. Other riders loose their water bottles, bike computers, and the fillings in their teeth from the constant jarring of the road surface.
• Mile 80-90 The normally insignificant hills are starting to loom ahead like mountains. Each turn of the pedals drives up the lactic acid in my legs. Bonnie's tire is is dire conditions and she is forced to ride on an under-pressure tube.
  
• Mile 90-100 Sweet delirium washes over me and I start to hit my second (third?) wind. The idea of stepping off my bike is so enticing I begin to ride faster, tasting the end of the torture to my legs. The final insult on the ride is a moderately steep incline to the finish. Since I can no longer stand up on the pedals due to the returning cramping I just put the bike in its lowest gear and tackle the incline sitting down.
• Mile 100 Such a relief. I was almost moved to tears seeing all the cancer survivors cheering and other folks ringing their cowbells. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, perhaps because everyone was wearing my favorite color, Yellow. Whatever the reason I felt very happy and sad at the same time. Happy I finished the ride, saddened by so many people affected by cancer.
  

Photo of Bonnie and me at the finish line. If you are searching for other photos of the event, Kreuts Photography has thousands of pics of the event on their site.

The LIVESTRONG foundation is an organization that provides support to individuals battling cancer. If you would like to make a contribution to the LIVESTRONG foundation you can do so online. I would like to thank all those wonderful and generous people that made a contribution on my behalf:
Mom & Dad Forrest & Mary Ellis & Sharon Dan & Denise M. Heaton McQueen Family Upham Family Feaster Family K. Hirota R. Haaland		M. McDonald A. Preszler D. Hofrichter E. Kennedy D. Martosko S. Longwell J. Berry J. Doyle J. Bowers