The Lone Wolf

When I initially made the decision to ride My First Century, the idea of writing about it didn't cross my mind. After reading a few articles documenting other first timers, I felt it would be nice to have something to look back on.  Maybe my journey could help motivate or inspire others to complete their first century.  Or perhaps I just had a handful of pent-up emotions that needed to find their way out.  I must say, that many of the early articles were definitely therapeutic.  And not just by expressing those emotions for the whole world to read, but it was a wonderful way to pass the time while on the bike.  Because on the bike is where I came up with most of my ideas.  Eventually the training and the writing became intertwined and now I couldn’t imagine one without the other.

Some passages just poured onto the page and I couldn’t type fast enough once I reached my computer.   Other articles came to me slow and piecemealed; quip by quip, line by line.  I would repeat something over and over in my head afraid I would forget it by the time I got home.  I probably lost troves of comedy gold that was forgotten before I could write it down.  Other times ideas didn’t play as well on paper as they did in my mind.  Possibly the hilarity could only be experienced after 40 miles, under the sun and in the heat of July.   

I kept a lot of notes.  Thoughts I wanted to convey but never had the appropriate context.  Funny pieces of information that I came across in my research for both the blog and my training…Like these gems from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Bicycle Driver’s Manual:

Pedalcycle: A vehicle propelled soley by human-powered pedals. The term does not mean a three-wheeled human powered pedal-driven vehicle with a main driving wheel 20 inches in diameter or under and primarily designed for children six years of age or younger.

Just in case there is any confusion, the definition is properly clarified:

Comment: Pedalcycle is the legal terminology for a bicycle in Pennsylvania.

Or perhaps you thought your bicycle was something other than a pedalcycle, PennDot is here to clear that up as well:

There are a couple of other common mistakes people make in getting onto their bikes. Some people push the bike along with a foot, like a scooter. Other people stand next to the bike, then leap over it, the way you mount a horse. But a bicycle is not a tricycle, a scooter, or a horse.

I’m both happy and sad to say that this is my last entry before the big day.  And while most of my articles have had a central theme, today will be a little retrospective and a little random.  I hope to pull the curtain back as they say and unload what’s left of my collection of loose thoughts.

  

I typically keep to the same roads.  As I increased my mileage, I expanded my loops, but still started and ended in familiar territory.  I often stopped at one particular spot.  Sometimes I stopped to rest, sometimes to grab a snack, and sometimes I stopped just take a few pictures.

It’s just a little old school house.  I don’t think anyone uses it anymore, but the old man who owns it spends hours and hours taking care of it.  The school always looks like it has a fresh coat of paint and the bushes must be trimmed on a weekly basis.  It’s the perfect place to get off the bike and admire someone else’s handiwork.

On the other side of the spectrum, I occasionally road past this:

 Not sure what it is or what they are doing, but I believe it's called art?

Here is an example of one of my completely random notes…”I can smell the corn!”  This was from a ride that would never make it into any other article, but was too unique and wonderful to discard.  During one of my many trips through the corn fields of Kutztown, when it was just about fully grown; the smell of fresh corn, like it was straight off the grill, rose from the fields.  It’s something I have never experienced before nor have experienced since. 

I have no shame admitting that I do not like hills.  Where I live, it is difficult finding a direction that doesn’t have a significant elevation gain.  But I have learned a few secrets to keeping off the steeper grades.  Avoid roads whose names fall into certain categories.  Obviously avoid any road that that has Hill in it.  That’s a gimme.  I once found myself on Hard Hill Rd.  That was not a fun day.

Also avoid any roads named after churches.  Surprise, surprise, those roads usually have a church on them.  And more times than not, those churches are at the top of a hill.  Finally let’s put the two together, and at all costs avoid any road named Church Hill.

This hill is big enough to hold two churches.

I have seen a handful of friends get turned on to cycling just in the past few months.  I certainly can’t take credit for their new passion, but I have taken great pleasure in answering their questions and advising them in any way I can.  I’m also hopeful that there are others out there who are taking something from these articles and putting it to good use.  I’m sure I’d be a little lost if I didn’t have someone I could turn to for advice.

My friend Steve summed it up best by saying its good to have someone to nerd out with over cycling.  I recently had the privilege of joining him for my final long prep before My First Century.  We broke 75 miles and got in some decent hills.  If anything, I learned that I’m a lone wolf.  Unlike most, I much prefer riding solo.  I love to stop and take pictures (obviously).  I'll hop off randomly to grab a snack, other times I'll see how long I can go without stopping. I have gone as far as 40 miles before I ran out of water.  I definitely don’t like being in a position where I’m holding someone back or stressed out because I am pushing to hard to keep up.  Perhaps one day I'll worry about someone slowing me down.  The point is: it’s my pace and I like it. 

Things were a little different with Steve.  He, more than anyone else, knew where I was physically and knew what to expect.  I would absolutely do it again, because it was a great day with my good friend.  But I’m certainly not looking to join a cycling club anytime soon. 

It was a great experience and one that I needed before the big day.  This ride actually served a secondary purpose other than just distance, because I definitely needed more experience passing and how to be passed before I get grouped with 1,500 other people on bikes.  I certainly don’t want to be the cause of a pileup in the first few miles.  We stuck mainly to the bike paths, passed dozens of cyclists and surprisingly we were only passed once.  We even got into some nice congestion in downtown Philly, which completely reinforced my desire to be far away from other riders.

After my 75 miler, I only had one more training ride on my to-do list before the My First Century.  It had nothing to do with the distance this time, but all about the experience.  Weather has been one of my chief concerns, specifically from a training perspective.  Fortunately this entire summer has been beautiful.  Temperatures have been mild and rain has been minimal and at the most opportune times.  But as the century ride approached, I got more and more concerned about race day weather; especially since I really haven’t had to deal with any harsh conditions throughout this entire process.  So when the forecast called for all day showers, I geared up and hit the road for two hours and 30 plus miles of steady rain. Thanks to that ride, I have the confidence that if it happens on my century, I know what to expect and I’ll be ready to push through 100 miles of it.