1oo Miles of Nowhere

Spring in Potsdam NY Division


Springtime in Upstate New York can be difficult (this year we had snow on Mother's Day). Our biggest worry going into the week was the weather on Friday. All week long the forecast was for rain. Bummer. Thursday the forecast started to improve and we decided we were going to do our ride. Lorraine, Jen and I gathered on the Clarkson University Campus at 8:30 am and begin our ride with mist heavy in the air and slick roads.

The plan was to break the ride down into 25 mile blocks. We set a good pace for the first 25 miles and finished in just under an hour and a half. We were all ready for the first break, wet bums and dirty jerseys all around. We had been interviewed for a newspaper the day before and a photographer came to take our picture for the article. He was nice enough to snap a picture for us as well.


During the second 25 miles we had some unexpected support. One of our friends set signs out. One at a time. So as we passed the same point the message became clear.






The second 25 miles went even faster.

After a quick lunch we went back out for the second half. We were joined by our friend and domestique Martin.


Martin was awesome. Riding lead for miles 50-75 into an increasing wind. It saved us a lot of effort to have him lead us out for that leg. It was also nice to have someone else along for what are typically the hardest miles in a century. Our pace slowed, but we still made really good time. The sky began to clear, the roads dried and the ride settled into a good pace. We did the final 25 miles together and finished as we started in a group of three going at a pace that all of us could finish with. We ended our ride at 4 pm in the afternoon with a total time of just about 6 hours on the bike. When we finished we had our picture taken at the Clarkson University Presidents house. The house was named less than a week ago at graduation for our board chairman who died this winter after contracting a very agressive cancer.



Here is proof that we did it :) This was the first century ride for all three of us. I couldn't think of a better, or more memorable first century ride.


And here is what the gps track looks like for a 100 mile bike ride on a 1.25 mile course...



The paper wrote up a nice article about us and our ride.



So what are my thoughts after doing this ride? It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. The ride gave me a lot of time to think. Even at the most uncomfortable points, when it was cold and damp at the beginning, or when we were all tired at the end, what we were experiencing was nothing compared to what someone with cancer experiences. It was a little thing we were doing in comparison.

Would I do it again? You bet!

We want to thank all of our friends and family who supported us. To those of you who came out and cheered us on, it helped more than you could ever know. To those of you who donated on our behalf, you made our effort worth while. You helped to make a difference.

To Fatty, this is not some silly idea. It allows the community you created get together regardless of where we are. We can't wait to ride again with you next year.