Century review

Well I did it. I, Ross Huber, have officially rolled up triple digits on my bike odometer in one day. It was a successful day, I enjoyed it so much I already signed up for my next century ( the Cream City century) in Waterford. The Tour de Villes in Janesville was a very hot one. Thankfully I started a little after 6:30 AM. I was extremely nervous and a little anxious. I kept thinking to myself, what did I get into, maybe I bit off more than I could chew. After checking in and saying goodbye to Nikki and Winnie, I was off into the unknown. A couple of miles in I was beaming with confidence after passing several other riders on a tough climb. That was my competitive spirit coming out in me. The second hard climb of the day was a pain, at the end of the hill my heart rate was up to 183 BPM. In all of my training my heart rate didn't go above 178BPM. It must have been the extra adrenaline that gave me extra strength when I really needed it. At the first rest stop, I took a quick bathroom break ate a banana and filled up the water bottles and was off. I was thinking about increasing my pace in the early morning hours so I could cover more ground before the heat of the day set in. I think it was a good gamble because the hot summer sun sapped my energy as the day wore on. My pace was 17.8 MPH for the first half of my ride. For me that was great because I was doing all of my long training rides in the 16 MPH range for the most part. After several more hard climbs is when the fatigue started to creep into my conscious thoughts. A couple times I asked Mark for some strength and I truly believe he was with me. When you're in the saddle and it's just you and nature if your attitude isn't right you can be your own worst enemy. I just kept thinking positive thoughts. Another thing that kept me going was the scenery and the quaint little towns of south central Wisconsin. Quiet and friendly are the words that come to mind. After another rest stop, I set off at the same time as another guy. I rode with him for several miles. There weren't many words spoken between us besides pleasantries but it was still cool to be right along side with someone for a short while. I didn't even catch his name but he was definitely not a first timer. I could tell by his fit frame and awesome French carbon bike, needless to say his pace began to be too much for me. In a century you'll find out in a hurry if a pace is too much for your body to handle. My pace started to slow a bit after about 60 or so miles. I started to feel the wind more and I started doubting my idea to start fast, could I keep up the pace I want for the rest of the ride? I had to keep telling my self to remain positive. The last rest stop of the ride I took a couple extra minutes to rehydrate and focus on finishing strong. The ride back into the city of Janesville was cool because a couple of the hard hills I climbed on the way out of town were now working in my favor. When I realized I was close to the finish I kicked it into overdrive. As I was climbing the last little hill there I saw Nikki, my Mom, Dad and Winnie cheering me on. I was extatic to finish strong and to have some familar faces waiting for me. Thanks Nikki, Mom, Dad and Winnie for being there for me. I truly appriciate it. I finished the day with 5 hours and 41 minutes in the saddle and 35 minutes worth of breaks. For a total of 6 hours and 16 minutes. My pace for the day was 17.1 MPH.