Activity: road cycling
Location: Berryville, VA > points in northern VA and northeastern West VA.
Distance: 100.7 miles (moderately hilly)
Duration: 5:09
Weather: sunny and gorgeous, with some strong breeze, 81 degrees
Avg HR: 160 (max 186)
Type: aerobic

“PPTC 100: Historic Back Roads Century” – the club’s century ride. Not a PR in the raw sense, but a PR in another sense: 5:07:12 is the fastest century I’ve completed riding solo. For all but a very short stretch of the ride, I rode alone. Thus, I couldn’t draft anybody, couldn’t paceline, couldn’t eye a “rabbit.” This is largely due to the fact that I had to use the loo, and my gang rolled off at 7:55 – five minutes early. So I rolled out at 8:08.

I met up with my gang at the mile 5 rest stop, but didn’t spend much time there. I met up with others in the gang at the mile 79 rest stop and was with them briefly, but quikly re-established my own pace and ground through to the finish. I didn’t feel like I did two weeks ago, where I could’ve gone a lot further; rather, I was fairly wiped out due to the solo effort. But a massage after the ride made things feel much better.

Kudos to the PPTC Century committee for putting on a spectacular ride! It helped that the weather gods mafia cooperated and delivered ideal riding weather.