The Strawberry Century! June 11, Zoe, baby Elliott and Elliot's Grandma set out for Lebanon (known for it's early strawberry season). We began the ride with Zoe pulling Elliott in a Burley trailer. This proved to be tough, as Elliott couldn't calm down and Zoe slowed by at least 4 mph. I promised to pull Elliott too, but it looked tough, he did kick from side to side making the trailer swerve. I can't imagine the weight myself, with him being nearly 30 pounds and the trailer too. We eventually put the trailer up and let Grandma handle him, where he fell asleep with a little country music and the lullaby of the internal combustion engine. Zoe and I were pretty evenly paced, except she had a steady cadence and when I got tired I sprinted forward in hopes to reach a stop sooner. I missed riding with her, she is a good cycling partner and shares the same health goals I do. The ride itself was fantastic. We went from Lebanon to Sweet Home to Brownsville and back to Lebanon. We passed calming streams, rivers, lakes, and parks. The lush greenery enticed me to hang out in this area more, though I couln't come up with any other justification other than its beauty. We looped around a lake that was dark and lustrious and crossed many bridges with whitewater below. The roads were wet from the rain and the grasses extra green, but we only got dumped on for about 10 minutes. At about 63 degrees all days and lightly drizzly, I could have had warmer clothes on. My legs did struggle with getting warm, not that I felt cold, but I think pedalling would have been easier in a little more warmth. Most of the roads were smooth, roadkill free, and clean. Traffic was at a minimum, and all who passed us were very curteous. Some overly so--almost like we gave them thier one chance to drive European. The riders were a happy bunch, too. We were in the late groups, but even so we were rarely alone. It was a big group, I expected only 100 to register, but a volunteer told me this year's numbers were in the 400s. We saw many varieties of birds, including one so huge we weren't really sure what it was. It didn't look at all like an Eagle, I thought hawk when I saw it. Zoe thought maybe a really big crow. After talking to Nadine, she mentioned she saw vultures so perhaps it was a vulture. Our one curous sighting was a lone mouse, standing on the side of the road. It may have been in shock, but it seemed like it just wanted to hang out, watching the cyclists pass. The finish concluded with a strong headwind that got the better of me. Without that, the ride would have been too easy. Both Zoe and I had to stand on our bikes the last 15 miles from sore bottoms. The padding in my shorts soaked up the rain making the last bit unpleasant down there. Zoe had some considerable neck and back pain, surely from pulling the Burley. I have a new respect from those who tote thier kids on long rides. We changed and enjoyed a generous helping of strawberry shortcake. Yummy! We could not have done the ride without Nadine to be our personal sag and take care of Elliott. I am amazed (and thankful!) she spent the day in a car following bikers and finished with a smile on her face. I guess I'd have to be a Grandma to understand, but she sure is nice! I would do this ride again in a heartbeat! I hope to go again next year and break down and buy the cute little strawberry cycling socks! 9:02AM start, 6.57 elapsed time (5.22 ride time) 73.84 mi, av 13.7 mph (official brochure calculated 71 mi) av HR 131, max 175
approximate accent/decent 1850' start to sag #1: accent 869', decent 550' at 990'/hr sag#1 to finsih: accent 990', decent 1350' at 1090'/hr