Century Accomplished!

I did it!! 103 miles in 6.5 hours on one of the most gorgeous days of the year. The course was beautiful and featured many spectacular views of the New Hampshire and Maine coastlines. Who could ask for anything better?

The day started off very early at the Hampton State Park. I was there by 6:30 so I'd be ready for the 7:00 registration along with 1600 other riders. It was very cold (mid 40s) and the sun was just coming up.

The course began with a 17 mile southern loop to Newburyport and back. I started my ride solo and pretty much froze my butt (or rather, my finger tips and legs) off the first 3 miles. (Incidentally, it's never helpful to look at the bike odometer after 3 miles when you have 97 more miles to go.....). But the sun was rising, I warmed up fast and the day was looking good.

As I passed the Hampton park entrance again on my way north, I met up with Drew and Dave, who I rode the Cycle for Shelter with, and Dave's wife Mary, who were all just starting for the day. Seeing friendly faces injected new energy into me and the miles started flying by.

The ride up Ocean Boulevard (Rt. 1A) through Hampton, North Hampton, Rye and Wentworth-by-the-Sea offered some of the best coastal views, but picture taking opportunities were limited since I was now part of a well synchronized paceline of riders. Before I knew it, I had ridden 33 miles - the ride was already 1/3 over!

Here are a few shots I was able to catch near Portsmouth:
After a break at a very crowded official water stop, we continued to ride north up into Maine. Dave and Mary were riding the metric century (63 mile) loop so they turned around and headed back. Drew and I continued up Rt. 1 towards York and we stopped briefly to enjoy this view. Although there was a coastal wind going, thankfully, it was manageable and was nothing compared to prior years, as I was told.

The next highlight was the Cape Neddick Lighthouse, also known as the Nubble Lighthouse. Built in 1879 and located in York Beach, this is a classic Maine icon. I was at mile 51 when we stopped for this spectacular view.

Here's a shot of Drew in his Hawaiian biking shirt, which added some comic relief to the ride. As he pedaled, the girl on his shirt actually looked like she was doing the hula!

We continued on a few more miles through and around York center, passing many little shops and candy stores, including The Goldenrod, renowned for their salt water taffy. We also biked by the famous York's Wild Kingdom before the course headed south. No rest for the weary, though, since we still faced a good 45 miles ahead of us.

The next photo opp was back approaching Portsmouth again as we walked our bikes across a grated bridge. The tide was out when we were headed north but in as we headed south.

The route back was similar to the way up but a 10 mile loop was added near Rye to make the course a full 100 miles. This loop took us through many tree lined streets and past the beautiful Abenaqui Country Club.

This loop was actually the hardest part of the ride for me. It felt like we were doing our longest stretch of our fastest riding of the day at this point and we had a new rider latched on drafting me. It was around mile 90 I was starting to fade. Plus, I was in unchartered territory since I'd never ridden more than 83 miles in one stretch.

Thankfully, we soon turned south onto Rt. 1A. I never thought the strip at Hampton Beach would be such a welcome sight!

And then it happened - I passed the 100 mile mark!! The official mileage on the course was actually 100.8, but we took a slight detour down a beautiful coastal road, which brought my total mileage up to 103.23, to be exact. Average speed for the day was exactly 16 mph - fast for me!

Crossing the finish line back at Hampton State Park, with ride volunteers banging bells and cheering, was one of the best feelings I've experienced in a very long time. Quite emotional in fact. I still can't believe it.

When I look back at the ride, I have to say that it was much easier than I thought it would be. Despite the fade at mile 90, I finished strong. In fact, I felt strong throughout most of the ride and enjoyed every minute of it. On such a beautiful day with such spectacular views, it's hard not to ride with a smile on your face much of the time. And today - the day after - I feel great and am looking forward to getting back out on my bike again.

So there I have it. Century accomplished.

Completing a century started as a crazy idea, then became a goal, then became an all-out mission. For me, I proved to myself that I could reach for something I've never imagined before, take it step by step, hold myself accountable, include others so they could hold me accountable and complete the task. My blog has been a key element in realizing this goal.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and cheered me on along the way! And thank you Drew, for sharing 85 miles of the ride with me.

Stay tuned for more biking commentary as I figure out the next chapter in my riding and in my blog.

~ Lisa~

POSTSCRIPT
I rode this century in dedication to Bryce Morrill, my sister-in-law Rosanne's companion and an extended family member of ours for the last 5 years. Last weekend, he passed away unexpectedly as he was biking in preparation for the Hub on Wheels charity bike ride to be held in Boston today. Ride on, Bryce. May you rest in peace.