Civilized Century Wrap-Up
This year I set a goal of trying a new metric century (100Km or 62miles), somewhere I'd never ridden before. That became the Civilized Century in the San Francisco Bay Area. I hadn't ridden that distance since April, so my goal was pretty simple: test my endurance, see what I could do, and enjoy a ride billed as having “no ungodly start times, no hills and no timing chips.” Throw in some touristy things in San Francisco and it sounded like my kind of weekend.
The Forgotten Battery
So on Friday morning we got up, had everything packed, so we thought, and we loaded up our vehicle and put my Specialized Creo 2, a.k.a. “The Beast” on the bike rack and started our journey to Burlingame where we were staying, not too far from the start of the event in Redwood City.
Somewhere past Los Angeles we stopped for gas. I checked the bike to make sure it was still secure on the rack and suddenly realized something: the range extender battery was sitting in my garage, connected to the charger.
Well, that was going to change my strategy for the ride.
The Beast has a range of about 45 miles if you're using full power. I rarely run it at full power, so I figured I'd be okay, but I'd have to manage the internal battery much more carefully than I'd planned. The Beast is a pedal-assist bike and rides perfectly well without power, it’s just a pretty heavy bike. Luckily, we'd been promised no hills.
Sightseeing Day
On Saturday we drove to the start line just to see where it was, then headed into San Francisco for some sightseeing. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, stopped for pictures, went to Fisherman's Wharf, and had some clam chowder and sourdough bread.
The weather was pretty hot, so we called it a day and made our way back to the hotel, where I started preparing for ride day. I prepared my carbohydrate bottles, fuel for the ride, and filled my CamelBak with electrolytes, anticipating a ride of about four and a half to five hours. Molly had also picked up extra water, oranges and bananas for the rest stops.
The Starting Line
The next morning we made our way to the start line and went to the registration tables. There was no waiting, I got my number plate and I was free to start anytime between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. No mass start, no waves of riders, just get going when you’re ready to go.
Very civilized.
I started my ride by myself at around 8:30 a.m. Because of the battery situation my strategy was to ride the bike with pedal assist turned off for the first 20 miles or so, or until the first rest stop. Then turn it on at the lowest level and go full power for the last 15 miles or so, which is when the legs get tired and the desire to just be done kicks in.
Getting Lost
A mile in, unbeknownst to me, I was lost. I was no longer on the course, but I didn’t know yet, so I just kept riding. Eventually I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was going. The sun was hitting my Garmin in a way that made it almost impossible to read, so I couldn't figure out how to get back on course.
Luckily, Molly was tracking me. She could see both the route and my location on her phone, so she literally talked me back to the course and kept navigating until I reached a bike trail.
My little detour added about seven miles to the ride.
I got off course a couple more times, although nothing quite that dramatic, mostly missed turns that required doubling back. In my opinion, the course wasn't especially well marked if you weren't a local familiar with the network of bike trails. I ran into several other cyclists who had gotten lost too, so at least I wasn't alone.
The Finish
By midday the temperatures got into the 90s. I had blown through the first rest stop and made it to the second aid station at Mile 35 where Molly was waiting with oranges, bananas, and cold water to pour over my head.
Molly with the cold water bottles
After about five or ten minutes I got back on the bike and rode the next section. This was one of the sections where I had to double back a couple of times, but I eventually made it to the third and final aid station at Mile 45. We repeated the cold water shower which I think Molly took particular joy in providing.
I left with a small group that stayed together pretty much all the way to the finish. I was determined to not get dropped, so I cranked up the pedal assist and stayed with them. Mostly because they looked like they knew where they were going.
When I crossed the finish line, I looked down at the bike: Estimated battery range remaining: 1.5 miles.
Apparently my battery strategy worked.
So, what did I learn?
Every big ride teaches you something. Here are my takeaways from this one:
Always double check that you have everything before leaving home.
Build a complete ride checklist. “Load bike” isn’t enough. Bike, batteries, chargers, the whole thing.
Most importantly, the training I’ve been doing worked. I expected to do 62 miles, I ended up doing 70, and while I had legs to do more, I didn’t want to do more.
It felt good to know I can still do hard things.
Up next is Bike the Bay, a short 25-mile ride around San Diego Bay and over the Coronado Bridge. After that comes Ride the Coast, a 50-mile ride starting in Oceanside.
So that's a wrap on the Civilized Century.
Until next time,
Enjoy the ride. 🚴🏽♀️
The civilized century. That loop at the start finish where it says 2nd fastest 100k lifetime…that’s me being lost and trying to find my way back to the course.
