Here are some course maps and extra garbage....
Didn't sleep enough Saturday to Sunday. Slept about 3 hours. Not enough. Lee woke me up - I would have turned the alarm clock off and would have gone back to sleep. Woke up and did my thing.
Left the house at 5am and got to race site early. Kickoff was at 7 am and I was there at 5:45. I was hoping that they would let me leave early. I don't need the rest areas especialy the early ones. Just give me the cue sheet and the bracelot and that's it...
I got there and there were 2 vehicles with a person sleeping in one of them. Well, the nice thing about getting there early at least is a fresh porta-pottie. I mean even the toilet paper was still wrapped up. Spoke to someone there who gave me a whole big speech about the truck not being here with stuff and the aid stations and blah blah blah. Whatever.
Got my stuff at 6:45 and was out by 6:50. I don't care about 7 am. Rode and rode and I completly forgot about all the hills there are in the very beginning. Tough hills too. I wonder if I could find my way back there just for them.
Rode and no riders passing me. Weird. It was in Bayville that I finally got passed. An hour and 50 minutes after I started(approx. 8:40 am), 2 cyclists came through. Nice guys. Stuck with them as long as I could until I had to let them go. Turns out one of them is a triathlete. Doing the NY IM next year. I said he's got money and he said "nah, I'm just stupid". Turns out that he is doing Lake Placid next weekend too. I asked him then why is he doing the Century today and he replied that "hey, I gotta get in shape". I told him that therefore he should do a marathon the next day. Thank God he laughed and almost choked on his water. If he would have thought about it, I would have made him crash.
I need to look at the cue sheet at where they passed me, but it was after passing the Bayville Adventure Park. At the end, the road turns left and you continue straight until eventually you make another left. It was right before the last left that they caught me. Kind of funny: I said to them that "I was wondering what happened to all the cyclists and why wasn't I passed". They said, "well, now you have nothing to worry about". Nice guys. I saw them later again and rode with them and lost them.
There are a couple of reasons why I won't be doing the Gold Coast tour again.
Case in point, was the intersection after Mill Hill road. We didn't actually go up Mill Hill road like I have done but we did get to the same intersection at the end. So, you're riding and you get to a fork in the road. You must either make a left or a right. The sign said "GC 55, right turn" and the old "GC, left turn" was crossed out. What does that mean? We went right hoping for the best. Turns out we were right. There was another little issue in Great Neck (I think). It's that loop near where the Ironclad Triathlon was. You go striaght, follow the curving road near the water and it brings you back. Hated that fact that's not clear.
Sea Cliff was awesome. Mansion Ride was a turn and then you go straight (up and up and up). Gold Coast is different and harder and also great. You make a 180 (left) turn, up and up and then a right turn up a hill. I mean it's sadistic and awful but yo...
Something bad happened during the ride. I experienced bike rage. I got cut off and I got annoyed. Luckily for me, the only thing I had at that speed was my gum. I spit it out at the car. Bad thing is, I only managed to get the passenger back window and it bounced off without sticking. The good thing is, I only managed to get the passenger back window and it bounced off without sticking. I wish I would have gotten it through the window or on the windshield. I'm glad I did not get it through the window or on the windshield. It could hve gotten bad.
Accidents... Lots of riders. Stupid people on bikes and in cars. Someone told me, that after the Fish Hatcheries (25A) climb, there was a biker lying down in the middle of the road, with an ambulance and cops. Also, toward the end of the ride (few miles away from the finish), I started speaking to some guy. He had a bloody elbow. Asked him whay happened and it turns out that during the "1 MPH climb up Seacliff, he fell down. Never happened before but it did.". Damn, these things happen.
So, I hooked up with a big group at 1 point and stuck with them for as long as I can. It's the thing you're supposed to do...At one point, I'm riding in the group and the guy behind me is trying to push me out by shoving in. Nah, I don't think so...Didn't let him in. At one point, we got to a big downhill and well, there is safety in numbers and I didn't want to leave the group. I think it was after we crossed Northern not far away from home (near Port Washington). We went down and well, me too. We went fast and Idiot behind me was pushing into me and Idiot in front of me wasn't going fast enough. I was very afraid to lose control of the bike. We were all flying down hill in the right lane and I was on the edge of the left side. Couple of times, because of the 2 idiots, I had to cross into the left lane. Thank God safety in numbers. Cars just got out of our way.
It's nice that NY State is getting strict about cellphones in the car: Talking and Texting and such. But can they please also go after those people driving with a dog in their lap?!? It's not safe for other people on the road (pedestrians, drivers and cyclists) nor is it safe for the dog. I don't care about the driver. If they had any brains they would be wearing a seatbelt. The dog on the other hand would fly out. Give them a ticket: $$$$$ and points!
Wheatley loop is what it is. It sucks but thank God I rode it the week before. Made things a little easier.
Not to toot my own horn, partly because it would sound so lame..., but sometimes I amaze myself. My legs were cooked a few times, there's no doubt, but sometimes I was able to really push it. Sometimes when I was by myself and sometimes as part of the group. I think I did well (for me!).
I'm not sure how or when but my bike computer and the cue sheet were off. I didn't make any wrong turns I don't think but it was obvious I was 6 miles short. Inthe previous years, we went over, this time we went under. Maybe, they figured we owed them? Stupid joke, I know but it didn't matter. I was very happy to be getting off the bike soon. My butt was very happy to be getting off the bike soon.
Almost at the end and another group. One guy steaming up ahead. I wanted to draft him (big guy) but couldn't get him. Rode the group, lead the group, broke from the group and caught him. Weird. Got dropped by him, picked him up again and we were done. The worst is the end. They make you circle the damn block and it's a long block and you just want to get off the bike and it seems like it's never gonna end and finally it's over.
Temps were getting hotter and hotter during the day. Seems like the company at the starting/ending line (BAE) must have recently done their blacktop. I get to the car and I thought I stepped in gum. No! It was the blacktop melting. Kept sticking to the blacktop. Yes - it was that hot.
The stats:
2009: Watch(8:20) - PC(7:14) - AVG(14.1)
2010: Watch(7:17) - PC(6:55) - AVG(14.3)
2011: Watch(7:03:55) - PC(6:30:52) - AVG(14.4)