The first ride was Saturday August 5th
Buder State Park in Jefferson County Missouri.
I found out earlier in the week that the last Century of the Five Star Century series was going to be the hardest century of all five. It was mainly the hills that were going to make it hard. Jefferson County, for all of you who don't know, is very hilly. There isn't a flat spot in the whole county and the hills are big ones. So it is a great place to train if you are going to ride a century in the hills.
I got an invite from a list I'm on, I think its one from the St. Louis Regional Bike Fed, for a ride at Buder State Park starting at 7:00 am. This was organized by Bob Chekoudjian. Buder is an hour West of Belleville so that means I got up at 5 and got in the truck at 6 and was ready to go at 7. I woke up to a flat tire. I just bought new ones and put them on Wednesday night and must have pinched the front tube putting it on. I changed it again before I left. By the time I got to Buder it was flat again and I only had one more tube. The third time was a charm, I changed it and it held until the end of the ride.
We rode from Buder State Park to Shaw's Arboretum and back. The park is beautiful and the area around it is great for a ride. Tom has said many times in the past that he likes riding hills and he would rather ride a century in hills than flats because on flats you have to pedal all the time. I didn't understand until I rode this ride.
Stats: Dst:44.61, Avs: 15, Mx: 35, Tm: 3 hrs.
The next ride was on Sunday August 6th and it was in O'Fallon IL with Dave and Brian. Brian and family had just gotten back from Door County and Dave and family had gotten back from the Grand Canyon. It was an easy ride, we were mainly getting some time in the saddle.
Stats: Dst: 35, Avs: 15.6, Mx 31.5 Tm: 2:14.
We really weren't pushing it.
My third ride was in Jefferson County again, another Bob Chekoudjian organized ride. Saturday August 12th. Rockwoods Reservation to Pacific and back. Again many hills and a good group of people. We actually stopped for lunch in Pacific at a little diner called the Depot.
Stats: Dst: 44.35, Avs: 14.5 Mx:45, Tm: 2:50.
Yes, thats right, Max Speed 45 miles per hour! I glad I had new tires.
The hills were very big and with this route some of the down hills were long and straight. I actually walked up two of these hills. I couldn't ride up all the way.
The next ride was Tuesday August 15. Tom and I went to Alton and rode to Pierre Marquette State Park but we rode in from the back side and returned to Alton on the river road. There was a bunch of dogs on this route and the final dog pack was two mean Chihuahuas and a really ugly Pug. I fell off my bike at one place and had a flat but the rest of the ride was nice except for the feeling that I was on the set of the movie Deliverance a couple of times.
Stats: Dst: 44.35, Avs: 15.6, Mx: 34, Tm: 2:50.
The fifth ride was the Beer and Brat Century in Millstadt Il, Saturday August 19th. We had around 13 to 18 people in a group that stuck together for the first 67 miles. John & Michelle, Mike K, Virgil, Dave, Brian, John, Tom, Craig, Joey, Kathy, and three or four others I didn't know rode with us. The beginning of the day was very nice, overcast and about mid 70's and no wind. We stayed together for most of the first part of the ride. I dropped a tube out of my seat bag and had to go back after it but I didn't get left behind. Tom however dropped his water bottle and was very far back after about 30 miles. I slowed to see if I could help him catch-up but I didn't see him and I didn't want to get too far behind so I sped up to catch the pack. Well right before the second rest stop at Washington Park in Fayetteville I turned a corner on gravel and went down. Hard.
My bike was fine. I was a little scraped up, a little loss of skin and a large raspberry on my hip but no broken bones and no deep cuts. I got some first aid help at the rest stop and continued on.
I saw Craig leaving the rest stop as I came in, he wasn't fooling around. He stayed out in front of us the whole ride even tho he said he didn't feel well. He had just returned from a business trip and said all he ate was conference food (m-m-m donuts).
Tom caught up with us at the rest stop and we rode together again for about another 20 miles and then Tom flatted. He ended up with two flats on the road and the last tube he had was going flat as he ate lunch so he stopped at 67 miles.
After lunch we got ready to go and Dave had a flat. He fixed it and we got started and about 10 miles into the last 30 Dave had another flat. Some of us went on and some stayed with Dave. Brian and I rode together and met up with another rider from the Belleville area. Brian had a flat at the 80 mile marker and we had a little difficulty getting it aired up. Dave and the group with him passed us and continued on. We eventually got Brian's tire aired up and rode on.
The total flats for the day for our group was 9. Total for people falling off bikes in our group 2 (Michelle also went down but she was OK). I heard of several others having trouble with the gravel that day. The Illinois roads were covered in gravel this weekend.
Stats: Dst: 100.6, Avs: 17 (sad times but I think it was because of all the gravel), Mx: 32.5, Tm: 5:54.
This is patch #4 for me...
I heard it was Joey's first century. He looked strong, he'll be out there again I'm sure.
One more picture from the day of the ride...
Arm road rash...
I also wanted to mention, Joey, Dave Brian, Kathy and I talked about the team jerseys after the ride and we have a date of September 18th for delivery, if I can get the art to the printer by Thursday the 24th. We have sponsors and we have a design all I need to do is put the two together and send it to the printer and we will have jerseys.
We would have looked awsome on this century, riding in a pack of 15 with matching jerseys...
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