Cache Valley Century Ride

It was the start of a long but exciting day. I awoke at 4:00AM, got my gear ready, ate a small breakfast then waited for Mas to pick me up. When he arrived, I loaded up my road bike and we headed north on a two hour drive to a small farming community in Richmond, UT.

This is where it was to take place. The Cache Valley Century Ride. We opted to endure the Metric Century, which is just over 60 miles, instead of the full 100 mile ride due to our lack of experience. Our ride took us from Richmond to Preston, ID. then over to Dayton, ID. and back into Utah.

With over 500 participants, the ride started off slow but soon picked up pace. I found myself being swept up in a Peleton of 35 riders charging down the scenic country road. I hung in with that group for the the first 14 miles at a pace ranging from 26 to 32 MPH. I knew I couldn't keep that up all day. I soon dropped off and pedaled my way to the first rest stop in Preston where I waited for Mas.

I'd never been on a supported ride before. It was nice to find bananas, orange slices, and granola bars at the rest stop. We re-fueled and were soon on the road to Dayton. This is one of the only sections with hills. After slowly making our way to the top, we were rewarded with a downhill stretch where we reached speeds of 44 MPH. It wasn't long before I found my self being overtaken by another group of eight cyclist. I was able to latch on and managed to ride the next 20 miles at a 25 MPH pace, and it felt great!

After two more rest stops and a whole lotta miles, Mas and I finished back in Richmond and enjoyed a nice chicken fajita lunch sponsored by the Cache Valley Veloist cycling group. We then loaded up and headed back for home. Total riding time was 3 hours 37 minutes at an average speed of 17 MPH. With the rest stops included, our tptal time was just around 4 1/2 hours. It was great to know that I could ride that kind of distance and survive. I'm already looking forward to finding another century ride, maybe even completing the entire 100 miles. So stay tuned...