It's nearly 60 today so I went out for a long bike ride. Ok, a little looong ride, about 100 miles worth! 
I've only started doing centuries this season. A few weeks back I did my first 100. It was hilly and hard. I was toasted at the end.
But I have this little crude map that shows a portion (most of it) of a loop that the author swear is flat as it gets up here (Litchfield/Berkshire). For those who knows the area, this is usually consider "hill country", so how can one put together 100 miles of "flats"???
To say I was skeptical was an under-statement!
I checked out a portion of it about a month back, and it was indeed not too hilly. So I decided to do the whole loop, self-supported and with only a rough map! It's more fun with a bit of un-known, you know...
In the morning, the sun was out! Though a bit chilly, the forecast was for the high of upper 50's or even reaching 60! Light wind and no threat of rain whatsoever. This kind of weather doesn't come this late in the summer so I throw everything in the trunk last night for an early start today. Daylight is limited, so I'd better get an early start and ride fast!
I drove the short drive to the spot to park my car and jumped on my bike... and promptly went the wrong way!
By the time I found out about my mistake, I've already added another 5 miles! :( So I decided to skip a couple of the short little "loopies" to shorten the original loop so it would in the end come out to be about 100 whne I reach my car.
Lond story short, I did the 100 mile easily. It was indeed quite flat. No big monster climbs, just moderate grades of rollers, though with a little bit of un-paved dirt roads thrown in. And towards the end of a hundred miler, one simply can't help but to feel every little incline as tough as a real mountain! :p
But to be fair, I did it quickly, with a short lunch at Stockbridge. Very nice! :D And I wasn't really that tired. Had there been more daylight, I probably would have gone on a little longer detour. As a result of my "guesstimating" the shortcuts to balance the extra milage I did at the begining, the loop was "only" 98.9'ish miles. But daylight was indeed fading fast so I decided not to bother with making the round number of 100!
The views are just fabulous, with colors starting to come on over a backdrop of green. With biking days like this, skiing can wait!
I've only started doing centuries this season. A few weeks back I did my first 100. It was hilly and hard. I was toasted at the end.
But I have this little crude map that shows a portion (most of it) of a loop that the author swear is flat as it gets up here (Litchfield/Berkshire). For those who knows the area, this is usually consider "hill country", so how can one put together 100 miles of "flats"???
To say I was skeptical was an under-statement! I checked out a portion of it about a month back, and it was indeed not too hilly. So I decided to do the whole loop, self-supported and with only a rough map! It's more fun with a bit of un-known, you know...
In the morning, the sun was out! Though a bit chilly, the forecast was for the high of upper 50's or even reaching 60! Light wind and no threat of rain whatsoever. This kind of weather doesn't come this late in the summer so I throw everything in the trunk last night for an early start today. Daylight is limited, so I'd better get an early start and ride fast!
I drove the short drive to the spot to park my car and jumped on my bike... and promptly went the wrong way!
By the time I found out about my mistake, I've already added another 5 miles! :( So I decided to skip a couple of the short little "loopies" to shorten the original loop so it would in the end come out to be about 100 whne I reach my car. Lond story short, I did the 100 mile easily. It was indeed quite flat. No big monster climbs, just moderate grades of rollers, though with a little bit of un-paved dirt roads thrown in. And towards the end of a hundred miler, one simply can't help but to feel every little incline as tough as a real mountain! :p
But to be fair, I did it quickly, with a short lunch at Stockbridge. Very nice! :D And I wasn't really that tired. Had there been more daylight, I probably would have gone on a little longer detour. As a result of my "guesstimating" the shortcuts to balance the extra milage I did at the begining, the loop was "only" 98.9'ish miles. But daylight was indeed fading fast so I decided not to bother with making the round number of 100!
The views are just fabulous, with colors starting to come on over a backdrop of green. With biking days like this, skiing can wait!
On the plus side, there aren't many cross roads so just turn with blind faith, you're on the right road! 
