buelito

May 30 in Blacksburg Virginia- Two options-- 104 miles (10,000 ft of climbing) or a double metric
with 13,000 ft of climbing. I am signed up for the double! WHo else is coming?

https://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/mountains-of-misery

train safe-

chuckb

I'll be there for the 3rd time. I was on a sub-8 hour pace last year when IT band pain hit me. I finished---barely--and manage 8:23, nearly an hour faster than the first time. This time, if I can fix the IT issue, I intend to do 7:59 or better. (That's the century, I'm not doing that double metric, at least, not this year.)

Train a lot, and bring your low gears for this ride...

JimF22003

Last year was my first. I've already signed up for this one.

I don't know what came over me.

oilman_15106

Here is another century for your riding pleasure or pain: https://www.ridingforareason.org/ Out of Wheeling, WV. Earlier this year because of conflict with a triathalon.

We have done it for 2 years and it was great. Not quite 10,000 feet of climbing but close.

This one also is a climbers favorite: https://www.wvcf.org/home/EventsProgr...3/Default.aspx

Personally have not done it but everyone who has says it is a beautiful ride.

Allegheny Jet

We will be tied up for a wedding that weekend so I'm out.

I'll probably be riding again in this race the weekend before. https://web.me.com/earthscapes66/75_miles_/Home.html

The flyer is wrong as they added another hill last year increasing the climbing to over 6,400' for the 77 miles.

stapfam

Don't know if you have done a double before but don't forget eating is very important for that extra 25 miles or so. I Did offroad 100 milers and found that after about 6 hours of Eating- and eating- and eating- I did not want to eat any more. You still have to so I had a change to a tin of creamed rice at the 6 hour mark. Slips down easy and a different taste.

And the best I have found to get the taste buds back is a Marmite Sandwich. I hate marmite but it gave me an overload of the essential salts that I had depleted on the ride.

But you eat what you are used to. Some riders just get by on gels and powerbars- but I prefer real food.

jppe

I'm "very probable" at this point. The last and only time I did it I left with the thought of "thank goodness I don't ever need to do this ride again". Hardest last 3 miles of any 100 miler I've ridden. Taht was the stretch where people were walking faster than I could ride.

I suppose it has now been long enough to have forgotten how really hard it was. I've been debating the 120 miler vs the 100 miler-not sure why exactly. I think I finished around 6hr 45 mins for the 100 miler. I can't imagine adding another 60-90 mins to that......I'll need to check the wife's schedule to see as well.

Buelito-you thinking of doing it fixed?

cyclinfool

Would love to go - being an old Hokie.
Now I have to decide whether or not I want to drive 12 hours to get there.
There is a Tour de Cure ride the following weekend here and the Whiteface race two weekends after that (3800ft all in only 8 miles). I'll think about it but will probably pass. I may do the 6-gaps ride through Vermont instead, 14,500' and 132 miles.

buelito

I hope you come out- it will be good to put a person to the name and face I have seen on BF. Am I doing it fixed...probably not, but I haven't ruled it out I watched a guy on the last 3 miles fixed--he had done the century and I came up behind him, having done the double metric. He was weaving all over the road and was not a happy camper... We'll see-- I think the other hill is steeper than the final one though--(on the century route--there are 2 "BIG" hills--and both are tough--the last one gets the press, but I think the other is harder). Depends on the training and if we ever get to ride again (we are under a LOT of snow right now)

train safe-

NealH

I rode it last year, actually both the Saturday Wilderness ride and MoM century on Sunday. Being a 3-day weekend it was great. Traffic was noticeably light in and around Radford and, they were having a nice tribute to our veterans. It was a very nicely supported event. And yea, that final climb up Salt Pond Mountain is memorable. They call it a cat 1 climb. Sheesh, I would hate to see a cat 0. The cookout at the top was great too. And they were prompt in ferrying us, and our bikes, immediately back down the mountain in air conditioned charter buses. Better orchestrated than the Mitchell event.

I will be signing up this year too, for Sat and Sun.

JimF22003

Both of the mega hills were, of course, "mega." But what killed me were those steep rollers coming back into Newport.

I made the last climb without stopping or walking, but it was a close call a couple of times.

Hope to see some of the forumites on the ride!