StanSeven

There's plently of parking but if you get there late, around 8:00, be prepared for a 5 minute ride to the start. If you're that late, you can park on the residental streets behind the school rather than being directed to the large lots.

J.Lockdown

Counting Down 3 days to go.

So what do most of you guys eat on these long rides. I normally will bring a nutrigran bar but I dont think thats going to be enought. Do those jelly bean energy things any good?

WJ13US

This ride is well stocked so you really don't need anything outside of maybe some gel packs. But do be aware there is no food at the second stop, so you will want to put a few things in your pocket from the first stop. When I stop I just eat and eat a lot. But if you want to do the math you will burn about 40 calories a mile.

Bill

Porter20

I'm with you. It has been a while since I have done an organized ride, so I am looking forward to this also. Especially with the latest weather forecast; but make no mistake, I am bring rain gear & cold weather gear; just in case.

As far as eating; I normally carry 4 gel packs & one pack of shot blocks. The rides are typically well stocked; but normally I just wolf down some bananas at the stops. Please, Please, Please do no experiment with stuff on your first long ride. If you have never used the Jelly Beans (or any other thing - gels, blocks, clif bars, etc.); please be careful trying them for the first time on this long ride. Last thing you want to do is be 50 miles into this deal & find out that something new does not agree with your system. I have seen it happen & it is not pretty. Just my suggestion.

mattyknacks

#834 & #835

My G/F and I are doing the Metric option. We are coming down from Brooklyn, New York and staying with family in Glen Burnie Friday night and Saturday night.

What would be a good time to leave Glen Burnie on Saturday morning to ensure a good parking spot in Salisbury?

Thanks in advance

dpara

It should take you two hours or less to get to Salisbury depending on your driving habits. You certainly wont have much traffic if you leave early enough. Getting there after 7am pushes your parking further and further away so it depends on how early you want to wake up. With the weather looking nice, its going to be a crowded morning.

dpara

Here's some notes for first timers at the Seagull.

It will get crowded at the start if you're planning on leaving early but the streets are empty and it thins out pretty quickly.

The first rest stop is the most crowded and its the same road in and out so its not at pace. But I would not advise skipping as the 40mi stop is only a H2O stop.

By the time you get past the 2nd stop things have cleared out nicely. Coming into the third stop at the beach is nice. With no wind forcasted this year it should be pretty nice. This is about the time the fog had cleared for me last year and the sun began to shine. The final stop has pie and ice cream. Enough said.

The pacelines are fun and some are HUGE but be weary if you get twitchy.

Finally, some of the folks I rode with last year hammered out the first 40mi. Pacelines, flat terrain and feeling good all aided in their attempts. However, by mile 70 they were spent and limped into the finish. Remember to pace yourself. Its flat but its still 100mi. Also, I would suggest stopping at all the rest stops for a few minutes. Its good to stretch a little and get some weight of the tail bones if only for awhile.

Im #972 and will probably be wearing a blue 5 Boro shirt and Hammer shorts.

Everyone enjoy.

veloellen

We have never had an issue parking - we go around the back of the university and find a spot without difficulty. We usually get there around 7:30 (we stay in Salisbury about 5 miles from the start)- I take off for the metric and my husband waits around for friends and leaves around 7:45 - 8ish for the full century. He usually gets done about an hour after me The beer garden gets hopping around 3 - bring cash for some burgers, beer, clothing from the vendors and enjoy a sunny afternoon!
Its cool at the start so I'm usually in shorts and a short sleeved jersey with arm warmers that get peeled off within the first hour (the arm warmers that is - not the shorts...).
I wouldn't leave Glen Burnout much later than 5 - 5:30 so you can be on the road by 8 at the latest. Have full water bottles so you're not worrying about the when you get there - just show and go.
My husband is #45 and I'm #53.
Ride safe, have fun!

FatguyRacer

The last couple of years I've been picking up a couple of Turkey Sausage Bagel sammiches from the Wawa a mile from the school and keep a couple of clif bars in my pocket JIC. The rest stops are pretty well stocked.

G-Whacker

It's also not at pace because the Milburn Landing access road is AWFUL!
That road feels like forever, but the rest stop is there- I swear.

Is anyone else doing the Old Mill on Sunday? It would be nice to join a group for that.

J.Lockdown

Yeah I think I am just going to bring some Nutrigran bars now that you mention the whole not experimenting part. I have had some nutri. bars on long rides and they have done me fairly well along with a banana or apple. Either way it should be fun and im looking forward to it. I acutally did a ride today just to keep my legs awake (nothing hard just a little 11 mile ride at 19mph) and im off the bike till Saturday morning.

Since I got about a 2 hour rides breakfest will be in the car yumm.

Anyway checked the weather again and it might be a little chilly that morning. I am bring some under armor (the thin type for fall not the heavy winter stuff) until I get warmed up and then ill just stuff it in my back pocket.

Porter20

Well I finally made it to Delaware!! I didn't get out of town until LATE last night; so rolled in here at about 3:00 a.m. I was surprised at the early morning weather. It looks like it is going to be chilly; but should burn off quickly. I am excited to see the BF sign & looking forward to meeting some people at the lawn party!

G-Whacker

HERE is a link to the local paper's story about the ride.
Using the old Dresser Wayne parking lot will really make parking for the event a breeze this year.
They'll have signs everywhere to guide you.
And the tents are up already!

G-Whacker

I labored for almost two minutes of my valuable work day to create this masterpiece:

I'll scope out where to plant it tonight, and post the location. (I'm sure it'll be near the beer truck!)
I'm also going to tape one to my rider #.

J.Lockdown

Oh nice sign, should be very easy to find and will be cool to meet other members.

Today when I was at Performance bikes getting some leg warmers a lady was telling a guy about the ride and that she was doing it tomorrow. I almost butt into their conversation to introduce myself and make small talk but figured it would be rude.

Well I am mostly packed up, got everything I need now its just making sure I get up. I got my alarm clock set and my phone for 3:15am so we shall see. If I got the timings down I should be their by 6am and have plenty of time to get ready.

Oh one last opinion from everyone, kinda silly but, should I wear the riding pants in the car or you think it should just change their? I figure I might as well get confy in them on the drive their.

Porter20

To each his own: I am driving 45 minutes tomorrow & planning on changing when I get there. I figure I am going to be in those clothes for 5 to 7 hours already; so I plan on being comfy on the ride over there in the morning.

J.Lockdown

Thats true, I must say though my riding shorts are very comfy already ha.

Well thats it all packed and I guess need sleep at some point before the ride ha. See you all out their, and hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable ride.

rizz

Wow, could the weather have been any better? 100 miles in four hours and 45 minutes.

J.Lockdown

Just got back home in Gaithersburg after a great ride. Ended up leaving the mag center at 6:30 to avoid the large groups in the tunnel. Everything went well and did it in 5 hours 34 minutes which is around what I wanted.

Sorry I could not stick around and try and meet up with some of you. I was a little sore and really tired from only getting 3 hours of sleep last night. But it was great, weather was great, and everyone was great.

barndoor

What a great day!

Started at 8am , cruised with a nice group to the 1st rest stop(1st time I've ever stopped there) averaging 22mph. Listened to the band for a while, used the porta, wolfed down a couple of bagles and I was good to go! ..... until just before the Assateague bridge, that is....

...had a catastrophic front tire flat, meaning the slit was too huge for the goo to work....had to call the wife, wait an hour till she got there with replacement.....still had to get lunch....ended up wasting 1-1/2 hours during that whole debacle.....

....an interesting sidenote: did anyone see that guy slam into the leading edge of the guardrail at the base of the bridge? I was sitting there, waiting for the wife and was watching people go up the bridge and all of a sudden, this big guy just barrels into the guardrail and flips over it! He got back up and went on to the lunch stop, I believe.....

The post lunch part of the ride was much , much better, as I hooked up with a nice group and chatted, eating up the miles......finished with a 19.4 mph average...and made some new friends.

cyclinfool

Had a great ride as well - I drove down from upstate NY and had a hotel room in Cambridge. I met my brother and his friend who came from the UK to ride it. Personal best average for a century. Great weather. Will consider it again for next year.

HC203

I finished with about an 18.8 average. I guess there were a few times when I was slowing up too much. Didn't see too many people passing though, a few pace groups which I usually caught. I was pulling for a good bit in the morning, taking too much time up front, though sometimes just putting my head down and heading into the wind seemed easier than concentrating on holding somebody's wheel. Often times when I looked back I saw what appeared to be an endless line of bikes behind me. Did 40 miles on Sunday in Baltimore's beautiful but hilly Baltimore County. Some recovery ride.

G-Whacker

I hope everyone got home safely. I saw more accidents this year than, well, ever. I'm not sure why, it might have been the great weather causing people to pay less attention or just bad luck. Other than that, the ride was fantastic. I had a hard time staying in a group this year- faster and slower riders all around- so I ended up riding about 75 miles solo! Still, I averaged just over 20 mph so it was a great ride. I'll post some pics later.

WJ13US

I did not see this post before the ride. Funny thing, I was behind G-Whacker in a pace line early in the ride. I seen the sign on his back and keep thinking what the hell is that, then about 3 or 4 minutes later it clicked in. Rode up introduced myself and hung on for awhile then off the back (I'm not that fast).

Like G-W said I too had a hard time finding pace lines that fit my speed. Seemed to be a lot more ones and twos than pace lines. I, like G-W (Mike), think I spent about 75% of my time by myself. Though I did meet and talked with a number of people along the way. For some reason it seemed a bit more casual this year. Despite rinding by myself most of the time I ended up only 8 minutes slower than my personal best.

I could not believe how many people that were at the Assateague rest stop. There must 1,000+ bikes there. I actually had to wait in line about 5 to 10 minutes to get water.

I found the sign at the finish and there were two guys there and I asked if they were BF members and they had no idea what the sign was for. Hung out there for a bit but no one stopped by.

Bill

J.Lockdown

I got lucky and found a pace line that was at my speed but I did not find them until after mile 20. After the big bridge I did happen to see the aftermath of a crash. Their was 3 bikers in the grass and a girl on the ground with paramedics around her. Did not get a chance to see her injury's but from what the bikes look like it was large.

Besides that I definitely suggest leaving before 7 if you can, cause their was no crowds and was much safer to get in smaller pace lines.