Harmon Hundred Day

I got up a little before 6am today and got ready to hit the road for the 2008 Harmon Hundred. I arrived in Wilmot about 7:10am and the high school parking lot was nearly full of cars with bike racks. It seems that many of those heading out for the longer distances (50, 75, 100 miles) wanted to hit the road early. For a 25 mile leg of the ride, getting on the road at 6am was certainly not necessary.

I met John and Katie at the registration desk and after picking up the cue sheets (for both the 25 and the 50 mile routes) we hit the road a little after 8am. Heading south out of Wilmot on the Fox River Rd, we went on some small hills up and down until we turned west just south of the former location of Gander Mountain (retailer). From there, it was unfamiliar territory. The terrain was mostly flat for the first 10 miles, then it was mildly hilly as we went through the small towns of Nippersink and Twin Lakes. The road through Nippersink was freshly paved and very smooth. Overall, the road was good except around mile 15.5 where a large downhill brought us straight into some choppy torn-up pavement that was a bit jolting on the Trek. I didn't see anyone wipe-out, but it was by far the most uncomfortable part of the ride.

Around mile 16 we came upon the one and only rest stop for the 25 mile route. It was well stocked with drinks and some food. As soon as we pulled in there, I ran into a buddy of mine from MCWA, John Dewey. It was nice to see John again and John quickly noticed that the tires on Katie's bike were nearly flat. We got those pumped up to about 90psi (the gauge on that frame pump is apparently not too reliable) and for the rest of the ride, Katie was going faster with less effort. Its amazing what the proper tire inflation will do for your bike!

On the last 10 miles of the ride, there were only two hills worth mentioning. The first one was a good pedal up, but nothing too terrible. Near mile 20 we hit a monster hill. It kept going up and up, and for the first time I thought i needed to shift down into my smallest chain ring up front... but couldn't! Clickity-clack, clickity-clak, but it just wouldn't shift. So i ended up pedaling a lot harder than I should have on that last big hill. However, I was able to take a short break and have a drink while I waited for John and Katie to power their way up the hill a little ways behind me. Once we tackled that, the roads were mostly level or only slightly hilly for the remainder of the ride.

Katie took pictures with her camera and promised to share, so I'll post some pictures from before and after the ride here later. What's next? We talked about trying to do a 50 miler next. Not sure what else will be available this year as the riding season seems to be drawing to a close here in the next month or so.



Katie - Thanks for sending the pictures!

Total distance: 25.79 miles, Ride time: 2:10:48, avg: 11.83, max: 30.07 mph