2013 Wilson 100

The Southern Bicycle League Wilson 100 century celebrated its 40th anniversary on Sunday, September 8th in Senoia, Georgia.   The weather for the ride was perfect.  The morning started out with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60's.  The high for the day would reach very close to 90-degrees with a few clouds.  I had ridden the Wilson the two previous years in 2011 and 2012.  Both years I started with the lead group of riders which rolled out as a mass start at 8:00am.  Unfortunately, both in 2011 and 2012 my performance was not up to snuff.  see 2012 Wilson 100 and 2011 Wilson 100.  I got dropped at mile 50 in 2011 when I had to take a needed water stop.  I hadn't prepared appropriately.  Two water bottles weren't enough.  In 2012 I lasted all the way to mile 85 when I went off road briefly and wasn't able to catch up to the pack.

To prepare for the 2013 ride Susan made me a green salad and spicy chicken breast for dinner on Saturday night.  I ate it and said "I have a big ride tomorrow, I'm supposed to eat pasta".  So, Susan made me a second supper of spaghetti.

For 2013, the Wilson 100 would follow a new century course.  It was at mile 50 in Concord, Georgia where a slight directional snafu stopped the peloton and then split the lead group in two.  Half the group went right to Molena and the other half went straight to Zebulon.  Unfortunately for me I decided to go right but only after the group had already left Concord.  I spent the next 50 miles riding solo and passing the discarded elements of that group.

During previous rides I was forced to stop for water.  The Beck team had a SAG wagon following their team.  I didn't have that luxury.  I carried 2 ice filled water bottles in my cages and 2 bottles in my jersey.  I wasn't forced to stop until the rest stop in Hollonville at mile 85 after my water was all gone. I filled one bottle with delicious lemonade from "Joyce the Rest Stop Queen" and took off again passing some of the same riders I had just gone by.

I have to say that I wasn't totally unhappy riding alone.  I had hoped that for once I'd finish with the lead group in some awesomely unattainable time for me as a solo rider but the stress of riding in such close quarters is too great for me.  I rode my 2010 Quintana Roo CD0.1 tri-bike and if there's one thing that I could say that's negative about the bike is its braking.  The rear brake seems wholly ineffective which is much of the reason why I stayed well to the back of the peloton providing plenty of room between me and the riders in front.  I brought my Giro Selector aero helmet but decided at the last minute to use my better vented regular road bike helmet instead.  It was a good decision because I saw plenty of tri-bikes but no riders in aero helmets.

My Southern Crescent Cycling brothers and sisters

Lino and Marcelo

John and Martha

Just before the mass start at 8:00am

The peloton got stopped by a cow crossing

The rest stop in Hollonville at mile 85 on the century course

The parents of Tony Seranno and Joyce the rest stop "Queen" 

Delicious Food

After my ride I felt great and decided to back track in search of some of my fellow club members.   Apparently this was one case where I rode the correct route, as marked, and everyone else got lost.   The scene in Concord was almost comical as one rider professed that he checked the Internet and the route went straight.  I had collected a map at registration but it was back in Senoia in my pants pocket.

2013 SBL Wilson 100 t-shirt artwork dedicated to Scott Wilson

I ended the day with 115 miles although the last 15 miles were just a leisurely ride in the park out and back on the course.  I could have run or done something else after the ride.  I felt great!  I think it was the pasta.

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The Everything Ride

I call this ride the "everything" ride because it seemed like everything happened during this short Friday late morning/early afternoon ride.  At least it was more eventful than most rides.  The ride started at around 10:30am on Friday morning.  My training plan called for a 4 hour 30 minute ride.  Susan recommended that I find someone to ride with.  I called a friend and posted something on Facebook.  My fellow Southern Crescent Cycling board member and riding buddy Isabel was also looking to put in some miles.  We met at the Trek bike shop in McDonough.  Our plan was to ride to the Trek shop in Peachtree City and back.  We'd ride the same route as the Trek from Trek to Trek Customer Appreciation Day Ride that we'd ridden earlier in the year.  The total distance is about 60 miles.

As Isabel and I enter the bustling metropolis of Woolsey, Georgia we saw a fawn that had obviously been hit by a car.  As we rolled up beside her she tried to run but her injuries were too much.  She couldn't stand and her powerful back legs caused her to flip and flop in the grass like a fish out of water.  We stayed with her for quite a while.  The homeowner whose front yard the deer had probably laid in since early morning came out and spoke to us.  She called Noah's Ark, a Locust Grove, Georgia animal sanctuary most noticeably known for the adult lioness, black bear, and tiger who live as a family in the same enclosure.

Isabel called 911.  The Fayette County Sheriff's Department deputy and a companion arrived at the house soon after.  They were both sensitive to the plight of this poor deer but after some discussion it was decided that the deputy would put her down.  Isabel and I rode off before the act.

We made it to Peachtree City without any other incidents.  On the way back to McDonough and with only 3.5 miles to go I had a major blowout.  Thump, thump, kapow!   My back tire was trashed.  At first I set about trying to replace the tube but soon realized that with a 2 inch long gash in the tire it would be a waste of time.  I called Susan and she dutifully came to rescue us.

Temperature on the return trip to McDonough was about 88-degrees.  The humidity was in the mid-80's as well.   Isabel was likely suffering from the affects of heat exhaustion and ended up losing her lunch.

Isabel took the opportunity to throw-up along the roadside a second time.  Kudos to the residents of Henry County who stopped to offer aide.  Since Susan was coming to get us we declined the offers but it was surprising how many people stopped.  Thank you!

As we sat at the roadside, in the heat, the grasshoppers seemed to invade our bikes.  Isabel had a big one on her pedal and I had a small green one on my wheel.

Susan met up with me soon after.  Isabel had already started off for the store but before she got there we picked her up on the way.

Overall it was a good ride.  Traffic on a Friday is a bit more than during other times of the week and it seems like everyone is in a hurry.  I didn't get the 4.5 hour training ride that I needed but with the Wilson 100 century only 2 days away it was probably best that I didn't overdo it.

Thanks for reading.

Giro Selector Aero Helmet

My Giro Advantage 2 aero helmet never really felt quite right.  It was always tight.  I'd have to pry it over my ears and be uncomfortable until they finally found their place behind the thick flap of plastic that comprises the ear covers.  I used it with some success, I think.  I found, through my own riding that the Advantage 2 reduced my time on a 7.5 mile ride by about 30 seconds.  So, I'm a believer but I wanted more.  More comfort and more speed.

The Advantage 2 comes in three sizes, small, medium and large.  I had bought a size small Advantage 2.  My head measures 21 3/4 inches (55.245cm) at the hat band area.  That's right at the limit for a small.

Giro helmet sizing chart

The Giro Advantage 2 has 3 size options

With all the strain on the ear flaps my Advantage 2 formed a crack on both sides.  It was time to replace it!  I decided on the Giro Selector for several reasons; 1) it has an integrated vision 2) it has 2 "aerodynamic lower" options, and 3) the cost wasn't prohibitively high.  I bought mine through Amazon for less than $200.

The Giro Selector has 2 size options

I ordered the small/medium Selector.  My head was safely within the sizes listed on the Giro website.  When the helmet arrived it came with the items below.

What the helmet comes with

The Selector helmet comes with 2 back plate options, and instruction booklet, a cloth bag, an extra set of pads, a red "G" sticker and an emergency contact information sticker.

Fastener tabs for the padded second aerodynamic lower attachment

Snaps on the back plate and the visor connect to snap baskets on the helmet

A closer view of one of the tabs on the aerodynamic lower

The Roc Loc TT fit system

One of three snaps used to attach the visor to the helmet

The Selector has no large vent holes like the Advantage 2.  It's a possibility that overheating could be a problem.  That's one of the reasons I chose white and silver for my colors.

The center visor nipple with vent holes on either side

The pads in place inside the helmet

A side view of the helmet

A side view of the second optional back plate

A closer view of the vented visor

The helmet on the head

I decided to adjust the Roc Loc TT fit system back one space to the last snap basket.  To do that I removed the Roc Loc bracket. Make sure that you look closely at the two pictures below.  The bracket has 2 snaps and 2 curved legs.  The snaps keep the bracket securely forward and the feet of the legs under the snap basket frame.

The Roc Loc TT fit system snap brackets with the bracket removed

The Roc Loc TT fit system bracket with 2 curved legs and 2 snaps

I used a shish-kabob skewer to ream out a place in the foam one space back for the legs to go into.

A shish-kabob skewer

You can just barely see the modified snap basket frame below.

The Roc Loc TT fit system snap basket with a second set of holes cleared

I re-installed the Roc Loc bracket and that was it.  I tried the newly adjusted helmet again and it fit much better.  The ear flaps still look to be a bit tight but I'm sure that I'll get used to putting in on more quickly over time.

The Roc Loc TT fit system bracket re-installed

I wore it for the first time on Saturday during a 19 mile 23 average MPH ride with 4 other guys and a subsequent 30 mile ride with 2 other guys at 21.8 MPH.  I found that my ears are still an issue.  I think a dab of BodyGlide on the ear tab pads should help them find their proper place in the confinement of the straps and foam.  The field of view is freakin' awesome.  There are no obstructions at all although looking to the side to see who's riding behind is a strain.  The air temperature was 70-degrees.  I didn't find that the limited venting was an issue.  The flow of sweat was allowed to move unobstructed.  I find with sunglasses that the sweat seems to pool around the lenses.  There was no lens fogging.  Bugs smacking into my face at 30-mph should be a thing of the past too.  That's a good thing!  The ability to hear is reduced, as I'd expect.  The ambient noise inside the Selector helmet is probably lower than my Advantage 2.  The only negative is that the interior of the helmet is not well padded.  It's like wearing a can on your head.

Well, that's about it!  Just a lot of pictures of my new helmet.

Thanks for reading.

Hard Training Day

Wednesday was a hard training day.  On some Wednesdays, when I'm not working, I meet up with some of my friends in Peachtree City for a long ride which is sometimes followed by a short run.  Two of them, Chad and Jared, will also be doing the 2013 Ironman Florida triathlon in November.  John is a hard charging Beck Cycling team racer and de facto leader of the group.  Tom is training for Ironman Wisconsin.  Martha races for the Beck team as well but says she's not training for anything which begs the question, what the heck are you doing here?

Martha, Chad, Neil, Tom, and Jared (l-r)

The six of us set out at 8am.  The pre-ride chatter was for a 120 mile ride.

John took this picture - it's a selfie!

John, Tom, Martha, Jared, and Chad (l-r)

We made a quick stop at a convenience store for more food, drinks, and use of the facilities.

These two were expressing great affection for each other as we rode by.  They stopped when the camera came out.

I don't know if these are donkeys or mules but I'm pretty sure that they thought I was gonna give them some food.

We ended the ride with almost 100 miles in the books.  That's pretty good for a Wednesday ride.  The best part is that I didn't wreck all day.

Thanks for reading.