Last weekend I completed my first century. Sure, I've done three 100-mile mountain bike races, but until now I've never ridden that far on the roads. The Harvest Century raises money for Community Vision. The sponsor of my cycling team, Showers Pass, is the presenting sponsor of the event and asks that we volunteer.
Two years ago I froze my ass off at an aid station after getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle otherwise known as Washington County. Last year I stood in the pouring rain policing the entrance to the beer tent. This year I registered early and scored a position as a course marshal which meant I would actually ride the course. Along the way I was expected to ensure turns were adequately marked and provide directional guidance if there was confusion.
As soon as it was light enough, we were released to ride the course. I left in front to get to the first intersection I was supposed to marshal, then waved riders through the turn until the pack turned to a widely spaced trickle.
I generally consider myself to to be fairly well connected in the Portland cycling community. I rarely attend an event, drop by the shop, shred a trail, or even ride around town without running into people I know. But I began to notice that I knew no one here! The century crowd is different. More casual. More recreational. Sure, there are guys out there who want to finish first or within a certain time, but this isn't a race. There are no prizes. It's a cycling tour with lots of rest stops. At the second rest stop, I finally saw a couple I knew--Mike and Betsy were riding as an on-course mechanic and medic.
Riders pedaled through rural Washington and Yamhill counties, Portland's bread and wine basket, on everything on two wheels from $8,000 carbon road bikes to big box store commuters, recumbants to mountain tandems. They wore everything from team kits to soccer shorts, RAGBRAI and RAMROD (knowing what those stand for is part of becoming a cyclist ;-) )jerseys to cotton t-shirts.
Unlike the past two years, it was a fine day for a bike ride. The day started cool with low clouds and a bit of fog, but it warmed up to the mid-60s and the sun came out sporadically. Well-stocked rest stops (salted red potatoes, donuts, oranges and bananas, candy, sandwiches, chocolate milk, Nutella and graham crackers) were roughly 15 miles apart. The pastoral scenery included orchards and vineyards, organic farms, acres of dahlias in bloom, llamas and alpacas, goats, stables and kennels. We crossed the Willamette on the Canby Ferry just before entering the Wilsonville Rollers--a series of steep ups and downs that are just long enough to be taxing after 75 miles, but short enough to prevent the legs from finding a groove.
Compared to the mountain centuries I've done, this wasn't especially hard--just 35 miles longer than what would have been a comfortable ride. The frequent rest stops and casual pace made it easy to keep going. And the following day's cyclocross race a little more challenging!
