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The 2018 Hemet Double Century, April 21


az_cyclist

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This was the sixth time I have ridden the Hemet double century, but the past 3 years had been staff rides.  A staff ride is when those volunteering to work sag stops etc on the day of the event ride the route on another day.  This time I rode the day of the event with a friend.  He is a bit stronger on the bike than I am , so, I viewed this ride as a bit of a challenge.

As before the route is a couple of 100 mile loops.  You have to check out when you leave in the morning, check in at each sag stop, then check in, and out, at lunch. The earliest you could leave was at 3:30 am, which my ride partner wanted to do. I preferred 4, but I also knew the temps were predicted to be in the upper 80s later in the day, so , an early start was a good idea. 

It was 50 when when we left Hemet, and pretty quickly the route goes thru agricultural fields, so the temps dropped into the 40s.  I decided to wear a wind vest, wool arm warmers, lycra knee warmers, regular gloves, jersey, and bibs.  No base layer.  I was chilly at times before daybreak,  but never really cold. 

As usual the route goes thru Perris, then Riverside and Corona.  There is not a lot of climbing on the first loop, and we made it back to Hemet for lunch by 11:30ish.  After lunch we headed out , feeling the day get a lot warmer.  Dennis had a blowout on the rear tire 3 miles out.  The biggest climb of the day starts about 10 miles or so in, Sage Road.  it is about an 8 mile climb, with the grade progressing from 1-2% to 8-10 @ at the steepest section.  The hardest part is about 3-4 miles long, but, it is in a canyon so no wind.  That made for a very warm climb. 

At the top a sag car pulled in with cold water.  Next was a  nice descent, my favorite part of the ride.  After that are several miles of rollers (for lack of a better term) into Temecula.  We do ride thru the wine country. 

After about 20-25 more miles we get to the toughest part of the ride, mentally, for me.  The route is around the western side of Lake Elsinore.  It is a 1-2% false flat, and we had a headwind.  We got somewhat lucky that high clouds moved in and took out the direct sun, but it still seemed that we struggled to keep rolling along at 12-13 mph.  There is a sag stop at the end of the lake that I usually really need.  There is a short wall there that you can sit on, and I always do.

The next 20-25 miles is along the other side of the lake, to Murietta , the last sag stop. After that is a 4 mile climb that goes from  2% - 4% but for some reason does not seem too bad.  I lost a bit of energy in the last 15 miles, but was glad to see the Motel 6 and the check in.  It was not quite 8:30, and I was exhausted. 

Somehow I felt good enough for a 17 mile spin on the way home, with some friends in the Palm Springs area.  That was a good idea as my legs didn’t get stiff at all for the 5 hour drive home.

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6 hours ago, Longjohn said:

Great report, so where do you stash your cool weather stuff when it gets hot? Jersey pockets?

I wear a Camelbak on long rides.  70 oz / 2L capacity with plenty of storage for clothes, food, and extra packs of chamois buttr. I think I got the Blowfish, but, I dont see it listed any longer.  The MAGIC seems to be the closest.

 

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2 hours ago, smudge said:

Man, that is a long day. Sounds like some hearty climbs too. Hopefully they weren't too long. 

I like that you have to check in here and there. Good to keep people safe. 

Do you eat much on a long ride like that?

I eat something at every sag.  usually they have bananas and cookies and water, sometimes other treats. I carry cliff bars and fig newtons too.  oatmeal raisin cookies are my weakness at sags.  This time I took 3 enduralyte tablets at every sag, starting at sag 2.

I may need to eat half of a Cliff bar, rather than the cookies, at each sag. more protien, which can help energy levels later in the ride.

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13 hours ago, petitepedal said:

:cheerleader:I got tired on my 14 mile ride this weekend...you are allowed to be exhausted..also I came home and did laundry...steps...to keep from getting stiff after the ride.

 

How the heck do you do 200...It takes me all day to do 100.

it took me all day too.. 16 hours. 

You train for it.  50-60 mile club rides on the weekends. The past few years I trained harder to be able to do the club rides at  17+ mph rolling ave.  I try to have a few 100+ mile rides before the doubles start.  Since 2014-2015 my legs have felt ok the day after a double.

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