Once, Twice, Three Times a Century

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Saturday was my third attempt at the 3 State 3 Mountain Century in Chattanooga, and all things considered, I think I ripped it wide open.

In 2005 and 2006 I made the trip up to try my hand, well legs, at this roughly 100 miles and three mountains of riding. I finished both times, but made the same couple of mistakes both times that lead to blowing up either just before or during the “final” mountain. Getting in a group that was working way harder than I should have, and doing too much of the work; getting in a group that was comprised mainly of riders doing the metric option who would hammer through 50 miles and then take a left turn and leave me alone and wiped out; underestimating the need to ‘save some juice’ for the last bit of the ride up Lookout Mountain. Mistakes I would be sure not to repeat again this year…

I came into the ride this year during what has been a bit of a renaissance in my riding. I have been riding more than I have ever, and recently have been focusing on the vertical aspects of riding more than just putting miles in thanks to Specialized and Strava.

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Observations of a boring man

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So it occurs to me that I had a flurry of postings to this blog when I was in pursuit of the monumental task of riding my bike 500km in one week (a task I’m certain I have never done, but also a distance totaling more than all of the riding I’d done in the previous three years), but after the new year, and after my first century ride in 4+ years, I haven’t been back to share my thoughts at all.

The obvious reason was that I was riding a lot, the riding was inspiring me to put my thoughts down here, and there it was. But this didn’t hold true by the end of the month.

As January drew to a close I looked back and realized that I had pulled a monthly total in excess of 1000km. At my peak, I seriously doubt I ever came close to a total like that. I took an entire week off the bike immediately following the Penance Ride, but then hit it hard. Commuting regularly, and riding 50-70 mile rides on weekends. Interesting things (at least by the standards I’ve set for myself) surely happened during this time. I rode with people I hadn’t ridden with in years, went places I haven’t been. And yet, nothing was noted. Nothing noteworthy?

Even assuming riding weren’t the sole muse in my life, I am certain I did other items of note. I started to craft some camp kitchen equipment, I began reorganizing my life (again), etc.

Am I to conclude that I’m just a boring man? This entire site is an exercise in narcissism, and wreaks of vapidity, but surely I’m narcissistic and vapid enough to come up with more than just one errant banality in an entire month.

Perhaps not.