(as some of you know nagging injuried have curtailed my running).The Centurion events are much like marathons, in that there are multiple distances and a mix of serious and casual riders. Most events are 25, 50 & 100 miles, but this event was 25, 50 and 100km. This was billed as Centurion Ontario and was held at Horseshoe Valley Resort (Centurion Canada is at Blue Mountain ON in September). The circuit also has 2 events in New York State.
I signed up for the 50k a month ago, and had been riding with the Barrie Cycling Club in training. My cycling is much like my running, I am a middle to back of the packer so a podium finish is nothing more than a dream.
Anyhow the event was held Sunday the 15th, my goal for 50k was to beat 2 hours (25kmh), my training rides were around 22-23kmh although my hill training was minimal. That would prove to be a major factor in the ride.
For those of you who know Horsehsoe, it is located about 20 min north of Barrie and is in a valley (gee what a surprise), so going up a rather large hill was on the menu
The 50k had close to 300 riders, and the decision by ride organizers was to have a controlled start which would take us up the hill to where the chip timing would start. This would serve as the finish line as well. They did not want people racing down the hill, which was smart because it would be easy to exceed 70kmh on the way down That would have been dangerous.I was there early, got everything ready, even hit the porto potty (very wise move on my part ), and was excited about the day. When I was getting ready I looked over and saw the OPP getting their instructions. It looked like the G20 all over again with so many cops plus the big truck. I hear that there were 35 officers workinng the event for traffic control. The weather was overcast but humid, but less hot that it had been all week. The start went well and pretty quick the speed demons took off. I settled into a good pace; taking advantage of the downhill parts of the rolling course (I got up tp 65kmh at one point
), and slowing down on the uphill climbs. It was fascinating how quickly we would go from 45-50kmh to 10-15kmh. The first hour went smooth, I felt strong, although my back had stiffened up and was quite sore. Much like a running race, I tended to stay near the same pack of riders most of the way, I would go past them, then they would catch up and pass me. It was like a long game of leap frog...lolAt about the 90 minute mark I was feeling the effects of the day. The sun had come out which didn't help and the hills seemed to be higher than they had been. There was a stretch of about 6km that was one long gradual climb. That hurt. I thought it was just me feeling tired but other riders around me were saying the same thing. My thighs and especially my knees were in agony during this part and I had quite the potty mouth at this point
I wasn't the only one though...lolThe last few kms were a struggle but my chip time was 1:53:37, a speed of 26.4kmh so I was pleased. I was completely spent at the finish so what more can I ask for? It gives me a good indicator of my fitness level.
Over all the event was great, and other than the mode of transport it mirrored a major running event. When I look at the finishing times in all the races I just shake my head at how fast these people are (just like in running...lol). And, even though I move up an age group this year, the podium remains just as much a dream.
I will likely sign up for the Collingwood event in September - the 50 miler (80km) this time, with bigger hills
. I'm definitely not ready for the 100 miler yet. If you are a cyclist, I recommend giving it a try. Out west there is a Gran Fondo series, which I am sure is very similar.ps I am hoping to try a small 5km (running) race later this summer to see how my leg will hold up, but will play it by ear.
