Most non-cyclists cannot fathom doing 100 miles on a bike, let alone 10 miles. And to some extent I can understand that because I cannot fathom running more than 3 miles. Thus those who run half or full marathons are crazy. And don't even get me thinking about those ultra marathon events...
Back in the middle of June I found myself once more in North Berwick at 6:30 a.m. at the house of a friend who is also an avid cyclist. The two of us and one other were meeting there to ride up to Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine. Every year, barring one of my 12 participation in the Trek Across Maine I have ridden with these two to Sunday River. Sometimes there are more of us, but over the last 12 years we've been the core group.
June mornings in Maine can be quite cool, temperatures usually are in the mid to high 50s by 6 and as the sun creeps over the horizon temperatures rise rapidly. Mid to high 50s for a Mainer is shorts & t-shirt weather. On a bike though you have the added factor of wind, which can make the usually bearable temperatures less so when your heart rate is not that high.
We set out, I opting to forego a wind vest and knee warmers, but my arms covered because I knew from past experience that was all I needed. The mosquitoes that morning realizing the bounty that awaited them managed to appear just as we were leaving. Mosquitoes don't like cool mornings and what few I initially encountered were sluggish yet persistent.
A very brief section of town maintained dirt road greeted us for the first quarter mile. This was followed by a quick pause once we encountered pavement to wipe any grit and gravel adhering to our tires, lest we get a slow puncture as a result. About a mile or so down the road a short but steep wall greeted us. My legs yet to warm up weren't pleased but as with all that goes up,it to shall go down. We regrouped a bit further down the road just as the first real downhill approached.
I like going downhill fast and because of my weight I can hit some good speeds. However since becoming both a husband and later a father I don't take too many risks going down hill. In this case though I was familiar with the road and confident in both it's condition, my bike & my skills. Without even trying I hit 50 mph, which is both quite a lot of fun but equally crazy given how narrow road bicycle tires are.
By the time we emerged onto rt 4 in Sanford we were sufficiently warmed up and began to edge our speed up. My friend whose house we departed from is a strong cyclist and likes to sit on the front of the group. He also doesn't use a cycling computer so he has no real way of knowing how fast he's going, he really gauges his speed soley on how much effort is he putting out and like I said he's a machine.
We dropped our other friend at some point in this stretch of rt. 4 as we headed towards Alfred. D generally has fewer miles in his legs than us two so its not uncommon for him to drop off and ride his own ride. That day we had a tailwind, which was great but at the same time it also meant that we could easily go to hard too soon and end up paying for it at the end of the ride.
By now the course we follow is well ingrained in my head. And it's also neatly broken up into 25 mile segments, which is how I approach it for the most part. Thus we arrived in Limerick and stopped in at the local General Store. The only downside to stopping here is that they don't allow customers to use their restrooms. This was also were I began refueling for the ride and this is where I began to enter no-man's land for me.
All winter & spring I'd ridden without sugar or grains aka gels & bars. For the majority of my rides I was under 50 miles so I didn't need to eat, but I did use tea in my bottles. So this was going to be a wicked experiment where I didn't use gels, bars or sports drinks.
I put several packs of cashews into my jersey pockets and that's what my fuel was for the day. I tore into the first packet and ate even though I wasn't quite hungry yet, but I didn't want to run into a scenario where I did get hungry because then I'm chasing it rather than being out ahead. And speaking of being ahead as there was no bathroom, I rode ahead of my buddies to a scenic lookout where I knew a port-a-potty awaited.
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| The r3 at the scenic view, the spaciously sized porta-a-john is to the right off camera |
The next 25 miles from Limerick through Cornish to Denmark are some of the most beautiful roads in Maine. At one point we cross and then ride along the Saco River. The roads here are usually free of cars to the point where when we do encounter one it usually takes us by surprise because of how infrequent it is.
The other thing about this leg of the ride is that you know when you hit Denmark that it's time for lunch at Jim Bob's Convenience Store, the last few miles into Denmark are also slightly downhill, which means easier pedaling, but not so easy that you can coast.
The folks who run & work at Jim Bob's remember us and look forward to seeing us each year. I'm particularly memorable because of my order, a ham Italian sans bread, which they put on a bed of lettuce. C the guy whose house we left from & I got there before D and settled in to our lunches. D got there about 3/4 of the way through our meal and insisted we not wait for him.
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| Jim Bob's, Denmark, Maine |
Awaiting us straight out the gate from Jim Bob's was a climb, which normally would not be a big deal, but we'd just sat for about 30 minutes. Our legs were tight and not happy about this effort. To make matters worse out of nowhere the ugliest black lab charged us from the other side of the road. It very nearly got hit by a car in the process and then C in trying to get it away made the dog think he was playing with it!
A bit past this was a right turn that would eventually lead to another right and short fast downhill before we eventually passed Shawnee Peak Ski Resort, yet another marker on the trip north. Just past Shawnee Peak we have another long easy climb and then a wicked stretch of downhill and by wicked I mean long and gradually the decline levels out. And that puts in to mile 75 aka Center Lovell and another General Store. Again I had my cashews and was feeling great. By this point we have 25 to go and some hills ahead, but the route begins to level out a bit as well or rather the hills are more gradual.
C & I eventually got to somewhere around 12 miles out from Sunday River when I started to feel something odd. I have never truly bonked and didn't want to that day. I had cashews and that ham Italian and water all day. At this point I had a bottle of water with MCT oil and probably should have drank that sooner, but I didn't. Macadamias being a nut higher in fat and lower in carbs also might have been a better choice. C had gotten a coke in Center Lovell, so I took a sip of what little was left in his bottle and immediately felt better. Yup I was nearing a bonk.
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| The author wondering where to go... |
At around 7 miles to go we ran into some folks I know from a cycling club in Kennebunk, they too were riding up so C & I rode with them into Bethel and a convenience store. It was here at mile 94 that I had my first real big amount of sugar that day when I bought a coke. I knew that the Sunday River access road and it's grades of 13% or more for over a mile awaited me and I did not want to blow up there.
The Coke was tasty as ice cold ones are on a hot day. I refilled my bottles with water and off we went. C had already taken off and I didn't bother catching him and eventually I did see him and might have caught him on the access road had he not turned off to go to the Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River. I was headed to South Ridge Lodge, which is where all Trek functions were taking place including bike storage. That 13% grade really bit into my legs, but I threw it into my lowest gear 34x32 and just rode it at my own pace at that point. As I neared South Ridge the grade eased and I threw into the big ring for a final charge at the non-existent line.
And there I was at Sunday River having ridden a Century, 99% on no sugar no grains and I was pleased as one could be. Now I'd have been more pleased had I done it 100% but I was not about to let my ego trump reality. I hadn't had a chance to test anything out before this ride, so I was headed into the great unknown so to speak and came out intact and with ideas with which to make it better next year. Or the next century I ride, if any, this year.
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| South Ridge Lodge at Sunday River Ski Resort, Newry Maine where the morning after this the Trek would commence. |
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