YAC (Yet Another Century)

Fourth century this month, on a warm, late-May day.   Working to get in shape for the 100-200, which is only three weeks away, now.  A small group of five of us started out from Williston at 8 am, enjoying the light Memorial Day traffic.  Three were originally planning on peeling off before Middlebury Gap, but as it turned out, this didn't happen as planned.

The first adventure happened when Todd broke his rear derailleur cable, just north of Bristol.  Jeff had a spare and we tried replacing it, but too many cooks spoil the broth and the cable got installed incorrectly.  Todd had family nearby and a bit of a plan, so we left him there by the side of the road and continued south.

Jeff, Annie and John at the top of Middlebury Gap

We had been setting a strong pace, enjoying a nice tailwind, and I knew I needed to set my own pace climbing Middlebury Gap.  John and Annie changed their plans and decided to do the entire loop, it being such a nice day.  Also, Todd had called to say that he had been able to fix the cable and he was going to ride over Lincoln Gap and rejoin us on Rte 100.  The river through Ripton was running fast and strong, making quite a sight in places.  The other three got to the top of the gap long before I did, but there were no complaints.  I took the lead on the descent, breaking 50 mph on the bumpy pavement, as the others proved their superior intelligence by using their brakes.

The tailwind became a headwind on the way back up Rte 100, though it wasn't too bad going through Granville Gulf, where the waterfalls were blasting away after all the recent rain.  Sure enough, we spotted Todd just south of the intersection with Lincoln Gap.  We bounced along the broken pavement between Warren and Irasville, and then it was time to climb App. Gap.

Jeff, John, myself, Annie and Todd at the top of App Gap

Todd and John danced to the top of App Gap, with the rest of us nursing our sore legs up the mountain. We met up with another rider, who joined us on the ride down, all the way to the end of the Hollow Rd.  I bombed down the hill first, again, and planted myself at the final switchback to get some shots.  I didn't trust having time to get the camera into burst mode before the other riders showed up (I would have), because the menu system is cumbersome, and the annoyingly long delay of the Olympus SW series of cameras meant that some of the riders went by before the camera caught the image.  Having used this camera for a few years, I can say with some authority that it is totally lousy for any kind of action photography.

The guy who joined us at the top of the Gap

Annie rounds the switchback...

...with John and Jeff close behind.  The camera missed Todd.

We got back around 4 pm, with the stops for the broken cable, a flat, and extra store breaks, due to the heat.  Having ridden to the start, I added an extra 25 miles, for a total on 129 miles.  I found the Brooks Swallow saddle more comfortable than the first time I tried it on the Klein, but I think I'll swap it for a Brooks Pro again for the 100-200, as I don't think my but would like to sit on it for another 90 miles.