Century Ride Today

Today I did the Hilly Hundred sponsored by the Tampa Bay Freewheelers. It was held in Dade City, Fla.

I am told there were 500 riders, about 60 including me on my Trice Monster, did the 100 mile option. I saw one other bent, a Corsa. It was fairly hilly, but not by my N. Georgia standards. I finished the first 62.5 miles in 4:20, or about 14.5 mph. That compares to my metric Century ride of last year on my VK2 of about 4 hours. The course was roughly similar. For me, 14.5 mph is a good time on my trike when there are lots of climbs. I really slowed down during the last 37.5 miles due to heat/humidity and the onset of severe "hot foot," my nemisis. I finished at 13 mph, less than I had hoped. I will see that whoever solves the hot foot problem gets the Nobel Prize. I have tried everything.

At this speed, all the rest stops were still open when I got there, but I only used 1, at 38 miles and then made one convenience store stops. I prefer convenience stores, for sanitation reasons.

It was otherwise a very pleasant, if lonely, ride. DF riders hate to be passed by trikes, especially on climbs. I have lost 30 pounds this year and am down to 170 and was climbing pretty well during the first 60 miles or so. DFers always seem to have to "respond" when passed by a trike. They should really chill out.

With my trike and, it is fun to stand out from the crowd. There was the threat of rain all day, which made the trike a good choice for this ride. Trikes are great for Centuries, especially if you aren't aiming for the winners platform.

Dade City is close to Orlando, but no Catrikes today.

The best news is I easily won the over-60 trike class.