ornoth_cycling | Bunola: Corn Goodness!

Whether I’d ever ride another century has been in question since the chest pains I had back in January. Since then, I’ve slowly increased the distances I’ve been doing, and on Tuesday completed my first 100-mile ride in eight months.

Ornoth and the Allegheny River and Pittsburgh skyline

Ornoth riding in Highland Park

Ornoth and the Ohio River with Pittsburgh's skyline

R2-Di2 at Mon Wharf with river tug hauling coal barges beneath the Fort Pitt Bridge

Right after my last update in April, I spent eight days in Austin, but was disappointed that I never got to do any cycling down there (full trip report here). I’ve been ramping up since then, including Team Decaf group rides every Tuesday, doing some weekend rides with my buddy Ben, and knocking out a couple 100ks.

But that really didn’t answer my health concerns, nor help me decide whether to commit to upcoming major events or even another remote Pan-Mass Challenge this year. With these questions gaining urgency, it was time to put myself to the test with a long ride.

I’d considered doing my familiar route up to Saxonburg, Butler, and back, but that was made impossible by a huge freight train derailment in Harmar that closed Freeport Road indefinitely. So I fell back on another favorite: along the Monongahela River on quiet Bunola Road down to Mon City. I’d fill out the full 100 miles by starting with a circuit around Pittsburgh and down the Ohio River bike path, and also include a side spur up the Youghiogheny to Boston. And before you ask, “Youghiogheny” is an Indian word that literally translates to “stream that runs the wrong way”.

Knowing it was going to be a hot, sunny day, I applied a layer of sunblock and set out early. It was already a comfortable 19° at 7am.

The first segment took me north to the Allegheny, then on a relaxed circuit around Pittsburgh, down the Ohio River bike path to the penitentiary and back. It was a very picturesque morning, and there were numerous stops for photos: overlooking the Allegheny in Highland Park, downtown to capture the skyline, watching a ferry take cars across the Ohio, and a river tug pushing coal barges underneath the Fort Pitt Bridge. Setting the theme for the ride, I think I passed every tugboat, train, and bunny rabbit there was to see in all of Western Pennsylvania.

The GAP trail to McKeesport featured two separate sets of senior citizens on bicycles trying to kill me, especially the moron near Sandcastle who was single-mindedly playing with his bike computer while riding in the oncoming lane, oblivious to everything around him. The temperature had climbed to 24° and my sweat-slimed and sunblock-sticky arms and legs were quickly coated with road grime and midges.

Leaving the trail, I followed the Monongahela on the sketchy road segment from McKeesport through Glassport and Elizabeth. Then the surprisingly quiet, undulating, riverside bliss of Bunola Road and across the bridge to Mon City just after 11am. After picking up some Gatorade, Funyuns, and Twizzlers at the local Sheetz, I moseyed over to Mr. Dick’s Aquatorium for my mid-ride break. I watched one river tug pull away and another one dock while munching my lunch.

With 94 K complete, I was about 60% done the ride. I’d rationed my effort and felt pretty good, although my neck and upper back were starting to hurt. Now reaching 28°, it was a classic summery day, and I was drenched in sweat. The promised afternoon headwind was just starting to pick up, but I figured I’d be okay if I watched my effort level, tried not to overheat, and caught up on my hydration. Unwisely, I’d only consumed one 26oz bottle of sport drink over four hours of riding, so I tried to make up for that.

Mounting back up, I backtracked up Bunola Road to McKeesport, then followed my familiar route along the Yough to Boston. Along the way, I was harassed by a vigilante driver in Glassport, somehow avoided a pinch-flat while jumping a curb in McKeesport, nearly got thrown from my bike in front of an oncoming car by a huge pothole on the dirt road approaching Versailles (“vur-SAYLZ”), and fought off leg cramps on the three-block 13% climb up to Walnut Street.

After a brief rest, I left Boston at 1:30pm with 130 KM on the odometer. Historically, I usually start to struggle about 80% of the way through century rides, and this was no exception. My power and speed dropped precipitously, so I stopped at the Kennywood water fountain to refill my bottle and doused myself with water to cool off. With nothing left in the tank, I continued on in purely survival mode.

When I got to Homestead, I stopped at the GetGo gas station for a cola and ice, only to discover their ice machine was broken. The cola – and a text message of encouragement from Inna — kept me going for the remaining distance up to the Hotmetal Bridge and the trailhead, where I poured more water over myself, contemplated the stupidity of living at the summit of a 110-meter climb, and phoned Inna solely to delay the inevitable. At least I was on the doorstep of 161 KM and wouldn’t have to tack on any additional wandering around to complete a full century.

Century complete, I crawled up the 8% grade on Forbes Ave, then passed my house and went down around the “Fruit Loop”, my usual 2-kilometer cooldown. That was probably a mistake, because my legs finally cramped up, forcing me to limp gingerly home. I arrived at 4pm and promptly used our garden hose to completely douse myself in cold water – the first time I’d ever thought to do so, and it was utterly delightful!

Although I finished 167 KM (103 miles) in exactly seven hours of ride time, that had taken nine hours of clock time, which is a pretty lame performance, especially for such a flat course. I climbed 940m, and my normalized power was 141W, or 1.8 W/kg.

My most immediate lesson learned is to do a better job hydrating and fueling. One bottle in the first four hours is not enough, even on a day that isn’t sweltering. I would have done better had I not sabotaged my own performance.

But overall, it was a great ride. It was a beautiful summery day, and the warm sunshine was delightful… until it wasn’t. And it was great getting my first legit century of the year in.

As I mentioned up top, this was an important test for me, to determine if I could plan to take part in my usual major events of the summer. The bottom line there is that yes, I’m still capable of completing a century, but that I still need more training and conditioning if I want to finish in comfort.

Sadly, it’s both too late and probably not advisable for me to undertake this weekend’s 2-day Escape to the Lake MS ride, but I’m giving serious thought to the following weekend’s “Sunday in June” over in Ohio. That ride consists of three loops that all begin and end in a central location, which provides convenient opportunities to abort the ride early if needed. Then there’s nothing on the schedule before the second week in July.

Which leaves the final question about whether I am going to sign up and ride my 17th Pan-Mass Challenge (again, remotely). This proves I’ll be physically capable, but the next question is whether I want to. The fundraising can be onerous, but I should have a couple weeks to myself to focus on it. To be honest and transparent, it’d be an easier decision if this year’s PMC event jersey wasn’t such a bland, stock design. But in the end, so long as physical limitations don’t prevent it, I’ll probably register, because the cause still resonates. I should still get another long ride under my belt before I decide, but watch this space!