Photo: © Gregory Taylor
By Gregory Taylor, Team Lardbutt
Not all century rides involve pain and suffering. Here's a short account of a century where the emphasis is very much on pleasure. And pie.
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You're gasping along up the tenth major climb of the day at mile 80 or so of the "Hurt Me Hundred" Century Ride. Your legs quivering, your heart is racing, and your mind begins to wander... You think things like: "Why didn't I fit the 25 cog in back? Is there a top to this hill? I'd sell a kidney for a third chainring. A cold beer would taste good now. Who the hell came up with this route anyway? Man, my butt hurts. I'm kinda hungry... if I see another banana or bagel I can't be held responsible for my actions. What if they laid out a century that was perfectly flat? A piece of pie would taste great right now..."
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While we can't help you with the kidney thing or the third chainring, we can help you with the other stuff. Forget centuries laid out by sadists, what you want to do is sign up for the Seagull Century, organized by the Salisbury State University bike club in Salisbury, Maryland. Now THIS is a century... the course is as close to ironing-board flat as one could wish and, best of all, it traditionally serves pie and ice cream at the last rest stop. All you can eat. Damn right! Say it again! All you can eat pie and ice cream!
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Anyone who has done the ride before will tell you that a successful "pie stop" is the key to a good Seagull - the wise Seaguller will use his or her training time in the months leading up to October to develop sufficient gastronomic fortitude for the last leg of the century. Yes, with a tailwind and the flat course you'll be riding like Eddy or Miguel or Lance. But did any of those guys have to face the "pie stop challenge" -- figuring out how much pie you can eat and still not hurl in the last 20 miles or so? Think of it! Le Tour may have had a very different outcome if the French had insisted on a mandatory pie and ice cream stop, say, on the way up Mt. Ventoux. Jan Ullrich would be a five-time winner by now... But I digress.
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Held on the second weekend in October, it's a damn fine ride - and this year's edition was no exception. Over 7,000 riders showed, and we were treated to simply gorgeous weather. While this is a ride that is aimed at the "recreational" rider, at least one local team showed up (DCVelo, with some riders from the Snow Valley and Bike Doctor squads sitting in) and put the hammer down. Hanging on the end of their paceline was good, scary fun. The century has a stop at Assateague Island, home to a herd of wild ponies (and piles of pony poop: it's a small island and the horses ain't exactly house-broken, if you get my drift), and pretty ocean scenery. Once you make it past the "pie stop" and into the finish, preferably hurl-free, you can relax in the beer garden and regale your comrades with tales of your cycling prowess. Ahhh... now that's more like it!