2009 Alpine Challenge Metric Century

2009 Alpine Challenge Ride. Dave and I did the 60-mile route. Weather was fairly cool at the start, and my teeth were chattering. After I registered, I was standing right by Andy Hampsten. Got started, leaving from the Viejas Outlet Mall and heading east up the hill to the overpass. Then it was largely downhill for the next 14 miles or so. Dave was feeling strong at the start, while I was pacing myself, knowing what was to come. We started climbing at mile 15 and kept it up pretty much until mile 35, which was the turnaround point. Got a little bit of rain, but it felt nice when the sun came out. Whenever we stopped, I cooled down pretty quickly. At the 35-mile sag stop, it was getting chilly (it's around 3600') and really windy. I was afraid that we would have to fight the wind all the way back, but it wasn't too bad. Around this time, my hamstrings started twitching, starting with the right one. I just kept pedaling and tried to stay in low gears to keep my legs moving. It was windy in spots but the wind helped somewhat in others. The last 15 miles or so were gradually uphill, but the grade seemed steeper than it really was, since my legs were so tired. Again, I just kept pedaling. Quads were sore but not too bad and not really cramping. The last little climb by the Willows Rd overpass was short and painful. It was flat to downhill from there to the finish, and the weather at the finish was very nice, sunny and cool. Legs were sore at the end but I recovered fairly quickly. I made a dramatic improvement in my average speed from 3 years ago, when I last rode this ride. Went from 14.6 mph to 16.0 mph! Just goes to show what training and a higher level of competition will do.
Average speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 58.8 mi.

Total elevation gain = 5610'
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/alpine/302124023600531919