Ann and I drove in on Friday afternoon and stayed at an AirBnB in SE Palm Springs with Andy and Roya, Charlie and Leslie, and Rob. We went downtown on Friday evening to pick up my registration and see the vendors, but they were starting to shut down. I did buy a T-shirt, it turns out this was the 25th Tour. On the morning of the ride, we left a little before 6:00 and got near the starting line around 6:15, Ann dropped me and Rob off, and Leslie dropped Charlie off. We connected up with the other riders closer to the starting line. From Bisikleta, the following riders rode the century route: Ray, Perse, Arnold, Gideon (more on this later), Fritz, Gio, Jhonar, Charlie, Eric, Rob, Kamal, and Jamil. Another rider, Jerry, from LA rode with us, and he ended up being a strong rider indeed. Thankfully, the wind wasn't blowing as fiercely as in previous years. We headed out Indian Canyon Dr, turning left onto Garnet Ave. It was a mild grade heading out of town and the grade picked up after the turn. Crossed over the freeway on Wall Rd and turned left onto 20th Ave. The road quality in this part of the ride was not so great. Up Worsely Rd to the first water stop at mile 10 before continuing on. This stretch was a pretty steady climb up to the turn onto Indian Canyon Dr, where we waited for everybody to catch up. On the climb, I couldn't keep up with Jerry and Jed, who got way out in front. I was leading the others, a pack of whom caught up with me near the turn. Down to Mission Lakes Blvd, where we had our first food stop around mile 20. This stretch was downhill, and the downhill continued on Little Morongo Rd and then on Dillon Rd before it started climbing again. This began a section with rolling hills that was the first challenging portion of the ride. I was trying to stay near the front and take the lead, and it was a workout. The Dillon Rd section continued until mile 50, and it was generally downhill (nice and fast) from mile 42 on. Right before the downhill, Gideon got a flat, then another, and, after I rode back to where he was, yet another one. At that point, he ended up getting sagged to the lunch stop after we let a support vehicle know he needed a lift. After the downhill, we took a right turn onto Ave 44, then over to Indio Springs Dr via Golf Ctr Pkwy. Lunch stop was at mile 54. I should mention that each of the food stops had high school musicians playing and a lot of good food choices, including Cold Stone ice cream at the lunch stop and bananas throughout, as well as PB&J. After the break, where I put more sunscreen on, we rode back over to Dillon Rd via Vista del Norte, then got onto Ave 48 for a short stretch before turning onto Van Buren St. I almost missed this turn but corrected. Got to mile 60 okay but the next 20 miles were tough for me, as others were feeling good and riding fast and I was trying to hang with them. Jhonar was putting in bursts of speed and then slowing down, and it wasn't helping so much. Others in this group included Ray, Gideon, Perse, Arnold, and I think Rob and Gio were there as well. Turn on Ave 54 and then another one on Harrison St. Down to Ave 58, turning right there and heading west. By this time, the wind was more noticeable, and while it swirled, I seemed to notice it most when we were riding west, a little less when we were riding north. Headed back north on Madison St. It was around this point that I think we missed a turn that would have taken us to the next food stop. We kept going, turning left on Ave 48 and then right on Dune Palms Rd. Just before the 111 crossing, we stopped at a convenience store for people to pee and get some food and water. I was okay, still suffering but not as much as earlier. Continued on, turning left on Fred Waring Dr and riding past our supposed next turn. So we backtracked to Warner Trail and took it to Hovely Ln, turning left and then right onto Oasis Club Dr. Turned into Tamarisk Row Dr and then into Frank Sinatra Dr, before we turned right onto Gerald Ford Dr, which wound around until the last food stop, which was supposed to be past mile 90. For us, it was at mile 86, so we were bummed out. At this stop, they had ice cold electrolyte drink, and it was excellent, really helped me, I think, to finish off the ride strong. Continued on until turning right onto Da Vall Dr, followed by a left onto Dinah Shore Dr, which eventually turned into Mesquite Ave. Right turn onto El Cielo Rd, then a left onto Baristo Rd, getting close to the end. Over to Tahquitz Canyon Way via Avenida Caballeros, and the finish line was there, with lots of people cheering us on at the end. A turn after to pick up our participation medal, then a round of congratulations for everybody who finished. However, Rob, Charlie, and I were at mile 97, and they had come to Palm Springs to ride a century, so we ended up riding back to the AirBnB, about 5 miles. Pretty straight shot back via Indian Canyon Dr and Palm Canyon Dr, and thankfully, it was generally slightly downhill and not into the wind, so not too bad. During the day, I ended up being one of the main drivers of the pace, along with Jed and Jerry. Both of them needed to be periodically reminded that their pace was too hot for everybody (including me) to keep up, and they did a good job setting the pace and being out in front. I went into the pool after the ride, and my legs were a little crampy, particularly my toes. Was a big exertion day for me, so no surprise there.
Avg speed = 17.9 mph. Total mileage = 102.4 mi
Avg power = 152 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W
Total elevation gain = 2840'
Avg heartrate = 134 bpm
