Sunrise Century Club Sponsored Event!

We all train in different ways for upcoming events, but I chose the Sunrise Century to see how ready I'd be for the Triple Bypass, and what food works or doesn't for long, hard rides.

Wheels down before 7AM at the sunrise Century for many of us gave plenty of time to meet our goals. The weather on the most part (what is it about the wind in Boulder?) was amazing. The start/finish line was supplied with mechanics, food and lots of tunes to send us off.

The first 20 miles were relatively fast with rollers wandering through the outskirts of Boulder. The aid stations were supplied with a variety of fruit and carbs. The atmosphere was one of excitement with jokes and easy-going rivalry - at least at the first 2. :) The camaraderie was always encouraging, making the ride seem shorter and easier than it was. The climbing on hwy 7 seemed endless and hot with some reprieve on the Peak to Peak highway. People on the road became quieter as they dug deeper to keep their pace or just to survive. Ward was decision time for those going 75 or 100 miles. Thankfully I had a choice. I've heard the road up to Ward from Nederland was challenging, and this day I wasn't up for it, but the rest of the group was. They had reached this point at least 45 minutes ahead of me, and had already started to Nederland.

The ride back to Boulder was fast. yippee...

From the group, Cindy got stuck cleaning dog poo out of her cleats, and John had contact issues, but otherwise it was a good ride. I was disappointed I didn't do the 100, but this was certainly the hardest ride I'd done this year so far, and has encouraged me to do more. Wearing the Blue Sky jersey was great. Having people cheer for us specifically making me feel like part of a team.

Thanks to the BSV friends and sponsors who cheered us along the way. See you on the road!

PS. I did finish the Triple

- Annette Dyer