dmaze | CRW Fall Century

There was this theory that I might attempt all three CRW centuries this year, and today was the third of three. It was in fact quite scenic and quite rural, to the extent that the pre-ride spiel included a mention that there was nothing at all between a store at mile 34 and the rest stop at mile 52. I'm not convinced it's actually easier than Climb to the Clouds, in that CttC had the one GIANT CLIMB, a couple of moderate climbs, and the rest rolling hills, whereas the CRW Fall Century had several hard climbs — no single climb was as big as Mille Hill Road, but there were at least a couple of places where I was running a full mile or more in my bottom gear.

I was again a little worried about prep for this ride but it came out okay. Significantly, I did not fall over around mile 60, and while I was definitely slowing down around mile 90 I'm willing to accept that. The whole thing, climbs and all, came in at 102.88 miles, in about 7 hours 45 minutes. (Route map; incomprehensible graphs)

Highlights of the ride included:

The pink and rainbow wigs worn by the support staff at the first rest stop
The absolutely gorgeous view to the east on Greenville Road in Mason, NH.
Five miles in the valley along the Souhegan River.
The first trees starting to change.

Lowlights:

The two-mile climb leaving the first rest stop.
For that matter, the first water stop being more than half way through the ride.
Imprecision on the cue sheet (it had the ride 2 miles longer), and a couple of arrowing mishaps early on. (Both were mostly very good and if you paid good attention to both you wouldn't get lost.)
Temperatures in the 40s at the ride start. (Carrying capacity and layers!)

CRW Fall Century

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