A Century starts and ends (or: how much pain can I tolerate? or: how crazy am I really?)

This Saturday I (at the last minute) agreed to partake in a Century ride. This is riding 100 miles. There is also a metric Century, which would be easier to keep track of on my metric cyclocomputer, but that's not what I was doing. I counted on doing math conversions in my head all day to keep me distracted, and also taking photos every 10 miles or so to document the journey.

Unfortunately it was an overcast day with quite strong headwinds - and an ocean cross-wind too - so there was no point filling my jersey pockets with warmer weather clothes to change into. Not sure what I would've put in them instead though. The middle one was reserved for camera.

Mathy and Engineery start off strong ahead of me while I master the skills of digital photography while riding a road bike. HA! I rule! I am the balance MASTER! Well, not really - but pretty cool that it was manageable.

~10 miles: Happy and enjoying the view. Look! A field of happy orange pumpkins!

~20 miles: First captured the cool looking flattened-by-wind tree, but then cresting the hill saw the Pacific begging to be photographed. Learned that it's easier to take a picture while coasting downhill than while pedalling uphill.

~25 miles: Difficult to take pictures of me riding - only seem to get others on the road. You can tell this is me because I'm wearing Canada socks. I stopped to take this picture by the way, safety first here! Good grief how many brands can you read in this picture? And each and every one was purchased at a ridiculous steal. The shoes, for example, were 24% of the original price (presumably due to hideousness - which is exactly what caught my attention).

~30 miles: About to commence a delightful downhill - woohoo! And I moo to you cows! Moooooooooo! Obviously still feeling good here.

~40 miles: Rethinking the safety factor of taking photos while riding...

~40 miles: Rest stop - nice view, more importantly, attempt to regain feeling in feet.

~50 miles: Won't that freaking headwind ever stop? 50 miles of headwind? This is INSANE! What is wrong with me??? Why did I ever agree to this? I thought we turned around at 50 miles - we don't? We go PAST the stupid lighthouse? What kind of miserable excuse for a lighthouse is this anyway? Look how pathetic it is! When's lunch already???!!??!

~60 miles: So glad to be out of the head wind finally. Lunch is just ahead and DAMN if that isn't my best motivation!

~70 miles: I think this sign says it all.

~80 miles: Can we please stop for this? Wine might make the pain go away! (Feeling better now by the way, ate lunch a while back and now, on the home stretch!)

~85 miles: Morro Rock - a little geology always makes for a good distraction with me.

~90 miles: One last photography challenge while I'm riding. I wonder if you can read the odometer on my cyclocomputer? (It's the 2nd number from the bottom, by the way) And yes, I ignored my "safety first" rule here. There just wasn't anything good to shoot at this mile marker, so I opted for me instead.

100 miles: Engineery, Mathy and me - we don't even look tired. Or cold. And yet, that's what we are. Off to the hot tub! Wheeeee!!! Crap, I forgot my suit. Oh well, there's nothing quite like wearing riding clothes in the hot tub...