Today may have been the hottest day I have rode this year. I was distraught all week leading up to Saturday due to not being able to find my cold weather cycling clothing. The last week of September on the seacoast very rarely allows for t-shirts and shorts in the morning. However, the leg warmers and shoe covers would not be needed today. Copious amounts of water would be however, much to my chagrin after not having drank enough.
Today was a top ten weather day of the year. And if you disagree, then you probably should not be living in New England. The weather simply does not get any better.
My ride today was a combo trip to North Conway. A Bear Notch Road Loop has been on my mind all season. And I was in need of a reputable shop that could mount Dynafit bindings. I dropped off my Fischer Watea 94s and Vertical 12s to be mounted at Ragged Mountain Equipment and proceeded to the public parking area on River Road to begin my ride.
As detailed previously, I have rediscovered cycling in a big way. Taking the activity far more seriously than I ever had before, I have been training for my first century ride, which is scheduled for September 25th. In preparation for that event, I decided to ride in a metric century to gauge my current fitness level and sample what a century ride is all about.
Enter the Blazing Saddles Century put on by the North Shore Cyclists of northeastern Massachusetts this past Sunday. This ride has three routes including a half century, metric century, and full century. With registration allowed on the morning of the event, I was able to decide if I would do the ride depending upon the weather. The registration fee on the morning of the ride was only $25.00. At only ten dollars more than the pre-registration fee, it was a worth while gamble to bet with the weather and against the race. As it turned out, the day was picture perfect with partly cloudy skies, a cool morning, little wind, and temperatures in the low eighties at their highest.
