It's At Home?!? D'oh!

Ride Day

time- 56min
distance- 20mi

The ride started out so nicely. I felt like I was banging along, holding a good pace and feeling stronger than I had felt up to this point on the bike since we got back. Part of that, I think was my seat adjustment. I've been slowly raising my seat by a few inches, trying to get myself into the proper position for effective aero-ing and pedaling. I think I'm at the sweet spot, or very nearly there. Might need to move the seat forward a teensy bit. And yes, in cycling a teensy bit is the correct terminology for measurement as far as you know.I'll check out one of my many books and get back to it.
Anyway, things were going swell. (How often do you get to use "swell"?)
Until I nearly killed an old woman. I swear it wasn't my fault. We have bus stops here that flirt with being off the road, but aren't really. Which means that when handsome young man on bicycle and big ass bus come to occupy the same spot at the same time, handsome young man needs to choose to go around to the outside and in to traffic, or inside and thread the needle. I went inside because there was, well, traffic. And in my path, not standing in the boarding line, was an old woman. Now, when I say she was in the middle of the open space I don't mean middle-ish. I don't mean middle-like. I don't mean near-middle. I mean she was in the exact center of the open space, as if if was an assignment. As if someone had told her to stand there and she came early, brought with her a map, yardstick, a chalk liner, maybe a GPS, possibly a star chart, and a graphing calculator and determined the exact center of that space of road. And she wasn't moving. The only other possible explanation for her total lack of reaction as I zipped by her was that she was actually a mannequin left on the side of the road after the failed escape of a poorly-planned mannequin heist. I imagine it went something like this:
"All right, we'll take the bus to Sears, run in, grab the mannequin, and be out before anyone notices us."
"Will they let us bring the mannequin back on the bus with us, boss?"
"Sure, why wouldn't they?"
Some time later: "Hey there now, you can't bring that mannequin on the bus!"
"Noooooo! Foiled again! Leave it! Just leave it. Here come the Five-Oh! Drive, damnit, drive!"
"Fare, pleaase."
"Arrrrg!"
That's really the only two options.
The ride recovered after that near-hit (a "near miss" is a hit) for about five miles. Then, POP hissssssssssssssssssss! I made have let loose a few choice words which would call for a penalty if said during a race. No worries, though. I'll just pull over, pull the spare tube and flat kit out of my seat bag and oh yeah I left my seat bag in the living room after adjusting my seat. Cue more choice penalty words. How frustrating. So I called Super Awesome Wife and she came to the rescue with my truck. A good ride spoiled by lack of preparation.
And finally,
Good news, everyone! Yesterday I registered for my first century ride, the Honolulu Century. I've been planning on getting in on this for a while now and finally heard back from the HBL about my membership information and got in on the ride. There are plenty of distance options: 20 miles, 50 miles, 75 miles, or the full 100. Well here at Dirtbag Fitness do not do things part way. Of course I signed up for the full century. My training has already begun. The hardest part will be not jacking distances too quickly. I have seven weeks and am at 35 miles right now. I want to be at at least 85 before I attempt the full on September 25th. Just adding 10-15% every long ride out. And its not the distance that has me worried. Its working out my nutrition plan and practicing that. I'll have to do some research. I have no time or average speed expectations. I just want to be out with a bunch of other cyclists in a non-competition event and enjoy being on the bike in Hawaii. Looking forward to it. Much thanks to my Dirtbag Sponsor, Background Profiles, for helping make participation in all these events possible.
Oh yeah, and I'll keep a spare with me now.