Century #16, Bellfountain, Harrisburg, Peoria, Philomath

Got off to a late start (2:30pm or so) and managed to get in 91.4 miles before dark. (Rides between 90 and 100 count as a "personal" century, BTW.) Burned about 3500 calories according to my Polar 720i.

Started with Heed in one bottle. Stopped once in Harrisburg for a Diet Pepsi and to fill my bottles with water. Ate a breakfast bar and a trail mix bar along the way. It wasn't very hot on this ride -- it was only 69 when I rolled into the driveway.

I put the HED Alps back on the De Rosa Primato in preparation for the 12hr TT next Saturday. Since the bike has horizontal dropouts, I really have to snug the rear skewer to keep the wheel in place. The Wipperman chain was "clicking" a bit in the 12-tooth cog, meaning that my chain needed some lube. (I use Boeshield T9 exclusively.)

Century #15: Buena Vista,Jefferson, Scio, Albany, Oakville

Rode with a group from the MVBC and we extended the "long" ride to 105.

We crossed the ferry across the Willamette in Buena Vista and rode over to the Mexican bakery in Jefferson. On our ride we crossed two covered bridges and stopped in Scio for a snack. Got a bit hot (93F) later in the day.

I drank a bottle of Sustained Energy, two food bars, an apple pastry (Mexican bakery), a 20 oz Gatorade, and a 32 Diet Pepsi. (Took a couple of endurolytes too.) My Polar 720i says I burned about 4000 calories on this ride. (Not a record -- I burned over 5000 on my century around Crater Lake.

All in all, I felt pretty good at the end of the ride -- plenty of kick left and took a long pull on the way back on Peoria Road.

Century #14, Crater Lake Rim Tour

Century #15 at Crater Lake (August 26, 2006)
101 miles, 9600 ft of climbing (all above 4000 ft elevation)

Rode the 29th annual Crater Lake Rim Tour, sponsored by the Mid-Valley Bike Club. The 62 mile ride started at Diamond Lake. I extended the ride into a century by riding around the rim twice for about 9600 ft of climbing. The ride started out in the low 40s and warmed up to 79F for my second loop.

Met Mark D. from Capitol Velo -- he took my photo with my new Nikon Coolpix L3. (Do I look cold or something?) Yup, the water really is *that* blue!! (Crater Lake is 2000 ft deep -- the deepest in the US and 7th in the world.)

Nancy Meitle and her small army of volunteers did a splendid job making this a fun tour. My wife Paula helped out at the lunch stop as she has for the past two years.

BTW, that's my red 1995 De Rosa Primato equipped with Campy Chorus 10-speed components. (Steel is real!) I bought it in 2002 and have since put nearly 15,000 miles on it.

Century #13, Yaquina Wheels Lighthouse Century

Century #14, Second Annual Yaquina Lighthouse Century
102 miles

Nice ride! Starting at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, we rode to Newport, Toledo, Elk City, Siletz, and Lincoln City. We had a nice tailwind coming back from Lincoln City. It was a little chilly at the start (52F) and only warmed up to 68F along the way -- perfect cycling weather!

Custom t-shirts were available at the finish line, made to order. The back of the shirt had a list of all the riders who preregistered, including me. Averaged about 17.5 with about 3500 feet of climbing, mainly short hills. Good snacks at the SAG stops!

Century #12, Monmouth - Decker Rd - Greenberry Store

Monmouth - Decker Rd - Greenberry Store
95.7 miles

It was hot -- 95F -- by the time I finished this ride. I extended the club ride to Monmouth to get in my century. I stopped at the Greenberry store on Hwy 99 only to find they were closed!! However, their water spigot still worked. I'm not sure I ran the water long enough, but I had no ill effects from drinking it.

Century #11, Covered Bridge Rim Tour

Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour (August 12, 2006)
132 miles

It doesn't make much sense to drive to a century that starts nearby! I rode 16 miles to the event, did the century, and then rode home -- for a total of 132 miles.

The ice cream served at the end of the ride really hit the spot! I think the new starting line at the Linn County Convention Center is much better than the nearby Timber-Linn Park. More parking and better facilties!

I'm a little "biased" toward this great ride -- I'm not just a rider but the webmaster (since '99). See http://www.coveredbridgetour.org

Century #10, Roaring River + Decker Rd.

I extended the 80 mile route to a century by adding on a loop over Decker Rd. On the first part of the ride with the MVBC, we stopped at the Fish Hatchery at Roaring River to feed the fish and fill our bottles.

This was one tough ride. We had a couple of young Cat 3 riders who were "taking it easy" and therefore were pouring on the coals. Our ride camptain, Henry, was there on his 'bent -- he's always fast!!! There's no escaping him!!

See http://www.mvbc.com/mvbc/RouteSheets/B650.html