One of my cycling goals was to complete a century each calendar month for 12 consecutive months. For several years something always happened to prevent me from achieving it--even the year I did 19 centuries I missed the 10 the month because of a Jack Russell/front wheel encounter in Carrolton.
As 2009 started I had 3 straight months going and went to Jackson MS to ride an event known as a brevet. It was going to be my first ride as a member of Randoneurs USA (RUSA) as I began training for Paris Brest Paris. It was a 200 km ride on the Natchez Trace and 6 riders had registered. It started/ended at the ride leader's house and when I arrived about 30 minutes before the start time, I found out everyone else (including the ride leader) were bailing because of the weather. Since one of my other cycling goals i to ride a century in all 50 states and I had driven 6 hours and spent money on a hotel room (with no hot water) I decided to do the ride. So I became the only finisher because I was the only starter.
The ride leader invited me to shower and stay for dinner which was most inviting since I was soaking wet. During my stay she mentioned that RUSA offered an award (R-12) for members who complete a brevet or permanent (another type of event) of 200 km or more for 12 consecutive months. That was the impetus I needed. Despite a few obstacles I manged to complete the R-12 in 2010.
As 2011 began and PBP training/qualifying began in earnest I figured why stop? So like Forrest Gump I just kept on riding qualifying events. As August approached I found out PBP wouldn't even count as it's not a USA event so I did a 200 k permanent as my last pre-taper ride. Then during PBP I fractured my collar bone. As September rolled along I got back on the bike but wasn't able to ride more than 60 miles (about 100 k). As the past weekend approached I figured I'd try a 200 k Friday or Sunday. Facing rain on Friday I opted for Sunday which looked like a good day for a long ride, but because of my schedule that also looked like the last possible day.
I made the mistake of riding 60 miles on Saturday. I figured I would pay for that on Sunday--and I did. Nevertheless I managed to complete a 200 k route which I had designed and just gotten approved. It sure is easier to do one of these rides when you don't have to drive to ride start. However, it sure is tough when you cycle past points where you do start/end rides as this route does; there were times when I wished my car was in one of those spots instead of my garage. My ride time was pretty pathetic 11:30 total--about 2 hours slower than normal for that distance, but it's in the books--the streak is still intact.
Think I'll try the route again on October 3rd. Always nice to get the ride done early in the month.
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