Deep Creek Century 2018

Deep Creek did not disappoint this year.  Last year my IT band kept me at 75 miles, two years ago felt so poorly only made 62 miles, five years ago was the only 100 mile victory.  2018 is a new year, with a new course, with a new can-do attitude and most importantly .. a new 2018 Specialized Sirrus!

Let's start with the weather as it was a miserable forecast.  It looked like it was going to be thunderstorms from Friday afternoon all the way through Sunday afternoon.  The ride was Saturday.  It was such a bad forecast I was going to convince my trusty century companion (Mom) to stay home because the tent was gonna leak.  On Friday I checked the State Park and both cabins became free, guess some people can't handle the weather!

Drizzle, Sun Burn, Drizzle, Sun Burn

The cabin upgrade from the tent was a decision worthy of a pat on the back.  Mom and I declared "Let It Rain!!!" It ain't technically camping, but it is so much nicer.  There are two rooms with a queen up front and two sets of bunk beds in the back.  I would have taken a bunk bed but they were made for 5'10" or shorter unless you wanted to rest your feet on the far wall and your head on the near.

We needed a hearty pre-ride meal so off to the Deep Creek Seafood House we went.  Hey, I got a $10 off coupon in my ride bag.  Mom was ecstatic with her oysters and lobster bisque.  I opted for the lobster bisque and a burger w/fries.  Isn't that a dinner of champions?

Saturday morning weather really was unbelievable.  Weather people are the only one's who can be wrong everyday of the week and keep their jobs.  It was remarkably nice for all but 10 minutes of the ride.  There were patches of drizzle making way through the valleys which kept the temperature cooler.  So drizzle was followed by bright sunshine, then a little drizzle and more sunshine.  I'd take this riding weather for any ride.

About to start pedaling

Of course my trusty century companion wasn't the only one with me on the trip.  Enter Dan Wolfe!  Dan and I have ridden many rides together including Two Peaks as a training ride a few weeks ago and Deep Creek 5 years ago.

Dan Wolfe - Gitting'er'Dun!

There were a few highlights on this course, and those mainly include mountain climbs.  Right out of the gate there is the climb up Wisp Mountain which is about 500' over 1/2 mile.  Doesn't sound tough, huh?  Try it at 7:30am.  There were 6 timed climbs and they were brutal.

Stay down, stay down ...

One must remember that for all things that go up they also go down.  At mile 16 there is a straight descent that screams for speed.  Note to Toni Binning, I was wrong about not being able to coast to 53.5 mph.  At some point maybe around 50 mph I had a very real feeling that I should keep my head down and butt up.  If I had gotten at all vertical I'm pretty sure I would have pulled a ET fly high!

At mile 70 there is the Savage Mountain climb composing a 4.3 mile 1500' climb that took me 46 minutes.  That was the hardest hill on the course with an average grade of over 10% (that is really steep).  This hill truly was no fun at all.  "Just Keep Pedaling", thanks for the advice Amy Charity.

And let's not forget Killer Miller, Bowman Hill, Sam Friend, White Rock, Blue Lick, Westernport Road and Dry Run .. isn't that nice, they all have names.  These mountain climbs are simply too difficult to describe, one must climb them to appreciate them.

I like peanuts

Random shot - whatever!

At the top of the Dry Run climb at mile 86 is where the course finally gets manageable.  The final 18 miles is rolling terrain and was quite fast.  The last 10 minutes of my ride is when the downpour occurred.  The rain was really coming down and I was only a few miles from the end.

Crossing the finish line was an exhilarating moment.  After the previous 2 years of failure I really wanted to make the full century.  Am I going back?  Not sure, but I will always carry fond memories of my 4 rides through Garrett County.

Thank you Mom for being there for me :-)

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