Figured it was a good was to change up the training a bit and check out a part of California I’d probably never have a reason to visit otherwise. Course was flat, flat, and more flat. Lots of sun and a little wind by the afternoon. I did 109 miles instead of the scheduled 100 b/c I can’t read a map. Volunteers were super awesome!
Here’s how I realized I went the wrong way.
Me (at the first rest stop in the northern loop): Which way do I go if I’m doing the Century Ride?
Volunteer from the Sutter Lion’s Club: I’m not sure. What does the map say?
Me: Dunno. I didn’t look at it – was just following the people ahead of me.
Volunteer: Well, I have a map over here we can look at.
Me: That’s okay. I have a map. I just didn’t look at it.
(Long pause as we stare at the map.)
Women Volunteer walks up.
Women: Are you lost?
Me: I think so. The map’s not very good.
Women: Why we look at the turn-by-turn directions on the back of the map?
Me: (Trying to think of a good answer as to why I would embark on a 100-mile journey without consulting the map…)
Turns out I went 9.5 miles in the wrong direction and was on the 40-mile course instead of the 100-mile course. I reversed direction, did the southern loop, found a short cut on the way back the northern loop to cut off 20 miles and avoid making this a 130 mile jaunt.
Random notes:
Mile 20: Riding too fast a pace. Didn’t care. It was fun to go fast on the country roads with no cars.
Mile 42: Realized I was a salmon going in the wrong direction in the mini-loop just above CA-20. Questioning if I would survive in the woods if I ever got lost or how I make it to Safeway and back when I go grocery shopping.
Mile 43: Realized that’s why everyone passing me coming from the opposite direction was smiling.
Mile 52: Saw that my jacket pocket was unzipped and my driver’s license, credit card, and insurance card were missing. Wondered aloud what I did to invoke such bad karma today.
Mile 60: Finished the reverse direction on the aforementioned mini-loop looking for aforementioned driver’s license, credit card, and insurance card.
Mile 60.01: Realized it was a lost cause.
Mile 70: Went off course to check a place back on the southern loop where I thought they might be.
Mile 70.01: Hoping that I made a big mistake and that maybe, just maybe I left everything in the car.
Mile 78: Last rest stop before northern loop around the Butte. Discussed with fellow rider how the course makes your ride 70 miles until you get to the good scenery.
Mile 95: Eschewed rest stop.
Mile 98: Completed riding to the north, east, south, and west over the past 20 miles and got a little peeved that I failed to gain a tail wind in any of the four directions.
Mile 109.62: Thinking that I should have figured out a way to add another 2.37 miles just to get to the 112 mile barrier.
Mile 109.63: Stopped thinking so insanely to find food and lost objects. Food found. Objects not. Oh well. Off the DMV. By car.
