On Sunday, September 28, 2008, I rode in the Six Gap Century in the mountains of north Georgia, starting in Dahlonega. The ride was 103.8 miles over six mountain passes (gaps), climbing a total of 11,230 vertical feet.
Between the 100-mile, 50-mile, and 35-mile route options, there were reportedly 2,300 riders registered. The 100-mile ride started first, and from about 200 feet back, it took me 1-1/2 minutes just to get up to the start line. According to some photos and video that Debbie took at the start, the last starters came across after 4:50.
My official finishing time was 7:24:30. The published results are not ranked, but plugging them in to a spreadsheet for sorting, it looks like I finished in the top half of the finishers (420 out of 953), as well as the top half of my age group (73/159 males age 40-44). I was a little surprised by how long it took, considering how good I felt–before, during, and after the ride. Before the ride, I was hoping for a time of 6-1/2 to 7 hours, but rest stops and the long, steep climbs really added on the minutes. My cyclometer showed a time of 6:45:45, which excluded rest stops, so without the 40 minutes getting water, eating some food, taking a few pictures, and calling Debbie to let her know my ETA, I averaged 15.5mph, which I feel is pretty respectable given all the climbing. (By comparison, around Chapel Hill I may touch 18mph on solo rides or 20mph with a fast group on my best days.)
My best statisic was on the 7-mile, 7% grade Hogpen Gap climb, which I did in 28:15, which was the 295th best time of the 1,017 riders measured over that interval. I, or at least my bike, was pretty good at passing on the downhills as well, although I tried not to go too, too fast. Even so, the first 2-1/2 miles after Hogpen Gap flew by at 40+mph, topping out around 48 or 49. The best downhill was after the last gap, Woody Gap. Not only did it come at a good time–mile 87, when I was pretty tired–but it was a nice, long downhill with sweeping bends and several long straights, rather than sharp switchbacks, so it was not only comfortable not having to pedal, but there was little need to steer and/or brake hard.
I did re-learn the value of pedaling on the downhills. Â Because it was cool, especially at the higher elevations (in the low 60s?) , and because I had some problems with cramping at the 3 Mountain Madness back in May and in some training rides over the summer, I was careful to pedal lightly on the downhills to keep my legs warm and loose. The big benefit came at the bottom of the hills, where I could carry my speed much farther up the next uphill. This was particularly true compared to riders who coasted down, then coasted up until they reached their comfortable climbing speed. Â I zoomed past several riders at different points going 20-23 mph on uphills when they were only going 12-15mph or less, and was able to maintain fast (16+mph) speeds for another half-mile or so.
Back on the climbs, I was pretty pleased at how I generally passed more riders than passed me. My rest stops, however, seemed long–refilling bottles and mixing in the energy drink powder, eating some fruit or cookies (in addition to what I ate on the bike), and snapping a few photos at some of the more scenic stops. Â The 40-minute difference between my cyclometer and my official finishing time just confirms that. If I could cut my time off the bike down to just refilling my water bottles, then still eat enough while riding, I could probably be in the top third. Â On the other hand, it was nice to relax and eat for a few minutes at the top of every other gap or so, and to have some photos to remember the ride by. Â My average speed on the bike was good, and I was very pleased at how well I felt on the climbs and after the ride.
I was feeling a bit weary on the last two climbs, after Hogpen, and I was counting down the miles from about mile 80 onward.