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Bicycle Rides 2005
After a 10-year hiatus from organized bicycle rides*, I returned to the North Carolina mountains in August, 2005, on two different weekends for a 62-mile metric century** and a 100-mile century***. On August 6th, I completed the Hurt, Pain, & Agony metric century in 4 hours, 37 minutes. 
The HP& A starts off with a tough six-mile climb from Traphill, NC, up Stone Mountain and on to Roaring Gap, NC. About 4 miles into the ride, there is a 100-150 ft ramp with a killer 18% grade, a/k/a "Hurt." One mile later, I came up to a sharp curve where I could see the road rising very steeply again around the bend. Once around the bend, looking up at yet another 18% ramp I could see several riders off their bikes on the side of the road, 2-3 throwing up. I ground my way up somehow and got to the top of "Pain." Five miles up, 59 to go. The last mile of the climb was much easier, and then we took a 52-mile rolling loop around Wilkes and Alleghany counties, including a scenic 21-mile stretch on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 
At mile 48, we had to climb up Mahogany Rock Rd for the high point of the ride followed by another couple miles on the Parkway. The last 100 feet of Mahogany Rock Rd were "Agony," yet another 18% grade at the top of which stood a ride official and a Park ranger, who looked to me like they were standing on top of a 20-foot wall. I somehow got up to them, barely able to turn my cranks over. After rolling along a few more miles, the ride finished with a thrilling six-mile downhill at 30+mph from Roaring Gap back to the start in Traphill.
Two weeks later, on August 20th, I completed the Blue Ridge Brutal 100. After the six-mile climb of the HP& A, I was relieved that the climbs here were all shorter, and most were less steep. 
A notable exception was Three Top Mountain, a slight grade for four miles that then finishes with a 1-mile, 11% training climb of Lance Armstrong for his Tour Dupont wins in his pre-cancer days. The end of the BRB100 was also tough for a series of short climbs back into Jefferson and a headwind that was devastating with 95 miles already in my legs. Still, I managed to finish in just over seven hours.
While my placing in the rides was not too exciting (about 30th percentile), I was very pleased with my 15-mph average speed. Considering that during training I was usually riding 16mph and occasionally hit 17-18mph, managing 15mph over those distances and in the mountains was pretty exciting. I was also pleased with how I felt at the end--very tired, yes, but still able to walk and to talk coherently, or at least not much more incoherently than usual. 
After the HP& A, 
Debbie and the kids dragged me on a short half-mile hike on Stone Mountain. After the BRB100, they gave me a night's rest, but then we went on a 1.1-mile hike on the top of Mt. Jefferson to show me the vistas they had seen while I was riding my bike the previous day.
*i.e., rides that include a t-shirt. The selection in my tshirt drawer was growing boring.
**actually 64 miles
***actually 105 miles