Pumpkin Pie Ride -- Ottawa, Illinois Oct 5th, 2008

When I started cycling this year, I never imagined I would be finishing the season with a a metric century, in fact I didn't even know what a metric century was. Of course, I'm not very good at doing anything just a little bit... After 3 months of training I completed my first metric century at the 19th Annual Pumpkin Pie Ride. In fact it ended up being just a bit further at 108.8 Km /68 Miles.

The morning started off rainy, and it was only about 43 degrees.



The route took me from Ottawa, IL to Utica, Streator, Marseilles, and finally back to Ottawa. It was a great ride, but those Illinois Valley cyclists sure do like to climb. There were some brutal climbs by Starved Rock and again in Marseilles on what I think is called blueberry hill, but would be more aptly named hillbilly hill. Both climbs were over a half a mile, which is a big hill for a midwesterner. This is the approximate route:


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Coasting in after a very long ride...




The final odometer reading:



So what's next? Well next year I plan on doing a full century (100 miles) and attempting a triathlon, but at this point I think my biggest challenge will be maintaining what I've achieved through a long cold Illinois winter. For the next several months my biking will be done on a trainer, with the occasional outdoor ride if weather permits.