I done the London to Brighton ride in the UK last year only 58 miles but there was 27000+ riders on
it and I only saw 10 bents including my own.
It is a sad thing when you are one of so few.
Lee
"bandjhughes" <bandjhughes@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:9e282e4.0304140814.14205861@posting.google.com...
> I rode the first annual White Sands Missile Range Century --108 miles actually--this past weekend
> on my V-Rex (incidentally it was also my first century). Let me give it a plug for next year's
> ride. WSMR is a restricted range, so it's a very rare occasion for the public to get a chance to
> view it and you really don't want to miss this opportunity if you're fortunately enough to find
> yourself anywhere near New Mexico or West Texas this time next year. BTW, I think you need to be a
> US citizen also. WSMR is absolutely gorgeous: miles and miles of totally unspoiled Southwest
> desert wilderness, colorful desert flowering plants, cactus, rock formations, mountains, critters
> large and small (including those that slither and sun themselves on the pavement). Despite
> mountains in almost every direction, the course is remarkably flat-about 80% of the course had a
> level grade. The only climb was a gradual 900-foot rolling hill that you climb from about 40 miles
> to the mid waypoint. There is no humidity and very comfortable. And best of all, there was no
> traffic or motor vehicles at all (except for a few safety vehicles associated with the ride).
> There were about 200 riders, but only three bents including myself (the others were a Strada and a
> Greenspeed trike). Hope to see more bents next year.
>
> If you want to here how it went for me, read on... My only problem with the ride was caused by my
> stupidity. I drove down Friday with my family as kind of a camping trip, that was fun but my wife
> and two young kids were reluctant to get up early for the ride Saturday. As a result, I was one of
> the last riders to get on the course. I'm still a little kid at heart and even though this is a
> ride not a race and my late start, I couldn't help it and I pedaled hard enough to work myself
> towards the front. By the mid-way point, there was only a couple of riders left in front of me. By
> the time I hit the 79-mile stop, I was the second bike to arrive, but I was also physically shot
> from pushing into a 20 mph headwind and trying to go too fast--I guess I had the hitting the wall
> feeling. When I got off my bike to stretch, I felt wobbly and a little sick. I filled up my water
> bottle, set it down on the table and drank some Gaterade. My body just wasn't in a hurry to push
> off again and I stayed at the rest stop a little longer than planned. After watching several other
> riders come in, make their stop and pushed off again, I decided it was time to suck it up and
> finish this thing. So I got on the V-Rex and actually felt a little better once I was riding
> again. Then about 4 miles down the rode (25 miles remaining) I reached back for my water bottle.
> Guess what?, it was still sitting on the table back where I left it at the last rest stop. I
> didn't know if I should turn around and make this into a 116 mile ride or keep pressing towards
> the finish. I was so thirsty I wanted to cry, but I couldn't afford the moisture. Anyway, I kept
> going and it was probably the worst 25 miles I ever had on a bike. Along with my incredible
> thirst, everything else started to hurt. Luckily when I finally arrived back at the start/finish
> my wife was there and handed me one of those great big gulps from Burger King--which I sucked down
> in about a half second. Then I got another water bottle and sucked that down, and started on yet
> another. I hope to never make a mistake like forgetting my water bottle in the middle of the
> desert again.
>
> Brian V-Rex/Tailwind
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) Century 
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) Century 
Linear Mode
