You guys continue to raise money for your charities, and kudos to you for getting that done. The volunteers were absolutely FANTASTIC this year. It’s one thing to hand out Gatorade and snacks on a nice day, but to hang out in crappy weather to make sure riders had what they needed all day is a MAJOR help for us riders. I tried to thank all of the support people I saw, but please pass along my thanks to each and every volunteer who donated their time to stand around in the rain and give us riders the support and ENCOURAGEMENT to get through the day.
As I mentioned, each year you guys have improved the ride. The route was great (did the 100 after 3 years of doing the 75), and it presents both a challenge and great scenery. It was well-marked and provided a relatively safe and fun route. Rest stops were better equipped than in years past, and I never was lacking for a variety of food and drink options (in ’05 it was bananas and water…too bad I don’t like bananas and need electrolytes after 50+ miles).
SAG was omnipresent. I saw them all over the place. I blew a tube at 13 miles, and despite fixing it myself, saw SAG passing by not more than 5 minutes before and after my non-planned start. SAG had the route TOTALLY covered. Due to the rain, I didn’t take part in any post-ride food or activities, but the fact that they were available (even in the storm) was great.
Finally, I’m 6’6″ tall and wear an XXL t-shirt. In 3 other centuries this year, there were no XXL t-shirts available. Not that this is a BIG deal, but finishing late and still getting a t-shirt that I could wear after more than 1 washing was something I appreciated. – S