Well, I completed the Cool Breeze Century yesterday. 101.45 miles, 4,000 feet of climbing, and yes, a cool breeze!
I got a lot of good advice from experienced century riders (start slow, stop at all the rest stops, eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty, and HAVE FUN!). I also started early, so I wouldn't feel rushed. I didn't look at the time - just the miles. My only goal was to ride 100 miles, no matter how long it took!
It was hard, especially the uphill. I'm not so great at that. Most of the uphill was between miles 30 and 60, and at the lunch stop I was pretty worried that I wasn't going to make it - my legs were VERY tired.
But I kept riding, and caught my second wind at about mile 70. It helped that the course turned south down the coast, and there was a lovely, strong tailwind. The last 25 miles I knew well - I've ridden it a lot - from Summerland to Ventura. I stopped at the last rest stop (Rincon), 15 miles from the end, and found the much-touted popsicles. They were AWESOME - cold and sweet and just what I needed. I was passing people the whole way to the end! All in all, it took me a little less than 7 hours
So the next thing on the riding agenda - the MS150 (actually 160) October 3-4. 100 miles on Saturday and 60 on Sunday. If I keep my riding up, shouldn't be a problem. Now I just need to start the team and begin fundraising!
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