Horsey Hundred: Hot and Hilly

Georgetown, KY. I completed some 130 miles of Kentucky bliss this Memorial Day weekend. The Bluegrass Cycle Club hosted the 35th annual Horsey Hundred in the hills and dales north of Lexington.

People often ask me what I will do once I finish the Fifty Centuries Project. At least one thing will be to return to do the best rides again. I got a good start on that with this ride, as I've already colored in Kentucky. I did the Horsey Hundred back in 2003, but the memories were so vivid that, every Memorial Day weekend since then, I've realized (too late, of course) that I could be in Georgetown with hundreds of my fellow traveling cyclists.

Shade Saved the Day!

This year, the weather was hot. Every year the course is rolling hills from start to finish. (I don't think there were any flat stretches at all.)

This was a shady ride: most of the roads were crowned by leafy trees, as you can see. This picture repeated itself again and again (with a different cyclist passing me of course). The few places where we had to climb in the sun made us notice how much shade there really was.

And there were horses, and "horse toys": magnificent stables, plush estates, and even a specialty business at the airport to provide "luxury equine travel" by air. It was foaling season, so there were lots of foals (horses younger than one year) around. (These are not ponies, by the way. A pony is a small, mature horse.) Georgetown College has a building devoted to "Equine Studies", and it's larger than the Economics building.

Less evident on the landscape is the whiskey culture. It is said that there are more casks of bourbon aging in Kentucky than there are residents!

Galloping Horses near Versailles, KY

This ride draws people from all points of the compass. There were Canadians, Carolinians, and Californians. I met a few from Texas, and I'm sure I wasn't the only person from Virginia. (I saw some cars with Virginia license plates driving with bicycles attached along I-64 on the Friday before the ride.) There are a lot of people like me who enjoy traveling to ride (as opposed to bicycle travel, which can be grueling). I think we need our own support group.

Saturday, the day of the big ride, rose to 93 degrees. The last two hours were decidedly unpleasant. So, in the future, should wind or heat take the joy out of afternoon riding, I will opt for the 75-mile option. You see just as many covered bridges, horse farms, shady lanes, and panoramic vistas.

Wichita's Wicked Wind 100 Was Windy

Wichita, KS. Today I completed 101 miles through the Kansas prairie. This ride was named the "Wicked Wind 100", and it certainly lived up to its name. Actually, the wind blew directly down from the North, so it was a blessing that the ride went mostly East-West. A crosswind, however, can wear you out as well.

Normally I avoid century rides that include an additional challenge, such as heat or hills. That's why you'll never see me on the Hotter than Hell Hundred, or almost anything with the word 'challenge' in the name. I figure a century is challenge enough, so there's no need for additional seasoning. And, of course, remember the mantra: A century should be fun!

So why would I sign up for a ride that promised wind? Headwinds are among the most demoralizing of century challenges. Unlike hills, headwinds can go on for miles and miles. And, with a ride with long, straight legs (like many in the Midwest), the result can be draining.

Well, it is Kansas after all. If I'm going to color in the Sunflower State, I'm going to have to ride into the wind. Some Kansas ride organizers don't mention the wind. I chose a ride that put it out there for all to see!

But, everything else was marvelous. The Oz Bicycle Club, the hosts for this century, laid out a low-traffic loop centering in Haysville -- just south of Wichita. There were rest stops every 10 miles, staffed by friendly volunteers and fully stocked. I particularly enjoyed the home-made chocolate chip brownies at the 80-mile rest stop. Those kept me going for the last 20 miles!

It was flat farmland, irregularly interrupted by numerous streams, rivers, and railroads. Almost every turn was a right turn in carefully-platted mid-America. Crops were beginning to fill in -- mostly wheat and corn. There were almost no hills, and, thus, very few viewpoints to see scenery. The line of sight rarely went beyond a couple of miles.

Wichita is a charming small town. It's home to Wichita State University. It is also an aircraft manufacturing hub. In addition to the Mid-Continent Airport, there is the Beech Factory Landing Field, the Cessna Aircraft Airport, and McConnell Air Force Base. There is also a Colonel James Jabara Airport, and several landing fields within ten miles of Wichita. I guess when you're too far from a marina, a private plane is the best option for disposable income.