Tarwheel 2017

Elizabeth City, NC. After a very mild winter in which I was able to set new mileage records in January and February, I took on my first event of the 2017 season: the Tarwheel Century. I've done Tarwheel twice before. In 2011 I did the full century and last year I did the metric. This year I stayed with the metric because I had a gap in cycling in March and I wanted to test out my new bike. I also wanted to see how much energy was left in the tank at mile 63 before I challenged myself further. It's a long season, one does not need to flame out just as the scenery is turning green. 

The Tarwheel has always been very near to the perfect bicycle ride. The roads are flat as the proverbial pancake, the scenery is pastoral, the traffic is light and mostly courteous, and the pavement is mostly new and smooth. The day is often determined by the weather, which normally means the wind. This was a medium strength wind from the southwest. The course had segments in many different directions, so it seemed only half the time one experienced a headwind.

The River City Cyclists can give masters' lessons on how to organize an event. Check-in was a breeze: no lines and lots of people behind the table. There was no Friday night check-in, but it did not seem to be needed. Turns were indicated by colored markings on the road surface, and many key turns had a posted sign. The three routes -- 33, 62, and 100 -- were designed to intersect and loop back through one another. Thus, the same rest stops were used for all three routes and all the riders would see one another. It also improved the flexibility, allowing riders to do many combinations of distances. Each rest stop had a different set of goodies, and all were well-stocked. (I hate it when a rest stop runs out of water!)

I find myself returning to this early season century every year. The drive down from the DC area is pleasant, with lots of options. This year I went down to Petersburg, VA, and took US-460. That allowed me to bypass Hampton Roads during Friday afternoon traffic. For dinner in Elizabeth City, I either try Monteros, a great local steak house, or the Cypress Creek Grill on the waterfront.

Here's the crowd at the last rest stop:

 

Here are some photos from last year's ride: