Morning came quick after the long drive to Palm Springs on Friday night. We got to the start area about 7:00, and Mrs. SockMonkey (who rode the 25 mile route) picked up our registration materials while I prepped the bikes.
 |
| One SockMonkey, strapped in and ready to roll. |
I rolled out at 7:30. Last year, the start dumped riders out onto the road in waves of 100 or so, and was a real mess. Clumps of riders at different speeds made for a messy first ten miles. This time, the organizers set up a start area on a less busy street, with faster riders starting earlier and slower riders later. I shot for the middle group, not because I'm middle-fast, but because being slow means taking all day for the ride. I'm not sure if there were fewer riders (I believe that that was the case, or if the organizers' strategy was a success, but the result for me was a very smooth roll-out. And then, almost immediately, the crosswind hit. In a very big way. There was a pretty steady wind all day that I would guess was between 5 and 15 mph, and when I started, there were gusts of what I would guess were up to 25 mph or so (I'm not an expert, but flags were standing straight out and made a sharp snapping noise as they withstood the wind).
 |
| Note to self: Where one finds windmills, one must expect wind. |
Riding in this crosswind, at 90 degrees to my direction of travel, was the scariest thing I've ever done on a road bike: Leaning into the wind, having the wind rise and fall suddenly as cars passed by upwind, getting pelted with sand, riding past an open trench downwind, and negotiating a narrow path between traffic and the curb was flat-out frightening for the first five miles or so. Then we turned directly into the wind and crept forward at 5 mph for another five miles that seemed to take forever. I saw more than a few riders bailing on the course, and it struck me that I was going to have to label this post "Tour de Palm Springs 2012: FAIL." But I stuck it out and once the route exited the valley and got into the foothills, things became more manageable.
One of the byproducts of the wind was a very fast transit down Dillon Road. Really fast. Like 30+ mph fast with minimal effort. Very cool, and hard earned during the first miles of the ride.
 |
| The view along Dillon Road. Wind to the rear, and making good time as the scenery whizzes by... |
The rest of the ride was pretty much uneventful. The rest stops were vastly improved over last year, with much attention to organization and lots of friendly help. (I remember a kid throwing bottles of water off a truck to hundreds of riders at the enormously crowded and badly managed first stop last year--kinda like feeding time at the koi pond.) I didn't need the second stop so I skipped it, and made it to the third stop quickly enough to get a turkey sandwich this year (last year I got two pieces of bread and a piece of cheese), which set me up for a strong second half of the ride. Kudos to the organizers for really having things sorted out this year.
 |
| First rest stop. Each of the stops included loads of helpful volunteers and live music. |
 |
| Small things make all the difference: The turkey and cheese sandwich at mile 50. |
I tagged along with a group of about a dozen riders, and we worked out the final twenty or so miles in good form. Despite the heavy wind at the outset of the ride, and the continual wind throughout the day, I managed to shave nearly an hour off my time from last year. Mrs. SockMonkey set a personal best as well, completing the 25 mile ride at a 12 mph clip.
So my century season has started, and in good form. I'm looking forward to the Reedley Blossom ride in a few weeks, and then the Solvang Century the following week, where I'll take on the full century for the first time.
Total time: 8.5 hours from start to finish
Ride time: 7:31
Miles: 102.9
Average: 13.6 mph
Climbing: 3472'
