As part of my Century Training, I completed a 75km ride today. Prior to today, the longest ride I have ever done was the Canola Canter, a 50km Audax ride, which took me about 2hrs 45mins to complete.

Today, however, I finished 78.69km ride in 3hrs 7mins, a time I am very happy with. That puts my average speed at a little over 25km/hr (15.6mph). Admittedly, I was waning towards the end and the last 12kms really took it out of me, but I finished. For me, it is more about finishing than anything else - good times are a welcome bonus.

I took this route, which can be seen on mapmyride.com

The bike comp clocked it in at 78.69km. I've always found that these online mapping sites never get the distances quite right. Then again, perhaps they are right and my trip computer is wrong.

I tried to pick a route that had some decent climbs, nothing too steep and some nice long flats. I decided on going out via the Wagga-Mangoplah Rd as it has a decent enough climb at the start and then drops off considerably about 1/3 of the way in. Add to that, the road is well suited to cyclists, has good visibility and if I decided to pack it in after the first hour, it is still downhill most of the way back. As it happens, I didn't pike and made it to the end.

I'm not sure why I like hills at the beginning of a ride. I always feel that even on easy, short rides, the beginning is hardest. I haven't found my rhythm and the legs never feel like they can cope. Then again, if the hills are early on, it's best to attack them when I'm freshest, and once I make it to the top, i know that the hardest work has been done. One day I'll pick a route that has a substantial hill in the middle or at the end and I'll have to see what I'm really made off then.

I have to give credit here to the bike. It might only be an entry level carbon bike, but it was sweet to ride. The difference between the Giro road bike and the Giant hybrid was quite pronounced. I am convinced that I finished because of the quality of the bike. I'm not saying I wouldn't have made it on the hybrid, but it would have been a whole lot harder.

OK, so I bought a new bike today. Have done a lot of reading on the net and thinking realistically about where I'm at with my riding, I decided that I really need a proper road bike if I am going to see any significant improvement in my times. Yes yes, I know it isn't just about times but about fitness and weight loss, but there is nothing wrong with having decent gear at the same time.

So, I'm now riding this: A 2009 Apollo Giro-C.

Why did I pick this bike over others? Rather than one LBS, I have three, all pretty good, but each with a limited range. For my price bracket (sub $2k), there were only two carbon frame bikes available. The Giro C and the Malvern Star Oppy C5. With the year end discount, the Oppy came in at $1999.20, a measly 20c more than the Giro. The colours are much the same - Black with White (Giro-C) or White with Black (C5). Both bikes have the Shimano 105 drivetrain. Essentially, the bikes are identical - sure there are minor differences, probably big ones to an expert, but to a novice, they are minor things.

In the end it came down to one thing - brand. Both brands are Australian and designed and developed here, but the Malvern Star is now owned by Pacific Brands, a company I choose to avoid, much like Nike and others and that is good enough for me.

Buoyed by my success on Sunday, I have decided to attack Willans Hill again on Thursday. Think I'll go West-East. It is longer, but not as steep.

Once I have completed both directions, I'm going to start thinking about the next road across the hill which is steeper and shorter. But I need to get this done first.

16/09/2009 - As a result of the weather, I only got an opportunity to attack Willans Hill today. While I made it over (West-East), I did need a short 30sec stop about half way. Very disappointed, and I put this down to poor diet and no exercise over the last week. Late shifts at work = bad diet and no exercise. Wet and cold outside = bad diet and no exercise.

But I still got out, still got over and am going to go back and try again on Sunday. If I fail, then I will try again on Tuesday or Wednesday. I will overcome that damned hill.

It says a lot that I can bang out 50km but struggle on once the hill gets too steep. Need more strength

16/11/2009 - Success. I made it over Willans Hill today, and didn't feel as bad as I thought I would. I haven't had as much time on the bike of late as I would like, but I'm making a concerted effort to get out more. So this morning, I was up at 5, on the bike by 6 and over the hill by about 6.15. So...it's time for the next reward!

I tacked on about 20kms after getting over the hill, but I'd like to see how well (or poorly) I do the hill after a decent ride, rather than before it. Anyway, I now need to get over the hill from East-West, which is much steeper (but also shorter). I plan to have this completed by months end!

I completed my first 50km ride today. The ride was organised by Bicycle Wagga Wagga, my local Bicycle User Group. Here is the route:

Before anyone whips out a ruler and points out that this is only 25kms, I'd like to add that it was a return trip, 50kms in total. I met up with the group at the sadly named Wagga Beach, where the race organiser decided to announce to everyone that I was a 50km virgin. I was to appreciate this as it meant everyone was keeping an eye on me and offering encouragement during the ride. Special thanks go to the man riding with his granddaughter who got me to adjust my seat to a better height before we got to the hill.

The ride out was good. Not too tiring, only one hill and some nice gentle downhill slopes. I made it to the top of Malebo Hill without stopping (must have been the new seat position) and even managed to overtake a more seasoned rider in the process. I know I was feeling good because I wasn't watching the distance, but the clock, trying to push forward to get to the check point before the 1 hour mark. Alas, it was 1hr 10min by the time I checked in - not too shabby though, and it still left me on track for a sub 2.5hr round trip.

As I waited to get my brevet stamped, the first few drops of rain hit me, so I scarfed down some scooby snacks, and took off to get home. The rain simply continued, ever harder, and was soon accompanied by a strength sapping headwind. By 30kms, I was watching the kms tick over, and it didn't help that a score of riders doing the 100km ride sped past me, easily doing double my speed despite having already done 50kms more. By the time I saw Malebo Hill again, I seriously contemplated packing it in. I was cold, wet, tired and truly over it. But I didn't. I'm proud of myself for that. Not so long ago, I would have given up.

I got over the hill, and just tabbed on. By the time the 40kms clicked over, I knew I was on the home stretch and I just managed to find a little bit more. I even got sight of the trio in front of me, and that spurred me on even more. I never caught them of course, but it didn't matter, because by the time I left the highway and was back on the local roads, nothing short of a crash was going to stop me.

I clocked in at 2hr 42mins. Not quite the 2hr 30m I had set myself, and well short of the overall 2hr goal, but I finished (in the top half of the pack). With a few congratulations from the other riders as they came, I resolved to do the same ride again next year. The benchmark is set, lets see what a year of riding and training does to my times. I'm going to attack it in 2010, and go as hard as I can.

This is me at the final checkpoint. I'd just handed in my brevet, and was standing entirely too close to the man with the camera.

For my reward, I've bought myself a few things for the bike. A new water bottle and a bike bag