Next up was the Maine Lighthouse ride. Byrne Decker and I had done a nice 50 mile ride last year and he brought this ride to my attention. They had many options (25,40,62, and 100 miles). I thought that 100km (62 miles) would be fun, although Byrne really wanted to do 100 miles. I’ve found that those extra hours after 100km are just not that much fun and settled on 100km. I headed up early to get a couple of Maine towns I’d never run in. I parked in Westbrook at a nice trailhead and chatted with a hunter who was very excited as it was the first day of expanded hunting season. I got in my 3 mile run mixing in a little trail and track. Then it was off to South Portland, I parked at the ride parking lot and headed out to Bug Light and Spring Point for a scenic 3 mile run. I should have skipped the section running on the break to the lighthouse. The boulder hopping was VERY slow going for me. I did not want to fall, that would ruin the day!
I arrived back at my car and Byrne had parked just a few minutes before. We did our final preparations and biked the ½ mile over to the start line. At 7am it was still in the 50’s but with the sun shining and knowing it’d get into the 70’s we both went with shorts, t-shirts, and arm sleeves. It was just about perfect conditions for a ride. There was a big turnout, and they should have split up the start on the 100km as the start was narrow and soon after we were on a narrow bike path. For most of the first 10 miles we had to ride single-file and it made for some very slow going. No real complaints as we weren’t racing this, just out there having fun.
It opened up a bit after 10 and we increased the tempo. That only lasted a little while as I took the lead on the section on the Eastern Trail (unpaved). Most riders including Byrne were on narrow tires and the recommended speed was no faster than 10mph. Around 19 miles we had our first stop of the day (a quick bathroom stop and then another at the aid station). We spent less than 5 minutes but took our time getting a drink and some food. Byrne really liked the pickle juice, and I was all about the chocolate kisses. Our next five was quick and then we were soon after back at the next aid station taking a few minutes to drink again and fuel up. We had a much quicker next 10 miles and rolled into the 41 mile aid station feeling good. This was a very scenic stop on the beach with views of Wood Island light. It also had the fantastic dark chocolate peanut butter cups. So yummy!
The next five miles was our quickest of the day as we were now seeing a lot of the 40 mile riders and catching them (which made it feel even faster). We had our last short break at 51 miles and rolled out knowing we didn’t have an hour of riding left. Byrne was floating away on the climbs, and I made up some grounds on the downhills (heavier bike). We arrived back in South Portland 4:42 after we departed, covering the 62 mile route in 4:24 of actual riding or almost exactly 14 mph. All in all, it was a fantastic ride, we chatted most of the way and took in the views and just enjoyed being outside on such a nice day. Great fun.
The weekend wasn’t over, and Sunday was a blast with a pleasant 5 mile run with Scott Spence and Petey (bike) before getting a real taste of Fall with a bright sunny but chilly (55-60) ride in Concord/Loudon. An excellent ride that was the cherry on the top for the weekend.
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