100 Miles of Nowhere, Richmond Kaiser Yard No. 3 Division

05.12.2010 | 2:00 pm

I’ve been planning on doing this since I read the race reports from last year and it’s been my training goal all spring. After testing out my fluid trainer, I realized I couldn’t do it with the resistance off and really go much faster, and if I tried to do it with the resistance unit engaged, I’d never make it. So I picked a short course on the road. I should mention, I’ve never done a century ride and this was my longest single-ride day ever. I’m 48 and in the 2nd year of being back in love with road biking.

Once the site of Richmond Kaiser Yard No. 3, this one-time shipyard is now the home of the Red Oak Victory museum ship and mostly is the new home of Honda. Ships unload new Hondas and off they go to this giant lot. I picked this area because there’s just about no traffic and all the blacktop has very recently been resurfaced. It also has one of the loveliest views of the SF Bay. ….and wind.

I came down with a cold two days before the 100 MON, and it was a miracle that I was able to wake up and ride on saturday.

My wife Michele acted as Race Director, Team Car Driver, Podium Girl and Soigneur. Got started about 10:00 and finished about 6:30 30 or 31 laps later. Longshoremen were driving Hondas from the lot to train cars, so they must have been amused seeing me go round and round all day.

I also had 5 geese sitting by the side of the road to play the role of race fans. The worst part of the race was right around the 50 mile marker because I was thinking oh no I’ve got to do this 50 all over again. The wind steadily increased as the day went by but I was going mostly north & south and the wind was blowing out of the west so I was able to take advantage of the tail winds when I had them. Once I hit the 70 mile mark, I was sure I’d make it, and when I hit 90 miles I was so stoked I was able to gas it again.

Armed with all the good stuff from Clif and with the Carbo-Rocket in my water bottles, I took advice from many of your posts and brought turkey sandwiches as well. Every 5 laps I stopped to just get off the bike and eat a Shot-Blok or part of a Clif Bar and at every 10 laps I stopped and ate a sandwich. I also brought along my regular GU and Accelerade.

At the end, I put on my 100 MON t-shirt and popped open a bottle of bubbly. I was also surprised with a supremely cool trophy Michele secretly had made (good thing I finished).

I was totally happy to finish. I hope everyone had as good a time doing this as I did. Just wanted to say thanks again. You are a very inspiring person. Now that I’ve acheived this goal, I can set another higher one.

– Eric L, El Cerrito, CA

PS: Want more? Read Robert J’s report — 100 Miles of Nowhere, Baltimore Edition — here.