Today I completed the Primavera metric century. That’s 100 kilometers on a bike, about 65 miles. My bike computer clocked in at 63.59 miles to be accurate.

The ride was great, much better than expected. I chose this organized ride because it’s close to home and the timing worked. No one that I know has recommended the Primavera and frankly, their website sucks so I certainly wasn’t turned on by marketing.

At 6:30am I loaded the car with my gear, bike, filled water bottles and headed down the peninsula to Union City. Arriving at the local high school at 7am, I saw that the parking lot was already bustling with over 100 cyclists prepping for either a 100 mile or 100k (like me) ride. I’d give the Primavera’s start a B grade, since it wasn’t too confusing, but also not really clear on where to go and what to do. After a quick check-in and stretch, I mounted my steed and was off.

The Start

The morning was brisk, just around 40 degrees and everyone was bundled warmly. I was aiming to perform well and starting passing some of the slower cyclists. After mile 6, I was alone and popped iPod earbuds in and pressed play on an NPR podcast. I assumed that the 4+ hour ride would be solo, so why not just go with it and be entertained as well. I often ride alone and really enjoy setting my own pace and connecting with my podcast hosts.

The Partner

A little bit after mile 10 I met John. He caught my at a stop light and leaving that intersection, set a strong pace, leaving me behind. I climbed a few small hills and on a descent, found myself with John again. I drafted him for a bit and on a flat stuck up a conversation. I soon put the iPod away and we stayed together until the finish. As a partner, he probably made me finish 20-30 minutes faster than had I ride alone. It was nice to have a companion for the 4+ hour journey.

Heading to the first rest stop, the route wound through residential neighborhoods and some country roads. After the first rest stop, we quickly ascended up and over a canyon, ending with a steep climb called the “wall”. My legs were warm and strong and this climbing felt really good.

The Reservoir

On the other side of the canyon the route followed a quiet rode around the Calaveras reservoir. The view was amazing, the rode was well paved and the rolling hills made for a very fun 15-ish miles.

The next rest stop was on the Sonol/Pleasanton border, near where I regularly ride. We headed north paralleling I-680 and then hung a left to follow I-580 to the west. The Dublin Grade was challenging for me. I found that while my cardio was holding up, my legs were not. After 35 miles, the long, gradual grade wore on me and my quads were not happy. The descent from the top of the Dublin Grade was our last rest stop, which I really needed.

The Finish

After replenishing fluids and food, I headed out to complete the last 20 miles of the Primavera 100k. Glancing at my bike computer, I saw that we had climbed only ~2400 of the planned 4200 feet, and I knew that there was only one more hill left. I gave this information to John who winced at the idea that we’d tackle over 1000 feet of climbing in one sitting. I had ridden this area quite a few times and knew what was ahead, which is why I think I felt so much better than I did just 30 minutes earlier on unknown terrain. Palomeres Road starts at ~380 feet and end at ~1600. This, over about 8 miles of gradual climbing and 2 miles where it really kicks up. Like I said, my legs started cooperating and I went up faster than expected, perhaps to show those around me that I could.

After summitting Palomares Road I dropped quickly, hitting a max speed of 43mph. Palomares dumps you onto the busy Niles Canyon Road which essentially took us back to the start. My goal was to finish in 4 hours of moving time, and my computer clocked me at 3:56:48. My total time was 4:35:01, with three rest stops and numerous stoplight breaks.

The Conclusion

If the start of the Primavera gets a grade B, then the finish gets a C. At first, there was no sign of anything waiting for completed riders. No signs, no greeters, no noise, no nothing. Heading into the cafeteria where check-in was held, I found some warmed over lasagne, wilted lettuce salad, cold garlic bread and tasty brownies. I’ve been on organized rides with worse start/finish setups, but not many. Marin Century still puts everyone to shame in this department.

I really enjoyed this ride and it’s not officially part of my annual ride schedule. I’ll see you at the Primavera 2009!

The Stats

I downloaded someone’s GPS data from the 2007 ride by my bike computer. I “raced” against jaybotelho and beat him by ~11 minutes!

Here’s my stats from MotionBased. Check out the animated player as well.

I live blogged via twitter, and apparently wasn’t the only one.