Race Report - 10/27/2013 - Faster Gran Fondo Century

Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Race Type: Gran Fondo
Distance: 100 Miles
Participants: ~100
Overall Place: 7/21 per Strava 2013 Faster Gran Fondo 100 segment
Age Group Place: NA
Moving Time: 5:31:15
Total Time: 5:42:25
Pace: 17.9 mi/h
Elevation Change: ~5000 feet

This was the 2nd annual Faster Gran Fondo. Faster is a high end cycling shop in North Scottsdale. I completed this event last year and wanted to come back for another round. My hopes were that there would be more people this year as last year there were only about 100 and I rode alone most of the time. It was also very windy. 

This year the conditions were almost the same but the course was reversed. There were about the same number of people and the wind was almost as strong; 10 miles per hour sustained. A week before the event I received an email stating that due to cost constraints there would be no timing company. I was pretty disappointed by this but not enough to request a refund. 

The course did not have traffic control so safety was up to the rider. This was the same as last year, and fine. I was not ecstatic that the course had been reversed and that I would now be taking almost all left turns but in reality it was no issue at all. After the first 10 miles there were very few places that required stopping. 

I stayed with a group the first 30 miles. We skipped the 1st SAG at mile 20 and we all stopped at the 2nd SAG around mile 32. At this point the temperature was starting to increase but it was still comfortably in the high 70's. By the end of the ride this would change to ~90 degrees. After the 2nd SAG I decided to go it on my own. The group I'd been riding with was a bit slow for my tastes and I saw no reason to risk a wreck with inexperienced riders. 

The next 9 miles consisted of a steady climb with the wind at my back; locally referred to as 9-mile-hill. I enjoyed the climb and didn't push it. Last year I went down this climb fighting the wind and it wasn't pleasant at all!

Over the next 70 miles I was surprised at home much I enjoyed the scenery and the quality of the roads. I didn't attempt to "race" but kept my heart rate in the 155-160 area while focusing on the pleasure of biking. I would occasionally pass other riders but was never passed myself. There were two more SAG's during this period where I refilled both my bottles. I definitely needed the water as the temps were increasing. The SAG support personnel were great and showed enthusiasm for the event. They held my bike and dumped ice water on my head during the last stop. Thanks!

The only downside of the ride was that at mile 90 I started receiving cramps in both my legs. I should have brought salt tablets! My planning for this ride was not what it should have been. I brought along 3 packages of Clif Bloks and 3 Stinger waffles. Of these, I ate all but one of the waffles. My initial bottles also had Mike's Mix Sports Drink. Lesson learned, bring salt. I was able to pedal through the cramps and eventually they went away with the occasional twinge. 

Overall, this was a great course that was well marked. The registration fee included a Faster jersey (now I have two), a finisher medal, and beer at the end. I will probably do it again next year. The down sides were the lack of timing, the lack of participants, and the lack of promised pizza at the end (the 35 mile participants finished it off). There were also high end prizes for those that had the best times on the KOM's and overall effort; based on Strava times.