Party-Pardee Century

by Felix Wong | 01 Apr 1995

This ride began in Rancho Seco Park, just northeast of Lodi but southeast of Galt. It was a challenging and scenic ride, going through hill country near Lake Camanche and the Pardee Reservoir, and flat land through the vineyards of Lodi.

Although the Sacramento Bike Hikers sponsored the ride, I opted not to register and went on my own. Of course, this meant not being able to stop at their rest stops, use their facilities, eat their food, or even refill my water bottles. I was going for a personal record, however, and ended up only stopping for less than 20 minutes during the entire ride. Once was to take a leak, and another was to buy a liter of bottled water at a convenience store, since after 3 hours my two 28-ounce water bottles were empty.

A fun ride, but due to hardly stopping and being slightly dehydrated (and hungry–I only brought a few bagels and cookies), my average speed waned and I did not even come close to achieving a personal record. Statistics are below.

Ride Data

• 100 mi.
• 14.5 mph (average moving speed)
• max speeds: >40 mph
• ride time: 7 hrs
• total time: 7 hrs, 20 min.
• terrain: moderately hilly to very challenging at times

Rating

(5=best)

• Scenery: 3.5
• Support/Organization: NA
• Food: NA
• Difficulty: 3.5
• Overall Rating: 3.5