First century in 19 years - and this time on an 75lb bike! Booooyyyaaaaahhhh Today was The Day! I was watching the weather, the roads, the climbing, and how I felt - and knew that today was the day to go for it. I let myself eat a nice big salad for lunch and some chili, and then for dinner I had 2 chicken sandwiches and some soup, and then for breakfast 3 bowls of cereal, some fruit, and some milk and yogurt... all to get enough carbs in to recover from the week of calorie deficit and to prep for pushing today. I was up early, at 4:45 and got my game face on. Today was no joking around, no stopping to talk to people, no small talk, no stopping until I got up to 55+ miles. I kept my head down and the pedals turning.... the roads were beautiful for 98% of the trip and really let me focus on riding hard and steady. If I would have been on a race bike, I would have done this ride in half the time. I feel strong, healthy, and in shape. It feels DAMN good. The new seat is not perfect, but it's a massive improvement over the old one, which is allowing me to stay down on the pedals and keep them turning. When I got to the hotel, I actually felt very good, and I could have gone a lot further if I had needed too. I was a little tight after the ride, but really not bad at all. This is what this entire journey has been about. This day. This accomplishment. This level of fitness - finally. For the first time in almost 20 years, I've ridden a century - and this is a century I am very proud of because I did well - but I also handled it very well. A great day I will always remember.