Cyclists competing in the Sea Gull Century. Image courtesy of Salisbury University.
On Saturday, Salisbury University hosted the 36th annual Sea Gull Century event. Over 2,000 cyclists around the country participated in the race which started and ended on campus.
Riders could choose from one of two routes to travel. They could either take a 100-kilometer route which guided riders to Snow Hill and back or a 100-mile route which took participants to Assateague Island before returning to campus.
Participants were invited to attend a reception held in Maggs the night before. The reception in years past had been held outside but was moved indoors due to inclement weather.
Despite the heavy rainfall Friday night and a Coastal Flood Advisory in effect in Wicomico County from Thursday morning to Monday, the weather was clear on the day of the Sea Gull Century.
Cyclists approaching the finish line. Image courtesy of David Bohenick.
Dan Mogus, a participant of the 100-kilometer track who came all the way from St. Louis, Missouri, was happy with how the day turned out. "We've been watching it all week.... Last year we had a lot of rain but today was a beautiful day for this ride."
A local participant, Vic King, was in agreement. "It was pretty dry. Humid but dry." This was Vic's first time competing in the century and he spoke highly of his experience. "The team did a great job prepping and setting everything up. The roads were pretty clear. They had cops at all the major intersections... even stopping traffic for us...."
"My friend's 10-year-old son did the metric with us," Vic shared, showing the age range among the participants. "I saw a couple of kids on tandem bikes but I didn't see a kid as small as him riding his own bike. They're in there somewhere."
Cyclists could start riding at 7 a.m. and services were open until 5 p.m. It took Vic about four hours to complete the 100-kilometer track and he still felt great after finishing. "It's that post-race high. I don't know, there's nothing quite like it."
No awards were given to those participating but the cyclists were content with simply going the distance. "The reward is just finishing on a beautiful sunny day," Dan shared after crossing the finish line.
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By DAVID BOHENICK
Editor in Chief
Featured Images courtesy of Salisbury University and David Bohenick