Hot and cold. Up and down. With Mother Nature delivering sunshine and warm temperatures for the Shorefire Century, a strong turnout of nearly 250 cyclists rode the Delaware countryside. That total of participants was the second highest in the last 5 years.

The Shorefire route was relatively easy with a few surprises. The mostly flat roads with some rolling terrain reached an apex of mere 84 feet, but over the 100-mile route the up-and-down action of the small hills equated to more than 1,300 feet of climbing.

A highlight were the Freeze Pops awaiting all finishers. One cyclist who was from Kenya said that in his home country the icy treats are called “cools”—which is a pretty cool name.

Special thanks to Shorefire Director Bill Ebbott for coordinating the event. Also lots of gratitude for volunteers who handling Support & Gear (SAG), trailer transport, rest stops, registration and venues. The Shorefire would just fizzle without all this help.