yeah, I made a little name change. after losing a bunch of weight (but still feeling fat sometimes), and trying to broaden my horizons, I think it's time to drop the old title. done.
the Morrisville (Al's) series is underway. given the cool temps and rain, we still had about 30 riders on board the last saturday of march. Ian was pedaling strong on the new moulton Gilbert put together for him. myself, the florians, mike and tim were all that was left at the turnaround. the six of us spent the return trip together for a very nice ride. the last 50 mi were dry, and the sun shined on us for the last hour or so! a good day done in 7.5 hrs with tacos and salsa for recovery. I went out the next day for 100k with Bryan whose perm fell thru.
Bryan tried again on monday and I joined him for a nice roll on the Triple L. this is a great route for hill work and quiet roads. I'll probly do it once a month til June :) 7000ft of climbing is a good thing, but I must remember my knee bands!!
yesterday was the NCBC spring rally. the course was interesting for a fast 100k. the first hour or so was the usual nerves and sorting out before things "mellowed" a bit. there were still a couple dozen for the second half, cruising along at good speeds to finish in just over 3hrs at 20.7 avg..I felt OK on the hills and took the polka dots to the podium. of course, I took my plastic bike and that helped a little ;)
for recovery today I headed out on the MTB. just a 20miler to relax and run the trails since I hadn't been on them in a few weeks and well, if I'm gonna ride 'em all day next weekend..
this weekend is going to be big IF-1. I feel good. and 2. the weather cooperates.
my plan is to shoot for a (barely) sub 12hr 300K. basically short-stop to seagrove, eat, and short-stop back. if all goes well and I feel good at the end; I head home, recover, SLEEP, and get up at 5:30 to be on the trailhead to start a 7AM ride:100 miles on singletrack and doubletrack.. the ride is nearby. if I blow up, I'll be able to ride home. slooowly..
I just saw the weather and after many sweet days it looks like the classic return of 'screw up the weekend and be pretty on monday' :( if the trails are soaked late in the week, they will be closed. not sure if there is a plan B for this one. we need the singletrack loops to keep us from going crazy going around Umstead all day. stay tuned! I think it would be a great back-to-back well ahead of the next long ride. saddle time, baby...
have a great week. I'll be at the benelux ride downtown tuesday eve., and keeping it simple after that 'til the weekend..
Showing posts with label 200K. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 200K. Show all posts
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
springtime
hey everyone. I hope you all have made it through another winter. spring ( and pollen) are in the air! since my last post I have continued on an unusual journey in cycling-new bikes and rides. first off, I am signed on to ride the cascades 1200k in washington. that means training and that's where new bikes and rides came in. a chance trip through umstead park got me thinking, 'hey man, lots of hills in here to grind'...right in my backyard. my new weapon is a gary fisher sawyer 29er. it's a killer bike and I've had a blast riding and meeting new bike friends. shoot, I entered 2 races! the 2nd one was the bushwack where i came in 23 out of 100 on a 28 degree morning! super fun! i'm commuting through the park pretty regularly.
there have been some new brevets as well. I rode my handsome cycles speedy devil on 2 rounds of Mike D's carolina crossroads 200k in november, including the 'end of year ride and party'..jerry has a new route from raleigh as well-'the bomb'. martin has a new perm I want to try too. on new year's day about 10 folks showed up in Salisbury (early!) to do Tony's brushy mountain 200k. it's a really nice route! give it a shot. TX rando stampede buddy John Preston was up from Fla and joined us. he did really good for a flatlander ;)
'twas a chilly start with rain at the end, but a great day for sure.
i've been using some different gear for a while now, and feel I can give a good review.
hopefully I will start putting those reports up very soon..
happy roads and trails...
there have been some new brevets as well. I rode my handsome cycles speedy devil on 2 rounds of Mike D's carolina crossroads 200k in november, including the 'end of year ride and party'..jerry has a new route from raleigh as well-'the bomb'. martin has a new perm I want to try too. on new year's day about 10 folks showed up in Salisbury (early!) to do Tony's brushy mountain 200k. it's a really nice route! give it a shot. TX rando stampede buddy John Preston was up from Fla and joined us. he did really good for a flatlander ;)
'twas a chilly start with rain at the end, but a great day for sure.
i've been using some different gear for a while now, and feel I can give a good review.
hopefully I will start putting those reports up very soon..
happy roads and trails...
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Climb every mountain
Hot Springs 200K-
Soo, with major rides on the horizon, Bryan and I decided to go to the mountains again between brevet weekends. no triple hump, this was the real deal. with bonus miles over a bonus mountain (twice) we tipped the counter at almost 14,000 feet in 150 miles.
I had another reason to ride: i'd climbed the mountain of sobriety to year number 3..
the adventure really began friday with the car trip out. rainy, rainy, twisty roads. running late. we got to the campground and pitched tents and crawled in about 1am..up at 5, and on the way about 10 min. to 7..tony was waiting for us, along with about 8 other riders-mostly locals, including Ashvilleians' Annette and Chris Kamm.
Still foggy and cool, we headed out and into the mist. literally. in just a few hundred yards the road heads upward. for a little over two miles. ya see, hot springs is in a hole. the only way in or out is over the mountains. we would climb one out, and return by coming down the other. here I am on the way up:
that is Bryan and the Kamm's behind me, and up ahead,two young guys, Luke and Lee.
at the top, Tony waited and said-"last chance to turn back!" no thanks, T..
Downhill! whee! 40mph in seconds. look: headlights! it's Team Lantiseptis! Mike, Cap'n, Branson, and Spencer, climbing the last miles of their challenging fleche route that started on Mt. Mitchell! awesome riding, boys. onto the brakes and make a left, let the scenery begin. there are plenty of great views up here: river roads galore, farms, horses, and rocky cliffsides, big valleys. spectacular cycling for sure, but be prepared to work, too..
not long onto the course, in the middle of a 10 mile stretch we came to a T. the next turn was a right, so that's what we did. oops. a major climb ensued, and after nearly 3 miles we were on another screaming descent in the fog. I started soft pedaling hoping someone would come along, and finally Bryan and Kamms rolled up. we had a chat and B manged to get a map on his phone and we turned back-all the way back. over walnut mountain again!
a common thing out in country: the side road has a sign, but, no sign for the road you are on. makes navigating a little frustrating at times..those extra miles and climbing put us on the bubble for the first control. we jammed along another terrific river road and soon we were there. we kept it brief to get back in the game. and climbed some more. on the descent we saw the youngsters climbing to the control. they caught us in short order, strong boys. a bit more confusion nipped us in Asheville. thanks to local knowledge, we only blew a couple miles this time! the Kamm's and other riders were at the store. jumping their wheel would have been good here, as they seemed to know the next couple hours up the road! we had another mix up between 'new/old' leicester rd. but again kept it to 2-3 miles :o) next came a few miles on newfound rd..then about 3 miles up newfound rd... this was a looong climb finished by a tenacious hound and his gun wielding owner! at least this descent was civil- almost straight, smooth and wiide open. we arrived in town and found a store and waited for bryan and hopefully rick to show up. everyone enjoyed the break and off we went.
with navi probs behind us, the next several miles were a non-event. a bit of wind and a grind up to iron duff. plenty of fun sightings today, including this horse and buggy man.
last control. it's pretty hot out. I was enjoying the first use of a new mini camelbak. we still had 3 climbs to go in the final stretch: the first looked like a desert road. long, straight and deceptive. i was headed to low gear and we weren't on the hill yet. damn! the descent was the same too, looong and smooth. I flew by the turn to Betsy's Gap. took about 200 yards to slow and turn back. Luke and I headed to the big climb of the day, Bryan up the road about 10 min..this one hurt a little-4.5 miles of continuous ascent with turns and cliffsides. unrelenting and beautiful at the same time, and another attention getting descent with plenty of switchbacks and fast runs.
the final climb is not too bad. has a couple breaks. lovely hairpin descent down to the creekside road that takes you along to Hot Springs. fantastic approach! I want to come do this route around Halloween with fall colors (hear that, Tony?) we arrive about 7:30. looong 200. seriously rides like 300k. just sayin'..
a couple notes if you go:
-the campground is very mellow, I left my keys on the cars' roof! and everything was still there! $30 a night is a good deal, and the french broad river will sing you to sleep..
-it's in the middle of nowhere. make sure you have fuel in your car and supplies as it's about 15 miles back to marshall where you can get stuff.
Soo, with major rides on the horizon, Bryan and I decided to go to the mountains again between brevet weekends. no triple hump, this was the real deal. with bonus miles over a bonus mountain (twice) we tipped the counter at almost 14,000 feet in 150 miles.
I had another reason to ride: i'd climbed the mountain of sobriety to year number 3..
the adventure really began friday with the car trip out. rainy, rainy, twisty roads. running late. we got to the campground and pitched tents and crawled in about 1am..up at 5, and on the way about 10 min. to 7..tony was waiting for us, along with about 8 other riders-mostly locals, including Ashvilleians' Annette and Chris Kamm.
Still foggy and cool, we headed out and into the mist. literally. in just a few hundred yards the road heads upward. for a little over two miles. ya see, hot springs is in a hole. the only way in or out is over the mountains. we would climb one out, and return by coming down the other. here I am on the way up:
 | ||||||||||
| up, up, and away... |
at the top, Tony waited and said-"last chance to turn back!" no thanks, T..
Downhill! whee! 40mph in seconds. look: headlights! it's Team Lantiseptis! Mike, Cap'n, Branson, and Spencer, climbing the last miles of their challenging fleche route that started on Mt. Mitchell! awesome riding, boys. onto the brakes and make a left, let the scenery begin. there are plenty of great views up here: river roads galore, farms, horses, and rocky cliffsides, big valleys. spectacular cycling for sure, but be prepared to work, too..
not long onto the course, in the middle of a 10 mile stretch we came to a T. the next turn was a right, so that's what we did. oops. a major climb ensued, and after nearly 3 miles we were on another screaming descent in the fog. I started soft pedaling hoping someone would come along, and finally Bryan and Kamms rolled up. we had a chat and B manged to get a map on his phone and we turned back-all the way back. over walnut mountain again!
a common thing out in country: the side road has a sign, but, no sign for the road you are on. makes navigating a little frustrating at times..those extra miles and climbing put us on the bubble for the first control. we jammed along another terrific river road and soon we were there. we kept it brief to get back in the game. and climbed some more. on the descent we saw the youngsters climbing to the control. they caught us in short order, strong boys. a bit more confusion nipped us in Asheville. thanks to local knowledge, we only blew a couple miles this time! the Kamm's and other riders were at the store. jumping their wheel would have been good here, as they seemed to know the next couple hours up the road! we had another mix up between 'new/old' leicester rd. but again kept it to 2-3 miles :o) next came a few miles on newfound rd..then about 3 miles up newfound rd... this was a looong climb finished by a tenacious hound and his gun wielding owner! at least this descent was civil- almost straight, smooth and wiide open. we arrived in town and found a store and waited for bryan and hopefully rick to show up. everyone enjoyed the break and off we went.
 |
| B chillin' |
last control. it's pretty hot out. I was enjoying the first use of a new mini camelbak. we still had 3 climbs to go in the final stretch: the first looked like a desert road. long, straight and deceptive. i was headed to low gear and we weren't on the hill yet. damn! the descent was the same too, looong and smooth. I flew by the turn to Betsy's Gap. took about 200 yards to slow and turn back. Luke and I headed to the big climb of the day, Bryan up the road about 10 min..this one hurt a little-4.5 miles of continuous ascent with turns and cliffsides. unrelenting and beautiful at the same time, and another attention getting descent with plenty of switchbacks and fast runs.
 | |
| up to betsy's gap |
a couple notes if you go:
-the campground is very mellow, I left my keys on the cars' roof! and everything was still there! $30 a night is a good deal, and the french broad river will sing you to sleep..
-it's in the middle of nowhere. make sure you have fuel in your car and supplies as it's about 15 miles back to marshall where you can get stuff.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
three great rides=one great bike test=rando time
 |
| Yo, A! rides |
on sunday, march 13, NC cyclers gathered from near and far to remember our beloved Adrian Hands. known for not driving (my kinda guy) and pedaling to events, most rode to the start of this mini-Fleche, which began in Hillsboro, on the Eno River.. 3 friends-Bryan R, Bryan H, and David S met at my place and off we went into the dark around 6am. I delivered them right on time to Jerry P, at 7am, so we could head to chapel hill. we arrived at Adrian and Padmini's place in no time where we exchanged pleasantries, and watched A's son Ian prep his bike.
Now we were 6 riders with special guest Adrians' ashes in Ian's pannier! the sun was coming out and we had a good time rolling on up to H'boro..at the weaver st. market we met Branson, Jack, Rich, and some others I didn't know. A hearty breakfast ensued and off we went to the courthouse. wowzer. the crowd was BIG. bikes everywhere, and lots of folks. After a few words, the men put A's ashes in the river. A's brother spoke, and Padmini too, who told us to get on the road! Ian said he hadn't been to many funerals, but this was the coolest one ever :) we got the bikes together and off we went- lot's of reminders of Adrian out there, license plates etc. but I loved the pics hanging on the velos...
 |
| a few hands |
 | |||||||
| mr funky bike |
it was great to see everyone and share our love of Adrian and cycling together. a very special day indeed. a frequent comment was that regarding Adrian's unselfishness on and off the bike. I too, was shepherded by him, on my first 300k, with that amazing coolness only he possessed. he made it seem OK, all the way, into the night, following me on his fixie with a small light stuck in blink mode. i'll never forget it. nor will I forget him..
 | ||||
| 3 amigos after the Yo A! day... |
after one more shakedown ride, it was time to kick-off Al's series in morrisville..
200K. this used to be the "season opener' , but thanks to Tony's winter action, this ride was a sprint before we settle into the longer rides of the series.. I'll say this now- I was humbled and impressed. a lot of folks are riding strong. NC is on the rando map!
we rolled at 7am. there was a change to the route, but not today, a bridge was closed so we headed out the old way. Bryan H and I pulled quite a bit to mt. Lystra where some little bitty climbers took the points. we were all together for the next major sections and again the Ti and Carbon quartet took the rollers into snow camp. short stops ensued, and our gang met them as they were leaving Joel's oasis in siler city. card signing formalities, reloading bottles, and gobbling fig newtons broke the crew a bit more. Tim and Annette jetted ahead with us in pursuit. it was Bryan's first 200, and I didn't want him to think it was all run-and-gun, but we were hustling. back at snow camp, tim was scooting out, as we arrived. another short stop and off we went.
most storytellers on this day will say it was the big winds causing all the hustle and bustle to catch some push for the retour. whatev... they were swirling! another element was a fairly big temp range-I left at 6 and it was 39 deg. it was about 45 at the start, and slowly crept to the low 60's. peeling layers was the game. Bagless Bryan had a funky look going on late in the ride! (if he comes to the 300, I'll loan him a bag) I chose bare legs lathered in Mad Alchemy's uber secret coffee Embrocation. worked great. arm warmers and a vest over a JonesWares wool Eddy jersey and their sprint base. perfecto.
back to biking. I basically led bryan (when not grabbing a little wheel) point to point back to nc hwy 87, where we both were stuffing warmers and along comes bryan r, jerry and chris, and a few others. we jumped the wheels and rode chicken bridge with the tri-types and stayed with 'em to parker herndon. the warmth had me drinking a bit so we filled real quick at andrew's store. we hammered jack bennett, and battled winds on the lake. cruised across lewter shop and fought serious traffic down thru carpenter to morrisville.
the front folks were 10-15 min ahead of us. good job! we chilled out a bit, and in no time others were tumbling in. our time was 7:30. i'd say another dozen showed over the next hour, that puts about 2 doz., or half, back in 8.5 or less. really impressive on a rolly course with bitchin' headwinds. note to self..drink more (but not Al's homebrew)
so far, I lloooove the new bike. very fast, responsive, and comfortable.
*also of note were two other new bikes ready to travel. chris' blue gunnar w/S&S, and
Keith's (doc on a bike) surly traveller's check. very cool and rando-centric!
Variations on the Triple Hump-
with hilly brevets looming and the 1200 on the horizon (it opens with back-to-back 400k's w/12,000 ft of climbing each day!) it was time for some real climbing. new rando david was camping at hanging rock over the weekend, so Bryan R came up with a nice lil' 50-something mile loop from there. we headed out at 6 to meet dave on the hilltop and roll 'bout 9:30..
 |
| climbing hanging rock-by car.. |
the weather was foggy but clearing and heading to the eighties. groovy. it was chilly and I forgot my arm warmers, but had some non-warming goop for my legs. i put some on my arms too. the opening descent was nippy! we all got shiver induced shimmys as we hit 40+ in spots. a quick left onto moore springs just outside the gate and the road mellowed out. there is a country store here. with a hammer nutrition banner above the ice machine. interesting.. we roll a bit, and warm up some. in short order we find markings on the road for '3 mountain madness'. time to head up sauratown. the first 100 ft of this road is straight up. we all settle into our rhythms and grind away into the fog. dew is covering our bikes, arms, and all things around us. i catch bryan in the rear-view about 2 miles up.
 |
| sauratown fog |
just after this shot we ride into a turn, then head on to the top where the sun is shining. and the road ends. and cell towers abound. we all snack, update our friends and begin the descent. back into the fog and going fast! thanks to the organized rides, the road is marked with S-L-O-W painted across it. on the brakes and into the turn. cool. no, not cool. i'm flat in back. ease it down to the edge. the challenge tires are rideable flat because they kept the rim off the pavement. no puncture found, I just cooked the tube. the hole was inside and I patched it. i washed up in the little brook rushing down hillside and off we went. no prob. from here. the blackburn frame pump was good at filling the big tire to nearly 90 lbs or so. i'm on a full blown dress rehearsal at this point trying out all my new stuff!
still foggy, we meander over rollers and quiet roads for a half hour before the blue skies show up on approach to pilot mountain. the boys roll ahead toward the entrance and i steal a nature break. i'll catch 'em, right? a sign by the road (one of those pewter historical landmark types) says the summit is 3 miles west. shortly beyond the visitor's center, i see david and finally overtake him. he's already spinning his granny gear (1st time since crossing the rockies last summer, BTW). it takes me a bit longer to spot bryan-he's spinning up a switch above me and looking good! i'm feeling it a tad because i'm pushing a 50/23. the chain won't stay on the 26, some cable stretch has me in a spot of bother! I stop for 45 sec or so and proceed. this baby alpe d'huez is tough to clean out of the saddle. be prepared. the view on top is worth the effort! spectacular. take it in and eat something as your heartrate comes back down, but nature takes your breath away at over 2400 feet of elevation.
 |
| pinnacle overlook |
we left pilot behind and made our way to pinnacle where we bought snacks and drinks for the final stretch. the roads and views were great. you get a couple of different looks at pilot as you leave the area. this one is after a grinder, before the only busy stretch we rode: hwy 66..
 | ||
| D & B catch me.. |
 | |||||||||||
| damn gooey! |
this was a really nice day, and we want to do it again soon. maybe a bit longer, too, including a southern return by danbury. watch the list. makes a fun day trip from RTP.
since it was Paris-Roubaix day, here's my dirty legs at the end. most of it, believe it or not, is brake dust..crazy!
 |
| dirty boy |
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
june transitions
hello friends!
I hope summer is finding you all well. One thing as certain as time flying is the heat this summer season. above normal with no end in sight! of course, a little heat is not going to stop serious bike riders from getting in the saddle time. we just convince ourselves that we'll go early, late, whenever.
and so it was in june. the series had ended and we celebrated with a fast running of Jerrys' howlin' grits populaire the following weekend. 7 of us met early and ran it in just over 4hrs with a nice breakfast stop in pittsboro. good times! it's a fun loop you all should give a go..
I 'only' do epic lake loops-
several of us-mike d, jerry, wes, john o., tim, bryan, and myself decided to get our 200 for june "out of the way, before it gets 'hot'" the following weekend. hmm. is 95 hot? a good warmup ensued and we were putting down good tempo on our way to kerr lake. a triathlon was underway and the first bikes were coming down the road at us. Capt. Dayton says:"look sharp boys!" hehe, no prob as our 22mph train was ticking quite smoothly, thank you, without aero bars... about a mile up the road we waited as the rest of the racers poured out of a side-road. from there it was off to the dam for the picture, on to boyton where the store was not yet open, then skipwith for relief by way of the soda machines. jerry told cinnamon girl to giddy-up and soft pedal to clarkesville for lunch. we rendezvous at subway, drink copious amounts, and roll on.
by stovall the heat is for real! the boys do a number on a bag of ice, gallons of liquid, and stick their heads and helmets in the ice box! we climb the little mountain, head for oxford-last control..at the final regrouping it's frozen treats all 'round and mike rolls in coasting-he started the day fixed. cramps brought on the bright idea to flip the wheel over and viola! less cramps! the last 25 miles are insanely windy as the four '600 1st timers' go off the front and paceline our way to the firehouse. 7am start, in at 4:25. a scorcher in the books...
between 'loops' I rode my 1st 'fast' group ride of the summer: team CBC 72 mile trainer. a fun bunch of 14 went out and ripped a cool course called the bunn level beer run. it leaves the brewery in holly springs and goes south and comes back on familiar roads found on both the tarheel and 600k routes. also hot, the pace was high, avg 25-6 in some early stretches, but calming later and finishing around 20 for the day. they also run 50 milers with A and B groups and it's a good social at the end with pizza and brew. good folks.
hot ride two(o): with the firecracker 100k looming on july 4th, and a 'new' route, i decided to recon on june 20, father's day.. i had a shoot that morning so i didn't head out til 11.
damn, hot. i drank a bottle first. and left with two cold ones. i went out hard and at mile 25 was averaging 21.5mph. there were more climbs than the old route, yay! i carried 2 gel flasks, 2 bananas, e-caps, a fig bar, and cash. at mile 40 i stopped, drank two more bottles and refilled 'em. my avg faded a bit over the next 10 miles but I pushed hard. at 50 mi. the rollers from hell start and go for about 7 miles right to my driveway. i cramped a little on the first climb, and basically consumed the rest of what i had, save for some water. the next big hill bit the other leg and I was force to spin some. (small ring!) I recovered in apex and finished with a 20 mph avg., but very dehydrated. my scale showed a loss of about 8lbs! only cramps this summer and only weight loss like that. took two days but I got it back. I also knew what I was going to do on the 4th...run 4 bottles.
full moon rising: started by Byron, the full moon lake loop is a great way to get your perm on in the summer! ride it overnite by lunar light, baby! myself, byron, jerry, bryan, john o, mary and tom, martin, and brother rob showed up for this one on june 26. we rode a nice opening pace to make a store or two before a long stretch would ensue without supplies. i decided in advance a hydration pack was in order- it could be 50-60 miles between open stores and even tho dark, it would be warm...
jerry flatted and we waited, i fixed a wire, folks communed with nature, and back to pedaling we went. tom and I fought for the polka dots on the opening climbs and we stocked up and left gallons of water for the return behind the store in oxford. logistics..
the following miles were nothing short of wonderful! the moon rose like a fireball as we rolled along. i dropped back to try a pic and marveled at the sea of blinkies ahead. intense. as the moon peeked above the trees, we descended to a small lake and the bridge was lined with the lumieres of fishermen. pleasantries exchanged between us and them and the whir of derailleurs and boom boxes. very cool memory. a long grind ensues off the pond and we regrouped at the end of road before rolling on. a little store i'd never stopped at before was open late and all grabbed a drink real quick. the hope for cooler air later in the eve by the lake just wasn't happening. the humidity climbed and glasses fogged. on the dam, everyone was drenched. the flags were flying high and after the pic we're off again. the group broke in two within a few miles again and remained so for a while. boydton was the first of the post card controls: we dropped post cards addressed to byron at a few mailboxes along the way since stores were not open overnite..
once again, it was survive the steep little rollers to skipwith just to feed coins to the soda machines. post cards across the street. lets go to clarkesville! the big store there is 24 hrs and we took a load off and refueled. the grill was even open! another post card downtown and journey to stovall to drop another card, climb the mountain (hill), and head to oxford. bryan and I caught up with jerry, byron and john here. we filled from our stash, gathered our wits, and headed off for the final 25. it was a smooth run and jerry and I deulled the last climb at an insane 18mph! did I mention he was single speeding and rode his 100k route 24hrs earlier sat morning?! amazing and inspiring that Jerry...we finished up the last 3-4 miles at the same tempo, john o on our wheel now too. back at the firehouse we turned in our cards to byron and said farewell still in the dark. it was just before 5. had a donut at sunrise on the way home.
not only does a route seem completely different, it keeps your night riding chops in shape too...give it a try sometime!
I hope summer is finding you all well. One thing as certain as time flying is the heat this summer season. above normal with no end in sight! of course, a little heat is not going to stop serious bike riders from getting in the saddle time. we just convince ourselves that we'll go early, late, whenever.
and so it was in june. the series had ended and we celebrated with a fast running of Jerrys' howlin' grits populaire the following weekend. 7 of us met early and ran it in just over 4hrs with a nice breakfast stop in pittsboro. good times! it's a fun loop you all should give a go..
I 'only' do epic lake loops-
several of us-mike d, jerry, wes, john o., tim, bryan, and myself decided to get our 200 for june "out of the way, before it gets 'hot'" the following weekend. hmm. is 95 hot? a good warmup ensued and we were putting down good tempo on our way to kerr lake. a triathlon was underway and the first bikes were coming down the road at us. Capt. Dayton says:"look sharp boys!" hehe, no prob as our 22mph train was ticking quite smoothly, thank you, without aero bars... about a mile up the road we waited as the rest of the racers poured out of a side-road. from there it was off to the dam for the picture, on to boyton where the store was not yet open, then skipwith for relief by way of the soda machines. jerry told cinnamon girl to giddy-up and soft pedal to clarkesville for lunch. we rendezvous at subway, drink copious amounts, and roll on.
by stovall the heat is for real! the boys do a number on a bag of ice, gallons of liquid, and stick their heads and helmets in the ice box! we climb the little mountain, head for oxford-last control..at the final regrouping it's frozen treats all 'round and mike rolls in coasting-he started the day fixed. cramps brought on the bright idea to flip the wheel over and viola! less cramps! the last 25 miles are insanely windy as the four '600 1st timers' go off the front and paceline our way to the firehouse. 7am start, in at 4:25. a scorcher in the books...
between 'loops' I rode my 1st 'fast' group ride of the summer: team CBC 72 mile trainer. a fun bunch of 14 went out and ripped a cool course called the bunn level beer run. it leaves the brewery in holly springs and goes south and comes back on familiar roads found on both the tarheel and 600k routes. also hot, the pace was high, avg 25-6 in some early stretches, but calming later and finishing around 20 for the day. they also run 50 milers with A and B groups and it's a good social at the end with pizza and brew. good folks.
hot ride two(o): with the firecracker 100k looming on july 4th, and a 'new' route, i decided to recon on june 20, father's day.. i had a shoot that morning so i didn't head out til 11.
damn, hot. i drank a bottle first. and left with two cold ones. i went out hard and at mile 25 was averaging 21.5mph. there were more climbs than the old route, yay! i carried 2 gel flasks, 2 bananas, e-caps, a fig bar, and cash. at mile 40 i stopped, drank two more bottles and refilled 'em. my avg faded a bit over the next 10 miles but I pushed hard. at 50 mi. the rollers from hell start and go for about 7 miles right to my driveway. i cramped a little on the first climb, and basically consumed the rest of what i had, save for some water. the next big hill bit the other leg and I was force to spin some. (small ring!) I recovered in apex and finished with a 20 mph avg., but very dehydrated. my scale showed a loss of about 8lbs! only cramps this summer and only weight loss like that. took two days but I got it back. I also knew what I was going to do on the 4th...run 4 bottles.
full moon rising: started by Byron, the full moon lake loop is a great way to get your perm on in the summer! ride it overnite by lunar light, baby! myself, byron, jerry, bryan, john o, mary and tom, martin, and brother rob showed up for this one on june 26. we rode a nice opening pace to make a store or two before a long stretch would ensue without supplies. i decided in advance a hydration pack was in order- it could be 50-60 miles between open stores and even tho dark, it would be warm...
jerry flatted and we waited, i fixed a wire, folks communed with nature, and back to pedaling we went. tom and I fought for the polka dots on the opening climbs and we stocked up and left gallons of water for the return behind the store in oxford. logistics..
the following miles were nothing short of wonderful! the moon rose like a fireball as we rolled along. i dropped back to try a pic and marveled at the sea of blinkies ahead. intense. as the moon peeked above the trees, we descended to a small lake and the bridge was lined with the lumieres of fishermen. pleasantries exchanged between us and them and the whir of derailleurs and boom boxes. very cool memory. a long grind ensues off the pond and we regrouped at the end of road before rolling on. a little store i'd never stopped at before was open late and all grabbed a drink real quick. the hope for cooler air later in the eve by the lake just wasn't happening. the humidity climbed and glasses fogged. on the dam, everyone was drenched. the flags were flying high and after the pic we're off again. the group broke in two within a few miles again and remained so for a while. boydton was the first of the post card controls: we dropped post cards addressed to byron at a few mailboxes along the way since stores were not open overnite..
once again, it was survive the steep little rollers to skipwith just to feed coins to the soda machines. post cards across the street. lets go to clarkesville! the big store there is 24 hrs and we took a load off and refueled. the grill was even open! another post card downtown and journey to stovall to drop another card, climb the mountain (hill), and head to oxford. bryan and I caught up with jerry, byron and john here. we filled from our stash, gathered our wits, and headed off for the final 25. it was a smooth run and jerry and I deulled the last climb at an insane 18mph! did I mention he was single speeding and rode his 100k route 24hrs earlier sat morning?! amazing and inspiring that Jerry...we finished up the last 3-4 miles at the same tempo, john o on our wheel now too. back at the firehouse we turned in our cards to byron and said farewell still in the dark. it was just before 5. had a donut at sunrise on the way home.
not only does a route seem completely different, it keeps your night riding chops in shape too...give it a try sometime!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Long, loonger, looongest: an SR series in 5 chapters
flashback-2009
it's been nearly a year without a drink and I feel i'm ready to go at the series.
off we go on the 200k with nary a problem. take a nice lunch, and still cruise in at 5 o'clock.
great! feels good, can't wait for the 300. start a tick late, chase the group, catch 'em in snow camp. problem-hydration-behind-90 degrees-ouch. off the back to siler, limp to seagrove. drink 2 of everything Dean has, eat one of everything. fade to zero on way back to siler. quit..don't even think about the 4 or 600. back to permanents and a better nutritional lifestyle. no HFCS, fried food, red meat, ice cream (damn!), carbs! yada yada yada....
FYI-my weight on those rides was 230lbs..
spring-2010
200K-04/10/2010
i'm ready, the serotta's ready, and those who only see me on these rides wonder where I went! Al drops the flag and off we go. all the usual suspects are there but now at 176lbs the hills are mine. riding 40+lb single speeds to work has paid off. it's a fun romp to the turn-around, and for the 1st time ever for me, i'm not seeing riders coming back before I get there. they were almost ready, so I hurried to join the 2nd wave heading back. this was a huge boost for me. the Kamm's and the tandem powered by chet and cindy stayed away.
pleasure and pain ensued as I rode with a belgian named paschal and his friend at hard tempo to old switchboard rd. I had to settle down for a bit and solo'd across chicken bridge to frosty's. buddy John Olmstead showed up and off we motored to andrew's store. every time I stopped a bike flashed by. as luck would have it Paschal was human and stopped for
water too..off we go, screaming down jack bennet, across the marsh at about 28mph, and up lystra. more riders! we pick up motorin' Mike D, Joe Ray, and Wes (who snapped a crank arm in snow camp, BTW). holy smokes hang on! avg. 20 up martha's and no time for berries at Jean's Berry Patch, it's 22-3mph across lewter shop. madness. what a hot finale! we raced the climbs, timed the lights, and came in around 2:30ish I believe. I know Mike's best time was safe! (extra controle) :o)
all in all a great time with some killer riders. fuel was good, all I bought was water and a juice at 100k. traveled pretty light on this one.
we also welcomed 2nd generation rando Ian Hands. yup, yo!Adrian's son. signed up for the whole series. stay tuned, 'cuz he's a chip off the old block..
kudo's to Mike D for hitting 100 months of 100 milers! you are an inspirational force Mikey..
300K-04/24/2010
prep for this was easy: ride Dean's tarheel 200K with Bryan,Tim, John, and Maria on the weekend prior.
it was my first ride with a new camelbak i got from super-buddy Byron who was missing the rides because of a battle with pneumonia. (glad to report he's better and back on the road)
love the pack and won't leave home without it on the 300k 'n up stuff. also discovered on this ride that my specialized tires were about done after a year of brevets. the rear had a spot worn through and went down outside steadman coming back. bought two fresh specialized all-condition pro roubaixs'-great tires! rode the old mondo pro's over 3000 miles without a flat! amazing tires! did I say that already? also was digging the wood fenders on jerry's cinnamon girl. look at this cool dude I got for mine from Cody of woody's fenders.
OK, gear is in line, let's ride! it's really a non-event for the first 100k. the normal routine the first 60-70k before a group of a dozen or so pull away just a bit on the rollers to snow camp. Bryan is on his first 300k and right on my wheel after helping annette zip-tie a rack.
we roll into control 1 as the big group leaves and control 2 5 minutes after they've left.
off to seagrove. 50k. bucolic and challenging terrain. my buddies fall off and I catch Chet and Cindy on the tandem and play tag with them and later the mighty Kamm's-Chris and Annette, for the trip to the epicenter of NC pottery. here we find the front runners gobbling hardee's and cutting up, ready to jam back. little did i know Mike D. had a moment of clarity and figured if they got goin' they could pull this brevet off in under 12hrs. they did. awesome job fellas. after sneaking my 'health food' into hardees, I talked books and tunes with Jerry for a few miles,then it was more rambling with the dynamic duo on the 2 seater for me. By 200k they'd left me but here comes John O..let's go. my goal was finish without lights in the 7 o'clock hour. we mixed up perpeteum and snacked in snow camp for the 50 miles left to go. i like catching that store-you're 11 miles closer and they have benches to sit on. we had a really nice run in and just missed the light. 8:15 finish. whew. mike d. was still there with Alan. super day after last year's DNF!
seriously. good. company- Mike D, Jerry, and Branson...
huge turnout! nearly 50 rando's for the 300..
Chet and Cindy
'two for one, and twice the fun!'
many reports spoke of cows frolicking out here. they do. but this is a rugged stretch to ride a bicycle through. ask anyone whose done it. keep drinking and pedaling steady..
notes: my fuel was moving towards a 50/50 liquid/solid method by this ride.
a flask of gel for each 100k (=packet ea. 15 mi.), a packet of clif blocks and gu chomps (really like the blueberry pomegranate), 2 bananas, and a tiny tuna sandwich at the halfway. i saved biker bob's cookies (thanks bob!) for a treat after lunch and late in the day with a starbucks drink. besides the coffee i bought a V8, ran about 10L of H2O thru my pack, and 3 heeds in a bottle and 1 perpeteum for the last leg. I felt strong all the way, rode home, and wasn't hungry ever. ate a light supper around 9, got up at 8 and rode a 100k with a friend. sunday night i finally ate ice cream for the first time this year. yummerz.....
400K-05/08/2010
if one goes back just a few years you'll find 300 and 400K's with less than 20 finishers here.
2007 is up because it's a PBP year, but still only in the 20's. there were 40 at this one. wow!
most would finish. big wow!
weather was looking good. short sleeves. 80's in the afternoon. in the mountains the numerical value would simply become HOT. WINDY. something in air. honeysuckle and other flora. burned the throat with a strange fieryness. keep sipping, randos...
same drill going out for me except for one little fact: i'd never ridden more than 300K..
can't think about that. just stick to the script. pedal, drink, eat, repeat.
somewhere between 40-50 miles the front half was starting to splinter. as mike D quoted in his write-up: one interesting thing about riding brevets is the way groups and alliances shift and reform as the day rolls on. this is not soley due to riding speed. short stops! the swiftys' are quick, organized, and all biz at all but feed controls. they skip stores. what?
yup. not sure how they do it. one thing I knew was i would go thru a LOT of fluid today.
without the pack I could not pass stores. with it I knew I was safe to push and drink too.
everyone finds their way to do this crazy sport. i'm just sharing what has turned it into a doable thing for me. sure, i still suffer at times, but not like I used too. oh wait. we aren't on the 600 yet ;-) I digress...
I share a moment or two with Bryan at snow camp, Branson and Joel leaving siler city, and then I'm alone to seagrove. every few miles there are other soloists: doc on a bike, keith, was one I remember. Amy, suffering from an injury that caused her to turn around in seagrove and RIDE back (tough girl!). Mike and the monsters were fueled and saddling up when i got there. I hated to turn down the invite, but needed to sit a few. off they went. tim, and someone else swore they'd be soft pedaling and I'd catch 'em. uh, no. I took Bryan with me into no-man's land. we rode together until the roads really headed upwards. as much as I like company, I got up and charged the climbs a bit. NOT like I did on the express a month earlier, this was different: 150k in the legs already, 250 more to go, and 20 more degrees on the thermometer. still, part of me wanted to get to troy without seeing returning riders. about 3-4 miles out, mike, annette, chris, and wes roll by looking good.
then jerry looking crisp followed by tim and Kim. I catch a couple at the store and take a good break. slurpee and a creme horn. shoes off. everyone's talking heat. wind. hills.
off we go. me and the tandem. again. i get away in the big hills. flynt hill road takes no prisoners on the way back. some get off and push. as I was returning to an acceptable heart rate I pass some riders coming in. the heat is showing but we smile and wave as we encourage each other on. This I love about randonneuring! mutual admiration. before the tough part I see on the roadside Kim. snapped a derailleur cable. glenn replaced it with one he was carrying. good stuff. she was having a stellar ride and still came in very good.
back in seagrove, it is obvious what everyone has endured. the mountain roads treated themselves to a buffet of hardcore cyclists. took a bite out each rider, one way or another: cramps, dehydration, the "mystery pollen", plain old pain..eat, drink, and be crazy. only 150k to go! the tandem and I have another go at it, but 4 legs put it to me. the duo was shoeless in Mike O's pizzaria outside the siler city control. I joined in for a slice and stopped worrying about making snow camp by 9. thanks, Mike!
arm warmers, sash, lights on. into the abyss. 100k alone in the dark. biker bob is in snow camp! cookies, pretzels, water. see ya later. I rolled straight to andrews store, save for a quick stop to check my headlight whick flickered right before frosty's. the young guy working was sad to inform me he had just closed, but i was cool. he said I could have a fountain drink if I wanted, so I had a Dr.Pepper. he sat down and I just couldn't slam it and run. that was a nice gesture on his part that lifted my spirits. I flew on in like I was on the 200! I gave away my goal of the midnight hour, but felt strong in the home stretch. Al met me, I sat a couple minutes, then rode on home. 19 hrs for my first 400k. i'll take it.
same nutrition as before. a few solid snacks. a chicken sandwich in seagrove going out.
4 flasks of gel, 4 bananas, 3 cliff bars, 5 asst. drinks in stores, 4+gallons of water, 4 bottles sport drink, 1 bottle perpeteum, dozen endurolytes.
*"they" say the 400k is the tuffy. all in one shot, where most sleep on the 600k. are "they" right? we'll see....
before this ride Bryan and I did a night trainer. i had built a new schmidt wheel, put on a rack up front and discovered a cracked stem! needed a shakeout for sure. keep an eye on your stuff so you can keep an eye on yourself when riding the brevet. "an ounce of prevention..."
the wheel spins great, and I really like the light right out front. it's a B&M IQ Fly+
got it from gilbert at north road bicycle co..
late night trial run...
nothing like sunrise on bikes over the lake.
or late afternoon shadows out in the rolling hills.
600K-05/22-23/2010
600 kilometers. after going further and further into the west (which means up and up, by the 400 we're climbing over 15,000 feet) it's beach time. flat. whatever. windy. rough and bumpy. exposed. long stretches between stores, and getting out of the saddle. new challenges. new roads I'd only heard about. some of the route at both ends had been revised this year so everyone was on new pave'.
big thanks #1: last weeks pre-riders Mike D, Jerry, Carol, Joel, and RBA Al did some great recon, had a good time, and got Al to his first SR since 2002! good for you, Al, and thanks riders for the notes about detours, clean restrooms, and food.
another record crowd:30 gutsy people gonna ride their bikes for two days. the morning started about 4 for me. I left home about 10 after 5 on my bike. got there and signed in. made a quick adjustment in drop bag strategy. there was an option for white lake (400k) or wilmington (300k). i gave jerry a ziplock with a small jug of hammer gel, and a bar to get me to up the hill out of wilmywood and sent the rest to white lake. he must be a lawyer (not) 'cuz without telling me to chose that route, he told me what a wise idea that was. ALWAYS take the advice of the experienced ones before you..mike and jerry then announced to Al and the group that they were covering him on the medal set for his SR..
fuzzy crackberry documentation of the ceremony:
we're off. most everyone knows the way since the first 10 miles or so are the same. and right around mile 7 or 8 the usual divide has occured. it's all good, everyone's got somebody to ride with. the new way out is nice, and I've ridden these roads for years. must be around 20-25 miles it begins to rain. lightly. feels good. looks like this:
it's all good as we march on, and soon enough it stops. as we dry and warm the tempo comes on and this is a ride. the first control is stay way off and we go all. the. way..
right by stores. all two of 'em. refill fluids and hit it. some are ahead already. i wait for branson and john p. warm back up, enjoy the chat. roll off those guys and solo till i find chet. solo. no tandem! it's getting hot out and we motor all the way to white lake. for me ( and many others) it's an 18mph 200k with ONE pit stop. the store in WL is a scotchman with a grill and tables. busy place. shoes off, real break. probly 25-30 minutes. major regrouping here and i'm glad. when we roll out it's chet, bryan, mark, branson, john p., and myself. tim and john o are just up the road. as we leave town and begin the 19 mile stretch down 53 chet comes off the front with plan:something he got from tony goodnight a long time ago (this was chet's 9th go at this ride!) pull a mile and get off. with 6 guys you got to sit in for 10-15 mins. and eat, drink, be merry-iserable..great plan. we picked up tim and john o. lost john p. and motored some more. tim put in some wicked turns at the front- 5 milers' at 20mph. dude's an animal. it's all good and sweaty til we're about 15 mi. from rocky point, the next control. on the left of the road are guys standing around, an SUV in a ditch, and glenn standing in the yard, his bike laying in the grass. dude 'swerved to miss him' and wreck his car. we quickly slowed and found glenn fine, shaken of course, just waiting for the sheriff. turns out branson had talked to the sheriffs of all the counties we travelled so they would be aware of our presence. awesome, big B!!
off we rolled. our next scoop was keith, just 6-7 miles out. he gladly joined our train even tho he was rockin' some form that didn't falter to the end of the day! in to rocky point. food, water, cards signed. glenn showed up as we packed and we waited for him to quickly quaff a juice and join-up. he was READY to be on a crew! next, Bryan came off. we found out in wilmington he squared a crater and flatted. adding insult to injury, he ejected a full bottle of his last sport drink and a car hit that. damn.
outside wilmington we saw the three fast 'bents. then the amazing kamm's. the florians were leaving the hotel as we got to it. wow. we were doing good! a 12 1/2 hr. 300k. .
turn-around at 300k: jerry had a nice set-up going with pizza, bananas, strawberries, fig bars, chips, and drinks of course. thanks so much, jerry!! since my stuff was in white lake and it was hot out I jumped in the pool after snacking. really, still in my kit!
that was refreshing. a few more guys rolled in. Bryan, john p., they stayed a bit as we got ready to go. maybe a couple more would show they could head into the night with. they did...
perhaps it was the headwinds, adrenaline, I don't know but it was actually uphill outta town. I pulled a few miles once we were in the dark and on the long drag out. we passed a few riders. cool, our bros at the motel were gonna get some company. next on front was tim, john, and keith! chet rolled up breathing a little heavy and said:'don't people slow down after dark?' no. it was grueling tempo. 18-20 much of the way. rocky point came fairly quick as a result. we saw a bunch of riders there and cheered each other on, answered questions about the turnaround and told them there was still veggie pie there when we left :-) we were back on the road fast and right back at the tempo-making. even in the fabulous night air this is a tough stretch. 40 hard miles. by half-way I think EVERYone was done. I can't remember the last time I wanted to get off a bike so bad. we settled down to 16.5-17 for the last 10 but the damage was done. mike's oasis in white lake was just the ticket. we found the blinkies on his car and pulled in! a sandwich, shower, a catnap.from about 1-3 for me. I looked up and chet was in the window. he and mike were chatting outside. our big squad had done it's work, a combo never to be seen again. a few slept til morn. as did others rolling in about time we leaving:bryan, lin, big john. lil john and tim were gone before 3. mike had espresso! for real espresso..
so we thank mike, thanks mike! super job! and head for the street. keith shows up. we hit the scotchman, ice up. talk to half drunk townies and roll about 4:30ish? it's nothing but pedaling to sunrise. tranquil in the night. love it. except for-wait up! lost something! i go back and find my camera in the road. of course the battery flew out. found. works! back to pedaling. we see a hint of light,then rain. mist. as if it weren't kinda epic already. tired. chet is chanting coffee!coffee!coffee! it is forever to steadman, but that's where we gotta go to see an open store-40 miles. the rain breaks but the skies don't and when we leave steadman it's raining again
we only rode 20-30 min and pulled into the next store. much better store. grill. the two hobbits i was riding with had 2nd breakfast. back on the road. standard issue mileage for a bit then insane rain! jeeze it was hitting hard for a few miles. we passed john o in a church doorway. he was nursing a tender knee. he caught up in erwin. starbucks and a power bar for me. back on the road my head was cold. shoot! my helmet is at the store! 2 bonus miles. let's get to angier. done. mickey d's. john's knee says stop. the boys eat. me? coffee and another bar of some sort. chet yells out the door and it's the kamms! I figured they'd be in already, but they opted for more sleep. there might be something to that.
i was stoked to have a carrot up the road. they had 10mins on us but after one good climb I rolled off the guys that had been my companions for a looooong time. they would be OK. I got stronger, peeled off the arm warmers. and got to it. just shy of wake co. a car rolled up and asked where I got that crazy wood fender, it's jerry! he asks how i'm feeling and scoots on. the bike on his car is sridhar's. sad to see. head down. crankin'..I jam a big hill and find tim sitting on some steps. says his tummy's bad. I say let's go, I know these roads and it's downhill around that corner for a while. i pull us to a store 'cuz my pack is dry, my sport bottle is half full and warm. in and out. off to jean's berry patch. tim says not to wait up and it's back on the old roads of all the routes so it's back to rockin'. he claws back a couple times till the big steepy on yates store. he's a tough dude. i'm on a mission, and out of the saddle as I roll to Al's. there's the kamm's. florians, jim, and iron mike d of course.
there were only a couple DNF's when I got in. what seemed like seconds was maybe 10 minutes and there my looongtime buds-chet and keith! wow! tim was another few mins back. it was raining where I'd just been in the sun! crazy. great riding by those guys.
seen several finishes on facebook. hope everyone else made it!!!
an overall, near out-of-body experience for me. wasn't sure how it would go honestly.
as much as one can prepare, the future really isn't predictable with so many variables and possibilities. the long rides are where cycling really gets interesting. challenging. fun..
lost track of some stuff on this one as it just became an experience of crazy dimensions.
4.5 gals of H20 in pack. 6 bottles heed, 2 perpeteum. 10-12 asst. 'other' drinks.
pizza, chips, tuna, 4-5 cliffs. a jug of hammer gel (about 6 flasks) 3 packets of chews. 4 or 5 bananas. 4 advil on the way back. 2doz endurolytes.
avg heartrate-109. calories burned-nearly 20,000.
weight on sunday night-169. by summer i'll be ready for some of that fit 'n fast stuff i hope!
it's been nearly a year without a drink and I feel i'm ready to go at the series.
off we go on the 200k with nary a problem. take a nice lunch, and still cruise in at 5 o'clock.
great! feels good, can't wait for the 300. start a tick late, chase the group, catch 'em in snow camp. problem-hydration-behind-90 degrees-ouch. off the back to siler, limp to seagrove. drink 2 of everything Dean has, eat one of everything. fade to zero on way back to siler. quit..don't even think about the 4 or 600. back to permanents and a better nutritional lifestyle. no HFCS, fried food, red meat, ice cream (damn!), carbs! yada yada yada....
FYI-my weight on those rides was 230lbs..
spring-2010
200K-04/10/2010
i'm ready, the serotta's ready, and those who only see me on these rides wonder where I went! Al drops the flag and off we go. all the usual suspects are there but now at 176lbs the hills are mine. riding 40+lb single speeds to work has paid off. it's a fun romp to the turn-around, and for the 1st time ever for me, i'm not seeing riders coming back before I get there. they were almost ready, so I hurried to join the 2nd wave heading back. this was a huge boost for me. the Kamm's and the tandem powered by chet and cindy stayed away.
pleasure and pain ensued as I rode with a belgian named paschal and his friend at hard tempo to old switchboard rd. I had to settle down for a bit and solo'd across chicken bridge to frosty's. buddy John Olmstead showed up and off we motored to andrew's store. every time I stopped a bike flashed by. as luck would have it Paschal was human and stopped for
water too..off we go, screaming down jack bennet, across the marsh at about 28mph, and up lystra. more riders! we pick up motorin' Mike D, Joe Ray, and Wes (who snapped a crank arm in snow camp, BTW). holy smokes hang on! avg. 20 up martha's and no time for berries at Jean's Berry Patch, it's 22-3mph across lewter shop. madness. what a hot finale! we raced the climbs, timed the lights, and came in around 2:30ish I believe. I know Mike's best time was safe! (extra controle) :o)
all in all a great time with some killer riders. fuel was good, all I bought was water and a juice at 100k. traveled pretty light on this one.
we also welcomed 2nd generation rando Ian Hands. yup, yo!Adrian's son. signed up for the whole series. stay tuned, 'cuz he's a chip off the old block..
kudo's to Mike D for hitting 100 months of 100 milers! you are an inspirational force Mikey..
300K-04/24/2010
prep for this was easy: ride Dean's tarheel 200K with Bryan,Tim, John, and Maria on the weekend prior.
it was my first ride with a new camelbak i got from super-buddy Byron who was missing the rides because of a battle with pneumonia. (glad to report he's better and back on the road)
love the pack and won't leave home without it on the 300k 'n up stuff. also discovered on this ride that my specialized tires were about done after a year of brevets. the rear had a spot worn through and went down outside steadman coming back. bought two fresh specialized all-condition pro roubaixs'-great tires! rode the old mondo pro's over 3000 miles without a flat! amazing tires! did I say that already? also was digging the wood fenders on jerry's cinnamon girl. look at this cool dude I got for mine from Cody of woody's fenders.
OK, gear is in line, let's ride! it's really a non-event for the first 100k. the normal routine the first 60-70k before a group of a dozen or so pull away just a bit on the rollers to snow camp. Bryan is on his first 300k and right on my wheel after helping annette zip-tie a rack.
we roll into control 1 as the big group leaves and control 2 5 minutes after they've left.
off to seagrove. 50k. bucolic and challenging terrain. my buddies fall off and I catch Chet and Cindy on the tandem and play tag with them and later the mighty Kamm's-Chris and Annette, for the trip to the epicenter of NC pottery. here we find the front runners gobbling hardee's and cutting up, ready to jam back. little did i know Mike D. had a moment of clarity and figured if they got goin' they could pull this brevet off in under 12hrs. they did. awesome job fellas. after sneaking my 'health food' into hardees, I talked books and tunes with Jerry for a few miles,then it was more rambling with the dynamic duo on the 2 seater for me. By 200k they'd left me but here comes John O..let's go. my goal was finish without lights in the 7 o'clock hour. we mixed up perpeteum and snacked in snow camp for the 50 miles left to go. i like catching that store-you're 11 miles closer and they have benches to sit on. we had a really nice run in and just missed the light. 8:15 finish. whew. mike d. was still there with Alan. super day after last year's DNF!
Chet and Cindy
'two for one, and twice the fun!'
many reports spoke of cows frolicking out here. they do. but this is a rugged stretch to ride a bicycle through. ask anyone whose done it. keep drinking and pedaling steady..
notes: my fuel was moving towards a 50/50 liquid/solid method by this ride.
a flask of gel for each 100k (=packet ea. 15 mi.), a packet of clif blocks and gu chomps (really like the blueberry pomegranate), 2 bananas, and a tiny tuna sandwich at the halfway. i saved biker bob's cookies (thanks bob!) for a treat after lunch and late in the day with a starbucks drink. besides the coffee i bought a V8, ran about 10L of H2O thru my pack, and 3 heeds in a bottle and 1 perpeteum for the last leg. I felt strong all the way, rode home, and wasn't hungry ever. ate a light supper around 9, got up at 8 and rode a 100k with a friend. sunday night i finally ate ice cream for the first time this year. yummerz.....
400K-05/08/2010
if one goes back just a few years you'll find 300 and 400K's with less than 20 finishers here.
2007 is up because it's a PBP year, but still only in the 20's. there were 40 at this one. wow!
most would finish. big wow!
weather was looking good. short sleeves. 80's in the afternoon. in the mountains the numerical value would simply become HOT. WINDY. something in air. honeysuckle and other flora. burned the throat with a strange fieryness. keep sipping, randos...
same drill going out for me except for one little fact: i'd never ridden more than 300K..
can't think about that. just stick to the script. pedal, drink, eat, repeat.
somewhere between 40-50 miles the front half was starting to splinter. as mike D quoted in his write-up: one interesting thing about riding brevets is the way groups and alliances shift and reform as the day rolls on. this is not soley due to riding speed. short stops! the swiftys' are quick, organized, and all biz at all but feed controls. they skip stores. what?
yup. not sure how they do it. one thing I knew was i would go thru a LOT of fluid today.
without the pack I could not pass stores. with it I knew I was safe to push and drink too.
everyone finds their way to do this crazy sport. i'm just sharing what has turned it into a doable thing for me. sure, i still suffer at times, but not like I used too. oh wait. we aren't on the 600 yet ;-) I digress...
I share a moment or two with Bryan at snow camp, Branson and Joel leaving siler city, and then I'm alone to seagrove. every few miles there are other soloists: doc on a bike, keith, was one I remember. Amy, suffering from an injury that caused her to turn around in seagrove and RIDE back (tough girl!). Mike and the monsters were fueled and saddling up when i got there. I hated to turn down the invite, but needed to sit a few. off they went. tim, and someone else swore they'd be soft pedaling and I'd catch 'em. uh, no. I took Bryan with me into no-man's land. we rode together until the roads really headed upwards. as much as I like company, I got up and charged the climbs a bit. NOT like I did on the express a month earlier, this was different: 150k in the legs already, 250 more to go, and 20 more degrees on the thermometer. still, part of me wanted to get to troy without seeing returning riders. about 3-4 miles out, mike, annette, chris, and wes roll by looking good.
then jerry looking crisp followed by tim and Kim. I catch a couple at the store and take a good break. slurpee and a creme horn. shoes off. everyone's talking heat. wind. hills.
off we go. me and the tandem. again. i get away in the big hills. flynt hill road takes no prisoners on the way back. some get off and push. as I was returning to an acceptable heart rate I pass some riders coming in. the heat is showing but we smile and wave as we encourage each other on. This I love about randonneuring! mutual admiration. before the tough part I see on the roadside Kim. snapped a derailleur cable. glenn replaced it with one he was carrying. good stuff. she was having a stellar ride and still came in very good.
back in seagrove, it is obvious what everyone has endured. the mountain roads treated themselves to a buffet of hardcore cyclists. took a bite out each rider, one way or another: cramps, dehydration, the "mystery pollen", plain old pain..eat, drink, and be crazy. only 150k to go! the tandem and I have another go at it, but 4 legs put it to me. the duo was shoeless in Mike O's pizzaria outside the siler city control. I joined in for a slice and stopped worrying about making snow camp by 9. thanks, Mike!
arm warmers, sash, lights on. into the abyss. 100k alone in the dark. biker bob is in snow camp! cookies, pretzels, water. see ya later. I rolled straight to andrews store, save for a quick stop to check my headlight whick flickered right before frosty's. the young guy working was sad to inform me he had just closed, but i was cool. he said I could have a fountain drink if I wanted, so I had a Dr.Pepper. he sat down and I just couldn't slam it and run. that was a nice gesture on his part that lifted my spirits. I flew on in like I was on the 200! I gave away my goal of the midnight hour, but felt strong in the home stretch. Al met me, I sat a couple minutes, then rode on home. 19 hrs for my first 400k. i'll take it.
same nutrition as before. a few solid snacks. a chicken sandwich in seagrove going out.
4 flasks of gel, 4 bananas, 3 cliff bars, 5 asst. drinks in stores, 4+gallons of water, 4 bottles sport drink, 1 bottle perpeteum, dozen endurolytes.
*"they" say the 400k is the tuffy. all in one shot, where most sleep on the 600k. are "they" right? we'll see....
before this ride Bryan and I did a night trainer. i had built a new schmidt wheel, put on a rack up front and discovered a cracked stem! needed a shakeout for sure. keep an eye on your stuff so you can keep an eye on yourself when riding the brevet. "an ounce of prevention..."
the wheel spins great, and I really like the light right out front. it's a B&M IQ Fly+
got it from gilbert at north road bicycle co..
nothing like sunrise on bikes over the lake.
or late afternoon shadows out in the rolling hills.
600K-05/22-23/2010
600 kilometers. after going further and further into the west (which means up and up, by the 400 we're climbing over 15,000 feet) it's beach time. flat. whatever. windy. rough and bumpy. exposed. long stretches between stores, and getting out of the saddle. new challenges. new roads I'd only heard about. some of the route at both ends had been revised this year so everyone was on new pave'.
big thanks #1: last weeks pre-riders Mike D, Jerry, Carol, Joel, and RBA Al did some great recon, had a good time, and got Al to his first SR since 2002! good for you, Al, and thanks riders for the notes about detours, clean restrooms, and food.
another record crowd:30 gutsy people gonna ride their bikes for two days. the morning started about 4 for me. I left home about 10 after 5 on my bike. got there and signed in. made a quick adjustment in drop bag strategy. there was an option for white lake (400k) or wilmington (300k). i gave jerry a ziplock with a small jug of hammer gel, and a bar to get me to up the hill out of wilmywood and sent the rest to white lake. he must be a lawyer (not) 'cuz without telling me to chose that route, he told me what a wise idea that was. ALWAYS take the advice of the experienced ones before you..mike and jerry then announced to Al and the group that they were covering him on the medal set for his SR..
fuzzy crackberry documentation of the ceremony:
it's all good as we march on, and soon enough it stops. as we dry and warm the tempo comes on and this is a ride. the first control is stay way off and we go all. the. way..
right by stores. all two of 'em. refill fluids and hit it. some are ahead already. i wait for branson and john p. warm back up, enjoy the chat. roll off those guys and solo till i find chet. solo. no tandem! it's getting hot out and we motor all the way to white lake. for me ( and many others) it's an 18mph 200k with ONE pit stop. the store in WL is a scotchman with a grill and tables. busy place. shoes off, real break. probly 25-30 minutes. major regrouping here and i'm glad. when we roll out it's chet, bryan, mark, branson, john p., and myself. tim and john o are just up the road. as we leave town and begin the 19 mile stretch down 53 chet comes off the front with plan:something he got from tony goodnight a long time ago (this was chet's 9th go at this ride!) pull a mile and get off. with 6 guys you got to sit in for 10-15 mins. and eat, drink, be merry-iserable..great plan. we picked up tim and john o. lost john p. and motored some more. tim put in some wicked turns at the front- 5 milers' at 20mph. dude's an animal. it's all good and sweaty til we're about 15 mi. from rocky point, the next control. on the left of the road are guys standing around, an SUV in a ditch, and glenn standing in the yard, his bike laying in the grass. dude 'swerved to miss him' and wreck his car. we quickly slowed and found glenn fine, shaken of course, just waiting for the sheriff. turns out branson had talked to the sheriffs of all the counties we travelled so they would be aware of our presence. awesome, big B!!
off we rolled. our next scoop was keith, just 6-7 miles out. he gladly joined our train even tho he was rockin' some form that didn't falter to the end of the day! in to rocky point. food, water, cards signed. glenn showed up as we packed and we waited for him to quickly quaff a juice and join-up. he was READY to be on a crew! next, Bryan came off. we found out in wilmington he squared a crater and flatted. adding insult to injury, he ejected a full bottle of his last sport drink and a car hit that. damn.
outside wilmington we saw the three fast 'bents. then the amazing kamm's. the florians were leaving the hotel as we got to it. wow. we were doing good! a 12 1/2 hr. 300k. .
turn-around at 300k: jerry had a nice set-up going with pizza, bananas, strawberries, fig bars, chips, and drinks of course. thanks so much, jerry!! since my stuff was in white lake and it was hot out I jumped in the pool after snacking. really, still in my kit!
that was refreshing. a few more guys rolled in. Bryan, john p., they stayed a bit as we got ready to go. maybe a couple more would show they could head into the night with. they did...
perhaps it was the headwinds, adrenaline, I don't know but it was actually uphill outta town. I pulled a few miles once we were in the dark and on the long drag out. we passed a few riders. cool, our bros at the motel were gonna get some company. next on front was tim, john, and keith! chet rolled up breathing a little heavy and said:'don't people slow down after dark?' no. it was grueling tempo. 18-20 much of the way. rocky point came fairly quick as a result. we saw a bunch of riders there and cheered each other on, answered questions about the turnaround and told them there was still veggie pie there when we left :-) we were back on the road fast and right back at the tempo-making. even in the fabulous night air this is a tough stretch. 40 hard miles. by half-way I think EVERYone was done. I can't remember the last time I wanted to get off a bike so bad. we settled down to 16.5-17 for the last 10 but the damage was done. mike's oasis in white lake was just the ticket. we found the blinkies on his car and pulled in! a sandwich, shower, a catnap.from about 1-3 for me. I looked up and chet was in the window. he and mike were chatting outside. our big squad had done it's work, a combo never to be seen again. a few slept til morn. as did others rolling in about time we leaving:bryan, lin, big john. lil john and tim were gone before 3. mike had espresso! for real espresso..
so we thank mike, thanks mike! super job! and head for the street. keith shows up. we hit the scotchman, ice up. talk to half drunk townies and roll about 4:30ish? it's nothing but pedaling to sunrise. tranquil in the night. love it. except for-wait up! lost something! i go back and find my camera in the road. of course the battery flew out. found. works! back to pedaling. we see a hint of light,then rain. mist. as if it weren't kinda epic already. tired. chet is chanting coffee!coffee!coffee! it is forever to steadman, but that's where we gotta go to see an open store-40 miles. the rain breaks but the skies don't and when we leave steadman it's raining again
we only rode 20-30 min and pulled into the next store. much better store. grill. the two hobbits i was riding with had 2nd breakfast. back on the road. standard issue mileage for a bit then insane rain! jeeze it was hitting hard for a few miles. we passed john o in a church doorway. he was nursing a tender knee. he caught up in erwin. starbucks and a power bar for me. back on the road my head was cold. shoot! my helmet is at the store! 2 bonus miles. let's get to angier. done. mickey d's. john's knee says stop. the boys eat. me? coffee and another bar of some sort. chet yells out the door and it's the kamms! I figured they'd be in already, but they opted for more sleep. there might be something to that.
i was stoked to have a carrot up the road. they had 10mins on us but after one good climb I rolled off the guys that had been my companions for a looooong time. they would be OK. I got stronger, peeled off the arm warmers. and got to it. just shy of wake co. a car rolled up and asked where I got that crazy wood fender, it's jerry! he asks how i'm feeling and scoots on. the bike on his car is sridhar's. sad to see. head down. crankin'..I jam a big hill and find tim sitting on some steps. says his tummy's bad. I say let's go, I know these roads and it's downhill around that corner for a while. i pull us to a store 'cuz my pack is dry, my sport bottle is half full and warm. in and out. off to jean's berry patch. tim says not to wait up and it's back on the old roads of all the routes so it's back to rockin'. he claws back a couple times till the big steepy on yates store. he's a tough dude. i'm on a mission, and out of the saddle as I roll to Al's. there's the kamm's. florians, jim, and iron mike d of course.
there were only a couple DNF's when I got in. what seemed like seconds was maybe 10 minutes and there my looongtime buds-chet and keith! wow! tim was another few mins back. it was raining where I'd just been in the sun! crazy. great riding by those guys.
seen several finishes on facebook. hope everyone else made it!!!
an overall, near out-of-body experience for me. wasn't sure how it would go honestly.
as much as one can prepare, the future really isn't predictable with so many variables and possibilities. the long rides are where cycling really gets interesting. challenging. fun..
lost track of some stuff on this one as it just became an experience of crazy dimensions.
4.5 gals of H20 in pack. 6 bottles heed, 2 perpeteum. 10-12 asst. 'other' drinks.
pizza, chips, tuna, 4-5 cliffs. a jug of hammer gel (about 6 flasks) 3 packets of chews. 4 or 5 bananas. 4 advil on the way back. 2doz endurolytes.
avg heartrate-109. calories burned-nearly 20,000.
weight on sunday night-169. by summer i'll be ready for some of that fit 'n fast stuff i hope!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)