..... ....guess you have expanded your horizons, nicely. Wow!
On Wed, Sep 7, 2011 at 11:51 PM, Tim & Susan <[email protected]> wrote: > ** > > A bit long, but so was the ride! > > > > > > Alright, this time I’m going to write about a fun and enjoyable event. We > had a pre-ride dinner in ******Greensboro**** Friday evening from the > parking lot of our base hotel. Teriyaki chicken, stir-fry veggies, rice > and noodles, etc. It was all excellent! We listened to tales from the > PBP 1200K (Paris) as we prepared to begin our own adventure. I was again > too anxious to sleep well Friday evening. I still need work on rest and > sleep. > > We have a rather large group at the start. 21 riders for the main event > (1200K) A couple doing the 1000K event and 7 or so just doing the 200K > warm-up ride, including some of the volunteers that will see us through the > weekend and beyond. 4:00am and the clock starts. 90 hours to get this > done. We’re riding 752 miles, including 25,000 feet of ascent. First 40 > miles is rather flat and we mostly stay together at a sane pace. After > that John o. and I ride with a more conservative paced group. I resist > the urge to ride up front. > > All is well at the 100K control at Salem Fork at the base of the mountains. > We say farewell and 10 miles later at Low Gap, we start the 3 mile steady > 8% climb up the mountain towards ****Sparta****. I drop nearly every one > off the front. Up to the Parkway where it levels off then another 1 mile > climb to the Eastern Continental Divide. On to **Sparta**, then lunch at > Twin Oaks, from there we cruise deeper into the mountains all the way to > Warrensville, which is only 15 miles from the ****Tennessee**** border. From > there we loop back through Jefferson and **Laurel** **Springs** then > returning to ****Sparta**** for dinner. I’m hanging out with John o. and > Bryan R. We also maintain contact with others just ahead of us and some > behind us. I had made a master plan on what I needed to do to get this > done in 85 hours. It became a useless sheet of paper. I was thinking 22 > hours for the first 400K, but it was becoming evident that it’d take every > bit of 24 hours. I was starting out in the hole, but I wasn’t too worried > yet. I was riding a pace that allowed me to enjoy some of the great > scenery around us. It was truly a beautiful course with lots of expanded > views as well as a few river and valley roads which offered more subtle > grades. Most of the roads were also in great shape. The first 400K was a > showpiece. We cruise back down the mountain and back to ****Greensboro*** > *. 24 hours of riding with no sleep. I lay down for an hour maybe > getting a 30 min. nap then its back on the bike. > > We are now headed for **Troy** nestled in the ****Uwharrie** **Mountains** > **. Again a showpiece area for ****North Carolina**** though a bit tough > for the gravity challenged folks like myself. I’m riding mostly solo but > keeping tabs on John o., ****Bryan****, John P., Vance, and Gator. The > hardest climb was on ****Flint Hill Road**** though not the same Flint > Hill I was familiar with. Lots of paint writing on the road expressing > how much pain you must be enduring with smiley faces. Seems to be a > popular bike route! From there on to Ellerbe where Tony claimed the hills > tapered, but still to go was Rockingham, by the race track, then on to > Laurinburg. I’ve ridden this route a few times. They are called the sand > hills of ****North Carolina**** for a reason. John o. and I stop in > Ellerbe for some lunch. Shortly after eating we stop again at a church > and take a 20 min. nap on the porch. We are battling a headwind today for > almost the entire route which is keeping our average speed well below what > it needs to be in order to get some real sleep. > > Rockingham to Laurinburg, 350 miles into the event will be my low point for > the ride. Average speed is going down. No sleep, the heat, continued > hills and headwinds have taken their toll on the big guy. John is not > feeling well either. We even sit up the last 20 miles to Laurinburg > knowing we were throwing in the towel. I had absolutely nothing left and > I needed sleep with only two very short naps and time now for only 1 hour of > down time. I’m done. John hasn’t had a lot of seat time because of work > schedule combined with still not finding a saddle that would allow him to go > the distance had more serious issues than I. I told Tony my intentions to > abandon and headed off to my room in Laurinburg. Two days now on 1 hour > of sleep, I was frustrated. Coach Tony comes into my room a couple > minutes later and sits me down. The next 200 miles to the beach and back > to Laurinburg is completely flat. This is your turf he explains, and I > can make back plenty of time and still get some power naps along the way. > John p. ads “crash and burn” but don’t give up. I give thumbs up and head > for the shower. I then lay in bed for about 45 minutes. Dang, I can’t > sleep. My legs/feet are trying to cramp. I drink more Heed. I may have > dozed for 10 or 20 minutes after that settled down. I get my stuff ready > to go. > > As I’m walking out, Joan, from S.C. is leaving out, we wave and I head for > supplies. I try to nudge John p. from ****Boone**, **N.C.**** awake as > leaving now we’re already 1 hour behind the clock. He wants more sleep. I > realize now that I was the last one leaving Laurinburg that would actually > finish the ride. I rode a brisk pace to catch Joan. We chatted a bit > then I stopped to plug in some tunes to help pace me and keep me awake. It’s > like 11:00 pm Sunday evening. The wind has died down. I think Joan has > stopped for more sleep. I’m cruising 17/18mph. I throw in some 20mph > intervals to bump the average and fight off the sleep. And yes **** > Virginia****, you can fall asleep while pedaling a bicycle. Right off the > dang road. Time for a power nap. I find another church and take down a > 30 min. nap on the side porch. I ride some more at a good pace stopping > one more time for a power nap. 100 miles later I reach Ocean Isle right > at sunrise Monday morning. I slow down and savor the ride over the > causeway and along the strip. We have a 6 bedroom cottage there and I > stop to check in and socialize but have no intentions of sleep. I chat > with Jerry, Geof, Mike, Mary and Chuck while I’m there but some of the > others are still asleep. My turn for real sleep will have to wait until > back in Laurinburg. I’m there for about an hour then I start cruising > again. > > 475 miles into the ride I/we finally catch a break and have a tailwind back > to Laurinburg. The wind gust and I’m cruising 20mph at times with a big > smile on my face. There are now only 5 riders in front of me, whom I’ll > never see again. The rest I left at the beach but 3 were getting ready to > leave soon. I stop at McDonalds to fill up the tank then sail on. There > are storm clouds a couple hours into the return. It’s time for another > church break, a picnic shelter with a metal roof and lots of rain. > Dreamland! Upon leaving I put on my left cycle glove and I’m bitten/stung > on the bridge between pinky & ring finger. At the time I’m thinking fire > ant. Even now the whole left side of my hand is still swollen and numb > 2.5 days later. Two insertion points about 2 mm’s apart can be seen. Was > maybe some kind of spider? I’m going to doctor tomorrow if no better. I > stop one more time before Laurinburg for another power nap. There is lots > of traffic today as people are returning from the beach. It’s a little > hairy at times with their excess speed and their big boats. I’m back in > Laurinburg shortly after 5:00 pm. Monday afternoon. Control closes at > 1:00 am Tuesday morning so I finally have time for real sleep. Food, > shower and 3.5 hours of much needed sleep. 578 miles in the bag, only 175 > more miles to go. > > At 10:00 pm I’m ready to cruise some more. Everyone has left me except > the Olsen brothers. I rode with Bill Olsen some in ****Texas**** back in > May. They are watching the grim weather forecast for our last leg of the > journey. Storm from the gulf threatens to cut off our path back to **** > Greensboro****. Thunderstorm and tornado watches in effect along with > expected 4 to 6 inches of rain. They wait another hour or so to leave, > but I head out into the misty rain for Pinehurst. Just another nice > pleasant ride with me, myself and I. I’m conversing with Geof via phone > as they are up ahead and planning to get a couple rooms there to get out of > the expected weather. I stop a couple times for power naps. The last > stop I make was at another church just a few miles outside Pinehurst. Getting > back into a few hills now and I’m exhausted. I get up in time to still > meet them at the motel but the skies let loose with a hard rain and I hit > the snooze button. Rain stops and I finally cruise through Pinehurst > around 8:00 am. Rush hour, so I keep heading away from town to ditch the > traffic. Again I leap frog the other riders. Only 85 miles left but > we’re back into some serious hills today between Pinehurst and **** > Asheboro****. Geof phones and we determine I’m like 7 miles ahead of he > and Mike. I scope out a subway restaurant and they join me for lunch. I > ride with them for a few miles, but they want a good finish time and I just > want to enjoy the day and finish, period. Ominous storm clouds keep > brushing us as we inch closer west. Finally one opens up and I park my > bike under a big tree and rest my head on the handlebars listening to the > rain. Before I can nod off and make an embarrassing splat to the ground, > 3 more riding buddies cruise by waking me up. They seem to be enjoying > the rain and I gather my senses and give chase. I will ride out the rest > of the event with friends Joel Lawrence, Mary Florian and new friend Curt > from ****Florida****. Riding into ****Asheboro**** was like climbing the > mountain all over again. The final control there as we take a much needed > extended break. 33 miles to go and we’re all smiles. Chuck and the > Olsen’s join us before we take off. Joan is the only one left and not far > behind. We leave and Joel smells the barn. He throws down a bit as we > give chase. He checks up and now it’s my turn. We give it a couple hard > runs but we stay together as storm clouds are brewing again as we near *** > *Greensboro****. > > The ride wouldn’t be complete without an epic finish so here goes. Ominous > clouds are rolling swiftly across the landscape. They appear to be > attacking from all sides. At one point the temperature drops like 20 > degrees. A heavy rain lands a few minutes later. I’m heading for shelter > but the rain stops and maybe the bulk of it is going around us. We keep > riding trying to out run it I guess. Ten miles from the finish and we’re > hammered with a very cold hard rain. 8 miles left and we’re on city > streets now. There is lots of flooding on the road. Traffic is picking > up as rush hour nears. A hundred feet up ahead of us a van smashes hard > into a car. Joel pulls us over to the side thinking this wreck may not be > over yet. We approach slowly and both drivers are out talking on their > cell phones. We pass within a few feet of a little girl standing outside > the car crying but appears ok other than her blood stained dress. Her dad > then ushers her away for cover from the rain. We want to help but there > is not much we can offer. We mosey on still under a hard rain. A mile > later we climb, and Mary stands up to pedal. Her foot leaves the pedal > and then her rear wheel slides out from under her. She goes down hard. Curt > is behind her and runs over her bike and goes down hard as well. I go > farther into the lane to stay up and we’re in 4 lanes of heavy traffic and I > brace for impact but I make it by without incident. They are scrambling > out of the road. I grab leftover stuff, water bottles, pumps, etc. Mary > is holding her shoulder, arm is limp. Later I find out she dislocated her > shoulder and she replaced it. Ouch! I attempt to replace her chain but > the wheel is locked. Then I realize her wheel is a pretzel. Joel tries > standing on the wheel to bend it back enough to get her home. We both > stand on it but no luck. I call Tony and order up a rear wheel so we can > get this finished. Nobody’s gonna bail now! We stand in the cold rain > for about 40 minutes then Bob B. and Tony arrive with a fresh wheel and we > ride out this last 6 miles. The rain finally stops as we roll in for the > finish. The rest of the field rolls in a few minutes later. 15 of the 21 > riders finish the ride. We shower up and head across the street to Ruby > Tuesdays for victory dinner. We’ll sleep later. > > It was cool to be apart of the first ever ****North Carolina**** 1200K > Brevet. Anyone even attempting this ride is bad a$$. Also Geof and I > became the first two ****North Carolina**** riders to earn the “American > Randoneur Challenge” award, completing two or more domestic 1200K’s in the > same year. I also just became the 5th tar-heel to get a k-hound trophy. > 10,000 > km’s in RUSA events in a single season. Yoo-hoo! All I had to do was > ride a bike! J > > **** ** > > ** ** > > As this report may circulate, I’d like to thank all the volunteers that > helped out! Tony not having the resources of a big outfit such as the > Lone Star crew made up for it by staying on top of things around the clock. > Thanks to the others as well. John M., Steven B., Jerry P., Beth, Lee > Ann, Bob B., and others I may not have come in contact with. It was a > blast! > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. > To post to this group, send email to > [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en.
