Well, it is time to start getting serious again. I have been playing around far to long without a plan.
I just finished my "long" ride of the year and now it is time to get ready for 2012. I don't have a transcon in site, but I do have a couple epic rides scheduled.
Current 2012 Goals:
1. 300 miles at Sebring 12/24 hour race.
2. Complete a full randonneuring series in Texas including the Mineral Wells 600k.
3. Complete 500 miles in less than 48 hours in the Texas Time Trials.
This should keep me pretty busy and hopefully leave me in pretty darn good shape to head into 2013 where I hope to spend 2-3 weeks touring Alaska...
Looking forward to a great year!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The NOLA 600k
I can't believe how good this weekend was!
I don't remember when I decided to go for the 400 and 600. I know I was gaining confidence riding at night and that was probably a big factor. The fact that I was riding stronger and better because of the Lake Michigan trip played a part in it too.
I drove down to Pat's in New Orleans Friday afternoon and as I was the only one from out of town (only Pat and Steve did the ride with me) I had the cassita to myself. Got to bed early but was concerned about a very howling wind. The forecast had the wind dying down by 6am, but at 9 pm Friday night it was whipping up really good. I woke to a nasty wood against sandpaper sound of a tree limb hitting the cassita rooftop because of the wind. It was pretty ferocious sounding. It was also pretty durn cold. Only 48, but with the wind, I was struggling to figure out how to dress. I layered up really good. Steve even mentioned that I would be glad once the headwind hit me in the face on top of the levy. I was still pretty chilly as we left the house heading for the levy. The wind was strong and throwing us around. Not as bad as some of the Arizona winds I have ridden in, but in the dark and cold it was not much fun, especially since I knew we had 200k of it. At mile 3, yes 3, I was burning slap up. I don't know why I am having so many problems regulating my temp, but I am. I had to stop to take off my neck buff and I traded my jacket for my wind vest. This was a little better. The guys had stopped and waited for me for this layer. But another mile or two down the road I started trying to take my gloves off. With the wind, I dropped back and rode one handed while biting the long fingered glove liner and pulling my hand out of it then putting the half fingered glove back on. This finally got my temp right, but this time the guys did not wait up for me. I struggled in the headwind to catch back up. About the time I was going to latch back on something would come up - debris, curvy part of the levy, to slow me down. I was getting discouraged way too early in the ride. The guys were waiting for me at the end of the Levy. Once we got onto River Road, we stayed together for the next 40ish miles. I am not sure why but the next 100k was a struggle for me. I don't know if Pat was riding stronger today than the 400 or if I was just slower, but I could not keep up. I was never so far back that they had to come looking for me, but unlike the 400, I was not on Pats wheel the whole time. It bothered me that I couldn't hang on, but it did not mess with me mentally. I was enjoying the beautiful day. I had on a lightweight long sleeve undershirt and a short sleeve jersey and was absolutely comfortable. The temps were perfect. The wind was heavy but not demoralizing. I was really enjoying myself. Plus with the riding I had been doing, my body is comfortable with 300k - beyond that, not so much.
We got to Baton Rouge, stopped at the control for a quick dinner. We were behind schedule and concerned about not making it back to one of the stores about 30 miles out before it closed at 8. Just seconds out of the control, Pat hits a really bad pothole - more like a crevasse - I should have noticed it but from my vantage point it did not look as bad as it actually was. We both hit it hard and I heard the tale-tale hiss of a pinched flat. Luck was with us and we had it changed in 7 minutes! For the most part, I was able to stay up with the guys on this stretch - tailwind maybe? They would pull away, but I was never too far back. We pulled into the store at 7 - gaining back some time! However, the next 30 miles would really challenge me. I got sleepy and was having trouble staying awake. I was sipping 5 hour energys, but they weren't working. I got dropped really bad - I could see Pat and Steves taillights but they were just blinking lights. This was when my mind started conjuring up negative thoughts. I just don't like riding at night alone. About that time, I lost the taillights all together. The night was beautiful, the stars were shining and the moon was a beautiful crescent giving out a lot of light for such a small sliver. But something jumped out of the ditch just ahead of me - cat, rabbit, coon, I don't know but it scared the bejesus out of me! At that moment I decided to DNF. No way was I riding out here in the middle of the night by myself - damn it. I was just going to get a motel in Sorrento - the next control. I could easily ride back to Pats alone the next day. Dang warewolves out here in the middle of the night on Halloween weekend. Only stupid idiots would be caught dead riding a bike at night in the middle of no where! Right!? Anyway, I worked up a pretty good lather from the spooking and stomped up to the control. The guys had not been there very long. They still had not made it into McDonalds yet. I blasted that I was tired of this ride, was going to find a motel and ride back in the morning. I was not going to ride at night alone and I can't keep up so I was going to pack my toys and go home!!! Well, little did I know that there was no motel in Sorrento, not even a Super 8! Steve knew this and told me later that he slunk off to the bathroom to let me blow off steam. He said he knew I would be okay once I ate the magical wonderfully delicious McDonalds oatmeal. So, I did walk into the Micky Ds and walked up to the counter, ordered the magical wonderfully delicious McDonals oatmeal, asked the young lady to sign my card (I really thought this was funny because I was DNFing so why did I ask her to sign the card?) and then I asked her where the nearest hotel was. Well, she had to think a minute and answered "Gonzalas". Well that is in another town. So I pouted my way to a seat with the magical wonderfully delicious McDonalds oatmeal when I heard Pat tell someone on the phone that I was considering DNFing. I spat at him that there is no motel in Sorrento so I would have to just keep riding. I then sat down and relished my magical wonderfully delicious McDonalds oatmeal as pixie fairys sprinkled rando dust on me.
Alas, all is well in the world and we start the 4th 100k on the way back to Pats. It seemed to have dropped 30 degrees in the 20 minutes or so we were in McDonalds. I put on everything I had with me donning the jacket instead of the vest. Steve would later take the vest. My teeth chattered for sometime but eventually I adjusted to the cold and I think it became warmer as we continued toward New Orleans. The one thing that did bother me on this leg was several times I started to fall asleep on the bike - just close my eyes for a second and then jerk awake. I was sipping 5 hour energy at the control, slapping myself, pulling my hair. The only thing that seemed to help was singing childrens songs - Old McDonald, Knick Nac Patty Wack, and at least a dozen more. I even sang 100 bottles of beer on the wall but started at 32 cause we had 32 miles to go and I sang it all the way to no more bottles of beer on the wall. The other thing that kept me awake was playing the memory game with Pat and Steve. Ya know the game - I am going on a bike ride and taking my bike, flat tire, full bladder, Perpetuem, flag, red light, edge bike computer - each person has to recall the list and then add to it. I just love that game and it really helped to concentrate. Unfortunately we, (I?) slowed down on this leg and we did not get to Pat's until 3:15 a full hour later than the 400k. It took an hour to get a shower and get everything ready to do all over again and my head hit the pillow at 4:15. Pat would give me a wake up call 1 hour and 10 min before we were to push off again.
The phone rang 2 hours and 15 minutes later. It seemed like meer moments. I asked Pat if I could DNF, he responded with a sharp no, so with that I got up and got ready. We pushed off at 7:48, 1 hour and 45 min later than the original plan. This is where I really had to pull myself together. My knees and ankle hurt (ankle?! I did not even know ankles could hurt), my legs were sore and heavy and I was tired (whine, sniff, sniff). Pat and Steve were really pushing hard - we had a ferry to make and that put us on a pretty strict time schedule, plus we had a terrible headwind (probably wasn't that bad but seemed it at the time). I just could not do it. I just wasn't capable of keeping up. This was the lowest moment for me and I was ready to give up. Steve and Pat stopped to wait for me and I told them just to go on without me. There was no way I could do it. They put me behind Pat and Steve whispered encouragement to me for the next 15 miles. He said the wind would be at our backs when we got off the ferry and that this is the hardest part of the day. Once we left the familiar territory of the levy, he told me what to expect up ahead. This was the reason I was able to push through and make it to the ferry. Once on the ferry, I thought I would burst into tears. 400k down 200k to go.
The next 100k was not very eventful. But it seemed to take FOREVER!!! I enjoyed riding in new territory. What amazed me was that I did not fully understand where we were going. I thought we were headed in the exact opposite direction of day one which would have been east, even though we were going to ride on the "west bank". I had not seen a map of the route, but after looking at the map on Monday morning we would have ended up in Mississippi had we gone the way I thought we were. 10 miles off of the ferry we come up to my favorite bridge in the world, the Huey P Long. When Pat told me there's the Heuy P, I was really confused. I asked what was on the other side and I know I confused him. It probably took two miles for him to explain that we were riding parallel to our route from yesterday. This made no sense to my now very addled brain. We were on the "west bank". So the rest of the trip Pat would point out the west bank side of my very familiar east bank landmarks. Mind blowing stuff after 250+ miles!
This 100k, the 5th, was the eatingest, stopingest 100k ever. We stopped for meat pies about 20 miles past the ferry. I walked in to the meat pie store and they had BANANAS!!! Yeah!!! Just what I wanted. The guys ate meat pies. 10 miles further down the road we stopped for chicken fingers. Nothing sounded good, but they guys said there would be no food at the turn around so I bought one chicken finger. It was really good. We pushed on for the next 30 miles to the turn around only stopping for bio breaks in the pretty corn fields (erh cane fields, they look the same to me until you realize there is no corn on the cane stalks). I was falling behind again. Pat and Steve were a good bit in front of me. Pat stopped and fell behind me and started squeeking orders to me in a funny voice. Sharon Stevens from LSR had been texting us back and forth from her 600k and Vickie Tyer had sent me a message to "pedal, pedal, pedal", so Pat was telling me things like this encouraging me to sprint up to Steve. I realized that I did have more energy in me than I thought, so I pushed. I would try to coast for a minute and Pat would squeak, "Pedal Pedal Pedal", I would try and coast and he would squeak other words of encouragement to me. I don't know why, but this really helped me mentally and physically. We finally made it to the control, but were still and hour behind our new schedule with a headwind approaching our last 100k.
The Last #$%^#@ 100k, the 6th, was my favorite 100k. As we pulled away from the control into a headwind I immediately started to fall back. I started to get discouraged. Then remembering Sharon/Vicki/Pats "Pedal Pedal Pedal" and the surge I had earlier, I thought of training for my transcon. To train for it I had to get angry, had to push myself to do the drills. I have not pushed myself that hard since getting back from the transcon. So I gritted my teeth and caught back up with the guys. There was no way I was going to be out to 10 pm finishing this thing. I told the guys the only way I was going to be able to do this was to get angry and that I needed to scream some cuss words. Irreverent as it may seem, it pushed me and pulled me to keep up with the guys. I yelled at every Parish line sign and every landmark and I rode harder and better than I have in a long time. No way was I going to loose Pat's wheel this 100k. I kept up!
We were going to finish!!! We stopped only once at the chicken finger store to get the final supplies to finish this ride off. I bought Powerball tickets - it is up to 245 million ya know and that would buy a lot of bikes. We had plans to meet Pat's wife Cindi at Steve's house at 7:30 and we were pretty much on track. Steve's wife, Candace, was going to order us some pizza and I could not wait. We slowed down in the dark having to cruise back on the levy path and then the winding streets of Gretna. The traffic was heavyish and the threat of potholes tremendous. Just when we thought we were done I heard a weird siren. It was the drawbridge, damn! I don't know how long we had to wait, probably no more than 10 minutes. We finally crossed the drawbridge for the final 2 miles to the control! Yahoo!!!!! We pulled into the Circle K 38 hours and 8 minutes after starting the ride!!
After thoughts:
Riding with Pat and Steve about 90% of the time sure made the time pass. They would sometimes ride ahead but always waited at turns or controls. We fought wind for the first 200k and were too tired to take much advantage of little tailwind left for the ride back. The second day, the wind was not as bad, but it still slowed us down a couple mph. The guys have done this ride a couple times before and finished 2-3 hours earlier. It is very flat. If you have not completed a 400 or 600 New Orleans is the place to get some confidence.
It is amazing what your body will do. I did have a good time and did not "hate" the experience. I am still not comfortable riding alone at night. I am very pleased with my food on the bike. No nutritional problems at all. I made sure I sipped on SE and Heed the entire ride, especially when I felt the least bit hungry. When we stopped to eat I ate meat of some kind but not much of it or some fruit.
I hate to admit it, but I can't wait to do some more 400s and 600s. I am going to take the next 3 months and just train for Sebring trying to get faster. Then in March I am going to head over and work up to a full Texas series.
I could not have completed this ride without the encouragement of my riding companions Pat and Steve. They both shepherded me through this ride challenging me, encouraging me and proding me along. I am very appreciative for their patience especially putting up with my off key singing of childrens songs on Saturday night! Thank you guys!!!
Wahhooo!
I don't remember when I decided to go for the 400 and 600. I know I was gaining confidence riding at night and that was probably a big factor. The fact that I was riding stronger and better because of the Lake Michigan trip played a part in it too.
I drove down to Pat's in New Orleans Friday afternoon and as I was the only one from out of town (only Pat and Steve did the ride with me) I had the cassita to myself. Got to bed early but was concerned about a very howling wind. The forecast had the wind dying down by 6am, but at 9 pm Friday night it was whipping up really good. I woke to a nasty wood against sandpaper sound of a tree limb hitting the cassita rooftop because of the wind. It was pretty ferocious sounding. It was also pretty durn cold. Only 48, but with the wind, I was struggling to figure out how to dress. I layered up really good. Steve even mentioned that I would be glad once the headwind hit me in the face on top of the levy. I was still pretty chilly as we left the house heading for the levy. The wind was strong and throwing us around. Not as bad as some of the Arizona winds I have ridden in, but in the dark and cold it was not much fun, especially since I knew we had 200k of it. At mile 3, yes 3, I was burning slap up. I don't know why I am having so many problems regulating my temp, but I am. I had to stop to take off my neck buff and I traded my jacket for my wind vest. This was a little better. The guys had stopped and waited for me for this layer. But another mile or two down the road I started trying to take my gloves off. With the wind, I dropped back and rode one handed while biting the long fingered glove liner and pulling my hand out of it then putting the half fingered glove back on. This finally got my temp right, but this time the guys did not wait up for me. I struggled in the headwind to catch back up. About the time I was going to latch back on something would come up - debris, curvy part of the levy, to slow me down. I was getting discouraged way too early in the ride. The guys were waiting for me at the end of the Levy. Once we got onto River Road, we stayed together for the next 40ish miles. I am not sure why but the next 100k was a struggle for me. I don't know if Pat was riding stronger today than the 400 or if I was just slower, but I could not keep up. I was never so far back that they had to come looking for me, but unlike the 400, I was not on Pats wheel the whole time. It bothered me that I couldn't hang on, but it did not mess with me mentally. I was enjoying the beautiful day. I had on a lightweight long sleeve undershirt and a short sleeve jersey and was absolutely comfortable. The temps were perfect. The wind was heavy but not demoralizing. I was really enjoying myself. Plus with the riding I had been doing, my body is comfortable with 300k - beyond that, not so much.
We got to Baton Rouge, stopped at the control for a quick dinner. We were behind schedule and concerned about not making it back to one of the stores about 30 miles out before it closed at 8. Just seconds out of the control, Pat hits a really bad pothole - more like a crevasse - I should have noticed it but from my vantage point it did not look as bad as it actually was. We both hit it hard and I heard the tale-tale hiss of a pinched flat. Luck was with us and we had it changed in 7 minutes! For the most part, I was able to stay up with the guys on this stretch - tailwind maybe? They would pull away, but I was never too far back. We pulled into the store at 7 - gaining back some time! However, the next 30 miles would really challenge me. I got sleepy and was having trouble staying awake. I was sipping 5 hour energys, but they weren't working. I got dropped really bad - I could see Pat and Steves taillights but they were just blinking lights. This was when my mind started conjuring up negative thoughts. I just don't like riding at night alone. About that time, I lost the taillights all together. The night was beautiful, the stars were shining and the moon was a beautiful crescent giving out a lot of light for such a small sliver. But something jumped out of the ditch just ahead of me - cat, rabbit, coon, I don't know but it scared the bejesus out of me! At that moment I decided to DNF. No way was I riding out here in the middle of the night by myself - damn it. I was just going to get a motel in Sorrento - the next control. I could easily ride back to Pats alone the next day. Dang warewolves out here in the middle of the night on Halloween weekend. Only stupid idiots would be caught dead riding a bike at night in the middle of no where! Right!? Anyway, I worked up a pretty good lather from the spooking and stomped up to the control. The guys had not been there very long. They still had not made it into McDonalds yet. I blasted that I was tired of this ride, was going to find a motel and ride back in the morning. I was not going to ride at night alone and I can't keep up so I was going to pack my toys and go home!!! Well, little did I know that there was no motel in Sorrento, not even a Super 8! Steve knew this and told me later that he slunk off to the bathroom to let me blow off steam. He said he knew I would be okay once I ate the magical wonderfully delicious McDonalds oatmeal. So, I did walk into the Micky Ds and walked up to the counter, ordered the magical wonderfully delicious McDonals oatmeal, asked the young lady to sign my card (I really thought this was funny because I was DNFing so why did I ask her to sign the card?) and then I asked her where the nearest hotel was. Well, she had to think a minute and answered "Gonzalas". Well that is in another town. So I pouted my way to a seat with the magical wonderfully delicious McDonalds oatmeal when I heard Pat tell someone on the phone that I was considering DNFing. I spat at him that there is no motel in Sorrento so I would have to just keep riding. I then sat down and relished my magical wonderfully delicious McDonalds oatmeal as pixie fairys sprinkled rando dust on me.
Alas, all is well in the world and we start the 4th 100k on the way back to Pats. It seemed to have dropped 30 degrees in the 20 minutes or so we were in McDonalds. I put on everything I had with me donning the jacket instead of the vest. Steve would later take the vest. My teeth chattered for sometime but eventually I adjusted to the cold and I think it became warmer as we continued toward New Orleans. The one thing that did bother me on this leg was several times I started to fall asleep on the bike - just close my eyes for a second and then jerk awake. I was sipping 5 hour energy at the control, slapping myself, pulling my hair. The only thing that seemed to help was singing childrens songs - Old McDonald, Knick Nac Patty Wack, and at least a dozen more. I even sang 100 bottles of beer on the wall but started at 32 cause we had 32 miles to go and I sang it all the way to no more bottles of beer on the wall. The other thing that kept me awake was playing the memory game with Pat and Steve. Ya know the game - I am going on a bike ride and taking my bike, flat tire, full bladder, Perpetuem, flag, red light, edge bike computer - each person has to recall the list and then add to it. I just love that game and it really helped to concentrate. Unfortunately we, (I?) slowed down on this leg and we did not get to Pat's until 3:15 a full hour later than the 400k. It took an hour to get a shower and get everything ready to do all over again and my head hit the pillow at 4:15. Pat would give me a wake up call 1 hour and 10 min before we were to push off again.
The phone rang 2 hours and 15 minutes later. It seemed like meer moments. I asked Pat if I could DNF, he responded with a sharp no, so with that I got up and got ready. We pushed off at 7:48, 1 hour and 45 min later than the original plan. This is where I really had to pull myself together. My knees and ankle hurt (ankle?! I did not even know ankles could hurt), my legs were sore and heavy and I was tired (whine, sniff, sniff). Pat and Steve were really pushing hard - we had a ferry to make and that put us on a pretty strict time schedule, plus we had a terrible headwind (probably wasn't that bad but seemed it at the time). I just could not do it. I just wasn't capable of keeping up. This was the lowest moment for me and I was ready to give up. Steve and Pat stopped to wait for me and I told them just to go on without me. There was no way I could do it. They put me behind Pat and Steve whispered encouragement to me for the next 15 miles. He said the wind would be at our backs when we got off the ferry and that this is the hardest part of the day. Once we left the familiar territory of the levy, he told me what to expect up ahead. This was the reason I was able to push through and make it to the ferry. Once on the ferry, I thought I would burst into tears. 400k down 200k to go.
The next 100k was not very eventful. But it seemed to take FOREVER!!! I enjoyed riding in new territory. What amazed me was that I did not fully understand where we were going. I thought we were headed in the exact opposite direction of day one which would have been east, even though we were going to ride on the "west bank". I had not seen a map of the route, but after looking at the map on Monday morning we would have ended up in Mississippi had we gone the way I thought we were. 10 miles off of the ferry we come up to my favorite bridge in the world, the Huey P Long. When Pat told me there's the Heuy P, I was really confused. I asked what was on the other side and I know I confused him. It probably took two miles for him to explain that we were riding parallel to our route from yesterday. This made no sense to my now very addled brain. We were on the "west bank". So the rest of the trip Pat would point out the west bank side of my very familiar east bank landmarks. Mind blowing stuff after 250+ miles!
This 100k, the 5th, was the eatingest, stopingest 100k ever. We stopped for meat pies about 20 miles past the ferry. I walked in to the meat pie store and they had BANANAS!!! Yeah!!! Just what I wanted. The guys ate meat pies. 10 miles further down the road we stopped for chicken fingers. Nothing sounded good, but they guys said there would be no food at the turn around so I bought one chicken finger. It was really good. We pushed on for the next 30 miles to the turn around only stopping for bio breaks in the pretty corn fields (erh cane fields, they look the same to me until you realize there is no corn on the cane stalks). I was falling behind again. Pat and Steve were a good bit in front of me. Pat stopped and fell behind me and started squeeking orders to me in a funny voice. Sharon Stevens from LSR had been texting us back and forth from her 600k and Vickie Tyer had sent me a message to "pedal, pedal, pedal", so Pat was telling me things like this encouraging me to sprint up to Steve. I realized that I did have more energy in me than I thought, so I pushed. I would try to coast for a minute and Pat would squeak, "Pedal Pedal Pedal", I would try and coast and he would squeak other words of encouragement to me. I don't know why, but this really helped me mentally and physically. We finally made it to the control, but were still and hour behind our new schedule with a headwind approaching our last 100k.
The Last #$%^#@ 100k, the 6th, was my favorite 100k. As we pulled away from the control into a headwind I immediately started to fall back. I started to get discouraged. Then remembering Sharon/Vicki/Pats "Pedal Pedal Pedal" and the surge I had earlier, I thought of training for my transcon. To train for it I had to get angry, had to push myself to do the drills. I have not pushed myself that hard since getting back from the transcon. So I gritted my teeth and caught back up with the guys. There was no way I was going to be out to 10 pm finishing this thing. I told the guys the only way I was going to be able to do this was to get angry and that I needed to scream some cuss words. Irreverent as it may seem, it pushed me and pulled me to keep up with the guys. I yelled at every Parish line sign and every landmark and I rode harder and better than I have in a long time. No way was I going to loose Pat's wheel this 100k. I kept up!
We were going to finish!!! We stopped only once at the chicken finger store to get the final supplies to finish this ride off. I bought Powerball tickets - it is up to 245 million ya know and that would buy a lot of bikes. We had plans to meet Pat's wife Cindi at Steve's house at 7:30 and we were pretty much on track. Steve's wife, Candace, was going to order us some pizza and I could not wait. We slowed down in the dark having to cruise back on the levy path and then the winding streets of Gretna. The traffic was heavyish and the threat of potholes tremendous. Just when we thought we were done I heard a weird siren. It was the drawbridge, damn! I don't know how long we had to wait, probably no more than 10 minutes. We finally crossed the drawbridge for the final 2 miles to the control! Yahoo!!!!! We pulled into the Circle K 38 hours and 8 minutes after starting the ride!!
After thoughts:
Riding with Pat and Steve about 90% of the time sure made the time pass. They would sometimes ride ahead but always waited at turns or controls. We fought wind for the first 200k and were too tired to take much advantage of little tailwind left for the ride back. The second day, the wind was not as bad, but it still slowed us down a couple mph. The guys have done this ride a couple times before and finished 2-3 hours earlier. It is very flat. If you have not completed a 400 or 600 New Orleans is the place to get some confidence.
It is amazing what your body will do. I did have a good time and did not "hate" the experience. I am still not comfortable riding alone at night. I am very pleased with my food on the bike. No nutritional problems at all. I made sure I sipped on SE and Heed the entire ride, especially when I felt the least bit hungry. When we stopped to eat I ate meat of some kind but not much of it or some fruit.
I hate to admit it, but I can't wait to do some more 400s and 600s. I am going to take the next 3 months and just train for Sebring trying to get faster. Then in March I am going to head over and work up to a full Texas series.
I could not have completed this ride without the encouragement of my riding companions Pat and Steve. They both shepherded me through this ride challenging me, encouraging me and proding me along. I am very appreciative for their patience especially putting up with my off key singing of childrens songs on Saturday night! Thank you guys!!!
Wahhooo!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Effingham, IL
Well here I am - 3/4 of the way to Chicago to start my tour of Lake Michigan. The drive was uneventful - it did start raining just south of Memphis and rained on and off the rest of the way to Effingham. What a name for a city. I wonder who or what the city is named for.
I am listening to John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" in the car. 6 hours into a 20+ hour book and I am loving it. Much better than that crappy "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".
Anyway, I am staying at a Super 8 - after staying at 13 of them in 30 days, I have become fond of them. Also, they are pretty inexpensive and have everything I need that a more expensive hotel has. Sometimes more. Alot of the nicer hotels don't have the microwave and frig in the room.
One of the more interesting thoughts that went through my head as I drove further north is that I have "ridden here before". Well not exactly, but I have ridden about an hour north of where I am staying tonight. It seems so surreal to think that I will either drive under or over the exact spot that I cycled just over a year ago. I must admit that I had a deja vu moment walking into the Super 8 with my bike. I almost expected Vikki to be in the parking lot washing her bike when I got here. Memories I will have forever...
Well let me update the happenings since I have not blogged regularly. Susan Reed and I have been planning to do this ride for almost a year. Susan has lived in Chicago most of her life, yet has never ridden all of Lake Michigan. The goal was for us to ride the first two weeks with her husband, Kirk, as SAG. The third week Kirk had other commitments and so Susan and I would ride self-supported on the Wisconsin side of the lake. However, about 3 weeks ago, Susan broke her foot and is in a boot. She won't see the doc until the 22nd so, now, Susan is also riding SAG. She has been very gracious about continuing with our plans even though she won't be riding herself.
So, tomorrow, I will meet Susan and Kirk in Wilmette and we will drive to Michigan City, IN. Bill Mendenhall and his daughters will be joining us there along with my old roomie, Vikki and her husband Craig. Susan Carlson and her beau will be joining us as well. It will be nice to reminisce with my old Transcon friends. Susan's friends, Mark and Jeff, will be joining us on Sunday.
Well, I need to oil my chain...
I am listening to John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" in the car. 6 hours into a 20+ hour book and I am loving it. Much better than that crappy "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".
Anyway, I am staying at a Super 8 - after staying at 13 of them in 30 days, I have become fond of them. Also, they are pretty inexpensive and have everything I need that a more expensive hotel has. Sometimes more. Alot of the nicer hotels don't have the microwave and frig in the room.
One of the more interesting thoughts that went through my head as I drove further north is that I have "ridden here before". Well not exactly, but I have ridden about an hour north of where I am staying tonight. It seems so surreal to think that I will either drive under or over the exact spot that I cycled just over a year ago. I must admit that I had a deja vu moment walking into the Super 8 with my bike. I almost expected Vikki to be in the parking lot washing her bike when I got here. Memories I will have forever...
Well let me update the happenings since I have not blogged regularly. Susan Reed and I have been planning to do this ride for almost a year. Susan has lived in Chicago most of her life, yet has never ridden all of Lake Michigan. The goal was for us to ride the first two weeks with her husband, Kirk, as SAG. The third week Kirk had other commitments and so Susan and I would ride self-supported on the Wisconsin side of the lake. However, about 3 weeks ago, Susan broke her foot and is in a boot. She won't see the doc until the 22nd so, now, Susan is also riding SAG. She has been very gracious about continuing with our plans even though she won't be riding herself.
So, tomorrow, I will meet Susan and Kirk in Wilmette and we will drive to Michigan City, IN. Bill Mendenhall and his daughters will be joining us there along with my old roomie, Vikki and her husband Craig. Susan Carlson and her beau will be joining us as well. It will be nice to reminisce with my old Transcon friends. Susan's friends, Mark and Jeff, will be joining us on Sunday.
Well, I need to oil my chain...
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Remembering
I realized yesterday that my Transcon started 1 year ago. I decided I would re-read my blog one entry per day for the next 30 days and just remember the great times I had. Funny as I said "re-read" - I just read the blog from July 1st to July 10th and realized I had never read them after I posted them. So this will be a fun journey to remember the greatest experience in my life. And how I have changed because of it.
I will admit that I have tears running down my cheeks right now. Why? I don't really know. I am afraid it is from regret - something I try not to have in my life. But it seems so odd that I gave so much of myself to pursue the dream of seeing America and yet I have nothing to show for the year since I got back.
Well this is a lot for me to ingest this morning. Guess I will pursue how to live a life without regret over the next 30 days...
I will admit that I have tears running down my cheeks right now. Why? I don't really know. I am afraid it is from regret - something I try not to have in my life. But it seems so odd that I gave so much of myself to pursue the dream of seeing America and yet I have nothing to show for the year since I got back.
Well this is a lot for me to ingest this morning. Guess I will pursue how to live a life without regret over the next 30 days...
Monday, June 20, 2011
205 miles
Well, I am home and hopefully rested. It was a great weekend with my first double century in gosh, who knows how long.
The weekend started Thursday night, of course. I was getting my stuff ready for my Friday ride and when I went out to air up my tires, I had another flat. This is the second surprise "flat in the garage" flat in 3 days - one in front one in back. Since I have had 2 flats in as many weeks on the front tire I decided to change the tire. I hate putting on new tires and with much gnashing of teeth, got the new tire and tube on the rim. By the time I had all my stuff together, it was 11:30. When the alarm went off, I just went back to sleep. Over sleeping is bad because of the heat. So I had to cut 25 miles off my planned ride to get home and showered before leaving for Pat's.
Arrived at Pat's in time for dinner and went to the Tacoria with Pat and Cindy. It is a small local authentic Mexican restaurant with really cheesy enchiladas. When we got back, Pat and I discussed the merits of taking links out of my chain so I could use my 11/28 wheel instead of my 11/32. He believed that the chain would be fine. So I changed the back wheel to the 11/28 and rode it up the block and all seemed to work fine. Off to bed.
4 am came pretty fast, but I was up and ready to ride by 5. Pat and I were just going to do a "fast" 100k before the 200k that would start at 2:30. At 5 am the temperature was in the 70's but the humidity was oppressive. It felt much hotter already compared to 6 am in Ridgeland. Getting on to the levy, the overflowing Mississippi was very evident. I love riding the levy when the Mississippi is high because it brings the most wonderful water fowl - birds you would normally never see. The ride out to Crab Trap was uneventful as was the ride back. We finished the ride in 4 hours and 50 min. I retired to Pat's "cassita" - the apartment in his back yard for a shower and a nap. 61 miles down, 140 to go.
At 1 pm, Pat and I headed out to Audubon Park to meet the others. We would have 3 new randos on this ride and one person doing his second brevet, Ebon. Each of the guys had cycling experience of various degrees. Mark from Lafayette, has completed several double centuries out in California, Jeff T from NOLA is more of a racer or club rider around the NOLA area, and Jeff H "the Juggler" is a commuter who builds his own bikes. Both Jeffs had never ridden more than about 75 miles at once before this ride. Also rounding out the crew was Steve and Doug.
At 2 pm it was very hot - road temp was 110 actual was 95. I was starting the ride a little sluggish, but I knew just to keep my ride at a moderate speed and let the new guys exercise their testosterone. The guys always try to ride out too fast. I know Ebon and Jeff H would be slower as their cycling was more of the touring variety and not the "go fast" variety. It was very hot on the levy and as the bends in the river changed directions, so did the winds. At times we seemed to have a crosswind and others a head wind. It seemed heavier than the single digit winds predicted. I like headwinds in the heat as they keep you cooler than a tailwind. The heat was taking an early toll on the guys - both Doug and Ebon were out of water in the first 20 miles so we pulled off the levy to stop at a gas station for ice and water. Not long after this stop, Ebon decided to turn back as he had been sick and was already bonking. Doug came up behind me on this section and asked if I had poured water over my head or was I just sweating heavy. I was just sweating heavy - my hair was dripping like a leaky faucet. The group continued to the detour around the spillway on Hwy 61. I don't like Hwy 61, but it is the only way when the spillway is flooded. We sprinted the 4-5 miles of that section and I was ready to slow it down back on river road. The group stayed together loosely to LaPlace. At this point, I have ridden 50 miles without a bio break. I drink a V8 an make myself "go".
More later...
The weekend started Thursday night, of course. I was getting my stuff ready for my Friday ride and when I went out to air up my tires, I had another flat. This is the second surprise "flat in the garage" flat in 3 days - one in front one in back. Since I have had 2 flats in as many weeks on the front tire I decided to change the tire. I hate putting on new tires and with much gnashing of teeth, got the new tire and tube on the rim. By the time I had all my stuff together, it was 11:30. When the alarm went off, I just went back to sleep. Over sleeping is bad because of the heat. So I had to cut 25 miles off my planned ride to get home and showered before leaving for Pat's.
Arrived at Pat's in time for dinner and went to the Tacoria with Pat and Cindy. It is a small local authentic Mexican restaurant with really cheesy enchiladas. When we got back, Pat and I discussed the merits of taking links out of my chain so I could use my 11/28 wheel instead of my 11/32. He believed that the chain would be fine. So I changed the back wheel to the 11/28 and rode it up the block and all seemed to work fine. Off to bed.
4 am came pretty fast, but I was up and ready to ride by 5. Pat and I were just going to do a "fast" 100k before the 200k that would start at 2:30. At 5 am the temperature was in the 70's but the humidity was oppressive. It felt much hotter already compared to 6 am in Ridgeland. Getting on to the levy, the overflowing Mississippi was very evident. I love riding the levy when the Mississippi is high because it brings the most wonderful water fowl - birds you would normally never see. The ride out to Crab Trap was uneventful as was the ride back. We finished the ride in 4 hours and 50 min. I retired to Pat's "cassita" - the apartment in his back yard for a shower and a nap. 61 miles down, 140 to go.
At 1 pm, Pat and I headed out to Audubon Park to meet the others. We would have 3 new randos on this ride and one person doing his second brevet, Ebon. Each of the guys had cycling experience of various degrees. Mark from Lafayette, has completed several double centuries out in California, Jeff T from NOLA is more of a racer or club rider around the NOLA area, and Jeff H "the Juggler" is a commuter who builds his own bikes. Both Jeffs had never ridden more than about 75 miles at once before this ride. Also rounding out the crew was Steve and Doug.
At 2 pm it was very hot - road temp was 110 actual was 95. I was starting the ride a little sluggish, but I knew just to keep my ride at a moderate speed and let the new guys exercise their testosterone. The guys always try to ride out too fast. I know Ebon and Jeff H would be slower as their cycling was more of the touring variety and not the "go fast" variety. It was very hot on the levy and as the bends in the river changed directions, so did the winds. At times we seemed to have a crosswind and others a head wind. It seemed heavier than the single digit winds predicted. I like headwinds in the heat as they keep you cooler than a tailwind. The heat was taking an early toll on the guys - both Doug and Ebon were out of water in the first 20 miles so we pulled off the levy to stop at a gas station for ice and water. Not long after this stop, Ebon decided to turn back as he had been sick and was already bonking. Doug came up behind me on this section and asked if I had poured water over my head or was I just sweating heavy. I was just sweating heavy - my hair was dripping like a leaky faucet. The group continued to the detour around the spillway on Hwy 61. I don't like Hwy 61, but it is the only way when the spillway is flooded. We sprinted the 4-5 miles of that section and I was ready to slow it down back on river road. The group stayed together loosely to LaPlace. At this point, I have ridden 50 miles without a bio break. I drink a V8 an make myself "go".
More later...
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Let's try this again
Well, I just have not been able to get it together since coming back from the Transcon. So, we will try keeping up with the blog, at least a couple times a month, for a while.
I am very fortunate to have realized in 2009 that my window of opportunity was a small one. I somehow was able to see that if I did not jump at the chance to train and ride for my Transcon, it might not ever happen. I was blessed to have all aspects of my life line up at the same time and thus enjoyed the trip of a lifetime this past July/August.
After coming home things have not been a bed of roses. Nothing major mind you, just regular life stuff. And even my "life stuff" has not been earth shattering, just inconvenient. Like 24 year old daughter and 3 year old grandson moving home. (Remember, not earth shattering, just inconvenient and hopefully not permanent!)
So I find myself some 11 months post-Transcon, ready to get my cycling act together again. I have unfortunately let myself gain 30 lbs and in need of rebuilding my endurance and speed.
So, what am I going to do about it? RIDE, of course!
In May, I rode a grand total of 147 miles - something I can do in a day. So far 12 days into June, I have ridden over 300 - a good start. I have also signed up to participate in the Texas Time Trials in September. I have always wanted to compete in the TTT, but something always prevented me from participating. Assuming the TTT does not kill me, I am also planning on doing Sebring in February. And to top it off, although I am still waivering on this one, I may even do the Heart of the South 200 in April. At least I have something to shoot for.
I also plan to attempt Pat's Louisiana fall series. I have never completed a 400k on my recumbent and have not attempted one at all since 2007. The only issue I have with the whole series is the 600. One, I have never tried a 600 and two it falls on the same day as a ride in Canton, TX. Since I have never ridden a full series, I may just attempt it for the first time. Who knows? We will just have to see.
I am also considering offering a full series in Mississippi next year. I have offered a 200, 300 and 400 in the past. Although I have not offered the 400 in two years. Unfortunately, I have to decide to offer the whole series by September.
Well, I am headed to NOLA for the June night brevet on Saturday. It will be good to practice some night riding and see how my lights do for an extended period of time.
Hopefully I will let you know how that ride turns out!
I am very fortunate to have realized in 2009 that my window of opportunity was a small one. I somehow was able to see that if I did not jump at the chance to train and ride for my Transcon, it might not ever happen. I was blessed to have all aspects of my life line up at the same time and thus enjoyed the trip of a lifetime this past July/August.
After coming home things have not been a bed of roses. Nothing major mind you, just regular life stuff. And even my "life stuff" has not been earth shattering, just inconvenient. Like 24 year old daughter and 3 year old grandson moving home. (Remember, not earth shattering, just inconvenient and hopefully not permanent!)
So I find myself some 11 months post-Transcon, ready to get my cycling act together again. I have unfortunately let myself gain 30 lbs and in need of rebuilding my endurance and speed.
So, what am I going to do about it? RIDE, of course!
In May, I rode a grand total of 147 miles - something I can do in a day. So far 12 days into June, I have ridden over 300 - a good start. I have also signed up to participate in the Texas Time Trials in September. I have always wanted to compete in the TTT, but something always prevented me from participating. Assuming the TTT does not kill me, I am also planning on doing Sebring in February. And to top it off, although I am still waivering on this one, I may even do the Heart of the South 200 in April. At least I have something to shoot for.
I also plan to attempt Pat's Louisiana fall series. I have never completed a 400k on my recumbent and have not attempted one at all since 2007. The only issue I have with the whole series is the 600. One, I have never tried a 600 and two it falls on the same day as a ride in Canton, TX. Since I have never ridden a full series, I may just attempt it for the first time. Who knows? We will just have to see.
I am also considering offering a full series in Mississippi next year. I have offered a 200, 300 and 400 in the past. Although I have not offered the 400 in two years. Unfortunately, I have to decide to offer the whole series by September.
Well, I am headed to NOLA for the June night brevet on Saturday. It will be good to practice some night riding and see how my lights do for an extended period of time.
Hopefully I will let you know how that ride turns out!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Hey, I am back!
Well it has been a little while since I have posted here in my blog. I have a lot of catching up to do.
Right now, I am sitting in my pj's at my sister/brother-in-laws, house. I decided to spend spring break here at Don/Barbara's farm outside of Brenham, Texas. They finished building their new house out in the country this past year and this is the first chance I have had to visit. It is beautiful and quite here. One of the highlights of the day is waiting for the sun to set. I have seen 3 distinctly different sunsets all equally stunning. They are so stunning because you can see for miles here without interference from buildings. Nothing but horizon. When we watch the sunset, all the lights in the house are turned off and there are no lights anywhere near the house - no street lights, no headlights from passing cars. On Sunday we stayed outside long after the sun had set just talking and looking at the stars. Slowly, the lawn started to brighten as if a car was headed up the long driveway. However there was no car coming. The light intensified and yet I still could not determine the source. I decided Don had a light on the side of the house set on a timer and asked him about it. He laughed! I was the moonlight! Even thought the moon was not full, it was supplying enough light to cause a shadow. It was amazing!
I have ridden 3 rides so far since I have been here. Saturday, I rode a 200k in Brookshire, Sunday a 100k in Fulsher, and yesterday (Wednesday) a loop ride out of Chappell Hill. All three rides were pleasant, each with their own challenges.
Saturdays 200k (135 miles total) - I was riding very well. The wind was a typical Texas wind, not awful, but stronger than the wind has been in Mississippi. I had ridden this route in 2006 and remembered most of it. Kulow road has been paved and the dogs have been fenced. The temperature increased to the mid 70s and it was a wonderful day. At the turn around in Fayetteville, there were hundreds of people getting back from an MS150 training ride. There were about 800 people on the ride - a TRAINING ride! Our MS150 won't have 300 people on the actual ride and maybe only 40 on any given training ride. I took two wrong turns on the way back and ended up added 9 bonus miles. The good thing about it was that I was able to ride the last 40 miles with Ben from Katy TX. He was on a Strata and we had a good time talking on the way back in. It was nice to have someone else help navigate.
Sundays 100k - Rando 101 - this was not a very fun ride, but it was miles on a very nicely paved shoulder. The route itself was very flat with only 773 ft of climbing. However, the wind was howling! I started in the dark at 7am. Daylight Savings started just a few hours earlier so it felt like 6am. The wind was very calm for the first 15 miles and then started to pick up. As this was a highway road there was nothing to look at but run down ranch homes, a few cows, horses and goats. I like goats. I did get a good tail wind for about 15 miles. After the turn around, the wind was blowing so hard, I had to don my arm warmers and vest again as the wind made it feel so much cooler. I was struggling to do 10-12 mph. I was fortunately able to run into an upright biker and catch his wheel for about 15 miles. I really enjoyed this part of the ride even though we were slogging into the wind at no more than 13 mph. He gave me something to concentrate on and helped pass the time better than looking at the boring countryside.
Wednesdays Chappell Hill Loop - this was a great route. Potentially one of my favorites. I drove from D/Bs out to Chappell Hill in the pitch black dark and started in the pitch black dark. The route had a long 4% grade hill that started at mile 1.9! Needless to say the whole route was up and down. I wish I had more energy as this could end up being a very recumbent friendly route. It followed the Washington County blue bonnet trail, however, the blue bonnets are not blooming en mass yet. There were a few here and there but just not like the pictures I have seen in the past. I would consider driving down and doing this route again in a couple weeks just to see the blue bonnets. Even without the bluebonnets the countryside was beautiful. Lots of well manicured ranches with interestingly colored cows, goats, and even miniature horses. Most of this route is minor chip seal although there were piles of gravel on the side of the road every few miles so I would think this route may have fresh chip seal soon. One mean dog around mile 30 and a pack around mile 60. After being chased by the pack, I was chased by what looked like a small ram and two more dogs. The ram/goat could not get through a hole in the fence, but the two dogs could. The ram/goat looked pretty pissed that he could not continue the chase!
I have more to post, but this is all for now. Hopefully I will be posting regularly again! I was going to post pictures, but my new SD card wont fit the card reader. Ugh!
Right now, I am sitting in my pj's at my sister/brother-in-laws, house. I decided to spend spring break here at Don/Barbara's farm outside of Brenham, Texas. They finished building their new house out in the country this past year and this is the first chance I have had to visit. It is beautiful and quite here. One of the highlights of the day is waiting for the sun to set. I have seen 3 distinctly different sunsets all equally stunning. They are so stunning because you can see for miles here without interference from buildings. Nothing but horizon. When we watch the sunset, all the lights in the house are turned off and there are no lights anywhere near the house - no street lights, no headlights from passing cars. On Sunday we stayed outside long after the sun had set just talking and looking at the stars. Slowly, the lawn started to brighten as if a car was headed up the long driveway. However there was no car coming. The light intensified and yet I still could not determine the source. I decided Don had a light on the side of the house set on a timer and asked him about it. He laughed! I was the moonlight! Even thought the moon was not full, it was supplying enough light to cause a shadow. It was amazing!
I have ridden 3 rides so far since I have been here. Saturday, I rode a 200k in Brookshire, Sunday a 100k in Fulsher, and yesterday (Wednesday) a loop ride out of Chappell Hill. All three rides were pleasant, each with their own challenges.
Saturdays 200k (135 miles total) - I was riding very well. The wind was a typical Texas wind, not awful, but stronger than the wind has been in Mississippi. I had ridden this route in 2006 and remembered most of it. Kulow road has been paved and the dogs have been fenced. The temperature increased to the mid 70s and it was a wonderful day. At the turn around in Fayetteville, there were hundreds of people getting back from an MS150 training ride. There were about 800 people on the ride - a TRAINING ride! Our MS150 won't have 300 people on the actual ride and maybe only 40 on any given training ride. I took two wrong turns on the way back and ended up added 9 bonus miles. The good thing about it was that I was able to ride the last 40 miles with Ben from Katy TX. He was on a Strata and we had a good time talking on the way back in. It was nice to have someone else help navigate.
Sundays 100k - Rando 101 - this was not a very fun ride, but it was miles on a very nicely paved shoulder. The route itself was very flat with only 773 ft of climbing. However, the wind was howling! I started in the dark at 7am. Daylight Savings started just a few hours earlier so it felt like 6am. The wind was very calm for the first 15 miles and then started to pick up. As this was a highway road there was nothing to look at but run down ranch homes, a few cows, horses and goats. I like goats. I did get a good tail wind for about 15 miles. After the turn around, the wind was blowing so hard, I had to don my arm warmers and vest again as the wind made it feel so much cooler. I was struggling to do 10-12 mph. I was fortunately able to run into an upright biker and catch his wheel for about 15 miles. I really enjoyed this part of the ride even though we were slogging into the wind at no more than 13 mph. He gave me something to concentrate on and helped pass the time better than looking at the boring countryside.
Wednesdays Chappell Hill Loop - this was a great route. Potentially one of my favorites. I drove from D/Bs out to Chappell Hill in the pitch black dark and started in the pitch black dark. The route had a long 4% grade hill that started at mile 1.9! Needless to say the whole route was up and down. I wish I had more energy as this could end up being a very recumbent friendly route. It followed the Washington County blue bonnet trail, however, the blue bonnets are not blooming en mass yet. There were a few here and there but just not like the pictures I have seen in the past. I would consider driving down and doing this route again in a couple weeks just to see the blue bonnets. Even without the bluebonnets the countryside was beautiful. Lots of well manicured ranches with interestingly colored cows, goats, and even miniature horses. Most of this route is minor chip seal although there were piles of gravel on the side of the road every few miles so I would think this route may have fresh chip seal soon. One mean dog around mile 30 and a pack around mile 60. After being chased by the pack, I was chased by what looked like a small ram and two more dogs. The ram/goat could not get through a hole in the fence, but the two dogs could. The ram/goat looked pretty pissed that he could not continue the chase!
I have more to post, but this is all for now. Hopefully I will be posting regularly again! I was going to post pictures, but my new SD card wont fit the card reader. Ugh!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Mountain Biking!!!!
OMG!! What a rush!!
For the past 3 or so years, I have played around with the idea of mountain biking. I would never commit to it nor was I total convinced that I would want to do it as I always had a big road biking goal looming in the near future. For the first time I don't have a major road cycling goal, so now is the time to give mountain biking a try. If I break my arm, then, oh well, I break my arm. It wouldn't mess up any major training.
So, for the past month, I have been trying to make arrangements to get to borrow a bike to take to the trails. Well, a borrowed bike never happened, but I did find a used one on Craig's list. So I took the plunge and bought it before I had ever ridden it in the dirt! I decided that if I hate mtn biking, I could probably sell it pretty easy.
This weekend was the Magee Lungbuster Mountain Bike race and festival. I really did not know what to expect, but it would be this weekend I would get to try my hand at riding a bike with big knobby tires in the dirt.
Somehow, I was able to talk Jay into taking me out Friday afternoon. The mountain bike trails are not far from the house and we drove over to them. There were several people there doing the last minute preparations for the weekend. Jay and I rolled out of the parking lot and into the wooded trails. I am on my new red and black Specialized Rockhopper a little trepidatious. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. First the trail is single track. This means only wide enough for one bike to get through. There are trees everywhere. Trees to the right of me, trees to the left with just a small dirt track that is only about a foot and a half wide. Not what I was expecting. The trail is also not flat - at least not in many places. To realize that this piece of property is less than 5 miles from the house and is as wooded and "in the middle of no where" astonished me. It is strikingly beautiful. There is one section that the mtn bikers call the cave - it is actually just a carved out area, but one would never imagine this small cut out (in sandstone?) to be just a few miles from my house.
So, we set out and head up. I have not figured out how to use my gears yet. They are somewhat different from my old Specialized road bike in that you have two small levers to push in opposite directions to change gears. I am keeping my eyes right in front of my tire - probably no more than 1-2 ft out. We are climbing a somewhat steep hill and all of a sudden the blue tape marking the course is right in front of me. I should have been turning to the left, but did not even realize I was suppose to be turning. Womp! Down I go - haven't been on the bike more than 15 minutes and I have already hit the dirt! Amazingly, it did not hurt at all. I jumped up and Jay and I analyzed my mistake. I should scan a good way in front of me as I check out the terrain right in front of me. This is something I had to do on fast descents on the road bike during my cross country, so once I figured out I did not need to look right at the front of my wheel, I was able to anticipate turns better.
From that point we would ride up and down and up and down. My heart was pounding with excitement and I was breathing as hard as I ever had. I was red lining big time. I did not have on a heart rate monitor, but I guarantee I was at or over 185 - my theoretical max - not once, but most of the time. It was exhilarating! At one point we see deer running along in the woods not far from where we are riding. Squirrels squirt across the dusty dirt trail regularly. My biggest difficulty was really sharp turns - especially when they are trending up steeply and there is a tree in the apex of the turn! Many of these turns I would have to unclip and walk up a couple steps to be able to get through the turn. My second issue was getting back on the bike after coming off during one of the turns. I would not be in the right gear to get the traction I needed and then immediately start climbing again - especially if there were roots in the trail.
We rode for about 2ish hours and Jay estimated we rode 5 or 6 miles!!!! HA!!!! We also rode again on Sunday afternoon. I was a little more apprehensive at the beginning, unclipping in some areas of the trail I did not have any problems with on Friday, but the longer we rode, the more confidence I had. I still was unable to climb the hill with the really sharp turn with the tree in the apex, but I got further up the hill before bailing. I also fell twice, but this time I either over cooked my turn and lost footing in the pine straw or lost traction in a turn and my back wheel slid out from underneath me. Neither fall was bad - I guess they were not really falls at all - just skids in which skin touched the ground briefly!
Mountain biking and road riding are worlds apart. watch out for that tree, ugh brake, pedal, push up this steep short hill, stand up to take the descent, brake, pedal, brake, yikes close tree, sharp turn, tree! I was constantly in thought keeping Jay in my vision, trying to look past him, but scanning the earth in front of me. It will be hard to learn to navigate through the trails without riding with someone for a while. It is easier not having to do the navigation totally on my own. I guess I need to have him ride behind me during the next ride for a little while so I don't get too accustomed of having someone to follow. Both cycling disciplines are amazing ways to exercise and be outside in our wonderful world. It is just fun right now to do something a little "off the paved path"!
For the past 3 or so years, I have played around with the idea of mountain biking. I would never commit to it nor was I total convinced that I would want to do it as I always had a big road biking goal looming in the near future. For the first time I don't have a major road cycling goal, so now is the time to give mountain biking a try. If I break my arm, then, oh well, I break my arm. It wouldn't mess up any major training.
So, for the past month, I have been trying to make arrangements to get to borrow a bike to take to the trails. Well, a borrowed bike never happened, but I did find a used one on Craig's list. So I took the plunge and bought it before I had ever ridden it in the dirt! I decided that if I hate mtn biking, I could probably sell it pretty easy.
This weekend was the Magee Lungbuster Mountain Bike race and festival. I really did not know what to expect, but it would be this weekend I would get to try my hand at riding a bike with big knobby tires in the dirt.
Somehow, I was able to talk Jay into taking me out Friday afternoon. The mountain bike trails are not far from the house and we drove over to them. There were several people there doing the last minute preparations for the weekend. Jay and I rolled out of the parking lot and into the wooded trails. I am on my new red and black Specialized Rockhopper a little trepidatious. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. First the trail is single track. This means only wide enough for one bike to get through. There are trees everywhere. Trees to the right of me, trees to the left with just a small dirt track that is only about a foot and a half wide. Not what I was expecting. The trail is also not flat - at least not in many places. To realize that this piece of property is less than 5 miles from the house and is as wooded and "in the middle of no where" astonished me. It is strikingly beautiful. There is one section that the mtn bikers call the cave - it is actually just a carved out area, but one would never imagine this small cut out (in sandstone?) to be just a few miles from my house.
So, we set out and head up. I have not figured out how to use my gears yet. They are somewhat different from my old Specialized road bike in that you have two small levers to push in opposite directions to change gears. I am keeping my eyes right in front of my tire - probably no more than 1-2 ft out. We are climbing a somewhat steep hill and all of a sudden the blue tape marking the course is right in front of me. I should have been turning to the left, but did not even realize I was suppose to be turning. Womp! Down I go - haven't been on the bike more than 15 minutes and I have already hit the dirt! Amazingly, it did not hurt at all. I jumped up and Jay and I analyzed my mistake. I should scan a good way in front of me as I check out the terrain right in front of me. This is something I had to do on fast descents on the road bike during my cross country, so once I figured out I did not need to look right at the front of my wheel, I was able to anticipate turns better.
From that point we would ride up and down and up and down. My heart was pounding with excitement and I was breathing as hard as I ever had. I was red lining big time. I did not have on a heart rate monitor, but I guarantee I was at or over 185 - my theoretical max - not once, but most of the time. It was exhilarating! At one point we see deer running along in the woods not far from where we are riding. Squirrels squirt across the dusty dirt trail regularly. My biggest difficulty was really sharp turns - especially when they are trending up steeply and there is a tree in the apex of the turn! Many of these turns I would have to unclip and walk up a couple steps to be able to get through the turn. My second issue was getting back on the bike after coming off during one of the turns. I would not be in the right gear to get the traction I needed and then immediately start climbing again - especially if there were roots in the trail.
We rode for about 2ish hours and Jay estimated we rode 5 or 6 miles!!!! HA!!!! We also rode again on Sunday afternoon. I was a little more apprehensive at the beginning, unclipping in some areas of the trail I did not have any problems with on Friday, but the longer we rode, the more confidence I had. I still was unable to climb the hill with the really sharp turn with the tree in the apex, but I got further up the hill before bailing. I also fell twice, but this time I either over cooked my turn and lost footing in the pine straw or lost traction in a turn and my back wheel slid out from underneath me. Neither fall was bad - I guess they were not really falls at all - just skids in which skin touched the ground briefly!
Mountain biking and road riding are worlds apart. watch out for that tree, ugh brake, pedal, push up this steep short hill, stand up to take the descent, brake, pedal, brake, yikes close tree, sharp turn, tree! I was constantly in thought keeping Jay in my vision, trying to look past him, but scanning the earth in front of me. It will be hard to learn to navigate through the trails without riding with someone for a while. It is easier not having to do the navigation totally on my own. I guess I need to have him ride behind me during the next ride for a little while so I don't get too accustomed of having someone to follow. Both cycling disciplines are amazing ways to exercise and be outside in our wonderful world. It is just fun right now to do something a little "off the paved path"!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Now What?!!
Okay,
I will admit that I am still having issues with goal setting since I have been back from my Transcon. I am a person who needs goals - requires goals, otherwise, I just seem to flouder around without any purpose. My problem is that I just don't know what I want to do athletically right now.
My passion is touring. However, I just found out that I can't self support tour with my CA2 - it is not recommended to mount racks on this carbon bike. So, to tour, I will either have to get my Independent Fabrication out of the moth balls, put my Corsa back together, or borrow Dougs Giro. So, Friday, I got the IF out of moth balls and took it in to get a few parts repaired. I will see how I do on the IF before playing with the Giro or Corsa.
Next, I am just bored. If I am not touring, the next "goal" for me in cycling would be ultra racing. I just don't want to have to train as hard as I will have to to race. Plus, if I were to race, I would want to win and my competitive nature is not a nice one. I don't like my attitude when I have to "be the best". Why race if you don't plan on winning? I am the type of person who tosses the monopoly board if I am not winning. Although, I hope I can be more mature than tossing Boardwalk and Park Place across the room, do I want to put myself through that frustration on a bike?
I could continue my randonneuring. I am still riding 200 and 300k rides somewhat frequently. The pursuit of doing my cross country trip and the fear of riding at night has curtailed my riding the longer brevets - the 400 and 600k rides. I have not completed or even attempted a 400 k on the recumbent. I am much faster now and have better lights. Pat and company finished a 400 k last night - somewhere around 3 or 4 am. Yuck! They made great time finishing it in 21 hours - 6 hours to the good. I just don't know that the pursuit of pushing yourself to ride as long as possible is fun to me anymore. I used to love, and still do love to answer the question "what is your longest ride" with 257 miles! But, do I really want to do that now?
Is it time now to experience some other athletic endeavors?
Mountain Biking: I have always wanted to try mountain biking. I never have as I have always had some other goal looming in the future. I was afraid that the day I tried mountain biking I would break something and not be able to complete whatever my upcoming goal was. Now is my chance to try. I am going to go out to the Fat tire festival next weekend and see what it is all about.
Running: I have always hated running. I just don't get it. You are outside, which is a requirement for me, but you can't see as much as cycling, plus it hurts more to run! And it is boring. And I can't run for more than two minutes at a time. And I "run" (more like walk) a 15 minute mile. So, what an opportunity for a goal! Yeah, I love goals. I have made it a small goal to be able to run 2 miles without stopping by January 1st. This is not easy, mind you. With all of the people out there doing marathons, I would have thought it was easy. I can certainly ride my bike across America, but this running is hard and makes me breath hard and my hips hurt. But, I need a goal and this is it for right now.
Swimming: I don't know how to swim. When I was 10 maybe a little younger, my brother and I flew out to see my grandparents in Oklahoma City. That was not a good visit. First I puked all over my brother and myself on the plane. Puked chocolate chip ice cream within the first hour of being at my grandparents house after the plane trip (to this day I can't eat chocolate chip ice cream). And puked every morning of swim lessons after they tried to teach me how to dive. Not gonna do it I tell, ya, not gonna do it. So, at 44 years of age, I can probably keep myself alive if I am tossed from a boat, but that is the end of my swimming abilities. So another goal, although I haven't set a firm goal is to learn to swim.
Triathlons? HA, can't swim and can't run! This may never materialize! Let me learn to run 2 miles without stopping and swim some laps without drowning and I may look at a tri - doubt I will ever do one, but who knows, stranger things have happened.
Hiking and camping: I would love to start hiking and camping more. I will need help with this whole endeavor. David is too busy fencing right now really to hike or camp. I don't mind sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent. Matter of fact the few times I have gone camping, I have really enjoyed it. I think camping should be in coolish weather. I love looking at the stars at night and walking in the woods during the day. Fording rivers, searching for waterfalls, encountering wildlife are all so much fun. I need to learn how to use a camp stove.
Anyway, I am just looking to experience life. I don't want to leave any stone unturned. We have so much opportunity. I just don't want to let any of it slip by...
I will admit that I am still having issues with goal setting since I have been back from my Transcon. I am a person who needs goals - requires goals, otherwise, I just seem to flouder around without any purpose. My problem is that I just don't know what I want to do athletically right now.
My passion is touring. However, I just found out that I can't self support tour with my CA2 - it is not recommended to mount racks on this carbon bike. So, to tour, I will either have to get my Independent Fabrication out of the moth balls, put my Corsa back together, or borrow Dougs Giro. So, Friday, I got the IF out of moth balls and took it in to get a few parts repaired. I will see how I do on the IF before playing with the Giro or Corsa.
Next, I am just bored. If I am not touring, the next "goal" for me in cycling would be ultra racing. I just don't want to have to train as hard as I will have to to race. Plus, if I were to race, I would want to win and my competitive nature is not a nice one. I don't like my attitude when I have to "be the best". Why race if you don't plan on winning? I am the type of person who tosses the monopoly board if I am not winning. Although, I hope I can be more mature than tossing Boardwalk and Park Place across the room, do I want to put myself through that frustration on a bike?
I could continue my randonneuring. I am still riding 200 and 300k rides somewhat frequently. The pursuit of doing my cross country trip and the fear of riding at night has curtailed my riding the longer brevets - the 400 and 600k rides. I have not completed or even attempted a 400 k on the recumbent. I am much faster now and have better lights. Pat and company finished a 400 k last night - somewhere around 3 or 4 am. Yuck! They made great time finishing it in 21 hours - 6 hours to the good. I just don't know that the pursuit of pushing yourself to ride as long as possible is fun to me anymore. I used to love, and still do love to answer the question "what is your longest ride" with 257 miles! But, do I really want to do that now?
Is it time now to experience some other athletic endeavors?
Mountain Biking: I have always wanted to try mountain biking. I never have as I have always had some other goal looming in the future. I was afraid that the day I tried mountain biking I would break something and not be able to complete whatever my upcoming goal was. Now is my chance to try. I am going to go out to the Fat tire festival next weekend and see what it is all about.
Running: I have always hated running. I just don't get it. You are outside, which is a requirement for me, but you can't see as much as cycling, plus it hurts more to run! And it is boring. And I can't run for more than two minutes at a time. And I "run" (more like walk) a 15 minute mile. So, what an opportunity for a goal! Yeah, I love goals. I have made it a small goal to be able to run 2 miles without stopping by January 1st. This is not easy, mind you. With all of the people out there doing marathons, I would have thought it was easy. I can certainly ride my bike across America, but this running is hard and makes me breath hard and my hips hurt. But, I need a goal and this is it for right now.
Swimming: I don't know how to swim. When I was 10 maybe a little younger, my brother and I flew out to see my grandparents in Oklahoma City. That was not a good visit. First I puked all over my brother and myself on the plane. Puked chocolate chip ice cream within the first hour of being at my grandparents house after the plane trip (to this day I can't eat chocolate chip ice cream). And puked every morning of swim lessons after they tried to teach me how to dive. Not gonna do it I tell, ya, not gonna do it. So, at 44 years of age, I can probably keep myself alive if I am tossed from a boat, but that is the end of my swimming abilities. So another goal, although I haven't set a firm goal is to learn to swim.
Triathlons? HA, can't swim and can't run! This may never materialize! Let me learn to run 2 miles without stopping and swim some laps without drowning and I may look at a tri - doubt I will ever do one, but who knows, stranger things have happened.
Hiking and camping: I would love to start hiking and camping more. I will need help with this whole endeavor. David is too busy fencing right now really to hike or camp. I don't mind sleeping in a sleeping bag in a tent. Matter of fact the few times I have gone camping, I have really enjoyed it. I think camping should be in coolish weather. I love looking at the stars at night and walking in the woods during the day. Fording rivers, searching for waterfalls, encountering wildlife are all so much fun. I need to learn how to use a camp stove.
Anyway, I am just looking to experience life. I don't want to leave any stone unturned. We have so much opportunity. I just don't want to let any of it slip by...
Silver Comet Weekend Part 3
Back at the Holiday Inn, which by the way, is at the top of a long hill, we planned to cleaned up and then meet back to conquer some red meat. I was starving. Bill had given me some trail mix that was overflowing from the small bag he uses on his bike. I devoured it and drank my Recoverite. Boy was I ready for that steak. We found Petro's a nice Italian/Steakhouse which our nice older overweight guy who does know the definition of bad hills told us about. It was not a 5 star restaurant, thank goodness, since all I had to wear was my cargo pants and cycling t-shirts. They had the TVs mounted over the bar and the MS State game was on! Can't beat traveling to GA on the weekend that MS State plays GA to get to see the game on TV! We both ordered steaks and for all I know mine was well marinated shoe leather. I was so hungry, I did not care. It was however a pretty decent steak.
Bill and I planned on meeting around 7 again to head out for Atlanta (Smyrna, actually). I awoke to rain. It had been raining and would rain all day. The radar looked like we would have scattered showers all day. Fortunately, the bands were various shades of green - the yellow and red bands had already passed by. I was ready a little early and walked outside to see what the weather was doing at that moment. It was still on the darkish side as sun rise would be a little after 7. Outside under the awning was my happy, yet slightly trepidatious group of black women. Boy was I shocked. If Bill had waivered at all, I would have gladly not ridden in the rain. Yet, all of the ladies that we encountered on the Chief Ladaga were all suited and helmeted up ready to ride to Atlanta in the rain. I was impressed by their fortitude! Remember that many of these women were on hybrids and were overweight. They would be riding over the first 10 miles of pretty substantial hills in the rain! They invited me to join them in a quick prayer and they were off.
Bill and I left about 30 minutes after our courageous ladies. At that moment it was not raining but the sky was definately gray and not welcoming. The temps were moderate. I was wearing arm warmers but no leg warmers or my vest. As we approached the first substantial hill, we caught up with our courageous ladies. The youngest and a couple others made it up the hill while two had to walk it. I was just hoping I could get up it without walking since our warm up had been less than 5 miles. We stopped at the top of the hill and talked to the ladies who were waiting for their friends. I took a couple pics and wished them luck as I knew that they had several more substantial hills to climb - and we did too!
The morning was beautiful even thought the hills were not kind. There was a lazy fog drifting over the low mountain range flanking us. Everything was dripping from the early morning rain. We stopped to take some more pictures, but soon the rain started. Although we had asked for a late check-out at the Holiday Inn and it was granted to us, we felt some slight urgency as we would be slower in the rain and would have to get back to Jackson that night, so the picture taking opportunities would pass us more often than not on this leg of our journey.
That first 10 miles leaving Cedartown were not easy. The worst of the hills were in that first 5 miles of the trail (8 from the motel). Bill named one section the the 3 Witches (with a B) after I told him about the 3 Amigos in Mineral Wells, Texas. This section, as I mentioned earlier, is not on a railroad bed. It does however cross at least half a dozen live railroad tracks. Rain had started to fall while we were on the hills. It was not an awful rain - just wet. It would have been very welcomed on a hotter day. The last set of railroad tracks we encountered was at the end of the worst of the hills. It crossed the road at a diagonal. Of course, tracks are very slippery in the rain and even when it is not raining a cyclist should cross them at a 90 degree angle. Well, even as I am telling myself these words of caution, I don't feel like pulling out wide in the road to cross the tracks at 90 degrees, so I hit them at a 45 degree angle and before I can say "slippery when wet", I am down. OUCH! I was going less than 10 mph, so I really had no chance to really hurt myself, but when I went down my knee hit first and the handlebar jabbed me in the abdomen. I am tangled up in the bike with my left foot on the front wheel pinning my right knee on the ground. I couldn't move my left foot without putting more pressure on my right knee. Bill is able to help me somehow lumber off the bike. At this moment, my side where the handlebar hit really hurts, but it subsides in a minute. My knee is bright red with nice road rash - my first in about 8-10 years! I carry hand sanitizer and baby wipes, so I am able to clean it all up with only minor whimpering. Yes, it does sting. We still have 90 ish miles to go, and so with little ado, we are off again. The terrain flattens out slightly from that point - still not on a railbed, but the hills would no longer be considered steep. The trail takes us along a busy highway and through some farm land. This portion of the trail is deserted.
We finally make it to Rockmart - the first town after Cedartown. This is a very nice town that may be a good town in which to stay. It may be more of a touristy town that non-cycling spouses would enjoy. They have a very nice park and community center along their portion of the trail which also follows a nice brook - very picturesque - so we did stop and take some pictures. At this point we do start seeing other cyclists and runners. The people we encounter today are different. I don't know if it is the rain or if it is truly a difference in the cycling personalities of the Silver Comet vs the Cheif Ladaga. The cyclists/runners we encountered today were all too busy to say hi. They were in training. "Leave me alone, I am riding/running fast and don't want to be bothered with pleasantries" I am sure they were thinking as they rode/ran stoically past us. I missed our happy friends that we met yesterday as I wonder how our courageous friends from yesterday are doing.
Anyway we continued enjoying our very wet ride on the nice flat railbed towards Smyrna. The neatest part about this portion of the trail were all of the tunnels. Some short, some much longer, some dark, some lighter, the tunnels were all fun to travel through. Of course, I had to hoot, "Who hoo, who hoo hoo" to hear my echo. We stop at a bike shop on the corner of the trail 4 miles before the end to find the best place to eat. It is pouring rain at this point - much heavier than any part of the day - not take shelter hard, but, soaking a$$ wet hard. I start to get cold and don't warm up again until we are in Bills car with the heat on 80! We find out that there are NO good places to eat along the route. We can travel a couple miles off the route to find a Quick Trip at that intersection or travel a couple miles off the trail at the end to find a grocery store, or we can go to a Shell station across the street and take our chances with less than favorable microwavable sandwiches. Well, we cycled to the end and did not want to try and find the grocery store and then we cycled back the 4 miles to the corner where the bike shop was located. Had it not been raining, we would have searched out the Quick Trip, but in the pouring rain, we took our chances with the less than favorable Shell station microwave food. I walked in and immediately noticed that there were no hot dogs, but did see refrigerated beef and bean burritos with green sauce! YUM! Burritos make great bike fare! I warmed it up in the Micro and headed outside (it was very cold with the air conditioning in the gas station) to eat. Bill, I think, was not so sure about the long distance cycling eating choices. He was obviously starving and bought several different things consuming all of them, much like I did my steak the night before. We ate our scrumptious lunch in the only warmish dryish place we could find - under the island next to the gas pumps!
We continue our ride back - I don't remember how slow we had been on the first half of the ride - but it was slow. Our pace was much better on the way back. I am guessing that the route climbs most of the way to Smyrna and descends towards Cedartown. The rain comes and goes and is lighter on the way back than it was while we were in that 4 mile section at the end of the trail. I do recall being very cold on some of the longer descents and was ready to climb the longer grades to keep my core temperature up. I had picked up a couple plastic sacks at the gas station and stuffed them down my jacket for extra insulation. My teeth were not chattering, but I was cold. Before long, we see our courageous friends - all wet but obviously having the time of their life! They were all together and we all hooted and hollered at each other as we passed - they would be home soon after enjoying a great adventure!
We get back to the 5 mile section of substantial hills and I am too tired to try and climb the first one. It was by far the steepest on the entire route. I walk it and Bill makes it up but not very fast. I am blaming the fact that I have my 11/28 on the bike for not being able to get up it - that is my story and I am sticking to it! Bill is concentrating on not falling over so he can't look to see how steep that hill was, but it had to be over 15%, my guess, it was closer to 20%. We make it back to the 3 Witches and the first climb is also steeper than any of the previous hills and I walk a portion of it. Bill waits for me and we are able to really pick up our pace. The hills are not as bad going back as they were coming out except for the first two.
We make it back to the Holiday Inn at 6 - later than our 5pm check out, but they graciously don't care. We get warm showers and pack the car and head home.
I had a blast on this ride and hope that Bill did as well. He seems to enjoy the longer rides at a touring pace. He conquered his first century the previous weekend and now had two back to back! If this is not a randonneur in the making, then I don't know one!
I really recommend the Chief Ladaga and Silver Comet trail. I do recommend parking in the middle and doing each side instead of trying to do the whole thing at once unless you do have a full set of panniers. This trip would have been very difficult had we tried to stuff everything we needed in our brain boxes. Make sure you carry a good bit of food with you unless you are comfortable searching for food in the towns off the trails.
So, when are we going again?
Bill and I planned on meeting around 7 again to head out for Atlanta (Smyrna, actually). I awoke to rain. It had been raining and would rain all day. The radar looked like we would have scattered showers all day. Fortunately, the bands were various shades of green - the yellow and red bands had already passed by. I was ready a little early and walked outside to see what the weather was doing at that moment. It was still on the darkish side as sun rise would be a little after 7. Outside under the awning was my happy, yet slightly trepidatious group of black women. Boy was I shocked. If Bill had waivered at all, I would have gladly not ridden in the rain. Yet, all of the ladies that we encountered on the Chief Ladaga were all suited and helmeted up ready to ride to Atlanta in the rain. I was impressed by their fortitude! Remember that many of these women were on hybrids and were overweight. They would be riding over the first 10 miles of pretty substantial hills in the rain! They invited me to join them in a quick prayer and they were off.
Bill and I left about 30 minutes after our courageous ladies. At that moment it was not raining but the sky was definately gray and not welcoming. The temps were moderate. I was wearing arm warmers but no leg warmers or my vest. As we approached the first substantial hill, we caught up with our courageous ladies. The youngest and a couple others made it up the hill while two had to walk it. I was just hoping I could get up it without walking since our warm up had been less than 5 miles. We stopped at the top of the hill and talked to the ladies who were waiting for their friends. I took a couple pics and wished them luck as I knew that they had several more substantial hills to climb - and we did too!
The morning was beautiful even thought the hills were not kind. There was a lazy fog drifting over the low mountain range flanking us. Everything was dripping from the early morning rain. We stopped to take some more pictures, but soon the rain started. Although we had asked for a late check-out at the Holiday Inn and it was granted to us, we felt some slight urgency as we would be slower in the rain and would have to get back to Jackson that night, so the picture taking opportunities would pass us more often than not on this leg of our journey.
That first 10 miles leaving Cedartown were not easy. The worst of the hills were in that first 5 miles of the trail (8 from the motel). Bill named one section the the 3 Witches (with a B) after I told him about the 3 Amigos in Mineral Wells, Texas. This section, as I mentioned earlier, is not on a railroad bed. It does however cross at least half a dozen live railroad tracks. Rain had started to fall while we were on the hills. It was not an awful rain - just wet. It would have been very welcomed on a hotter day. The last set of railroad tracks we encountered was at the end of the worst of the hills. It crossed the road at a diagonal. Of course, tracks are very slippery in the rain and even when it is not raining a cyclist should cross them at a 90 degree angle. Well, even as I am telling myself these words of caution, I don't feel like pulling out wide in the road to cross the tracks at 90 degrees, so I hit them at a 45 degree angle and before I can say "slippery when wet", I am down. OUCH! I was going less than 10 mph, so I really had no chance to really hurt myself, but when I went down my knee hit first and the handlebar jabbed me in the abdomen. I am tangled up in the bike with my left foot on the front wheel pinning my right knee on the ground. I couldn't move my left foot without putting more pressure on my right knee. Bill is able to help me somehow lumber off the bike. At this moment, my side where the handlebar hit really hurts, but it subsides in a minute. My knee is bright red with nice road rash - my first in about 8-10 years! I carry hand sanitizer and baby wipes, so I am able to clean it all up with only minor whimpering. Yes, it does sting. We still have 90 ish miles to go, and so with little ado, we are off again. The terrain flattens out slightly from that point - still not on a railbed, but the hills would no longer be considered steep. The trail takes us along a busy highway and through some farm land. This portion of the trail is deserted.
We finally make it to Rockmart - the first town after Cedartown. This is a very nice town that may be a good town in which to stay. It may be more of a touristy town that non-cycling spouses would enjoy. They have a very nice park and community center along their portion of the trail which also follows a nice brook - very picturesque - so we did stop and take some pictures. At this point we do start seeing other cyclists and runners. The people we encounter today are different. I don't know if it is the rain or if it is truly a difference in the cycling personalities of the Silver Comet vs the Cheif Ladaga. The cyclists/runners we encountered today were all too busy to say hi. They were in training. "Leave me alone, I am riding/running fast and don't want to be bothered with pleasantries" I am sure they were thinking as they rode/ran stoically past us. I missed our happy friends that we met yesterday as I wonder how our courageous friends from yesterday are doing.
Anyway we continued enjoying our very wet ride on the nice flat railbed towards Smyrna. The neatest part about this portion of the trail were all of the tunnels. Some short, some much longer, some dark, some lighter, the tunnels were all fun to travel through. Of course, I had to hoot, "Who hoo, who hoo hoo" to hear my echo. We stop at a bike shop on the corner of the trail 4 miles before the end to find the best place to eat. It is pouring rain at this point - much heavier than any part of the day - not take shelter hard, but, soaking a$$ wet hard. I start to get cold and don't warm up again until we are in Bills car with the heat on 80! We find out that there are NO good places to eat along the route. We can travel a couple miles off the route to find a Quick Trip at that intersection or travel a couple miles off the trail at the end to find a grocery store, or we can go to a Shell station across the street and take our chances with less than favorable microwavable sandwiches. Well, we cycled to the end and did not want to try and find the grocery store and then we cycled back the 4 miles to the corner where the bike shop was located. Had it not been raining, we would have searched out the Quick Trip, but in the pouring rain, we took our chances with the less than favorable Shell station microwave food. I walked in and immediately noticed that there were no hot dogs, but did see refrigerated beef and bean burritos with green sauce! YUM! Burritos make great bike fare! I warmed it up in the Micro and headed outside (it was very cold with the air conditioning in the gas station) to eat. Bill, I think, was not so sure about the long distance cycling eating choices. He was obviously starving and bought several different things consuming all of them, much like I did my steak the night before. We ate our scrumptious lunch in the only warmish dryish place we could find - under the island next to the gas pumps!
We continue our ride back - I don't remember how slow we had been on the first half of the ride - but it was slow. Our pace was much better on the way back. I am guessing that the route climbs most of the way to Smyrna and descends towards Cedartown. The rain comes and goes and is lighter on the way back than it was while we were in that 4 mile section at the end of the trail. I do recall being very cold on some of the longer descents and was ready to climb the longer grades to keep my core temperature up. I had picked up a couple plastic sacks at the gas station and stuffed them down my jacket for extra insulation. My teeth were not chattering, but I was cold. Before long, we see our courageous friends - all wet but obviously having the time of their life! They were all together and we all hooted and hollered at each other as we passed - they would be home soon after enjoying a great adventure!
We get back to the 5 mile section of substantial hills and I am too tired to try and climb the first one. It was by far the steepest on the entire route. I walk it and Bill makes it up but not very fast. I am blaming the fact that I have my 11/28 on the bike for not being able to get up it - that is my story and I am sticking to it! Bill is concentrating on not falling over so he can't look to see how steep that hill was, but it had to be over 15%, my guess, it was closer to 20%. We make it back to the 3 Witches and the first climb is also steeper than any of the previous hills and I walk a portion of it. Bill waits for me and we are able to really pick up our pace. The hills are not as bad going back as they were coming out except for the first two.
We make it back to the Holiday Inn at 6 - later than our 5pm check out, but they graciously don't care. We get warm showers and pack the car and head home.
I had a blast on this ride and hope that Bill did as well. He seems to enjoy the longer rides at a touring pace. He conquered his first century the previous weekend and now had two back to back! If this is not a randonneur in the making, then I don't know one!
I really recommend the Chief Ladaga and Silver Comet trail. I do recommend parking in the middle and doing each side instead of trying to do the whole thing at once unless you do have a full set of panniers. This trip would have been very difficult had we tried to stuff everything we needed in our brain boxes. Make sure you carry a good bit of food with you unless you are comfortable searching for food in the towns off the trails.
So, when are we going again?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Cheif Ladaga Part 2
We continued past the boy scout camp on our adventure towards several small towns - Peidmont, Jacksonville and Weaver, which all things considered is part of Anniston, Al. What surprised me about the trail was the lack of depots. I was expecting rest stops in the form of small sheltered areas with bathrooms and water every so many miles on the trail much like the Longleaf Trail in Mississippi. Although there were gas stations in the towns at some of the cross roads, nothing was advertised well enough to get off the trail to search for it. In Piedmont, there was a small house - the Eubanks House that served as the town welcome center. It was a restored old home and it was staffed by a volunteer and had some minimal information about the trail. They also sold powerade, water and crackers for those that stopped while cycling.
As we were cycling towards the end of the trail, a comical thing occurred. We were cycling through the very quaint college town of Jacksonville. The college campus stood out proudly albeit quietly. Bill and I wondered if this was the college that beat Ole Miss a couple weeks back. I thought the small school was in Tennessee. As we continued cycling through the small campus we saw a women walking her dog near a stop sign. We stopped and asked her about the town and the college. Yes, this was the college that beat Ole Miss and she was very proud of it! We took a picture of Bill with the Jacksonville State sign for kicks and giggles. We also inquired as to a good place to eat on the trail and were directed to Struts a local sports gathering restaurant, not really a bar, that serves regular sports watching food. We decided to continue towards the end of the trail and stop by Struts on the way back.
Arriving at the end of the trail, I was underwhelmed. I really thought that the trail head would be really nice. They did have bathrooms and a small picnic area, but nothing shouting "Looky here! We have this great rails to trails"! Don't get me wrong, the trail itself is amazingly beautiful with the mountains flanking and the tree limbs covering, but it lacked the small depots and fan fare that a trail of this magnitude deserves. Bill and I took the required pics at the trail head and turned around headed for Struts.
At Struts, a decent chicken restaurant/sports bar similar to Abners, we both ordered BLT sandwiches and watched TN vs UAB on the TV. We then headed back to Cedartown. We noticed as we passed the Boy Scout camp that it did not look like the Scouts had returned. We guessed that we would not pass packs of them on the way home. Shortly we started passing very hot and tired looking little boys. They were very spread out - at least 5-6 miles from the first to the last. As we passed I would shout encouragement to each. One little boy I yelled asking how far they had gone. He did not skip a beat and answered "There and back!" Apparently, their total trip was 40 miles. Pretty good for boys on various bikes - mostly mountain bikes, all in shorts or jeans.
As we continued back to Cedartown we would encounter groups of people out riding. One group in particular was a group of black women of various ages and sizes. They stood out as they were all wearing white and blue baseball type t-shirts. Most of them were riding hybrid bikes. We did not talk to them very long, but they were very pleasant and seemed to be enjoying the trail.
We got back to the Cedartown trail head and much to my disappointment, the depot was closed. The biggest, nicest, well only, depot on the trail did not have much in the way of hours. We only had 92 miles so I somehow convinced Bill into venturing out to see how bad the hills were that our older cycling buddy had cautioned us about earlier in the day. And boy oh boy - never underestimate an overweight older guy with a Silver Comet baseball cap. He does know how bad the hills are! The 10 miles heading East from Cedartown are not, and I will repeat, NOT on a rail bed! These 10 miles just keep the trail heading toward the state line. There are several steep climbs over 10%. I think they hit 12% in a couple places. We only went out about 3 miles and decided to turn around. The glimpse of the hills was enough for us. We would tackle them in full the next day.
Part 3 later.....
As we were cycling towards the end of the trail, a comical thing occurred. We were cycling through the very quaint college town of Jacksonville. The college campus stood out proudly albeit quietly. Bill and I wondered if this was the college that beat Ole Miss a couple weeks back. I thought the small school was in Tennessee. As we continued cycling through the small campus we saw a women walking her dog near a stop sign. We stopped and asked her about the town and the college. Yes, this was the college that beat Ole Miss and she was very proud of it! We took a picture of Bill with the Jacksonville State sign for kicks and giggles. We also inquired as to a good place to eat on the trail and were directed to Struts a local sports gathering restaurant, not really a bar, that serves regular sports watching food. We decided to continue towards the end of the trail and stop by Struts on the way back.
Arriving at the end of the trail, I was underwhelmed. I really thought that the trail head would be really nice. They did have bathrooms and a small picnic area, but nothing shouting "Looky here! We have this great rails to trails"! Don't get me wrong, the trail itself is amazingly beautiful with the mountains flanking and the tree limbs covering, but it lacked the small depots and fan fare that a trail of this magnitude deserves. Bill and I took the required pics at the trail head and turned around headed for Struts.
At Struts, a decent chicken restaurant/sports bar similar to Abners, we both ordered BLT sandwiches and watched TN vs UAB on the TV. We then headed back to Cedartown. We noticed as we passed the Boy Scout camp that it did not look like the Scouts had returned. We guessed that we would not pass packs of them on the way home. Shortly we started passing very hot and tired looking little boys. They were very spread out - at least 5-6 miles from the first to the last. As we passed I would shout encouragement to each. One little boy I yelled asking how far they had gone. He did not skip a beat and answered "There and back!" Apparently, their total trip was 40 miles. Pretty good for boys on various bikes - mostly mountain bikes, all in shorts or jeans.
As we continued back to Cedartown we would encounter groups of people out riding. One group in particular was a group of black women of various ages and sizes. They stood out as they were all wearing white and blue baseball type t-shirts. Most of them were riding hybrid bikes. We did not talk to them very long, but they were very pleasant and seemed to be enjoying the trail.
We got back to the Cedartown trail head and much to my disappointment, the depot was closed. The biggest, nicest, well only, depot on the trail did not have much in the way of hours. We only had 92 miles so I somehow convinced Bill into venturing out to see how bad the hills were that our older cycling buddy had cautioned us about earlier in the day. And boy oh boy - never underestimate an overweight older guy with a Silver Comet baseball cap. He does know how bad the hills are! The 10 miles heading East from Cedartown are not, and I will repeat, NOT on a rail bed! These 10 miles just keep the trail heading toward the state line. There are several steep climbs over 10%. I think they hit 12% in a couple places. We only went out about 3 miles and decided to turn around. The glimpse of the hills was enough for us. We would tackle them in full the next day.
Part 3 later.....
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
There and Back Again - Chief Ladaga Silver Comet Weekend
The adventure continues! I am definitely settling down into life after the Transcon. I have been looking forward to this weekend since I got back. Matter of fact, while in the car coming home from Virginia, I called Jim at Ride South to inquire as to when he had scheduled the trip to Anniston Alabama for the ride to Atlanta via the two rails to trails - The Chief Ladaga and the Silver Comet. As the day approached the possible cyclists making the trip started backing out. I think several people became intimidated by riding 100 miles, carrying very minimal provisions without any support along the way. I wasn't thrilled about the prospect myself. None of us have racks or panniers that fit our bikes yet, so we were going to be stuffing our brain boxes with one change of clothes to wear out to dinner after the ride, toothbrush/paste, flip flops, as well as our regular bike supplies of Hammer products, rain gear, etc. Bill or actually his wife Teresa, had a great idea - scrap our plan to ride from Anniston to Atlanta, park half way and go out and back each day. This was a great idea! So as Friday dawned, only Bill M and I were left standing to adventure out to ride the two rails to trails.
Bill is new to ultra cycling and this would be the longest riding weekend of his cycling career. I really think it was a good route in which to ride 200 miles. We left around 2:30 or 3:00 Friday afternoon and arrived in Cedartown at 9? or so. We decided to meet at 7:00 am to start our adventure. We chose to start our route headed west to Anniston. We thought that by heading west we would be tackling the hardest part of the route first, plus the forecast had us heading into a headwind first with a tail wind on the way back. HA!
So, we weren't all together at 7. Additionally, something had happened to my cyclometer speed sensor on our drive over. Also, I had forgotten to replace my camera scan disc so I could only take 6 pictures with the small sample disc that came with the camera. Bill suggested that we stop at CVS to get a new battery for the speed sensor and a disc for the camera. CVS had everything we needed for both the camera and the speed sensor, however, we could make neither work properly. So at 8:20 we headed for the Cedartown trail head.
The morning was coolish. Not hot but not cold. It was humid. By 8:20 it was light. The Cedartown depot looked really neat. It had the appearance of a true train depot. It was closed when we arrived at the start, but I was hoping we would be able to go through it when we got back later that afternoon. I was also hoping to find patches for my coat. As I said earlier, we were heading towards Anniston as I knew we would be going through the Cheaha Mountains and I just knew we were heading for the hillier portion of the trail. HA! Since we were on an old rail bed, the grades should only be 1-2% but we had heard that there was a few miles of hilly somewhere on the route. The ride to the state line - about 15 miles was very pretty, but no where as beautiful as the route we would ride as we continued west. The hills were just popping up and you could see where the rail bed had been dug out between the hills. So far the route was very similar to that of the Longleaf trail in Hattiesburg. Flat to false flat - it looked like you were on a flat, but in truth we were climbing slightly. Fortunately, we had Bill's Garmin to tell us when we were truly climbing and when we weren't.
We arrived at the Alabama/Georgia state line and were greeted by an older version of Slow Spokes - a group of 5 or 6 people most likely in their 60s and 70s resting at the state line. Bill and I stopped to take pictures and a very friendly older gentleman asked if we would like him to take the pics. We started a conversation with him and learned a lot. He directed us to a great restaurant - Petros for dinner that night. Most importantly, however, he explained the lay of the land. He told us that we were headed to some of the most beautiful scenery on the trail and that the hilly part was behind us. Ugh! He said that we would have about 10 miles of hilly but that the first 4 miles were really bad. How bad could they be? This was coming from an older guy riding a hybrid. Lesson 1: Never underestimate "hilly" from an old guy on a hybrid!!!!
Our "old guy" was correct about the beauty of the trail we were riding. The Cheaha's, foothills of the Appalachans, began popping up all around us. You could see the very first hint of the leaves turning. One good cold spell and color would replacing the viverant green of these hills. One of my favorite parts of the trail was the fact that most of it was entirely tree covered. Riding through the canopy of trees made the trail very quiet and serene. Squirrls and rabbits would scamper as we rode along past them. The bridges were mostly wooden planks over small creek beds - adding to the tranquility of the trail.
A few more miles and the tranquility was upset! We encountered a small group of young guys on a variety of bikes. They shouted an apt warning - there are at least 5 more groups behind us. Well, we had come across a troop of young boy scouts camping and riding. They were definitely going to get their cycling badge today. We passed another small group of boys and then rounded the corner to a mass of them. Most of them were weaving about not holding a line - they probably did not know what a line was! They were riding three and four abreast and were not concerned that a lady on a bent was loudly stating RIDERS UP, RIDERS UP! They had no idea I meant for them to get over and let us through! Nothing like playing chicken with a 10 year old! We finally made it pass the swell of boys all full of excitement and energy. Bill and I both hoped that they would be off the trail before we returned.
Riding further we discovered the Boy Scout campground. Dozens of tents were set up, some under awnings. It would have been really fun to see them all running about and to know how late they stayed up the previous night. It would also be funny to see how active they would be after they get back from their ride. Hmmmm, I bet there will be some tired little boys.
Well, I need to get ready for work, I will post more later.
Bill is new to ultra cycling and this would be the longest riding weekend of his cycling career. I really think it was a good route in which to ride 200 miles. We left around 2:30 or 3:00 Friday afternoon and arrived in Cedartown at 9? or so. We decided to meet at 7:00 am to start our adventure. We chose to start our route headed west to Anniston. We thought that by heading west we would be tackling the hardest part of the route first, plus the forecast had us heading into a headwind first with a tail wind on the way back. HA!
So, we weren't all together at 7. Additionally, something had happened to my cyclometer speed sensor on our drive over. Also, I had forgotten to replace my camera scan disc so I could only take 6 pictures with the small sample disc that came with the camera. Bill suggested that we stop at CVS to get a new battery for the speed sensor and a disc for the camera. CVS had everything we needed for both the camera and the speed sensor, however, we could make neither work properly. So at 8:20 we headed for the Cedartown trail head.
The morning was coolish. Not hot but not cold. It was humid. By 8:20 it was light. The Cedartown depot looked really neat. It had the appearance of a true train depot. It was closed when we arrived at the start, but I was hoping we would be able to go through it when we got back later that afternoon. I was also hoping to find patches for my coat. As I said earlier, we were heading towards Anniston as I knew we would be going through the Cheaha Mountains and I just knew we were heading for the hillier portion of the trail. HA! Since we were on an old rail bed, the grades should only be 1-2% but we had heard that there was a few miles of hilly somewhere on the route. The ride to the state line - about 15 miles was very pretty, but no where as beautiful as the route we would ride as we continued west. The hills were just popping up and you could see where the rail bed had been dug out between the hills. So far the route was very similar to that of the Longleaf trail in Hattiesburg. Flat to false flat - it looked like you were on a flat, but in truth we were climbing slightly. Fortunately, we had Bill's Garmin to tell us when we were truly climbing and when we weren't.
We arrived at the Alabama/Georgia state line and were greeted by an older version of Slow Spokes - a group of 5 or 6 people most likely in their 60s and 70s resting at the state line. Bill and I stopped to take pictures and a very friendly older gentleman asked if we would like him to take the pics. We started a conversation with him and learned a lot. He directed us to a great restaurant - Petros for dinner that night. Most importantly, however, he explained the lay of the land. He told us that we were headed to some of the most beautiful scenery on the trail and that the hilly part was behind us. Ugh! He said that we would have about 10 miles of hilly but that the first 4 miles were really bad. How bad could they be? This was coming from an older guy riding a hybrid. Lesson 1: Never underestimate "hilly" from an old guy on a hybrid!!!!
Our "old guy" was correct about the beauty of the trail we were riding. The Cheaha's, foothills of the Appalachans, began popping up all around us. You could see the very first hint of the leaves turning. One good cold spell and color would replacing the viverant green of these hills. One of my favorite parts of the trail was the fact that most of it was entirely tree covered. Riding through the canopy of trees made the trail very quiet and serene. Squirrls and rabbits would scamper as we rode along past them. The bridges were mostly wooden planks over small creek beds - adding to the tranquility of the trail.
A few more miles and the tranquility was upset! We encountered a small group of young guys on a variety of bikes. They shouted an apt warning - there are at least 5 more groups behind us. Well, we had come across a troop of young boy scouts camping and riding. They were definitely going to get their cycling badge today. We passed another small group of boys and then rounded the corner to a mass of them. Most of them were weaving about not holding a line - they probably did not know what a line was! They were riding three and four abreast and were not concerned that a lady on a bent was loudly stating RIDERS UP, RIDERS UP! They had no idea I meant for them to get over and let us through! Nothing like playing chicken with a 10 year old! We finally made it pass the swell of boys all full of excitement and energy. Bill and I both hoped that they would be off the trail before we returned.
Riding further we discovered the Boy Scout campground. Dozens of tents were set up, some under awnings. It would have been really fun to see them all running about and to know how late they stayed up the previous night. It would also be funny to see how active they would be after they get back from their ride. Hmmmm, I bet there will be some tired little boys.
Well, I need to get ready for work, I will post more later.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Life is Good
Well, I as I sit here drinking my coffee, I must say that life really is good! I have had a great weekend. Friday I had no set riding plans so I sat around drinking coffee and playing on the internet trying to decide where I wanted to ride. Finally got off my rear and did a new route - actually a modified backwards route of our Labor Day route. Ended up riding 57 miles - it was hot - I should have been up and out by 6 but I just have a problem doing that when I don't have someone to meet. The route was virtually car free and very enjoyable. It is nice to be so carefree.
After the ride I went to the Madison County Library to find out about accessing a website through the library - wow has the library changed since the last time I went to it! They offer a ton of stuff over the net.
Saturday I got up early to participate in the Cyclist Curing Cancer Century. Like an idiot I rode my bike there. The morning was only coolish - I could tell it would be very hot before the day was over. I started in the dark, but with my headlight, helmet light and new taillight I was very comfortable and could see well. The combo head/helmet light gave me all the light I needed to be confident riding in the dark. I enjoyed it much better than the last early morning ride with Pat and company in Franklinton (the difference being the helmet light). The ride to the Healthplex in Clinton was further than I thought - 16 miles which is not a big deal, but I knew I wanted to be there by 7, so I felt pressure to ride faster than I would have liked. I did arrive at just past 7 so it was no big deal. Bill, Bard, Jodi and Sarah were there. They are fast becoming good riding buddies. They all seem to love being outdoors - fishing, kyacking, hiking and so on. Maybe I can have them help me become a better all around outdoors enthusiast. Boy I would love to learn to kayack.
I rode the century with Bill - we really match up very well. He is faster than I am but not so much that he gets too far in front of me. He really rode strong on his first century and I hope that we can ride together more. We both rode very strong to the 50 mile turn around. I think we were averaging 18 or something thanks to a slight tailwind and coolish temps. After the turn around we slowed considerably. I died on the hills in the heat. I was glad we had the wind to keep us "cool". Okay, it was not cool at all, as the wind was a very hot wind, but it was better than no wind at all that would have left us baking in the sun. The volunteers for this ride were very gracious. It is hard to believe how many people gave up their time so we could ride with support. JMC has quit doing organized rides as they have trouble finding volunteers.
I was able to meet up with Mike and Earline Kelly. I have not seen them in years!!! They were the first people to take me under their wing and teach me to ride somewhere other than Highland Colony Parkway. I remember falling behind the group on roads that I know now like the back of my hand, but at the time I had no idea where I was. Earline was kind enough to wait up for me and she and Mike rode with me back to the car. I started riding out in Clinton with them sometime after that. And my love affair with all things cycling started. It really is amazing to think back to some of my early days of cycling. I so appreciate the Kelly's and so many others that got me started in this wonderful sport.
I also talked to Paula and Jeremy about Mountain Biking. I want to attempt it too before I plan something that would keep me from trying it out for fear I will break my arm.
Fortunately for me, Bill has a two bike carrier on the back of his car and only lives a few minutes from me. I gladly accepted a ride from him back to the house. 117.5 miles in the heat was enough for me. The neat part is that this was my 33rd ride over 100 miles this year. So, should I try to reach 50 rides over 100 before the year is out?
After the ride I went to the Madison County Library to find out about accessing a website through the library - wow has the library changed since the last time I went to it! They offer a ton of stuff over the net.
Saturday I got up early to participate in the Cyclist Curing Cancer Century. Like an idiot I rode my bike there. The morning was only coolish - I could tell it would be very hot before the day was over. I started in the dark, but with my headlight, helmet light and new taillight I was very comfortable and could see well. The combo head/helmet light gave me all the light I needed to be confident riding in the dark. I enjoyed it much better than the last early morning ride with Pat and company in Franklinton (the difference being the helmet light). The ride to the Healthplex in Clinton was further than I thought - 16 miles which is not a big deal, but I knew I wanted to be there by 7, so I felt pressure to ride faster than I would have liked. I did arrive at just past 7 so it was no big deal. Bill, Bard, Jodi and Sarah were there. They are fast becoming good riding buddies. They all seem to love being outdoors - fishing, kyacking, hiking and so on. Maybe I can have them help me become a better all around outdoors enthusiast. Boy I would love to learn to kayack.
I rode the century with Bill - we really match up very well. He is faster than I am but not so much that he gets too far in front of me. He really rode strong on his first century and I hope that we can ride together more. We both rode very strong to the 50 mile turn around. I think we were averaging 18 or something thanks to a slight tailwind and coolish temps. After the turn around we slowed considerably. I died on the hills in the heat. I was glad we had the wind to keep us "cool". Okay, it was not cool at all, as the wind was a very hot wind, but it was better than no wind at all that would have left us baking in the sun. The volunteers for this ride were very gracious. It is hard to believe how many people gave up their time so we could ride with support. JMC has quit doing organized rides as they have trouble finding volunteers.
I was able to meet up with Mike and Earline Kelly. I have not seen them in years!!! They were the first people to take me under their wing and teach me to ride somewhere other than Highland Colony Parkway. I remember falling behind the group on roads that I know now like the back of my hand, but at the time I had no idea where I was. Earline was kind enough to wait up for me and she and Mike rode with me back to the car. I started riding out in Clinton with them sometime after that. And my love affair with all things cycling started. It really is amazing to think back to some of my early days of cycling. I so appreciate the Kelly's and so many others that got me started in this wonderful sport.
I also talked to Paula and Jeremy about Mountain Biking. I want to attempt it too before I plan something that would keep me from trying it out for fear I will break my arm.
Fortunately for me, Bill has a two bike carrier on the back of his car and only lives a few minutes from me. I gladly accepted a ride from him back to the house. 117.5 miles in the heat was enough for me. The neat part is that this was my 33rd ride over 100 miles this year. So, should I try to reach 50 rides over 100 before the year is out?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Last Transcon Blog Entry - I Hope You Dance
It has been very difficult to sit down and write my final words concerning the Transcon trip. I admit, I struggled with depression when I got home. I just did not want to enter back into "normal". I longed to be back on the road riding to somewhere new. I was glad to be home, but I wasn't. Even writing this blog right now I long to be riding somewhere.
That said, I am back home and life is continuing. I took it easy the first two weekends home. I kept the mileage down and increased the intensity on the second weekend. Of course, I can't stay off the bike for very long and did my first 200k yesterday.
I have struggled with having so much time on my hands. For the 16 months prior to my ride, I trained. Almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had certain drills or rides I was to accomplish. Fitting in "life" around cycling was a challenge. Fortunately, David helped (well, did everything) around the house and I made time to go shopping here and there. Now, it is hard to remember what I did before I started training. I got home last Friday after riding just a short ride with Jim and had no idea what to do next. I did go shopping, but got bored with it quick. David and I have been cooking on Sundays after church, so that has helped the non-cycling time go by. I also set up a Face book page. My, what a time waster!
It is still hard to believe that I have accomplished something like riding my bike across the United States! I am so excited that God protected us and was with us every mile of the trip. I really appreciate that He opened my eyes to see so many wonderful and beautiful sights across our great Nation. We are truly blessed. I crossed off the number 1 thing on my Life list! That is so rewarding! However, I struggled for several days not having any idea what I would do next. Fortunately, I think I have decided to ride the "Circle Tour" around Lake Michigan - unsupported. HA! I have to have an element of challenge and adventure in everything I set out to accomplish!
So, I would like to challenge each of you that have been reading this blog, to reach for your dreams. Stop making excuses. Okay, getting a month off to ride your bike across America may not be possible in your life right now, but you can start setting the foundation. I could have used two years of training to have been fast enough for this trip - but I only had 16 months. Start working toward your dream now. Get in the best physical shape possible. If money is keeping you from living your dream, start setting it aside. Give up fast food and use that to start a small savings account. You don't have time - turn off the TV! Still have kids at home? Get them involved in something involving your dream.
I have always loved the words to the song "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. These words from that song is my wish for you:
I hope that you still feel small when standing in front of an ocean. I hope that you never fear the mountains in the distance. I hope that you don't take the path of least resistance. I hope you give the heavens more than a glance. I hope that when given the chance to sit out or dance - I HOPE YOU DANCE!
That said, I am back home and life is continuing. I took it easy the first two weekends home. I kept the mileage down and increased the intensity on the second weekend. Of course, I can't stay off the bike for very long and did my first 200k yesterday.
I have struggled with having so much time on my hands. For the 16 months prior to my ride, I trained. Almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had certain drills or rides I was to accomplish. Fitting in "life" around cycling was a challenge. Fortunately, David helped (well, did everything) around the house and I made time to go shopping here and there. Now, it is hard to remember what I did before I started training. I got home last Friday after riding just a short ride with Jim and had no idea what to do next. I did go shopping, but got bored with it quick. David and I have been cooking on Sundays after church, so that has helped the non-cycling time go by. I also set up a Face book page. My, what a time waster!
It is still hard to believe that I have accomplished something like riding my bike across the United States! I am so excited that God protected us and was with us every mile of the trip. I really appreciate that He opened my eyes to see so many wonderful and beautiful sights across our great Nation. We are truly blessed. I crossed off the number 1 thing on my Life list! That is so rewarding! However, I struggled for several days not having any idea what I would do next. Fortunately, I think I have decided to ride the "Circle Tour" around Lake Michigan - unsupported. HA! I have to have an element of challenge and adventure in everything I set out to accomplish!
So, I would like to challenge each of you that have been reading this blog, to reach for your dreams. Stop making excuses. Okay, getting a month off to ride your bike across America may not be possible in your life right now, but you can start setting the foundation. I could have used two years of training to have been fast enough for this trip - but I only had 16 months. Start working toward your dream now. Get in the best physical shape possible. If money is keeping you from living your dream, start setting it aside. Give up fast food and use that to start a small savings account. You don't have time - turn off the TV! Still have kids at home? Get them involved in something involving your dream.
I have always loved the words to the song "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. These words from that song is my wish for you:
I hope that you still feel small when standing in front of an ocean. I hope that you never fear the mountains in the distance. I hope that you don't take the path of least resistance. I hope you give the heavens more than a glance. I hope that when given the chance to sit out or dance - I HOPE YOU DANCE!
Me dipping my bike in the Chesapeake Bay
Vikki, Me and Ann
The group at the finish!
Thanks for reading and supporting me as I lived my dream!
I hope you dance!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Afterwards - Day 1 Random thoughts while driving to Atlanta
I am now sitting in the car headed home via Atlanta. It is a very bittersweet trip. On one hand I am very glad to be going home, but on the other hand, I am struggling with the fact that my adventure is over. I loved every moment of this trip. Aaron Ralston, the young mountain climber who had to cut off his own arm to survive after pinning his arm against a rock once said, "Just because you are not having fun doesn't mean you aren't having fun!" Honestly, there were so few moments that I wasn't having fun and the few, I am proud to say, I was able to work through it mentally (the crying day) or jump in the van (the bad traffic day and the steep climb day). I truly enjoyed Every Fantastic Moment - one of my main goals on this trip. The first was to see America by bike and the other was to do it with a positive attitude enjoying the journey!
I succeeded! I remember how scared I was the last couple weeks before the trip. I would say that I was nervously apprehensive before the trip. I also thought that if I had "any excuse" travel insurance that I would have backed out of the trip. I worried - what if I can't do it? The return answer was what if you can? Well, I did do it and I am very pleased that I now have a large bank of memories to remember this fantastic trek.
Yes, I will do another Transcon. I am not sure when, but I figure there will be many more transcons in my future. I love touring and I love seeing the nation via a bike. You experience and live America seeing it in this manner. I will admit that I would like to do a semi-supported tour that may have to be limited to one or two states at a time. I would like to tour the state with less dependence on a set schedule and more time to visit the neat places along the way. Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota especially had so many things that I would have loved to have stopped to investigate - definitely more time at Mt Rushmore and we completely missed Yellowstone and all things Lewis & Clark. So, I will be planning state tours for the years I don't do transcons.
What were some of my favorite experiences?
Just riding every day. There were some mornings that I would have liked to have slept another hour or so, but there was never a day that I did not want to ride. Every day would be an adventure in itself and I did not want to miss it.
Dinner at night - getting to get together with a big group of other riders was one of the highlights of the day. I loved talking to each person to learn where they were from and why they came on the trip. We ended up with a fairly consistent group of dinner buddies and cutting up and joking and telling stories that would make you laugh until your stomach hurt.
Our crew was fantastic! They worked long and hard every day - even their ride days to support us. I really appreciate John Lake and Jim H for helping me get my bike put together on the first day. I will never forget Carl loading or moving bikes on the caravan during the rainstorm. He was soaking wet. Dave was the first crew member to figure out that my bike would fit on the caravan. He and Tim J both rescued me from having to walk up long steep hills. Then there was Veronica. Being roommates for a little over a week, she gave me insight into what the crew goes through - and it is hard work. I really appreciate her for anticipating my needing a sag on one of the really windy days - one of the ones that should have been easy that was actually pretty hard. I enjoyed my rides with her and was glad when she was our caravan driver. She also made the raisin toast with the most love!
The beauty around the corner - we live in a most beautiful country that changes around every corner. Seeing snow covered mountains peak out from around a bend was breath taking. Seeing the badger, prairie dogs, prong horn antelope, and even white tail deer thrilled me.
Montana was both my favorite and least favorite state. It was absolutely beautiful and we stayed on roads that paralleled the Clark fork river almost the whole time. I now have kayaking the Clark fork river on my life list! However, they were the absolutely hands down least bike friendly state. It still pisses me off that I was pulled over for not riding on the white line especially since there was not a shoulder on the road I was riding.
Did I train enough? Yes, I think I trained as much as I could during the 16 months I knew I was going to do this trip. Yes, I could have used more time to get faster, but that time did not exist. Now that I am stronger and faster (although still slow) I have a better base to continue to improve upon. My next transcon, I would like to be mid-pack fast so I would have time to take more pictures. I need to become a much better climber.
What would I change about my training?
I would have trained with more upright bikes. I think that training with the uprights would help improve my climbing skills. Or, I would have recruited another bent to train with that could have gone on the trip with me. Although Cynthia, the other bent, was on this trip, our riding styles were different and I was slower so we were not able to help each other very much.
I needed more climbing training, but I just don't think I would be able to improve on that in the time I had living in Mississippi .
What would I not change:
I am very glad I had Michelle Grainger as my coach. She understands ultra cycling and thus could anticipate what I was and would be going through.
Lon & Susan repeated that best thing for us to do was ride as many days of back to back 100+ mile days as possible. There were a bunch of these days that I sure did not want to do another 100 miles, but this was where the potential problems presented. I was able to acclimate to the heat, figure out how to handle heat rash, anticipate problems with my shoes and tires all because of the multiple days of riding. Knowing how to handle the problems before they cropped up gave me confidence that I knew how to handle them when they did. This was an area that I was very fortunate as none of the problems I thought I would have ever happened to an extent that I could not handle it.
Crossing with PAC Tour - yes, they advertise that they are the hardest touring company in America - and I believe it. Yes, I probably could have ridden every mile with America by Bike, but Lon and Susan know what they are doing and care. To see Susan in action shopping for what we would like at Wal-Mart or picking up fresh fruit at a road side stand I know she has the riders best interest at heart and wants to provide us with anything that would make us have a better trip. Lon is the same way. He can fix anything or suggest a better way to go about doing something. I will find it very difficult to do another Transcon without it being a PAC tour.
Something that I realized on this trip that I will take with me through the rest of my life is that "it is never all downhill from here"! You hear the phrase, "it is all downhill from here" sometimes as an assurance and sometimes as a joke. I convinced myself on several days that it was going to be all downhill or that a particular day would be easy based on its profile. The trip and life is never all downhill. This is not to be pessimistic, but just realistic and I am really glad that it isn't all easy or that it isn't everything that we expect. The Mt Rushmore day, I truly thought was going to be very hard to the monument and then literally all down hill from there to the motel. Boy was I wrong! The climbing was some of the hardest of the trip for me. The next day we were supposed to have the same climbing over 145 miles as we did on the 45 mile day. I just knew that it would be an easy day! Once again, I was very wrong. That day was hotter than previous days plus we were battling a decent cross wind most of the day. The next day should have been easier, but that was the grasshopper day. Needless to say, that day was not all downhill! On the other hand, we had days that should have been much harder than what they ended up being. So, I learned to judge a day as potentially difficult and not to set my expectations unrealistically. I am also glad that the days weren't easy. I really enjoy the challenge and my blog/life would be boring without the occasional grasshopper story! I want to remember this as I go forward in life to respect each day and its individual adventures regardless of whether the day is uphill, downhill or full of little bumps!
Stay around another day as we will be driving to Jackson tomorrow. No telling what will cross my mind while we continue our drive home...
I succeeded! I remember how scared I was the last couple weeks before the trip. I would say that I was nervously apprehensive before the trip. I also thought that if I had "any excuse" travel insurance that I would have backed out of the trip. I worried - what if I can't do it? The return answer was what if you can? Well, I did do it and I am very pleased that I now have a large bank of memories to remember this fantastic trek.
Yes, I will do another Transcon. I am not sure when, but I figure there will be many more transcons in my future. I love touring and I love seeing the nation via a bike. You experience and live America seeing it in this manner. I will admit that I would like to do a semi-supported tour that may have to be limited to one or two states at a time. I would like to tour the state with less dependence on a set schedule and more time to visit the neat places along the way. Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota especially had so many things that I would have loved to have stopped to investigate - definitely more time at Mt Rushmore and we completely missed Yellowstone and all things Lewis & Clark. So, I will be planning state tours for the years I don't do transcons.
What were some of my favorite experiences?
Just riding every day. There were some mornings that I would have liked to have slept another hour or so, but there was never a day that I did not want to ride. Every day would be an adventure in itself and I did not want to miss it.
Dinner at night - getting to get together with a big group of other riders was one of the highlights of the day. I loved talking to each person to learn where they were from and why they came on the trip. We ended up with a fairly consistent group of dinner buddies and cutting up and joking and telling stories that would make you laugh until your stomach hurt.
Our crew was fantastic! They worked long and hard every day - even their ride days to support us. I really appreciate John Lake and Jim H for helping me get my bike put together on the first day. I will never forget Carl loading or moving bikes on the caravan during the rainstorm. He was soaking wet. Dave was the first crew member to figure out that my bike would fit on the caravan. He and Tim J both rescued me from having to walk up long steep hills. Then there was Veronica. Being roommates for a little over a week, she gave me insight into what the crew goes through - and it is hard work. I really appreciate her for anticipating my needing a sag on one of the really windy days - one of the ones that should have been easy that was actually pretty hard. I enjoyed my rides with her and was glad when she was our caravan driver. She also made the raisin toast with the most love!
The beauty around the corner - we live in a most beautiful country that changes around every corner. Seeing snow covered mountains peak out from around a bend was breath taking. Seeing the badger, prairie dogs, prong horn antelope, and even white tail deer thrilled me.
Montana was both my favorite and least favorite state. It was absolutely beautiful and we stayed on roads that paralleled the Clark fork river almost the whole time. I now have kayaking the Clark fork river on my life list! However, they were the absolutely hands down least bike friendly state. It still pisses me off that I was pulled over for not riding on the white line especially since there was not a shoulder on the road I was riding.
Did I train enough? Yes, I think I trained as much as I could during the 16 months I knew I was going to do this trip. Yes, I could have used more time to get faster, but that time did not exist. Now that I am stronger and faster (although still slow) I have a better base to continue to improve upon. My next transcon, I would like to be mid-pack fast so I would have time to take more pictures. I need to become a much better climber.
What would I change about my training?
I would have trained with more upright bikes. I think that training with the uprights would help improve my climbing skills. Or, I would have recruited another bent to train with that could have gone on the trip with me. Although Cynthia, the other bent, was on this trip, our riding styles were different and I was slower so we were not able to help each other very much.
I needed more climbing training, but I just don't think I would be able to improve on that in the time I had living in Mississippi .
What would I not change:
I am very glad I had Michelle Grainger as my coach. She understands ultra cycling and thus could anticipate what I was and would be going through.
Lon & Susan repeated that best thing for us to do was ride as many days of back to back 100+ mile days as possible. There were a bunch of these days that I sure did not want to do another 100 miles, but this was where the potential problems presented. I was able to acclimate to the heat, figure out how to handle heat rash, anticipate problems with my shoes and tires all because of the multiple days of riding. Knowing how to handle the problems before they cropped up gave me confidence that I knew how to handle them when they did. This was an area that I was very fortunate as none of the problems I thought I would have ever happened to an extent that I could not handle it.
Crossing with PAC Tour - yes, they advertise that they are the hardest touring company in America - and I believe it. Yes, I probably could have ridden every mile with America by Bike, but Lon and Susan know what they are doing and care. To see Susan in action shopping for what we would like at Wal-Mart or picking up fresh fruit at a road side stand I know she has the riders best interest at heart and wants to provide us with anything that would make us have a better trip. Lon is the same way. He can fix anything or suggest a better way to go about doing something. I will find it very difficult to do another Transcon without it being a PAC tour.
Something that I realized on this trip that I will take with me through the rest of my life is that "it is never all downhill from here"! You hear the phrase, "it is all downhill from here" sometimes as an assurance and sometimes as a joke. I convinced myself on several days that it was going to be all downhill or that a particular day would be easy based on its profile. The trip and life is never all downhill. This is not to be pessimistic, but just realistic and I am really glad that it isn't all easy or that it isn't everything that we expect. The Mt Rushmore day, I truly thought was going to be very hard to the monument and then literally all down hill from there to the motel. Boy was I wrong! The climbing was some of the hardest of the trip for me. The next day we were supposed to have the same climbing over 145 miles as we did on the 45 mile day. I just knew that it would be an easy day! Once again, I was very wrong. That day was hotter than previous days plus we were battling a decent cross wind most of the day. The next day should have been easier, but that was the grasshopper day. Needless to say, that day was not all downhill! On the other hand, we had days that should have been much harder than what they ended up being. So, I learned to judge a day as potentially difficult and not to set my expectations unrealistically. I am also glad that the days weren't easy. I really enjoy the challenge and my blog/life would be boring without the occasional grasshopper story! I want to remember this as I go forward in life to respect each day and its individual adventures regardless of whether the day is uphill, downhill or full of little bumps!
Stay around another day as we will be driving to Jackson tomorrow. No telling what will cross my mind while we continue our drive home...
Monday, August 9, 2010
Day 30 - The Finish Line
If your dreams don't scare you they are not big enough! This quote is from Spencer Klaassen in his write up of his Pony Express bike trip. Yes, my dream scared me, but just a few hours ago all the hard work and discipline paid its dividends!
Today I walked in the sand and into Chesapeake Bay (or a river that leads to the bay) with my bike held high in my hands capping off the greatest 30 day experience of my life. It is hard to believe that:
1. I actually rode my bike across the United States
2. The ride is over
The day started like all others except that David was my roommate! He took my bag out to the car instead of me having to load it in the van. I originally believed that I would be able to ride leisurely to the meeting point and everyone would wait for the last rider to arrive and then head to the beach. I was mistaken! We were given a 12 noon time. The fast guys would have to wait and us slower riders would have to get there at the appointed time or be left out of the final processional. So, leisurely, it was not!
It was still on the darkish side at the ride start and very humid. I would still have to say it was on the coolish side though. My goal was just to keep someone in site and not get dropped too far back. Although I have embraced being the last one in or the first one sagged, I did not want to be too far back today. I was basically time trialling the ride. There were times that I was breathing heavier today than any other day of the trip. The road was pretty decent rolling hills - just a few 5-6% rollers. I was able to catch up with Cynthia and Jenae and ride with them some, but
lost them at the second sag. I did leave before a couple others, but I knew that they would most likely catch up with me before arriving at the meeting point. That is when my cue sheet navigation skills came in handy. For what ever reason, several of the groups of riders started making odd route choices. I knew I was following the cue sheet so I just kept going. At least 3 different groups made wrong directional choices. So with 10 miles left to go, I knew I was not going to be last if I kept up my 15.5 mph pace! Whoo Hoo!
The processional was awesome! We lined up 2 abreast and rode 4 miles to the beach! A lot of the cars passing would honk encouragingly at us as we passed by (you can tell the happy honks from the mean honks). It helped that we were all in our matching jerseys! Susan had a banner and tape for us to break as we entered the beach area! We had arrived! It only took a matter of minutes before we had taken off our socks and shoes and were trotting out to the bay with our bikes hoisted above our heads - or just cradled in our arms!
I did it - I rode my bike across the United States!
Many people say a trip like this changes you. I am not sure how I have changed, but it may surface along the way. I do know that I have a deeper affection for the United States and its vast differences from region to region. I will always remember the beauty we cycled through and the strong friendships forged over the last 30 days
Okay, now for the f word! No, not that f word - Flats! I became obsessed with tires and tire performance right before I left for the trip. I had experienced 3 catastrophic blowouts using Serfa tires before leaving. I liked them because I could change them easily by myself. The other tires that fit my rims were much harder to change and it would take me 30 minutes or more to change them. I purchased 8 heavy duty, not to mention expensive tires, for the trip. HAHA - I had one flat!! ONE!! I am still laughing about it! It was on a Serfa tire with 600 miles on it. I was only 2 miles away from the hotel, so I changed the tube out on the side of the road and then changed the tire again once I was in the parking lot of the hotel. I was now using Continental 4000s. Two days later, I change my other Serfa out for a Conti 4000 and I will never use Serfas again. The Contis have over 2000 miles on them and they still look brand new! Yes, they are harder to change, but they are fantastic on the road. Some people were not as lucky. Bob Lewis had 7 flats total, Ann had 5, Jeanae had a double catastrophic flat.
Injuries - we were very lucky in that department. Last year on the tour they had 3 people fall and break hips. We just had a hand full of minor accidents. On the second day, we had 3 people go down in about the same spot at completely different times. Apparently, there were rumble strips hidden in shadows and that caused the 3 guys to go down. A sore shoulder and road rash were the results. I think we also had 4 more accidents caused by something in the road clipping a persons tire and taking them down. The results of these were also road rash. So, we were very fortunate that no one was hurt any more than this.
My issues - was I very lucky in this department. "Issues" were the main reason I changed to the recumbent to begin with. The last two tours I did I either cut my thumb or got a blister on it. Not this trip! While we were in South Dakota I developed my regular heat rash on my quads - it went away after two days. Also during this time, I developed a very nasty heat rash on my back. At first it completely covered my sports bra area and burned very badly. After a few days it landed just across my mid back region and stayed there. It still itches, but with Gold Bond powder, it continues to improve. My tendon in my big toe hurt for a couple days. And that is it. The body is a very amazing thing. I made it through 30 days of cycling with no problems what so ever.
What worked: Food wise, steak and potatoes. I rode my best after eating a good portion of red meat and potatoes and a salad. I also did well with grilled pork chops. The pasta nights left me too hungry to ride the next day with any energy.
What worked: physically - massages! At first I planned on getting them only once every 4 days, but then I found out how well they really work and got one every other day. Jon would massage my quads, glutes and i t bands mostly and I would ride so much stronger and without general muscle soreness the next day.
What worked: bike food - Hammer rules. 3 scoops of SE and 1 scoop of Heed at every rest stop. Also electrolytes, Endurance Amino and Anti-fatigue caps regularly. I am now sick of bananas and pay days, but I would eat at least one banana a day and a pay day about every other. My favorite afternoon snack was Lays Stacks - they are just like pringles and I loved them.
About to go to dinner will post more later!
Today I walked in the sand and into Chesapeake Bay (or a river that leads to the bay) with my bike held high in my hands capping off the greatest 30 day experience of my life. It is hard to believe that:
1. I actually rode my bike across the United States
2. The ride is over
The day started like all others except that David was my roommate! He took my bag out to the car instead of me having to load it in the van. I originally believed that I would be able to ride leisurely to the meeting point and everyone would wait for the last rider to arrive and then head to the beach. I was mistaken! We were given a 12 noon time. The fast guys would have to wait and us slower riders would have to get there at the appointed time or be left out of the final processional. So, leisurely, it was not!
It was still on the darkish side at the ride start and very humid. I would still have to say it was on the coolish side though. My goal was just to keep someone in site and not get dropped too far back. Although I have embraced being the last one in or the first one sagged, I did not want to be too far back today. I was basically time trialling the ride. There were times that I was breathing heavier today than any other day of the trip. The road was pretty decent rolling hills - just a few 5-6% rollers. I was able to catch up with Cynthia and Jenae and ride with them some, but
lost them at the second sag. I did leave before a couple others, but I knew that they would most likely catch up with me before arriving at the meeting point. That is when my cue sheet navigation skills came in handy. For what ever reason, several of the groups of riders started making odd route choices. I knew I was following the cue sheet so I just kept going. At least 3 different groups made wrong directional choices. So with 10 miles left to go, I knew I was not going to be last if I kept up my 15.5 mph pace! Whoo Hoo!
The processional was awesome! We lined up 2 abreast and rode 4 miles to the beach! A lot of the cars passing would honk encouragingly at us as we passed by (you can tell the happy honks from the mean honks). It helped that we were all in our matching jerseys! Susan had a banner and tape for us to break as we entered the beach area! We had arrived! It only took a matter of minutes before we had taken off our socks and shoes and were trotting out to the bay with our bikes hoisted above our heads - or just cradled in our arms!
I did it - I rode my bike across the United States!
Many people say a trip like this changes you. I am not sure how I have changed, but it may surface along the way. I do know that I have a deeper affection for the United States and its vast differences from region to region. I will always remember the beauty we cycled through and the strong friendships forged over the last 30 days
Okay, now for the f word! No, not that f word - Flats! I became obsessed with tires and tire performance right before I left for the trip. I had experienced 3 catastrophic blowouts using Serfa tires before leaving. I liked them because I could change them easily by myself. The other tires that fit my rims were much harder to change and it would take me 30 minutes or more to change them. I purchased 8 heavy duty, not to mention expensive tires, for the trip. HAHA - I had one flat!! ONE!! I am still laughing about it! It was on a Serfa tire with 600 miles on it. I was only 2 miles away from the hotel, so I changed the tube out on the side of the road and then changed the tire again once I was in the parking lot of the hotel. I was now using Continental 4000s. Two days later, I change my other Serfa out for a Conti 4000 and I will never use Serfas again. The Contis have over 2000 miles on them and they still look brand new! Yes, they are harder to change, but they are fantastic on the road. Some people were not as lucky. Bob Lewis had 7 flats total, Ann had 5, Jeanae had a double catastrophic flat.
Injuries - we were very lucky in that department. Last year on the tour they had 3 people fall and break hips. We just had a hand full of minor accidents. On the second day, we had 3 people go down in about the same spot at completely different times. Apparently, there were rumble strips hidden in shadows and that caused the 3 guys to go down. A sore shoulder and road rash were the results. I think we also had 4 more accidents caused by something in the road clipping a persons tire and taking them down. The results of these were also road rash. So, we were very fortunate that no one was hurt any more than this.
My issues - was I very lucky in this department. "Issues" were the main reason I changed to the recumbent to begin with. The last two tours I did I either cut my thumb or got a blister on it. Not this trip! While we were in South Dakota I developed my regular heat rash on my quads - it went away after two days. Also during this time, I developed a very nasty heat rash on my back. At first it completely covered my sports bra area and burned very badly. After a few days it landed just across my mid back region and stayed there. It still itches, but with Gold Bond powder, it continues to improve. My tendon in my big toe hurt for a couple days. And that is it. The body is a very amazing thing. I made it through 30 days of cycling with no problems what so ever.
What worked: Food wise, steak and potatoes. I rode my best after eating a good portion of red meat and potatoes and a salad. I also did well with grilled pork chops. The pasta nights left me too hungry to ride the next day with any energy.
What worked: physically - massages! At first I planned on getting them only once every 4 days, but then I found out how well they really work and got one every other day. Jon would massage my quads, glutes and i t bands mostly and I would ride so much stronger and without general muscle soreness the next day.
What worked: bike food - Hammer rules. 3 scoops of SE and 1 scoop of Heed at every rest stop. Also electrolytes, Endurance Amino and Anti-fatigue caps regularly. I am now sick of bananas and pay days, but I would eat at least one banana a day and a pay day about every other. My favorite afternoon snack was Lays Stacks - they are just like pringles and I loved them.
About to go to dinner will post more later!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Day 29 - Can you believe it?
Wow! LOL! Yes, I am using Wow again! It was a great day today. There were moments - brief ones, when I really wanted to get off the bike, but as the odometer ticked off mile 100, I was very glad I was still on the bike. I can almost smell the ocean in Williamsburg!
I woke up before the alarm went off this morning. As I laid in bed, I was thinking about todays ride. I really wanted to ride the whole route, but we were going to be climbing over the blue ridge parkway which meant 2000 ft of climbing in the first 27 miles. I wasn't sure how steep the climb would be but it looked like the climb would be about 7 miles and "steeper climbing" was the description for about 4 of the miles. So, I could attempt the climb and if I fell behind, I would get sagged along an easier section that I could have enjoyed or I could sag right off the bat. So, I decided to sag right off the bat.
Once again, the morning was cool. I can't believe our blessing with our weather. It was perfect. As the rest of the country broiled in 100+ temps, we have pedaled along in cosy comfort. It rained twice for less than 3 hours. Yes, it was a down pour both times with cyclist scattering thunder and lightening, but it wasn't an all day miseralble rain. Yes, it got hot - once or twice, but nothing like the 97+ degree 100% humidity of Texas on my last traing rides there. We have truely been blessed with good weather!
Fortunately for me, Dave was the crew member in the caravan. He dropped me off at the top of the climb so I could practice my now pretty decent descending skills. PAC Tour's motto is "making good cyclist better" or in my case "making mediocre cyclists good" (that is pretty funny!) and they have certainly made me better at descending, riding a straight line, riding in heavy traffic, fixing my rear deraileur, being organized and gosh, probably a whole lot of other things. The first 7 miles were in the Shenadoah National Forest again. The tree line roads were very beautiful and very cold as I was descending at 30 mph. The next 93 miles were not so pretty.
For my local cycling friends, the picture is easy to paint. Take Livingston/Lake Cavalier road for those of you who live in Madison or take Shiloh road for those of you in Brandon and double the hills in length and ride it over and over and over for 93 miles and that was todays ride! So, we have houses of various ages and various need for repair spaced farther apart than a neighborhood but closer together than the farms of the previous days. So, not much to look at. The draw for the day however, was the almost perfectly asphalted pavement. The traffic was at times heavier than I would have liked, but the road surface for 95% of the day was pristine! Gotta love Lon for finding these back roads!
I did get to ride with Susan C today for a few miles. We were reminiscing about the first few days of the trip. It is hard to believe that it is almost over. Everett seems so far away, yet it seems like we were there yesterday.
The other great thing about the day was having David waiting for me at the motel when I got in. It is nice to have him as my room mate tonight - sorry Vikki - at least you can put your bag on the extra bed! I know I will cross the country again one day in the future, I just don't want to be away from David for 30 days the next time I do it!
Tomorrow is the big day - we will leave for Williamsburg early and then have our dinner and after dinner program. I will have seen America from Washington to Virginia in 30 days. It is really hard to believe that I have accomplished my dream! Please just don't let me wake up tomorrow and realize that I still work for NS2 and it is still 2009!
I woke up before the alarm went off this morning. As I laid in bed, I was thinking about todays ride. I really wanted to ride the whole route, but we were going to be climbing over the blue ridge parkway which meant 2000 ft of climbing in the first 27 miles. I wasn't sure how steep the climb would be but it looked like the climb would be about 7 miles and "steeper climbing" was the description for about 4 of the miles. So, I could attempt the climb and if I fell behind, I would get sagged along an easier section that I could have enjoyed or I could sag right off the bat. So, I decided to sag right off the bat.
Once again, the morning was cool. I can't believe our blessing with our weather. It was perfect. As the rest of the country broiled in 100+ temps, we have pedaled along in cosy comfort. It rained twice for less than 3 hours. Yes, it was a down pour both times with cyclist scattering thunder and lightening, but it wasn't an all day miseralble rain. Yes, it got hot - once or twice, but nothing like the 97+ degree 100% humidity of Texas on my last traing rides there. We have truely been blessed with good weather!
Fortunately for me, Dave was the crew member in the caravan. He dropped me off at the top of the climb so I could practice my now pretty decent descending skills. PAC Tour's motto is "making good cyclist better" or in my case "making mediocre cyclists good" (that is pretty funny!) and they have certainly made me better at descending, riding a straight line, riding in heavy traffic, fixing my rear deraileur, being organized and gosh, probably a whole lot of other things. The first 7 miles were in the Shenadoah National Forest again. The tree line roads were very beautiful and very cold as I was descending at 30 mph. The next 93 miles were not so pretty.
For my local cycling friends, the picture is easy to paint. Take Livingston/Lake Cavalier road for those of you who live in Madison or take Shiloh road for those of you in Brandon and double the hills in length and ride it over and over and over for 93 miles and that was todays ride! So, we have houses of various ages and various need for repair spaced farther apart than a neighborhood but closer together than the farms of the previous days. So, not much to look at. The draw for the day however, was the almost perfectly asphalted pavement. The traffic was at times heavier than I would have liked, but the road surface for 95% of the day was pristine! Gotta love Lon for finding these back roads!
I did get to ride with Susan C today for a few miles. We were reminiscing about the first few days of the trip. It is hard to believe that it is almost over. Everett seems so far away, yet it seems like we were there yesterday.
The other great thing about the day was having David waiting for me at the motel when I got in. It is nice to have him as my room mate tonight - sorry Vikki - at least you can put your bag on the extra bed! I know I will cross the country again one day in the future, I just don't want to be away from David for 30 days the next time I do it!
Tomorrow is the big day - we will leave for Williamsburg early and then have our dinner and after dinner program. I will have seen America from Washington to Virginia in 30 days. It is really hard to believe that I have accomplished my dream! Please just don't let me wake up tomorrow and realize that I still work for NS2 and it is still 2009!
Top of the Blue Ridge Parkway in VA - where I started my ride today!
Barn of the day
So, is it Bum Pass VA or is Bump Ass VA?
Oh yeah, there was some corn on the route today too - only a couple days break from it. BTW, since I just rode across the US, I noticed corn and soy beans. So where are the rest of the vegatables grown?
Tomorrow we will ride to Williamsburg, VA and all I can say is Wow!
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