Monday, February 21, 2011

Bicycle for Life 400K Brevet 2/19/11

We'd dealt with snow flurries on the 200K, sleet on the 300K, and an all-day cold rain on the 600K. It was about time for some warm weather and sunshine, and that's just what we got this weekend for a 400K ride to complete my second Super Randonneur series!

A good sized field lining up for the start.

Geof managed to get a rare Saturday off work to come ride with us, so we drove together to Lumberton for the start. We were a bit behind schedule, arriving just 20 minutes before 7am and hustling to get prepared to ride. I must be getting good at that, because the only thing I forgot was the earbuds for my iPhone! There were a lot of riders this weekend, and the course kept most everybody together until the 300K mark. Early in the ride I was having a great time with the large group and I shot this sunrise video:



Including myself I count 34 folks in this group. There were a couple up the road and some folks off the back, but this was the main peloton. At one point during the early miles- I think it might have been Milk Dairy Rd.- we made a turn onto a really rough stretch of pavement. The vibrations were really giving all the bikes a good shakedown, making sure everyone's accessories were firmly attached. Someone near the front lost a blinkie light, which shattered into many sharp plastic shards on the road and everyone tried hard to avoid it. I was in mid-sentence talking to Tim when his cue sheet jumped ship and he pulled out of line to retrieve it. I also saw Geof pull off to the right, but I wasn't sure why. Turns out he had run over the plastic shards and sliced his rear tire. The thought of stopping with Geof crossed my mind, but I figured he and Tim would catch up quickly and I wasn't sure I'd be able to hang onto their wheels if I stopped with them, so I just stuck with the group. Unfortunately they had longer stops than I had guessed, and I wouldn't see Tim and Geof again until the 300K point back in Lumberton!

At the first controle in Wagram it became clear that this was not going to be one of those relaxed brevets like we'd been having in the recent cold winter weather. The combination of sun, warmth, and a large group meant the short-stop controle competition was ON. I flipped my cue sheet, got my card signed, and downed a fizzy caffeine drink and saw most of the 400K folks I knew rolling on down the road. I had chugged the drink a bit too fast, but had to get going and catch them anyway. It kept getting warmer and they kept getting faster, but I was feeling ok and not having too much trouble keeping up. County line sprints were being contested, which also served to whip the pace up from time to time. This route has a bit more rolling terrain than the routes we'd been riding south of Lumberton on the previous two brevets, so mainly I was having trouble with the speed was on the uphills. At one point I was second in line when we hit a small climb and I just couldn't hold the wheel of the guy on the front, so I had to pull off. I felt bad about shirking my turn in the wind, so once the road leveled out I went back up to the front to put in a bit of a token effort to make up for it.

At the second controle in Ellerbe there was once again the mad dash competition to be the first in line to get the cards signed. I had a hard time even finding a place to park the bike- sorry Joel for snagging your spot! I ran through my to-do list quickly once again: cue sheet flipped, card signed, fluids topped off, and I removed my vest and warmers. This time I was ready to go before the rest of the group so I figured I'd roll on out and they'd catch me soon enough. I got my cadence up and found my rhythm, and soon I was felling really good. It's amazing the difference between trying to match someone else's pace and being able to just ride within my limits. I was slower on the uphills, and I'd see the group closing the gap up to me, but then at the tops of the hills I'd get my speed back up and pull away again. If I'd been at the back of the group I would probably have been dropped on the uphills and then pushed myself too hard afterward trying to bridge back up to the group. Eventually Jerry flew off the front and came up to tell me to slow down and ride with the group! I'm really starting to think that riding alone and within my limits is less tiring than killing myself in a fast group, even though I don't get the benefit of the draft. While I was still feeling good I jumped into a county line sprint and actually had the strength to pull ahead and win! The line was right at a rough bridge crossing, so I didn't dare give the ride-no-handed salute... crashing after winning a CL sprint makes you lose lots of cool points, and I don't have many to spare.

Soon the rolling terrain and trying to keep up with the pack was taking it's toll on me, but just in time we came upon Tony parked along the roadside with cold drinks and Subway. The food was just the ticket I needed, and I stuck with the others all the way through Pinehurst and Southern Pines- a beautiful scenic ride that we all enjoyed immensely. At about the 95 mile mark I got gapped off the back on an uphill and I just let them go. I had 20 miles to go till the next controle at Spring Lake and I knew that yo-yoing off the back would wear me out more than just spinning it out. I had a great tailwind the whole way through Ft. Bragg, riding through deserted pine forest all alone. When I got to Spring Lake John O. was still there, not wanting to try to stay with the group that had already left. I ran through my checklist quickly, but while my back was turned John and Joel took off!

Tony set up a lunch rest stop for us on route!

I decided to go catch them, and lucky for me they weren't in hammer mode. When I got them in sight I could tell they were just spinning along, riding side-by-side and chatting almost as if they were waiting for me. We rode together for quite awhile, but eventually I just had to ride my own pace. John stuck with me and we rolled into the Erwin controle together. We had a nice relaxing stop, and I went ahead and put on my reflective sash and put my arm warmers back on to prepare for the darkness that would descend during the next 58 mile stretch back to Lumberton. John was great about sticking with me, even though I was slowing him down. Just outside of Fayetteville we were caught by a group of three and we tagged along with them for a bit. There was a turn off of Middle Rd. onto Dunn Rd, and for some reason we all misread the cue sheet and thought we were entering the town of Dunn, NC. At a crossroads we spotted a Baldino's Subs and John and I decided to stop while the rest went on ahead. One day I'll have to try a Baldino's sub again to see if they really taste as good as this one did after 165 miles on the bike! While we were stopped I put my leg warmers back on and put fresh batteries in my headlamp. I also texted Geof to tell him we were in Dunn! We wondered why there were officers from the Fayetteville Police Dept. having dinner at the sub shop in Dunn, but we still didn't put 2 and 2 together.

John enjoys one of the best subs ever made.

When we were getting ready to roll we spotted a couple of riders who were lost, having turned back after going into downtown Fayetteville and not finding the next left turn on Franklin St. They took off before we were ready to follow, but once we were back on the road we discovered what they were talking about. We missed Franklin St. and took a little tour of downtown Fayetteville before finally backtracking and finding the route again. Luckily the delays had worked to our advantage and a group of 3 riders including Ian H. caught up to us at a stoplight. The five of us stayed together all the way to Lumberton, trading off turns at the front and adjusting our speed so no one was getting left behind. It's always nice to stick together after dark. This was my second long ride with the new headlight and once again I was very impressed. The B+M IQ CYO N light is very bright and it's beam is nice and even. In our party of 5 I had the brightest light. I don't notice any drag from the Shimano dyno-hub even though I know there is a small amount. The only problem is that now I'm the one blasting others from behind, casting long shadows on the road in front of them. It makes them want to stick me on the front in the wind!

Back in Lumberton we had 300K done. Tony had pizza and cold drinks waiting for us at the Super 8 and we stopped for a rest. Ian had a shower and got in bed, needing to get some sleep before heading out again on the 1000K. I started getting cryptic texts from Geof, who I hadn't seen since his puncture in the early morning. He said "6 miles away" but my last text to him said we were in Dunn (Fayetteville!) so I didn't know if he meant 6 miles from there or what. I texted him "we're in Lumberton" and he replied "3pm." Now you have to understand that it was 9:30pm and after nearly 200 miles in the saddle your mind just doesn't work right. Anyway, Geof's texts made no sense to me so I texted him "pink fluffy bunny slippers" and he didn't reply. Turns out he had meant 3mi, not 3pm so he was just 3 miles from Lumberton. He and Tim had skipped dinner and ridden straight through. They were ready for a long stop and some pizza.

John was ready to get going, and I wanted to go too, but I also wanted to ride with Geof and Tim so I waited. While I was having another slice I overheard rider named Mike having a somber conversation with Tony, it sounded like he was thinking of abandoning. I heard Tony advising him to take a break and ice his knee- plenty of time left so no need to make a hasty decision. A little while later I asked him which ride he was doing and he told me the 400K. I too suffer from knee pain when I push too hard on these long rides, so I suggested that we ride together and spin easy gears for the last 100K. I thought that Geof and Tim might go faster than I wanted to and that it would be nice to have some company on the dark roads in the wee hours of the morning. That turned out to be another one of those great rando decisions- Col. Mike is excellent company on the road, and he was telling me about his job at the Pentagon and describing the intricacies of the Russian language to me! Too bad my mind wasn't working better or I might have been able to retain some of that knowledge.

Geof and Tim didn't stage a breakaway, so we four stayed together for the whole last 100K to Clarkton and back. As we rode down Hwy 211 we passed a mobile home with 6 or 8 dogs in plastic pet carriers and cages out in the yard- gotta love North Carolina. This was just after Midnight and the residents were out in the yard drinking. The dogs got all riled up and barking and that got the rednecks all riled up and barking, and next thing you know they ran out into the road behind us yelling and screaming "don't come back here again" and whatnot. Of course this was on the way out to Clarkton, so we had to come back that way in about 20 miles or so! We tried to warn other riders as we saw them on their way back, but I'm not sure if others had the same experience we did or not.

When we arrived in Clarkton there were 2 convenience stores and there was some confusion about which was supposed to be the controle. One store had a police car with it's blue lights on in the parking lot, so when the question "which store?" came up the quick answer was "how 'bout the one that's NOT getting robbed??" Of course, that turned out to be the only one that was open. I had a coffee and sat down on the curb, the cold concrete actually felt good since by now my saddle and I were no longer on speaking terms. The weather had turned a good bit colder than predicted, and I was not the only one who was wishing they'd brought more layers. I'd brought the windvest but left the sleeves, and I could've used my glove liners to add to the DeFeet gloves, but other than that I was doing ok. We rolled on for the last 30 miles of the ride, past the rednecks, who yelled at us again. The one consolation was that at least they were drinking at home and not out driving around with us.

We saw other riders on their way out as we were headed back in, some were 400K'ers who had taken a nap, some were 600K'ers, and then when we were almost back we saw Ian on his way out on the next leg of his 1000K journey. We rolled into the Super 8 at almost 3:30am cold, tired, and hungry and Tony had more pizza. I congratulated Tim- he and I both completed our Super Randonneur series with this ride. It felt good to be done, and great to get back into street clothes. Geof and I went to the Waffle House for some food and some much needed coffee before getting on the road. It was a great ride!



Ignore the long, straight track leading from Lumberton to Clayton- when I turned my Garmin on at the start of Sunday's Cyclepaths ride it figured I'd teleported... :-)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Mule Pullin' and a Showdown

I could still feel last week's 600K in my legs as I rolled from my house to the start of Dean's Benson Mule Pull 100K permanent populaire on Saturday morning. After a quick espresso and a saddle adjustment at Swift Creek Coffee I got going just a few minutes after 10am. The temp was in the mid-40's and warming, so once I did the first little climb on Rand Rd. I was unzipping my wind vest and after the climb up Barber Bridge Rd. the vest came off. I made good time to the controle at the Grocery Boy Jr. and then got back on the road to Benson.

I could tell by the flags and whatnot that I was making good time due to a tailwind, but I chose to ignore that fact until later when I'd have to deal with it head-on. Meanwhile I just enjoyed the ride. At the turnaround in Benson I had a quick snack and a fizzy drink and then got down to business fighting the headwind to get back to Garner. It had warmed up to above 60 degrees, and it was quite nice to be out in pleasant temperatures for a change. I stopped at the Grocery Boy again, and then one more stop to take a couple of pictures. Got back to Swift Creek Coffee at about 3:15 for a time of 5hr. 15min.



On Sunday I met Martin for a 7am start to MikeD's Showdown at Black Creek 200K. I've ridden with Martin quite a few times, usually just for the first few miles of a brevet until I'm off chasing the fast guys. Martin's smarter than that! I was looking forward to spending more time on the road hearing his stories about the Irregulars group that I've read about on his blog.

Even though the forecast called for nice temperatures later in the day it was pretty cold at the start, something like 30 degrees. It warmed up pretty quickly though, and soon we were spinning along and trading stories on a beautiful sunny day that felt more like spring than the dead of winter! At the first county line we had a joke sprint, but the sprints got more serious after that.

The only bad thing about the nice temperatures was that it seemed to bring out all the loose dogs. I actually witnessed Martin unclip, kick a dog with his left foot while still pedaling with the right! That's pure talent there, folks. Too bad I couldn't shoot a video of it- I was squirting another dog with my waterbottle at the time!

We made good time to the turnaround in Black Creek, and Mike was right that the store would be closed. We answered the info controle question and had a snack while I made yet another minor adjustment to my saddle position. This turned out to be the last adjustment it needed, once we got back on the road I could tell that I'd finally gotten the Swift into it's sweet spot.

At the last controle we each had a slice of pizza and a nice long stop, then got back on the bikes to get it done. Just as I had the day before, we were fighting the headwinds on the return trip so we took turns pulling. Back in Youngsville we started to hit a few hills. I would get a lead on the uphill, then Martin would pass me on the downhill side.

I'd done well in the county line sprints up to this point, but when we approached the Wake County line Martin caught me sleeping. Once I realized it was coming up I tried to close the gap, but just couldn't do it. Nice strategery Martin!

We got back to the McDonald's at the finish at 5:28pm for a total time of 10hr. 28min. Even if we hadn't started almost 20 min late that's a respectable time! I had a blast riding with Martin, and I'm sure he has plenty more road stories for next time!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Bicycle for Life Lumberton 600K 2/5/11

I know, I know... The 400K was supposed to be next. When I saw the group that was forming to ride the first US 600K of the year I just couldn't resist. Mark Thomas, president of RUSA was flying in from Seattle and bringing his friend Joe. Mike Dayton, Tim Lucas, Joel Lawrence, Jimmy Williams, John Ende, Ian Hands, and Steven Andreaus rounded out a stellar crew of Randos. Who cares that the weather was supposed to be cold and rainy- I was in!

We lined up in the wet parking lot of the Super 8 in Lumberton at 7:30am, ready for a long, wet ride. It wasn't raining at the start, but it wasn't long before the sky opened up. I had fitted the LeMond with fenders in anticipation of the wet weather, and I'm glad I did- they keep a lot of dirty road water off your feet, your bike, and your back! This was also to be my first ride with my new Shimano dynamo-hub wheel and B+M IQ CYO light, and I must say that being able to run an extremely bright light constantly all day and night in the rain without ever needing to change batteries was wonderful.

We rode with the 200K, 300K, and 400K riders for the first bit. I know the 300Kers including John O. had to stop for a controle in Ammon while we pedaled on. I don't remember if the 400K folks were with us after that or not. On a ride that long, a lot of it becomes a bit of a blur! Sorry there aren't any pictures from this first part on Saturday, my camera was taking refuge inside 2 ziplock baggies in my handlebar bag. I did manage to get it out to shoot one video during a lull in the rain:



At our first controle stop at Roseboro I had just finished my to-do list when some of the other folks started leaving. The running joke all weekend was the phrase "I'll just soft-pedal!" I hopped on the bike and rolled out asap- not quite ready to get dropped 45 miles in to a 380 mile ride. When we all got regrouped back on the road we did a quick headcount and realized that we were missing Ian. Everybody slowed down and we gave him a chance to catch up- a cold, rainy 600K is not the place you want to be riding solo. Best if we all stuck together.

There was another controle stop at Garland, just long enough to wring out the water from my gloves, get my card signed, and drink a caffeinated beverage before getting back to the grind. One of the most memorable moments came at about 80 miles in when we ran headfirst into a warm front. This was like nothing I've experienced before- it was such a drastic change that I could hear the front of the line, about 7 riders ahead saying "whoa!" Then a couple seconds later I hit a wall of warm air, perhaps 15 degrees or more warmer than before. My glasses instantly fogged up. This was just as we entered Wallace, and we stopped at an Andy's for a sit-down bite to eat. Our little group of Randos left large puddles inside every establishment we frequented!

Up to this point we'd been riding more or less east, with a nice tailwind from the west. But after Wallace the route took a turn to the south almost to Castle Hayne before turning west, so we were dealing with head and cross-winds. This was where I first started to yo-yo off the back of the group. Also somewhere in this section it got dark, and I got to fully enjoy my newfound ability to see where I'm going at night. Also the rain finally stopped! Still, in my memory this section is pretty much a blur. When we finally rolled into White Lake it was going on 11pm. Riders who had planned to go all the way to Sunset Beach before sleeping were ready to get a room and live to ride another day. Dry clothes from my drop bag were wonderful!

Ian and I toyed with the idea of a short sleep stop, but after 1.5 hours of sleep we both mumbled something about staying with the group and slept for another hour or so. At 3am we were up and getting ready, 3:30 we departed. It was cold, and the group immediately got to work warming up. I was dropped like a bad habit. I spent my time in the early morning darkness riding mostly solo, just keeping the group in sight. Whenever I did catch them it was because they backed off the pace and waited for me, but soon it would accelerate again and a gap would open up. It can be quite frustrating, but it's something I've gotten used to!

We were treated to a nice sunrise and with it a general warming trend began. There was much talk of bacon at the Waffle House in Shallotte, and since we hadn't been sprayed by a passing hog truck in the rain for awhile it actually sounded very appetizing. The thought of a hot breakfast spurred me on, and I was staying with the group and even going to the front for my trademark short pulls. When we climbed to the top of the overpass for US17 in Shallotte, there it was- the Awful Waffle, like a shining beacon of pork products! And there was much rejoicing.




The full breakfast had the effect of energizing the group, but not me. With a belly full of waffles, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon I was yo-yoing off the back again. Since it was only about 12 miles to Sunset Beach I let them go, but I'd already done the damage trying to close the gaps and I didn't feel like I had any power in my legs. It was a struggle to maintain 12 or 13mph! When I arrived in Sunset Beach Tony told me I was about 20 min. behind the group. They were all having a nice long stop, changing clothes and whatnot, so I short-stopped it, quickly ran through my to-do list and got back on the bike telling them "you'll catch me."

My intention was just to make it over the bridge climb in front of the group so I'd have a chance, but on the other side I settled into a rhythm for the first time since earlier on Saturday. I upped my cadence a bit and found that I was fine to maintain a steady 16-17mph. It was sunny and warm, and I had deployed my iPod so I was rockin' & rollin' down the road and feeling good! After 20 miles or so Steven caught me & I told him I was keeping it to around 16mph. He stayed with me for awhile, but eventually the group caught up and passed, just before a county line to take the sprint. Steven was off with them, so I was solo again until I came upon a fire station where Mike D and Cap'n Ende had taken a break. The 3 of us rolled together to the next controle. I love randonneuring. Officially it's "every man for himself" and self-sufficiency is the order of the day, but Randos still look out for one another!

We regrouped at that controle and all but 2 rolled out together toward the controle in Boardman. Steven and Jimmy were "smellin' the barn" and wanted to get it over with. They said if we passed a restaurant we'd find them there. There are no restaurants! We wouldn't see them again 'till the end. The sun was out and we were in short sleeves and loving life. What a big change from Saturday! Of course the warm weather also made the free range country dogs more frisky, it seemed like every house had at least 2 dogs. You can hear the barking in the background of my video:



By the time we got to the controle I was pretty hungry. I'd been eating Cliff bars and Hammer gel on the bike, but I really needed some solid food. All that there was to be had was a convenience store. I got one of those triangle sandwiches and a Little Debbie oatmeal creme pie. Tony was there and we stopped and visited with him while we ate.


Back on the bikes the talk was "can we finish before dark?" The pace quickened. Pretty sure Cap'n Ende was the instigator, then Mike D. went in pursuit. I got on Mike's wheel, and Tim got on mine. Joel was the smart one and let us go. I was feeling good, so after Mike swung off I put in a pull to close about half the gap to the Cap'n. Then I swung off and let Tim finish it. In retrospect that was probably a match I shouldn't have burned. Pretty soon I was having trouble keeping up the pace again, and then that triangle sandwich caught up with me!



Mike D, Cap'n Ende, Mark, Joel, and Tim were still cranking away but Joe from Seattle stuck with me and we just kept the group in sight. Joe regaled me with rando stories to keep my mind off my G/I predicament. Soon we saw Mark and Joel waiting up for us, but I wasn't going to be able to hold out 'till the convenience store. They went on to the controle and left me alone to do my best impression of a bear in the woods. I remembered a story my friend Charlie Brown told me from his Boy Scout adventures, and I used the "hold a tree" method:

I felt much better as I rolled into the controle at Clarkton, and the boys were waiting for me- chomping at the bit and ready to go. I didn't want to slow them down any more (I also didn't want to try to keep up with them) so I managed to convince them to go on without me. It was only 28 miles to the finish and I had something like 6 hours left to get it done! They took off and I finished a ginger ale to settle my stomach. I got rolling and soon I was back in that magical rhythm that I'd found after Sunset Beach. No music this time, but I found motivation through math: I figured that if I kept my average speed up I could finish before 6:30pm- a sub 35 hour 600K. Once again I was feeling great, and I rolled into the parking lot of the Super 8 in Lumberton at 6:20pm, beating my last year's 600K time by 1 hour, 25 minutes!