tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71364935436391742342024-03-13T01:59:14.563-07:00MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEPRierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-30607740892755807422017-11-16T09:30:00.000-08:002017-11-16T18:28:22.900-08:00Coffeeneuring 2017- Me and my Ride BuddyFor the sixth year in a row I've completed the <a href="https://chasingmailboxes.com/2017/09/27/seven-is-a-lucky-number-the-7th-annual-coffeeneuring-challenge/" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring Challenge</a>, but this was the best year yet because of my Ride Buddy. Last year I barely completed the seven rides because life had been turned upside down with a 7 month old baby at home. This year at 19 months he was old enough to come along- at least on some of the rides!<br />
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The experts say to wait until your child is at least 1 year old before putting him on a bike. He needs to have strong enough neck muscles to support the weight of his head plus the weight of the helmet. Also there is some concern about "micro-vibrations" and shocks, so I promised my wife I'd wait until Little Dude had reached his first birthday. Leading up to the big day I spent quite a bit of time modifying and outfitting my commuting bike to become our toddler carrier. I bought an <a href="http://www.ibert.bike/" target="_blank">iBert SafeT Seat</a> and to accomodate it I replaced my drop bars with a set of Soma Oxford bars, Tektro brake levers, and Sun Race thumb shifters. I also splurged on Compass Barlow Pass 38mm wide tires to absorb lots of shock and vibration and give us a smooth ride. The iBert seat is great for the little one- he has an unobstructed view of the world as we ride and a fun steering wheel to turn. He can reach our brass bell, so once he learned how to make it ding that became one of his jobs- when we see someone else on the sidewalks and trails he dings the bell and says "Hi!" He is right between my arms, so I can tell if he's getting sleepy or uncomfortable, and- you'll have to trust me on this- when he needs a diaper change... The iBert is not so great for the Big Person piloting the bike... There's not enough room to get off of the saddle, whether it's for climbing a hill or just stopping at an intersection. Therefore the saddle must be lowered so the rider can put a foot down while seated. This is not a good bike fit, and though we're not going to be traveling long distances he does add some weight... That 24lbs of wiggly extra weight on the handlebars can sometimes make the bike handling a bit odd or unpredictable, too. I'm sure some folks thought I was a bit strange on my practice rides with 2 ten pound bags of sugar in the seat, but I wanted to be sure I could handle it!<br />
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We started riding together back in the spring, and all through the summer we made it a weekly ritual to get on the bike and ride to the bank, to the playground, to storytime at the public library, and to the grocery store pulling our Bob Yak trailer. Ride Buddy got used to these trips, and apparently was enjoying them because he started getting excited when he'd see me preparing the bike and putting on my helmet. Now if he hears bike shoes clomping through the house he knows what's up and gets all worked up and ready to go! This makes it a bit difficult if I'm preparing to go on a fast ride with friends... We rode in the Raleigh <a href="http://oaksandspokes.com/" target="_blank">Oaks and Spokes</a> Kidical Mass event, and he had a blast. Since he'd become such an experienced biker, my wife and I discussed the idea of him joining me on this year's Coffeeneuring Challenge.<br />
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She had some ground rules (which, of course were perfectly in line with mine!) #1- Safe routes. I had to plan routes that used sidewalks and greenways to access 7 different coffee shops (or coffeeshops without walls.) Any use of roads shared with cars should be kept to the absolute minimum. #2- No coffee for Little Dude! Shops had to have some kid-friendly choices like juice, whole milk, or smoothie. #3- Good weather. Daddy has a habit of riding the bike in any kind of weather ("there's no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing choices") but we have to be more protective of our Ride Buddies... #4- NO CRASHING!! This has been a general rule ever since I started bringing Little Dude on the bike. I'm generally a very careful cyclist anyhow, but with this precious cargo I'm about 100 times more careful, head on a swivel- constantly watching for inattentive drivers pulling out of driveways, runners with earbuds on greenways, and dogs. Once I'd received Mommy's conditional approval I started looking for safe routes to see if the challenge was even do-able with a toddler on board. Amazingly, I was able to find six shops in fairly close proximity to our house and all but one had routes that were entirely sidewalk & greenway! I checked in with Mary at the Coffeeneuring Authority Headqurters to see if a 19 month old who doesn't actually pedal and only drinks milk, juice, and smoothies would technically qualify. I was assured that as long as he completes all 7 rides he'd qualify, and he would become the youngest coffeeneur to date! I asked my son if he felt like taking on this challenge and he said "google," which I took as a yes!<br />
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #1- 10/17 <a href="http://www.jessicasdonuts.com/" target="_blank">Jessica's Donuts</a></b>, 3.2 miles, Café Mocha (me) and juice (Ride Buddy)<br />
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The local donut shop is just a few blocks from our house- not good for my waistline, and too close for the Coffeeneuring Challenge, so Ride Buddy and I rode the South Garner Greenway to White Deer Park, played on the swings for a bit and then stopped at the donut shop on the way home. We shared a glazed donut, Daddy had a café mocha and Little Dude had a fruit juice. This route was all sidewalk and greenway, and including the playground made it more fun. The donut and coffee were very good, but I wished that they had more kid-friendly drink options.<br />
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #2- 10/23 Starbucks</b>, 5.8mi, Café Mocha (me) and Apple Juice (Ride Buddy)</div>
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Our usual Monday morning routine is an errandonné ride to the bank with a stop at the playground. This route is all sidewalks down Timber Dr. in Garner. Cycling on the sidewalk is a necessary evil with a toddler on board, but you have to be extra careful. Drivers aren't expecting anything to be traveling down the sidewalk at any sort of speed, so they're not really paying attention. Every driveway, every side street and light is a potential conflict point. Fairly stressful for Daddy, but Ride Buddy loves riding on the sidewalk. Each ramp down to cross a side street and ramp back up to the sidewalk on the other side elicits an excited "wheee!" We often encounter joggers and dog walkers, and it's Little Dude's job to ding the bell to let them know we're coming. I slow way down out of an abundance of caution, and he happily says "Hi" as we pass, usually more excited by the dogs than the humans... In the same shopping center as the bank is a Target department store with a Starbucks inside. We dropped in, and Daddy had his usual café mocha while Little Dude got an apple juice. He was pretty thirsty, and drank the whole thing- usually he doesn't finish one. Since that meant an impending diaper change we rode straight home and decided to go to the playground after naptime.<br />
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #3- 10/24 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Caffeine01" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a></b>, 3.5mi, Café Mocha (Daddy again) and Strawberry Banana Smoothie (Ride Buddy)<br />
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On Tuesday Ride Buddy wanted to go to storytime at the library. They have singing and dancing, read stories, and at the end there's everybody's favorite- bubbles!<br />
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After storytime we rode to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Caffeine01/about/?tab=page_info" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a>, our favorite local coffee shop. Daddy had his usual café mocha and Little Dude had his favorite, strawberry banana smoothie. We colored in their coloring books some and our barista Tawny took our picture with Daddy's camera.<br />
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #4- 10/30 <a href="http://lorrainescoffeehouse.com/" target="_blank">Lorraine's Coffee House and Music</a></b>, 5.2mi, White Mocha (Daddy) and Cuppa Whole Milk (Ride Buddy)</div>
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The next Monday we went out on our usual sidewalk errandonné to the bank. Ride Buddy is a bit too young for suckers, so the bank tellers have been giving him stickers- he has quite the collection! Today's sticker was Thor. Afterward we rode to Lorraine's Coffee House, a local spot for coffee, ice cream, and live music in the evenings. This was our first trip there together. Daddy ordered a white mocha, but the options for the kiddos left something to be desired. Little Dude finally decided just to get a cuppa whole milk. He did have lots of fun exploring the shop and getting up on the stage. It had rained on Sunday, so the playgrounds were still too wet for us to visit after. Besides, we still had some Halloween preparations to take care of before tomorrow...</div>
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #5- Halloween Edition! 10/31, Coffee Shop Without Walls at Lake Benson Park</b>, 6.7mi, Pre-made Pourover Coffee (HepCat Daddy) and Juice (Ride Buddy Dragon)</div>
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This one was perhaps the most fun I've ever had on a bike (and that's saying something...) Ride Buddy wanted to go to Trick Or Treat Storytime at the public library and he insisted that Daddy dress up too! He went as a dragon, and I went as his big fuzzy stuffed kitty cat. His dragon tail was a tight fit in the iBert seat, and my cat tail was dangerously close to getting caught in the spokes! We rode through Garner dressed in our costumes and went to storytime where they had lots of singing and dancing, a spooky Halloween story, and trick-or-treating around the library.</div>
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After storytime we rode to Lake Benson Park for a coffeeshop without walls. We played at the playground and swung on the swings, then relaxed with our prepared-ahead-of-time beverages at the picnic tables.</div>
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Little Dude loved running around town in costume and seemed to get a big kick out of the fact that Daddy was dressed up as a big fuzzy kitty cat. We went home and took a long nap so we'd be ready for more trick-or-treating fun with Mommy when she got home from work later. All sidewalks and greenways, and no tails caught in the spokes!</div>
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #6- 11/6, McDonald's</b>, 6.6mi, Caramel Mocha (Daddy) and Apple Juice (Ride Buddy)</div>
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Our usual Monday morning errandonné to the bank again- this time Ride Buddy was flirting hard with the teller... We're going to have our hands full with this boy. She gave him THREE stickers for his collection! After errands we rode all the way down Timber Dr. to McDonalds (we've just about exhausted our coffee possibilities in close proximity to the house.) This route was all sidewalks, but did require that we cross Timber Dr. twice- a busy 4 lane road w/a turning lane... The speed limit goes up to 45mph out near the McDonald's, so of course people tend to go about 60mph. Daddy was not taking any chances, so we just waited until there were no cars anywhere nearby before we went. This is the first time in 6 years of Coffeeneuring that I've visited a McDonald's! In years past I've ventured much further afield to find small shops, but this year I kept the rides shorter.</div>
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<b>Coffeeneuring 2017 #7- 11/7, <a href="https://fullbloomcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Full Bloom Coffee Roasters</a></b>, 5.4mi, Honey Cream Cold Brew (Daddy) and Cuppa Whole Milk (Ride Buddy)</div>
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It was a dreary Tuesday morning, threatening rain so I suggested we wait till the next week to complete the challenge... Ride Buddy wasn't having it and demanded "BIKE!" so we geared up and headed to Full Bloom Coffee Roasters, the newest coffee shop in town. I stuck a small umbrella in my messenger bag, figuring if we got caught in the rain I could walk the bike home with Little Dude protected under the umbrella. Luckily that didn't happen! I'd saved this shop for last because I needed to figure out a safe route- it's on the other side of Hwy 70 and the bridges that cross the highway don't have sidewalks. My scouting determined that the safest crossing would be the Hwy 50 bridge, we could ride up Aversboro on sidewalks, cross over into a quiet neighborhood and come out right at the bridge. Then we'd only have to share the road with cars across the bridge and pick up the sidewalks on the other side. We timed our run carefully and avoided the cars, safely arriving at Full Bloom for an amazing honey cream cold brew with cinnamon for me and a cuppa whole milk for Little Dude. We also shared a celebratory blueberry muffin before heading back out across the bridge to the relative safety of the neighborhood. It was still dreary but no rain yet and we decided not to chance it, but ride on home and drive the car to storytime at the library. Safely back in our driveway I told Ride Buddy that he'd officially qualified as a Coffeeneur! He dinged the bell a few times in celebration, then we put away our bike and helmets so we could head to the library.</div>
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So that's it for the official rides, but our adventures continue! At the start of the challenge he was 19 months old, making My Ride Buddy the youngest ever Coffeeneur to date! I'm not sure who's having more fun- him or me, but I love the fact that I can share my passion for cycling with my son. I get a huge kick out of seeing him enjoying the rides, pointing out the things we see along the way, and greeting the people we meet. I can't wait for the days when we're sprinting for county lines and he's dropping me on the hills!</div>
Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-70435582777432616512016-11-26T19:37:00.001-08:002016-11-26T20:05:20.179-08:00Coffeeneuring 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I actually did ride a bike some last year but I just haven't been writing... New baby in the house keeps you busy! Well, it's <a href="https://chasingmailboxes.com/2016/09/17/6th-annual-coffeeneuring-challenge-the-spirit-of-coffeeneuring/" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring Challenge</a> time again so I've got to blog about my adventures. This year I decided my Theme Within A Theme would be Coffeeneuring with Friends- seven coffeeshops, seven weekends, seven friends. Sounds easy, right? Well, technically I succeeded at the Coffeeneuring Challenge, but I failed at my theme since I had to do three solo trips to qualify. Why is it hard to convince folks to come out and meet me for coffee? You might well arsk.<br />
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#1- Geof at <a href="http://www.luckytreeraleigh.com/" target="_blank">Lucky Tree</a>, 10/9/16, 24 miles<br />
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First Coffeeneuring weekend was right after Hurricane Matthew. I rode from home to meet Geof at Lucky Tree coffee, using a couple of greenways along the way. Trees down everywhere. Most I could climb over or under, but a couple blocked my route entirely. Once at the coffeeshop I had a brownie and a drip coffee. Geof was riding some dirt through Umstead and headed over to meet me. He and I have known each other since I first moved to Raleigh 18 years ago and he worked with my wife at a photo lab. Eventually we started riding bikes together and then working together at Peace Camera. I didn't have to twist his arm at all to get him to meet me for coffee on a bike.<br />
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#2- Kristy at <a href="http://www.cafemuertos.com/" target="_blank">Cafe de los Muertos</a>, 10/15/16, 8 miles</div>
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My second Coffeenuring with friends was meeting up with Kristy at Cafe de los Muertos in downtown Raleigh on a Saturday morning before work. We met a few years back through her bicycle advocacy with Oaks and Spokes and on Benelux rides. I drank a cafe mocha while we chatted about her recent trip to Alaska, my trip to Paris, the addition to my family, etc. It was really cool to use coffeeneuring as an excuse to just sit and chat with a friend and catch up on life. Just before I had to leave to head to work, Dave Zell from Oak City Cycling rode up and we chatted with him as well. I was late for work.</div>
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#3- Solo to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DejaBrewCoffeeHouseNC/" target="_blank">Deja Brew</a>, 10/16/16, 30 miles</div>
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Unable to find anyone willing to meet me for coffee on a gorgeous Sunday I decided to ride a solo safety coffeeneuring run. Good thing I did, as it would soon prove harder than I thought to convince folks to meet me for coffee. Since Peace Camera is being forced to move to a new location, my work commute is getting longer. I managed to plan a route to the new store, and there's a great little coffeeshop in the same shopping center with us. With no one to join me, I decided I might as well test out the new commute. It turns out to be not a bad route. I had an iced coffee, checked out a park nearby for photo possibilities, and then headed home.</div>
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#4- Solo to <a href="http://www.aversborocoffee.com/" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a>, 10/29/16, 4 miles</div>
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Again I was unable to find anyone to join me. I figured it was probably smart to ride another safety trip just in case, so I headed to my favorite coffeeshop near my house for a frozen mocha. </div>
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#5- Ken at <a href="http://www.jubalacoffee.com/#about" target="_blank">Jubala Coffee</a>, 11/5/16, 18 miles</div>
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Back on track with friends, I rode from home to meet Ken at Jubala Coffee for a cappuccino. We met a couple of years back at Cranksgiving, schlepping canned goods and turkeys by bike to help feed the homeless. Since then we've ridden together on a few organized rides, a chance meeting on the road, and lately a bit of randonneuring. This was the first time we've had a chance to just hang out & drink coffee. Afterward we rode over to City Market so I could scout locations for my shoot the following day at the Tweed Ride.</div>
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#6- Simon at <a href="http://www.boultedbread.com/" target="_blank">Boulted Bread</a>, 11/13/16, 12 miles</div>
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Another great opportunity to use coffeeneuring to catch up with a longtime friend! Simon answered the call and agreed to meet me on a crisp Sunday morning. We talked about his recent trip to Europe and Ireland and my start on the journey of fatherhood. I've known Simon about 15 years, and we've worked together on quite a few photo shoots. It was great to get the chance to catch up, and I had a drip coffee and a coffeecake. I also tucked a ciabatta and a couple of other pastries in my pannier to take home. I can't resist Boulted Bread!</div>
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#7- Solo at Starbucks, 11/20/16, 4.5 miles</div>
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The realization that I was going to fail at my theme within a theme had already set in, and I had resolved to use my safety rides to complete the challenge. But life kept getting in the way and now I was down to the wire and in danger of missing it by one ride. I was scheduled to work a full day loading and moving the camera store on the last day of the challenge, so my only option was to get up early and ride to the closest Starbucks for a technical finish. It wasn't pretty, but it counts. On an interesting note, in five consecutive years of successful Coffeeneuring Challenges this is my first Starbucks! I had a grande Pike and a bacon gouda sandwich. Pretty sure they sprinkle crack on those things, they're addictive. </div>
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Alright, that's it. Another one down. Can't wait for next year- my son will be old enough to ride in the iBert and come along on some of my journeys- at least the ones that Mommy approves the safety of the route!<br />
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Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-80675197806046964512015-11-24T14:14:00.000-08:002015-11-24T14:14:30.941-08:00Coffeeneuring 2015It's that time of year again- The mornings are crisp and cool, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it's time for the <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/category/coffeeneuring/coffeeneuring-rules/" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring Challenge</a> write-up! This is my fourth consecutive year, and the rules have remained very much the same- 7 different weekend bike rides to 7 different coffee shops, etc. "Coffee shops without walls" count for those of us who like to make coffee in the wild, and this year they added a "Theme Within a Theme" category! I have always imposed the rule of no corporate chain coffee shops on myself (with mixed success) and I've always tried to visit 7 shops I haven't coffeeneured to before (with no success.) I decided that my Theme Within a Theme would be 7 different bikes! My problem was that at the start of the challenge I only owned 6 bikes that were rideable, but since I had a couple of frames and way too many spare parts in storage I figured I could cobble something together… Imagine my surprise when I visited one of my favorite shops, <a href="http://oakcitycycling.com/" target="_blank">Oak City Cycling Project</a> and they had a beautiful used chrome Bianchi Pista in my size just hanging on the wall and begging me to take her home. So I slept in the doghouse for a week, but I had my 7 different bikes… My "weekend" days are Sundays and Tuesdays thanks to a retail job, so here we go!<br />
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Coffeeneuring #1 Sunday Oct. 4th, <a href="http://www.boultedbread.com/" target="_blank">Boulted Bread</a> in Raleigh, NC<br />
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I rode from home in Garner to downtown Raleigh, about 17 miles round trip to visit Boulted Bread and meet up with my friend Geof who was out & about on his Sunday ride. My bike choice was my 1973 Nishiki International, I've owned this frame since I was 13 and bought the bike with $50 I'd saved up from mowing lawns. It spent a long time rusting away in my Mom's basement until 5 or 6 years ago I brought it back to life and converted it to a single speed commuter. Geof and I enjoyed coffee and apple turnovers, then I headed back home since it was looking like rain.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #2 Tuesday Oct. 6th, <a href="http://www.cocoacinnamon.com/" target="_blank">Cocoa Cinnamon</a> in Durham, NC<br />
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I've been telling the guys at OCCP about coffeeneuring- it's right up their alley! Plus their shop is closed on Tuesdays, so they're some of the only folks I know with the same days off I have. Anyway, I managed to convince David and Brandon to join me for a coffeeneuring jaunt. Of course, their idea of a quick coffee run was to ride from the shop in Raleigh 50ish miles to a great little coffeeshop in Durham and back! Sure, it's 100 miles round trip, but only 50 miles for coffee (the other 50 is riding home…) They had a route planned, and knowing that they love mixed terrain I brought my Soma Doublecross. This is my "Swiss Army bike." I can do anything with it- randonneuring, gravel, commuting, cyclocross, etc. Sure enough, we were on roads, flooded greenways, American Tobacco Trail, and the gravel roads of Umstead State Park. I enjoyed a drip coffee and a chocolate croissant- nowhere near as good as the pain au chocolate I enjoyed so much in France, but quite edible. By the time we got back to Raleigh I was worn out, but it was a great ride!</div>
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Coffeeneuring #3 Sunday Oct. 11th <a href="http://www.velocoffee.com/visit/" target="_blank">Velo Coffee Roasters</a> in Chattanooga, TN</div>
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We were visiting my sister-in-law and her new baby in Hixson, TN and I was bringing a bike to go ride a mountainous 200K on Monday, so Sunday I got up early and rode about 15 miles into Chattanooga to visit Velo Coffee. I rode my Scott CR1 Team, what I call my "plastic bike." It's basically an off-the-rack mid-level components carbon road bike- black, white, and red like they all are these days, but it's great for climbing mountains! I had an iced coffee, then explored downtown Chattanooga for awhile before meeting up with the family for lunch.</div>
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Coffeeneuring #4 Tuesday Oct. 20th <a href="http://cupajoe.com/hillsborough-street/" target="_blank">Cup-a-Joe</a> on Hillsborough in Raleigh. NC<br />
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Another Tuesday outing, I again convinced David and Brandon to join me. They were going out to ride gravel at Umstead, but I just rode the 9 miles from home through the NC State Campus on my new fixed gear, the Bianchi Pista I just bought from their shop. Mainly I wanted to show them the changes and upgrades I'd already done to it… We enjoyed coffee at Cup-a-Joe where I forgot to take a picture and then we rode over to the <a href="http://roastgrill.com/" target="_blank">Roast Grill</a>- a Raleigh landmark and home of the famous Roast Grill hot wieners. It was David's first time, and I'm betting he'll be back!<br />
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Coffeeneuring #5 Sunday Oct. 25th <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Aversboro-Coffee-190100923928/" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a> in Garner, NC<br />
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We had lots of rain in central NC in October. This Sunday I got up early and there was a short break in the rain, so I got out the old steel Nishiki Manitoba mountain bike and rode 2 miles over to Aversboro Coffee, my favorite local shop. Had a medium coffee and some blueberry mini-muffins, then rode the bike over to check out the local trails. Of course they were too wet, and it's good to stay off the trails when wet so we don't destroy them. I got back home and my wife and I headed into downtown Garner for a food truck rodeo. Mmmm...<br />
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Coffeeneuring #6 Sunday Nov. 1st "Coffeeshop Without Walls" in Garner, NC<br />
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After a solid week of rain I decided to just take a quick trip over to <a href="http://www.garnernc.gov/Departments/Parks%20and%20Recreation/Parks.aspx?ID=13" target="_blank">Lake Benson Park</a>, about 2 miles from my house in Garner and make some coffee outside. I rode my Douglas Titanium S&S coupled travel bike- this is the bike I rode at <a href="http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/index2.php?cat=accueil&lang=en&page=edito" target="_blank">Paris-Brest-Paris</a> back in August. I brought along my camp stove and all the fix ins to make a pour over dark roast. Got some really strange looks from a few of the hearty runners who were out despite the drizzle- the park is popular for joggers. I half expected to have to start fixing coffee for everybody, but I guess they didn't want to approach the weirdo making coffee on a rainy day at the park shelter, so nobody asked!<br />
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Coffeeneuring #7 Tuesday, Nov. 10th- 5th Avenue Coffee in Garner, NC<br />
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I may have saved my favorite bike for last. This is my early 80's Ciocc San Cristobal that <a href="http://randobryan.blogspot.com/2012/11/bella-bicicletta-how-i-built-my-ciocc.html" target="_blank">I carefully restored</a> a few years ago. I waited till it warmed up a bit in the afternoon, then rode from home about 14 miles down to The Coffee Mill in Clayton, but they were already closed. So I headed back to Garner and stopped in at 5th Avenue- not my favorite shop but it got the job done. Just had coffee and an apple danish. The Ciocc is a dream to ride and just a beautiful, elegant bike so it's always fun even if the coffee is sub-par. I got nearly 30 miles in and finished just as the Sun was going down- a fitting end to this year's Coffeeneuring Challenge for me!</div>
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I learned something with my 7 bike Theme Within a Theme... my mountain bike sucks. Other than that one I really love all my bikes. Each has a specific purpose, or fills a niche, or just has sentimental value. But I'm going to have to think about a mountain bike. Truly, the optimum number of bikes is N+1!</div>
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<br />Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-60858598617877830372015-05-27T19:22:00.000-07:002015-05-27T19:22:14.896-07:00North Carolina's own Strade BiancheLast weekend I rode the Wilkes County Gravel Grind, a 200k RUSA Permanent route that starts in Clemmons, NC. It's a perm that I've had on my list for a couple of years because of three things: #1 It's tough, 126 miles with 7,500 feet of climbing... #2 It's unique- it includes about 18 miles of gravel roads, with one of those sections being the big climb of the day... And #3 It starts just about 20minutes from my Mom's house!<br />
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No one answered my invitation to join in the fun, so I rode solo all day. I chose to ride my Soma Doublecross with 700x32 Pasela TG tires. I had a nice conversation with Jimmy Williams, the perm owner at the start and heeded his advice on tire pressures. The first gravel section was just a taste- an easy 1.4 miles, but I could tell I was set up well. The bike had a nice floaty feel on the gravel and my legs were feeling good. I pushed a bit to see how fast I could go on the dirt roads...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The scenery aint too shabby</span></div>
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Paved roads for awhile and then the cue sheet tells me I'm approaching the 2nd gravel section, but it never comes... The state has been busy and they went and paved the road! Fresh asphalt took over about a 1.5 mile section of what looked like it was good fun dirt road. Oh well, it's on to the first control at a convenience store- but it's Memorial Day weekend and the store is closed. I lurked around the buildings a bit looking for a spigot to fill my bottles, but to no avail. I was down to about half a bottle of water and the next section included the big gravel climb up Brushy Mountain.<br />
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During our conversation in the early morning, Jimmy told me lots of stuff about the route- more than I could possibly recall, but when I saw a sign for Love Valley I remembered him suggesting I could go past a turn half a mile to visit the town. "Real old west" feel to it he said, horse country with hitching posts outside the general store and whatnot. I'd pretty much figured I couldn't take the extra time, but now I needed to go look for water. What I found was a real watering hole! The owner was quite a character, and when I told him I was heading up the gravel roads to climb Brushy Mountain he gave me another bottle of water for my jersey pocket. Full up with H2O and a dash of good rando luck I headed up the mountain, passing friendly folks on horses and enjoying some beautiful weather.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Gravel climbing</span></div>
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Turns out I climb on gravel just about as slow as I do on paved roads. This is a serious climb, too with a few steep turns that had me losing traction and sliding out sideways. I walked a couple or 3 times. Each time I was able to get going again once the steepness wore off. Finally I got to the top and back on paved roads. My reward for the climb was a really fun descent with fast switchbacks on asphalt. I'm glad I didn't have to go back down the gravel road!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDnnlB5CGr_0eZ5VHYUMNoYCjQkMGUA6BuyKQOgavawgqy0awgUMRwqcxmFMMzJ2eoe-osLmxb9QaC3hsTacjgh_44tGBzSBk_UiYwzr6TUBR6joB2oZS9hWdrJaEu6a4YvDgCqrcTI4/s1600/image-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDnnlB5CGr_0eZ5VHYUMNoYCjQkMGUA6BuyKQOgavawgqy0awgUMRwqcxmFMMzJ2eoe-osLmxb9QaC3hsTacjgh_44tGBzSBk_UiYwzr6TUBR6joB2oZS9hWdrJaEu6a4YvDgCqrcTI4/s320/image-1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I stopped... to take a picture...</span></div>
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The control in North Wilkesboro is the Coffee House, and by this time it was after 1PM and I was hungry. I sat down for a ham & cheese sandwich and fries. Refilled the bottles and got back on the road in just about half an hour. There aren't any more controls for the last 50 miles or so back to Clemmons. The cue sheet does mention one store, but I missed it and after awhile I began to worry about water again. The day had gotten hot and I was riding in some of those areas you just know it's a long way to a store. Twice the road was closed due to a bridge out. the first one was a scramble down rocks and hop a creek, but the second was a river crossing. The bridge workers had stretched a couple of I-beams across the river to go back & forth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYHNZt4YjdQrLhoB_6A2mh9WBoEBuNuWnwnjWIqGf6Jyn6RQ6WmaxHQ7faCJ8TnDWPRD8o9d8vY5G0W1aXEsY4UUhMzav_YYZVaKjvHLReMLeJx1DhfOp8Wqbjmr2pOubIhBKtnfJh3I/s1600/photo-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYHNZt4YjdQrLhoB_6A2mh9WBoEBuNuWnwnjWIqGf6Jyn6RQ6WmaxHQ7faCJ8TnDWPRD8o9d8vY5G0W1aXEsY4UUhMzav_YYZVaKjvHLReMLeJx1DhfOp8Wqbjmr2pOubIhBKtnfJh3I/s320/photo-11.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Extreme rando cyclocross! </span></div>
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Did a couple more easy gravel sections and then stopped at an old gas station that was closed but had a spigot out front. I was down to less than half a bottle. The water was rust-colored at first, but then became slightly less rust-colored so I filled my empty bottle and carried it in case I ran out before finding a store. A little while later I passed a school with a ball field and went on the hunt again, finding a much better spigot. I dumped the rust water, rinsed and filled up for the last 20 miles.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Nice paved roads, too</span></div>
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The last gravel section came at 11 miles to go, and I was happy to be well ahead of time limits- now it looked like I'd finish in under 12 hours so once I got back to asphalt I texted Jimmy and let him know my ETA. Rolled up to the Starbucks finish at 11 hours, 46 minutes! I had a great time, and this was a beautiful & challenging route. Afterwards I've looked at the RUSA results for this route and I am just the 6th person to finish it. Jimmy is the only one who had done it twice, and no one had ridden it since 2012! There really are some great gravel roads still in Wilkes County, but watch out- the state is out there paving them...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yep, still in NC</span></div>
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Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-43625338816344704572015-01-20T08:58:00.000-08:002015-01-20T08:58:43.659-08:00It's time.It is 2015… a <a href="http://www.rusa.org/pbp.html" target="_blank">Paris-Brest-Paris</a> year. The last time it was held was 2011, and I couldn't afford to go. Instead I rode the <a href="http://randobryan.blogspot.com/2011/10/taste-of-carolina-1200k.html" target="_blank">Taste of Carolina 1200K</a> that year and both the ToC1200 and the <a href="http://randobryan.blogspot.com/2012/07/adversity-and-providence-how-i-survived.html" target="_blank">Shenandoah 1200K</a> in 2012. Since then I've done tons more Randonneuring but I scaled back my goals (and slacked off on my blogging.)<br />
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In both 2013 and 2014 I abstained from 1200K's but completed 1000K rides. My 2014 Super Randonneur series (200K, 300K, 400K, and 600K) and bonus 1000K put me in great position for PBP pre-registration. It's currently midway through January and I've already completed my 2015 200K and 300K, my 400K is coming up in 2 weeks and the 600K is at the end of February…<br />
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This year I'm going to France. I've been saving my pennies. My bike is ready, my body however needs a bit of a tune-up. It's time for me to get back to serious training. My goal is NOT to set any record time- I just want to be fit enough to enjoy the ride. On the long randonees, the faster you can ride the more you get to sleep. I want to enjoy the experience of PBP- I want to meet locals, volunteers, and fellow Randonneurs. I want to stop for coffee and a pastry often. I want to take pictures. And yes, I want to sleep in a French ditch. To ride it this way I need to be able to make up some time on the road.<br />
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I'm going for a ride.<br />
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<br />Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-45791530914533974652014-11-15T18:44:00.000-08:002014-11-15T18:45:26.462-08:00Coffeeneuring 2014This was my third consecutive year doing the <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2014/09/17/fourth-annual-chasing-mailboxes-coffeeneuring-challenge/" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring Challenge</a>. I've had a blast each year, enjoying the casual rides with no particular route or time schedule, and of course finding great new coffee shops! Once again this year I used Sundays and Tuesdays, my guaranteed days off from work. I also get every other Saturday off, but the coffee shop rides I did on those days just didn't count!<br />
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Coffeeneuring #1: <a href="http://beneluxcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Benelux Coffee</a> -Tuesday, Oct. 7th 2014 - 17.8miles<br />
In both previous years I have visited Benelux Coffee at City Market in downtown Raleigh, but shortly before this year's challenge they moved to new digs at Cameron Village. I decided to use the first ride to go check out the new location. It's a bit further for me to get to the new shop from home, and Cameron Village is not one of my favorite places to ride. It was hot out, so I had a mocha frap and waited to see if anyone would show up for the usual Tuesday night ride, but no one did. The shop had only just opened the day before, so folks probably didn't know. Got back on the bike and rode home, suitably caffeinated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYE-1LlZ2AdmR1n7dmZmccO1-3VLCsyQ-3gQd8_U3RaD3uKXOdUZrFXPbUFNDqsEUMzhUBTitYMUmt672TfF6fHAntPd8FY37b7ctppwK5mbqeqxwGJlye7h3yU0V9hRitpZ4ULd_yN0/s1600/coffeeneuring01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYE-1LlZ2AdmR1n7dmZmccO1-3VLCsyQ-3gQd8_U3RaD3uKXOdUZrFXPbUFNDqsEUMzhUBTitYMUmt672TfF6fHAntPd8FY37b7ctppwK5mbqeqxwGJlye7h3yU0V9hRitpZ4ULd_yN0/s1600/coffeeneuring01.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/633652525" width="465"></iframe>
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Coffeeneuring #2- <a href="http://www.lorrainescoffeehouse.com/" target="_blank">Lorraine's Coffee House and Music</a> - Sunday Oct. 12th, 2014 - 4.7miles<br />
Lorraine's is a new coffee shop on Timber drive in Garner, quite close to my house. I've been meaning to check it out, and since I had a speed light class to teach in the afternoon I needed a quick ride in the morning. I went to Lorraine's first and fueled up with a cafe mocha and a blueberry scone. It's a huge shop, and includes a stage for live bands. I'll have to see what kind of music they book, perhaps Garner nightlife is looking up? Once I finished my coffee and breakfast I rode a quick loop around Garner and went home to clean up and make myself presentable for class.<br />
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My Garmin wasn't charged up, so I <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/763218223# -" target="_blank">logged my ride</a> with the MapMyRide app on the phone.</div>
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Coffeeneuring #3- <a href="http://www.aversborocoffee.com/" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a> - Tuesday Oct. 14th 2014 - 7.3miles<br />
Another shop I've visited during both the previous years is Aversboro Coffee, my favorite local shop here in Garner, NC. I had a full day planned for my day off, so I went out for a quick morning lap around town with a stop near the end for a medium coffee and a pumpkin spice muffin. Mmmm…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtZM5QscoRfFv5xqDXSwBimxfMxFExo8pMojvn4fobAk5aRBRoZSTkm-ycvj8Ebejm_GOqB_XQldiRUbt8LhqdKpK-KLK9rfccvQL6d1m6sYCHPkB8Ip9iI991C4FIkKH69Sfpy69pPk/s1600/coffeeneuring03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtZM5QscoRfFv5xqDXSwBimxfMxFExo8pMojvn4fobAk5aRBRoZSTkm-ycvj8Ebejm_GOqB_XQldiRUbt8LhqdKpK-KLK9rfccvQL6d1m6sYCHPkB8Ip9iI991C4FIkKH69Sfpy69pPk/s1600/coffeeneuring03.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I still hadn't charged up the Garmin… <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/765191381" target="_blank">Here</a> is the MapMyRide link.</div>
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Coffeeneuring #4- Harris Lake County Park (coffeeshop without walls) - Sunday, Oct.19th - 18.6miles</div>
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I decided to ride the 72 mile route at the NC Bicycle Club's Fall Rally, but I really wanted to get a coffeeneuring run in. I did this last year and rode over to a shop in Holly Springs, but discovered that the powers that be had turned Hwy 55 into a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstreet" target="_blank">"super street,"</a> effectively splitting Holly Springs in two for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. If you're not familiar with these asphalt abominations then click the link, and imagine trying to navigate them. Then if your local transportation folks propose one you'll know to fight it tooth and nail! Anyway, I didn't want to fight that again, so I brought my stove and pour over kit so I could ride to Harris Lake- I'd been wanting to do a "coffeeshop without walls." </div>
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(charged up the Garmin!)</div>
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Coffeeneuring #5 - <a href="http://www.cafemuertos.com/" target="_blank">Café de los Muertos</a> - Sunday Oct. 26th 2014 - 15.88miles<br />
This is a popular new coffee shop in downtown Raleigh that I've been wanting to try, so I rode to Raleigh from Garner and had a cold brew and a muffin. While I was there I ran into 5 different friends- like I said, this place has become popular! When I left to head home I was joined by a couple of friends from the Benelux/Hepcat Race/Oaks And Spokes crowd. We rode casually through downtown and talked about the coffeeneuring challenge… Perhaps a couple of new riders next year! We parted ways on the east side of downtown and I turned south to head back to Garner.<br />
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I really suck at charging the Garmin. <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/777029301" target="_blank">Here</a> is the route.</div>
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Coffeeneuring #6 - The Coffee Mill - Tuesday Oct 28th 2014 - 25.4miles<br />
There's a great little shop in Clayton, NC that I've visited both of the previous years as well. I had to meet a contractor at the house in the morning, so once that was done I grabbed my charged-up Garmin, jumped on the carbon bike and headed to The Coffee Mill for a pre-lunch snack- a cheese danish and a cafe mocha. It's a straight shot, out-and-back on a road that's lightly traveled this time of day. A nice relaxing ride!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO7fZlDIGcEMq2Sx_luMsgqJyedxFGetNXkneOPf4W0iSVvPacU1wO0bOboXSZOQW_YvMGOFuhyUM4Tt2RUmL0pS1TDdjapJuMpvzkSCFsjTvlN-bWP0s2PHMMt3LXfWevyVN91SX8pU/s1600/coffeeneuring06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO7fZlDIGcEMq2Sx_luMsgqJyedxFGetNXkneOPf4W0iSVvPacU1wO0bOboXSZOQW_YvMGOFuhyUM4Tt2RUmL0pS1TDdjapJuMpvzkSCFsjTvlN-bWP0s2PHMMt3LXfWevyVN91SX8pU/s1600/coffeeneuring06.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Coffeeneuring #7 - Lake Benson Park (coffeeshop without walls) - Sunday Nov.2nd - 8.1miles<br />
I enjoyed the coffeeshop without walls experience so much I wanted to do another for my final ride. I gathered my stove and pour over kit, jumped on the bike and headed for Lake Benson. It was a chilly, windy morning and there was no real shelter from the wind on the lakeshore. I stopped at a picnic shelter and did my best to block the wind from my little stove. It did a great job, and soon I was sipping some nice hot coffee… but I forgot to pack any snacks! Downing the rest of my pour over brew I got back on the bike and rode a big loop around Garner back home to grab some food.<br />
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Bonus Coffeeneuring (#8) - <a href="http://5thavenuecoffeecafe.com/" target="_blank">5th Avenue Coffee</a> - Tuesday Nov. 4th 2014 - 10miles<br />
I hadn't planned to get coffee. It was my day off, and I threw the 'cross wheels on the Soma to go play around on some of the local trails. I was a bit lazy though, and I didn't take off the fenders! I got lots of twigs and leaves up in there, and had to stop to clear some major blockages a few times. Still, I was out on the bike and having fun when a strange thing happened… I started craving coffee! I decide to get back to the asphalt and head to 5th Avenue Coffee in Garner- I hadn't been back there since a bad experience with the former management. Well, I gave them another shot but this was a sad excuse for a cafe mocha. I drank about half of it, dumped the rest and headed home to make a real cup.<br />
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Well, that's it. 2014 Coffeeneuring Challenge in the books! As I rode home from work today I found myself inexplicably drawn to stop for a cup at <a href="http://www.morningtimes-raleigh.com/" target="_blank">Morning Times</a>… As if I wasn't enough of a caffeine addict, now I must drink coffee every time I ride. Oh who am I kidding, I was doing that anyway.<br />
<br />Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-4082613753135059112013-11-17T15:36:00.002-08:002013-11-17T15:36:30.807-08:002013 Coffeeneuring ChallengeSome of you may remember my post about last year's Coffeeneuring Challenge... well, I did it again this year! You can read all about the history and rules of the <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2013/09/30/third-annual-chasing-mailboxes-coffeeneuring-challenge/" target="_blank">Third Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge</a> over at Chasing Mailboxes DC.<br />
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Last year I had a blast, all my rides were as they should be- casual jaunts to explore and find new roads, new coffee shops, and new reasons to throw a leg over the bike and go get caffeinated! This year I ran into scheduling issues... My work schedule is decidedly not traditional- part time retail has me working most Saturdays, and my usual days off of Sun, Mon, and Tues can frequently get booked up with photography jobs. This is a good thing for my ability to afford bikes & coffee, but gets in the way when I just want to ride a bike to a coffee shop. I managed to work it out, but I will say this- though I technically completed the challenge this year, last year's was way more satisfying. Next year I'll have to try something different like all "coffee shops without walls..."<br />
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I decided that Sunday and Monday should be my "weekend" for the challenge. I wanted to try for 7 shops other than the 7 that I visited last year, and of course no Starbucks or other chain stores. I only got 4 new stores, the other 3 were repeats from last year.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #1- <a href="http://beneluxcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Benelux Cafe</a>, Monday October 7th. 17.5 miles.<br />
Benelux Cafe is one of my favorite coffee shops of all time. I visited it for last year's challenge, but I was craving a mocha and one of their brownies so I started this year's challenge with Benelux. Oh well, there went the idea of no repeats from last year. Good to get it out of the way... I rode the new Soma Doublecross- this bike is perfect for coffeeneuring, randonneuring, commuting, and with a quick wheel change- playing in the dirt, too!<br />
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Coffeeneuring #2- <a href="http://commongroundscoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2010/03/common-grounds-menu_17.html" target="_blank">Common Grounds Coffee</a>, Sunday Oct. 20th. 14 miles.<br />
After week #1 I wasn't able to do a coffeeneuring run on week#2. Instead I rode the Bicycle For Life 1000K. I thought about a short coffee run the day after the ride, but that would've meant making a Tuesday exception and also I simply could not bear to sit on a bike saddle again, so I passed! The next weekend I rode a fantastic 50 miler at the <a href="http://ncbikeclub.net/" target="_blank">North Carolina Bicycle Club</a> Fall Rally and planned a short coffee run for after the ride. I rode my classic <a href="http://randobryan.blogspot.com/2012/11/bella-bicicletta-how-i-built-my-ciocc.html" target="_blank">Ciocc San Cristobal</a> and had no bike computer, so for the coffeeneuring run I used my iPhone. The Rally ended at CBC in Holly Springs, so I thought it would be a nice easy ride over to Apex to check out a new-to-me coffee house called Common Grounds. Little did I know that NC HWY 55 Bypass had been turned into a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstreet" target="_blank">Superstreet</a>." If you're unfamiliar with this concept, you should check it out- these monstrosities are nearly impossible to navigate on a bicycle and totally impossible for pedestrians. This one cuts the town of Holly Springs in half and there's no way to cross it safely. On the bright side, Common Grounds is an excellent little shop- almost worth risking my life to get there. Almost... I had their mocha, perhaps if I'd added one of the tempting baked goods it would've been totally worth it.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">View the map on <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/413394669" target="_blank">MapMyRide</a></span><br />
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Coffeeneuring #3- <a href="http://www.electricbeanzcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Electric Beanz Coffee Bar</a>, Monday October 21st. 12 miles.<br />
The day after the Fall Rally I had a real day off from work and/or Randonneuring. Electric Beanz is a new-to-me coffee shop not too far from home, though heading a direction I usually don't ride and on some busy roads to boot. Still, the website looked enticing so I rode over and was suitably impressed. I had a pour over brew of their dark "Cowboy Roast" and a blueberry bar. I'm actually drooling just a bit as I type this. Perhaps I'll drop by there tomorrow... Rode the Soma again, I'm really liking this smooth ride! This was coffeeneuring at it's best. I found a great little shop and had a nice, relaxing recovery ride.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #4- <a href="http://www.cafehelios.com/" target="_blank">Cafe Helios,</a> Sunday October 27th, 2.6 miles!<br />
The next Sunday I went to the <a href="http://oakcitycycling.com/" target="_blank">Oak City Cycling Project's</a> Frankenbike Bike Swap. I set up a table and laid out a bunch of stuff I had just hanging around in boxes. Didn't sell much, but I bought a few things. I think I left about $30 in the hole... Oh well! Afterward Geof and I rode over to Helios and I had a medium coffee. Another ride on the Soma, but this one was so short... I just didn't want to miss the bike swap and this technically met the coffeneuring rules.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #5- <a href="http://morningtimes-raleigh.com/" target="_blank">Morning Times Cafe</a>, Sunday November 3rd, 8.9 miles<br />
Monday the 28th I had a photo shoot so no coffee ride. The following Sunday I did a 200K permanent with some friends that finished in downtown Raleigh. I had another shoot that Monday the 4th of Nov. so I knew I needed to get a coffeneuring run in after the permanent. I decided to bike home from the finish and stop for coffee along the way at Morning Times Cafe in downtown Raleigh. This is a shop I visited during last year's challenge, and also one I frequent since it's right near the end of my bike commute to work. I just had a quick cup of coffee and took a snapshot. Now that the time's changed a 200K tends to finish up at or after sunset... Coffeeneuring at night!<br />
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Coffeeneuring #6- <a href="http://www.aversborocoffee.com/" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a>, Monday November 4th, 3.9 miles<br />
It turned out that my photo shoot on Monday didn't start until 11am, so to keep up with the challenge I got up early and rode a lap around Garner, stopping at my favorite local shop along the way. I visited Aversboro Coffee during last year's challenge as well, so once again here I was technically within the rules, but not exploring and finding new coffee shops. I had my usual medium coffee and started the photo shoot well caffeinated.<br />
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Coffeeneuring #7- <a href="http://cupajoe.com/" target="_blank">Cup A Joe Mission Valley</a>, November 11th, 20.2 miles<br />
The following Sunday I had a shoot and one was also scheduled for Monday the 11th, so it was looking like I would be right down to the wire this year but my Monday job got rescheduled. I decided to explore some of Raleigh's greenway system and head over to Mission Valley to Cup A Joe. I visited the Cup A Joe over on Hillsborough St. last year, but this one counts as a new coffee shop. I had a mocha and a huge cookie, and the GoPro timelapse makes me look really fast. Wish I could get through controls on brevets this quick!<br />
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The greenways were ok, but my problem is that they just don't seem to go anywhere. They were obviously designed as workout trails and not as transportation routes. Occasionally they will just end at a street with no signage telling you where to go to pick up the trail again. Along Western Blvd (the busiest road on my route) the greenway would conflict with intersections so it just meanders away from the road, intersects with a side street and ends. According to the map it was supposed to run all the way up Western, but no such luck. I finally gave up and rode the big paved trail with the double yellow lines and the clear signage. Even with the disappointing greenway system I enjoyed this ride, because I was exploring on my bike and getting coffee at a new shop.<br />
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So that's it! Another Coffeeneuring Challenge in the books. Like I said in the beginning, I had a lot more fun with it last year. I'm very happy to be complaining about being busy with too much work, so that offsets any disappointment I had with my coffeeneuring this year.<br />
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Next year I'd like to do something fun. Maybe a Coffeeneuring Team?!? All coffee shops without walls?!? Hmmm... I've got some time to think it over.Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-76565643432352622442013-09-17T11:22:00.000-07:002013-09-17T11:22:32.954-07:00ROMA Seneca Rocks 400KI've been relatively slack with Rando rides this year. Not quite as slack as I've been with blogging about them, but still... Early in the year I got my 200K and 300K brevets out of the way, but life got in the way of doing the 400K and 600K for the series. I rode a Fleché and I've kept up the R-12 series, but that's about it. So I started looking at the ride calendar recently to see if I could still get in a 400 and a 600 for a full SR series, while also keeping in mind I want to ride the BFL 1000K in October to get a RUSA Cup... It's an ambitious schedule, but I figured I can get it done by riding Matt Settle's Seneca Rocks 400K up in Va & WV, then the Audux Atlanta Dublin 600K down in Ga. So my current fitness level notwithstanding I signed up for Matt's sufferfest and drove up to Front Royal, Va for a 4am Saturday start.<br />
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I've ridden up here before, in 2012 I did a 400k, a 600k, and the Shenandoah 1200K so I was familiar with the climbing. Matt's description of the ride talks about the "rollers" out of Front Royal leading to the first climb... Translated into Raleigh flatlander that's "continuous steep hills roughly the size of Lystra leading up to the first mountain that's similar to Pilot Mtn." I decided that I'd just go and tackle each challenge as it came- if I looked at the whole ride I might just realize how crazy it was!<br />
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After a beautiful drive up Hwy 15 I arrived at the hotel in Front Royal just in time to meet a Randonneur named Gardner from Baltimore who was taking a carbon Trek off the roof of his car. We talked briefly, he was here with a couple of others, they all ride with the DC Randonneurs, and they were planning to ride most of the course together. I asked if they'd had dinner yet, and since they hadn't he invited me along. This was the best decision I've made in quite some time. It took longer than I would've liked and ate up some sleep time, but we had a very nice dinner and I made three new friends- Gardner, Theresa, and Jack who. This would come in quite handy about 24 hours later...<br />
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I had a reasonably good sleep and got up at 3am to get ready for the start. Saw Matt briefly and gave him the Shenandoah stickers I had made, then it was time to roll. It was cold out! I've been used to riding in 90 degree weather, now all of a sudden it's in the 50's and we're starting in the dark. I was in wool jersey, arm warmers, knee warmers, and vest for the first time in a long time. My only mistake here was that I forgot to start the Garmin. The first time I turned on the light to look at it I noticed it was still at zero, I started it, and Gardner told me we were at exactly 6 miles in. Simple addition is good, helps keep you awake. We rode up Fort Valley Rd. through The George Washington Natl. Forest and made good time to the first climb up Edinburg Gap.<br />
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There were 6 of us- Hamid, Chris, me, and my 3 new DC friends. Hamid was the first to take off, gapping the rest of us before the climb began. We wouldn't see him again until he passed us on the return trip. We all had different climbing speeds, so there was separation on the climb but their plan was to regroup at each summit and stick together till the next major climb. Jack had lots of data programmed into his GPS and could always tell you how far till the summit, what the current gradient was, etc. This is when I really found out what we had in store. They described to me the 4 gaps that we had to climb and descend in the first 80 miles, then we'd have 85 miles or so of these "rollers" (remember to translate that into flatlander,) then since it's an out-and-back route we get to climb and descend the same 4 gaps from the opposite direction! Yep, that's 8 major climbs. So I settled in and spun my way to the summit of Edinburg Gap where the 5 of us regrouped before the descent. Down in the town of Edinburg we were at about 28 miles in and they had planned a non-controle c-store stop. Chris didn't want to stop, so he rode on. We wouldn't see him again until the return trip either. And then there were 4... The sun came up, so I got the iPhone out to shoot a quick video.<br />
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The next climb was up Wolf Gap, at the summit was the West Virginia Line. This one was much harder and steeper, and I would come to realize that each one of these gaps is harder and steeper up one side or the other! We once again regrouped at the summit, descended together and rode to the next climb up Mill Gap. The day had turned mostly overcast, so the Sun hadn't warmed things up for us. The climbing warms you up, you get sweaty under the vest and then on the descent the wind will just freeze you. At the summit of Mill Gap they were waiting for me again, and once we were all 4 there we dropped down to the 65 mile control and breakfast at the Lost River Grill.<br />
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Back on the bikes we had a very short ride to the start of our 4th major climb through Lost River State Park. I never found out if this was a named gap or not, but it was hard. Hardest climb so far. We regrouped again before the summit- there was a false summit with a nice view so I snapped a picture. Then it was on to the real summit. When we started to descend I couldn't believe what I'd gotten myself into. The road was incredibly steep with constant switchbacks. I was hard on the brakes the whole time. My hands hurt from gripping the brake levers and I could smell my brake pads burning. This was the most hair-raising butt-clenching descent I've ever done and it would've been a hell of a lot of fun if I wasn't constantly thinking about having to turn around and climb back up it!<br />
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We all survived the descent and regrouped for a nice 40 mile ride out to Seneca Rocks and our turnaround controle. The weather had warmed up a bit, so I removed the knee warmers. The Sun had come out and the scenery was gorgeous, so I shot another video. Along the way we passed Hamid on his return trip, he was at least a couple hours ahead of us. I'd been keeping up fairly well all day so far, but during this section I started to have more trouble. They'd gap me off on the "rollers" and then I'd bridge up a bit on the downhills. Soon the gaps got big, then eventually they were out of sight. About 6 miles from the Seneca Rocks controle I saw Chris on his return leg, about an hour ahead of us.<br />
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I rolled into the controle a few minutes after the others and we all had a nice sit-down meal. It was a burger and chips for me, as well as a piece of pound cake for dessert! I applied a little embro to my knees to help keep the chill off and also in the hopes that it would help ease the pain of the day's climbing so far. We got back on the road, now halfway done and heading back to the worst climb of the day. We stopped at a Sheetz to resupply just before the climb up Lost River State Park Rd. and put on reflective gear since we figured it might be getting dark before we made the summit. Then we bravely headed up the road.<br />
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The first part of the climb was hard, but do-able. The 150 miles I already had in my legs was taking it's toll, so the others pulled away as I eased off and tried to spin my way through it. I remembered the screaming descent and knew the worst was yet to come. This is about a 10 mile climb with roughly 2100ft. of elevation gain, but the steepest sections come in the last few miles. I'd been on the climb for about an hour when it really started to get dark. I rounded a curve in slow motion to see Jack up the road walking his bike. It was incredibly steep but I decided to try to ride up to him so I could walk with him. I never made it- it got so steep that I was in my lowest gear, standing in the pedals, and simply couldn't keep the bike moving forward. I had to clip out to keep from falling over. I turned on my lights and started walking.<br />
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Turns out I can't walk uphill as fast as the others either! Jack pulled away from me in no time as I attempted to walk my bike up these incredibly steep gradients wearing road shoes. This was stretching my Achilles tendons painfully, so as soon as the gradient let up a bit I got back on the bike and started pedaling again. Soon it got too steep once again and I had to dismount and walk some more. I could now see and hear Jack and Theresa a couple of switchbacks up walking their bikes and talking. I didn't have enough breath to talk, so it was just as well that I was alone. Around another switchback and the road gradient settled down again. I remounted and started back up the mountain. In the next switchback there was a house, and the guy was out on his porch and called out to me "you're gonna catch 'em, they're all walkin'!" Sure enough, a couple turns later I slowly caught and passed Jack and Theresa, then shortly after I caught and passed Gardner too. Try to imagine how slow this happens. I'm standing in the pedals, cranking my lowest gear and moving forward at maybe 4mph. They're walking their bikes at probably 2.5mph. It's a strange feeling when you're on a bike and having trouble catching someone who's walking! Soon Theresa passed me, she'd remounted also. The gradient eased dramatically and I stopped for a drink and a snack and was passed by Gardner and Jack, also back on their bikes. We all regrouped at the summit to put on more warm clothes and make the descent in the dark.<br />
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After the descent we stopped at the store in Lost River to replenish supplies and I needed to work on my front light a bit. I was running a new handlebar bag on this ride, and while it had enough clearance over the light when I installed it as the bag got fuller and the roads got bumpier it had settled down onto my light. The constant pounding from the West Virginia tarmac had put a hurting on my little light. I adjusted it as best I could, and tried to tie the bag a bit higher to keep it off the light. I told my 3 companions at this stop that the last climb had really wrecked me and I would probably not be able to keep up. They said they were willing to wait, but I assured them that I'm used to being by myself. It was now 10pm and the little store was closing, so we got kicked out into the cold.<br />
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We left as a group, but everyone was shivering in the 40-something degree temperature. The others started to crank it up to get warm and soon I was gapped off pretty far. Then it happened- my front light swiveled straight down and pointed at my tire. I had a light on my helmet as well, so that wasn't the end of the world. Then the front light broke off and dangled down by it's wiring, tinkling along the spokes of my front wheel. I had to stop. The plastic mount had just broken in half from the pounding it got during the day, and no matter what I tried I couldn't figure a way to rig it. I removed the light, unplugged it from the dynamo hub, and stashed it in my bag. I began to wonder if my battery headlamp would last the rest of the night. I had one spare battery, and it takes a proprietary rechargeable...<br />
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I climbed slowly up Mill Gap and found that it was a bit harder up this side than it had been earlier in the morning. Or maybe it was my legs... At the summit I found that my friends had taken me at my word and hadn't waited for me. I got the impression that perhaps they waited as long as they could, but as cold as it was they weren't doing themselves any favors cooling down before a big descent. Next was Wolf Gap, which was much easier from this direction! At the summit I entered back into Virginia and dropped down to the next controle. There I found my friends waiting for me, which made me unbelievably happy! I'd changed the helmet light battery already to the spare, so if that one went I would be screwed. They were nice enough to let me recover for a bit and they didn't push me to get back on the bike right away. I have no idea how long they'd waited for me, but to have a group of randos wait like that and then be patient with you sitting still is pretty special!<br />
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Back on the road I started pushing myself harder to keep up. Not only did I not want to slow them down much more, but I figured I might lose my light and need their help soon. We had one major climb left- Edinburg Gap. I'd done it on the Shenandoah but couldn't remember from which direction. I remembered it being hard, but then again everything on that ride was hard! Sure enough, when we got on the climb it turned out to be much harder from this direction. They waited for me at the top, and we all descended together for the last 30ish mile ride up Fort Valley to Front Royal.<br />
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With about 20 miles to go my battery started dying. First Jack stayed with me to help light the way, then Gardner took over. Jack was getting a bit swervy from sleep deprivation, and I was having to push through Achilles pain on every little uphill. I could tell that I was slowing them down, but no one complained. At one point we stopped so Theresa could change batteries and I had a chance to try an idea I'd had while riding. I got the dynamo light back out and ran the cord down through a loop on my front bag, wrapped it around the fork and plugged it in. It wasn't mounted so it would stay put and shine where I wanted, but I could use my right hand to hold it on fast downhills and get through that way. It was a struggle to finish, but we all stayed together to the hotel in Front Royal for a finish time of 25hours 35min.<br />
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Jack went straight to his hotel but I went to the McDonalds with Gardner and Theresa to get a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel for a shower and a nap. That was probably the toughest 400K I've done. It's hard to compare it to the ROMA 400K in 2012- I was in much better shape! That one had lots of climbing too (everything up there does!) but this one was 8 major climbs. It's funny how seemingly inconsequential decisions can determine your path on these rides. Had I arrived in Front Royal 30 minutes earlier or later I might not have met Gardner in the parking lot. Had I turned down the dinner invite they might not have waited for me at all those summits. This was truly a great ride, and it all came down to good scenery, a good route, and great friends to share it with. Thanks Gardner, Theresa, and Jack- and I'll see you in NC in October!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/376686991" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-9362170290230104782012-11-14T23:25:00.001-08:002012-11-15T05:25:22.304-08:002012 Coffeeneuring ChallengeAs soon as I read about the <a href="http://chasingmailboxes.com/2012/10/01/2nd-annual-coffeeneuring-challenge-7-shops-6-weekends/" target="_blank">2nd Annual Coffeeneuring Challenge</a> I knew I had to give this a try. 7 different coffee shop rides in 6 weeks? Thata's my kinda challenge! I wanted to avoid going to Starbucks, and since my usual days off are Sundays and Tuesdays I needed to find local coffee shops that weren't closed on Sundays. I enjoyed finding a couple of new coffee spots, as well as hitting some of my usual places.<br />
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Day#1: Aversboro Coffee<br />
Sunday, October 7th I started the Coffeneuring challenge with a visit to my favorite local shop here in Garner, NC- <a href="http://www.aversborocoffee.com/" target="_blank">Aversboro Coffee</a>, at 1401 Aversboro Rd. I'd invited others to join me for a 40-50 mile ride, but the weather was looking iffy. I got a café mocha and waited a little while for anyone to show. Soon it was apparent that 1) we were about to have a big thunderstorm and 2) no one was coming. I quickly rode home and waited out the storm. A couple of hours later it was all clear so I went for a solo 45 mile ride on the LeMond, finishing once again at Aversboro Coffee for a small coffee and a brownie, just to make sure it counted!<br />
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Day#2: It's A Grind<br />
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My second coffeneuring outing was Sunday, October 14th. I met Geof for a casual ride in Cary on the condition that somewhere along the way we'd stop for coffee. I'd been building an early eighties Italian Ciocc, and I wanted to take it for a spin. He led me on a 45 mile ride and we stopped at an <a href="http://www.itsagrind.com/" target="_blank">It's A Grind</a> at 2000 Boulderstone Way in Cary, NC. I got a small iced coffee, and a brownie from some high schoolers outside having a bake sale for charity. </div>
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Day#3: The Coffee Mill<br />
I skipped the next Sunday to ride the NCBC Fall Rally so I went for a coffeeneuring ride on my other day off, Tuesday October 23rd. Luckily the rules allow for those of us whose jobs don't have the typical Saturday & Sunday weekend. For this trip I rode solo down to Clayton, NC to check out a shop there called <a href="http://www.flipsidecoffemill.com/TheCoffeeMill.html" target="_blank">The Coffee Mill</a> at 105 S. Lombard St. The shop is attached to The Flipside restaurant, so along with my café mocha I ordered some lunch- a very good burger and fries. I'll probably do this run again, since it gets me a nice 25 mile workout and a good lunch too!<br />
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Day#4: Godino's Bakery</div>
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I'd been riding the Ciocc quite a bit and really enjoying the bike, but it still needed a couple of key parts: I needed to replace the Kalloy seatpost with a Campagnolo one, and the rear wheel skewer was a Shimano- I needed to get a matching pair of period correct Campy skewers. Cycles deOro in Greensboro was having it's annual Tweed Ride and swap meet on Sunday, October 28th so I decided to drive over, look for some vintage parts, and show off the bike a bit. I met up with some friends earlier in the morning before the Tweed Ride for a tour of my old haunts in Greensboro and a visit to <a href="http://godinosbakery.com/" target="_blank">Godino's Bakery</a> at 1007 Hwy 150W for a cup of coffee and a muffin. It was a nice 16 mile ride, some roads, some greenways, casual pace and lots of fun.</div>
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Day#5: Benelux Café</div>
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I traded days off with a coworker so he could close on a house, so this week I had Thursday November 1st off. I did a quick solo ride to downtown Raleigh and back for a stop at another favorite coffee shop- <a href="http://beneluxcafe.com/" target="_blank">Benelux Café</a> at 309 Blake St. in Historic City Market. I had a medium coffee and got in almost 15 miles on the carbon bike.</div>
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Day#6: Cup A Joe</div>
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Sunday November 4th was a busy day for me, but I wanted to squeeze in a photo shoot of the Ciocc and a coffeeneuring ride. I started at City Market, and took pics of the bike on the cobbled streets, then I rode through downtown to <a href="http://cupajoe.com/" target="_blank">Cup A Joe</a> at 3100 Hillsborough St. near the NCSU campus. I ran into Jon Turner there, he'd just finished pacing the City of Oaks Marathon. I just had a regular cuppa joe, and we talked about bikes and endurance events before I rode back to City Market to head home. It was a short ride- less than 6 miles! For good measure I had an espresso at Benelux before driving home.</div>
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Day #7: The Morning Times</div>
My final coffeeneuring run was on Tuesday, November 6th- my usual day off. It was cool and overcast, threatening rain. I spent most of the day working on projects at home, then squeezed in a ride late in the afternoon. I rode the NYCBikes commuter to downtown Raleigh to visit <a href="http://www.morningtimes-raleigh.com/" target="_blank">The Morning Times</a>, 10 E Hargett St. and have an excellent latte. Just a 15 mile ride, with the last half in the dark.<br />
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That does it for the Coffeeneuring Challenge- it was harder than I thought it would be, but I found some new shops to frequent and ingested large quantities of caffeine. I got to ride with some great friends and also had a few solo outings. Most of all I enjoyed not having a schedule to keep- the rides started whenever they started and I never rushed anywhere or tried to reach some goal of speed or distance. The caffeine dictated the pace...Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-85761033209455137212012-11-06T11:20:00.000-08:002012-11-06T11:52:25.800-08:00Bella Bicicletta - How I built my Ciocc San Cristobal<div style="text-align: center;">
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I've been eyeing classic Italian steel bikes for awhile now. Always on the lookout for a Bianchi, a De Rosa, a Pinarello, a Colnago... I hadn't even heard of Ciocc until my friend Todd mentioned that he had one in his basement. I told him I might be interested and a few days later he introduced me to this lovely early eighties frame and fork. <br />
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I love the chromed seat stays and fork, the original paint and decals were in very good condition, and it had a Campagnolo Record headset and bottom bracket that were both in excellent working order. I found out more about the history of Ciocc- The signature on the top tube is that of the frame builder Giovanni Pelizzoli. His nickname was "Ciocc," meaning "poker face" in his local dialect. The model San Cristobal was made in honor of Claudio Corti's 1977 amateur World Cup victory in San Cristobal Spain atop a Ciocc bicycle. Giovanni Pelizzoli sold the Ciocc brand in 1980, but still makes bicycles today under the brand name Pelizzoli. He was the subject of a documentary called "Anima D'Acciaio," Soul of Steel. I've found the trailer on YouTube, but I have no idea how to get ahold of a copy of the full documentary.</div>
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I'd thought about building it with a mid-nineties Campagnolo 8 speed ergo group I have lying around, but decided instead to look around for more period-correct eighties parts. My first stop was Bryan Hoffman, I knew he had some boxes of vintage Campy stuff. He let me pick through his stash and I left with a pair of C-Record downtube friction shifters, a Record brake set, some C-Record brake levers with white hoods, and a pair of Record 8-speed hubs. So far so good. Some of the parts were more of a mid-nineties vintage, but I told myself that an original owner might have upgraded the shifters, brake levers, and wheels anyway.</div>
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Next stop was eBay. Soon I became obsessed with vintage Campy stuff on eBay, but I did well and in short order I had won auctions for a Super Record crankset and a matching Super Record front and rear derailleur. Man, Campy made some beautiful bicycle components!<br />
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I sprayed the inside of the frame with Frame Saver to prepare it for the build. I also decided I just had to restore the one decal that was missing. Todd told me that a previous owner had removed the Columbus tubing decal from the seat tube, and with it had peeled off some paint. He had covered it with some electrical tape. I found the correct decal by matching it to the Columbus decals on the fork, and found <a href="http://www.cyclomondo.net/" target="_blank">a place online</a> where I could order the replicas. After peeling off the electrical tape I could see that someone had scraped the old decal off. I filled the scrape marks with touch-up lacquer and sanded the area smooth before applying the replica decal. Amazing how satisfying it is to fix something so small!<br />
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I already had an Italian 3TTT stem and handlebars from the Kona, so I filled out the rest of the parts bit by bit. I bought brand new Mavic Open Pro rims from <a href="http://allstarbikeshop.com/articles/staff-store-info-quail-corners-pg471.htm" target="_blank">All-Star Bike Shop</a> instead of trying to source vintage rims. I'm going to ride this bike, not just hang it on a wall, so I wanted a good solid wheel set. I took the hubs and rims to <a href="http://carycyclesurgeon.com/Home.shtml" target="_blank">Matt Lodder</a> to build the wheels. I ordered a San Marco Regal saddle in white perforato and a set of Vittoria Open Corsa Evo SC tires. I went to <a href="http://www.cyclesdeoro.com" target="_blank">Cycles de Oro</a> in Greensboro for their swap meet, looking for a Campagnolo seatpost and a pair of skewers, but didn't find them. I did get a pair of Classic Rendezvous vintage looking bottles, though! The last couple of bits came from Gilbert Anderson at <a href="http://northroadbicycle.com" target="_blank">North Road Bicycle Imports</a> in Yanceyville- he had the perfect Nuovo Record 2-bolt seatpost and a nice pair of wheel skewers.<br />
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I think the bike turned out beautifully. It rides like a dream, too. I love to take it to club rides and show it off. It turns heads at the coffee shop too! I couldn't be happier with my first Italian steel bike!<br />
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<br /></div>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-10299500059548720192012-07-16T21:17:00.000-07:002012-07-16T22:11:15.748-07:00Adversity and Providence: How I Survived the Shenandoah 1200KOne of my big cycling goals for 2012 was to ride the Shenandoah 1200K- 767 miles in the mountains of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina with roughly 60,000 ft of ascent! In preparation for the ride I went up and rode the ROMA 400K and ROMA 600K brevets. These rides prepared me very well and gave me a nice preview of the route. I made one major change before the 1200K, instead of riding my carbon bike like I did on the 400K and 600K I opted for my trusty steel LeMond, partly for comfort but mostly for it's front rack and bags. The lightweight bike was nice, but it was quite difficult to carry the clothing and supplies that I needed. On June 6th with the bike packed I headed up to Leesburg, VA for a 4am start.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">My Brevet Card</span></div>
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Day 1: All according to plan...</div>
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It was a bit cool at the start, so I started in arm & knee warmers and vest. 13 riders started, and I stayed with a group of about 10 in the dark for the first 40 miles or so. I was able to shoot one of my "falling back" videos once it got light, but just before the Catoctin Mountain Natl Park I let the rest of the group go up the road and settled into my own rhythm. 100K in I made it to the first control at Gettysburg, the others were still there, but no one was manning the control. Matt was supposed to be there, but I don't think he expected us to make such good time! I had been counting on refilling my water bottles here, and I was completely dry. The others said there was a store down the road, and they took off while I was still busy with a nature break. One rider, Ed, waited for me and we headed out to look for a store.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzfIxE2SPN1SKIBUWvlqVeKkfGALKB3yVXy3aGPI7jQu0ie3r53Q5OZ3mYtTOhAQeL7OfwNnzLim8gjlEeWOw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">The riders at sunrise</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Gettysburg</span></div>
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Just after we got out of the Gettysburg Battlefield park we spotted a little place called "Our Family Market." It didn't look open, but I was thirsty and wanted some solid food so we pulled in anyway in hopes that it was. This was my first bit of luck- it was open, and it turned out to be a quaint little shop full of homemade baked goodies a small stock of fizzy drinks and water. I refilled the bottles and had a coke and a blueberry turnover. Feeling much better we got back on the road.</div>
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Soon I let Ed go up the road, since he was climbing faster than I was, and I was back on my own. After the 2nd big climb of the day and a nice, long descent I once again found the little BBQ joint that had been a lifesaver on this same course on the 400K- Phil & Jerry's Meats & More. I stopped here for a lunch full of salty stuff, country ham sandwich and chips. I also grabbed a sample of Karen's Candy Kitchen homemade peanut butter fudge, which later turned out to be much better than any energy gel!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Phil & Jerry's</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Peanut Butter Fudge- my new favorite energy gel</span></div>
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I rode solo through the Antietam Battlefield to the 2nd control at about 116 miles, then back into Virginia to the 3rd control at about mile 153. The weather was gorgeous, with blue skies and big poofy white clouds, and I stopped occasionally to take pictures with my phone. It probably would've been worth the extra weight to bring a proper point & shoot camera, the scenery in the Shenandoah Valley is absolutely stunning. As the sun was starting to go down I was being chased around by rain clouds, only once or twice did I get a little spritz of rain though. I was climbing one of the many hills when I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw a little church in beautiful light with storm clouds in the background. It was nice enough that I stopped midway up the hill to snap a pic! Rain clouds chased me all the way through Harrisonburg, VA and I finally arrived at the first sleep stop, 233 miles in at about 1:30am. Had a quick shower and set up all my gadgets to charge, then went down for an hour and a half nap- exactly what I'd hoped for at the end of the first day.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Representing the NC Randos</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Antietam</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Worth stopping halfway up a hill to snap this one.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Still being chased by the rainclouds</span></div>
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Day 2: How I messed up.</div>
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At 4:00am I swung a sore leg back over the LeMond and rolled out of the hotel parking lot to start day 2. It was downright cold, cold enough to see your breath in the oncoming headlights. Arm & knee warmers, vest and jacket, and I was still shivering. I wasn't going very fast uphill, but each time I would start to get warm it was just in time to crest a hill and go screaming down the other side, freezing my ass off. I'd started out with 6 riders behind me, but soon I was caught and passed by one pair. I stopped at a little store and had some hot coffee and a bacon egg & cheese biscuit, and also bought a pair of brown work gloves to try to keep my hands warm. Not much further down the road I was passed by the Olsen brothers. I passed the Olsens again while they were stopped later at a store, but shortly they caught and passed again on the climb up Hanky Mountain Hwy into the George Washington National Forest.</div>
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I wasn't really looking at the time, I usually don't have to worry too much about time limits. I wasn't pushing myself, and during the cold early morning I wasted loads of time either stopped at stores or crawling slowly uphill because that was when I was warmest. As the day progressed it warmed up, and eventually it got quite hot. I still didn't push my pace, but here is where I should have kept my speed up. I let the time limits creep up on me, and I'd be staying just out ahead of them for the rest of the ride.</div>
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I left the George Washington National Forest and rode down through the Goshen Pass along the Maury River. This had been my favorite section of the 600K, since the temps in the pass are so much cooler than the surrounding area and the 600K weekend was sweltering hot. I was having a blast descending the pass when a rust colored Toyota pickup truck actually attempted to run me off the road. No one coming the other direction- just a purely spiteful, malicious act. I thought about being alone out here in the mountains of Virginia and started to flirt with the thoughts of "it's not worth dying out here at the hands of some stupid yahoo driving a pickup," but I put those thoughts behind me and got back to it.</div>
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At the control in Buchanan at mile 332 I learned that the 2 riders behind me had abandoned, making me the Lanterne Rouge. Still it didn't bother me, I'd been riding well within my limits and I still felt strong, I told myself I could always make up some time on the road and soon the time limits would start to become more generous. I left Buchanan after much too long a stop and rode down to Roanoke where the route climbs up to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway heading to Floyd, VA.</div>
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The first few miles on the BRP were fun, sure it had some climbing but there were also a couple of sweeping, fast descents with beautiful views. The heat of the day had me dripping sweat at the tops of the climbs, and the high speed descending cooled me back off. I sorta thought this 16 mile stretch of the parkway was going to be great. Then the climbing really started. It is pretty much 12-13 miles of straight climbing. I kept expecting it to drop for a little descent after each bend, only to be demoralized when I saw the road continuing to ascend. I was very slow here. I ran out of water here, and I was carrying 3 bottles! It was getting dark when I made it to the end of the parkway climb and I put on the lights and reflective gear for the 20ish miles to get to the control at Floyd. By this point I'd been on the road for over 40 hours with only 1.5 hours of sleep, and it was starting to catch up with me. It took me until 10:15pm to get to Floyd, where I once again wasted too much time off the bike. A volunteer told me that it would take about 3 hours to get to the sleep stop in Mount Airy, NC since it was "all downhill..." That translated to a 15mph average, so I figured on 4 hours instead to account for my slowness. I stayed too long at the control snacking and putting on all my warm clothes, since the temps had once again plummeted.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Climbing up the BRP toward Floyd, VA</span></div>
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The route to Mount Airy was decidedly not "all downhill." The cold, the sleep deprivation, and the climbing were all getting to me again. In this section it was mostly the mental game that got me. I lost a lot of time. Finally I crossed over the BRP again for an 8 mile screaming nighttime descent of Willis Gap into Mount Airy. I arrived at about 4:45 am, but wasted a bunch of time by going to the wrong hotel. I finally got to the right spot at 5am- roughly 2 hours later than I'd planned. I was hoping for 3 hours of sleep, but now I was only going to allow myself a single hour. I had a hard task ahead of me- the climb up Willis Gap made it difficult to determine how long it would take to get back to Floyd. After food and a shower I got in bed for a short nap.</div>
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Day 3: Luck- both kinds!</div>
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That was a short nap. Big job ahead. I had a couple different jerseys to choose from in my drop bag, and I went with the Societé Adrian Hands jersey for luck. I rolled out a bit after 7am. Straight out of the gate there was an 8 mile climb up Willis Gap, and I figured I needed to do it in less than an hour if I wanted to make Floyd by Noon. I pushed hard, and got to the top of the climb in 45 minutes. Feeling pretty good about that I flew down the other side at top speed- now I was trying to make up as much time as possible. I rounded a corner and the road turned to gravel! I'd forgotten that gravel section from the haze of the previous night's climbing. It was hard on the brakes for the short time I still had pavement left, then I let go the brakes and hit the gravel at nearly full speed. I was pretty sure I was gong to crash. Somehow I didn't, and I tried to scrub more speed by feathering my rear brake. Braking only seemed to cause a speed wobble, and I quickly laid a knee along the top tube and tried braking some more. It was still causing the speed wobbles, but now there was a bigger problem- the road made a hard turn to the right. Now I knew I was going to crash. I braked harder than anyone should at high speed on a gravel road, and I shimmied and fishtailed around the turn. I have no idea how I didn't go down, but I made it back onto asphalt unscathed. I'd just received a huge gift of luck!</div>
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The price I paid for the time up Willis Gap was that my left Achilles was starting to bother me. Even so, I continued to keep the pace up- though I was being just a bit more cautious on the descents- and I rolled into the control at Floyd right at Noon. The volunteers were there with lunch and ice cold fizzy drinks, and I drank one while using another to ice my left ankle. Had a big sandwich and chips. Ed was also still there resting in the shade, and I once again spent far too long at the control and wasted most of the time I had just gained back. Eventually we got back on the road, but we were both rolling painfully slowly.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Long stop for lunch in Floyd</span></div>
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Instead of backtracking exactly and enjoying a 12 mile descent on the parkway, the Shenandoah route makes a little detour and gets a little more climbing in. After the little detour around Roanoke we rejoined the same outbound roads headed back to the control in Buchanan. My Achilles was really starting to hurt on the climbs, and Ed would pull away on each uphill. He kept getting ahead and out of sight, then eventually I'd come up over a rise and he'd be waiting. We continued this cat-and-mouse game all the way to Buchanan.</div>
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With my shoe off it was obvious my Achilles was quite inflamed. It was getting late in the day, and on the way into town I'd stopped at a Family Dollar to try to get some athletic tape but it was closed. All I could find at the convenience store control was duct tape, so I bought a roll. I ate at the Burger King in the store and tried to take a nap in one of the booths while Ed went ahead and got back on the road. After maybe 15 minutes of rest but no real sleep I started trying to figure out how to tape up my ankle with duct tape. I was having no luck when a young man approached me and asked if I'd like him to show me how to do that. Turns out he's a rodeo rider and had lots of experience taping up joints. Once I had a duct tape ankle brace I was able to get back on the road, and it was much better with a bit of support.</div>
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Once again I put on the reflective gear and lights and rode on into the night. Eventually I caught up with Ed again and we rode together, or at least within sight of one another some more. The sleep deprivation was really starting to drag me down, and once when we both stopped for a minute I put my head down on the bars and nearly fell asleep on the bike. I didn't realize how much it was bothering Ed as well until he pulled off at a bank and said he needed to rest for a bit. I made him set his phone alarm before I left, then got back on the road. A short time later I saw his lights in my mirror and he was catching back up with me. I saw a coke machine and pulled off for caffeine, but couldn't get it to give me a drink. Ed pointed out a Post Office right next door, so I went inside the warm lobby and laid down for a road nap while Ed rode on. I set my phone alarm for 30 minutes, but it seemed like only about 5 minutes before it was ringing. I got up immediately and got back on the road. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">My warm Post Office road nap spot</span></div>
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Coming out of the heated Post Office into the cold night was a bit of a shock, but I started to push hard to warm and wake myself up. As I approached a convenience store I spotted Ed pulling out and soon we were back together again. I couldn't stay with him on the uphills though, and Ed eventually stopped waiting up for me and he was out of sight. My duct tape ankle brace had stretched out and was no longer giving me any support, and the Achilles was screaming. I rode on through the night and through the pain, but I was riding even more slowly.</div>
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At 6am I stopped at a grocery store in Staunton, VA that had just opened. In the first aid section I bought ice packs, sports tape, and a bottle of Advil. I sat on a bench outside the store, iced my ankle, and drank a Frappucino. I had 16 miles to go till the next sleep stop and 3 hours until it closed. Plenty of time. After about 15 minutes of ice treatment I wrapped my ankle and got back on the road. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">The duct tape ankle brace finally stretched out and gave up</span></div>
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In the last 5 miles before the control I spotted Ed on the side of the road and pulled over. He was putting his bike in Matt's van! His chain had snapped and the mangled links had destroyed his rear derailleur. His ride was over. I felt bad for Ed, but I also wanted to get to the hotel and have a nap. After missing a turn down the road I finally made it to the hotel at Bridgewater. After a short discussion with Matt I realized that I didn't have any time for a nap if I wanted to finish. I had plenty of time to make it to the penultimate control at Front Royal before it closed, but if I arrived at closing time I'd never make it to the finish in time. You see, the Shenandoah 1200K is actually 1,234 Kilometers long. That's an extra 22 miles, however it still has the same 90 hour time limit as any other 1200K! I needed to get right back on the road to try to make it to the finish in time.</div>
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Day 4: Sleep deprivation.</div>
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I took a few minutes to shower, re-wrap my ankle, and change into a fresh kit before heading out for the last 130 mile run to the finish. I also dumped anything I felt I wouldn't need into my drop bag so I wouldn't have to carry it up the hills. I left Bridgewater at about 9:30am and headed to Harrisonburg, then north through Broadway. During this stretch I was nearly falling asleep on my bike. The day started getting hot and the sleep deprivation was getting to me so bad I can barely remember anything. At one point I did stop in the shade of a tree and put my head down on my handlebars, not sure if I drifted off or not, but I woke with a start when I started to fall over. Back on the bike it was more climbing and descending, just like I'd been doing for the past few days. At the top of one little climb there was a convenience store, and I pulled in for a caffeinated fizzy drink but it was closed. I got lucky once again on this ride, because they had a working drink machine outside. I downed one Coke and bought another to stuff into my jersey pocket. I told myself I'd get it as a reward for climbing the next big one- Edinburg Gap. I took a minute to check in on Facebook on the iPhone and read some comments from friends giving me support and advice. Jerry said caffeine and ibuprofen would get me through, so I took some more Advil. I was encouraged by all the comments from my friends, but a comment from one of Geof's friends gave me a start- he said something about us being at 80 hours but the comment had been posted an hour earlier. I did some quick math and thought for a minute that I didn't have enough time left if I kept going at my current pace. My Achilles tendon pain combined with the sleep deprivation and the general fatigue from riding almost 700 miles had me going fairly slowly. I resolved to pick up the pace and try to make some time.<br />
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I pushed hard up Edinburg Gap and then bombed the descent and tried to hammer all the way to the control at Front Royal. A time check showed that my math had probably been a bit wrong, but I'd made some good time and it seemed like a good idea to keep it up. I made it a quick stop, got the card signed, bought a few Red Bulls to stash in the front bag, and took some more ibuprofen. Then I got back on the road and tried to make some time.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">"Thousand yard stare" at the penultimate control</span></div>
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Sleep deprivation combined with massive amounts of caffeine does strange things to your mind. I was sure I recognized these roads from the run in to Leesburg on the 400K. I missed a turn but realized that I was off course because I thought I'd done the same thing on that ride a month earlier. I turned around and backtracked to get back on course, 15 or 20 minutes wasted but it could've been worse if I hadn't recognized my mistake. Next I found myself on John Marshall Highway, and again I thought I recognized this stretch. It was one of the only flattish sections I'd seen since the ride started, and I pushed the pace some more. I felt like I recognized every turn as I rode through Rectortown and up Atoka Rd. I chugged the Red Bulls and downed energy gels to keep me going and kept doing the math in my head to figure when I'd make it to the finish.<br />
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Looking back at this section and comparing it to the 400K I now realize that I'd never ridden these roads before. The 400K took a different route into Leesburg, and on that occasion I was getting into Leesburg in the dark. I don't have any explanation for how I knew my way or why I felt such a strong sense of deja vu, but it kept me going all the way into Leesburg. The closer I got to the end the more I realized that I was actually going to make it. I had about an hour to spare, which meant that I had a good buffer in case of mechanicals or wrong turns. That gave me even more of a boost than the Red Bulls had, and I flew into town.<br />
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I rolled up to the hotel at the finish and was greeted in the lobby by cheers from my fellow Randonneurs. "You're early!" they told me- they were expecting me to be much closer to the time limit based on how I looked to Matt at the start of the day. I handed my card to Matt at 88:55 according to my Garmin, but my official time on the card is 88:51. Everyone started asking me what I wanted to eat and drink, but I couldn't think very well. I remember telling one of the Olsen brothers that I'd eat anything, just surprise me! We sat in the lobby and I ate a big plate of food, drank a couple of sodas and a V-8, and even had a piece of Matt's birthday cake. Then I went upstairs to have a shower and finally get some sleep.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Finished!</span></div>
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I knew it was going to be a hard ride, and the Shenandoah 1200K certainly didn't disappoint. As Matt told me out on the road, "there's not a lot of room for error on this ride." I think I'll ride it again next year, and this time I'll pay more attention to building up a time cushion early. The scenery through the Shenandoah Valley was simply stunning. The drivers with whom we shared the roads left a lot to be desired, and the extreme temperature changes made the ride even tougher, but "Randonesia" has set in now and I'm about ready to give this ride another try!</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500px" src="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1274057/embed" width="100%"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-599095793166673692012-02-12T18:30:00.000-08:002012-02-12T21:17:42.231-08:00My first DNF<div style="text-align: left;">Early Saturday morning I lined up for the start of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BFL</span> 600k in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lumberton</span>, NC. The forecast was looking ugly- light rain Saturday, overnight temperatures in the 20's, and gale force winds. I've ridden in rough conditions before, so that didn't deter me. I'd had a rough time at the 300k two weeks earlier, suffering from knee pain in the hills, but I hoped that I'd recovered enough. I felt good at the start, staying with a good sized group and making good time. Met some new friends from Ohio- apparently our forecast was much more favorable than theirs! I did one short pull on the front and started to feel the familiar twinges in my right knee, so I went back to the back to draft and spin. Problem with the back of the group is the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">accordion</span> effect- the cumulative effect of lots of little accelerations just to stay with the group can cause as much damage as sitting out in the wind. I decided to get on Tim's wheel, he's nice and steady. That worked for a little while, but eventually Tim got tired of our slow pace and went to the front to pull. I stuck with the new fast pace for awhile, but it became obvious it was too much for me. The knee pain was back in full force, and we weren't even to the first control yet. I dropped of the back to spin my own tempo.</div><div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9o0baLSkKY0m3THdcha6O7BE214o1JOvEAumfIo9Hi85rYF8xx0_T3mMUdvPnoEiYmI6Gf6T4VCiU5rT2ebG8j6iE2_0otnjdmJ8VHs_FLzgv3VvB453r2_SAMQjnKTPUjljbCLkkVw/s400/431563_3229394414709_1262055290_3244402_1411764233_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708484175578298434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the first control I rode by myself and was feeling better, but I think the damage was done. Another group came by with Mike D, Cap'n Ende, and Mark T. They asked me to jump on, but I needed to spin my own pace. I hate that they think I'm being anti-social, but all the work I have to do to keep up with these groups tends to hurt me and slow me down even more. I saw them again when I stopped for lunch at Andy's. The two groups had merged into one and I tried to leave with them, but they took off down the road while I waited for oncoming traffic and I didn't feel like hurting myself even more to try to catch them. I assumed I wouldn't see any of them again.</div><div><br /></div><div>During the next stretch my right knee got much worse. Since I'd been compensating by working harder with my left I started developing pain in that knee as well. By the time I reached the control at Rocky Point, roughly 200k in I was seriously doubting the wisdom of continuing another 400k. The wind was really picking up and I was running the risk of seriously injuring myself if I pushed through the knee pain. I stopped for dinner and called my wife to talk it over. She was unable to talk sense into me, so I prepared for night riding. I had plenty of time to make it to the next control, so I planned to just keep spinning as easy as possible. If I made it 65 miles to Garland I'd get a bit of tailwind.</div><div><br /></div><div>The wind got worse, and along with it so did the pain in my knees. After an hour or so I was pretty sure I'd made the wrong decision in continuing. My left knee occasionally popped, and I could no longer stand up in the pedals. I pulled a toestrap out of my bag and cinched it up underneath my left kneecap for some support. It helped a bit. Sometime during this stretch I was surprised when I was passed by the paceline again! How did I get in front of them?!? I pushed harder than I should and caught on the back, where I found out that Mark T had crashed and tacoed a wheel. They waited about an hour for Tony to bring a replacement. Apparently they yelled when I passed by, but in the wind and traffic I never heard them. I stuck with them for a short time, but it was killing me. After a stop sign they pulled away and I couldn't close the gap. Ian H fell back and wanted to pace me back up, but I was cooked. I wish I'd heard them yelling when they had Tony out, I would've piled into his truck and bagged the ride right there. Nothing to do now but soldier on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've never ridden in worse headwinds. It was gusting, so just as I'd manage to spin up and get rolling a huge gust would come along and nearly stop me in my tracks. I've since found out that we experienced true gale-force winds, with gusts up to 45mph!! Occasionally a gust would hit from the side and nearly knock me off the road. I'm pretty sure in about an hour and 15 minutes I traveled only 6 miles. During this stretch I remembered my #1 goal for this year is to have fun on every ride. This ride had ceased being fun, and now had become dangerous. Every pedal stroke could be worsening my knee injuries, and I couldn't push hard enough to generate heat and stay warm. I decided to abandon, and stopped to call Tony. Zero cell coverage! I rode on a bit and spotted a closed convenience store, stopped and tried to call again. I got only enough signal for it to ring once or twice, then got dropped again. I had to get going again. </div><div><br /></div><div>After awhile I was surprised to see someone putting a bike into the trunk of a car. It was Bob from Ohio- he'd been dropped by the group and become so cold he couldn't shift gears anymore. He was shivering uncontrollably and slurring his speech. He'd started knocking on people's doors, looking for help and after a few houses wouldn't open their doors he found a nice local guy who agreed to drive him and his bike to Garland. Seeing him in what looked like a state of mild hypothermia, out in the middle of nowhere with no cell service really drove home the situation I was in. I didn't even hesitate to ask if I could ride along, and we stuffed my bike in the trunk as well. It was nearly 10 more miles before I could get a signal to call Tony, and he made arrangements for Mary F. to come pick us up and take us back to Lumberton.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got a couple of hours of sleep in the common hotel room in Lumberton, then got up and volunteered to help Tony support the riders who were still out there. We went and got snacks and drinks and I drove them down to Sunset Beach. The two guys up front had arrived there during the night to find that Tony hadn't had a chance to stock up the control since he'd been called out on course to help quite a few riders. I helped get them fueled up and on their way, then greeted the other riders as they came in. Once everyone made it through I took all the drop bags back to Lumberton and then headed home to ice my knees.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIGiJVN7AfkQP8vQYsWAdlmfqW7gXQN2voD4i0rywDw5OJcOpTHgu8ZxlUt_N_Dngoih1hMXHHkXBR2eyiwWcyPEL7xindq62Ub8l8Ec0Wgd2otWm37z4HIw8o5CGQPeYkxxkVh5GUuY/s400/405501_3236310667611_1262055290_3247901_1913713461_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708484180186238722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7EGP8eYct7PaAUXzCdYkZInpt-phRQrAuiG-ouiiy5h39oxbhjqiAXPPPChfHUIYAFqrAnhhTjrVvV9o6fZsIeNipQg21yvpybL_qnvioCwXZqs2GNqTxLZjELadV-0o3FSHnc9JGn4/s400/431276_3237240690861_1262055290_3248603_2033131944_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708484180978954578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JkJHEQ3TUqQxXaZN6GI7hDuszcX_bqRDNp9qdMZOoCLSvSTotWDjCfWsMA53tBQ3iaSQqJgcSf_ZT16ddkrl3BGo-GHPfhCVWHCqMpCtkdzjUAEVqwEdfuQ35jDKKBOeNvNdhbOg2oQ/s400/423232_3237249291076_1262055290_3248612_252838091_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708484191161892514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOV4ehXCa2ZvsSbILUaWuOwTNhyphenhyphenMmP21yFafdmvuBzBW_msiBwt9Bmnkcl8f4Ed4ORmxi0qAhxW-AQc7TZIKvX13c4FGNMsEnPNHFloFkGNgjSOEfiIIvcy6onEj74BPVlvhYWubUXxU/s400/408156_3237236730762_1262055290_3248600_1543980870_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708484202536524754" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHva12MQH2SvxGsAM8jcX5tfmvVSi3Fr0Vi7YDZJGZifcG9pUE1aKfYd9ZCwwzDFfGTeUW49xCLhuVUs3mn1o0Z2070ShJRFfOPwT4hsTDXS6ugQCeXJfi46JQyrWQ-dNqnDGwB5XUlBM/s400/430487_3237646941017_1262055290_3248808_1327569623_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708484289692691746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>I've always known I'd eventually have to abandon one of these rides, I was just hoping it would be a good story and not just something like a crash or a mechanical problem. I think this qualifies. I don't regret starting the ride, though I knew the forecast and my physical limitations. I do think I need to take more time off the bike and let my knees heal. </div></div>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-18570836218714959172012-01-02T09:18:00.000-08:002012-01-10T07:48:24.830-08:002011- Goals Met & A Record Set<div style="text-align: left;">I had a great year in 2011. Well, on the bike at least... financially it was another story. I was lucky enough to stay healthy and even luckier that my wonderful wife tolerates my crazy cycling adventures! My total bike mileage for the year was 11,071mi. That's a lot of time apart, so without her support and understanding I wouldn't be able to do this. Thank you Jo!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4RMmx_kV9qfet0tOkoWt4tl7PpqDuo9w1dhKy6Ie23l8pptU19wL8nbuiWkzol-mxorSiyY2Djqb4giuSMetee92aSAEbJLEjg9Dl86WqNqrgwX0a7WbWIYdDoH70UjmeJJ4QUEGkIw/s400/khound.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693102259383753794" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px; " /></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">K-Hound award I received at the NC Randos year-end party</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div>I had three goals at the start of 2011: K-Hound status (10,000km of RUSA credit,) to complete my first 1200K, and generally to have more fun on the bike by worrying less about speed and time. Turns out that riding enough permanents and brevets to get to 10,000k is great training for a 1200K... I completed the 1200K in August at Tony G's <a href="http://randobryan.blogspot.com/2011/10/taste-of-carolina-1200k.html">Taste of Carolina 1200</a> and finished the year with 10,222km of RUSA credit. In the process I also completed 2 full ACP Super Randonneur series. Not bad for my 2nd year as a Randonneur! None of these rides were super fast, the only rides I ever finished first were solo permanents, and I enjoyed each and every one of them. On New Year's Day I rode a 200K brevet to complete my R-12 for the second year in a row, so I've started 2012 off right!</div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LnItGkNnNkyC5pGU9Ahwn-sOSVE3nit7HlVH2GQj0S7BwMQvnLo8TprLKDfG3VMLS6VDHVuDb1S0pkAzDU0MbMi5LOnwC_xdnDmOe3FSH0ISc2fSmrf9C0uhbhx38I6bR30EJ0vZvKU/s400/1200.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693102250861157362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px; " /></span></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">1200K medal at the finish of the TC1200</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1eTPEs0xe-OlGeXojJl91n2Em5L4ABAlQsTm1cI7V8D8NJytGz1a0I1ns2Ih6RxWOuFycUFu6dqaUowlu_rerYy0b3OK-e4yoAwFqddYBb_PZl98zL49mOVL8kcqKBDBSGrQguzYVuQ/s400/BLR_7818.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696029824143689682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">RUSA doesn't make a 10,000K medal...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkCKJGXU9h2FvSl6cWX7pl09GYyiVM33LG1Di2RuNyghaa7eHG3EBZ_2KD9vIukokvndIpII0bt-mIy3pTvAWwchGNK_a2d30H4XqBZ7BUAl6wg_FeSuSLAa8b_c-klvtk7xKl_bipGA/s400/BLR_7826.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696029831121661490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">ACP medals for two full SR series</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHhYzy7Dm34Mvu4NlE7kyz_AMXGvdg31ARkQRXONS2pvNt8aosVQNM9JKoQIZcd9stWUFVZ8v8yDqp5Ow6m5TUGFFYJJ9VGGF_a8x2Pmhqg4G7-YHEzIsA55agntOZqSbsh5E35nePiM/s400/745.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693102253049982546" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">My wife gave me this sticker for my car</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>I rode in my 3rd Bike MS New Bern event just 4 days after completing the TC1200- it was the best Bike MS ride I've had yet! I didn't bother trying to ride fast or ride the century both days, instead I rode with my wife and a few others from our team, the Selma Cyclepaths. We did the 75 mile routes both days at a reasonable pace and stopped at most of the rest stops to enjoy the amenities. Imagine my surprise to find that the rest stops are stocked with homemade baked goods, Girl Scout cookies, and friendly volunteers. There's even a full lunch at one rest stop, and a couple of stops had live bands! The fast guys blow past all this stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Selma Cyclepaths had a great year also- we won Top Fundraising Team for the 7th year in a row, raising over $134,000 for the National MS Society's Eastern NC chapter! Our goal for the year had been to raise $150,000- enough to make us the first team to reach an all-time total of 1 million dollars. 2011's fundraising total was still a record year for us, and we'll settle for reaching the million-dollar team status in 2012!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ3Bk_zKinCa8106UiGk7amlo-UHlSIWuPIS87NF9T31O6YxErUpYy9SIG4v8R5xGeAcn5NuizAlukFEvwCGogbb5fXH3wXVZjI8eXZOooNOhUH_Bgrl9LpEVwkiUfI2yU1tEFPOfCjs/s400/cpaths.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693104282018138882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 239px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Top Fundraising Team award for the Cyclepaths</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I've been thinking a lot recently about what goals I'll set for 2012. I'm thinking about RUSA's American Randonneur Challenge- 2 domestic 1200K's. For me that will mean attempting the Shenandoah 1200 and then the Taste of Carolina 1200 again. No total mileage or RUSA kilometer goals, I think those will come naturally in training for the 1200's. I'm also toying with the idea of riding every RUSA permanent in NC, if I can do that I'll have 5,500km in the bag! The big goal is once again just to have fun on the bike. If I remember the lessons of this year's Bike MS ride I think I can do it, and 2012 will be another great year!</div></div></div>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-86967200566404639872011-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:002011-10-11T17:57:36.369-07:00Taste of Carolina 1200K<div style="text-align: left;">
2011 was a <a href="http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/pbp2011/index-en.php" target="_blank">Paris-Brest-Paris</a> year. P-B-P is THE event for a randonneur, and it only happens once every 4 years... but this year it happened during a recession. It was obvious early on that it would be impossible for me to afford to travel to Paris, so I had to resign myself to following my friends from afar during August. But then Tony Goodnight of Bicycle for Life announced the inaugural <a href="http://tc1200.bicycleforlife.org/" target="_blank">Taste of Carolina 1200K!</a> This would be the first weekend of September, 1200 kilometers, which is 750 miles... the same distance and time limits as P-B-P, and here in my home state. Much more affordable. The moment I found out about it I determined to complete this ride!</div>
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Day 1, Saturday: Of Mountains and Cramps</div>
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After a late departure from Raleigh on Friday evening, Geof and I checked in with Tony and got a few hours sleep in the common hotel room in Greensboro. We were up before 3am Saturday morning and preparing for a 4am departure. We rode through the McDonald's drive-thru for coffee and a McMuffin, then gathered with the others at the start. 21 randonneurs started the 1200K, 2 started the 1000K, and quite a few others were there for a short 200K.</div>
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I felt great through the early part of the ride, staying with the front part of the group as we left Greensboro heading toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. There was a separation at a traffic light and I found myself in a small group of 5 riders off the front. Turns out they were all veteran 1200K riders, each with more than one of these grand rides under his belt- I was the lone rookie. The pace was easy to handle- we all worked well together, taking reasonably short pulls on the front and maintaining a steady effort. No one was pushing the pace on the easy uphills, saving our strength for the serious climbing to come.</div>
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Shortly before sunrise we were caught by another group from behind and our numbers increased. This group contained lots of folks I knew, including a few who were fresh back from P-B-P and only riding the 200K. The consistent effort I had enjoyed so far this morning was replaced by a more typical randonneuring group style- coasting and braking on the downhills, then hammering uphill. I kept up with the group for awhile, but the hills and rollers were getting bigger and these intervals took their toll on me. At about 50 miles in, shortly before the first controle, I started feeling the early onset of cramps. Not a good sign when I knew the serious climbing into the Blue Ridge started at about mile 70... I dropped off the back, let the group go and tried to spin easy and get over these cramps. Had to get off the bike and walk it out a couple of times, but I made it to the controle.</div>
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While I was at the controle I loaded up on electrolytes and tried to walk around a bit. The front group left shortly after I arrived, the majority of them heading back the way we came since they were at the turnaround for the 200K. Note to self: never match the pace of those who are only riding one sixth the distance! I still had that crampy feeling when I left the controle. I was alone, a little behind Geof but I knew I'd never catch him or keep up with his pace. I plugged in my iPod and resigned myself to the idea of riding the next 700 miles solo...</div>
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I'm not sure if I read the cue sheet wrong or if I was distracted by the cramps, but here I screwed up. I was looking for a turn and I thought it was 3 miles down the road- it never materialized. After another half mile I stopped, pulled out the iPhone and checked the map. Turns out I had missed a right turn less than a half mile out of the controle! I rode back, adding 7 bonus miles and losing 20 minutes of precious time. There were hills in them thar hills, and I was still fighting the cramps so these were bonus miles I didn't need. The climbing was getting more serious, and on every uphill I'd have to stop and walk off a cramp. I began to wonder if I was going to DNF in the first 200K. Joel caught me, he was riding the 1200K just a couple months after breaking his hip in a training accident. Chapeau! We rode together for a bit, but when we got to the big climb on Highway 89 I couldn't keep up with him and let him go.</div>
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Highway 89 is about a five mile climb into the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm not sure how many times I had to stop and walk, but the combination of spinning a low gear and walking from time to time finally worked out the cramps. By the time I got to the top I was feeling much better. Good thing, too because this was just the start of the serious climbing. The route came close to the Virginia border, then dipped back down into Sparta. I stopped at Twin Oaks for food and finally met some of my fellow riders: Joel, Tim L, and John O. were there and eating. While I was eating John P. and Vance showed up, the a rider whom I had just met named "Gator."</div>
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Tim & John O. left shortly before I did, then I rolled out alone. After awhile I caught up with them, but there was constant climbing and descending, so it wasn't really what I'd call group riding. I needed to just ride my own pace anyway, and eventually John and I were ahead of Tim and he was out of sight. When we got to the Mountain Grocery controle at the 200K mark we figured he'd roll in right behind us, but the next rider we saw was Vance, then Gator. Turned out that Tim had missed a turn and gotten some bonus miles! We had a nice long stop at the store, then Tim, John, and I got back on the road.</div>
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This section was heavy with Labor Day weekend traffic as we headed into Laurel Springs, a popular hangout for bikers in the mountains (I'm talking about leather-clad Harley-riding bikers here- not lycra-clad, shaved-legged bikers.) Figuring the biker bar would be too busy and take too much time for food we moved on down the road back to Sparta and stopped at a Hardee's for a bite. It was about 6:45pm by now and time to put reflective gear back on for night riding.</div>
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The three of us stayed relatively together, though there was still enough climbing left that we weren't riding as a group, rather just keeping one another in sight. We paused when we reached the sign for the Eastern Continental Divide and tried to convince ourselves that it was all downhill from there. At about mile 178 we reached the right turn onto Hwy 89- the big 5 mile downhill descent out of the Blue Ridge. John and Tim suggested that I go first since I had the best headlight- the <a href="http://www.longleafbicycles.com/products/dynohubs-and-lighting/dynamo-headlights/busch-muller-lumotec-iq-fly-n-plus-and-r-plus/" target="_blank">Lumotec IQ CYO N plus.</a> I turned right and immediately started accelerating down the mountain.</div>
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The highest speed I saw on my Garmin before the pucker factor kept me from glancing down at it was 45mph... That was about the same time I noticed the beginnings of a speed wobble. As the speed got even higher the wobble got worse, and at one point I thought I was going to lose control of my bike. It felt like it went on for a long time, but it was probably only a couple of seconds before I remembered that you're supposed to lay a knee alongside the top tube to suppress a speed wobble. As soon as I did that my bike stabilized and I started picking up speed again! I have no idea what my top speed was, since later in the ride my Garmin dumped all its data... but you'll read about that on day 2.</div>
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We reached the controle at Salem Fork at about 10PM where we grouped up with Vance, John P, and Gator for the 64 mile ride back to Greensboro and our first nap. I had estimated we'd be there at about 3am, but it was 3:45 by the time we arrived at the Best Western. Geof had gotten a room for Sat. night and had told me before the ride that I was welcome to share. He'd given Tony a keycard for me, so I headed up to catch someshuteye. When I opened the door I knew immediately that I needed to find another spot to sleep. Geof was spread eagled across the bed and snoring like a lumberjack! I left him and went in search of new digs. Luckily one of the fastest riders had just left and given his keycard to Tony, so I was able to get into a room and have a quick shower and get some sleep. The climbing in the mountains had slowed me down considerably, so to stay on schedule I really was only able to get about an hour's nap before my iPhone alarm was ringing and Tony was knocking on my door.</div>
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Day 2, Sunday: Of Sleep Deprivation and Headwinds</div>
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Back on the bike and on the road at about 6:30am I was with Tim, John O, and John P. We made our way out of Greensboro, south towards the Uwharrie Mountains. Just over 20 miles in we hit a bit of climbing on Caraway Mountain Rd. and I found my rhythm. I was out in front of the others over the big climb and descended to the convenience store on the left. As I arrived I saw another rider leaving but couldn't tell who it was. Joel, Mary, and Curt were at the store and preparing for departure. They told me that was Geof going up the road. I hadn't expected to see him again until the finish! I bid them Bon Route and went in the store to stock up on much needed snacks and fluids. John O. and Tim arrived, then John P. arrived just as I was ready to leave.</div>
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Back on the road I was back into my rhythm again and feeling surprisingly good. No lingering cramps or soreness from the previous day's climbing extravaganza, so I was making good time. Before the ride I got myself a little iPod shuffle, mainly for the long battery life. It had lasted me all day on Saturday and I'd charged it in the hotel while I slept. I cranked up the tunes and cranked out the miles. Soon I caught Joel, Mary, and Curt but didn't want to lose the rhythm so I just said hello and went on by. A few miles down the road I saw them in my mirror catching back up, so I eased off a bit and they caught me. Joel wanted to have a little chat and see how I was doing, since the last time he'd seen me on Saturday I was walking out the cramps on Hwy 89! We talked a bit and then they said their farewells and eased off the gas. I got my flywheel spinning back up and put the earbuds back in, still feeling good.</div>
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It was about Noon when I got to Troy, and the cue sheet lists a Quick Check store on the left. When I pulled in I saw Geof standing there wearing his Texas Rando Stampede jersey, getting ready to roll out. I asked if he wanted to ride to the beach together, then short-stopped the store and we got on the road. It was good to catch up with him, both literally and figuratively! He told me about his ride the previous day and it was nice to have some company on the road, but I was no longer in my comfortzone. It's tempting to push too hard on the uphills to try to match another rider's pace, then when there's a gap it's also tempting to push too hard in the flats to try to catch back up. I was doing it again, and I was feeling the compounded fatigue. We got to the controle in Ellerbe around 2:30pm and stopped for a sit-down burger at the restaurant across the street.</div>
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Our long lunch stop was just what I needed to recover, and it also allowed Joel, Mary, and Curt to catch up with us. They were riding by as I was getting ready to roll, but for some reason my Garmin had shut itself off. I'd charged the battery back in Greensboro while I slept, and I had three USB batteries with me for supplemental power. It wouldn't power back up- it does this from time to time and the only fix is a reset, holding the lap & power buttons down for 5 seconds. After the reset it powered back up & showed plenty of battery, but doing that dumps all the data! I was disappointed, but didn't have time to worry too much about it & got on the road to catch up with the others.</div>
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The five of us rode together for a short time, but I couldn't get into my comfort zone. Joel, Mary, and Curt were keeping asteady, easy pace but I felt like I needed to spin a bit faster. I went off the front and soon I saw Geof coming to catch me. He caught & rode right by, but this time I forced myself to stay in my own zone and not try to catch him. Time to turn the iPod on and get back into my rhythm. It was harder to maintain a good speed this time, fighting headwinds out of the south generated by Tropical Storm Lee coming up out of the Gulf. Still, I made it to Laurinburg a bit behind Geof and just in front of Joel and crew.</div>
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Joel, Mary, and Curt short stopped it, so Geof and I left shortly behind them. When we caught up we found them riding with Micah, who was riding a single speed and also was one of those experienced 1200k'ers in my little group of 5 early on Saturday. He, Geof, and I soon grouped up and had a gap off the front of the rest. We took turns in the wind, but I was pushing myself to stay with the other two and the pace was about all I could handle. We stopped at a store in Rowland and put on our reflective gear for the coming darkness. Geof commented that we needed to pick up the pace! I told them I was at my limit, but back on the road the speed had definitely picked up. We had about 75 miles to go before our sleep stop in Ocean Isle, so I said my goodbyes and eased off a bit. Tunes went back on and it was time to fight the wind alone again.</div>
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Out in the country at night it's pretty peaceful on the road. The cars give you more room than they do during the day, probably because of how visible we are with all of our lights and reflectors. I'm convinced that during the day car drivers treat cyclists with disrespect out of contempt, but at night they really can't figure out that we're cyclists until after they've passed! Country dogs, on the other hand, are another story. Their owners let them run free, and they love to chase bikes. The ones that are most dangerous are the ones that don't bark- all you hear is the skittering of paws on pavement and heavy panting. I managed to escape all of them unharmed. As I was entering Tabor City a silver minivan drove slowly up beside me and a menacing voice from inside said "You best get off the road!" When I reached the controle at the Shell Station (the only thing open at 11:30pm in Tabor City) the minivan was parked there with it's doors open. Inside were some wanna-be gangbangers, and I had to fight the urge to comment on their ride. You usually expect a Mercedes, a Hummer, or maybe an Escalade...</div>
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I loaded up on caffeine, since by this time I'd been riding for 40-something hours with only an hour of sleep! I had about 35 miles to go, but with the headwinds and the sleep deprivation I figured it was going to take awhile. The caffeine helped for about an hour or an hour and a half, then I really started to worry about my ability to keep riding. I was starting to have little bouts with double vision, and at some point I decided to find a spot to take a nap. I pulled into a church and set myself up on the porch. I set my phone's alarm for a 30-minute nap, but I lay there for at least 10 or 15 minutes without being able to sleep. Each time I started to fall asleep I'd wake up with a start, I was afraid that I'd sleep through the alarm and DNF the whole ride! I got back on the bike and kept going. Then up ahead I spotted a glowing Coke machine beside a roadside car garage and pulled in to caffeine up. That damn machine ate $1.25 and wouldn't give me my Coke.</div>
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As I was punching, kicking, and cussing the Coke machine I spotted Joel and crew riding by, so I jumped back on the bike and got right behind them, using their taillights to keep myself awake and on the road. I couldn't ride in their group, I was afraid that in my sleep deprived state I'd be too dangerous. Most of the way I stayed 3 or 4 bike lengths behind Curt, but in the last 8 or 10 miles I was dropping back and then sprinting up over and over just to wake myself with a bit of adrenaline. Finally we rolled into Ocean Isle, just after 3am. I took a shower and got in bed for a serious 4 hour nap.</div>
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Day 3, Monday: Of Tailwinds and Saddle Sores</div>
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I woke up around 8am and got ready for another day on the bike, then went across the street from the hotel for breakfast. I took my time, and everyone else had rolled out before I was finished. Tony kept encouraging me to get going, telling me I could catch them if I hurried. I was in no hurry, and I knew I'd rather ride my own pace than try to group up with anyone else. I applied some sunscreen and got back on the road at about 9:30am for a solo ride to Tabor City. </div>
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It was during this stretch that I encountered one of the most rare and legendary things in all of cycling: the tailwind on the return stretch. I saw Vance arriving in Ocean Isle fighting headwinds, and I yelled "Go Vance, Go!" but he yelled back "I'm done!" It was too bad, but the same wind that he was fighting was helping me make good time, and I arrived back at the Tabor City controle around Noon where I saw Joel, Mary, and Curt again. They had a longer stop than I did, and I got back on the road to enjoy some more tailwinds whipped up by the tropical storm. The rest of the ride back to Laurinburg was solo, and I rolled in there at about 5pm to find Geof, Micah, and others. </div>
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The weather had been kind to us through the whole ride, but now we had Tropical Storm Lee breathing down our necks. The forecast called for rain Monday night and all day Tuesday, so most of us changed our plans and decided to push on past Laurinburg to try to make it to Southern Pines before the rain. I'd developed some "saddle interface issues," so I took advantage of the restroom and Tony's supply of witch hazel for a little on-the-road first aid. I also deployed the "third sock." Some of you know what I mean... Once again I donned the reflective gear for night riding and replenished my supplies from my drop bag.</div>
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Geof had spilled a gel flask in his front bag and was busy cleaning that up, but I was ready to go so I got back on the road solo. I had the iPod going and was once again making good time. After a little over 20 miles the cue sheet had me looking for a left turn, and I passed an unmarked street and immediately started wondering if I'd missed it. Once I'd ridden a half mile past where the turn should've been I turned around to ride back. Back at the unnamed street I met Micah, also trying to figure out if we were supposed to turn there. I fired up my iPhone and checked the map, only to find out that there was no left turn, we just needed to continue going straight and ignore that cue. Micah called Geof and told him, then we got back on the road.</div>
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I rode with Micah for a few miles at a slow pace, having a nice conversation- I thought we were soft-pedaling and waiting for Geof to catch up. After awhile he said he needed to speed up, which was fine with me- I was starting to stiffen up a bit. We upped the pace, but Micah wanted to push harder than I did, so I let him go up the road. A couple of miles later Geof blew past me and rode up to Micah. I could see the two of them up the road all the way to the controle at Hope Mills.</div>
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At the controle I had more caffeine and some food, and Chuck showed up looking fairly dazed. He went behind the store for a nap while the rest of us got ready to go. Once again I was ready to roll and didn't feel like waiting for the others, so I rolled out solo. Even in the dark I could see ominous clouds were forming, and occasionally lightning would illuminate the horizon. I stopped at an all night convenience store to change the battery in my helmet light, I was having trouble reading my cue sheet. Geof and Micah rolled up and we went into the store for caffeine, then Joel ,Mary, and Curt passed by. The three of us got back on the road, but on a bit of a downhill I pulled away. When I got to Joel & crew I paused long enough to ask how everyone was doing, then just kept going- once again I'd gotten my rhythm and wasn't feeling like slowing down.</div>
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Geof and Micah caught up to me once it started getting a bit hilly coming into Southern Pines. Then they passed me and went up the road. I saw them again at the controle store, and it wasn't too long before Joel, Mary, and Curt rolled in. We went down the road to a Microtel and scored a couple of rooms for cheap. Geof, Micah, and I piled into one and I slept on a couch-like window cushion thingy. It was about 4am, and I set my alarm for 7. </div>
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Day 4, Tuesday: Of Torrential Rain and Solitude</div>
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After a few hours of shuteye I got up and got ready to go. It had rained while we slept and the roads were pretty wet. I went to the lobby of the Microtel and had some of their "breakfast" and "coffee." Geof and Micah weren't ready to go yet, so I got on the road solo again. I was convinced that they would catch me in the first 20 miles or so and leave me behind anyway. I was feeling pretty good, my legs were a bit sore but not as much as I had expected after 670 miles! After the first 23 miles I stopped ata convenience store for a Frappuccino and a honey bun. I thought perhaps Geof & Micah had passed by while I was in the restroom.</div>
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As I got into the Uwharrie Mountains the rain started. It was surprisingly cold rain, which felt great on my sore legs and actually invigorated me. I rode through a couple of hard showers, then the sun came back out and it was beautiful. I was really enjoying myself now, I knew I could make it to the finish... I had enough extra time to handle just about any mechanical problem and I'd been able to tolerate the saddle interface issues that had caused many other riders to abandon. At one point Tony passed me in his white van and stopped on the side of the road to take a picture as I passed. I was well provisioned from my last stop so I kept riding.</div>
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Coming into Asheboro the clouds were more ominous. The rain started coming down in buckets before I pulled into the Sheetz controle, and I spotted a white van parked beside the store. There was someone inside, so I assumed it was Tony and he didn't feel like getting out in this rainstorm. Imagine my surprise when I knocked on the window and discovered that this was a house painting crew who had no idea why some crazy cyclist wanted to get in their van! Luckily the van had been parked on the downwind side of the store, because I think there might have been a tornado nearby- the wind was blowing the rain sideways and all of the store's outdoor displays blew down and were scattered across the parking lot. I decided to get myself a sandwich for lunch and hang out there until the storm passed.</div>
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The rain didn't stop, but the wind died down enough to get back on the road. Only 30 miles to go, and I made my way through Asheboro, recognizing some of my old haunts from back when I went to school here at RCC. I left Asheboro and made my way back to Greensboro, but shortly before I got into town the rain started again quite heavily. This was the hardest rain yet, and I was dealing with Greensboro traffic at the same time. It was raining buckets as I made my way down Hwy 68 back to the Best Western. </div>
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When I arrived at the finish soaking wet there was Biker Bob waiting, offering to take my bike and sign my card. My finish time was 83 hours 10 minutes. I asked where Geof and Micah were, but Bob said they hadn't arrived yet. I'd just assumed they had passed me while I was stopped somewhere. Volunteer Jennifer took my picture and gave me my 1200K medal. Since I was already soaked I walked next door to the parking lot, drove my car back over to the Best Western, and got my dry clothes. Geof and Micah arrived and I went and took a shower, then waited for others to arrive. We greeted Joel, Mary, and Curt who arrived along with Tim, then a few others trickled in. Once they'd all had a chance to clean up and get in dry clothes we all went next door to a Ruby Tuesday for a big meal.</div>
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I had a blast on my first 1200K, and I can't wait to do it again next year!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><br /></span></div>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-23285430900359589282011-09-08T17:47:00.000-07:002011-09-08T19:40:12.491-07:00It's been awhile since I wrote...I can't believe I haven't blogged since the Hot Springs brevet at the end of April! Here's what I've been up to in a nutshell:<div><br /></div><div>-On May 8th I rode the Carthage Coffee Run 200K solo- a little rain at the start, then the sun came out. Then headwinds on the return trip.</div><div><br /></div><div>-May 22nd I rode the Siler City Express 200k with Wes Johnson. Hilly...</div><div><br /></div><div>-May 25th I rode the Get 'er Dunn 100K with Dean and a few others- even though this ride starts just about 5 miles from my house this was the first time I've ridden it.</div><div><br /></div><div>-May 29th I rode Leesvile-Leasburg-Leesville 200K with Geof, Tim, and David. This was David's first 200k, and he chose a hilly route on a really hot day. Geof & Tim went up the road, but I stuck with David and he refused to give up. Chapeau!</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 5th I rode the Showdown in Black Creek 200K with Geof, Hoffman, Tim, and I think Mike D. and Lynn L. A little rain in the first half.</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 7th I rode Tim's Whirligig 100K route with Tim and John O. John and I both hit 5000K for 2011 on this ride!</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 9th I rode the Howling Grits 100K with Maria, Alan J, and Vance. Great food & company!</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 12th I rode the Tar Heel 200k with Tim L. John O. was supposed to join us but overslept I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 19th was the Benson Mule Pull 100K with Geof, Hoffman, David, and Tim L. Once again Geof took off, this time with Hoffman. David and I finished with Tim.</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 26th was the Kerr Lake Loop 200K with Geof, Lynn L, Ian H, Tim L, and Chris W. Fast pace on a pretty hot day.</div><div><br /></div><div>-June 30th I rode the Get 'er Dunn 100K with David S, then went to the Slow Spokes ride in the evening.</div><div><br /></div><div>-July 2nd I rode Tony Goodnight's Bicycle for Life 400K brevet out of Salisbury. This was a great test for the upcoming Taste of Carolina 1200K since it started at midnight for a bit of sleep deprivation and took us to the Blue Ridge Mountains for some serious climbing. I felt good at the end- very encouraging!</div><div><br /></div><div>-July 10th I rode the Carthage Coffee Run 200K with Ian, Geof, Lynn L, David, Tim, Cole, and Isaac. The heat was a major factor, and David was feeling it toward the end. Hung in for the finish though- rando tough!</div><div><br /></div><div>-July 19th I rode Leesville-Leasburg-Leesville 200K solo. It was cool early in the morning so I tried to make good time. Short stopped the controls since I was by myself. Finished with an excellent time, especially for such a hilly route.</div><div><br /></div><div>-July 24th I rode L-L-L 200K again, this time with Byron. A more relaxed day, but still hot and hilly. Took about an hour longer than last time, mostly in longer stops.</div><div><br /></div><div>-August 7th I rode L-L-L 200K solo again- this time about half an hour slower than my best time of 7:56.</div><div><br /></div><div>-August 16th I rode the Tar Heel 200K solo and realized that I'd been spending all my time training for climbing. Windy flat rides suck. The time on this one was about an hour slower than the last month's L-L-L run, even with approximately 6,000ft less climbing!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There's 3100 kilometers of rides I neglected to blog about. I'm sure Martin has been wondering what happened to me. Next post will be my report from the Taste of Carolina 1200K!!</div>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-12061957675514177382011-04-25T16:18:00.000-07:002011-04-25T21:44:30.537-07:00Bicycle for Life Hot Springs 200K BrevetGeof and I decided to test our climbing legs last weekend by riding the Bicycle for Life 200K up in Hot Springs, NC. 125 miles with an approximate elevation gain of over 10,000ft should be a good dry run for the rando bikes to see if Geof's rig is ready for Texas and if mine is do-able for the Taste of Carolina in September. I put a wide range SRAM cassette on the LeMond so I'd have a "bail-out gear" if I needed one. (I did!)<br /><br />I met Geof at the camera shop and gave him a ride home, then we piled everything into his Honda Fit (great gas mileage) for the drive across the state. Amazing how much stuff you can fit into a Fit... As usual we got a bit of a late start, and then along the way we made a few stops: dinner, a grocery store, and yes- a Wal-Mart! I wasn't sure if Geof would even set foot inside one but he did ok, and I don't think the experience scarred him too badly. My $10 sleeping bag sure did come in handy, though! When we finally rolled into Hot Springs at 12:30am the sidewalks were rolled up and no one was around at the campground. We set up and crawled into our tents for a few hours' sleep, hoping that we'd be able to find someone in the morning and settle up for camping.<br /><br />We got up at 5:30am and fixed coffee and breakfast, then started getting the bikes and gear ready for the ride. Before I knew it we ran out of time and it was just about 10 minutes till the ride was supposed to start at 7am! I high-tailed it over to the start and got my registration stuff taken care of. We saw that Chris and Annette Camm were there, but didn't know any of the other riders. I'm not sure what the exact number was, but probably 8-10 total.<br /><br />The route starts in Hot Springs and immediately starts climbing. Most of the first 26 miles is uphill! Lee and Luke- 2 local Asheville guys took off from the gun, and Geof went with them. The rest of us followed, spread out on the climb and each of us spinning uphill at our own pace. I had to roll my armwarmers down and unzip my vest, the climbing was really warming me up. At the top of the first climb was Tony, ready to shoot a blackmail picture of each of us huffing and puffing our way over the summit. On the other side the vest was rezipped and the warmers pulled up as I tucked into a screaming descent in the cool morning air. On the way down we saw the Fléche riders climbing up to the end of their 360K route. Chapeau gentlemen!<br /><br />After the descent we started climbing again, and I got together with Geof, Rick, Chris, and Annette for a great ride through beautiful mountain scenery:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='520' height='432' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwkdyA6IjF5N71_Ig9Ne9MHXrcncKGbbVdmn42PuOMVRIGRO7rtQ7x-Tq3pI7quUtDXL-xiTdPctA_DO66Ttw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />At one point we came to a T-intersection with a stop sign, but we were a few miles early for the right turn indicated on the cue sheet. Still, the road sign said Big Laurel Rd, and our next turn was a right to remain on Big Laurel so we turned right. Turns out we were wrong. We climbed a mountain and descended the other side before we finally came upon a road sign that told us the road we were on was now called Walnut Creek. I was able to get a roaming cell signal and slowly load up maps on my iPhone to confirm that we were indeed off course, and by quite a lot. Chris, Annette, Geof, and I turned around and started back. Shortly we came upon Rick and he turned around and joined us. We had no idea what had happened to Lee and Luke, we had seen them make the wrong turn before us, but they never turned around. We climbed back over the mountain and descended again to the point where we had gotten off course. Note to self: I need to spend more time familiarizing myself with the route before a mountain brevet. We got 16 "bonus miles" and added about 2,000ft of climbing!<br /><br />Back on course it was more uphill until we finally made it to the first control. Good thing, because I was out of water and needed a store badly. We refilled and got back on the road, which of course was headed uphill... After this climb we were given a bit of respite, with another screaming descent. On the way down we spotted Lee and Luke climbing up toward us, not sure how they got there but they were headed back toward the control. We kept riding through lovely rolling mountain scenery and eventually they caught us and slowed to our pace to join us. Soon we entered Asheville where there was once again cue sheet confusion. We trusted in the local's knowledge and went the way Lee and Luke said was correct, and after only a few more bonus miles we found control number 2 and restocked the fluids and snacks again. This time Chris and Annette turned around one of their signature short stops and left before us, we wouldn't see them again the rest of the ride.<br /><br />The next section had us riding north along the French Broad River until we got to a road that would cross the river and let us turn south again. At this point Lee decided to leave the ride and head on home, he wasn't worried about RUSA credit anyway. Luke stayed with us, so it was him, Rick, Geof and me. We had more confusion when we reached the correct mileage for a right turn onto New Leicester Hwy, but the road was actually called Old Leicester. We turned anyway, but then were unable to find the next turn, a left onto Old Newfound Rd. Once again the iPhone came in handy, a quick check of the map showed that we could backtrack and get on New Leicester Hwy, then take it to Newfound Rd. Back on course again we soon found ourselves faced with another mountain to climb. It wasn't long before Geof and Luke were out of sight around the switchbacks and I was alone with the climb. This one was really hard for me. I needed food- by this time it was around 2pm and we hadn't stopped to eat any real food yet. I spent most of the climb in my bail-out gear (34/32!) spinning along at maybe 5mph. At one point I had to stop in some shade and rest for a minute. I had 2 shots of Hammer gel and half a Clif bar, 2 Endurolytes and lots of water then got back moving again. Just after the summit I came into the small town of Canton and spotted a convenience store. Sure enough, there were Geof and Luke looking about as tired as I felt. We had a nice, long stop and we were eventually joined by Rick as well.<br /><br />Back on the road we made a few quick turns through town and then fought a mean headwind all the way to the penultimate control at Iron Duff. I was never able to keep up on the little climbs, then I would put out too much effort trying to bridge the gap and get back with Geof and Luke. At one point I made it back up to them, but then just couldn't keep up the pace and was soon dangling out in the wind again. Around this point I was also realizing that in my morning rush I had forgotten to apply sunscreen. The hunger, climbing fatigue, sunburn, and wind were really wearing me down. At the control store I had a long to-do list. Bought sunscreen, water, a snack, and a fizzy caffeine drink. Applied the sunscreen while conversating with a little old lady who was smoking a cigarette out on the bench. Filled my bottles, one with water and the other with Mountain Dew, and I was ready to go.<br /><br />I had thought that the others would have been making a shorter stop than me, but they were still milling about. I was sure that the worst climbing was ahead of us- the climb up Betsy's Gap, and I figured that the guys would catch me and pass me by at some point, most likely before then. I went ahead and took off, telling them I'd wave as they passed me on the climb! I felt great on this section. Just like on previous rides, as soon as I get out by myself and start riding my own pace I do really well. I think that trying to push hard with the strong guys up the hills and trying to bridge the inevitable gaps is both physically and mentally exhausting. I probably go slower over the whole course from burning myself out like that in the first place. I know I've been in situations where I'm close to the dreaded bonk from riding like that, and I've barely been able to turn the pedals over. Now I was by myself, climbing in my own rhythm, and enjoying the scenery. There were quite a few big hills, and I kept wondering if I was starting the big climb but they would always turn out to be just really big hills.<br /><br />When I hit the big climb there was no question this was it. Slowly but surely I ground my way up. Turn after turn I'd wonder if I would come around the curve to see the top- only to see more uphill and switchbacks. Still, it was gorgeous up here and there was very little traffic. The sunscreen had helped a bit with my sunburn, my skin didn't feel so hot anymore. I was reluctant to pour any water on my head to cool down, I figured I'd need to drink all that water! I even shot a little solo video:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='520' height='432' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyt1gG0vMZMrBlwWCJLdMRynT7bfrxhOKIsK2a3mbveJ5367IM-vqu-k4vpbAcwmgjNv5FMvLBu4ZrU1KDqzA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />When I finally got to the top I was surprised that I hadn't seen Geof and Luke. That was a long climb- probably 4 miles or more- and I was going up at about 5-6mph! Oh well, no time to worry about that, it was crazy descent time. I zipped up the jersey and took off. By this time I was really getting the hang of curvy descents on the LeMond. It's a different feel than the Specialized- not quite as twitchy. This descent was soooo much fun! I was sure I'd be picking bugs out of my teeth later from the ear-to-ear grin that was plastered across my face as I flew down the mountain I'd climbed so slowly for the last hour or so. Even when I was down off the mountain and in the valley I was still going downhill, so I was flying and making up for all the time I'd spent creeping along. I sped through the towns of Luck and Trust and then over one last little climb before arriving back in Hot Springs. I didn't see Tony anywhere, so I got my card signed at the Iron Horse and had a pleasant conversation with a gentleman from Durham about randonneuring. He's a cyclist too, and he sounded pretty interested! About 15 minutes after I arrived, in rolled Geof and Luke. Shortly after they showed up in rolled a Dart team that contained John P. and his ear-to-ear grin! We all stood around talking and taking pictures for awhile, then I headed back to camp for a shower. My time turned out to be 12 hours and 7 minutes- not too shabby considering 23 bonus miles in the mountains!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/81338495" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-50189670402212441272011-04-18T19:58:00.000-07:002011-04-19T13:53:56.773-07:00A Tornado-Free NCBC 300KRandonneurs pay special attention to the weather forecast. Usually when it calls for rain or cold we just bundle up in wool and soldier on, but that was not to be the case for last weekend's NCBC 300K Brevet. A line of dangerous thunderstorms was bearing down on our area and had already produced tornadoes and damage west of us. Some discussion ensued about the safety of holding the ride anyway, and eventually RBA Al Johnson made the decision to postpone the brevet by one day. It turned out to be a VERY good decision as the Triangle area was hit with a reported 62 tornadoes on Saturday that led to over 20 deaths.<br /><br /><object height="317" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3KzqE7yx2qw&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3KzqE7yx2qw&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="317" width="520"></embed></object><br /><br />Sunday was a much better day, and about 20 riders lined up at the start. It was a tad cool, but we warmed up nicely as we left Morrisville as one big group. It was an easier initial pace than the 200K a couple weeks earlier. As we approached the Chatham County line I heard Martin behind me say "I guess since Jerry's not here nobody's going to go for the county line." I hadn't been paying attention, but since I had a reminder I jumped and took the "sprint" uncontested. I took advantage of the small gap that I had on the group to get my point & shoot out for a video.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='520' height='432' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxNPT5pmSp7MkbogxyNJeKfWilqYfM7nxrvfx_vdEGMzljjl6pkPgG9NP4I2Z9ZzR3NU0HtyOCDnlaSb7voqA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />The usual suspects who always push the pace seemed to be absent, but Annette kept speeding things up on the front as we approached Jordan Lake. I got on her wheel and soon I noticed that there were only a couple others with us. She pulled all the way across the lake and almost all the way to Lystra. I took over after she pulled off, but Lin passed me on the downhill so I got on his wheel. Once the road turned upward again I was back on the front, but before I knew it Tom passed me with no one on his wheel, so I jumped on it. I was getting pretty much a free ride to Jack Bennett with the front group! Once onto the climb on Jack Bennett I got into my climbing rhythm and found myself out front solo. I wasn't surprised though when Geof showed up to join me at the top, and there was a group of front runners just behind him.<br /><br />We kept rolling and enjoyed the nice fresh asphalt of Andrews Store Rd. Shortly before we got to Frosty's Kim told me she'd forgotten to put any food in her pockets, it was all stashed in her seat bag. I rummaged around in my front bag and passed her a chocolate chip Clif bar. Always nice to have some good karma to cash in later! Up Chicken Bridge, Castle Rock/Old Switchboard, then past Lindley Mill and we were on the rollers to Snow Camp.<br /><br />It was a short stop at the control at Snow Camp, but still the Camms took off before the rest of the pack. Then Tim left, saying he had a front tire going soft and hoping there would be a volunteer with a floor pump at Siler City. The rest of the group was leaving and Geof wasn't quite ready yet. I was kinda waiting, but didn't want to get dropped if he put the hammer down to bridge the gap, so I took off. I knew he had the ability to catch, so I was just worried that the group would get too much of a gap on me. I caught them in short order and it wasn't much longer before Geof was back in the fold.<br /><br />At Siler City the Camms were almost ready to leave just as we arrived. I was still filling bottles when they took off, and I saw Tom go with them. Tim had replaced his leaky front tube and was ready to join the main group again. I went ahead and took off with a small group, knowing that some of the strong riders who weren't yet ready to go would catch us on the hills to Seagrove. If I want to have a good time on one of these brevets I have to minimize my time off the bike. Sure enough, the hills took their toll on me- Geof, Mike, and John caught us shortly. I got dropped on the way into Seagrove and was the last of this group to arrive at the control.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='520' height='432' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyIehVsphIYjacwNU8PD53t6yRFtf5OQqrQ-VU-GpqiU6Tl2n3qRjNMGUt720y0P_QGhWnYwfK620quc2wo2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I needed a break and some solid food, so I ordered a ham & cheese and had a sit-down. Unfortunately that meant that everyone left except Mike and John. Great company to be in, but I didn't have a prayer of keeping up on the climbs. As we left Seagrove it was obvious that I couldn't maintain their pace uphill, so I intentionally let them go and settled into my own rhythm again. I pretty much resigned myself to the idea that the entire 2nd half of the brevet would be solo. As I was on the return I saw other riders coming in for about the first 10 miles. After that I was alone with the road, the bike, and the occasional car. I got back to Siler City and saw riders leaving the control as I got stopped by the light. Joel was volunteering and had set up in the parking lot with drinks and snacks, and Tim was there eating a sandwich at the back of Joel's truck. I didn't even get off the bike, just rolled up, got my card signed, grabbed a Rice Krispy treat, and continued on my way.<br /><br />Still solo all the way back to Snow Camp, but when I arrived at the control there was Geof, Mike, and John. I took a little time here, replenished the fluids and ate a snack. We all left together, but once again I was having trouble finding my rhythm in the group. It seemed like I'd always have to brake on the downhills to keep from running into the wheels in front of me, but they'd get a gap on me on the uphill. Having done that before I knew it would only take a couple of those before I'd burn myself out trying to close those gaps after the uphill. I just started riding for myself, keeping a steady effort and maintaining my cadence. I got ahead of the others for awhile, but they would close the gap some on the uphills because they were putting out more effort than I was. Then on the flats they would soft pedal and downhills they would coast, while I maintained my steady effort and I'd pull further ahead. This went on for awhile until Geof caught up with me and passed on a hill. I didn't change anything- chasing him would blow me up, so I just kept going.<br /><br />Mike came up to me and said hey were stopping for a nature break and asked if I wanted to wait and ride in with them. I hope he didn't think I was being anti-social, I just needed to keep my own rhythm going and not try to keep up with someone else's. They stopped and I kept going. A little while later they caught me and passed, and soon they were out of sight. I was passing Frosty's so I didn't have too far to go, but the pollen was really starting to bother me. I got that can't-breathe feeling and had to ease up even more. I decided that I'd stop at Andrews Store, and there were Mike and John also taking a break.<br /><br />Once again they offered to ride in together and I tried to talk them out of it. Not only did I not want to slow them down, but I didn't want them to speed me up! I finally relented to the peer pressure to ride with the group, and they waited while I took a much needed break before we left together. Quite a few times in those last miles I was gapped off on a little incline, but they kept easing off and waiting for me. Nice folks. I would've understood if they'd gone on without me. We rolled into Alan's place at 7:52, just one minute after sunset! I did turn on my light, but just for safety so cars could see me. I was still wearing sunglasses. Alan had sodas and pizza for us, and a birthday cake for John. This year's time of 12:52 is 2 hours and 26 minutes faster than my time on this same course last year! Almost all of that time was made up at the controls!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/79917925" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-13784564486038006772011-04-11T21:43:00.000-07:002011-04-11T23:43:26.360-07:00Triple HumpGeof put out the word that he wanted to do some hill training to prepare for his <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/texasstampede1200">Texas Rando Stampede 1200K</a> ride, so I suggested the classic Triple Hump in Stokes County. I modified the route a bit, but kept the 3 major climbs: Sauratown Mountain, Pilot Mountain, and Hanging Rock. I've never attempted any serious climbs like this, so I was nervous. Would I even be able to do it?<br /><br />I couldn't get to sleep Saturday night, my mind wouldn't stop fretting about the next day's climbing- not to mention the descending! One of the things people forget about riding mountains is that sure, the climbing is hard but the descending is more dangerous. I'd had about 2.5 hours of sleep when we left Cary early Sunday morning to meet David in the parking lot on top of Hanging Rock at about 9am. I brought the Specialized Allez instead of the LeMond rando bike- perhaps saving a pound and a half would make the difference between survival and utter failure. Geof brought <a href="http://bigdaddygs.blogspot.com/2011/04/fresh-rando-ride.html">Claire</a>, his newly built custom randonneuse, and David was riding his Soma Stanyan.<br /><br />It was chilly and foggy atop Hanging rock as we prepared to set off. I put on arm warmers, but elected to leave behind the jacket and knee warmers since I wasn't running a bike with bags to stash the layers once peeled. The forecast was for mid to high 70 degree highs later in the day. The ride starts with a screaming descent of Hanging Rock and it was COLD. Pretty sure all three of us were experiencing some shiver-induced speed wobble! Once down the mountain it was still cold and foggy, but at least we were traveling at a more reasonable rate of speed. A short ways down Moore Springs Rd. we passed a convenience store and noted their sign that advertised <a href="http://www.hammernutrition.com/">Hammer Nutrition</a> products- made a mental note to stop on the way back before the final climb of the day. The ride over to Sauratown Mountain was chock full of "rollers." Of course, back here at home they would be classified as big hills! The climbing served to warm us up a bit, but inevitably we'd crest the hill and go speeding down the other side again.<br /><br />Before we knew it we were at Sauratown Mountain, which on paper looked worse than it turned out to be. MapMyRide had it as a 5 mile climb with an average 4% grade, but that was taking into account the 2 miles leading up to the turn onto Sauratown Mtn Rd, so when we thought we were starting we only had 3 miles left to the top! Also this road is mostly straight, with only 2 big turns so it's easier to maintain a climbing rhythm. I kept Geof in sight for quite awhile, and in this fog that meant that he was probably within 50 or 100 feet of me! Eventually he gained enough of a gap that I lost sight of him, but when I suddenly broke out of the fog into bright sunlight near the summit I could see him just ahead. At the top he had maybe 2 or 3 minutes on me. David was just behind us. Climbing and sunshine had warmed us up so the layer peeling commenced, and everybody had a snack before we set off for the day's second screaming descent.<br /><br />When we re-entered the fog on the way down Sauratown the temperature dropped drastically. I was wishing I still had my warmers on. My companions disappeared into the mist as my shivering caused me to have to slow down to avoid the wobbles. Thank goodness the organizers of the <a href="http://www.3mountainmadness.com/">Three Mountain Madness</a> had spray painted "SLOW" on the road just before the big curve because in this thick fog we couldn't see that far ahead! As I came around the curve I spotted Geof & David on the side of the road and I worried that something bad might have happened. It was hard to stop on such a steep slope, but when I got to them I discovered that it was just that Geof had flatted his rear tire. Turns out it was a cheap tube, and the heat from heavy braking caused a leak. He patched it while I held Claire so she wouldn't get too dirty and we continued on our way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShIYFieBxHQEPkChHs-zBc02mJoWwS-zQROt2axzz_IPVu6BeXavi8PQjSdnTbCMTQw8kYjahX29Kzu0MM6gMMfDARsOQqMLYVQPfUs3OR8B7TGfNW9XIFBmzs1o1BSvWEjEB5qyH9FA/s1600/216578_1966782810208_1262055290_2288401_1925195_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShIYFieBxHQEPkChHs-zBc02mJoWwS-zQROt2axzz_IPVu6BeXavi8PQjSdnTbCMTQw8kYjahX29Kzu0MM6gMMfDARsOQqMLYVQPfUs3OR8B7TGfNW9XIFBmzs1o1BSvWEjEB5qyH9FA/s320/216578_1966782810208_1262055290_2288401_1925195_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594579848822883362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Flat #1</span><br /></span></div><br />The first serious climb was behind us and I was very happy with my performance. I'd read about climbing and descending techniques, so I was just trying to find my rhythm and keep my heart rate from getting too high. It worked. Now we were on our way to climb Pilot Mountain. I've driven that road before- it's the quintessential mountain road with steep twists and turns and switchbacks. The kind of road that you drive up in 2nd gear and overheat your brakes on the way down. MapMyRide has it as a class 2 climb: 3 miles at an average 7.1% grade, and in that 3 miles you climb 1,100 feet! I've ridden centuries with less elevation gain than we were about to do in just a few miles.<br /><br />The roads between Sauratown and Pilot were more of the same rollers, with at least one really good grinder thrown in for good measure. The chilly fog had been replaced by sunshine and warm temps, and the arm warmers came off again. As we approached Pilot Mountain I got away on a downhill and built up some speed, came around a bend and saw the Surry County line. Geof and David were way back, so I took the sprint without challenge. They were starting to catch up to me about the time I made the left turn into the park to start the climb, and I saw Geof stop to have a nature break. I thought I'd take the opportunity to get a bit of a gap since he'd most likely pass me very shortly on the climb anyway. The first bit wasn't bad at all, but then the grade really kicked in and I had to find my comfort zone again. I figured I could go a little harder than I did on the last climb, so I tried to keep my heart rate below 180 (about 90% for me.) I was running a compact crankset (50/34) and a 12-26 cassette, so pretty much the whole way up I was in a 34-26! I used all the tips and tricks I've read about; alternating sitting and standing, taking the outside line since it's not as steep, relaxing, and controlling my breathing. It all worked. It was very hard, but I never felt like I was pushing beyond my limits. At one point I saw Geof behind me but I didn't try to speed up or worry about getting caught, just kept riding my comfortable pace. I reached the parking lot at the summit and no one had caught me! As a matter of fact it was a little while before Geof came along, seems he had been having shifting problems and couldn't go all the way down to his lowest gear (not sure I would've even made it to the top with that issue!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMel3LWx_6aPAm_NUEt8ygo_XDgln6Kk9nk6h_p_cUFOcxy-PzVlXFXMzyTxvZPhgdMmTFl2rP4-IxN_ZN3BEVfyt7zSCSSXOwuMYf9QUpaoTsuy9j1vbkqU9XoDM7_vilo9Fj7T5IFY/s1600/210753_1967994280494_1262055290_2291117_3019660_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMel3LWx_6aPAm_NUEt8ygo_XDgln6Kk9nk6h_p_cUFOcxy-PzVlXFXMzyTxvZPhgdMmTFl2rP4-IxN_ZN3BEVfyt7zSCSSXOwuMYf9QUpaoTsuy9j1vbkqU9XoDM7_vilo9Fj7T5IFY/s320/210753_1967994280494_1262055290_2291117_3019660_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594579850114674914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">At the top & still smilin'!<br /><br /></span></div>We took pictures and posted status updates to Facebook from the top of the mountain and then started the descent. I went first, and on the very first turn I misjudged how tight the switchback was and "overcooked it" a bit, crossing the double-yellow and raising the pucker factor drastically. I think I was a bit timid on the next few turns because Geof and David were close behind me, so I got braver and started taking the turns with more gusto and built up a little lead on Geof. I didn't want to force him to brake too much and have the same overheating problems he had on Sauratown. Soon I could no longer see my companions in my mirror, and I was really getting the hang of this descending thing. When I reached the visitor center at the bottom I stopped for water and hoped Geof and David would see my bike parked there. Once my bottle was full they still hadn't arrived and I started to worry. When a minivan stopped on the way down to tell me that one of them was on the side of the road up there with a wheel off I was pretty sure Geof had flatted again. I waited a bit, but finally decided to ride back up to them so I could come back down again! Sure enough, everybody was fine but Geof's patch job couldn't take the heat from the braking and Claire had gone flat again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxVzoAjPPQW57IBRuiVZ0oyxFo0wlHA-TBWvDXHzO1Jus9e8GjazdcS2KgltM-D-1VF_rXFoIp5ahEdYMCr5AedZlRLaU89LH_4C6K1v6Ov1DECraDNw8k6VpfFehTfRC1-pDi0L7ewY/s1600/221437_1967175780032_1262055290_2289423_4137125_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxVzoAjPPQW57IBRuiVZ0oyxFo0wlHA-TBWvDXHzO1Jus9e8GjazdcS2KgltM-D-1VF_rXFoIp5ahEdYMCr5AedZlRLaU89LH_4C6K1v6Ov1DECraDNw8k6VpfFehTfRC1-pDi0L7ewY/s320/221437_1967175780032_1262055290_2289423_4137125_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594579854159914194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Flat #2<br /><br /></span></div>He did another quickie patch job and we rode down to the visitor center, but the tire was flat again by the time we pulled in. Geof finally had to just put a brand new tube in it. It was a cheapie Kenda tube that kept going flat, probably a good lesson to learn before Texas...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h_8IeUxfdhBXkZe__6r8mQJVXI9m8JntWLZ9tAl8G6XvqpmV6qMBD7mXSd6nFeVQrqKXy88tMzo6_BWM-wzS1niNZvCctfaVhTGg9P3thJ5MYR3ZndP_VkHBePRF6kKZqkm0TrsxUGU/s1600/209178_1967188580352_1262055290_2289445_1754737_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h_8IeUxfdhBXkZe__6r8mQJVXI9m8JntWLZ9tAl8G6XvqpmV6qMBD7mXSd6nFeVQrqKXy88tMzo6_BWM-wzS1niNZvCctfaVhTGg9P3thJ5MYR3ZndP_VkHBePRF6kKZqkm0TrsxUGU/s320/209178_1967188580352_1262055290_2289445_1754737_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594579844512481746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Flat #3<br /><br /></span></div>Now that Claire could hold air again we got back on the road and hit a store in Pinnacle for liquids and snacks, then headed back along the rollers toward Hanging Rock. We were treated to fantastic views of Pilot and Sauratown Mountains and some really fun roads. Just before Hanging Rock we stopped at the convenience store and sampled their Hammer Nutrition products. Location, Location, Location! One quick right hand turn and we were back to climbing. This time Geof had a lead, so I was just happy to keep him in sight. There'd be no way to catch him since he would just speed up if he saw me coming. At first I tried to close the gap a bit, but it was definitely better to just find my own rhythm and get it done. There's no way to catch Geof on an uphill if he still has air in his tires.<br /><br />At the top I wasn't too far behind, I still had him in sight when he turned into the parking lot. All in all I had a great day on the bike and found out that I can actually do this climbing stuff!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/78521066" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-70277853366802059922011-04-05T15:17:00.000-07:002011-04-06T14:05:37.606-07:00NCBC 200K Morrisville -Siler City- MorrisvilleI was looking forward to riding RBA Alan's 200k this year- I missed it last year due to work and started the series with the 300k. This year I've already completed a full series and an additional 600K, so I'm in pretty good "early season" form. I'm still trying to figure out what this "season" is that everybody talks about... ;)<br /><br />One of my big goals this year is to enjoy the ride more- I spent most of last year suffering at the back of pacelines trying to hang on and eventually getting dropped, destined to ride solo from then on because the group had built up such a lead. My plan for this 200K was to ride in the front group until they started their hammerfest up the hills, then stick with the more reasonable paced riders. But that was not to be. A check of <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/">Weather Underground</a> told me that we'd be fighting some wind out of the west on our route to Siler City- the hourly forecast showed it building in the morning to about a 15mph headwind by 11am, then into 20+mph in the afternoon. I modified my plan and decided it would be in my best interests to stick with the strongest riders until the turnaround, then ride the tailwinds back home.<br /><br />The morning was cool- just below 40 degrees when we started, yet it was supposed to be in the 60's later in the day. I fitted my <a href="http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/bags-panniers-and-baskets/vo-campagne-handlebar-bag.html">VO Campagne handlebar bag</a> to my front rack but it was mostly empty, ready to receive my shed layers as the day warmed up. I stayed near the front on the way out of Morrisville- I'd been gapped off by the traffic lights in town on one of the brevets last year and I've learned my lesson. Once we were out on country roads I pulled out my camera and shot the obligatory group video.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw6nJHexh7qCgXgLmPNoaHmcnO4m01fk2Lrnj-hkMk4mVfZA_41bnP8YNQnxbqzFrOOQ2pf_BMa0XHfrW0d_w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />This would be the first 200k for Bryan H. (fast Bryan.) He spent most of the morning talking with Geof, and I was sure they were hatching some sort of strategery... I had a chance to chat with Martin and John P. before we got to the hill on Jack Bennett Rd. that usually causes all sorts of splits in the pack. Surprisingly I went up Jack Bennett really well, and was still with the front group after the summit. I spent a little time talking with Fast Bryan and trying to convince him that I'd get dropped at some point, but he just didn't believe me.<br /><br />I can't remember what caused the first real split, but I was in the 2nd group on the road and for some reason I decided to try to close the gap. Fast Bryan came with me, then passed me, but I just couldn't hold his wheel. Eventually I was swallowed by the group behind and everything came back together, so I'd burned some matchsticks uselessly. You'd think I'd know better by now...<br /><br />A bit later there was another split on Lindley Mill Rd. as we were approaching a left turn, due west on Greensboro Chapel Hill Rd. I knew we'd be turning into a full-on headwind so once again I tried to close that gap, but a car pulled out from a driveway and got between my little group and the front runners. At the left turn stop sign the front group got through while we had to negotiate around the driver who had suddenly become timid and wouldn't go through the intersection. The combo of headwinds and the big rollers into Snow Camp meant that we wouldn't close the gap, so Geof, Fast Bryan, and myself rolled into the control just a bit behind the leaders.<br /><br />I got the card signed and a Mountain Dew, and as I was shedding the first layers of the day I saw Tim rolling out solo. I said something to Geof, and he was back on his shiny new bike and on the road lickety-split. I chugged the rest of the Dew and took off after him, but now I was out there solo and trying to catch up. Bryan caught me and I hung onto his wheel as long as I could (man that guy is fast!) but soon I had to bridge the gap myself, and not nearly as effortlessly as it looked like Fast Bryan had! Eventually Geof, Bryan, and I were caught by some others from behind who had left Snow Camp shortly after us, but we never caught Tim.<br /><br />This group was strong, the headwinds were picking up, and I was starting to run into my first real trouble of the day. Every time we'd hit an uphill roller the rest of the group would hammer and I couldn't keep up their pace. At the top I'd be faced with closing a gap in a headwind. At first the gaps were small, but this is a problem which compounds itself- the effort I put out on the uphills wasn't enough and the gaps would get a bit bigger each time. The effort I put out on the flats and downhills to bridge the gaps kept me from recovering and being able to keep up on the next hill. On one uphill just a few miles from Siler City my legs started to cramp. I'd been going too hard and now I had to gear down and spin and watch the group go. John O. passed me and I told him I was cramping- he offered to wait for me but I told him no- I really didn't know if I could spin through it or if I'd soon be writhing on the side of the road!<br /><br />Turns out I was able to spin it out, and as I rolled into Siler City I saw that there had been another group that left Snow Camp first that Tim was chasing- now they were on the return trip and he was still on the chase. Joel was waiting in Siler with a fantastic spread of snacks and liquids, and I had every intention of making a long stop but a little voice in the back of my head kept suggesting that maybe I'd be able to keep up now that we'd have some help from the wind. I got back on the bike just in time to roll out with the same group that had dropped me on the way in.<br /><br />I kept up over about 2 or 3 rollers, then the cramps came back. Once again I spun a low gear through the pain and the cramps subsided. I was able to ease my way back up to a reasonable speed, but I'd lost Geof and Bryan until Snow Camp. After the control I lost them again, but got caught up by another group and we were making good time. As we approached a left turn on Hwy 87 I saw Geof and Bryan stopped at the old gas station. I pulled off, but I should've just kept going. My little group went on down the road and I tried to catch them but just didn't have the gas to do it. Bryan passed me and caught the group, then Geof passed and caught them too. Soon I could see the pair of them out in front of the group and pulling away! Somewhere in here I noticed that I'd lost one of my gel flasks. I found out later that it had bounced out of my bag on a rough stretch and later was smashed by a car. What a waste of Hammer Apple Cinnamon... The handy pockets that face back toward the rider on the VO bag are just not big enough to buckle closed with a gel flask inside.<br /><br />I was still thinking that I could possibly catch when I heard someone behind me call my name. I think it was Jerry- at least I could tell he was back there because his Cinnamon Girl is easy to spot. We were approaching Frosty's, and I thought perhaps one of them had picked up my flask. I stopped and waited for them, but no flask- they were just inviting me to join them for a rest stop at Frosty's! Funny how things work on a brevet. I was too dumb to know that the last thing I needed was to keep digging deep in my "suitcase of courage" (read with Phil Liggett accent) to try to catch up with the next group up the road. Far better to take a short break and ride with the next group! The only problem was that my legs started threatening to stiffen up while I was sitting inside Frosty's, so I got up to walk around a bit and get ready to go. Back on the road my new group included Jerry, Chris Camm, Tom F, Ricochet Robert, John O. and a few others. I took the opportunity to shoot another video.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dypv9b56CPbhgITQHCRu8e05jz5e_I-hNlAHTQI-U41qxYQstn0oF89KiYvx2IZfqwpZ3ZmxgCGmfXOvTa_cg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />We were getting some really intense wind now, and not always tailwinds! The predictions of 20+mph winds gusting even higher apparently had come true. Anytime the wind direction turned into a tailwind I took advantage of it and built up as much speed as I could. Eventually I had built up a little gap on my companions. Robert came across the gap and since I had some company I just kept doing my thing, tucking into the aero position when the wind was in my face and sitting up when it was at my back, letting my body act as a sail. Having the opportunity to set my own pace really let me get into the rhythm and I felt really good on this last leg of the ride. Robert kept telling me that he was out of gas, but he didn't appear to have any trouble keeping up...<br /><br />Just as we were getting into Morrisville, Robert and I were caught by Chris and Jerry and the four of us rode in to Alan's house together for a time of 7:55. I was beat, but pretty satisfied with the ride overall. Still trying to put these lessons into practice: I should conserve more energy early on, perhaps I would have had enough to stick with my group those last few miles into Siler. And I should never stop with the really fast guys for a nature break, I don't have the speed to keep up with them!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/77087555" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-79207385637520342332011-03-21T13:30:00.000-07:002011-03-22T18:05:51.431-07:00Bicycle for Life 600K Brevet 3/19/11Why would I put myself through another 600K when I've already completed the SR series? Good question. Seemed like a good idea at the time...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4_OKnsmCujNw18aGkilQBcZyGCdDvrmAeuj_dlsMv5cQ9Qjwn74F996iJCpmVuzVAr1RXJRkamJgmdGgXjc6m122zL32_LFQoFGIi_OIHZxEkwtkQzk4uS2wuIhc1cIHaUfhUaSAvgA/s1600/IMG_0279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4_OKnsmCujNw18aGkilQBcZyGCdDvrmAeuj_dlsMv5cQ9Qjwn74F996iJCpmVuzVAr1RXJRkamJgmdGgXjc6m122zL32_LFQoFGIi_OIHZxEkwtkQzk4uS2wuIhc1cIHaUfhUaSAvgA/s320/IMG_0279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586976887788640946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A few of the 59 riders at the start.<br /><br /></span></div>59 riders lined up at the Super 8 in Lumberton for another fun-filled set of brevets. 200K, 300K, 400K, and 600K riders all started at once and I became part of the large front group that formed. The speed was really picking up, but I was feeling good and took a couple of my trademark short-pulls on the front. About 20 miles in we made a right turn onto Gum Spring Rd. and found road construction barriers blocking the route! No worries, we could see the barriers on the other side of the torn up road, so we all did a short cyclocross impression. That caused a bit of a split in the pack, but it mostly got back together until Ammon, where the 200K and 300K riders had a control stop while the rest of us rolled on.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxuLONX2h0QqdyQx4DaZjPjHFQxNTVmfGXEOgqr_Y8jURG2KO3OovXC_5QtURpZQvU7zhAjQ_inSairxEInnw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I took another pull up front, and my plan was to pull for 1 mile, then get my point & shoot camera out to do another video as I fell back to the comfort of the draft. I was still at 0.8 miles and down in my aerodynamic tuck when I had to dodge left to avoid a hole. I was moving back to the right, but the rider behind me had jumped into the gap and was accelerating, so my pull was over! I sat up and tried to get my camera out quickly. Well, I screwed up and fumbled the camera and it went skittering down the road at 18-20mph! I pulled off to the left and turned around to see the last folks in line dodging my camera as it lay on its back in the middle of the road. After recovering it I just stashed it in the bag and got to work catching back on.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeGoT_Z6MTqhOx_JmUNs33m_MRwGzOV2CRUKwQIkLK8_hX266wTFEKtQmoEjIrAmaQEVHyvWy_pvas6LHOSrSW0dvW7CAE7sf6nRQbap73bSjER24Q0DTAB_bUwQVioO7D_LWTBhotCQ/s1600/P1040181.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeGoT_Z6MTqhOx_JmUNs33m_MRwGzOV2CRUKwQIkLK8_hX266wTFEKtQmoEjIrAmaQEVHyvWy_pvas6LHOSrSW0dvW7CAE7sf6nRQbap73bSjER24Q0DTAB_bUwQVioO7D_LWTBhotCQ/s320/P1040181.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586994987012105042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A shot of the peleton shortly before I fumbled my camera<br /><br /></span></div>At the first control in Roseboro there was the usual race to be first in line to get the card signed and the line for the restroom. I've become more efficient at the controls, so I was able to get my checklist done and still have a minute to check out the damage to my camera. It's mostly cosmetic, but the corner by the battery door has a big gash and the camera won't turn on. I opened the battery compartment and little bits of broken plastic fell out. The shock had broken the plastic catch that holds the battery in place. I grabbed a bit of discarded cue sheet, folded it up to about the right size and wedged it in place. The camera worked! Still, I didn't take it out for the rest of the ride.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdtj07JZ0Nsc76nqDhSJivpI5H2nz4RcytVpYwc9rlsDETcMlbzjhM204bqqYjCV4-XXm03MNi367mwXAIzYDNmkRzJIvVMzul6mmlhR_U_9jvhZrMGtdqZ5queVlGcb2HCVHQPC-fmU/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdtj07JZ0Nsc76nqDhSJivpI5H2nz4RcytVpYwc9rlsDETcMlbzjhM204bqqYjCV4-XXm03MNi367mwXAIzYDNmkRzJIvVMzul6mmlhR_U_9jvhZrMGtdqZ5queVlGcb2HCVHQPC-fmU/s320/IMG_0290.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587055745819486738" border="0" /></a><br />Folks started leaving the control so I got back on the bike and headed out. As always the stop caused splits in the pack, and I was now in the 2nd group on the road. We were trucking along at a good pace though, and it seemed like we were slowly closing the gap to the smaller front group. My turn to pull came up and I put my head down and pushed about 21-22mph. Guess that wasn't enough because Tom F. came flying by me and I had to decide whether to go or not. There wasn't anybody on his wheel, so I pushed even harder and got on his wheel. In my mirror it looked like most of the group had stayed with me and I held Tom's wheel until we were almost up to the front group, then waved the next rider forward and dropped off. By the time I was tucked in at the back we had bridged the gap and it slowed down. I found Colonel Mike near the back of the group and he told me that effort had really taken it's toll on him.<br /><br />Next we had to cross some intersections in Garland, causing splits and accelerations again. Some of these intersections got a bit hairy, with oncoming traffic and cyclists wanting to get through and not get dropped. After one particular intersection I decided to remove myself from the rat race- I was burning too many matches too early and I saw that Col. Mike had already pulled the plug and was a bit further back. I sat up and started spinning an easy gear, plugged in my iPod and just cruised along waiting for Mike to catch up. I hit the lap button on my Garmin so I'd have a record of this first section with the group- it gave me a 19.4mph average speed for this first 60 miles. Once Mike caught me we continued a nice easy pace for awhile, knowing that Jerry, Wes, Tim, John, and other strong riders were still behind us and we might have some company soon.<br /><br />Jerry and Wes were the first to catch us, and we picked it up a bit and rode with them for a few miles, but it was getting to be too much for Mike again. When I saw him pull the plug I dropped off and let Jerry and Wes go up the road. It looked like Mike was hurting, and I've been there & done that. In a couple more miles he asked if we could stop for a minute. He was having some weird high heart rate issues and was worried that if he felt like this after the first 100K perhaps 600K was biting off a bit more than he could chew. He had just recovered from a respiratory infection, so I can understand why he'd be worried. I helped him weigh his options: turning back meant riding 65 miles back to Lumberton... with 4 routes running at the same time who knows how long it might take Tony to get out there if Mike waited for a pick-up... and the next control was 42 miles up the road. We checked the open/close times on the card- it was about 11:20am and we had until 7:02pm to ride the next 42 miles, plenty of time. We knew that there was food in Wallace just 20 miles away, so we decided to just casually spin up the road and get some lunch. Being from DC, Mike had never heard of Andy's before (like a couple of Seattle randos who rode this route with us in February) so I thought it was a good idea to introduce him to it. After we ordered burgers and chocolate shakes Tim and John showed up. We had a much needed meal and Col. Mike was looking much, much better.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o1Hjc1iODS2u6wMUeib0fpdg_MCNwa3ydcjQfSELbAiYmKmhA-NAC1u5Opmuf8bqbD47UI9PIKR1QJX0KJEXWSnZpmHHdLPNhXHT8EuAkpm6b3yYDtaSBjcJYUa02vB5-09fE4s930g/s1600/IMG_0281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o1Hjc1iODS2u6wMUeib0fpdg_MCNwa3ydcjQfSELbAiYmKmhA-NAC1u5Opmuf8bqbD47UI9PIKR1QJX0KJEXWSnZpmHHdLPNhXHT8EuAkpm6b3yYDtaSBjcJYUa02vB5-09fE4s930g/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586976891931841346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Mmmmmmm.</span></div><br />Back on the road with Mike, Tim, and John and we were making good time. It was a short 20ish mile run to the control in Maple Hill, then another short run of 24 miles to the control at Rocky Point. By this time it was 5pm and we knew that it would get dark before our next control stop in Garland, 54 miles away. We donned our reflective gear and got back on the road. The 4 of us were working well together despite the headwinds we'd been fighting all day. John and Tim were taking their usual long pulls, Mike was looking strong again, and I was holding my own... at first. After awhile it was my turn to run into problems. I couldn't catch my breath and every time I tried to take a deep breath I would cough. I'd had this same symptom once before- on the NCBC 400K brevet back in May 2010. That turned out to be pine pollen. I guess spring has officially sprung!<br /><br />This coughing, hard to breathe stuff slowed me down, but my companions were nice enough to wait up for me any time I fell behind. We rolled into Garland at almost 9pm and just barely caught the pizza place before it closed. Food definitely helps. It had cooled down dramatically so I put on my knee warmers and my wind vest. Apparently John hadn't brought knee warmers, so a bit further down the road he improvised with a couple of free newspapers and some plastic bags.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgfVl0l8hwIwM-yA3rdmPiIQkaWkg5NDntOfj0XmV7V4pG8jwNepdGJZ7X6v_Yg9_-4la3wXHm0rA-ePVQ04FM2WsBRWenli61FZwpRPsa_dZ5mTivcLTAFRpijU_t94Fpbucek6svVQ/s1600/P1040182.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgfVl0l8hwIwM-yA3rdmPiIQkaWkg5NDntOfj0XmV7V4pG8jwNepdGJZ7X6v_Yg9_-4la3wXHm0rA-ePVQ04FM2WsBRWenli61FZwpRPsa_dZ5mTivcLTAFRpijU_t94Fpbucek6svVQ/s320/P1040182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586995000156450290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">John O. gets the Rando Creativity Award for his newspaper leg warmers and plastic baggie mitts.<br /><br /></span></span></div>My breathing issue got better- good thing because we had about 70 miles to go to get to Shallotte and then 12 more to get to Sunset Beach where we could finally catch some sleep. The other guys had been knocking back Red Bulls and NoS energy drinks (135mg of caffeine in those!) but I was afraid I'd crash hard before we got to the beach. Maybe I should've had one though, because around 1 or 2am I started getting bleary-eyed. My speed was suffering again, and every time I tried to calculate speed / distance left to go to Shallotte it seemed like I wasn't getting any closer. I tried to get the guys to go on ahead since I was slowing them down, but they wouldn't leave me. For a little while I got on the front and sped up the pace and made some time, but eventually I didn't feel safe going 15 or 16mph so I had to slow it down. I'd whipped up John and Tim though, and they were off. A couple of times I had to ask Mike not to ride beside me because I was getting swervy and dangerous. He was worried about me, and wasn't going to leave me behind no matter what. Thanks Mike!<br /><br />Eventually we made it to Shallotte, sometime around 3:30 or 4am. I'm not really sure of the time. Tim and John were waiting for us, but I told them I was going to lay my head down at one of the tables in the convenience store so they took off while Mike stayed with me. I felt like I didn't ever fall asleep, so I got a cup of coffee and a snack so we could get back on the road. Later Mike told me we had been at the store for about an hour! Maybe I did get a nap after all. As we were getting ready to leave, in rolled Ricochet Robert. He did a short stop and joined us for the short 12 mile run into Sunset Beach.<br /><br />The coffee or the nap or the Little Debbie iced honey bun really worked, because we kept up a nice pace into Sunset Beach, climbed the bridge, and arrived at 5:20am. We were confused about where the hotel was, it looked like the cue sheet told us to go back over the bridge and then the hotel would be on the right. We climbed the bridge an extra time before we noticed that the hotel was only 0.1 miles from the pier, so it was back over the bridge to go get some sleep. A hot shower after over 400K is a great thing. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out, and I slept hard until my alarm went of at 9am. Mike was getting ready to go, so I put on a fresh kit and got something to eat so we could get back on the road.<br /><br />Sleep was what I needed, now I felt great. Mike said that we were the last riders out on the 600K route. Ricochet Robert had left earlier with another rider and 2 others had left just before us. We decided that would be good motivation- 4 carrots up the road! I found out later that Tim and John had only slept for a couple of hours, then got up and rode on with Jerry and Wes. Mike and I cranked up the pace and soon we passed a store with 2 bikes parked in front. Only 2 more carrots. At the South Carolina line we stopped at a convenience store and found we had caught Robert and his companion. We grabbed drinks and snacks for the next 25 mile run into Boardman.<br /><br />At the control in Boardman I went looking for food. Last time I was at this convenience store I had one of the triangle sandwiches, and it caused major gastric distress about 10 miles up the road. This time I had one of the spinning hot dogs- Joe from Seattle ate one of those last time and it didn't send him running for the woods. We got back on the road, with only 18 miles to the next control at Clarkton. I was spending most of my time up front, getting into the zone and keeping my cadence rhythm going I could comfortably maintain about 16-17mph. Just outside of Clarkton we slowed it down a bit, this time it was Col. Mike's turn to feel bad.<br /><br />He waited until this last control to tell me that he really hadn't slept at Sunset Beach, just laid in bed. It must have been all that NoS energy drink he had! He ate a couple of spinning hot dogs and we had a nice long stop and a chat with one of the locals. I really enjoy these little encounters on the road, they inevitably start with the question "how far you ridin?" and then you get to see the look on their faces when you answer "380 miles." This gentleman took a keen interest in my bike, my Brooks saddle, and how my clipless pedals worked. It gave Mike plenty of time to eat his hot dogs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1t9VZczhq0dArgVVTXMel7q60wb0RQdqFkLLrRQxc_gy94v1Ihq53dFfhq9JmuUqfQDUygvuPUgwvCQ1Ftyvf0FLSH6zim5y6YDHzv2oT7ojbw4LY2rschu811mT7h9vpb2HDmiTOmY/s1600/IMG_0282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1t9VZczhq0dArgVVTXMel7q60wb0RQdqFkLLrRQxc_gy94v1Ihq53dFfhq9JmuUqfQDUygvuPUgwvCQ1Ftyvf0FLSH6zim5y6YDHzv2oT7ojbw4LY2rschu811mT7h9vpb2HDmiTOmY/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586976893496868514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Gorgeous sky with "God light" on Sunday.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>It's 28 miles from Clarkton back to Lumberton. Last time I rode it was in the dark at the end of the 400K with Mike, Tim, and Geof. We passed the singlewide trailer with all the pit bulls in cages outside on NC-211- that's where the drunk rednecks had yelled and chased us on the 400K. They weren't out in the yard this time, must have gone fishing or something. It was looking like we'd arrive around 7 or 7:30 at the pace we had been going, but the spinning hot dogs worked their magic and Mike was feeling better. We kept up a good pace, and the frequent dog chases probably saved us 15 or 20 minutes! We arrived at the finish in Lumberton at 6:30 for a total time of 35 hours. Tony had pizza and sandwiches waiting, so I ate something before getting in the car for my drive home. Another great Bicycle for Life brevet! Thanks Tony!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0szaL8GiOywYYN8LCLjN_HOzcWLEfO7NiU2bY4pI3mEyJIJ8iU-Tq-ubo3am3p_Lr0aN1OfY-O8Gq0wT4nDiSOkovQu_c8CoEe8sng49nk6d6vbob_bOG4cw9tAqaA4AwHixF5KRviTs/s1600/IMG_0287.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0szaL8GiOywYYN8LCLjN_HOzcWLEfO7NiU2bY4pI3mEyJIJ8iU-Tq-ubo3am3p_Lr0aN1OfY-O8Gq0wT4nDiSOkovQu_c8CoEe8sng49nk6d6vbob_bOG4cw9tAqaA4AwHixF5KRviTs/s320/IMG_0287.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586976897107390034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me & Col. Mike still smilin' at the finish!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPC8q-okgYlto0Gx1zrTuOzbey5Hgs2I81Dn5uSJ-N_56y4cRj04opUSWTNOtpXNL9-gsBsWVFz8WYwESkq0musOfvUz1PUofmrZLPHu8GpeRlKeaEsQNlGfj8tWE3ARisMJ97m9u-9DU/s1600/IMG_0288.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPC8q-okgYlto0Gx1zrTuOzbey5Hgs2I81Dn5uSJ-N_56y4cRj04opUSWTNOtpXNL9-gsBsWVFz8WYwESkq0musOfvUz1PUofmrZLPHu8GpeRlKeaEsQNlGfj8tWE3ARisMJ97m9u-9DU/s320/IMG_0288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586976907710509634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/74250207" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-48003582368312650402011-03-14T11:26:00.000-07:002011-03-16T09:19:49.998-07:00A Ride To RememberOn Saturday the family and friends of Adrian "YoA!" Hands gathered together for a memorial service and ride to celebrate his life. By the time I first met Adrian in 2009 his ALS had confined him to a wheelchair and he could no longer ride a bike, but that didn't stop him from joining us at Geof's house for a post-Firecracker ride meal. I talked to him about how Geof was trying to convince me to try <a href="http://bigdaddygs.blogspot.com/2009/11/flanderian-fantasy.html">my first 200K permanent</a> and he not only encouraged me to do it but also thought I should set a goal for Paris-Brest-Paris in 2011! Though I did not get the opportunity to get to know Adrian in person I have benefited indirectly from knowing those whose lives he touched- among others Geof, Byron, MikeD, Sridhar, Branson, Jerry, Capt. Ende, and of course Adrian's son Ian.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_OimvR9YtrIu_H80Mn_blvFXLzwRtzkh66BI7o5QtTffoW2f7BwSXKAIWWYJkLIcnTMEzhCL93giJ4tUhgTE1eZo62otc5imvh4zF4ChbQTTPggz_dgFrKtSOlHd_M3WI1ULT4P0DIY/s1600/188137_204679312875717_5609672_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_OimvR9YtrIu_H80Mn_blvFXLzwRtzkh66BI7o5QtTffoW2f7BwSXKAIWWYJkLIcnTMEzhCL93giJ4tUhgTE1eZo62otc5imvh4zF4ChbQTTPggz_dgFrKtSOlHd_M3WI1ULT4P0DIY/s320/188137_204679312875717_5609672_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584571849703684834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">YoA!</span></div><br />I met up with Bryan H. and David at Geof's house for a pre-dawn start to ride over across Jordan Lake to meet Jerry at the store on the corner of Lystra Rd. Then the four of us rode to Carrboro to meet Ian and accompany him on his ride to the gathering in Hillsborough. Ian had carefully packed his dad's ashes into a pannier on the back of Adrian's trusty Koga Miyata bike so his last trip "wouldn't be in a stinkin' car!" We were all honored to join him on the journey. We rode to Hillsborough and stopped at Weaver St. Market for a bite to eat and to meet up with more cyclists and friends.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHWF90_PO15ohC6ng0o4i38mkpL0sGBj89TmjkLG1IDnYSTtP6QzEEYouYM9CwTdNYvqswhoew30drcTayoQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />After breakfast we rolled over to the courthouse where family and friends were gathering, looking at bikes and photos of YoA! and generally having a nice time catching up with and meeting one another. Eventually we all made our way down to the Eno River en masse for a touching ceremony to scatter the ashes in the river. It was emotional for everyone in attendance, then on the walk back up from the river Ian proclaimed "Lets go ride bikes!" to get us all back in the proper mindset. Later he told MikeD and Geof it was the "coolest funeral ever!"<br /><br /><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w381.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http%3A%2F%2Fw381.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Foo252%2Friersonphoto%2Fadrian%20ride%2Ffbc70b58.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s381.photobucket.com/albums/oo252/riersonphoto/adrian%20ride/?action=view&current=fbc70b58.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a></div><br /><br />We all rolled out from the courthouse on a 37 mile course to Raleigh for the memorial service at the SGI-USA Buddhist center at 3pm. It was a beautiful warm day and everyone was in great spirits, enjoying the company and telling Adrian stories. Before long the front group of riders had missed a turn- I was slightly behind still putting my camera back in the front bag when I heard the folks behind me trying to yell after us. I tried to yell up to the riders in front but they didn't turn around so I hammered a bit and caught up to them to let them know about the missed turn. Branson said no worries, he could navigate us through Durham and back on course and everyone agreed that some bonus miles were nothing if not appropriate on a YoA! tribute ride!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxtjoyjnDHECJrFjYmfX37kj572O2N1qKsHNYn51wcaMJEmRQQQHI9A_EZp_u12L9R79gTj4Sv6vVs5XZTpJw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />It was a fantastic ride with good weather and great friends, and when we crossed the ATT Branson peeled off to head home and Jerry was waiting to join back up with us. We stopped to eat again at an Indian restaurant before heading on to the memorial service. At the SGI center we had another huge gathering of cyclists, family, and friends. Before the service there was a parade of bicycles led by Gilbert Anderson, then we all went inside for a moving memorial service. For many of us the Buddhist traditions were new, but soon familiar. Grieving is one of those things that transcends language. Everyone had the chance to offer incense and a prayer for Adrian, and folks got up and shared their fond memories before we watched a slideshow of his life and rides. Touching words were said by Adrian's brother, his wife Padmini, his daughter Shanti, and son Ian.<br /><br />Afterward there was more congregating and chatting out in the parking lot before Geof, Bryan, and I headed back to Geof's place. From everything I've been told of Adrian it was a perfect way to celebrate his life- surrounded by family and friends and smiles and bicycles.<br /><br /><iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/72991527'></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-76083782826288546612011-03-05T18:00:00.000-08:002011-03-08T21:51:32.316-08:00Tar Heel 200KIt had been awhile since I rode Dean's Tar Heel 200K. Since my last trip on this route they've paved some of the worst sections of asphalt, but not to worry- there's still plenty of roads that can give your bike a thorough shakedown to make sure every accessory is firmly attached! I met up with Mike, Lynn, and Jerry in Benson at 7am and I knew that I was in for a fast ride. I have trouble keeping up with these folks when they're casually spinning along and chatting about the weather! I told myself that it shouldn't be a problem, the Tar Heel is flat...<br /><br />Sometimes flat is good. Sometimes there's wind. Today's wind wasn't that bad really- 8-10mph out of the south meant we'd have headwinds on the way out to the turnaround and then enjoy tailwinds on the way home. All I had to do was stick with them for the first 62 miles and I'd be golden. At first I was doing ok, but that was probably because they were just warming up. Before we got to Stedman I was feelin' the burn as we were cranking 17-18mph into a quartering headwind. I had to pull out of line and told them I'd see them at the control.<br /><br />After a break and a snack we got back on the road. Everybody left before me, so I was riding solo a bit earlier than I had planned. For awhile I could see the group up ahead, but the gap was widening. I settled in for a 30 mile slog into the wind alone. As I've noticed on recent brevets, I actually ride pretty well when I get my rhythm going. I was averaging 15-16mph and keeping a steady tempo and effort. During this stretch I decided that unless I wanted to finish an hour or more after everybody else I'd need to minimize my time off the bike and keep moving. If I took the time for a sit-down Subway stop at Tar Heel I'm pretty sure I'd get dropped again and not see the others for the rest of the ride. I short stopped the control and saw the bikes parked at Subway. No idea how long they'd been there already, but I figured I could get 5 or 10 minutes up the road and they'd catch me on the way back to Stedman.<br /><br />I really like tailwinds. And nice fresh pavement. The return trip was turning out to be a lot more fun than the upwind slog that I'd dealt with before. It seemed like it took very little effort to maintain 19 or 20mph, my arm warmers and leg warmers were off, and I was spinning a high cadence and really enjoying the ride. I kept expecting to see bikes in my mirror, especially when I got to the really long, straight stretches but as I entered Stedman I was still out front. Once again I made it a short stop, but just as I was ready to get back on the bike I saw Jerry and Mike crossing Hwy 24. They went to the Andy's instead of the convenience store and I thought about heading over to join them. I'd already had a snack at the store, so once again I figured I'd get a few miles down the road before they started chasing me down.<br /><br />By the way, the nice pavement had run out and I was back to the bumpass asphalt with the tar snakes all over it. Even with a tailwind it's hard to maintain good speed on what one of my friends calls "speed sucking pavement." I was riding on a brand new rear wheel I had just picked up on Friday, and I was really giving it a good shakedown. It came through with flying colors- not even so much as a ping. I was keeping an eye on the mirror, but still no sign of the other riders. They must have stopped for awhile at Andy's. I got to the Short Stop convenience store and gave myself a longer stop, checked my phone and had a snack. Ironic that the longest stop of the ride was at Short Stop! There were only 13 or 14 more miles, so even if they caught me now I wouldn't be very far behind. Still no sign of them as I got back on the road, so I just spun an easy gear all the way back to Benson. I was surprised that they never caught me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGLLRwsfL-qoudQTmHY8jY4theJ7qw2EORWbD1A6HkgszzVTx1GNCFjeqVD0ZSYXA8GuKBh6mngI6KLePoiJyaxcncxEt4wyVvlMlzQaUooyQB26Fj3enbVpizv_XGjik9r9RS0t-dDc/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGLLRwsfL-qoudQTmHY8jY4theJ7qw2EORWbD1A6HkgszzVTx1GNCFjeqVD0ZSYXA8GuKBh6mngI6KLePoiJyaxcncxEt4wyVvlMlzQaUooyQB26Fj3enbVpizv_XGjik9r9RS0t-dDc/s320/IMG_0192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580854496584872338" border="0" /></a><br />I went into the Burger King to get some food and have my card signed, and while filling my drink I heard someone call my name. It was Ian! He and Mary had driven down to Benson and brought a cake to celebrate Jerry's R-60. The other riders rolled into the finish about 5 minutes or so behind me and we all enjoyed a piece of cake in the parking lot. 5 straight years of R-12s, way to go Jerry!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX5lZxqgPCt8PGzvLm_5czrhKpD30wylJtURaEklEiq5kyz_RBGwGMWKNy0V9_vhozyFNWmAMiopilaIv71dYDuSmIXbjayG1FyNO9pI2XRMnj-as07Tm1XnY1PGRpbb0LZnECz8ENXU/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIX5lZxqgPCt8PGzvLm_5czrhKpD30wylJtURaEklEiq5kyz_RBGwGMWKNy0V9_vhozyFNWmAMiopilaIv71dYDuSmIXbjayG1FyNO9pI2XRMnj-as07Tm1XnY1PGRpbb0LZnECz8ENXU/s320/IMG_0194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580854496326834066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/71447906" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-86497052426630759982011-02-21T07:55:00.000-08:002011-02-21T15:21:25.150-08:00Bicycle for Life 400K Brevet 2/19/11We'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!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsoUTMZRET3t_uXO9fqTbEJkctFLBZ-VfpfmZ6x_7SqeibOOs6zsts0FBm1mu4QK1kNVQBm5rqw3reZZ7KoIS9vpVXPhhqdwqU2OQ5g7CCZ9-aA62RGyMoPB12MNiOU8iANL2435hui8/s1600/start.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsoUTMZRET3t_uXO9fqTbEJkctFLBZ-VfpfmZ6x_7SqeibOOs6zsts0FBm1mu4QK1kNVQBm5rqw3reZZ7KoIS9vpVXPhhqdwqU2OQ5g7CCZ9-aA62RGyMoPB12MNiOU8iANL2435hui8/s320/start.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576281655018085922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A good sized field lining up for the start.</span><br /></div><br />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:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwpoO8cE_ip9VWvaPt_IkN2W8XZ2yIb8YnSvDOns9wdKiJdxDinSKZQGWKHMSX7fLYGgKtqke7uR98naUeXJQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtsV9Dkc-_OesSmLk5gACOt1b72_E6PF8Q_gc-BgYALGfAbXrEjkkO8kFfCR_vWB_ozPbyWpX_yACS0xDpGM4AL1hygNmXICfhM6EyHa7IRxri_g9wSvvHSJUT11SrZIEU1ZagPIPCW8/s1600/lunch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtsV9Dkc-_OesSmLk5gACOt1b72_E6PF8Q_gc-BgYALGfAbXrEjkkO8kFfCR_vWB_ozPbyWpX_yACS0xDpGM4AL1hygNmXICfhM6EyHa7IRxri_g9wSvvHSJUT11SrZIEU1ZagPIPCW8/s320/lunch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576281653541981170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Tony set up a lunch rest stop for us on route!</span><br /></div><br />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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDKuI6VCI-A-tg7d1r3y6t7fy9Z3h5IGvr0pDvORr0v1HJzMuK9A2HXYGLufBtt2mZQwtiXoJVdPiUOZCaDO-_dK7Z-mF3d-S_KZ7V-BnauauKYgoAsYmU77tZtW8ZMan3jchPgnIr6c/s1600/dinner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDKuI6VCI-A-tg7d1r3y6t7fy9Z3h5IGvr0pDvORr0v1HJzMuK9A2HXYGLufBtt2mZQwtiXoJVdPiUOZCaDO-_dK7Z-mF3d-S_KZ7V-BnauauKYgoAsYmU77tZtW8ZMan3jchPgnIr6c/s320/dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576281656882972722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">John enjoys one of the best subs ever made.</span><br /></div><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/69371126" frameborder="0" height="548" width="465"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">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... :-)<br /></span>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-36653013564371014712011-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:002011-02-15T18:39:12.833-08:00Mule Pullin' and a ShowdownI 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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br /><iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/67931865'></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<br /><br /><iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/68204447'></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7136493543639174234.post-15033498051649649982011-02-08T21:32:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:49:50.657-08:00Bicycle for Life Lumberton 600K 2/5/11I 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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTniMgTxgP5F_37rVFieiLU2f5aSVM19vDD4Aqax3-qRAgOqvsLbbJl9EcZhP8juET4ol58t0TGbxJjw9_1Ad-E_N_zAszEaS1pTGiLjgU9wsz2Vtt37DN0s0iXJjQbTh4jBn8RDS-4w/s1600/Picture%252B3.png"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxaA74Ao1q4iJi3VhVC8prTMVd-lO1fQ43kndbWR2BP7y8GU1BQ5G06K9QsLFhaso-NrkyJYM0TJmB_hbZVTA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HJOLIA5ljfcz6Tp-bwNCPXnjFS1zSSRETse05hdq6bfno9cXAwDoywWHw3nNg_4uPjaglN0PB78HU1VBpYo_0ABf3B3YW0dwefAjkHX7J-Ux3z8o9UoAGoQBu18ziBUBrcZbuKd-MU4/s1600/P1040094.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HJOLIA5ljfcz6Tp-bwNCPXnjFS1zSSRETse05hdq6bfno9cXAwDoywWHw3nNg_4uPjaglN0PB78HU1VBpYo_0ABf3B3YW0dwefAjkHX7J-Ux3z8o9UoAGoQBu18ziBUBrcZbuKd-MU4/s320/P1040094.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571777629007980642" border="0" /></a>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!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpYM5vCw-DL1Wrv9F5KJcgAOsPwL7g6LfM23uL2XI4aV0CyDt1_I_7tRa2gazaSaV_grr_mRkTOlWpMC6ZAJowrfsDYD5_KKg5EXNhMJ6op4bJH4BdPq_4F5UTASaNvET6Lvj5GWTHuc/s1600/P1040088.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpYM5vCw-DL1Wrv9F5KJcgAOsPwL7g6LfM23uL2XI4aV0CyDt1_I_7tRa2gazaSaV_grr_mRkTOlWpMC6ZAJowrfsDYD5_KKg5EXNhMJ6op4bJH4BdPq_4F5UTASaNvET6Lvj5GWTHuc/s320/P1040088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571777317171684226" border="0" /></a>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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoh3S890b86Q9L6nWeEvu9r7P2TluHC6gfr6g7E8xcMKwZV9n8EmbuKDr1J9gIyDWb5gepMxDheB5_doKzl8xyqm7YBYJ0LDpRiw1OStcnLZtv68WOZHLWqhn3x2xtmuKsxREoD13b-Y/s1600/P1040099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoh3S890b86Q9L6nWeEvu9r7P2TluHC6gfr6g7E8xcMKwZV9n8EmbuKDr1J9gIyDWb5gepMxDheB5_doKzl8xyqm7YBYJ0LDpRiw1OStcnLZtv68WOZHLWqhn3x2xtmuKsxREoD13b-Y/s320/P1040099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571778707721628898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffiG4ZTr6F4M0edgn8e0SsBZqlMKvIjJV-f0szG1GmsfSDzfkO1PZ3fMHWrOEX8buJEcno3pP1w-Q9e4bGdb9o7ZFQcZaFzwt2PzPa3Y1mfzU6eRhIqpeswICqlkilu7UwGnCS2Lxuh0/s1600/P1040097.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffiG4ZTr6F4M0edgn8e0SsBZqlMKvIjJV-f0szG1GmsfSDzfkO1PZ3fMHWrOEX8buJEcno3pP1w-Q9e4bGdb9o7ZFQcZaFzwt2PzPa3Y1mfzU6eRhIqpeswICqlkilu7UwGnCS2Lxuh0/s320/P1040097.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571778003942502994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAxbDJ61_1sc2jLnaATNlQGrpifHUlUVA_Dnp3KZZARcy5H8JskFeQhMmKtUWrqH6gs-36sTs_Lm4fvR5v5nA3qRKy7Vs-FmcG08sd6aSvsi6_B4o74WDlE3TUMAQXwp0Er78O0wyYdw/s1600/P1040098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAxbDJ61_1sc2jLnaATNlQGrpifHUlUVA_Dnp3KZZARcy5H8JskFeQhMmKtUWrqH6gs-36sTs_Lm4fvR5v5nA3qRKy7Vs-FmcG08sd6aSvsi6_B4o74WDlE3TUMAQXwp0Er78O0wyYdw/s320/P1040098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571778706763032978" border="0" /></a><br />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."<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTniMgTxgP5F_37rVFieiLU2f5aSVM19vDD4Aqax3-qRAgOqvsLbbJl9EcZhP8juET4ol58t0TGbxJjw9_1Ad-E_N_zAszEaS1pTGiLjgU9wsz2Vtt37DN0s0iXJjQbTh4jBn8RDS-4w/s1600/Picture%252B3.png"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzF8HmM3qNCXbYY6dLjRI0iXnpRLWh72mC3nP46L9EFFxdvcG-iZX9JLCewlNGldKQAPEwkGfcVWAtqPJB1Wg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEjyOYCJI0OIHsjRlrdxn56p4qLiQvTOZg9yHNVRWiwJl8-CVg2rrpKXC6MiPrm1o6J4S7yohWZStXNPjlYouEMd5R6XMMLek1sIiHxw2RLyhQOr2Ep8mAKZ01RIB3-9kB0ppHnXGQqM/s1600/P1040105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEjyOYCJI0OIHsjRlrdxn56p4qLiQvTOZg9yHNVRWiwJl8-CVg2rrpKXC6MiPrm1o6J4S7yohWZStXNPjlYouEMd5R6XMMLek1sIiHxw2RLyhQOr2Ep8mAKZ01RIB3-9kB0ppHnXGQqM/s320/P1040105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571778720347990130" border="0" /></a><br />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!<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nixR6wVa4HY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />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:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTniMgTxgP5F_37rVFieiLU2f5aSVM19vDD4Aqax3-qRAgOqvsLbbJl9EcZhP8juET4ol58t0TGbxJjw9_1Ad-E_N_zAszEaS1pTGiLjgU9wsz2Vtt37DN0s0iXJjQbTh4jBn8RDS-4w/s1600/Picture%252B3.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTniMgTxgP5F_37rVFieiLU2f5aSVM19vDD4Aqax3-qRAgOqvsLbbJl9EcZhP8juET4ol58t0TGbxJjw9_1Ad-E_N_zAszEaS1pTGiLjgU9wsz2Vtt37DN0s0iXJjQbTh4jBn8RDS-4w/s320/Picture%252B3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571755164077396674" border="0" /></a>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!<br /><br /><iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/67061654'></iframe>Rierson Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671360843547877378noreply@blogger.com6