The frost bite 50 ride Saturday Feb 23rd 2008.
A great turn out.
Steve Sparano and two of his friends Lou Soleo and Zingo ( he has no other name, kind of like Madonna) that have not yet ridden with our group, Ron and Traci Clanton, Theresa and Kevin Smit, Christine and her sister, Jim Palatran, Tim Travitz, Michael Huckabee, Norris Townsend, Bob Holtz all participated in the days ride.
Christine and her sister planed to complete the 100 mile loop. Everyone else was not committed to any specific distance and planed to make that decision at the 29 mile rest stop. The day started off colder than the weatherman predicted. It also was overcast, foggy, and a slight wind. Sun Glasses were changed out with lenses that were clear or yellow to allow for the low contrast generated by the overcast sky. Everyone in the group agreed to not get caught up in the adrenaline rush of the start and the pull of the draft lines. The Testosterone and Smell the Roses riders all assembled at the start among the 280 other riders. A brief welcome ceremony was conducted and the mob was launched onto the back roads of Johnston county. Immediately each rider was engulfed by others around them and the group that had assembled was in total disarray. Kevin as well as the others found themselves just trying to keep out of danger from other riders while trying to locate someone they knew. As the miles began to unfold each of the riders in the Testosterone group (accept Christine and her Sister, and Jim Palastran) found one another and formed a strong draft line. This draft line at times grew as others latched on. At one point the numbers likely reached 30 or more riders working to stay in the draft created by the Testosterone Team. Early on Kevin, Bob, Norris, and Ron all took turns at the front. The pace was a very respectable 20 miles per hour at the 29 mile mark. By then Ron had established himself once again as the locomotive with everyone else doing their best to hold onto his rear wheel. It was at this rest stop that the Testosterone group splintered. Ron, Bob, Norris and Kevin all electing to tackle the 62 mile route. Steve, his friends, and Tim electing to complete the 40 mile route at a continued blistering pace. Theresa and Traci representing the “Smell the Roses” were riding their own controlled ride with the early plan to complete the 40 mile ride. This would prove to be the longest of the season for those riders. Those doing the 62 mile route slowed to a more comfortable pace of 17 – 21 miles per hour with Ron leading the charge. The ride stayed cool and overcast. The winds continued to build with the hills coming in these last miles of the ride. Upon completion those doing the 62 miles averaged over 15 mph. All enjoyed the event, all had the longest ride of the season. Christine and her Sister and Jim may still be out on the route, as they were never seen. Maybe they just left the start and found a coffee shop and then went home. I doubt they will ever tell us if they did.
Congratulations to all.
Sunday Feb 24 2008.
Smell the Roses rode Umstead on Mountain Bikes.
They included; Carolyn and Steve Sparano their friends Richard and Theresa , Theresa Smit, and Jae Branard. The group rode the outer loop of Umstead. Lots of hills and a distance of 19 miles. Carolyn set the pace leaving all others in her dust. Theresa commented after the ride that this was far tougher than any of the road bike rides of the season.
The Testosterone riders met at in the parking lot of Brugers on a very windy Sunday morning. Tim Travitz and Kevin Smit replicated last Sundays ride. The major difference was that the did not see Deer and were not hassled by and elderly man in a pick up. They also rode the entire route together since Tim drove to the days start. Both Tim and Kevin were recovering from Saturdays hard charging Frost bite 50 organized ride. Even though they were recovering they both rode strong taking turns pulling from the front against a strong head wind. They completed the 34 miles at the same pace as Saturdays hard charging ride.
The riders of both groups are slowly building towards their summer legs.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Feb 16 and 17 2008 Weekend rides
Saturday Feb 16th ride.
The locamotive ride.
A great turnout.
In attendance representing the Testosterone group were:
Tim Travitz, Tod Pechner, Steve Sparano, Ron Clanton, David Bridenbaugh, Christine (triathlete), and Kevin Smit.
Christine wanted to know were the Chipmunk was. If you recall the last time she rode with us she wanted to know were the little dog was.
Oddly enough everyone knew who she was inquiring about.
Steve Cope (the Chihuahua ). Steve’s high energy and constant yapping can only be described as the human version of a Chihuahua.
Those representing the “Smell the Roses” included:
Traci Clanton, Jae Brainard, Theresa Smit.
A great group of riders
Today’s ride is best described as the Ron and David Locomotive Ride.
These two riders set the pace and the distance for the Testosterone group.
Ron started it with emails announcing that he was up for a 50 mile ride and David Bridenbaugh was fully on board with that idea. In reading this chain of emails Kevin was hoping that both Ron and David would not make it to the start of the ride. Kevin knew that it only takes one fool for the pack to follow.
Ron and David are planning to ride the full 100 miles of the Frost bite 50 next weekend.
It is called the Frost bite 50 not the Frost bite 100. Hmmm.
Many others who have signed up from the group are planning on the 40 miler.
So with Ron and David at the lead, the group of Testosterone rides rocketed out of the parking lot and onto High House. The start was much like a Locomotive lunging forward with all the other rail cars bumping and jerking into line.
The group stretched and contracted as each rider worked to find the correct spin and gear for this aggressive start. Ron is notorious for his hard charging style at the start of each ride. In the past this was not an issue as the group usually would reel Ron in as the ride unfolds. This was not the case this day. Ron and David worked as the locomotives pulling a heavy train up steep grades and along straight tracks.
Their efforts splintered the group on several occasions. The first being the long straight shot along Carpenter Upchurch road which takes the rides past Green Hope High School.
As this fist locomotive pull began Kevin and Christine quickly fell off the pack. “Don’t let me hold you back” Christine said to Kevin. In a broken response created by labored breathing Kevin replied “ You are not holding me back, I am slow to warm up”. “Besides they will burn themselves out and we will slowly reel them back in”. Little did Kevin know that Ron and David had other ideas for today’s ride.
The lead group did hold up at the next intersection to let the stragglers re-attach to the train. A more sane pace was provided as the group wound thru the turns and rough roads leading to the next long run after crossing highway 55.
On this section of road the pack was again stretching and contracting as the pace began to build. For at least a couple of miles on Carpenter Fire Station Road the pack was zooming along at 29 miles per hour. Again the group splintered as they reached the turn toward UpChuck Hill.
UpChuck presented its usual challenge to all. Ron and David with Todd and Tim all attacked the hill leaving Steve, Christine, and Kevin doing their very best to summit the hill without blowing a knee cap, or sending their heart rate monitors into the twilight zone.
Right at the top of the hill found the lead group circling as if vultures waiting for the wounded to show themselves. Back into a pack again for a short time as the locomotives showed no concern for the rolling hills that lay ahead, let alone the increase in today’s planed distance, and the groups current average speed.
One the group rode with the continued splintering and reassembling of the pack until the turn onto 751. Here again the lead group of David, Ron, Todd, and Tim swept thru the turn and then made the immediate left onto Holland Chapel Road. This road is a little rough with several small inclines. The trailing group made the turn onto 751 but elected to travel past the first turn and instead made the left onto Martha Chapel Road. This road is very smooth and is mostly down hill. Kevin, Christine, and Steve all road comfortably with no intention of trying to see if they could get to the intersection at Farrington road before the Locomotives would. Oddly enough this splintered group of three made it to that intersection before the hard charging lead group. “Lets all regroup with a short stop at the corner store at Lystra and Farrington” Kevin barked to the riders as they screamed past on their way down Farrington from Holland Chapel. With out hesitation this lead pack picked up their intense pace as they rushed past as to make sure the 3 stragglers had no hope of jumping onto the train.
By the time the 3 stragglers made it to the gas station/store at Lystra and Farrington road the lead group had already refueled, hydrated, and taken bio breaks. With this short stop quickly coming to an end Tim announced he was under a time constraint and needed to head for home. This was the first of several casualties generated by the intense pace of the locomotive team. At this same time the remaining riders were contemplating how much of Big Woods they would ride. Do they do an out and back and return the same route home, do they do Big Woods and then make the left turn at 64 and loop back onto Farrington. Christine still had 4 and ½ hours of riding to complete to accomplish her training ride. She planed to do the out and back and follow that up with the long steep climb up Lystra before she headed for home. This prompted Ron to suggest we ALL CLIMB Lystra first then do Big Woods. “You are F@#K#*& NUTS” Kevin shouted.
The pack all found this humorous as Ron was heard saying “What? was that a bad idea ?”
The vote was to do Big Woods with the turn onto High Way 64.
Once at the turn of Jack Bennett Rd and Big Woods the Locomotives again took control. They charged up the first long climb with Tim in toe. Kevin, Christine, Steve, and Todd were slow to respond at first. Then Todd climbed out of the saddle and spun to close the gap on the lead group. His actions were very similar to the type of response one sees from the Chihuahua. That lead group now with 4 strong riders did not let head wind or hills intimidate them. The gap grew greater as they charged ahead. The splintered group did their best to form their own pace line and maintained a respectable 20 – 23 mph charge along this stretch.
Once at the intersection of Big Woods and 64 the two groups were united. Christine was realizing that normally she is 2 hours into here routine ride at this point but today’s blistering pace had her there a full half hour early. This means she has to do more miles to accomplish her objective of 5 ½ hours in the saddle. She figured she would have to ride Big Woods back and then Out and Back again before climbing Lystra. Kevin suggested that a better plan would be to find a nice shady picnic table where she can rest. As long as she keeps one hand on the bike during her extended rest it would count towards time on the bike.
The group wished her a safe ride and with that the group was down one more rider.
Onto 64 with the pack now consisting of David, Ron, Todd, Kevin, and Steve. The head wind was on full force into the face. The climb from Lake Jordan to Farrington Road laid ahead. Kevin did all he could to suck on the rear tire of the pack. He was able to maintain this for about 30 seconds. Steve never even had a chance to regroup as the pack took off before he made it through the intersection of Big Woods and 64. So know the Testosterone riders were 3 strong and two splintered solo riders.
Once on Farrington and then on Horton Pond the group remained in tact. The Locomotives had accomplished their objective of ride hard, ride long, and now decided to protect the weaker riders by riding at a reasonable 16 mph pace and block the wind for those who had struggled all day.
As the riders headed back to the start Todd pealed off to head for his house as he had ridden to the start from home. Also David Bridenbaugh said good by with just 4 miles to go to the start because he like Todd and Tim had ridden to the start of today’s ride from home. The three remaining riders wound their way through Preston by making several turns that ultimately had them climbing the long gradual climb on CrabTree Crossing.
Ron in the lead easily making the grade followed by Steve and bringing up the rear Kevin. Kevin had been cramping for the last 10 miles. With each turn of the peddles either thigh or calf would warn him of a pending full on cramp. With this knowledge Kevin knew he could not climb out the saddle to respond to a hill. He also knew that he could not increase nor decrease his cadence. Any change in motion would surely produce a debilitating cramp. Kevin shifted and shifted again to meet the ever increasing grade of this last climb. Now his thighs and calves on both legs were simultaneously twitching with the warnings of a full on cramp. A cramp that would be so sever Kevin would have no choice other than to glide to a stop and fall over just like the character on Roan and Martin’s laugh-in did as he road to a stop on his tricycle only to tip over.
A challenging ride for some.
A rewarding ride for all.
The Testosterone group completed 52 miles at just over a 15 mph average.
The smell the Roses riders covered over 20 miles and had a great time visiting and sharing stories.
Sunday Feb 17th ride.
Two riders for the smell the roses included.
Theresa Smit and Jae Brainard.
Those representing the Testosterone riders included Kevin Smit and Tim Travitz.
Kevin and Tim left the parking lot at a reasonable pace and agreed to keep the ride smooth and steady. Tim had ridden to the start and already had well over 7 miles in the saddle. Kevin was working through his slow warm up period. As the two traveled along the normal route they elected to flatten out the days ride by going straight at the top of Up-Chuck hill and then right onto Lutter Shop road. This team enjoyed the long stretch along this part of the ride. One of the events that added to the experience was 4 deer standing in the middle of the road looking at what was headed their way. As Tim and Kevin were surprised to see 2 additional deer bolt from the woods at the edge of the road and dance across the street into the woods on the other side. This prompted the other 4 to follow suit. It was wonderful to see that all the development has not yet destroyed all wild life in the area. Tim and Kevin made the turn onto 751 and then the left onto Martha Chapel road. On this favorite smooth downhill stretch of road these two riders encountered another type of wild animal. This was not an uplifting experience as this wild animal lashed out at the two riders. Tim and Kevin were riding side by side on a quite portion of the road with no yellow lines and no oncoming traffic. Kevin was checking out the conditions in his mirror and noticed that a White Pick Up Truck had suddenly appeared in the short time between his last glance in the mirror and now. Seeing this Kevin sat up tall in the saddle and announced to Tim that an Asshole had just arrived to harass them. Just as Kevin made this comment the driver positioned the bumper of his pick up truck within inches of the rear tires of the bike riders as if he was needing to draft. Kevin slowly turned his head to make eye contact with this aggressive driver to notice it was an elderly man. Upon eye contact the driver made the decision to complete a valid (delayed ) lane change. As this elderly man accelerated to pass he extended his middle finger to share with the bike riders his opinion of our purpose in life.
Kevin thanked the individual for making a proper lane change and passing maneuver. Both bike riders were then able to relax and again and slipped back into the healthy zone of exercise. Just as they did the pick up truck began to slow as if to antagonize from in front since it didn’t work from the rear attack. The riders did not slow and continued on their path with the gap between them and the now stopped pickup truck closing rapidly.
As the riders reached the tail gate they could see the driver signaling them to come up to the driver side window. Kevin seeing that there was a double yellow line took the effort to help the driver recognize he was asking the bikers to pass on the double yellow line.
Frustrated with his lack of driving rules knowledge the driver speed on to what ever destination he had. From that point on the riders were able to enjoy the rest of their biking experience without further hazel. Upon the trip back towards the start/finish Tim checked to make sure Kevin had the strength to complete the last seven miles as Tim planed to turn towards home as their route passed by his home. The two separated with the last seven miles yet to unfold. On into the finish both riders continued Tim with only yards to complete and Kevin with seven miles to complete.
Another successful ride with plenty to remember and share.
34 miles at 15 mph average.
The locamotive ride.
A great turnout.
In attendance representing the Testosterone group were:
Tim Travitz, Tod Pechner, Steve Sparano, Ron Clanton, David Bridenbaugh, Christine (triathlete), and Kevin Smit.
Christine wanted to know were the Chipmunk was. If you recall the last time she rode with us she wanted to know were the little dog was.
Oddly enough everyone knew who she was inquiring about.
Steve Cope (the Chihuahua ). Steve’s high energy and constant yapping can only be described as the human version of a Chihuahua.
Those representing the “Smell the Roses” included:
Traci Clanton, Jae Brainard, Theresa Smit.
A great group of riders
Today’s ride is best described as the Ron and David Locomotive Ride.
These two riders set the pace and the distance for the Testosterone group.
Ron started it with emails announcing that he was up for a 50 mile ride and David Bridenbaugh was fully on board with that idea. In reading this chain of emails Kevin was hoping that both Ron and David would not make it to the start of the ride. Kevin knew that it only takes one fool for the pack to follow.
Ron and David are planning to ride the full 100 miles of the Frost bite 50 next weekend.
It is called the Frost bite 50 not the Frost bite 100. Hmmm.
Many others who have signed up from the group are planning on the 40 miler.
So with Ron and David at the lead, the group of Testosterone rides rocketed out of the parking lot and onto High House. The start was much like a Locomotive lunging forward with all the other rail cars bumping and jerking into line.
The group stretched and contracted as each rider worked to find the correct spin and gear for this aggressive start. Ron is notorious for his hard charging style at the start of each ride. In the past this was not an issue as the group usually would reel Ron in as the ride unfolds. This was not the case this day. Ron and David worked as the locomotives pulling a heavy train up steep grades and along straight tracks.
Their efforts splintered the group on several occasions. The first being the long straight shot along Carpenter Upchurch road which takes the rides past Green Hope High School.
As this fist locomotive pull began Kevin and Christine quickly fell off the pack. “Don’t let me hold you back” Christine said to Kevin. In a broken response created by labored breathing Kevin replied “ You are not holding me back, I am slow to warm up”. “Besides they will burn themselves out and we will slowly reel them back in”. Little did Kevin know that Ron and David had other ideas for today’s ride.
The lead group did hold up at the next intersection to let the stragglers re-attach to the train. A more sane pace was provided as the group wound thru the turns and rough roads leading to the next long run after crossing highway 55.
On this section of road the pack was again stretching and contracting as the pace began to build. For at least a couple of miles on Carpenter Fire Station Road the pack was zooming along at 29 miles per hour. Again the group splintered as they reached the turn toward UpChuck Hill.
UpChuck presented its usual challenge to all. Ron and David with Todd and Tim all attacked the hill leaving Steve, Christine, and Kevin doing their very best to summit the hill without blowing a knee cap, or sending their heart rate monitors into the twilight zone.
Right at the top of the hill found the lead group circling as if vultures waiting for the wounded to show themselves. Back into a pack again for a short time as the locomotives showed no concern for the rolling hills that lay ahead, let alone the increase in today’s planed distance, and the groups current average speed.
One the group rode with the continued splintering and reassembling of the pack until the turn onto 751. Here again the lead group of David, Ron, Todd, and Tim swept thru the turn and then made the immediate left onto Holland Chapel Road. This road is a little rough with several small inclines. The trailing group made the turn onto 751 but elected to travel past the first turn and instead made the left onto Martha Chapel Road. This road is very smooth and is mostly down hill. Kevin, Christine, and Steve all road comfortably with no intention of trying to see if they could get to the intersection at Farrington road before the Locomotives would. Oddly enough this splintered group of three made it to that intersection before the hard charging lead group. “Lets all regroup with a short stop at the corner store at Lystra and Farrington” Kevin barked to the riders as they screamed past on their way down Farrington from Holland Chapel. With out hesitation this lead pack picked up their intense pace as they rushed past as to make sure the 3 stragglers had no hope of jumping onto the train.
By the time the 3 stragglers made it to the gas station/store at Lystra and Farrington road the lead group had already refueled, hydrated, and taken bio breaks. With this short stop quickly coming to an end Tim announced he was under a time constraint and needed to head for home. This was the first of several casualties generated by the intense pace of the locomotive team. At this same time the remaining riders were contemplating how much of Big Woods they would ride. Do they do an out and back and return the same route home, do they do Big Woods and then make the left turn at 64 and loop back onto Farrington. Christine still had 4 and ½ hours of riding to complete to accomplish her training ride. She planed to do the out and back and follow that up with the long steep climb up Lystra before she headed for home. This prompted Ron to suggest we ALL CLIMB Lystra first then do Big Woods. “You are F@#K#*& NUTS” Kevin shouted.
The pack all found this humorous as Ron was heard saying “What? was that a bad idea ?”
The vote was to do Big Woods with the turn onto High Way 64.
Once at the turn of Jack Bennett Rd and Big Woods the Locomotives again took control. They charged up the first long climb with Tim in toe. Kevin, Christine, Steve, and Todd were slow to respond at first. Then Todd climbed out of the saddle and spun to close the gap on the lead group. His actions were very similar to the type of response one sees from the Chihuahua. That lead group now with 4 strong riders did not let head wind or hills intimidate them. The gap grew greater as they charged ahead. The splintered group did their best to form their own pace line and maintained a respectable 20 – 23 mph charge along this stretch.
Once at the intersection of Big Woods and 64 the two groups were united. Christine was realizing that normally she is 2 hours into here routine ride at this point but today’s blistering pace had her there a full half hour early. This means she has to do more miles to accomplish her objective of 5 ½ hours in the saddle. She figured she would have to ride Big Woods back and then Out and Back again before climbing Lystra. Kevin suggested that a better plan would be to find a nice shady picnic table where she can rest. As long as she keeps one hand on the bike during her extended rest it would count towards time on the bike.
The group wished her a safe ride and with that the group was down one more rider.
Onto 64 with the pack now consisting of David, Ron, Todd, Kevin, and Steve. The head wind was on full force into the face. The climb from Lake Jordan to Farrington Road laid ahead. Kevin did all he could to suck on the rear tire of the pack. He was able to maintain this for about 30 seconds. Steve never even had a chance to regroup as the pack took off before he made it through the intersection of Big Woods and 64. So know the Testosterone riders were 3 strong and two splintered solo riders.
Once on Farrington and then on Horton Pond the group remained in tact. The Locomotives had accomplished their objective of ride hard, ride long, and now decided to protect the weaker riders by riding at a reasonable 16 mph pace and block the wind for those who had struggled all day.
As the riders headed back to the start Todd pealed off to head for his house as he had ridden to the start from home. Also David Bridenbaugh said good by with just 4 miles to go to the start because he like Todd and Tim had ridden to the start of today’s ride from home. The three remaining riders wound their way through Preston by making several turns that ultimately had them climbing the long gradual climb on CrabTree Crossing.
Ron in the lead easily making the grade followed by Steve and bringing up the rear Kevin. Kevin had been cramping for the last 10 miles. With each turn of the peddles either thigh or calf would warn him of a pending full on cramp. With this knowledge Kevin knew he could not climb out the saddle to respond to a hill. He also knew that he could not increase nor decrease his cadence. Any change in motion would surely produce a debilitating cramp. Kevin shifted and shifted again to meet the ever increasing grade of this last climb. Now his thighs and calves on both legs were simultaneously twitching with the warnings of a full on cramp. A cramp that would be so sever Kevin would have no choice other than to glide to a stop and fall over just like the character on Roan and Martin’s laugh-in did as he road to a stop on his tricycle only to tip over.
A challenging ride for some.
A rewarding ride for all.
The Testosterone group completed 52 miles at just over a 15 mph average.
The smell the Roses riders covered over 20 miles and had a great time visiting and sharing stories.
Sunday Feb 17th ride.
Two riders for the smell the roses included.
Theresa Smit and Jae Brainard.
Those representing the Testosterone riders included Kevin Smit and Tim Travitz.
Kevin and Tim left the parking lot at a reasonable pace and agreed to keep the ride smooth and steady. Tim had ridden to the start and already had well over 7 miles in the saddle. Kevin was working through his slow warm up period. As the two traveled along the normal route they elected to flatten out the days ride by going straight at the top of Up-Chuck hill and then right onto Lutter Shop road. This team enjoyed the long stretch along this part of the ride. One of the events that added to the experience was 4 deer standing in the middle of the road looking at what was headed their way. As Tim and Kevin were surprised to see 2 additional deer bolt from the woods at the edge of the road and dance across the street into the woods on the other side. This prompted the other 4 to follow suit. It was wonderful to see that all the development has not yet destroyed all wild life in the area. Tim and Kevin made the turn onto 751 and then the left onto Martha Chapel road. On this favorite smooth downhill stretch of road these two riders encountered another type of wild animal. This was not an uplifting experience as this wild animal lashed out at the two riders. Tim and Kevin were riding side by side on a quite portion of the road with no yellow lines and no oncoming traffic. Kevin was checking out the conditions in his mirror and noticed that a White Pick Up Truck had suddenly appeared in the short time between his last glance in the mirror and now. Seeing this Kevin sat up tall in the saddle and announced to Tim that an Asshole had just arrived to harass them. Just as Kevin made this comment the driver positioned the bumper of his pick up truck within inches of the rear tires of the bike riders as if he was needing to draft. Kevin slowly turned his head to make eye contact with this aggressive driver to notice it was an elderly man. Upon eye contact the driver made the decision to complete a valid (delayed ) lane change. As this elderly man accelerated to pass he extended his middle finger to share with the bike riders his opinion of our purpose in life.
Kevin thanked the individual for making a proper lane change and passing maneuver. Both bike riders were then able to relax and again and slipped back into the healthy zone of exercise. Just as they did the pick up truck began to slow as if to antagonize from in front since it didn’t work from the rear attack. The riders did not slow and continued on their path with the gap between them and the now stopped pickup truck closing rapidly.
As the riders reached the tail gate they could see the driver signaling them to come up to the driver side window. Kevin seeing that there was a double yellow line took the effort to help the driver recognize he was asking the bikers to pass on the double yellow line.
Frustrated with his lack of driving rules knowledge the driver speed on to what ever destination he had. From that point on the riders were able to enjoy the rest of their biking experience without further hazel. Upon the trip back towards the start/finish Tim checked to make sure Kevin had the strength to complete the last seven miles as Tim planed to turn towards home as their route passed by his home. The two separated with the last seven miles yet to unfold. On into the finish both riders continued Tim with only yards to complete and Kevin with seven miles to complete.
Another successful ride with plenty to remember and share.
34 miles at 15 mph average.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Feb 2nd and 3rd "where were you"
Saturday Feb 2nd
The Mini me discovery ride.
Today’s ride had a total of 4 riders. Two formed the Testosterone ride and two formed the Smell the Roses Ride. In attendance for the Testosterone riders were; Christine (Tri-Pink-athlete) and Kevin Smit. This was Christine’s first start with the group. She has ridden part of the route once as she and her pack of Tri-athletes swarmed past several weeks ago. She elected to fall off the pace of her group and join the more social Testosterone riders. You can read more about the ride in the Blogg’s write up for the weekend of Jan 12th. Christine did ask where the little dog was. Kevin though about that with a puzzled look on his face prompting Christine to rephrase her question. “ you know the little guy that talks a lot.” “Oh, you mean the Chihuahua– Steve Cope”. “Yes the high energy guy”. Alas Steve did not make today’s ride. In attendance for the Smell the Roses riders were; Jae (always ready to ride) Brainard, and Theresa (when do I get my new bike) Smit. The temp was in the upper 30’s with the promise of reaching mid 50’s to low 60’s by rides end. The sun was out and the wind was light. This should prove to be a smooth days ride. Kevin and Theresa both were still in the last stages of being sick and were hoping for an easy days ride. The two groups started the ride with a gap forming early as the riders turned into the Preston neighborhood. Kevin and Christine road side by side – remember Tri-athletes are not allow to draft. Christine is in the final training phases for her Ironman competition in April. The two rode at a comfortable pace allowing for conversation and occasional jockeying to form a single file as cars passed, then regroup to ride again side by side. Conversation included politics, training plans, nutrition, and work. This team elected to skip the climb at Up-Chuck by skirting around it through the new development. This is longer and provides a gradual climb ending at the top of Up-Chuck with the heart rate well within the target Zone. Eventually these riders found themselves at the corner of 751 and the strawberry patch. To their amazement the Yacht that is being refurbished was joined by a 21 ft version of itself. Same hull design and color scheme sitting on a trailer. Speculation is that it is the yacht’s dinghy. On they rode to the corner at Martha Chapel were they turned towards Lake Jordan. Kevin learned that Christine was planning on a 6 hr day. To accomplish this she had to make the right turn at lake Jordan, do the out and back on Big Woods, and still needed to climb Lystra before considering turning back for home. Kevin was not prepared for that many hours in the saddle or that many miles, or Hills. They parted company at Lake Jordan with Kevin heading back solo and Christine headed for hours of solo riding, knowing that on Sunday she would follow today’s long ride with a long run. Kevin altered his ride home by incorporating the route the Smell the Roses take during the home stretch. This decision had Kevin heading back into the Preston neighborhood, with a left turn towards Morrisville parkway, and a turn onto crabtree crossing parkway. This road worked its way through another section of Preston and dumped into Cary Parkway just above the Bruger’s parking lot. In total Kevin rode 35 miles at a 15.3 Mph pace.
Sunday. Feb 3rd – Kiehls 27th Birthday and Super Bowl Sunday Day.
Another low turn out of riders as the Smell the Roses riders from Saturday also made up all those riders again today. The Testosterone riders were represented by David Bridenbaugh and Kevin Smit. Today’s ride was much like Yesterdays ride. The riders rode side by side in a comfortable pace with conversation that touched on politics, work, training rides, and nutrition. The route was the same how ever the riders did elect to climb Up-Chuck resulting in heart rate monitors beeping as each rider exceeded the target zone. These two riders followed the normal 32 mile route with little interact of other riders that were out on the roads. Traffic was respectful, temperatures were warmer than Saturday, and wind was light. Both Kevin and David did a good job of consuming plenty of water on the ride and monitored each others situation. At the start of the ride David was suggesting the group could go further than the standard distance. David also mentioned that he and his wife were planning on going our later that same day on mountain bikes to get a ride in together. As the ride continued to unfold both riders elected to keep the original miles as the day’s goal. David did come to the realization that he had not eaten anything prior to the ride and was starting to feel the beginnings of an energy drain (bonk). Now he was contemplating no afternoon mountain bike ride.The ride ended with David and Kevin splitting at Carpenter Upchurch and High House. David headed straight home and Kevin headed down High House to the start/finish at Brugers parking lot. This group rode 33 miles at a 15 mile per hour pace.
The Mini me discovery ride.
Today’s ride had a total of 4 riders. Two formed the Testosterone ride and two formed the Smell the Roses Ride. In attendance for the Testosterone riders were; Christine (Tri-Pink-athlete) and Kevin Smit. This was Christine’s first start with the group. She has ridden part of the route once as she and her pack of Tri-athletes swarmed past several weeks ago. She elected to fall off the pace of her group and join the more social Testosterone riders. You can read more about the ride in the Blogg’s write up for the weekend of Jan 12th. Christine did ask where the little dog was. Kevin though about that with a puzzled look on his face prompting Christine to rephrase her question. “ you know the little guy that talks a lot.” “Oh, you mean the Chihuahua– Steve Cope”. “Yes the high energy guy”. Alas Steve did not make today’s ride. In attendance for the Smell the Roses riders were; Jae (always ready to ride) Brainard, and Theresa (when do I get my new bike) Smit. The temp was in the upper 30’s with the promise of reaching mid 50’s to low 60’s by rides end. The sun was out and the wind was light. This should prove to be a smooth days ride. Kevin and Theresa both were still in the last stages of being sick and were hoping for an easy days ride. The two groups started the ride with a gap forming early as the riders turned into the Preston neighborhood. Kevin and Christine road side by side – remember Tri-athletes are not allow to draft. Christine is in the final training phases for her Ironman competition in April. The two rode at a comfortable pace allowing for conversation and occasional jockeying to form a single file as cars passed, then regroup to ride again side by side. Conversation included politics, training plans, nutrition, and work. This team elected to skip the climb at Up-Chuck by skirting around it through the new development. This is longer and provides a gradual climb ending at the top of Up-Chuck with the heart rate well within the target Zone. Eventually these riders found themselves at the corner of 751 and the strawberry patch. To their amazement the Yacht that is being refurbished was joined by a 21 ft version of itself. Same hull design and color scheme sitting on a trailer. Speculation is that it is the yacht’s dinghy. On they rode to the corner at Martha Chapel were they turned towards Lake Jordan. Kevin learned that Christine was planning on a 6 hr day. To accomplish this she had to make the right turn at lake Jordan, do the out and back on Big Woods, and still needed to climb Lystra before considering turning back for home. Kevin was not prepared for that many hours in the saddle or that many miles, or Hills. They parted company at Lake Jordan with Kevin heading back solo and Christine headed for hours of solo riding, knowing that on Sunday she would follow today’s long ride with a long run. Kevin altered his ride home by incorporating the route the Smell the Roses take during the home stretch. This decision had Kevin heading back into the Preston neighborhood, with a left turn towards Morrisville parkway, and a turn onto crabtree crossing parkway. This road worked its way through another section of Preston and dumped into Cary Parkway just above the Bruger’s parking lot. In total Kevin rode 35 miles at a 15.3 Mph pace.
Sunday. Feb 3rd – Kiehls 27th Birthday and Super Bowl Sunday Day.
Another low turn out of riders as the Smell the Roses riders from Saturday also made up all those riders again today. The Testosterone riders were represented by David Bridenbaugh and Kevin Smit. Today’s ride was much like Yesterdays ride. The riders rode side by side in a comfortable pace with conversation that touched on politics, work, training rides, and nutrition. The route was the same how ever the riders did elect to climb Up-Chuck resulting in heart rate monitors beeping as each rider exceeded the target zone. These two riders followed the normal 32 mile route with little interact of other riders that were out on the roads. Traffic was respectful, temperatures were warmer than Saturday, and wind was light. Both Kevin and David did a good job of consuming plenty of water on the ride and monitored each others situation. At the start of the ride David was suggesting the group could go further than the standard distance. David also mentioned that he and his wife were planning on going our later that same day on mountain bikes to get a ride in together. As the ride continued to unfold both riders elected to keep the original miles as the day’s goal. David did come to the realization that he had not eaten anything prior to the ride and was starting to feel the beginnings of an energy drain (bonk). Now he was contemplating no afternoon mountain bike ride.The ride ended with David and Kevin splitting at Carpenter Upchurch and High House. David headed straight home and Kevin headed down High House to the start/finish at Brugers parking lot. This group rode 33 miles at a 15 mile per hour pace.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Jan 12 and 13th 2008 rides (a short novel by Kevin Smit)
A weekend of Tri-asshole-lete encounters.
Saturday Jan 12th
We will title today’s ride
Clanton’s set the pace for a hard driving ride.
In attendance:
Theresa and Kevin Smit, Ron and Traci Clanton (again on single bikes, no tandem), Steve Cope, Beth Gonzalez (who has rejoined the group after almost a year), and Beth’s friend Patti Lewis who is riding with the group for the first time.
Welcome Patti.
Today’s ride once again had Ron setting the pace early. We have also learned that Traci Clanton was also pushing the pace for the “Smell the Roses” riders. The Clanton’s must share their nutrition and workout plans with the rest of the group.
As the two groups rode through the early stages of the ride they all approached the first short climb of the day together. Kevin looking in his mirror saw a large group of riders swallowing up the Smell the Roses and bearing down on the Testosterone riders. The pack behind was kept at bay with the help of the light at Davis drive. The Testosterone group managed to slip through that light before it changed bringing the oncoming herd to a halt. On through the light and into the round about as Ron Clanton was showing an aggressive/competitive tendency with Steve Cope bantering. “I think there is a girl in that group”. “I won’t be passed by a girl”. Adrenaline could be felt starting to surge through each of the riders as they looked across the round about only to see the pack of riders who were in pursuit taking the shorter path through the round about. “Whimps” Steve Cope was heard to say. No comment from Ron just results as he pressed on harder than before. Within seven peddle strokes Ron and Steve had joined the ranks of this pursuing, now leading, pack of riders. Both Ron and Steve slowly worked their way from the back of that pack to the front. As they rode past each member of the group they sized them up.
This is accomplished in several steps.
1. Ride next to the person to see if they respond with a slight bump in cadence and speed. The old game of no ones wheel gets ahead of mine. – if no surge then they either know the game and are not yet willing to show what they are capable of, or they have nothing to show and are not a threat.
2. Strike up a short conversation. The opening statement is very important. It must be framed in a manner that requires a long reply. Something like “What route are your taking and what pace are you planning on?”. A friendly and inquisitive opening remark that will require a descriptive response. It is important to observe how the other rider responds. If they offer a long description with arm waving and directional pointing while maintaining or increasing the pace, and are not the least bit winded in its delivery then this rider is one to be concerned about. If they look at you and barely grunt a reply then they are either already suffering, or they are a Tri-asshole-lete.
Definition of a Tri-asshole-lete :
a bread of competitive animal that does not enjoy workouts and definitely do not enjoy sharing its misery with anyone. They are driven by a total lack of self esteem and limited self worth. They have chosen a sport that is completely solo in nature. The rules of the sport do not allow drafting or support from others during the event. Solo and solitary is the mind set. This suggests that the workouts are best accomplished solo, and on rare occasions with others only to learn how to survive as a member of a thundering herd. When practicing in a herd do not create any bond with others because they like you are there for themselves only.
Tri-asshole-letes need to learn RULE # 6.
Rule # 6 states – Never Take Yourself Too Seriously.
3. Once steps one and two are completed then apply pressure in ever increasing increments. Watch what unfolds and hold on for as long as you can. Be prepared to either lead and pull the group along for a great distance, or slip into the pack and draft to survive, or get dropped.
A Great Game that is likely to take place several times on any given ride.
Ron and Steve quickly learned that this pack of riders were made up of a mix of young and old male and female Tri-asshole-letes. They were planning on doing 40 miles in two hours as a herd. There was one female named Christine ( we learn her name later in the ride) who was not in tune with the herds sense of direction or purpose for the days ride. Christine was planning to ride for 4 hours at a more reasonable pace.
Once this information was established Ron then applied step 3 to the game plan. He rolled forward through the pack to establish himself near the lead. He waited for the pack to make the right turn onto a long straight stretch of road that has rolling hills as it passes in front of Green Hope School. Once on the straight away Ron began applying pressure in increments that were hard to detect resulting in an ever increasing exponential increase in cadence and speed. Steve Cope was vibrating with excitement as he knew what game was afoot. Steve positioned himself right behind Ron to get the best draft possible and to destroy any reasonable draft for others. Steve is so small in stature that his draft actually disrupted the air flow pattern established by Ron. The sensation for others riding behind Steve would be similar to the buffeting generated when following a truck just outside the draft it creates. Ron and Steve pressed on through the right turn at the end of the straight away and to the left turn that followed. At this point the herd of Tri-asshole-letes elected to continue straight and to fall off the pace generated by Ron and Steve.
In the mean time Kevin and a female Tri-athlete (all in Pink – A Tri-Pink-alete) had maintained the more reasonable pace of 17 – 19 mph with a long discussion of how challenging it is to hold down a full time job and train properly for an Iron Man competition. We later learned her name was Christine, that is yet to be told in this write-up. Christine has a great attitude towards achieving her goal of doing a full distance Triathalon on April 13th in Arizona. Lets all wish her the best. Only down hills with tail winds for both the run and ride. Calm warm water with no other swimmers working to swim over her (this is actually a tactic that some Tri-Asshole-letes do to intimidate the competition).
Eventually Kevin and Christine were able to rejoin Ron and Steve as those two circled waiting for the slower riders of the group to catch up. Christine announced that she was happy to see Ron and Steve attack the herd. She said that when the group first spotted us from behind they all commented that we looked like easy pray.
HA.
The reformed group of Testosterone riders, Christine included, began the journey along Fire Station Church Road and towards the base of UpChuck. Lots of banter was generated as usual with Steve letting our new group member know that there is a fee with ride with us. She was quick to guess that a six pack of beer is all Steve was after. With that short exchange Christine was fully anointed as one of the Testosterone riders. We still had not learned her name at this point. Down the hill headed for the climb on UpChuck. All complained about how they hated this hill. Ron attacked from the front. Steve shot a quick glance over at Kevin as if to say “is he serious? Are you ready to respond?”. A short delay from Kevin is all Steve needed to know. Steve is on his own. Kevin could see Steve estimate the distance between Ron and himself and the distance to the top of the hill.
Steve elected to delay his attack for just and instant. Then as if a pit bull unleashed from his chain Steve exploded out of the saddle and scampered up the hill. Just as Steve matched Ron’s front tire Ron collapsed from his valiant yet feeble attempt at taking the poke-a-dot jersey for being the best hill climber of the day.
The groups slowed and worked to reassemble on the road just past UpChuck hill.
Ron now drew his attention to this new rider in the group. “Hi my name is Ron Clanton what is your name”. “Christine” the new team member announced. Ron then rode up to Kevin and Steve to tell them that Christine is a very solid rider. Kevin looked puzzled for an instant only to realize that he had already spent close to 30 minutes visiting with her and did not think to introduce himself or to learn her name. This generated a great deal of rhetoric directed at Kevin’s lack of social skills.
Kevin had to confess that he was more interested in telling Christine all about himself and did not think to learn anything about her. “Its all about Me” he announced, adding to the banter. Ron and Steve were both quick to let Christine now that Kevin is Shallow and self centered and that they were not surprised that he had not tried to learn anything about her since it is all about him. This banter only endeared the group even more as they continued their journey through the rolling country side on their route to Martha Chapel and Lake Jordan. It was at this junction that Christine announced she was headed towards the longest and steepest climb in the adjacent 5 counties. This caught the groups attention as each tried to provide her an alternate route to get to where she was headed. Some how we believe she was now getting into her mental workout zone as a Tri-asshole-lete. The group did encourage Christine to join us on any Saturday or Sunday and provided information for her to email and get on the distribution list for the ride announcements. With that task being completed the group said their goodbyes with the Testosterone group headed back towards Cary and Christine on her solo trek to put 3 more hours in the saddle. I think each of the riders reflected on what and why they were out on the ride that day as the next several miles unfolded with little chit chat. As the group closed the gap on the finish line the banter again began to build. A turn onto Wimberly with its long slow grind from the Tobacco trail to Old Jenks road presented another opportunity for Ron Clanton to make a play for the poke-a-dot jersey. This was a slow motion reenactment of what transpired early on UpChuck. We applaud Ron for his continued killer instinct. The group was now back in formation again as they crossed over highway 54 and into the back side of Cary. Left turn into the neighborhoods and the last climb of the day. Ron again pressed ahead on the down hill to establish his attempt once again. Just as the group transitioned from down hill into the base of the climb Ron’s shifting technique resulted in a chain that elected to eject itself off of the rear cluster. Steve was already pulling ahead and did not look back to see what the racket was. Kevin slowly crawled past the now stationary Ron. Left turn at the top of the climb, strategically placed, was Steve Cope. His bike was in the grass leaning on a light post.
His helmet was on the ground. His head was on his helmet. His arms crossed over his chest. His feet propped up on the frame of his bike. His eyes closed as he enjoyed a short nap waiting on the rest of the pack.
Kevin only shook his head in disgust with no intent to recognize Steve’s subtle unspoken suggestion that the rest of us are too slow for him. On into the finish with a great sense of accomplishment having logged a reasonable pace and distance.
The Smell the Roses were already enjoying each other’s company over coffee and bagel sandwiches. Traci and Ron demonstrated today that they came to Play and Play hard.
Sunday Jan 13th.
In attendance
Theresa and Kevin Smit, Steve Cope, Tim Travitz, and Andy Hartsfield who has rejoined the group after 10 + months. Busy lives can get in the way of having THIS MUCH FUN.
Today’s ride saw the Testosterone and Smell the Roses riders as a single group well into the ride. Theresa was concentrating on responding to the pace and the slipstream created by others in the group. She appeared to prefer positioning herself behind Tim. Tim is clearly the better looking guy of the group and is likely the firmer physic. If you were a female which rider would you follow. Shallow – out of shape – old – flabby Kevin, or Steve – Social Chairman – Cope, or Andy – I am just getting back in the saddle – Hartsfield, or Tim. The group did a great job of protecting the pack and each individual rider in it.
There was no attacking the hills (Ron was not riding today). In fact with the approach of UpChuck Hill Kevin, Theresa and Andy all took to kinder gentler route around UpChuck with Tim and Steve approaching the hill straight on. After the climb the group reformed once Theresa had an opportunity to blow her nose. Tough to ride when you are challenged to balance the bike and wipe the nose at the same time.
On the group rode over rolling hill after rolling hill with a left hand turn at Mount Pisgah Church road. This section of road starts with a fast down hill and a section of 3 climbs each one steeper than the last. Theresa held her own up to the last climb of this part of the ride. A left turn at the last of the three hill climbs onto Ferrell road had the group recovering with the intent of letting Theresa close the gap. She responded very well and again the group rode as one towards the turn onto Lewter Shop rd. and towards Lake Jordan. Once at this turn Theresa announced she was planning on making a left turn with the intent to head for the sanctuary of Brugers and the start finish. Steve, Tim, Alan and Kevin all ensured she was OK and that she was to ride safely those last 8 to 12 miles.
Here the pack separated. The Testosterone group make the right turn and headed on their standard path toward Lake Jordan. This group of riders was now traveling in a uniform manner with each working to help the other maintain the steady pace. Right turn onto 751 and left turn onto Martha Chapel for the run toward Lake Jordan.
At the Martha Chapel turn the group was joined from behind by two additional riders who had swung into place just behind. The groups Social Chair – Steve Cope struck up a conversation with the female rider that was working to pass the group. Engaging step one of the three step assessment described in Saturdays ride write-up. Clearly these two riders new about the 3 step process because the male rider grunted and charged ahead with the female in tow. They were Tri-asshole-letes on their Tri Bikes and had no time to share their plan or workout with anyone. This only spurred the Testosterone group to slowly work towards closing the gap created the Tri-asshole-letes sudden bust to get away.
The Testosterone riders sustained speeds of 23 mph as they charged ahead towards Lake Jordan while ridding on the smooth service of Martha Chapel Road. Up ahead they could see that the male Tri-asshole-lete had pulled away from his female companion and was not showing any concern for the gap that existed between them. This upset Steve Cope who suggested the female made a poor choice leaving the sanctuary of the Testosterone riders.
On the pack rode to the left turn at Jordan Lake and the long gradual climb up Ferrington road. Each rider now working to recover from the packs hard drive down Martha Chapel. This later proved to slow the group as each struggled with the energy expenditure of this earlier charge. The group continued to ride making the turn at Holland chapel road leading past the Yacht we have been observing during its refurbishing. While in this section of road Andy asked that the group entertain the possibility of a Bio-Break. The riders slowed as Andy headed off the road to find a perfect spot to relieve himself. At that same time a local in an old beat up car barely missed Kevin as he was standing along side the road straddling his bike. This car did not attempt to slow as it barely missed Steve Cope with a quick swerve followed by a fast left hand turn into their neighborhood street.
RED NECK COUNTRY can be a challenge for bicyclists.
The group again headed on down the road with some discussion of how STUPID some drivers are. The group all agreed that the bike shops need to pull their resources and fund a educational program for local drivers regarding the rules of the road and the challenges bikers have in sharing the road.
Right turn back onto 751 and quick left back onto Lewter Shop Road and then onto Green Level Church had the group pointed back toward Cary and the end. From this point on the only focus was to eliminate hills by altering the route to miss them, and to shorten the distance from current location to the end. At the RR crossing in Front of Green Hope High the group stopped to hydrate and to share GUE with Andy who had started the day’s ride with no fuel in the tank. Bonking due to lack of fuel is easy to accomplish especially when pushing the pace at any point in a ride. The end of the ride had the group glad to have survived another encounter with Tri-asshole-letes and Red Neck Drivers.
Saturday Jan 12th
We will title today’s ride
Clanton’s set the pace for a hard driving ride.
In attendance:
Theresa and Kevin Smit, Ron and Traci Clanton (again on single bikes, no tandem), Steve Cope, Beth Gonzalez (who has rejoined the group after almost a year), and Beth’s friend Patti Lewis who is riding with the group for the first time.
Welcome Patti.
Today’s ride once again had Ron setting the pace early. We have also learned that Traci Clanton was also pushing the pace for the “Smell the Roses” riders. The Clanton’s must share their nutrition and workout plans with the rest of the group.
As the two groups rode through the early stages of the ride they all approached the first short climb of the day together. Kevin looking in his mirror saw a large group of riders swallowing up the Smell the Roses and bearing down on the Testosterone riders. The pack behind was kept at bay with the help of the light at Davis drive. The Testosterone group managed to slip through that light before it changed bringing the oncoming herd to a halt. On through the light and into the round about as Ron Clanton was showing an aggressive/competitive tendency with Steve Cope bantering. “I think there is a girl in that group”. “I won’t be passed by a girl”. Adrenaline could be felt starting to surge through each of the riders as they looked across the round about only to see the pack of riders who were in pursuit taking the shorter path through the round about. “Whimps” Steve Cope was heard to say. No comment from Ron just results as he pressed on harder than before. Within seven peddle strokes Ron and Steve had joined the ranks of this pursuing, now leading, pack of riders. Both Ron and Steve slowly worked their way from the back of that pack to the front. As they rode past each member of the group they sized them up.
This is accomplished in several steps.
1. Ride next to the person to see if they respond with a slight bump in cadence and speed. The old game of no ones wheel gets ahead of mine. – if no surge then they either know the game and are not yet willing to show what they are capable of, or they have nothing to show and are not a threat.
2. Strike up a short conversation. The opening statement is very important. It must be framed in a manner that requires a long reply. Something like “What route are your taking and what pace are you planning on?”. A friendly and inquisitive opening remark that will require a descriptive response. It is important to observe how the other rider responds. If they offer a long description with arm waving and directional pointing while maintaining or increasing the pace, and are not the least bit winded in its delivery then this rider is one to be concerned about. If they look at you and barely grunt a reply then they are either already suffering, or they are a Tri-asshole-lete.
Definition of a Tri-asshole-lete :
a bread of competitive animal that does not enjoy workouts and definitely do not enjoy sharing its misery with anyone. They are driven by a total lack of self esteem and limited self worth. They have chosen a sport that is completely solo in nature. The rules of the sport do not allow drafting or support from others during the event. Solo and solitary is the mind set. This suggests that the workouts are best accomplished solo, and on rare occasions with others only to learn how to survive as a member of a thundering herd. When practicing in a herd do not create any bond with others because they like you are there for themselves only.
Tri-asshole-letes need to learn RULE # 6.
Rule # 6 states – Never Take Yourself Too Seriously.
3. Once steps one and two are completed then apply pressure in ever increasing increments. Watch what unfolds and hold on for as long as you can. Be prepared to either lead and pull the group along for a great distance, or slip into the pack and draft to survive, or get dropped.
A Great Game that is likely to take place several times on any given ride.
Ron and Steve quickly learned that this pack of riders were made up of a mix of young and old male and female Tri-asshole-letes. They were planning on doing 40 miles in two hours as a herd. There was one female named Christine ( we learn her name later in the ride) who was not in tune with the herds sense of direction or purpose for the days ride. Christine was planning to ride for 4 hours at a more reasonable pace.
Once this information was established Ron then applied step 3 to the game plan. He rolled forward through the pack to establish himself near the lead. He waited for the pack to make the right turn onto a long straight stretch of road that has rolling hills as it passes in front of Green Hope School. Once on the straight away Ron began applying pressure in increments that were hard to detect resulting in an ever increasing exponential increase in cadence and speed. Steve Cope was vibrating with excitement as he knew what game was afoot. Steve positioned himself right behind Ron to get the best draft possible and to destroy any reasonable draft for others. Steve is so small in stature that his draft actually disrupted the air flow pattern established by Ron. The sensation for others riding behind Steve would be similar to the buffeting generated when following a truck just outside the draft it creates. Ron and Steve pressed on through the right turn at the end of the straight away and to the left turn that followed. At this point the herd of Tri-asshole-letes elected to continue straight and to fall off the pace generated by Ron and Steve.
In the mean time Kevin and a female Tri-athlete (all in Pink – A Tri-Pink-alete) had maintained the more reasonable pace of 17 – 19 mph with a long discussion of how challenging it is to hold down a full time job and train properly for an Iron Man competition. We later learned her name was Christine, that is yet to be told in this write-up. Christine has a great attitude towards achieving her goal of doing a full distance Triathalon on April 13th in Arizona. Lets all wish her the best. Only down hills with tail winds for both the run and ride. Calm warm water with no other swimmers working to swim over her (this is actually a tactic that some Tri-Asshole-letes do to intimidate the competition).
Eventually Kevin and Christine were able to rejoin Ron and Steve as those two circled waiting for the slower riders of the group to catch up. Christine announced that she was happy to see Ron and Steve attack the herd. She said that when the group first spotted us from behind they all commented that we looked like easy pray.
HA.
The reformed group of Testosterone riders, Christine included, began the journey along Fire Station Church Road and towards the base of UpChuck. Lots of banter was generated as usual with Steve letting our new group member know that there is a fee with ride with us. She was quick to guess that a six pack of beer is all Steve was after. With that short exchange Christine was fully anointed as one of the Testosterone riders. We still had not learned her name at this point. Down the hill headed for the climb on UpChuck. All complained about how they hated this hill. Ron attacked from the front. Steve shot a quick glance over at Kevin as if to say “is he serious? Are you ready to respond?”. A short delay from Kevin is all Steve needed to know. Steve is on his own. Kevin could see Steve estimate the distance between Ron and himself and the distance to the top of the hill.
Steve elected to delay his attack for just and instant. Then as if a pit bull unleashed from his chain Steve exploded out of the saddle and scampered up the hill. Just as Steve matched Ron’s front tire Ron collapsed from his valiant yet feeble attempt at taking the poke-a-dot jersey for being the best hill climber of the day.
The groups slowed and worked to reassemble on the road just past UpChuck hill.
Ron now drew his attention to this new rider in the group. “Hi my name is Ron Clanton what is your name”. “Christine” the new team member announced. Ron then rode up to Kevin and Steve to tell them that Christine is a very solid rider. Kevin looked puzzled for an instant only to realize that he had already spent close to 30 minutes visiting with her and did not think to introduce himself or to learn her name. This generated a great deal of rhetoric directed at Kevin’s lack of social skills.
Kevin had to confess that he was more interested in telling Christine all about himself and did not think to learn anything about her. “Its all about Me” he announced, adding to the banter. Ron and Steve were both quick to let Christine now that Kevin is Shallow and self centered and that they were not surprised that he had not tried to learn anything about her since it is all about him. This banter only endeared the group even more as they continued their journey through the rolling country side on their route to Martha Chapel and Lake Jordan. It was at this junction that Christine announced she was headed towards the longest and steepest climb in the adjacent 5 counties. This caught the groups attention as each tried to provide her an alternate route to get to where she was headed. Some how we believe she was now getting into her mental workout zone as a Tri-asshole-lete. The group did encourage Christine to join us on any Saturday or Sunday and provided information for her to email and get on the distribution list for the ride announcements. With that task being completed the group said their goodbyes with the Testosterone group headed back towards Cary and Christine on her solo trek to put 3 more hours in the saddle. I think each of the riders reflected on what and why they were out on the ride that day as the next several miles unfolded with little chit chat. As the group closed the gap on the finish line the banter again began to build. A turn onto Wimberly with its long slow grind from the Tobacco trail to Old Jenks road presented another opportunity for Ron Clanton to make a play for the poke-a-dot jersey. This was a slow motion reenactment of what transpired early on UpChuck. We applaud Ron for his continued killer instinct. The group was now back in formation again as they crossed over highway 54 and into the back side of Cary. Left turn into the neighborhoods and the last climb of the day. Ron again pressed ahead on the down hill to establish his attempt once again. Just as the group transitioned from down hill into the base of the climb Ron’s shifting technique resulted in a chain that elected to eject itself off of the rear cluster. Steve was already pulling ahead and did not look back to see what the racket was. Kevin slowly crawled past the now stationary Ron. Left turn at the top of the climb, strategically placed, was Steve Cope. His bike was in the grass leaning on a light post.
His helmet was on the ground. His head was on his helmet. His arms crossed over his chest. His feet propped up on the frame of his bike. His eyes closed as he enjoyed a short nap waiting on the rest of the pack.
Kevin only shook his head in disgust with no intent to recognize Steve’s subtle unspoken suggestion that the rest of us are too slow for him. On into the finish with a great sense of accomplishment having logged a reasonable pace and distance.
The Smell the Roses were already enjoying each other’s company over coffee and bagel sandwiches. Traci and Ron demonstrated today that they came to Play and Play hard.
Sunday Jan 13th.
In attendance
Theresa and Kevin Smit, Steve Cope, Tim Travitz, and Andy Hartsfield who has rejoined the group after 10 + months. Busy lives can get in the way of having THIS MUCH FUN.
Today’s ride saw the Testosterone and Smell the Roses riders as a single group well into the ride. Theresa was concentrating on responding to the pace and the slipstream created by others in the group. She appeared to prefer positioning herself behind Tim. Tim is clearly the better looking guy of the group and is likely the firmer physic. If you were a female which rider would you follow. Shallow – out of shape – old – flabby Kevin, or Steve – Social Chairman – Cope, or Andy – I am just getting back in the saddle – Hartsfield, or Tim. The group did a great job of protecting the pack and each individual rider in it.
There was no attacking the hills (Ron was not riding today). In fact with the approach of UpChuck Hill Kevin, Theresa and Andy all took to kinder gentler route around UpChuck with Tim and Steve approaching the hill straight on. After the climb the group reformed once Theresa had an opportunity to blow her nose. Tough to ride when you are challenged to balance the bike and wipe the nose at the same time.
On the group rode over rolling hill after rolling hill with a left hand turn at Mount Pisgah Church road. This section of road starts with a fast down hill and a section of 3 climbs each one steeper than the last. Theresa held her own up to the last climb of this part of the ride. A left turn at the last of the three hill climbs onto Ferrell road had the group recovering with the intent of letting Theresa close the gap. She responded very well and again the group rode as one towards the turn onto Lewter Shop rd. and towards Lake Jordan. Once at this turn Theresa announced she was planning on making a left turn with the intent to head for the sanctuary of Brugers and the start finish. Steve, Tim, Alan and Kevin all ensured she was OK and that she was to ride safely those last 8 to 12 miles.
Here the pack separated. The Testosterone group make the right turn and headed on their standard path toward Lake Jordan. This group of riders was now traveling in a uniform manner with each working to help the other maintain the steady pace. Right turn onto 751 and left turn onto Martha Chapel for the run toward Lake Jordan.
At the Martha Chapel turn the group was joined from behind by two additional riders who had swung into place just behind. The groups Social Chair – Steve Cope struck up a conversation with the female rider that was working to pass the group. Engaging step one of the three step assessment described in Saturdays ride write-up. Clearly these two riders new about the 3 step process because the male rider grunted and charged ahead with the female in tow. They were Tri-asshole-letes on their Tri Bikes and had no time to share their plan or workout with anyone. This only spurred the Testosterone group to slowly work towards closing the gap created the Tri-asshole-letes sudden bust to get away.
The Testosterone riders sustained speeds of 23 mph as they charged ahead towards Lake Jordan while ridding on the smooth service of Martha Chapel Road. Up ahead they could see that the male Tri-asshole-lete had pulled away from his female companion and was not showing any concern for the gap that existed between them. This upset Steve Cope who suggested the female made a poor choice leaving the sanctuary of the Testosterone riders.
On the pack rode to the left turn at Jordan Lake and the long gradual climb up Ferrington road. Each rider now working to recover from the packs hard drive down Martha Chapel. This later proved to slow the group as each struggled with the energy expenditure of this earlier charge. The group continued to ride making the turn at Holland chapel road leading past the Yacht we have been observing during its refurbishing. While in this section of road Andy asked that the group entertain the possibility of a Bio-Break. The riders slowed as Andy headed off the road to find a perfect spot to relieve himself. At that same time a local in an old beat up car barely missed Kevin as he was standing along side the road straddling his bike. This car did not attempt to slow as it barely missed Steve Cope with a quick swerve followed by a fast left hand turn into their neighborhood street.
RED NECK COUNTRY can be a challenge for bicyclists.
The group again headed on down the road with some discussion of how STUPID some drivers are. The group all agreed that the bike shops need to pull their resources and fund a educational program for local drivers regarding the rules of the road and the challenges bikers have in sharing the road.
Right turn back onto 751 and quick left back onto Lewter Shop Road and then onto Green Level Church had the group pointed back toward Cary and the end. From this point on the only focus was to eliminate hills by altering the route to miss them, and to shorten the distance from current location to the end. At the RR crossing in Front of Green Hope High the group stopped to hydrate and to share GUE with Andy who had started the day’s ride with no fuel in the tank. Bonking due to lack of fuel is easy to accomplish especially when pushing the pace at any point in a ride. The end of the ride had the group glad to have survived another encounter with Tri-asshole-letes and Red Neck Drivers.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
First Weekend rides of 2008
Satuday Jan 5th 2008 first ride of the year for the group.
A good turn out for this ride.
The group that had assembled consisted of:
Ron and Traci Clanton each on their own bikes (no tandem team).
This was not the first ride of the year for this team. Ron and Traci rode the News Years Day ride. They did 35 miles on Jan 1st with the Spin Cycle new years day ride.
Also in attendance this Jan 5th was Jay Brainard and Barb Hartsfield. They where excited to start the new year off with a fun ride. Theresa and Kevin Smit were also in attendance.
David Bridenbaugh had informed Ron that he would be there for the days ride. David did show up ready to ride by riding from his house to the start of the ride.
Prior to the start the group assembled in Brugers to share how the Holidays treated them and to discuss rides of interest for the up coming biking season. Ron reminded us that one of the early season’s organized rides is the Frostbite 50. Several of us had ridden this in the past and found it to be well organized and well attended. The cool thing about this ride is you can decide at several points along the route how far you want to ride. It also raises funds for a great cause to help fight a specific form or Cancer. We encourage everyone to consider this early season ride. We also met Mark Zarechi who was not planning on riding today but did promise to join us one of these next weekends. Mark was fully engulfed in a cup of coffee and some actuarial charts for his work ( I would rather ride uphill in 10th gear against a strong head wind with two flats and a broken chain – than to look at actuarial charts for work).
As the group left the warmth of the coffee shop to begin the ritual of suiting up for the ride the Temperature was 39 degrees (without wind chill).
Layers upon Layers of clothing forced a slow start to a smooth enjoyable ride.
So the pack was off with 3 riders forming the Testosterone laden group and 4 riders forming the socially correct “smell the roses group”.
From the start Ron Clanton set the pace. He blasted out of the parking lot showing no fear of the cars scrambling for the limited parking stalls that remained. Ron carried this aggressive manner as he charged up the hills of high house and into the neighborhood of Preston with David Bridenbaug working to stay on his rear wheel. Kevin was left far behind in the zone between the Testosterone riders and the “smell the roses group” which was gaining on him as he struggled to close the gap with Ron and David. Right turn into Preston found Ron and David slowing dramatically with the recognition that there were only two of them. Where was Kevin?
Ron was looking intently over his right shoulder as Kevin slowly closed the gap. Ron continued to slow in concern for the Third member of the Testosterone group. Ron Slowed even more as his head continued to peer over his right shoulder in even deeper concern for the missing team member. Kevin, who was now along Ron’s Left side realized that Ron was actually worried they had left Kevin behind, asked Ron “Who are you looking for?”. Ron’s head snapped to the left. “Where did you come from?” There was no response as Kevin continued to catch his breath. The group now glided along the neighborhood roads of Preston and across the busy light at Davis Drive, into the round about of the newer Preston area to the left turn behind Green Hope. The Testosterone Group had now established themselves at a pace of 15 to 19 mph. They could still see their breath in the cold air and were taking notice of the wind direction. Let it be known that the wind will always be in your face on a bike. No need to determine where it is coming from, it will always be there in your face. Ron Clanton was taking note of the fact that his hands had started to warm up. HOW does his hands warm up. He was wearing normal biking gloves. The ones with NO FINGERS. Kevin had gloves that had two layers of protection for all fingers with three fingers bundled together in a mitten much like a snow mobile glove is configured, leaving his trigger finger and thumb left to themselves to stay warm with just the two layers of protection. Kevin’s hands where headed towards being frostbit as Ron was announcing how warm his hands were. David looked at Kevin with an expression that suggested Ron was not Normal. You Vote.
As the group prepared to turn right onto the road that goes past Green Hope High Kevin announced he needed to stop to buckle his helmet. Apparently Kevin has so many layers of cloths to put on that he got distracted and forgot to secure his helmet before the ride.
UpChuck hill presented its usual challenge. Ron and David both attacked the Hill by climbing out of the saddle. Kevin prepared to emulate their efforts only to be stifled by the automatic gear shifts that took place. Kevin started the climb in 2nd gear in anticipation of spinning his way up the hill. Within the first few feet of the climb his gears shifted to 3rd, then 4th, then 5th, and finally as the degree of climb hit its pinnacle the bike shifted again on its own into 6th gear. Kevin had already been forced out of the saddle in response to the earlier cruel gear shifts. He now found himself throwing all 200 lbs of his, out of shape body, from side to side in an effort to convince the peddles to rotate just one more time. His heart rate monitor responded with a load beeping sound warning Kevin that he had exceeded the target and Maximum heart rate recommendation for an old man.
Again Ron and David slowed in an effort to allow the team to reassemble.
Once all three were together the group rode on at a pace that allowed for a slow recovery of heart and breathing rates.
The team pulled up to another unscheduled stop allowing Ron time to change batteries in his GPS. YES his GPS. The group has ridden this route at least 4,323 times but we needed fresh batteries so we would not get lost.
On the group rode for another 7 minutes only to stop again for Ron to find a tree (outhouse) to eliminate all the water he had consumed on the ride.
Not a great deal of conversation on this mornings ride. Kevin did little to add to the conversation for two reasons. His stomach was not quit right, feeling a little nauseous. When he did try to talk it was slurred due to frozen lips and jaw mussels that made it a challenge to form words. The group also learned that the cold air passing over their teeth made the teeth hurt. This forced the team to breath as best they could through their noses. Only during a climb did the mouths open to consume the cold air.
These riders finished the ride with an average pace of 14.8 mph for the 32 miles.
The smell the roses riders were already back from their ride of 20 miles. All had felt a and celebrated a strong sense of accomplishment in having taken the initiative to show up and then ride in the crisp cold air of an early January day.
Sunday Jan 5th 2008 ride report.
Earlier scheduled start than yesterday due to expected warming trend. Even with an hour earlier start the Temperature was warmer than yesterdays ride at its finish.
Another good turn out for these early season rides.
Kevin and Theresa Smit were joined today by Steve Cope, Jay Brainard, Steve Sparano, and Tim Travitz. As the group relaxed prior to the ride Kevin asked Jay about Saturday’s ride and if there were and special events or situations that were worth noting. Jay was quick to respond. “We ride to eliminate Trauma and Drama and therefore have nothing more to share than a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie”.
This is truly the Spirit of the “Smell the Roses” group and a reason that Theresa seeks out these rides every weekend. Imagine her life every day with Kevin the King of Trauma and Drama.
As everyone assembled their bikes and readied themselves for the days ride Steve Cope mounted his classic Vitus aluminum framed bike ( you know the one built with space age technology in 1977) and rode over to visit with a couple of individuals who had their bikes on the back of vehicles. Steve learned that these two individuals had already completed their ride on the horse trails in Umstead park. The bikes they used were cyclo-cross bikes. These are a form of dirt and street bike hybrid. By the time Steve had chatted with his new found friends the rest of the Pack was headed out of the parking lot.
Normally at least two groups form based on pace and distance. Today all riders were riding as a group with Steve Cope and Theresa Smit riding in the back. They were spending the largest amount of energy chit chatting rather than peddling. The riders all enjoyed a smooth transition into and thru the Preston Wood neighborhood. As usual the two groups formed as the riders emerged out of Preston Woods climbing the first hill of the day and across the road at Davis Drive. The guys quickly formed into a small peleton leaving the ladies to enjoy their ride and their own conversations “no Trauma no Drama”. Steve Cope and Steve Sparano set the pace with Kevin and Tim enjoying the draft presented by the lead riders. It was entertaining to watch both Kevin and Tim work to reposition themselves behind Steve Sparano rather than Steve Cope. The two Steves do not generate the same degree of draft. This group of riders continued their trek along the country style roads that are quickly being transformed into new neighborhoods by the continued efforts of local builders. Soon the group will be required to drive for an hour west to get to the edge of town and back into the countryside. Kevin and Theresa may need to consider selling their home in the heart of Cary to relocate to the NEW Heart of Cary several miles away.
On the group rode with Steve Cope sharing the story of how he slammed the car door on his thumb, and the creative bandage applied on it by one of his daughters. Think MaxiPad.
No one really attacked on UpChuck which is an indication that each rider knew they were out of shape and just wanted to get the climb over with. This group continued a crisp yet controlled pace through out the days ride. Once again returning to the start , in the Brugers parking lot, the group discovered they had ridden 33 miles at an average pace of 16.4 miles per hour. Very acceptable for an early season ride. Not sure which rider set the pace with each taking turns at the lead.
The ladies arrived within minutes of the guys return to the parking lot. They had ridden 25 miles at a relaxed pace of 13 mph with a long stop to visit with a local policeman. It appears he was asking them if they had seen a large group of Bike Riders taking over the road and not letting drivers pass. They had not noticed this group (of about 30+) however the guys had passed them going the opposite direction near the end of their ride.
No Trauma No Drama.
No FUN
So says Steve Cope.
A good turn out for this ride.
The group that had assembled consisted of:
Ron and Traci Clanton each on their own bikes (no tandem team).
This was not the first ride of the year for this team. Ron and Traci rode the News Years Day ride. They did 35 miles on Jan 1st with the Spin Cycle new years day ride.
Also in attendance this Jan 5th was Jay Brainard and Barb Hartsfield. They where excited to start the new year off with a fun ride. Theresa and Kevin Smit were also in attendance.
David Bridenbaugh had informed Ron that he would be there for the days ride. David did show up ready to ride by riding from his house to the start of the ride.
Prior to the start the group assembled in Brugers to share how the Holidays treated them and to discuss rides of interest for the up coming biking season. Ron reminded us that one of the early season’s organized rides is the Frostbite 50. Several of us had ridden this in the past and found it to be well organized and well attended. The cool thing about this ride is you can decide at several points along the route how far you want to ride. It also raises funds for a great cause to help fight a specific form or Cancer. We encourage everyone to consider this early season ride. We also met Mark Zarechi who was not planning on riding today but did promise to join us one of these next weekends. Mark was fully engulfed in a cup of coffee and some actuarial charts for his work ( I would rather ride uphill in 10th gear against a strong head wind with two flats and a broken chain – than to look at actuarial charts for work).
As the group left the warmth of the coffee shop to begin the ritual of suiting up for the ride the Temperature was 39 degrees (without wind chill).
Layers upon Layers of clothing forced a slow start to a smooth enjoyable ride.
So the pack was off with 3 riders forming the Testosterone laden group and 4 riders forming the socially correct “smell the roses group”.
From the start Ron Clanton set the pace. He blasted out of the parking lot showing no fear of the cars scrambling for the limited parking stalls that remained. Ron carried this aggressive manner as he charged up the hills of high house and into the neighborhood of Preston with David Bridenbaug working to stay on his rear wheel. Kevin was left far behind in the zone between the Testosterone riders and the “smell the roses group” which was gaining on him as he struggled to close the gap with Ron and David. Right turn into Preston found Ron and David slowing dramatically with the recognition that there were only two of them. Where was Kevin?
Ron was looking intently over his right shoulder as Kevin slowly closed the gap. Ron continued to slow in concern for the Third member of the Testosterone group. Ron Slowed even more as his head continued to peer over his right shoulder in even deeper concern for the missing team member. Kevin, who was now along Ron’s Left side realized that Ron was actually worried they had left Kevin behind, asked Ron “Who are you looking for?”. Ron’s head snapped to the left. “Where did you come from?” There was no response as Kevin continued to catch his breath. The group now glided along the neighborhood roads of Preston and across the busy light at Davis Drive, into the round about of the newer Preston area to the left turn behind Green Hope. The Testosterone Group had now established themselves at a pace of 15 to 19 mph. They could still see their breath in the cold air and were taking notice of the wind direction. Let it be known that the wind will always be in your face on a bike. No need to determine where it is coming from, it will always be there in your face. Ron Clanton was taking note of the fact that his hands had started to warm up. HOW does his hands warm up. He was wearing normal biking gloves. The ones with NO FINGERS. Kevin had gloves that had two layers of protection for all fingers with three fingers bundled together in a mitten much like a snow mobile glove is configured, leaving his trigger finger and thumb left to themselves to stay warm with just the two layers of protection. Kevin’s hands where headed towards being frostbit as Ron was announcing how warm his hands were. David looked at Kevin with an expression that suggested Ron was not Normal. You Vote.
As the group prepared to turn right onto the road that goes past Green Hope High Kevin announced he needed to stop to buckle his helmet. Apparently Kevin has so many layers of cloths to put on that he got distracted and forgot to secure his helmet before the ride.
UpChuck hill presented its usual challenge. Ron and David both attacked the Hill by climbing out of the saddle. Kevin prepared to emulate their efforts only to be stifled by the automatic gear shifts that took place. Kevin started the climb in 2nd gear in anticipation of spinning his way up the hill. Within the first few feet of the climb his gears shifted to 3rd, then 4th, then 5th, and finally as the degree of climb hit its pinnacle the bike shifted again on its own into 6th gear. Kevin had already been forced out of the saddle in response to the earlier cruel gear shifts. He now found himself throwing all 200 lbs of his, out of shape body, from side to side in an effort to convince the peddles to rotate just one more time. His heart rate monitor responded with a load beeping sound warning Kevin that he had exceeded the target and Maximum heart rate recommendation for an old man.
Again Ron and David slowed in an effort to allow the team to reassemble.
Once all three were together the group rode on at a pace that allowed for a slow recovery of heart and breathing rates.
The team pulled up to another unscheduled stop allowing Ron time to change batteries in his GPS. YES his GPS. The group has ridden this route at least 4,323 times but we needed fresh batteries so we would not get lost.
On the group rode for another 7 minutes only to stop again for Ron to find a tree (outhouse) to eliminate all the water he had consumed on the ride.
Not a great deal of conversation on this mornings ride. Kevin did little to add to the conversation for two reasons. His stomach was not quit right, feeling a little nauseous. When he did try to talk it was slurred due to frozen lips and jaw mussels that made it a challenge to form words. The group also learned that the cold air passing over their teeth made the teeth hurt. This forced the team to breath as best they could through their noses. Only during a climb did the mouths open to consume the cold air.
These riders finished the ride with an average pace of 14.8 mph for the 32 miles.
The smell the roses riders were already back from their ride of 20 miles. All had felt a and celebrated a strong sense of accomplishment in having taken the initiative to show up and then ride in the crisp cold air of an early January day.
Sunday Jan 5th 2008 ride report.
Earlier scheduled start than yesterday due to expected warming trend. Even with an hour earlier start the Temperature was warmer than yesterdays ride at its finish.
Another good turn out for these early season rides.
Kevin and Theresa Smit were joined today by Steve Cope, Jay Brainard, Steve Sparano, and Tim Travitz. As the group relaxed prior to the ride Kevin asked Jay about Saturday’s ride and if there were and special events or situations that were worth noting. Jay was quick to respond. “We ride to eliminate Trauma and Drama and therefore have nothing more to share than a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie”.
This is truly the Spirit of the “Smell the Roses” group and a reason that Theresa seeks out these rides every weekend. Imagine her life every day with Kevin the King of Trauma and Drama.
As everyone assembled their bikes and readied themselves for the days ride Steve Cope mounted his classic Vitus aluminum framed bike ( you know the one built with space age technology in 1977) and rode over to visit with a couple of individuals who had their bikes on the back of vehicles. Steve learned that these two individuals had already completed their ride on the horse trails in Umstead park. The bikes they used were cyclo-cross bikes. These are a form of dirt and street bike hybrid. By the time Steve had chatted with his new found friends the rest of the Pack was headed out of the parking lot.
Normally at least two groups form based on pace and distance. Today all riders were riding as a group with Steve Cope and Theresa Smit riding in the back. They were spending the largest amount of energy chit chatting rather than peddling. The riders all enjoyed a smooth transition into and thru the Preston Wood neighborhood. As usual the two groups formed as the riders emerged out of Preston Woods climbing the first hill of the day and across the road at Davis Drive. The guys quickly formed into a small peleton leaving the ladies to enjoy their ride and their own conversations “no Trauma no Drama”. Steve Cope and Steve Sparano set the pace with Kevin and Tim enjoying the draft presented by the lead riders. It was entertaining to watch both Kevin and Tim work to reposition themselves behind Steve Sparano rather than Steve Cope. The two Steves do not generate the same degree of draft. This group of riders continued their trek along the country style roads that are quickly being transformed into new neighborhoods by the continued efforts of local builders. Soon the group will be required to drive for an hour west to get to the edge of town and back into the countryside. Kevin and Theresa may need to consider selling their home in the heart of Cary to relocate to the NEW Heart of Cary several miles away.
On the group rode with Steve Cope sharing the story of how he slammed the car door on his thumb, and the creative bandage applied on it by one of his daughters. Think MaxiPad.
No one really attacked on UpChuck which is an indication that each rider knew they were out of shape and just wanted to get the climb over with. This group continued a crisp yet controlled pace through out the days ride. Once again returning to the start , in the Brugers parking lot, the group discovered they had ridden 33 miles at an average pace of 16.4 miles per hour. Very acceptable for an early season ride. Not sure which rider set the pace with each taking turns at the lead.
The ladies arrived within minutes of the guys return to the parking lot. They had ridden 25 miles at a relaxed pace of 13 mph with a long stop to visit with a local policeman. It appears he was asking them if they had seen a large group of Bike Riders taking over the road and not letting drivers pass. They had not noticed this group (of about 30+) however the guys had passed them going the opposite direction near the end of their ride.
No Trauma No Drama.
No FUN
So says Steve Cope.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sept 15 and 16 rides
Saturday Sept 15th
Kevin and Theresa were joined by Kristine Harkness for this days ride.
The group reminisced about their experience and great weekend during the MS150.
Kevin and Theresa rode with the Hibernian team and Kristine rode for the Carolina Brewery team at the MS 150.
This days ride was relaxed, with cool temperatures, light winds, and a relaxed pace.
The group rode the 32 mile route taking them past the farm where the 60+ foot boat was being refurbished. Kevin asked when the boat would be sea worthy and was informed that they expect to have it ready by Christmas.
The group of three road strong all the way to Ferrington Road near Lake Jordan. They then elected to turn left and then left again on Horton pond. Theresa was beginning to suffer from lower back pain and Kristine needed to take a bio break. The group slowed and stopped in a shaded area. Theresa stretched her back and Kristine headed for the woods to relieve her bladder. The ride was at the half way point. Kevin and Kristine mounted their bikes with Theresa slowly falling in behind. Theresa struggled to finish the ride and stay at the earlier established pace. Kevin and Kristine rode on keeping Theresa in view. At each turn Kevin and Kristine waited with Kevin circling back to see Theresa’s progress. Once at the corner of Old Jenks and Wimberly Kevin and Kristine made stronger progress towards the finish of the days ride. They did not look back or wait for Theresa from this point on. Once back at the start Kevin and Kristine put away their bikes and prepared for a short visit to Brugers for coffee and nutrition. Theresa was not far behind and was ready at about the same time. Kristine was planning to visit BUG FEST later that morning, Kevin had properties to show, and Theresa had work to accomplish so we did not linger long at Brugers.
Sunday Sept 16th.
Kevin, Theresa and Carolyn Sparano all road together to the start of the days ride. They were then joined by
Steve Cope driving up with the top down on his Yellow Thing.
He complained about the cold. DUH. Steve elected to ride today on his classic Vitas.
We then were joined by Sara Powell. She had been missing for most of the season.
She claimed she had no excuses, just didn’t ride.
Then David Bridenbaugh arrived on his bike ready to go.
The group finished pumping tires, dawning helmets and sunglasses, put on shoes and gloves. Carolyn was pacing on her bike in the parking lot anxiously awaiting those of us who are less competitive.
The pack was off close to 8 am with Steve Cope in the lead. Typical chit chat filled the early miles on the ride. We learned that David was selling and supporting uninterruptible power supplies with his brothers company. Steve was traveling a lot for work. Kevin was planning another trip out of the country. He is being sent to Yap and Truck Lagoon for 2 weeks of diving. This trip is being subsidized by resorts in that area that want Kevin to experience their accommodations and dive operations with the hope that he then brings others to those sites in the future. ANY ONE READY to DIVE Exotic Places?
The smell the Roses Group fell off the pace at the usual crossing from Preston Woods and Davis Drive. Steve set the pace with Kevin and David drafting as best they could.
As you may recall Steve’s profile leaves a great deal to be desired for those trying to draft. On they rode slowly picking up the pace. They were moving slower than normal holding a 13 mph pace early in this ride. Steve’s bike was making lots of pinging sounds as his spokes were trying to tell him that they were old like him. This small pack then rolled across 55 and onto Fire Station Church Road they road single file past all the new construction. Left turn onto Yates store had each rider preparing for the attack on upchuck. Kevin being the heaviest was fastest down the hill followed by Steve Cope who loves to draft the fat man. David was off to the left and aligning himself for the line he wanted to take down the hill and then up the short steep climb. None of these riders attacked. All three rode to complete the task rather than to dominate the hill or to fend off anyone who might attack. Right turn at the top of the hill had all three riders recovered and ready to pick up the pace. Chit Chat continued as the group road along the recently patched roads of Mount Pisgah Church road. Up the rolling hills again with no one attacking. Left turn at the top of the last hill had the group riding easy towards Leweter Shop road. About ¼ mile shy of the right turn onto Leweter Shop road there was a loud snap and claing. Everyone looked around to see what they had run over. Kevin did not look. He felt the explosion as it happened through the carbon fiber frame of this light weight bike. Kevin recognizing the sound and sensation looked at his rear wheel to see how out of true it was do to a broken spoke. Kevin’s wheels are light weight with radial configured light weight bladed spokes. With limited spokes under high tension the result of one missing deforms the rim to such a degree it will not turn without rubbing on the chain stays. Kevin pulled up to a full stop. David rode back to retrieve the exploded component. Steve laughed and laughed and laughed. “If you were not so fat your bike might perform better”. “This is what you get for buying your bike at Kmart”. “It is only 12 miles back to the start so you better get walking now”. “I would take off my cleats if I was you so you don’t ruin them on your long walk home”. Kevin could only smile and nod his head. No point in trying to provide any counter points. Kevin asked if anyone had a spoke wrench that might help me true the wheel enough to limp home. “I only carry a sew up” Steve said with a smile. David emptied his tool kit bag to no avail. “walk to the corner where other bikers are going by and ask them” Steve said in between chuckling over Kevin’s situation. Kevin informed the group that he will work to solve the problem and that he has a cell phone to call Theresa if no one riding by can help.
Waving goodbye the two riders were heard laughing and carrying on about how glad they were to have purchased their bikes from a bike store. Kevin walked the ¼ mile in the grass to protect his cleats. Once at the corner he began asking each rider if they had a spoke wrench or pliers. No one carries tools. Kevin had several inform him that they only carry a cell phone. Kevin placed a call to Theresa suspecting she left her phone in the car. As he began to leave a detailed message he noticed a group of riders approaching from the same route he had just ridden. Upon further investigation he was convinced it was the Smell the Roses riders slowly approaching. Sure enough it was the Ladies. “What happened, are you OK” they all asked. Clearly the Smell the Roses Riders are a kindler gentler group. They elected to shorten their ride in order to rescue Kevin from his dilemma. Kevin continued to ask passing riders for the proper tools to solve his problem. He then saw a large group of riders headed his way. He was pleasantly surprised to recognize them as members of Scout troop 212. Some of the riders in this group had recently taken Scuba Lessons from Kevin. No tools to get the job done from this group either. Just about then Steve and David were doubling back after having made their way to Lake Jordan and back. Steve surmised that Kevin had no success in getting anyone to help him. “Looks like you can’t get anyone to help you. I bet you could not sell Lemonade from your Lemonade stand as a kid.” He gleefully announced. Before Kevin could respond they noticed a lone rider talking on a cell phone while trying to make speed down the road. As the rider approached all three recognized the rider to be Tim Travitz. Tim was a rider the group tried to help early in the season. He has since joined the group on many of their rides. Tim slowed and announced he was riding to try and find us. He had slept in that morning so he rode our regular rout backwards in hopes of hooking up. Tim was quickly pulled into the banter and agreed with Steve that Kevin should not have purchased his bike from Kmart. The group now with Tim in tow headed for the end. As they worked to clip in they waved and said good luck, maybe we will see you there next Saturday as we ride by.
Kevin continued to solicit assistance to no avail. Kevin estimated that it would take the Ladies about an hour to get to the cars and then 20 minutes to drive back. Within 20 minutes Tim was back with his car and some tools to see if they would to the trick. Tim lives very close to the ride route and pulled off early to see if he could come back to help.
Kevin used a pair of pliers to see if he could loosen some spokes to help true the wheel. He was skeptical since the spokes were under a great deal of tension, and the spokes were made of soft aluminum. The risk for marring the spokes was high. Kevin quickly gave up the idea as he quickly validated his concerns. Kevin thanked Tim for trying to help and they said their good-bys. About 1 hour later Theresa and Carolyn arrived with the van. Kevin loaded his bike and finished his ride driving the vehicle to Brugers were they joined Steve Cope to enjoy coffee and a bagel sandwich.
Kevin and Theresa were joined by Kristine Harkness for this days ride.
The group reminisced about their experience and great weekend during the MS150.
Kevin and Theresa rode with the Hibernian team and Kristine rode for the Carolina Brewery team at the MS 150.
This days ride was relaxed, with cool temperatures, light winds, and a relaxed pace.
The group rode the 32 mile route taking them past the farm where the 60+ foot boat was being refurbished. Kevin asked when the boat would be sea worthy and was informed that they expect to have it ready by Christmas.
The group of three road strong all the way to Ferrington Road near Lake Jordan. They then elected to turn left and then left again on Horton pond. Theresa was beginning to suffer from lower back pain and Kristine needed to take a bio break. The group slowed and stopped in a shaded area. Theresa stretched her back and Kristine headed for the woods to relieve her bladder. The ride was at the half way point. Kevin and Kristine mounted their bikes with Theresa slowly falling in behind. Theresa struggled to finish the ride and stay at the earlier established pace. Kevin and Kristine rode on keeping Theresa in view. At each turn Kevin and Kristine waited with Kevin circling back to see Theresa’s progress. Once at the corner of Old Jenks and Wimberly Kevin and Kristine made stronger progress towards the finish of the days ride. They did not look back or wait for Theresa from this point on. Once back at the start Kevin and Kristine put away their bikes and prepared for a short visit to Brugers for coffee and nutrition. Theresa was not far behind and was ready at about the same time. Kristine was planning to visit BUG FEST later that morning, Kevin had properties to show, and Theresa had work to accomplish so we did not linger long at Brugers.
Sunday Sept 16th.
Kevin, Theresa and Carolyn Sparano all road together to the start of the days ride. They were then joined by
Steve Cope driving up with the top down on his Yellow Thing.
He complained about the cold. DUH. Steve elected to ride today on his classic Vitas.
We then were joined by Sara Powell. She had been missing for most of the season.
She claimed she had no excuses, just didn’t ride.
Then David Bridenbaugh arrived on his bike ready to go.
The group finished pumping tires, dawning helmets and sunglasses, put on shoes and gloves. Carolyn was pacing on her bike in the parking lot anxiously awaiting those of us who are less competitive.
The pack was off close to 8 am with Steve Cope in the lead. Typical chit chat filled the early miles on the ride. We learned that David was selling and supporting uninterruptible power supplies with his brothers company. Steve was traveling a lot for work. Kevin was planning another trip out of the country. He is being sent to Yap and Truck Lagoon for 2 weeks of diving. This trip is being subsidized by resorts in that area that want Kevin to experience their accommodations and dive operations with the hope that he then brings others to those sites in the future. ANY ONE READY to DIVE Exotic Places?
The smell the Roses Group fell off the pace at the usual crossing from Preston Woods and Davis Drive. Steve set the pace with Kevin and David drafting as best they could.
As you may recall Steve’s profile leaves a great deal to be desired for those trying to draft. On they rode slowly picking up the pace. They were moving slower than normal holding a 13 mph pace early in this ride. Steve’s bike was making lots of pinging sounds as his spokes were trying to tell him that they were old like him. This small pack then rolled across 55 and onto Fire Station Church Road they road single file past all the new construction. Left turn onto Yates store had each rider preparing for the attack on upchuck. Kevin being the heaviest was fastest down the hill followed by Steve Cope who loves to draft the fat man. David was off to the left and aligning himself for the line he wanted to take down the hill and then up the short steep climb. None of these riders attacked. All three rode to complete the task rather than to dominate the hill or to fend off anyone who might attack. Right turn at the top of the hill had all three riders recovered and ready to pick up the pace. Chit Chat continued as the group road along the recently patched roads of Mount Pisgah Church road. Up the rolling hills again with no one attacking. Left turn at the top of the last hill had the group riding easy towards Leweter Shop road. About ¼ mile shy of the right turn onto Leweter Shop road there was a loud snap and claing. Everyone looked around to see what they had run over. Kevin did not look. He felt the explosion as it happened through the carbon fiber frame of this light weight bike. Kevin recognizing the sound and sensation looked at his rear wheel to see how out of true it was do to a broken spoke. Kevin’s wheels are light weight with radial configured light weight bladed spokes. With limited spokes under high tension the result of one missing deforms the rim to such a degree it will not turn without rubbing on the chain stays. Kevin pulled up to a full stop. David rode back to retrieve the exploded component. Steve laughed and laughed and laughed. “If you were not so fat your bike might perform better”. “This is what you get for buying your bike at Kmart”. “It is only 12 miles back to the start so you better get walking now”. “I would take off my cleats if I was you so you don’t ruin them on your long walk home”. Kevin could only smile and nod his head. No point in trying to provide any counter points. Kevin asked if anyone had a spoke wrench that might help me true the wheel enough to limp home. “I only carry a sew up” Steve said with a smile. David emptied his tool kit bag to no avail. “walk to the corner where other bikers are going by and ask them” Steve said in between chuckling over Kevin’s situation. Kevin informed the group that he will work to solve the problem and that he has a cell phone to call Theresa if no one riding by can help.
Waving goodbye the two riders were heard laughing and carrying on about how glad they were to have purchased their bikes from a bike store. Kevin walked the ¼ mile in the grass to protect his cleats. Once at the corner he began asking each rider if they had a spoke wrench or pliers. No one carries tools. Kevin had several inform him that they only carry a cell phone. Kevin placed a call to Theresa suspecting she left her phone in the car. As he began to leave a detailed message he noticed a group of riders approaching from the same route he had just ridden. Upon further investigation he was convinced it was the Smell the Roses riders slowly approaching. Sure enough it was the Ladies. “What happened, are you OK” they all asked. Clearly the Smell the Roses Riders are a kindler gentler group. They elected to shorten their ride in order to rescue Kevin from his dilemma. Kevin continued to ask passing riders for the proper tools to solve his problem. He then saw a large group of riders headed his way. He was pleasantly surprised to recognize them as members of Scout troop 212. Some of the riders in this group had recently taken Scuba Lessons from Kevin. No tools to get the job done from this group either. Just about then Steve and David were doubling back after having made their way to Lake Jordan and back. Steve surmised that Kevin had no success in getting anyone to help him. “Looks like you can’t get anyone to help you. I bet you could not sell Lemonade from your Lemonade stand as a kid.” He gleefully announced. Before Kevin could respond they noticed a lone rider talking on a cell phone while trying to make speed down the road. As the rider approached all three recognized the rider to be Tim Travitz. Tim was a rider the group tried to help early in the season. He has since joined the group on many of their rides. Tim slowed and announced he was riding to try and find us. He had slept in that morning so he rode our regular rout backwards in hopes of hooking up. Tim was quickly pulled into the banter and agreed with Steve that Kevin should not have purchased his bike from Kmart. The group now with Tim in tow headed for the end. As they worked to clip in they waved and said good luck, maybe we will see you there next Saturday as we ride by.
Kevin continued to solicit assistance to no avail. Kevin estimated that it would take the Ladies about an hour to get to the cars and then 20 minutes to drive back. Within 20 minutes Tim was back with his car and some tools to see if they would to the trick. Tim lives very close to the ride route and pulled off early to see if he could come back to help.
Kevin used a pair of pliers to see if he could loosen some spokes to help true the wheel. He was skeptical since the spokes were under a great deal of tension, and the spokes were made of soft aluminum. The risk for marring the spokes was high. Kevin quickly gave up the idea as he quickly validated his concerns. Kevin thanked Tim for trying to help and they said their good-bys. About 1 hour later Theresa and Carolyn arrived with the van. Kevin loaded his bike and finished his ride driving the vehicle to Brugers were they joined Steve Cope to enjoy coffee and a bagel sandwich.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
MS 150 ride write-up ( a Novel ) by Kevin Smit
Kevin and and Theresa were fortunate enough to have great neighbors who were thinking of them when they learned that a room at the Sheraton in New Bern had been freed up. The Smits immediately asked to be put on the confirmation list for the room. They then canceled the reservation they had in Oriental. This turned out to make the weekend event even more enjoyable. The Sheraton is at the center of all the festivities for the MS150. Registration is next door at the convention center. The start and finish are 1 block away.
The Hotel allowed Bikes in the room, so Kevin could sleep with his new bike. The Smits and Sparano’s loaded their cars Friday afternoon and by 4:30 pm they were on the way to New Bern. The drive was smooth with the caravan arriving at the hotel about 6:30. A speedy check in process exchanging the previous room reservation from a Kathy Blum to the Smit’s. You will learn that Kathy Blum turned out to be a significant contact for that weekend. A short trip from the car to the room several times had all the gear, bikes, and clothing strategically stashed. Kevin brought two bikes and considered a third depending on what the weather might do. Great to have choices. Team T-Shirts were dawned and off to registration and then the team tent for an all you can eat BBQ. The volunteers at registration worked effectively to move everyone through the process. The organizers had thought of everything including providing a Notary of Public Service. We learned that anyone under age needed not just their parents signature but also had to have the form Notarized. Once through registration the group headed to the team tent to find that they were the last group to go through the line. The tent was empty except for the sponsors and these two last families. Kevin filled his plate twice with Mashed Potatoes, Pulled Pig, vegetables, and a salad. He was starting to get concerned about the distance he was planning to ride and the guaranteed Bonk that always accompanies rides over 35 miles. The MS 150 offers 3 choices of distance on each of the two days of riding.
Riders can choose to ride 35, 75, or 100 miles each day. The Sparanos had already committed to riding with their kids on the 35 mile route, with Theresa agreeing to join them. Kevin was not committed to any distance yet and wanted to see if the routes allowed for a last minute decision. Once the meal was completed the group took a slow walk around the camping area which is also were the ride starts and ends. The sky was clear, the wind light, the temp cool, and the smell and sound of the salt water slapping the banks on the edge of the park put all into a mellow content state of mind.
Off to bed to make sure we had a good night rest. Kevin spent about an hour planning for the next day. He laid out is team jersey and attached the participant number to the back.
The number was arranged so it did not interfere with the pockets. Kevin then placed his cell phone in a zip lock baggie. He also placed his iPod in a Zip Lock baggie. This protects those devices from moisture due to rain or worse Kevin’s corrosive perspiration.
Kevin then made his choice of what pair of riding shorts he would use on day one. Does he go for comfort, or does he go for lots of extra padding. He chose comfort and picked the shorts with the thinnest padded chamois area. Kevin then reviewed each of the routes cue sheets to see if they start out together and where they split. He was hoping to see that they had allowed for those on the 35 mile ride to decide late in the route about extending it to 75, and the same for those committed to 75 to see if they can decide late on their route to extend to 100. Bummer. The 35 and 75 and 100 all ride together for about 3 miles only. Have to determine way too early in the ride if one is to do the 35 or some other distance. Too early to judge energy level, heat impact, potential cramps, back aches. Kevin then folded each cue sheet and placed them also in a Zip Lock bag. He was still non comitial on the distance so had each just in case. Kevin did decide that if he was to rely on the cue sheets he would need to get the sunglasses from the car that have a bifocal lens for reading. Next he laid out the pair of socks he would wear along with the shoes that fit the bike he would ride. Kevin had been watching the weather report ever since they returned to the room. He needed to know if there was any chance of rain. If there was a call for rain he would ride his old classic Jeffery Bock. If no rain in the forecast he was ready to bring out the new SCOTT. He had decided to ride the SCOTT.
Kevin then put a wash cloth in the Jersey pocket to help him remove that caustic sweat that runs down his forehead and into his eyes. It rains heavily in Kevin’s helmet and he needs methods to remove that periodically. Kevin then placed a granola bar and a power bar in the pockets of the team jersey. These are for backup nutritional needs only, in case he decides to do more than 35 miles. Lastly Kevin pulled out two water bottles and proceeded to mix the exact amount of Accelerade powder with water into the water bottles. This also was done in case Kevin elected to ride more than 35 miles. He then slid the water bottles filled with this new blue foamy substance into the cages on his bike.
He slid his bike computer into its slot on the handle bar making sure he had reset the computer. This allows for an accurate reading for the next days ride, providing speed, distance, maximum speed, average speed, cadence in revolutions per minute of the peddles, and time in the saddle. As Kevin slid under the covers he laid his heart rate monitor on top of his jersey ensuring that it will be affixed to his chest prior to pulling the jersey over his head.
In the mean time Theresa had immediately put her pj’s on climbed into bed and was well into full REM cycled sleep.
Kevin could rest well knowing that he had staged and prepared for most of what needed to be done to ensure a smooth start the next day.
Saturday Sept 8th first ride day of the weekend.
Breakfast was being offered at the start finish line starting at 6:30 am.
The team picture was scheduled for 7:55 am.
The line up at the start line by distance and pace was to be completed so that the fastest riders would be launched at 8:30 am, and then every 5 to 10 minutes later the next group would be set onto the coarse with the 35 mile group all to be released at once as the last group to cross the start line.
Theresa and Kevin had set the alarm for 6 am. Plenty of time to dress and have a leisurely breakfast of coffee, bagels, banana, and pastries. They also planned to take their bike shoes, helmet, and bikes down early and stage them in the car. This would reduce the crunch that would likely happen as all the bikers headed down the elevator with bikes to get to the start. Before heading out Theresa tried to accomplish in 15 minutes what Kevin had done the night before in preparation for the days ride. Theresa searched for her bike computer and struggled trying to put it on the bike. After a short period she asked Kevin to see if he could get it on the bike. Kevin took the computer and moved it from his second bike to Theresa’s. Yes they look alike. Theresa then filled her water bottle and put it in the bike cage. Theresa was looking for her jersey, then for the safety pins to put on her number. Her first attempt had her redoing the placement of the number so it would not interfere with the jersey’s pockets. She then searched for her sunglasses.
Helmets and gloves were then located and Theresa was now ready to move the bike and gear to the car. The Sparano’s had suggested we all do our own thing in the morning and meet at the team picture. After staging the bikes and gear in their car Kevin and Theresa consumed several small cups of coffee along with items listed above. Kevin had taken a dose of Alive to reduce the back pain he typically deals with, and spent much of the early morning stretching, which also helps with the back pain. He is getting very old and may need to be put down soon. Theresa was busy socializing with any and all who went buy. Kevin was still in deep contemplation of what he planned to do for that days ride.
The Sparanos showed up and had a light breakfast at the same table were Kevin and Theresa had set up. Lots of high energy was already pouring from this group. Steve was busy taking pictures and egging on the kids. The team picture was late due to other teams taking longer for theirs. The Hibernian team had grown to 112 members, and was one of the largest teams in attendance. We all squeezed together as best we could to make for a great team picture.
The Sparano’s had their bikes and were ready to move to their place in line for the start. Kevin and Theresa had no plans to start with the pack. They planed to ride from their car out the drive way and join the ride ½ block from the start as the riders traveled past. To the room they went for last minute items and a final bathroom break. Kevin was first into the bathroom and was soon waiting to leave the room. Theresa was found looking for the days ride cue sheets, and reviewing in her head to consider what was ready and what was yet to be accomplished for the ride. 8:45 am and they were still in the room. The start of the ride had already taken place and several groups had been released to the roads. Finally the Smit’s ride the elevator to the parking lot to retrieve their bikes and other staged items. Kevin had helmet on shoes on and had straddled the bike when Theresa said. Where is my water bottle “I know I put it on my bike”. Sure enough it was not in the cage on her bike. Off to the room she went in search of the missing water bottle. Kevin continued to straddle the bike while holding Theresa’s as several hundred bikes slowly picked up speed as they rode past. Kevin saw at least 3 separate pace groups be released during the time it took for Theresa to find the water bottle. It was right where she left it in the water bottle cage on Kevin’s second bike still in the room.
Finally the two were off to join the riders. Kevin and Theresa planned to ride together for as long as the routes were conjoined. Just starting to warm up and enjoy the ride with Theresa 2 ½ miles into the ride the 35 mile route continued on straight and the 75/100 mile routes took the clover leave down, around and onto 70 east. It was apparent at that point that none of the 35 mile riders had yet been relased to the road. So Theresa and Kevin said good by, have a great ride. Theresa then pulled over and waited for the Sparano’s.
Kevin was still grappling with the distance he was going to attempt. He had already made a commitment to not do the 35 miles. To date this year his longest ride was 50 miles with a serious bonk happening at the 35 mile mark. Knowing this Kevin put together a survival strategy.
Draft any one who is going a comfortable pace.
Keep the heart Rate below 120
If heart rate goes over 120 shift or slow down to bring it back
Keep Cadence between 85 and 95 rpms.
Drink and drink and drink
Stop at every rest stop to fill water bottles and eat one or two small items.
Kevin now had a plan and all the tools to monitor the progress of his plan.
Once onto 70east the bikers rode across the bridge up and over the bay. Police and Highway patrol did a great job of holding off the weekend traffic while bikers dominated the roads early on this ride. Head wind was very evident each time Kevin tried to jump the gap from rider to rider. He found it interesting that for several miles early in the ride he would be past and then pass the same riders over and over again. Kevin maintained a steady cadence and heart rate. This also translated to a fairly steady speed. The speed was dictated more by the amount of head wind or the pace of the individual he was drafting. The roads were a combination of smooth black top and old rough hard-pack,
few obstacles or holes and no shoulder. Kevin found a small pack of cyclists that were working well together. The group was made up of individuals from several teams. Oddly enough the group was very social and did not have a competitive spirit, more a spirit of Great to be here and lets work together to have fun. Mile 15.4 first rest stop. Kevin’s first priority was to empty his bladder, this was a signal that he had done a good job of hydrating prior to the start of the ride and that he was not over exerting himself. Next mission was to fill water bottle, then find simple easy items to eat. Kevin did not want to spend more then a few minutes at this stop. Stopping for too long stiffens up the muscles and makes it more challenging to get going again in the saddle. After a half of a banana, and a fig bar, Kevin looked around to see if he saw anyone from the group ready to mount the bikes. Seeing no one he made the decision to head out before any further delay. This found him riding solo. On the horizon the riders were far more strung out than prior to the rest stop. Glancing back the rest stop was looking like a clogged artery. Bikes laying on the ground, resting against trees, some bikers walking with their bikes as if in fear of losing them. More bikers approaching and stopping at the rest stop than leaving for the next leg of the ride. Kevin focused on monitoring all systems. His heart rate, his cadence, his speed, the average speed. The head wind was always there. Kevin fought the erg to speed up to try and get this section over with. Steady wins the race. Kevin slowly reeled in one rider after another making a decision to draft or slide on past.
This leap frog approach helped him jump the gaps while maintaining his stated goal to keep all systems in check. Soon he saw a team of two up ahead working efficiently. Making an extra effort that took him out of the target zones Kevin attacked the next gap to see if he could benefit from this organized team of two. Within a few minute Kevin found himself riding tight on the wheels of a couple who he found riding at a reasonable pace of 18 – 19 miles per hour. He was able to draft them and keep systems he was monitoring in check. This team of two took turns pulling against the wind and did not consider Kevin’s wheel sucking as an issue. They did not talk so Kevin did not break the silence. He wanted to ask the question “what distance are you planning to ride?”. Ideally they were planning to do the 100 mile route. This would mean Kevin could darft and potentially survive this stellar, yet decided goal. How to determine their intent? Then it occurred to Kevin. Wait to see what colored cue sheet they use to determine the next turn. The Orange one is for the 75 miles and the Gold/Yellow one is for the 100 mile. But wait we are all on the same path at this point. No need to review the cue sheet just follow the person in the distance. Looking around Kevin noticed a Yellow Glow from the white Jersey of the team members. OK. He might be in luck if he chooses to try the 100 miles, just don’t let this team get away. As a team this group zoomed by rider after rider most of whom were battling the head winds on their own. Each time they encountered another organized draft line the team fell inline for a brief period and then slid out left and walked away. It appeared that the team of two Kevin had latched on to had a mission to maintain a specific pace and would not fall below that. Fine with Kevin as long as he maintained his systems of HR under 120 and cadence between 85 and 95. Mile 26.7 The 75 milers and100 milers still on the same route when rest stop #2 appeared. Kevin was not sure if this team would stop and if they did for how long. Kevin did not want to work to find another solid group to draft off of. Rest Stop 2 was the one sponsored by Hibernian the Team Kevin and Theresa were members of. Kevin had to stop no matter what just to show support. This time the mission was water, half of a banana and two dinner roles with jelly. Very short stop had Kevin ready to ride long before his draft buddies were. This left Kevin with the realization that he again had to search for the next draft opportunity. Again he found himself pushing against the head wind. Again Kevin saw only individual riders in the distance all working solo to make the next revolution of the peddle. No great prospects for drafting. Suddenly only after 3 miles a pivotal decision must be made. The orange arrow pointed right the yellow arrow pointed left. No time to analyze, no time to see who was turning what direction. Kevin Quickly checked all systems. Was his heart rate OK, his cadence, how did he feel? Any cramps? How was his back? Was the iPod still filling his ears with music at soft soothing background levels? Right or Left? No time to think. Left leg up lean left Kevin found himself suddenly committed to the Yellow 100 mile route after only 29 miles of riding. When does he normally Bonk? 35 miles you say. Wow a long day is about to unfold. Realizing what just happened Kevin again took stock of all systems. Just like the Apollo missions he checked and double checked the systems as if the first reading was incorrect. All systems GO. At least for now.
Looking ahead Kevin saw even fewer riders dotting the horizon in front of him. Solo again and for longer stretches before finding any one who he maybe able to draft. Kevin rode on trying to draft several riders only to discover they were riding too slow and actually made his ride less than ideal. Somehow the Heart Rate and Cadence Kevin had chosen to follow also was proving to be the easiest to sustain. Slower was more difficult and faster was comfortable but slowly pushed the heart rate beyond 130 beats per minute. He did hook up with two riders who seemed to be riding fairly steady and at the 17 mph pace. The two were very friendly and carried on a conversation making the miles slide by. Kevin took his turn pulling after having drafted for several minutes. His spot at the front became the norm for the rest of the ride with this group. They were planning to accomplish 100 miles and were already starting to falter until Kevin took the lead. The group slowly built speeds up toward 19 miles per hour. This was sustained for awhile until the pace reached 20 – 21 mph. This splintered the group with one saying he could not remain in the pace line if it goes over 16 mph. The pace was reduced to keep the group together. Mile 40 found the group slowing for a 3rd rest stop. Kevin dismounted his bike and laid it in the shade of a large tree. The sun was starting to cook. A bathroom break was needed. Hydration was still being accomplished well by Kevin. Water bottles filled with ice and fresh water, half a banana, and a fig bar. Kevin elected to spend a little extra time at this stop, taking his helmet and gloves of to help cool himself and to wipe the sweat away. The shade felt good. Some of the folks stopping knew the two gentlemen that Kevin had been riding with on this last leg. Suddenly a large group of riders from team Hibernian slowed to spend time at the rest stop. Kevin estimated close to 30 cyclists in the Hibernian group. This will be his next group to hook up with. Kevin explained to the group he last rode with that he planed to take off with Hibernian and they should consider joining in. They thanked him but told him again they plan to ride more at a 15 to 16 mph pace and could not sustain the speeds Kevin had been setting for them during his pull. They then mounted their bikes and said their good bys. The told Kevin they expected to see him again as he and his new group would zoom on by. Kevin watched the new group of riders to determine how long before they started to move towards their bikes. A group this large is hard to manage and usually splinters as some are ready to ride before others are. One last guzzle of water. Back to the support tent to top off the water bottle. Wipe the sweat one more time. Helmet and gloves on. Grab the bike. Perfect timing as the Hibernian riders began assembling to mount their bikes. Kevin watched two take of fast, then a smaller group was observed wobbling as they worked to clip shoes into peddles. Kevin was already headed down the road somewhere between the two that took off early and the group still wobbling to secure shoes in peddles. Kevin elected to ride slow allowing the larger group to close the gap. He then slid into the draft line near the front. Several strong riders took turns pulling from the front. From his advantage point Kevin realized that the first 5 or 6 riders were the one taking turns at the pull, the rest of the pack had no plan to move into any of those first 5 to 7 slots. Kevin found himself slowly being moved to the pull position as those in front did their turn and then fell off to allow the next to take a crack at it. Kevin pulled for his share just as one of the riders said “ You like the font?”. “Others will do their turn”. She then zoomed on past Kevin to take command of the pace line. Hmmm. Aggressive, or just helpful. Kevin did not know how to deal with that so he fell in right behind her. “Do you ride as a group often?” Kevin asked. “Only once in a while”, she responded. “We all live in different areas and only ride together on organized rides”. “The group is a good one” she explained. “Everyone is willing to take their turn at the front”. Kevin learned through additional chit chat that her name was Kathy and her sister had come down from Pittsburg to do the ride. In fact this was her sister’s first bike ride of the year. So we learned that one of the ride leaders of this draft line was on a rented bike and had not ridden at all this year but was 40 miles into a 100 mile ride pulling 30 other riders along at an 18 mile per hour pace with a constant head wind. This rider had made an early commitment to 100 miles while Kevin did not know if he was ready for 35 miles at the start of the ride. The group did a great job staying together as the front 6 or 7 riders would take turns at the pull. This well organized draft line swallowed up other riders one after another. Some elected to jump on the rear and hold on as best they could. The group Kevin had been riding with prior to Hibernian were caught and elected to be assimilated as part of the ever growing peloton. One of the younger female riders took the lead and immediate the pace jumped to 22 – 23 miles per hour. The group splintered as if some one slashed their tires. Kevin saw this unfold in his mirror and informed the lead rider of what was taking place behind us. She announced that she did not have a computer and had no way to gauge her speed. So Kevin became the voice of he speedometer periodically informing the rider of current speed. She eventually slowed the pace to 19 miles per hour as they climbed on of the few hills along the county side. Soon shouts from the pack to slow done made their way to the front riders. Time to replace the lead rider with one who had a speedometer. Kevin slid back into the lead and managed the pace line allowing those that had splintered to regroup. From that point on Kevin pulled at a pace that kept the group together and still manage 17 to 18 miles per hour pace. Mile 54 found the group stopping at the next rest stop. No shade along the road. Kevin laid his bike just off the edge of the road in a narrow ravine. Water was the priority. The volunteers informed Kevin that Lunch was behind the church. With water bottle in hand Kevin found himself serving up rice, black beans, a turkey sandwich and salad. Finding shade he sat in the grass and slowly consumed the warm tasty lunch. None of the Hibernian team was in sight. Kevin learned that the 75 mile route and 100 mile route had converged just prior to this rest stop. They were at mile 38 while the 100 mile riders were at mile 54. With helmet and gloves off Kevin worked to cool himself and wipe the sweat of his forehead. Lunch completed he again filled water bottles that he had continued to drink from even during the lunch break. Fresh water new ice, helmet back on gloves in place Kevin made way to his bike. Oddly as he reached for his bike those that had been riding in the draft line suddenly began to gather. It was as if they were watching to see when he was ready to head out again. By the time he had pulled his bike out of the ravine and swung his leg over the top tube other bikers from the Hibernian team and those who had been assimilated were lining up in the same daft line configuration as before the stop. Off he and the other 5 or 6 leaders started. “Go slow for awhile” Kathy ordered. “Lets keep the group together” she announced. Kevin followed orders and watched his mirror as the draft line, looking and acting like a slinky, stretched and contracted until finally all riders were aligned with little gap between them and the biker ahead. From this point on Kevin remained at the pull position. He was able to keep the pack together with the input and directions from Kathy who kept an Eagle eye on what was unfolding as the pack ran down the highways and byways of the New Bern area. Mile 86 had the Hibernian peleton slowing down long enough to fill water bottles, grab a frozen ice cycle, ( frozen colored water in a bag ), and head back out on the road. As the team climbed onto their bikes a vote was take to stop or NOT at the last rest stop which was only another 6 miles down the road. The vote was NO. So the peleton had spoken the pace was quickened and the communications reduced. Now they could hear the hum of skinny tires rotating at 20 miles per hour and an occasional whir from a rear cluster as one of the riders would coast for a brief moment. Wind was now finally moving into position at the rider’s backs. Up from within the ranks a rider’s comment was relayed. “I bet we have a strong tail wind going over the bridge”. As if in a chorus line, the person in front of the relayed message, head bobbed up and down in agreement and in hope that the comment was seeing into the future. Sure enough the tail wind spanked the riders on as if it was a jockey spurring on their steady steed towards the last leg of the Preakness. Up over the bridge still riding within everyone’s limits at 20 miles and hour. Coasting down on the other side with a smooth sweeping right hand curve found them back onto the streets of New Burn. The Hibernian team now transforming from a draft line into a mob. With the right lane fully consumed by bikers wearing their distinctive Hibernian team jersey’s cars would honk, drivers would wave in support of and their approval of the efforts the bikers had committed to. Riders moved from their streamline positions low on the handle bars to a more up right, chest out, head held high stature. Smiles replaced the serious looks that had dominated the days ride. The pace slowed to enjoy the last moments of a great days ride. Suddenly the pack found themselves turning left into the park and across the finish line with the sound of the announcer proudly proclaiming the arrival of the Hibernian team. Just then Kevin’s cell phone began to ring. Somehow he knew it was Theresa who suspected when Kevin was not back in the room two hours earlier he had decided to do the 100 vs 75 mile ride. Kevin pulled over to try and answer the phone only to notice that all the team members were already on their cell phones letting someone at the other end know how great of a ride they just had and how proud they were to have ridden not just 100 miles but to have done it for such a great cause. A few high fives and lots of waves and acknowledging head nods was all that was needed for each rider to tell the other thanks. As if a strong wind just blew on a dandelion the riders all scattered towards their next destination. Tent or hotel or car to return bike, helmet, and shoes to their well deserved resting spots. Shower, dry clean cloths, and refreshment were not far away.
Kevin and Theresa found themselves working their way down to the evening’s planned festivities around 7:30. The food provided to the riders was excellent. Salad, pasta, jambalaya, and deserts. They also had all the beer your could reasonably consume. YES!
Kevin the Theresa milled about and ran into a couple of other bikers and friends they knew. First to be discovered were Janet Craig and her husband. They then ran into Kristine Harkness. The Sparano’s joined Kevin and Theresa at a table to eat and relax wile listening to the evenings entertainment and awards. They learned that team Hibernian was the second largest team there and only missed being number one by about 3 team members. Team Hibernian did win first place for best volunteer supported rest stop. Team Hibernian was also at the time the number one fund raising team. As of this report the team is still working to retain that position. The fund raising continues until Oct 2nd, so if you are reading this and have not pledged yet to the MS 150 follow this link to commit a level of support to the cause.
Click here to visit my personal page.If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=3645587&pg=personal&fr_id=5520&s_tafId=66726
As the evening unfolded the Smit’s and Sparano’s joined other Hibernian team members to share stories of the days ride and to talk about future adventures. Theresa met Kathy who had been bossing Kevin around all that day. A woman Theresa can relate to, they quickly created a new friendship. Theresa and Kathy exchanged emails and phone numbers in hopes that they could ride together in the future and also to plan new techniques to continue to direct Kevin’s future activities. They clearly like being in charge. The evening continued on with lots of great entertainment. The organizers announced that the tropical storm Gabriel maybe impacting the campers that evening and likely with impact the next day’s rides with heavy rain had strong 40+ mph winds. They said they would make a decision by 6 am as to what they would do regarding the routes for the next day. Kevin and Theresa said goodnight to all and headed to the room to watch the weather and prepare for the next days ride. Theresa was entering the contact information into her cell phone when she realized that the Kathy who had been bossing Kevin around all day was the Kathy Blum who gave up her room that Kevin and Theresa were now enjoying. This was like a Twilight Zone moment. DODO DO DODO DO. A small world indeed. What are the odds that in all the riders and the various route choices and varied paces that Kevin and the person who gave up their room to him and Theresa would end up riding more than half the days ride together.
Sunday Morning.
6 am Kevin looks out the window. Through the faint light of the early morning Sail boats in their slips appeared relaxed. Sidewalks looked dry. Kevin’s hopes rose as he felt ready to do another 100 mile ride based on how well he did the day before. Wait. If it takes 7 to 8 hours with rest stops then they would not be leaving New Bern until 6 pm. Hotel checkout is 11 am. Theresa would be done for hours and waiting on Kevin to return from his ride. Kevin then began to reduce his expectations to the 75 mile route, or maybe the 30 -35 mile route. TV turned on revealed a less than encouraging report. 40 mph winds were only minutes away with strong bands of rain stacked up ready to impact the area. Time to investigate what others were thinking. Kevin and Theresa dressed and headed to the lobby. Coffee was waiting for them at the end of the elevator ride. Lots of folks loading bikes and gear into cars and heading for home. A couple of individuals in full rain gear were planning to do the days ride. The ride organizers had made a smart decision in closing all routes but the 30 miler. Imagine being a volunteer on the 100 mile route waiting for hours in high winds and rain for a lonely rider to stop. Not worth peoples time or risk of injury. Kevin and Theresa met The Sparano’s at the Coffee Kiosk. A short discussion had all voting for a warm breakfast and early start towards home. No ride today.
A great event.
A great cause.
Great people.
Well organized.
Lots of fun.
The Hotel allowed Bikes in the room, so Kevin could sleep with his new bike. The Smits and Sparano’s loaded their cars Friday afternoon and by 4:30 pm they were on the way to New Bern. The drive was smooth with the caravan arriving at the hotel about 6:30. A speedy check in process exchanging the previous room reservation from a Kathy Blum to the Smit’s. You will learn that Kathy Blum turned out to be a significant contact for that weekend. A short trip from the car to the room several times had all the gear, bikes, and clothing strategically stashed. Kevin brought two bikes and considered a third depending on what the weather might do. Great to have choices. Team T-Shirts were dawned and off to registration and then the team tent for an all you can eat BBQ. The volunteers at registration worked effectively to move everyone through the process. The organizers had thought of everything including providing a Notary of Public Service. We learned that anyone under age needed not just their parents signature but also had to have the form Notarized. Once through registration the group headed to the team tent to find that they were the last group to go through the line. The tent was empty except for the sponsors and these two last families. Kevin filled his plate twice with Mashed Potatoes, Pulled Pig, vegetables, and a salad. He was starting to get concerned about the distance he was planning to ride and the guaranteed Bonk that always accompanies rides over 35 miles. The MS 150 offers 3 choices of distance on each of the two days of riding.
Riders can choose to ride 35, 75, or 100 miles each day. The Sparanos had already committed to riding with their kids on the 35 mile route, with Theresa agreeing to join them. Kevin was not committed to any distance yet and wanted to see if the routes allowed for a last minute decision. Once the meal was completed the group took a slow walk around the camping area which is also were the ride starts and ends. The sky was clear, the wind light, the temp cool, and the smell and sound of the salt water slapping the banks on the edge of the park put all into a mellow content state of mind.
Off to bed to make sure we had a good night rest. Kevin spent about an hour planning for the next day. He laid out is team jersey and attached the participant number to the back.
The number was arranged so it did not interfere with the pockets. Kevin then placed his cell phone in a zip lock baggie. He also placed his iPod in a Zip Lock baggie. This protects those devices from moisture due to rain or worse Kevin’s corrosive perspiration.
Kevin then made his choice of what pair of riding shorts he would use on day one. Does he go for comfort, or does he go for lots of extra padding. He chose comfort and picked the shorts with the thinnest padded chamois area. Kevin then reviewed each of the routes cue sheets to see if they start out together and where they split. He was hoping to see that they had allowed for those on the 35 mile ride to decide late in the route about extending it to 75, and the same for those committed to 75 to see if they can decide late on their route to extend to 100. Bummer. The 35 and 75 and 100 all ride together for about 3 miles only. Have to determine way too early in the ride if one is to do the 35 or some other distance. Too early to judge energy level, heat impact, potential cramps, back aches. Kevin then folded each cue sheet and placed them also in a Zip Lock bag. He was still non comitial on the distance so had each just in case. Kevin did decide that if he was to rely on the cue sheets he would need to get the sunglasses from the car that have a bifocal lens for reading. Next he laid out the pair of socks he would wear along with the shoes that fit the bike he would ride. Kevin had been watching the weather report ever since they returned to the room. He needed to know if there was any chance of rain. If there was a call for rain he would ride his old classic Jeffery Bock. If no rain in the forecast he was ready to bring out the new SCOTT. He had decided to ride the SCOTT.
Kevin then put a wash cloth in the Jersey pocket to help him remove that caustic sweat that runs down his forehead and into his eyes. It rains heavily in Kevin’s helmet and he needs methods to remove that periodically. Kevin then placed a granola bar and a power bar in the pockets of the team jersey. These are for backup nutritional needs only, in case he decides to do more than 35 miles. Lastly Kevin pulled out two water bottles and proceeded to mix the exact amount of Accelerade powder with water into the water bottles. This also was done in case Kevin elected to ride more than 35 miles. He then slid the water bottles filled with this new blue foamy substance into the cages on his bike.
He slid his bike computer into its slot on the handle bar making sure he had reset the computer. This allows for an accurate reading for the next days ride, providing speed, distance, maximum speed, average speed, cadence in revolutions per minute of the peddles, and time in the saddle. As Kevin slid under the covers he laid his heart rate monitor on top of his jersey ensuring that it will be affixed to his chest prior to pulling the jersey over his head.
In the mean time Theresa had immediately put her pj’s on climbed into bed and was well into full REM cycled sleep.
Kevin could rest well knowing that he had staged and prepared for most of what needed to be done to ensure a smooth start the next day.
Saturday Sept 8th first ride day of the weekend.
Breakfast was being offered at the start finish line starting at 6:30 am.
The team picture was scheduled for 7:55 am.
The line up at the start line by distance and pace was to be completed so that the fastest riders would be launched at 8:30 am, and then every 5 to 10 minutes later the next group would be set onto the coarse with the 35 mile group all to be released at once as the last group to cross the start line.
Theresa and Kevin had set the alarm for 6 am. Plenty of time to dress and have a leisurely breakfast of coffee, bagels, banana, and pastries. They also planned to take their bike shoes, helmet, and bikes down early and stage them in the car. This would reduce the crunch that would likely happen as all the bikers headed down the elevator with bikes to get to the start. Before heading out Theresa tried to accomplish in 15 minutes what Kevin had done the night before in preparation for the days ride. Theresa searched for her bike computer and struggled trying to put it on the bike. After a short period she asked Kevin to see if he could get it on the bike. Kevin took the computer and moved it from his second bike to Theresa’s. Yes they look alike. Theresa then filled her water bottle and put it in the bike cage. Theresa was looking for her jersey, then for the safety pins to put on her number. Her first attempt had her redoing the placement of the number so it would not interfere with the jersey’s pockets. She then searched for her sunglasses.
Helmets and gloves were then located and Theresa was now ready to move the bike and gear to the car. The Sparano’s had suggested we all do our own thing in the morning and meet at the team picture. After staging the bikes and gear in their car Kevin and Theresa consumed several small cups of coffee along with items listed above. Kevin had taken a dose of Alive to reduce the back pain he typically deals with, and spent much of the early morning stretching, which also helps with the back pain. He is getting very old and may need to be put down soon. Theresa was busy socializing with any and all who went buy. Kevin was still in deep contemplation of what he planned to do for that days ride.
The Sparanos showed up and had a light breakfast at the same table were Kevin and Theresa had set up. Lots of high energy was already pouring from this group. Steve was busy taking pictures and egging on the kids. The team picture was late due to other teams taking longer for theirs. The Hibernian team had grown to 112 members, and was one of the largest teams in attendance. We all squeezed together as best we could to make for a great team picture.
The Sparano’s had their bikes and were ready to move to their place in line for the start. Kevin and Theresa had no plans to start with the pack. They planed to ride from their car out the drive way and join the ride ½ block from the start as the riders traveled past. To the room they went for last minute items and a final bathroom break. Kevin was first into the bathroom and was soon waiting to leave the room. Theresa was found looking for the days ride cue sheets, and reviewing in her head to consider what was ready and what was yet to be accomplished for the ride. 8:45 am and they were still in the room. The start of the ride had already taken place and several groups had been released to the roads. Finally the Smit’s ride the elevator to the parking lot to retrieve their bikes and other staged items. Kevin had helmet on shoes on and had straddled the bike when Theresa said. Where is my water bottle “I know I put it on my bike”. Sure enough it was not in the cage on her bike. Off to the room she went in search of the missing water bottle. Kevin continued to straddle the bike while holding Theresa’s as several hundred bikes slowly picked up speed as they rode past. Kevin saw at least 3 separate pace groups be released during the time it took for Theresa to find the water bottle. It was right where she left it in the water bottle cage on Kevin’s second bike still in the room.
Finally the two were off to join the riders. Kevin and Theresa planned to ride together for as long as the routes were conjoined. Just starting to warm up and enjoy the ride with Theresa 2 ½ miles into the ride the 35 mile route continued on straight and the 75/100 mile routes took the clover leave down, around and onto 70 east. It was apparent at that point that none of the 35 mile riders had yet been relased to the road. So Theresa and Kevin said good by, have a great ride. Theresa then pulled over and waited for the Sparano’s.
Kevin was still grappling with the distance he was going to attempt. He had already made a commitment to not do the 35 miles. To date this year his longest ride was 50 miles with a serious bonk happening at the 35 mile mark. Knowing this Kevin put together a survival strategy.
Draft any one who is going a comfortable pace.
Keep the heart Rate below 120
If heart rate goes over 120 shift or slow down to bring it back
Keep Cadence between 85 and 95 rpms.
Drink and drink and drink
Stop at every rest stop to fill water bottles and eat one or two small items.
Kevin now had a plan and all the tools to monitor the progress of his plan.
Once onto 70east the bikers rode across the bridge up and over the bay. Police and Highway patrol did a great job of holding off the weekend traffic while bikers dominated the roads early on this ride. Head wind was very evident each time Kevin tried to jump the gap from rider to rider. He found it interesting that for several miles early in the ride he would be past and then pass the same riders over and over again. Kevin maintained a steady cadence and heart rate. This also translated to a fairly steady speed. The speed was dictated more by the amount of head wind or the pace of the individual he was drafting. The roads were a combination of smooth black top and old rough hard-pack,
few obstacles or holes and no shoulder. Kevin found a small pack of cyclists that were working well together. The group was made up of individuals from several teams. Oddly enough the group was very social and did not have a competitive spirit, more a spirit of Great to be here and lets work together to have fun. Mile 15.4 first rest stop. Kevin’s first priority was to empty his bladder, this was a signal that he had done a good job of hydrating prior to the start of the ride and that he was not over exerting himself. Next mission was to fill water bottle, then find simple easy items to eat. Kevin did not want to spend more then a few minutes at this stop. Stopping for too long stiffens up the muscles and makes it more challenging to get going again in the saddle. After a half of a banana, and a fig bar, Kevin looked around to see if he saw anyone from the group ready to mount the bikes. Seeing no one he made the decision to head out before any further delay. This found him riding solo. On the horizon the riders were far more strung out than prior to the rest stop. Glancing back the rest stop was looking like a clogged artery. Bikes laying on the ground, resting against trees, some bikers walking with their bikes as if in fear of losing them. More bikers approaching and stopping at the rest stop than leaving for the next leg of the ride. Kevin focused on monitoring all systems. His heart rate, his cadence, his speed, the average speed. The head wind was always there. Kevin fought the erg to speed up to try and get this section over with. Steady wins the race. Kevin slowly reeled in one rider after another making a decision to draft or slide on past.
This leap frog approach helped him jump the gaps while maintaining his stated goal to keep all systems in check. Soon he saw a team of two up ahead working efficiently. Making an extra effort that took him out of the target zones Kevin attacked the next gap to see if he could benefit from this organized team of two. Within a few minute Kevin found himself riding tight on the wheels of a couple who he found riding at a reasonable pace of 18 – 19 miles per hour. He was able to draft them and keep systems he was monitoring in check. This team of two took turns pulling against the wind and did not consider Kevin’s wheel sucking as an issue. They did not talk so Kevin did not break the silence. He wanted to ask the question “what distance are you planning to ride?”. Ideally they were planning to do the 100 mile route. This would mean Kevin could darft and potentially survive this stellar, yet decided goal. How to determine their intent? Then it occurred to Kevin. Wait to see what colored cue sheet they use to determine the next turn. The Orange one is for the 75 miles and the Gold/Yellow one is for the 100 mile. But wait we are all on the same path at this point. No need to review the cue sheet just follow the person in the distance. Looking around Kevin noticed a Yellow Glow from the white Jersey of the team members. OK. He might be in luck if he chooses to try the 100 miles, just don’t let this team get away. As a team this group zoomed by rider after rider most of whom were battling the head winds on their own. Each time they encountered another organized draft line the team fell inline for a brief period and then slid out left and walked away. It appeared that the team of two Kevin had latched on to had a mission to maintain a specific pace and would not fall below that. Fine with Kevin as long as he maintained his systems of HR under 120 and cadence between 85 and 95. Mile 26.7 The 75 milers and100 milers still on the same route when rest stop #2 appeared. Kevin was not sure if this team would stop and if they did for how long. Kevin did not want to work to find another solid group to draft off of. Rest Stop 2 was the one sponsored by Hibernian the Team Kevin and Theresa were members of. Kevin had to stop no matter what just to show support. This time the mission was water, half of a banana and two dinner roles with jelly. Very short stop had Kevin ready to ride long before his draft buddies were. This left Kevin with the realization that he again had to search for the next draft opportunity. Again he found himself pushing against the head wind. Again Kevin saw only individual riders in the distance all working solo to make the next revolution of the peddle. No great prospects for drafting. Suddenly only after 3 miles a pivotal decision must be made. The orange arrow pointed right the yellow arrow pointed left. No time to analyze, no time to see who was turning what direction. Kevin Quickly checked all systems. Was his heart rate OK, his cadence, how did he feel? Any cramps? How was his back? Was the iPod still filling his ears with music at soft soothing background levels? Right or Left? No time to think. Left leg up lean left Kevin found himself suddenly committed to the Yellow 100 mile route after only 29 miles of riding. When does he normally Bonk? 35 miles you say. Wow a long day is about to unfold. Realizing what just happened Kevin again took stock of all systems. Just like the Apollo missions he checked and double checked the systems as if the first reading was incorrect. All systems GO. At least for now.
Looking ahead Kevin saw even fewer riders dotting the horizon in front of him. Solo again and for longer stretches before finding any one who he maybe able to draft. Kevin rode on trying to draft several riders only to discover they were riding too slow and actually made his ride less than ideal. Somehow the Heart Rate and Cadence Kevin had chosen to follow also was proving to be the easiest to sustain. Slower was more difficult and faster was comfortable but slowly pushed the heart rate beyond 130 beats per minute. He did hook up with two riders who seemed to be riding fairly steady and at the 17 mph pace. The two were very friendly and carried on a conversation making the miles slide by. Kevin took his turn pulling after having drafted for several minutes. His spot at the front became the norm for the rest of the ride with this group. They were planning to accomplish 100 miles and were already starting to falter until Kevin took the lead. The group slowly built speeds up toward 19 miles per hour. This was sustained for awhile until the pace reached 20 – 21 mph. This splintered the group with one saying he could not remain in the pace line if it goes over 16 mph. The pace was reduced to keep the group together. Mile 40 found the group slowing for a 3rd rest stop. Kevin dismounted his bike and laid it in the shade of a large tree. The sun was starting to cook. A bathroom break was needed. Hydration was still being accomplished well by Kevin. Water bottles filled with ice and fresh water, half a banana, and a fig bar. Kevin elected to spend a little extra time at this stop, taking his helmet and gloves of to help cool himself and to wipe the sweat away. The shade felt good. Some of the folks stopping knew the two gentlemen that Kevin had been riding with on this last leg. Suddenly a large group of riders from team Hibernian slowed to spend time at the rest stop. Kevin estimated close to 30 cyclists in the Hibernian group. This will be his next group to hook up with. Kevin explained to the group he last rode with that he planed to take off with Hibernian and they should consider joining in. They thanked him but told him again they plan to ride more at a 15 to 16 mph pace and could not sustain the speeds Kevin had been setting for them during his pull. They then mounted their bikes and said their good bys. The told Kevin they expected to see him again as he and his new group would zoom on by. Kevin watched the new group of riders to determine how long before they started to move towards their bikes. A group this large is hard to manage and usually splinters as some are ready to ride before others are. One last guzzle of water. Back to the support tent to top off the water bottle. Wipe the sweat one more time. Helmet and gloves on. Grab the bike. Perfect timing as the Hibernian riders began assembling to mount their bikes. Kevin watched two take of fast, then a smaller group was observed wobbling as they worked to clip shoes into peddles. Kevin was already headed down the road somewhere between the two that took off early and the group still wobbling to secure shoes in peddles. Kevin elected to ride slow allowing the larger group to close the gap. He then slid into the draft line near the front. Several strong riders took turns pulling from the front. From his advantage point Kevin realized that the first 5 or 6 riders were the one taking turns at the pull, the rest of the pack had no plan to move into any of those first 5 to 7 slots. Kevin found himself slowly being moved to the pull position as those in front did their turn and then fell off to allow the next to take a crack at it. Kevin pulled for his share just as one of the riders said “ You like the font?”. “Others will do their turn”. She then zoomed on past Kevin to take command of the pace line. Hmmm. Aggressive, or just helpful. Kevin did not know how to deal with that so he fell in right behind her. “Do you ride as a group often?” Kevin asked. “Only once in a while”, she responded. “We all live in different areas and only ride together on organized rides”. “The group is a good one” she explained. “Everyone is willing to take their turn at the front”. Kevin learned through additional chit chat that her name was Kathy and her sister had come down from Pittsburg to do the ride. In fact this was her sister’s first bike ride of the year. So we learned that one of the ride leaders of this draft line was on a rented bike and had not ridden at all this year but was 40 miles into a 100 mile ride pulling 30 other riders along at an 18 mile per hour pace with a constant head wind. This rider had made an early commitment to 100 miles while Kevin did not know if he was ready for 35 miles at the start of the ride. The group did a great job staying together as the front 6 or 7 riders would take turns at the pull. This well organized draft line swallowed up other riders one after another. Some elected to jump on the rear and hold on as best they could. The group Kevin had been riding with prior to Hibernian were caught and elected to be assimilated as part of the ever growing peloton. One of the younger female riders took the lead and immediate the pace jumped to 22 – 23 miles per hour. The group splintered as if some one slashed their tires. Kevin saw this unfold in his mirror and informed the lead rider of what was taking place behind us. She announced that she did not have a computer and had no way to gauge her speed. So Kevin became the voice of he speedometer periodically informing the rider of current speed. She eventually slowed the pace to 19 miles per hour as they climbed on of the few hills along the county side. Soon shouts from the pack to slow done made their way to the front riders. Time to replace the lead rider with one who had a speedometer. Kevin slid back into the lead and managed the pace line allowing those that had splintered to regroup. From that point on Kevin pulled at a pace that kept the group together and still manage 17 to 18 miles per hour pace. Mile 54 found the group stopping at the next rest stop. No shade along the road. Kevin laid his bike just off the edge of the road in a narrow ravine. Water was the priority. The volunteers informed Kevin that Lunch was behind the church. With water bottle in hand Kevin found himself serving up rice, black beans, a turkey sandwich and salad. Finding shade he sat in the grass and slowly consumed the warm tasty lunch. None of the Hibernian team was in sight. Kevin learned that the 75 mile route and 100 mile route had converged just prior to this rest stop. They were at mile 38 while the 100 mile riders were at mile 54. With helmet and gloves off Kevin worked to cool himself and wipe the sweat of his forehead. Lunch completed he again filled water bottles that he had continued to drink from even during the lunch break. Fresh water new ice, helmet back on gloves in place Kevin made way to his bike. Oddly as he reached for his bike those that had been riding in the draft line suddenly began to gather. It was as if they were watching to see when he was ready to head out again. By the time he had pulled his bike out of the ravine and swung his leg over the top tube other bikers from the Hibernian team and those who had been assimilated were lining up in the same daft line configuration as before the stop. Off he and the other 5 or 6 leaders started. “Go slow for awhile” Kathy ordered. “Lets keep the group together” she announced. Kevin followed orders and watched his mirror as the draft line, looking and acting like a slinky, stretched and contracted until finally all riders were aligned with little gap between them and the biker ahead. From this point on Kevin remained at the pull position. He was able to keep the pack together with the input and directions from Kathy who kept an Eagle eye on what was unfolding as the pack ran down the highways and byways of the New Bern area. Mile 86 had the Hibernian peleton slowing down long enough to fill water bottles, grab a frozen ice cycle, ( frozen colored water in a bag ), and head back out on the road. As the team climbed onto their bikes a vote was take to stop or NOT at the last rest stop which was only another 6 miles down the road. The vote was NO. So the peleton had spoken the pace was quickened and the communications reduced. Now they could hear the hum of skinny tires rotating at 20 miles per hour and an occasional whir from a rear cluster as one of the riders would coast for a brief moment. Wind was now finally moving into position at the rider’s backs. Up from within the ranks a rider’s comment was relayed. “I bet we have a strong tail wind going over the bridge”. As if in a chorus line, the person in front of the relayed message, head bobbed up and down in agreement and in hope that the comment was seeing into the future. Sure enough the tail wind spanked the riders on as if it was a jockey spurring on their steady steed towards the last leg of the Preakness. Up over the bridge still riding within everyone’s limits at 20 miles and hour. Coasting down on the other side with a smooth sweeping right hand curve found them back onto the streets of New Burn. The Hibernian team now transforming from a draft line into a mob. With the right lane fully consumed by bikers wearing their distinctive Hibernian team jersey’s cars would honk, drivers would wave in support of and their approval of the efforts the bikers had committed to. Riders moved from their streamline positions low on the handle bars to a more up right, chest out, head held high stature. Smiles replaced the serious looks that had dominated the days ride. The pace slowed to enjoy the last moments of a great days ride. Suddenly the pack found themselves turning left into the park and across the finish line with the sound of the announcer proudly proclaiming the arrival of the Hibernian team. Just then Kevin’s cell phone began to ring. Somehow he knew it was Theresa who suspected when Kevin was not back in the room two hours earlier he had decided to do the 100 vs 75 mile ride. Kevin pulled over to try and answer the phone only to notice that all the team members were already on their cell phones letting someone at the other end know how great of a ride they just had and how proud they were to have ridden not just 100 miles but to have done it for such a great cause. A few high fives and lots of waves and acknowledging head nods was all that was needed for each rider to tell the other thanks. As if a strong wind just blew on a dandelion the riders all scattered towards their next destination. Tent or hotel or car to return bike, helmet, and shoes to their well deserved resting spots. Shower, dry clean cloths, and refreshment were not far away.
Kevin and Theresa found themselves working their way down to the evening’s planned festivities around 7:30. The food provided to the riders was excellent. Salad, pasta, jambalaya, and deserts. They also had all the beer your could reasonably consume. YES!
Kevin the Theresa milled about and ran into a couple of other bikers and friends they knew. First to be discovered were Janet Craig and her husband. They then ran into Kristine Harkness. The Sparano’s joined Kevin and Theresa at a table to eat and relax wile listening to the evenings entertainment and awards. They learned that team Hibernian was the second largest team there and only missed being number one by about 3 team members. Team Hibernian did win first place for best volunteer supported rest stop. Team Hibernian was also at the time the number one fund raising team. As of this report the team is still working to retain that position. The fund raising continues until Oct 2nd, so if you are reading this and have not pledged yet to the MS 150 follow this link to commit a level of support to the cause.
Click here to visit my personal page.If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=3645587&pg=personal&fr_id=5520&s_tafId=66726
As the evening unfolded the Smit’s and Sparano’s joined other Hibernian team members to share stories of the days ride and to talk about future adventures. Theresa met Kathy who had been bossing Kevin around all that day. A woman Theresa can relate to, they quickly created a new friendship. Theresa and Kathy exchanged emails and phone numbers in hopes that they could ride together in the future and also to plan new techniques to continue to direct Kevin’s future activities. They clearly like being in charge. The evening continued on with lots of great entertainment. The organizers announced that the tropical storm Gabriel maybe impacting the campers that evening and likely with impact the next day’s rides with heavy rain had strong 40+ mph winds. They said they would make a decision by 6 am as to what they would do regarding the routes for the next day. Kevin and Theresa said goodnight to all and headed to the room to watch the weather and prepare for the next days ride. Theresa was entering the contact information into her cell phone when she realized that the Kathy who had been bossing Kevin around all day was the Kathy Blum who gave up her room that Kevin and Theresa were now enjoying. This was like a Twilight Zone moment. DODO DO DODO DO. A small world indeed. What are the odds that in all the riders and the various route choices and varied paces that Kevin and the person who gave up their room to him and Theresa would end up riding more than half the days ride together.
Sunday Morning.
6 am Kevin looks out the window. Through the faint light of the early morning Sail boats in their slips appeared relaxed. Sidewalks looked dry. Kevin’s hopes rose as he felt ready to do another 100 mile ride based on how well he did the day before. Wait. If it takes 7 to 8 hours with rest stops then they would not be leaving New Bern until 6 pm. Hotel checkout is 11 am. Theresa would be done for hours and waiting on Kevin to return from his ride. Kevin then began to reduce his expectations to the 75 mile route, or maybe the 30 -35 mile route. TV turned on revealed a less than encouraging report. 40 mph winds were only minutes away with strong bands of rain stacked up ready to impact the area. Time to investigate what others were thinking. Kevin and Theresa dressed and headed to the lobby. Coffee was waiting for them at the end of the elevator ride. Lots of folks loading bikes and gear into cars and heading for home. A couple of individuals in full rain gear were planning to do the days ride. The ride organizers had made a smart decision in closing all routes but the 30 miler. Imagine being a volunteer on the 100 mile route waiting for hours in high winds and rain for a lonely rider to stop. Not worth peoples time or risk of injury. Kevin and Theresa met The Sparano’s at the Coffee Kiosk. A short discussion had all voting for a warm breakfast and early start towards home. No ride today.
A great event.
A great cause.
Great people.
Well organized.
Lots of fun.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Flat Top – Blue Ridge loop (20 miles)
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1285425
After surviving the 12 mile ride, we once again called upon Google Pedometer to expand the loop and search for a rode bike trail. Rode bike rules out the shaggy to the south of Snaggy and requires us to make the 1.5 mile decent down Snaggy Mtn to 105. This also means at the end of the ride you must make the grueling ascent back to the house. As an option park at the Super 8 and start and end form there!
Summary: This ride will exercise all your gears. Be sure you have your triple chain ring and your breaks are in good shape! This is a loop and delivers equal amount of extreme and scenic ups and awesome downs. Passing behind Ski Mountain and Tweetsie railroad you will surely feel on top of the world. The Blue Ridge parkway offers a special challenge on holiday weekends so this ride is best suited for midweek or an early Sunday morning.
Left out of Snaggy Mtn House, down 1.5 mile to 105, careful on the curves watch out for the occasional car,and loose gravel on the curves.
Right on 105 downhill towards Boone, traffic is not always generous with the road so be sure to maintain your path.
Right on Wilson (second traffic light) towards Boone’s Mall.
Right at light on to Deck Hill Rd.
Left at fork onto Greenway Rd (option is to continue on Deck Hill which will bypass all of the route on 321 and Payne Branch and connect at Flat Top). Kevin says do 321 and Payne Branch.
Right on Meadowview Dr. this is a gradual up hill that takes you behind Wal-Mart and out on to 321.
Right on 321 at the lights and proceed up hill. This is a high speed and heavily traveled road. You are only on this for a 3/4 mile but it seems like much longer!
Right on Payne Branch with a quick down hill, cross a bridge and then start heading up!
Long steady climb. Do not let the curve fool you, it continues up never levels off. This lasts for about 2 miles.
Left on Flat Top road as Payne Branch continues unpaved straight and Deck Hill intersects from the right. This is the mile 6 mark on the ride.
Note that Flat Top road must be named by the hair style of some politician, because it is anything but Flat… even at the top! This is the road that climbs behind Tweetsie (hear the whistle blow) and Ski Mountain. Great views as you look out onto the Smokies. The decent is spectacular as it windes down for miles through rich meadows and pastures until reaching the Blue Ridge Parkway at the 8 mile mark.
Left onto Blue Ridge Parkway South towards Ashville, this is a steady climb for 2.5 miles. You can break this up by stopping at the Craft center located in Moses Cones memorial home which over looks Base Lake and has rocking chairs on the front porch and bathrooms if needed. Nothing to eat or drink though.
Left at sign for 221 and follow signs to Shull’s Mill Road, this may look familiar if you do the 12 mile warm up ride! Climbing this time to the Trail head of Moses Cone, then a long gradual decent through shaded windy roads.
Right Sharply and steep up onto Poplar Grove Rd at the 13 mile mark. Continue a long slow climb, steepest of the ride at this point, cresting when you intersect with Russ Cornett Rd. Continue on Poplar Grove down hill to 105. Long sweeping curves on smooth blacktop.
Right on 105 for a short distance past the Super 8 (did you leave your car here?) We did not
!
Right on Snaggy Mtn Blvd up a VERY steep climb 1.5 miles to the house! Theresa had to walk part of the first part, but then slowly made the rest of the climb. Kevin even had to stop at the first sharp bend to catch his breath and continue on.
We did this 20 mile loop in 2+ hours (3 hours including picture and rest stops) 9.5 mph average. Next time we start at Super 8.
Maybe even take the road bikes instead of the mountain bikes.
After surviving the 12 mile ride, we once again called upon Google Pedometer to expand the loop and search for a rode bike trail. Rode bike rules out the shaggy to the south of Snaggy and requires us to make the 1.5 mile decent down Snaggy Mtn to 105. This also means at the end of the ride you must make the grueling ascent back to the house. As an option park at the Super 8 and start and end form there!
Summary: This ride will exercise all your gears. Be sure you have your triple chain ring and your breaks are in good shape! This is a loop and delivers equal amount of extreme and scenic ups and awesome downs. Passing behind Ski Mountain and Tweetsie railroad you will surely feel on top of the world. The Blue Ridge parkway offers a special challenge on holiday weekends so this ride is best suited for midweek or an early Sunday morning.
Left out of Snaggy Mtn House, down 1.5 mile to 105, careful on the curves watch out for the occasional car,and loose gravel on the curves.
Right on 105 downhill towards Boone, traffic is not always generous with the road so be sure to maintain your path.
Right on Wilson (second traffic light) towards Boone’s Mall.
Right at light on to Deck Hill Rd.
Left at fork onto Greenway Rd (option is to continue on Deck Hill which will bypass all of the route on 321 and Payne Branch and connect at Flat Top). Kevin says do 321 and Payne Branch.
Right on Meadowview Dr. this is a gradual up hill that takes you behind Wal-Mart and out on to 321.
Right on 321 at the lights and proceed up hill. This is a high speed and heavily traveled road. You are only on this for a 3/4 mile but it seems like much longer!
Right on Payne Branch with a quick down hill, cross a bridge and then start heading up! Long steady climb. Do not let the curve fool you, it continues up never levels off. This lasts for about 2 miles.
Left on Flat Top road as Payne Branch continues unpaved straight and Deck Hill intersects from the right. This is the mile 6 mark on the ride.
Note that Flat Top road must be named by the hair style of some politician, because it is anything but Flat… even at the top! This is the road that climbs behind Tweetsie (hear the whistle blow) and Ski Mountain. Great views as you look out onto the Smokies. The decent is spectacular as it windes down for miles through rich meadows and pastures until reaching the Blue Ridge Parkway at the 8 mile mark. Left onto Blue Ridge Parkway South towards Ashville, this is a steady climb for 2.5 miles. You can break this up by stopping at the Craft center located in Moses Cones memorial home which over looks Base Lake and has rocking chairs on the front porch and bathrooms if needed. Nothing to eat or drink though.
Left at sign for 221 and follow signs to Shull’s Mill Road, this may look familiar if you do the 12 mile warm up ride! Climbing this time to the Trail head of Moses Cone, then a long gradual decent through shaded windy roads.
Right Sharply and steep up onto Poplar Grove Rd at the 13 mile mark. Continue a long slow climb, steepest of the ride at this point, cresting when you intersect with Russ Cornett Rd. Continue on Poplar Grove down hill to 105. Long sweeping curves on smooth blacktop.
Right on 105 for a short distance past the Super 8 (did you leave your car here?) We did not
! Right on Snaggy Mtn Blvd up a VERY steep climb 1.5 miles to the house! Theresa had to walk part of the first part, but then slowly made the rest of the climb. Kevin even had to stop at the first sharp bend to catch his breath and continue on.
We did this 20 mile loop in 2+ hours (3 hours including picture and rest stops) 9.5 mph average. Next time we start at Super 8.
Maybe even take the road bikes instead of the mountain bikes.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Warm up 12 mile loop Snaggy - Shull’s Mill
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1279723
On a mission to discover some good trials leaving from the Snaggy house, Theresa used Google Pedometer to lay out a 10ish mile mountain bike loop ride on Saturday. This would be a good warm up ride, there are some climbs (this is the mountains you know), great scenery and matching downhills.
Starting from the Snaggy Mth house head right (South, away from 105). Quickly this turns into gravel then very steep rutted clay which is slick when wet. You have my permission to walk the steep part of this down and up when you come back this way. Theresa was unprepared for any technical trail this early in the ride so she stopped suddenly, her chain came off. When she tried to start again her peddles locked up and down she went with a high pitched scream! That’s gonna bruse! She hobbled the rest of the way down the shiggy where Kevin awaited shaking his head thinking, this is gonna be a long ride!
The road at the bottom, Russ Cornett Rd. is paved; we turned right on it and began a slow climb. Not much traffic here, but there is an occasional dog that may greet you as you pass. The road forks to the left, Diamond Ranch Rd is to the right, stay left still going up. This road boarders Moses Cone park to the left and is lined with farms and grazing live stock. Very gradual and scenic climb!
A gradual down hill takes you to a T-intersection with Poplar Grove, turn left and continue down hill. You will need your breaks as you navigate the curves on this steep down hill. A bit of payback! At the 3 mile mark there is another T-intersection make a very sharp left onto Shull’s Mill Rd still going down you can enjoy the effortless coasting.
Shull’s Mill now turns to a gradual but shaded up hill climb. You will pass various resorts, spa’s and hideaway restaurants. One we noted was “The Game Keeper Restaurant” which we looked up on the internet and plan to try it out sometime for a special occasion!
Shull’s Mill crests at a trail head for Moses Cone Park and then heads down hill towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just before the Parkway you will see signs for Trout Lake. Just past that entrance we took a left (eventually) onto Flannery Fork road (5.5 miles). We missed this turn as we were looking for Payne Branch (Google Pedometer did not have Flannery Fork), but we knew we needed to be on the East side of Trout lake. This road was gravel and we questioned if it was going to connect to Payne Branch but it was quite pleasant and meandered past Trout Lake and continued on past trail intersections to Moses Cone and on over one vehicle bridges. The tree canopy made this part of the ride shaded and the flat terrain with no traffic made this the best part of the ride! Soon we saw a large ranch on the left and wahh-la pavement! Had we found Payne Branch? Who cares, it was very scenic and we were after all heading in the right direction (we hope). After 3 intersections with only the name of the perpendicular street we finally got validation that we in fact were on Flannery Fork, and had reached our next landmark of Winklers Creek at the 7.5 mile mark. This road was a surprisingly nice down hill towards Boone, passing a reservoir, watching for dogs and our next turn 2 miles zoomed by. A sharp left on Russ Cornett was a very steep up hill then more gradual 1.5 mile climb looking for the right back to the foot of the Snaggy shiggy and back to the house. Kevin’s odometer measured 12 miles at 8.8 pace. This was a great warm up ride!
On a mission to discover some good trials leaving from the Snaggy house, Theresa used Google Pedometer to lay out a 10ish mile mountain bike loop ride on Saturday. This would be a good warm up ride, there are some climbs (this is the mountains you know), great scenery and matching downhills.
Starting from the Snaggy Mth house head right (South, away from 105). Quickly this turns into gravel then very steep rutted clay which is slick when wet. You have my permission to walk the steep part of this down and up when you come back this way. Theresa was unprepared for any technical trail this early in the ride so she stopped suddenly, her chain came off. When she tried to start again her peddles locked up and down she went with a high pitched scream! That’s gonna bruse! She hobbled the rest of the way down the shiggy where Kevin awaited shaking his head thinking, this is gonna be a long ride!
The road at the bottom, Russ Cornett Rd. is paved; we turned right on it and began a slow climb. Not much traffic here, but there is an occasional dog that may greet you as you pass. The road forks to the left, Diamond Ranch Rd is to the right, stay left still going up. This road boarders Moses Cone park to the left and is lined with farms and grazing live stock. Very gradual and scenic climb!
A gradual down hill takes you to a T-intersection with Poplar Grove, turn left and continue down hill. You will need your breaks as you navigate the curves on this steep down hill. A bit of payback! At the 3 mile mark there is another T-intersection make a very sharp left onto Shull’s Mill Rd still going down you can enjoy the effortless coasting.
Shull’s Mill now turns to a gradual but shaded up hill climb. You will pass various resorts, spa’s and hideaway restaurants. One we noted was “The Game Keeper Restaurant” which we looked up on the internet and plan to try it out sometime for a special occasion!
Shull’s Mill crests at a trail head for Moses Cone Park and then heads down hill towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just before the Parkway you will see signs for Trout Lake. Just past that entrance we took a left (eventually) onto Flannery Fork road (5.5 miles). We missed this turn as we were looking for Payne Branch (Google Pedometer did not have Flannery Fork), but we knew we needed to be on the East side of Trout lake. This road was gravel and we questioned if it was going to connect to Payne Branch but it was quite pleasant and meandered past Trout Lake and continued on past trail intersections to Moses Cone and on over one vehicle bridges. The tree canopy made this part of the ride shaded and the flat terrain with no traffic made this the best part of the ride! Soon we saw a large ranch on the left and wahh-la pavement! Had we found Payne Branch? Who cares, it was very scenic and we were after all heading in the right direction (we hope). After 3 intersections with only the name of the perpendicular street we finally got validation that we in fact were on Flannery Fork, and had reached our next landmark of Winklers Creek at the 7.5 mile mark. This road was a surprisingly nice down hill towards Boone, passing a reservoir, watching for dogs and our next turn 2 miles zoomed by. A sharp left on Russ Cornett was a very steep up hill then more gradual 1.5 mile climb looking for the right back to the foot of the Snaggy shiggy and back to the house. Kevin’s odometer measured 12 miles at 8.8 pace. This was a great warm up ride!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
