Saturday June 2nd Matt explodes and Steve Cope to the rescue

The day began as most Saturday rides do.
An assortment of vehicles and bikes and riders of many colors, genders and vintages all assemble in the parking lot of Brugers at the corner of High House and Cary Parkway.

Today’s ride brought out the following vehicles, bikes, and vintage riders.
Blue van with John Majikes and his brother Matt. Solid performers on solid performing bikes.

No hype just results with these bikes and riders. They are building up to a 100 mile ride to raise money for diabetes. The ride is in California on 6/23/07. Send John an email to learn more Majikesj@us.ibm.com

Gray pickup truck with Ron and Traci Clanton with Tandem. Power provided from the stoker and navigation provided by Garmin. Ron provides rapid responses to navigation system and additional commands from stoker.

Blue VW passat with Sarah Powell and her Classic bike with super campy components. This bike and rider continue to demonstrate that Quality never deteriorates

Blue mini van with the Smit’s. Theresa on her 1979 custom Jeffrey Bock, and Kevin on his new feather light Scott all Carbon Go Fast (if someone else rides it ) bike.

Another Blue Van with Beth Gonzalez and her new Trek. Beth’s speed and cadence are tightly coupled with the level of conversation that is taking place.

Blue BMW with Jae Brainard and her new bike with giant chain rings – she rides a 72 / 65 front chain ring with 11 / 18 rear cluster. Ride with her and count her RPMs they are slower than Lance Armstrong’s heart rate at rest.

Yellow VW THING from WW II with Steve Cope (escapee from Stalag 13) and his original lightweight Vitas aluminum frame that was assembled utilizing the newest space age glues. This was the original bike that started the lightweight revolution leading to newer materials like Titanium, and carbon fiber.

Later on the ride we where joined by Tim Travitz. Tim was discovered a week ago on our ride as we turned from Luther onto Horton Pond and spied a lone rider with his bike propped against the stop sign. He was on the phone as we stopped to ask him if he was ok. “Yea” he claimed – “Broken Chain” he sighed. We had a chain break tool to help him put the chain back together but to no avail. We told him of our group and the fun we had and invited him to join. Well he did not make the start but he did join us this Saturday for a short stretch of the ride.

After coffee, chit chat, introductions, and preparation the riders left the parking lot on schedule. The riders stayed together through the neighborhood of Preston only to splinter at the stop light on Davis. Here the two groups set separate pace lines with the smell the roses group catching the Testosterone riders at the corner of Carpenter Upchurch and Morrisville Carpenter roads. This spurred the Testosterone group into higher gear. The warm up was over. John and his brother Matt took the lead and drove the Testosterone group westward on Carpenter Fire Station Road. Single file they fled.
High rpm’s producing 19 – 21 mph speeds with brief arm movements pointing at hazards in the road. On they rode to the corner of Carpenter Church and Yates Store roads.
The left at Yates Store is where everyone sets up for the run at Up-Chuck hill. Steve Cope falls to the rear behind Kevin. Steve loves to draft the fat man as gravity slings him down the hill with Steve being sucked along. John Majikes loves to peddle as hard as he can to the bottom of the hill hoping that inertia will be his friend and that gravity may not be looking at that instant in time. The others ride in total fear of both Johns frantic attack to the bottom of the hill and the crushing speed of Gravity propelling the Tandem stratled by Ron and Tracy, and the individual riders of Kevin with Steve Cope in tow towards the sound barrier. The G force at the bottom of the hill requires full concentration and a steady grip on the handlebars. The sound of spokes being compressed and the sidewalls of the tires flattening under these forces can be heard over the whistling of the wind through the vents in the rider’s helmets. Only the strongest tires pumped to the ideal pressure can survive this ordeal.

As the hill loomed ever closer John charged ahead soon to be succumbed by the laws of Physics. John does not poses the mass needed to take advantage of gravity’s pull on the downhill. Peddle all he can the math does not work in his favor. Others with greater mass are better designed for the downhill run. Ron and Tracy on the Tandem had the clear advantage followed closely by the combined mass of Kevin and his satellite Steve Cope. These two entities had so much gravitational pull that it actually slowed John down as he was caught in the gravitational pull of these terrestrial bodies.
The three masses almost collided at the point of highest acceleration as two accelerated and one slowed, in a real life enactment of the mathematics behind the physics of Newton’s law.
First the tandem with Ron and Tracy began to slow, then Kevin and Steve began to slow as that same law of physics began to work against them. The tandem had such a tight bond that the two masses remained as one causing a dramatic display of Newton’s law with rapid deceleration as gravity showed its might.
Then it was Kevin that felt the impact and Steve who, like all orbiting particles took full advantage of this law of nature and was able to sling shot on past the larger body freeing himself from the neighboring objects massive gravitational pull.
With in a nano second Steve was flung up over the crest of the hill and into the next county as Kevin and the others continued to struggle against the laws of nature just to reach the summit of Up Chuck.
Like a lone electron Steve circled at the next intersection waiting for the mass of his nucleus. A free electron must seek out a nucleus capable of bonding with others or it will drift forever with no purpose.
All made it to the top of Up-Chuck and through the right turn onto New Hope Church. The group was now falling inline behind the tandem. Ron and Tracy are strong on the flats and down hills and hot on everyone’s heals on the up hills. They were setting the pace for the days ride from the very beginning.
Kevin was riding next to Matt just as a loud Bang and puff of smoke hit Kevin in the side of his face. WOW Kevin yelled.
Everyone turned to see if he was OK.
Matt looked to Kevin to see what had happened to him, not noticing that Matt’s own rear tire just exploded. Kevin pulled to a quick stop. Matt stopped along with him. The tandem took several miles to slow, turn, and then return. A vehicle that large has to first gain approval from the port authority before it can change course. Steve Cope and John had already turned and stopped along Matt and Kevin.
What happened? Kevin announced that Matt’s rear tire blew.
As the group inspected the tire they discovered that not only did the tube blow but the tire’s sidewall shredded. A patch of the tube would not keep the tube in the tire. Ron suggested the use of a dollar bill folded and laid inside the tire between the tube and hole in sidewall to keep the tube from poking out the side of the tire. This is a great roadside repair that has worked in the past. Most of riders carry a spare tube and patch kit but no one carries a spare tire.
Just then Steve Cope suggested the use of his sow up tire. Steve rides Sow ups which are a tube and tire all in one. Upon further review it looked like pulling off Matt’s tire and tube and replace it with Steve’s Sow up would work. The risk being that the sow up would roll off the rim since sow ups are normally glued onto special rims. If the sow up was pumped up real good, and if Matt does not take any corners fast and hard it just might work.
Immediately Steve and Ron began the process of removing Matt’s rear tire, pulling off the defective tire and tube from the rim. Steve pulled the spare sow up from under his bike seat and stretched it over Matt’s naked rim. Ron whipped out his fast CO2 fill cartridge and in an instant the group had effected a tire change that would make NACAR proud.

Matt stared in total awe.
WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing! WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing! WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing!

Steve interrupted Matt
“Get on and ride lest see if it works”.
Off the group rode again with the tandem setting the pace.
WOW ! That is Great! I didn’t know that was possible! You guys are amazing! WOW !
Matt continued to express his total appreciation for the quick thinking and creative problem solving this group was able to demonstrate.
A study in the laws of Physics and the ZEN of Bicycle repair all on one short ride.
The ride continued on its usual 32 mile route with a new twist that kept the group off of 751. As they climbed the last hill on Mt Pisgha Church road they took the left turn onto Earnest Jones Road and then the very next right onto Barbee. This then intersected with Luter. A right on Luter then took the group to the intersection at the strawberry patch and 751. A quick right and immediate left onto Holland Chapel road and they were on the way towards lake Jordan. Left on Ferrington and left again on Horton Pond. The group was settling into a rhythm that had the Tandem and Steve Cope well out front. Kevin, John, and Matt were doing their best to stay consistent with the speed but were falling off the pace. Steve Cope would fall back to chat with the trailing group, and then race forward to harass the tandem team. Matt again was in awe of Steve and his perpetual energy. Kevin was quick to describe Steve as a miniature Chuwawa that likes to nip at everyone’s heals and then run away. As the pack rode on Kevin saw another rider gaining on them from behind. As the rider came along side Kevin recognized him as Tim the rider the group had tried to help on last Saturday’s ride. Tim also recognized the riders and fell into line to ride with the pack until his planned route would take him to his finish. Tim rode with the group for several miles and joined in on the chatter and bantering as if he had been with the group for many rides. The group challenge Tim to consider meeting them next weekend at the start. We rode together until the turn at Wimberly were Tim continued straight towards the finish of his planned route. The group held together to the bottom of Jenks were Steve began his power climb up Jenks Carpenter road. Steve was in the lead followed by the tandem, then John, Matt and Kevin. Kevin slid past John and Matt. He swept silently past the tandem so close that it startled Tracy. His momentum and rpms were working well for him to overtake Steve. Kevin stayed in his stealth mode as he wisped past Steve who was now riding in a relaxed (no one is attacking me) mode. “HEY” Steve yelled. Up and out of the seat, Bike tossed from side to side, Steve responded. Within yards Steve charged past Kevin looking back to announce with facial expression only “Don’t even think about beating me”. That was the last the group saw Steve until they had all arrived at the finish in the Brugers parking lot. He had his bike already packed away, a fresh change of cloths, and food and drink in hand. It was Steve’s way of saying “What took you so long” ?

A 33 mile ride at about 15 mph average including stop for tire change.
We enjoyed having Matt join us again. He came back from a Disney World vacation one day early to ride with the group one more time before he headed back home. Everyone think of him and John June 23 rd as they ride 100 miles in northern California to raise money for Diabetes research.

The group enjoyed meeting up with Tim again. This time he was on his bike rather than calling for a ride home due to a broken chain.

The group enjoyed drafting the tandem and look for their return allowing others to rest in the draft they create going down the road.

The smell the roses riders finished their 25 mile ride entering the parking lot at the same time as the Testosterone laden riders. They did confess that they elected to take the alternate path to Up-Chuck hill by entering the new construction area at the bottom of the hill and exiting at the top of the hill by taking the winding roads thru this new neighborhood.


Ride safe
Ride often.

Memorial day ride for Ice Cream ( Theresa gets a New Bike)

Memorial Day ride – The day Theresa decided to get a new Bike.

New start location
New Ride
New Distance
One Old Bike
Two Old Riders

Steve Sparano met the Smits at their house and loaded his bike on the top of the van.
The 3 then set out to get coffee and drive to the new start location in Carrboro.
A slow relaxed start to what will be a long and enjoyable ride.
The start was in Wilson Park just behind the Carmill mall in Carrboro.

We parked in the shade and used the restroom facilities provided by the community park.
We visited with 2 other cycling groups that had assembled there for their planned rides.
This is a very popular area with lots of biking routes to chose from. They also informed us that the drivers are courteous and are used to lots of bikers on the road.

With that we lathered on the sunscreen in anticipation of the later start sun and heat.
Steve Sparano and Theresa had spent the early morning trying to create a cue sheet for today’s ride based off of a route found on http://www.bikely.com/ the route is labeled Carrboro to Saxaphaw loop, and is listed as a 40 mile ride.

With the help of the route guideline from the web site and the work created by Steve we headed out on the ride.
Theresa was the Master Navigator and brought a pen to make notes on the cue sheet as the ride unfolded. Theresa enjoys reading maps and navigating whether in a car, on a sailboat, on bike, or on backpacking trips. She must know at all times were she is, how far to the end, and where is the next turn. She was perfect for the job of validating and improving the cue sheet.

I will include the revised cue sheet at the end of this write up.
The route started off with the group of 3 riders winding there way out of town through shaded neighborhoods. Once onto Old Fayetteville Road the scenery began to unfold (hills). The traffic on this stretch of road was heavy but respectful. The narrow road and hills along with traffic on this early stretch caused Theresa to tighten up and slow down significantly. The ride continued on this road for about 6 miles. As the miles unfolded the traffic thinned, however the scenery did not. Kevin and Steve took a short break with about 2 miles of this stretch to complete to let the group re-assemble, and to confirm the next turn. Theresa arrived and her first comment was that she had white knuckles from gripping the handle bars so tight.
Off the group headed up and down the rolling hills to the turn at Crawford Dairy Farm Road. There was a small local Grocery store at the corner. Great place for a re-group on future rides.
From here we again were faced with rolling hills. These are the type of hills that provide enough momentum from the down hill run to carry you 2/3 of the way up the next hill.
If timed just right a rider does not have to shift gears. Spin to get you towards the crest of the hill and stand for a short section to roll over the top and set up the next down hill run.
This ride had lots of shade along the road with large trees creating a canvas along many areas of the route. Other sections had beautiful vistas of farm land and county ponds. Many Farmers were out cutting or building the large bundles of Hay.
As we road further into the country side the traffic became almost non existent.
We wound our way along this beautiful landscape until we crossed the Haw River at Saxapahaw. In Saxapahaw we stopped to rest, refuel, and fill our water bottles at the river mill shell gas station. They had a shaded front porch area complete with large wooden chairs to sit and relax in. We spent ½ hour visiting among ourselves and a couple who had left the same starting point (Wilson park) in Carborro on a Tandem.
Once fully rested the group headed out again this time with the anticipation of gaining ground on the best stop of the day at the Maple View Farms Dairy. It is there that we will enjoy some homemade style ice cream from the dairy. On the way out of Saxapahaw we discovered that every Saturday from 5pm to 8pm they have a food and music festival. The riders all agreed that it would be great to drive to this location and unload the bikes with the intent to do a late day ride finishing just in time to enjoy the Saxapahaw festival.
Look for this to be a planned ride in the near future.
On the group rode for a short section of Highway 54 with a turn onto Stanford. Again finding themselves on rolling hills with lots of great views of farms and lakes. Through shaded areas with the smells and sounds of large farm animals. Or maybe that was Kevin they smelled. Out of the shade and around a long sweeping bend in the road the group could see the next major stop at the top of a vista. The Maple View Dairy and its local store that sells its products to the general public. This shop has a huge front porch with plenty of wooden rocking chairs to sit in while absorbing the view and the great ice cream they produce. Kevin and Theresa had one scoop of Root Beer ice cream that really tasted like you were eating/drinking a cold mug of root beer. Steve sat and eat his choice of ice cream and talked again how we need to start the ride in Saxapahaw, do the ice cream stop, and then the festival in Saxapahaw. Once full on ice cream the group filled their water bottles from the cold water drinking fountain provided on the side of the building. Off again on the last 5 to 7 miles to the end. On this section Steve charged ahead while Kevin and Theresa rode together. Kevin was drafting Theresa to watch her riding technique and provide some coaching to her on her shifting choices and peddling cadence. This did not sit well with Theresa and the two had a brief spat about the topic.
Once at the end the group again took advantage of the rest room facilities. Each rider slowly prepared the bikes and gear for the trip home. It was then that Kevin again made the comment that Theresa is not able to spin like she should and that she would benefit from a different chain ring configuration much like the one Steve has on his bike.
Theresa’s front chain rings are a 52 / 42 combination with a 6 speed cluster in the rear.
Steve had a compact triple chain ring configuration on the front. His two larger front chain rings are 50/39 and allow for higher rpms. This is something Theresa should consider.

A great ride with wonderful views.
We will do this again several times this season.

By the way Theresa has agreed to let Kevin buy her a new bike for her Birthday.
Look for it some time in August.

Cue sheet for the Carrbor0 to Saxapahaw loop.
This is written to ride in a counter clock wise fashion with the ice cream stop near the end of the ride. Saxapahaw is near the middle regardless of direction traveled.

Meet at the Wilson Park in Carrboro.
Right out of the park
Right onto Old Greensboro rd.
It becomes N Greensboro Rd
That then becomes Hillsboro Rd
Left onto Carrol St
Left onto Old Fayetville Rd.
Right onto Jones Ferry Rd. – odometer reads 3 miles
Right onto Crawford Dairy Road – odometer reads 9.6 miles and the Frosty Grocery store is on the right.
Right onto White Cross Road
Left onto GreensBorro-Chapel Hill Road (becomes Greensboro Road across river) odometer reads 13.2 miles
Right onto NC 87 there is a Sandy Café at the corner odometer reads 20 miles. This is a busy road.
Right onto Church Road / Whiney lane – odometer reads 22.5 miles
Veer left at fork in road – Swepsonville Saxapawhaw road - headed towards Haw river and Saxapahaw.
Cross double bridges over the Haw River
Right onto Saxapahaw Bethlehem old road. – climb hill to stop at River Mill shell station –odometer reads 23.9 miles.
Continue ride on Saxapahaw Bethlehem old road
Right onto highway 54 – odometer reads 27.5 miles
Left on Stanford – odometer reads 29 miles
Right on Teer Road – odometer reads 32.4 miles
Left onto Orange Grove Road – odometer reads 33.3 miles
Right onto Dairy Land Road
STOP for ICE CREAM at Maple View Farms at the corner of Dairy Land Road and Rocky Ridge – odometer reads 36.6 miles.
From ice cream shop turn left back onto Dairyland Road toward Carborro
Stay on Dairyland to the y intersection at Dairlyand and Old Chapel Hill Hillsborough Road – Highway 86) there is a gas station on the right – odometer reads 40 miles.
Take the right fork onto highway 86 – Old Chapel Hill Hillsborough Road.
Left at onto Hillsborough road – set of traffic lights help with the turn. Odometer reads 41 miles.
Left at fork of Hillsborough and N Greensboro St putting you onto N Greensboro
Curve to right turns into Old Greensboro road
Left turn on Williams
Left into Wilson park – total miles 43.

May 27th ride "Theresa rejects some riders"

Sunday May 27th Memorial weekend ride.

In attendance
Kevin and Theresa Smit
John Majikes and his wife Kim
Steve Cope
Coach Dotson

This was Kim’s first ride with the group. We do not know what John told her about the group or if she has read any of the ride recap write ups. We did sense that she was somewhat anxious about riding with the group. Theresa immediately stepped in to shield Kim from the likes of Cope, Coach , and Kevin. Theresa took charge announcing that she would lead the new rider on an enjoyable shortened and sanely paced Smell the Roses ride. This immediately put a smile on Kim’s face, and prompted the rest of the group to beg to join that group. Theresa immediately rejected the offer from Steve, Kevin , and Coach. She did grant permission to John to join the Smell the Roses on the days ride, but the other group needed to bug off.

She made this statement with such authority that we all cowered away to our respective bikes and readied them for the days ride.

Theresa’s group was vibrating with excitement and anticipation. The other group was sullen and dejected and struggled in their attempt to straddle their bikes for the days ride.

Off the two groups rode with the Smell the Roses taking extra time and effort to ensure each was totally prepared for the ride. The Testosterone riders took to the road with Coach leading the way. Very little chatter was heard as each rider struggled with the realization that they were not considered fit to ride with Theresa and her group.

Slowly they recovered as the cadence quickened from now fully warmed up leg muscles.
Kevin was setting the pace early by riding deliberately slow to see if the others would fall in line and allow him a day of recovery on the ride. This did not last long as both Steve and Coach would jump out in front to try and renew the pace. Kevin would fall in and draft as best he could. Not much draft to be gained. It is like a Semi Truck trying to draft a motor cycle. Both Steve and Coach provide such a narrow profile that no true draft is produced, and Kevin’s profile is much like the stature of a large Brick shaped Semi Truck pushing head long into the resistance provided even on a day with no wind. Oddly enough both Steve and Coach recognized their short comings and rode side by side shoulder to shoulder in an effort to produce a profile that would allow Kevin to drift back and forth behind them to find the small target that would produce some degree of draft.
The group did our standard 33 mile route in the counter Clockwise direction.
The group sensed that Kevin was challenged to draft and hold on for the ride. This pattern was only broken as we turned left from Martha Chapel onto Ferrington Road at Lake Jordan. This section of Road has always found Kevin taking the pull position and challenging the group to make the steady climb at 19 to 21 mph. This day was no different. Both Steve and Coach announced that this was Kevin’s section of Road and they pulled off to let Kevin take on that honored position of lead rider. Kevin responded by immediately setting the pace that did not fall below 18 mph on that section. This did take its toll and Kevin was forced to again fall into the minimal draft profile provided by the others as they made the turn onto Horton Pond. The group remained together on this stretch to the turn on 751 and then the left onto Luther. This is where Kevin always falls off the pack. Today was no different, and found Steve and Coach circling at the corner of Luther and Green Level to let Kevin fall into position for the next short stretch to the turn at Wimberly. At Wimberly the Steve and Coach again dropped Kevin on the long climb past the water treatment plant. Again they circled until Kevin made it to the turn at Jenks road. The pack again stayed together as they rode to the edge of Cary and the climb at Old Jenks Road. This is where Steve and Coach get the strong sent of the finish line. The gloves come off and the aggressive behaviors are at their most intense level.

Both attacked on the long down hill from Davis drive on High House only to be forced to loose that momentum at the light at the bottom of the hill. From there it becomes a scramble up the next rise and to the next stop light.
Just like a couple of high school aged boys in their Tricked, out shinny hub capped, spoiler adorned, 1993 Toyota Celica’s.

Theresa’s riders finished their ride having traveled 20 miles at a respectable pace that challenged and conquered upchuck hill.

We hope to see Kim join the group again. John is optional, and now has the challenge trying to decide which group he would ride with. None of the rest of us have that option.
We are not accepted in Theresa’s group.

Ernest's Mountain Bike rides around Virginia Tech area

Memorial weekend MTB adventure

Amy rode the century at Mountains of Misery on the roads near
Blacksburg on Sunday; I'm in no shape for a road century so I took the
mountain bike to Brush Mountain, near VT campus. If you lived around
VT somewhere, you'd probably ride to the Meadowood access on your bike
and over the Brush Mtn ridge on the way in and out. You'd be a monster
if you did that as often as we ride Umstead/Crabtree/Sludge/etc.
Map:
http://www.weaselworks.org/pandapas/Pandapas_Pond_Trails.pdf

AM Ride: From Papandas Pond access (top left corner of the map), Horse
Nettle --> down Old Farm --> up Old Farm --> down Jacob's Ladder -->
up Snakeroot --> down Snakeroot --> back out on Poverty Creek. ~7.25
miles.
PM Ride (or, "What was I thinking?") from Meadowood Parking in lower
right on the map: Up Gateway/Old Farm, down Jacob's ladder --> CCW on
Queen Anne --> up Prickly Pear --> Down Grizzly -->down Royale --> up
Snakeroot --> down Old Farm/Gatelway. ~8.4 miles.
And Amy has no sympathy for me being wasted after a measly 15 miles.
Figures.

Trail notes:
-- Horse Nettle is mostly "jeep trail" with a little singletrack at
the beginning. In local terms, it's a "roller" which means I was in
the granny on most of the climbs.
-- Jacob's Ladder had a few switchbacks at the top, then opens up into
some long straights. How does 30 MPH over shale scree sound? There's
no riding back up this one, it's washed out pretty badly in places
and has sections of 2'+ waterbars and steps.
-- Snakeroot: nice level singletrack at the bottom near the creek,
then opens up to doubletrack for the middle third, with rapidly
switchbacky singletrack at the top. There were only a couple of
switchbacks I couldn't ride going up, going down the doubletrack is
nutso fast and there are banks you can rail on the faster corners.
-- Poverty creek: Mostly flat singletrack, a lot like around here
without the roots and logs.
-- Queen Ann's/Prickly Pear/Grizzly: Good tricky singletrack with long
sections of rocks to climb.
-- Royale: fast downhill twisties with a good flow.
-- Old Farm: Going up, it's a leg and lung burner, harder than
Snakeroot going up with more tricky sections. Going down, it's a
white-knuckle ride. You build speed very quickly, but you have to keep
scrubbing it off for the tight switchbacks. My hands were cramping a
little from hanging on to the brakes after the last time down.

May 26th ride Cope Whimps out or the creation of the Wilted Roses riders

Saturday May 26th bike ride.

Coming and going.

Those in attendance
John Majikes and his brother Matt.
Kevin and Theresa Smit
Steve and Carolyn Sparano
Jae Brainard
Steve Cope
Sarah Powell.

John quickly introduced his brother to all riders. Matt was stopping with his family to visit John on their way to Disney World. Matt is training for a fund raising ride to help fight diabetes. Matt’s young son, Daniel, has type 1 diabetes, and has had to use and insulin pump since he was two years old to help regulate his blood sugar. Both John and Matt will be riding the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International) Ride to Cure Diabetes. The ride is on June 23 and is a 100 mile ride.
Please contact John at
majikesj@nc.rr.com
and pledge any amount to help the cause.

Matt brought his bike and wanted to ride with this motley band of cyclists to see if what John was telling him had any truth at all.

Each of the ride members provided lots of condolences to Matt for having to grow up with John as a brother. Matt was quickly beginning to understand that this group was fun loving and treated each member with equal disrespect. This seemed to generate a large smile on Matt’s face. A group of riders that do not take themselves serious is hard to find. With that said we all wanted to know where the heavy hitters were today.
Where was coach ?
Where was Brian Farkas ?
Where was Ernest Davis ?
Where was David Bridenbaugh ?
Where was everyone else ????????
Time to join the fun.

The answers are as follows.
Coach was in Wilmington moving his daughter from one college housing situation to another.
Brian was recovering from his brutal attacks from last weekends ride. He rides till he pukes and then licks his wounds until fully recovered for his next session of attacks on the pack of riders. ( Truth is he was visiting his mother who was recovering from a hip replacement operation).

Ernest was in the mountains of Virginia mountain biking and supporting his wife Amy while she did the century (100 miles) at Mountains of Misery on the roads near Blacksburg Virginia.

Ernest provided a write up of his mountain biking adventure and the ride route. I will include that as a supplemental ride write up.

David Bridenbaugh shows up only when he gets board hammering the peddles by himself and is need of good comedy relief. David is a hard charging bicyclist that needs to use our standard rides as a rest day.
Clearly this weekend did not fit into his Herculean riding regiment.

Everyone else ?


For the group that was there they each got ready to ride as we discussed who was riding with who, how far, and what route. The smell the Roses and the Testosterone (soon to be renamed the wilted roses) groups both elected to ride the 33 mile route. They however elected to ride in opposite directions. Smell the roses would take the counter clock wise approach and the (newly named) wilted roses would ride in a clock wise path. The clock wise path would put the hills closer to the fist half of the ride. Off the two groups rode. The spit in direction occurred in the first ½ mile. The roses took the normal turn into the Preston neighborhood, the wilted roses stayed straight on high house across Davis and left after the bridge. We have not ventured onto this road for most of the year due to construction. This area is now wide and smooth and again a favorite for bikers. The Wilted Roses (formerly known as the testosterone group) rode a smooth pace early to try and warm up for the early arrival of hills. Matt seemed to enjoy the camaraderie and silly combative chit chat. John was clearly proud to have his brother in attendance as a member of the ride group. We learned that Matt’s longest ride to date this year was 21 or 24 miles. This was going to be his longest training ride of the season. Our mission was to subject him to head winds, hills, high speeds, silly antics, and verbal abuse. The greatest gift we could bestow on a new team member. Matt sensed that this was all about to unfold and that seemed to spur him on to feed it back and respond to all challenges. We worked well together as a pack. The fat man along with Steve Sparano, and Steve Cope did a great deal of pulling from the front. Kevin was still recovering from his Tuesday and Thursday rides with Spin Cycle. He had two strong performances on these days, and was bragging to all about how well he rode. This was also his level setting speech to let everyone know he was not at the top of his form due to these back to back stellar performances.

The reverse route was interesting and challenging. Amazing how a simple change in direction can re-ignite the joy of the route, and throw new challenges at the rider. Having the hills early in the ride forced a slower warm-up and an early thigh burning experience, yet allowing for a longer cool down with the pack staying more closely aligned towards the end. The two groups riding in opposite directions meet on Martha Chapel Road.
The Smell the Roses group was all smiles and had a solid draft line established. The wilted Roses where all scattered about with little form or function, they were in total chaos at that time in the ride.
This was partly due to the constant bantering, and short feeble attacks from Steve Cope. It was on this stretch that the pack was passed by a lone rider on a recumbent bicycle. What is more amazing is that we had plenty of warning that we where being overtaken as Kevin announced early on by spying this individual through the use of Kevin’s mirror. Everyone in the pack watched as Steve Cope slowly moved towards the front of the pack to position himself for the pounce on this lone rider. The pace quickened as Steve began to crouch for the attack.
The packs banter became a hushed whir of wind and rear cluster.
All eyes were on Steve Cope as each team member readied for the anticipated chase and a coordinated effort to dominate this lone rider.
Closer the lone ride approached. The pack breathed and peddled as if transformed into a single living organism. Hear he comes Kevin whispered to all. Steve Stood on the Peddles, leaned forward. The sound of subtle gear shifting could be detected under the rhythmic breathing of this newly formed organism as it anticipated its next move.
The lone rider swung wide as he raced past the group. His missionary position on the bike startled even the most seasoned rider in the pack.
This recumbent had the rider riding with legs higher than head. The high cadence of the riders peddling technique had the bike swaying back and forth and bouncing up and down.
All eyes were on Cope.

Slowly Steve lowered himself down onto the seat and sat up straight.
The pack slowed in total surprise to this unanticipated response from Cope.
30 seconds of silence became a minute and then two.
“If Brian was here he would have attacked” announced Cope.





What went threw each members mind is as follows;

You are right Brian would have attacked.
But Cope would also.
But Cope did not attack.
Why didn’t Cope attack?
Does he need Brain to attack?
Was the rider on the recumbent too low to the ground for Steve to swat at and do dental damage as a form of intimidation?

We can only wonder what Steve Cope was thinking.
Steve broke the silence and everyone’s mental debate with the following comment.
“Aren’t you Proud of me for not attacking?”

This was clearly his method of putting spin on the fact that he whimped out and could not even consider an attack without Brian to set the stage for him.

Kevin used diplomacy and found a way to help Steve live with the fact that he WHIMPED out.
Kevin announced.
“Very mature of you Steve”.
That is all Steve needed to feel safe to not have attacked. Steve continued to share with each rider in the pack how his maturity came into play that day.

On this ride we learned about how Steve Cope blew the engine on his pick up truck trying to show off to some young college girls on his way to a fishing trip. How Red Neck! We also learned that Steve can not get it up with out Brian there to set the stage for the attack.
We learned that Matt has never ridden so hard for so long on so many hills, and with so many a## holes.
We learned that Kevin likes to wine. Not news.
We learned that John still claims to have a new Mercedes sports car – that we have not yet seen.
We learned that Steve Sparano Can ride just as hard as he does any given day even having jet lag from his vacation to Italy and having consumed 3 bottles of wine the night before.

The smell the roses riders completed their 33 mile ride at record pace.
The group finished strong and entered to final destination only 15 to 20 minutes behind the Wilted Roses riders. Each of the riders in the Smell the Roses ride said they enjoyed the ride , that they felt strong, That Jae set the Pace early on and drove the pack hard with her strong preformance. This was attributed to her new hair cut that streamlined her and helped her to keep cool during her gruling pace setting pulls. Towards the end Carolyn and Sarah pulled the others along in response to the finish line. They acted like Cope, Coach, and Brain Farkas do as they begin to smell the finish line. Each member of the Smell the Roses group were very proud of their accomplishment and each said it is getting easier and even more fun than the last ride.

The group all assembled to visit, share stories about the ride, eat bagels, and drink coffee, or other drink.
Matt ordered Pizza and shared with the group.

A great ride with Great People on a Great day.
Don’t miss out on the fun and friendship any longer.
The season is in full swing.

May 19th and 20th 2007 ride write-ups

May 19th Bike Ride.
Attended by the most consistent riders of the season.
Theresa Smit and Sarah Powell.
These two riders headed out on the regular 24 mile route. They rode smooth and steady the entire way. They elected to climb UpChuck just for the challenge.
At the end of the ride they had completed the route at an average of 13 mph and were able to chat the entire way. A Successful ride.

May 20th Sunday ride.
The BOYS ARE BACK.
This morning ride was attended by the following in order of appearance.
Kevin and Theresa Smit.
John Majikes. His first ride this season with the group, however he had been seen riding weeknights with the group out of Cycling Spoken Here.
Jae Brainard
Steve Cope and Brian Farcas in the Yellow Thing both gentlemen unshaven for days.
They claimed they had been out in the mountains training for a month just to get ready for this ride. The intimidation techniques had begun.
David Bridenbaugh arriving on his bike. This was also his first ride with the group this season, however he also has been out hammering the peddles on some individual rides.
Sara Powell.
And Finally Coach Dotson. Coach is also one who has been doing many training rides on his own or with other groups.

Everyone took time to shake hands and reintroduce him or herself. We had not seen Brian for almost a year. He had not ridden since then. This became very obvious when he pulled his bike off the back of the Thing. Dust flew everywhere. When he spun his tires to see if they were true you could hear the spokes pinging. Brian then did a quick check to see if he could find the loose spoke. As he squeezed each pair it was clear that almost all the spokes needed attention. Brian was wondering what to do to fix this problem. No one had a spoke wrench on them. Kevin suggested that from the looks of how loose the spokes were Brian could tighten them by hand. This is exactly what he did, and it made a difference. We all got a good laugh out of this new bike mechanic technique.
Tires pumped, helmets on, computers reset, feet clipped in the group headed out of the parking lot. Slow and steady as we all headed into the Preston neighborhood. The two groups split on the last hill out of that neighborhood. The Testosterone group jumped across Davis drive as the Smell the Roses group stopped for the light. Kevin and Steve Cope pulled the entire stretch from this point on past Green Hope, on to and along Fire Station Church road, and on towards UpChuck hill. The others in the pack road in the mighty draft created by Kevin. Steve Cope is too small to draft behind so everyone in the back kept shifting and changing positions to gain the advantage of drafting behind the fat man. As you may recall last year Steve Cope described the draft that Kevin produces as if you were sitting in the eye of a hurricane. No wind at all, calm and peaceful.
As UpChuck approached we all looked to see if anyone was going to challenge John who loves to race down the hill in preparation for the climb. The group scattered, each coasting and dodging the various pot holes that have been generated by all the heavy construction equipment. As the hill approached the group discovered that all riders were now clumped together. To everyone’s surprise there was not clear attacker. We all were in the hunt for the summit of UpChuck. Brian looked to his right and almost fell of his bike from surprise and his nervous laughter. He was neck and neck with the fat man and we were working our way through the crowd towards the summit. This was a total shock for Brain and the others. Remember Kevin has been riding with the Smell the Roses group for several weeks. The pack did a good job of reaching the summit without being splintered much at all. Right turn at the top of the hill had coach and Steve Cope in the lead. Kevin and John Majikes were pulling the others along and closing the gap on coach and Cope. With in a ¼ of a mile coach and Steve dropped into the peleton and once again coasted in the eye of the hurricane. As we reached the left turn at Mount Pisgah Church Road the leaders slowed to make the turn. Coach swung into the lead and rounded the turn. He then quickly announced that someone else could take the pull for awhile since he had just taken his turn. The hills on this stretch of road come one after the other and is a great place to test your attacking skills. This began even before the first climb. The pace quickened with David Bridenbaugh, Steve Cope, Brian, and Coach all responding to the surge. Kevin and John road at a steady pace with each hills crest taking it toll on heart and lungs. The lead group stopped at the intersection of 751 and Mount Pisgah long enough to yell clear and zoom into their left hand turn. Kevin and John made a valiant attempt to get back into the pack. They hung on with Kevin staying tucked in the pack and John slowly giving way to the steady climb up 751 to the left turn on Martha Chapel. The pack coasted allowing all members to regroup. The road had been recently paved and was so smooth we could feel the smooth surface in our handlebars. Kevin and Coach took the lead position and began the long pull all the way to lake Jordan. At one point a pack of motorcycles raced pass, with every one challenging those pulling in front to jump behind one of the motorcycles and draft them. Once to the intersection at lake Jordan the group was challenged to make a decision. Do we do our normal 32 mile ride or add extra miles by turning right and heading for Lystra. On right the pack announced. No extra miles today. Kevin again lead the pack along this road towards Horton Pond. We road single file as this can be one of the busier roads. Left turn onto Horton Pond.
Several riders took turns on this stretch pulling in the lead. Kevin and Steve Cope and Coach all taking turns. Right turn onto 751 from Horton Pond, Left turn onto Luther.
Now the dynamics of the ride changes. This is were those riding in the eye of the hurricane began their push toward the end of the ride. We still had 10 to 12 miles to go and now the hard chargers were taking control of the pace. David Bridenbaugh (the locamotive) put his chain into the larger rings and began his heads down attack. Cope, Brian, and Coach all responded by falling in line behind. Kevin and John waved goodbye to the group. The stretch on Luther has one great down hill and then a long steady climb usually into a head wind until the turn at Green Level. The group waited long enough to see that John and Kevin were still on their bikes and ready to make the right turn onto Green Level. Kevin told the group in the lead to make the turn on Wimberly. John and Kevin did a good job of keeping the group insight. As we approached the turn at Wimberly the lead pack zoomed on past. Kevin and John shouted to get their attention as the two of them made the right turn onto Wimberly. The pack pulled and immediate U turn and quickly swallowed up John and Kevin. Down the hill the pack motored hitting 30+ miles per hour. From the bottom of this hill it is a long mile or mile and a half climb to the turn at Jenks. This is were the Testosterone began to fly.
Brian and Cope had been watching closely to see if David was still ready to attack the hills. David began his charge up the hill. Coach was slowly losing ground on him. Steve and Brian urged Coach to attack as they road up side by side to his handlebars. Like shot from a cannon those two exploded up the hill catching coach off guard and reeling in David. This was the last time that John and Kevin saw any of the group ahead.
Kevin and John continued to ride a steady 17 to 19 miles per hour and still no sign of the lead group. We can only imagine that some where in there battle Steve Cope swatted at one or all of the riders, That David Bridenbaugh likely broke a chain from his powerful peddling stroke, and Coach attacked non stop for fear someone’s tire might get ahead of his. Later Coach was questioning how it is that Steve and Brian could accelerate so quick.
As stated earlier.
THE BOYS ARE BACK.

The smell the roses riders stayed true to their mission.
They chatted non stop.
They by passed upchuck hill.
They rode steady completing the 25 miles at a 13.2 mph pace.
Sarah attacked all hills. She also increased her rpms into the low 100’s.
Jae rode as strong as always
Theresa leveraged gravity on the down hills, only to suffer gravity’s pull on the up hills.
Great ride something for everyone.

Mothers day weekend Ruled by Moms

May 12th and 13th bike rides.

Saturday’s ride was very relaxing.
Smit’s arrived late to the start only to notice Ernest sitting impatiently ready to ride. Ernest was joining the group for the first time this season. He has been riding but mostly his mountain bike. He had ridden to the start from his house a full 2 miles. The Smit’s slowly ambled their way toward the restaurant on their quest for the mornings coffee and a bagel to share. Once inside and seated the three of them noticed Sarah Powell emerging from a new car. As Sarah approached the restaurant it was clear she too was in need of the morning coffee. We learned that Sarah first tested out the car to ensure she could load her bike into with as much ease as her old car. This clearly demonstrated that Sarah had her priorities correct. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE BIKE. As we sat there and chatted the sky began to slowly open up with first a sprinkle and then some rain, followed by a down poor. The decision was made to abort today’s ride. The group was both sad to miss the ride but very happy we were late getting started and in doing so missed being caught out on the road in a rainstorm. Once coffee and bagels and conversation was the Smit’s loaded Ernest’s bike into their van and gave him a dry ride home.

Mothers day ride.
The women rule the day again.

Smits arrived well ahead of the start time. They got their morning coffee and began the process of waiting to see who joins them for the days ride. First to arrive was Jae Brainard. This will be her first ride of the season with the group. Jae has been riding; this is just the first opportunity she had to join the group this year. We then spied Sarah Powell in the parking lot preparing her bike for the ride. Once all assembled in the restaurant Jae announced to the group that she had discovered a route that reduces the climb of upchuck to a more kindler gentler climb. She reported that the new subdivision has an entrance at the bottom of upchuck and then slowly winds in and around with an exit at the top of upchuck. A longer but more relaxed climb. The group also announced that last week we found a way to avoid upchuck as well and wanted to explore Jae’s discovery. As the clock approached 8 am it was clear that this was to be a Mothers Day ride with on tag along Dad.
Off the pack rode with the ladies in the lead. Jae set the pace early with Sarah chasing her to tell her all about her new riding techniques. Theresa was close on their heals with Kevin lagging behind. The group closed up ranks as they left the Preston neighborhood with Sarah pulling the group along at a solid 17 mph. Sarah’s strong pull lasted well past Green Hope High School and splintered the group. The pack regrouped at highway 55 and Fire Church Station Road. Again Sarah took the lead with Jae right there challenging her for that lead position. This is Not the Smell the Roses I had expected. We were covering the ground at 17 to 18 mph. On toward upchuck. As the group closed in on the hill Kevin rolled on past (gravity and weight are friends on the down hill – not so much on the up hill). Kevin rolled past the entrance to the new subdivision making the decision to brave the climb. Right behind him each of the ladies glided into the subdivision electing to explore the diversion around upchuck. Kevin rode on past the top of the hill only to do a u turn to see how they enjoyed the new by-pass. Smiles we seen on their faces even as they talked about how tough that climb still is. Again the group assembled into a nice pack this time Theresa was taking the lead. She pulled the group along to the T intersection at Yates Store and Green Level. As she approached the stop Kevin directed the group to take the right rather than left. She immediately jumped into the lead again.
Kevin and Sarah and Jae were pushing hard to match her pace. Theresa did not look back as she continued to pull away from the pack. We were now doing 18 to 19 mph. Theresa’s pull lasted the entire stretch from the top of up chuck through the right turn clear until our left turn headed back towards Cary. This pull was more than 5 miles in length. Theresa was never known for charging down the road with that much energy, fire, focus, and determination. Later it was learned that she had elected to jump ahead because she was having an emotionally challenging day. This was Mothers day and Kassel was in her heart and head. She rode on ahead so she could cry.

The rest of the pack, Kevin included, had no clue Theresa was struggling with this emotionally charged day.

The ride continued after the turn on Green Level Church now with Jae in the lead. She pulled a good portion of that section with periodic lead changes by others who would attack the hills. Left on Wemberly and again Sarah took the lead only to have the fat man coast past her on the long down hills. On the pack rode with the group being splintered on the long section along Jenks. This is a long gradual climb back into civilization usually with accompanying head winds. We wound our way back to the start.
A strong, fast paced 30 miles by all riders.
The Smit’s could not stay and chat. They had to mail several hundred letters with information about the Kassel Smit “Make a Difference” fund raiser. Today was the last day to mail before the postage went up.
On the way home from the post office they saw COACH. He was on his bike. He was headed towards his house. We can only assume he needed to ride hard and felt the group was unable to accommodate his pace, or he knew the ladies were ready to push the pace and he did not want to be beat by the Smell the Roses Riders.
Kevin and Steve Sparano have been in touch with the Hibernian team for the MS150.
Kevin and Theresa have joined the team and have booked rooms in a cool Condo/apt complex in Oriental for that weekends stay. Kevin and Theresa have stayed here on several occasions. They like Oriental for the laid back boating atmosphere. This is where they charter sail boats from. Remember their 30th wedding anniversary sailing adventure write up?

Any way the Hibernians team goal was to have 60 riders. They have already achieved that and are currently the second largest registered team for the event. I asked the organizer of the team if she would want me to invite others even though they have made there goal for 60 team members. She would very much like to have me extend the invitation to you to join the team.
Please follow the links below to register and get a discount as well as a team jersey.

There are some critical deadlines that you need to be aware of so I am including one of the team captains latest emails content.

We will be placing orders for jerseys on May 28th. If you are considering joining the team you will want to register soon to get your free jersey in a size that fits you. This is a $60 value. The attachments show what the front and back of the jersey look like.
Team members from last year can order a 2nd jersey for $45. Many of you have already done so.
If you will register now, you can save $5 off your $35 registration fee by entering the discount code of "DC1". This discount can be used by anyone that is new to our team. To register now, click on the link below.
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?team_id=18143&pg=team&fr_id=5520&et=mWFqC9F7X_3KP8DDAGUflQ..&s_tafId=8650

Pat McCray
Team Captain

May 5th Smell the Roses Riders RULE Ride Wrtieup

Smell the Roses Riders RULE.


First congratulations to Ron Clanton and Steve Cope for their stellar accomplishments.
Ron Clanton rode 100+ miles in support of the Aids walk and ride event that left from down town Raleigh at Union Square.
In a response to one of our group riders asking Ron how it went he replied as follows.
"It was both horrible... and awesome. No matter how you do it, 106 miles is a long way. The ride started in downtown Raleigh... went north to Creedmoor... then west to downtown Durham (where it started raining... and rained for 2 hours)... then south near Chapel Hill... then east to Cary... and back to Raleigh. It took me about 7 1/2 hours to complete and my rear-end is still numb.
However, I met a lot of great people and the ride had the most incredible support. I think the best part was at the end... when we were coming back into Union Square (making our final lap), they announce the riders arriving over the loud speaker like we were finishing the Tour de France! Pretty cool!
I'll do it again next year.
Ron Clanton"


One of our other regulars Steve Cope had and adventure as well on his bike.
He wrote the following in response to last weeks challenge to join the regular ride.
"BTW, I went up to Virginia last weekend to watch 2 stages of the Tour of Virginia races (pro event). On Saturday, they also had licensed racing for a criterium in Harrisonburg. I got a temp Cat 5 license and finished 6th against all the college kids!!!! This even shocked me. I was 20 years older than anyone else and the only one with down tube shifters. I was only a few feet away from the win (I am getting old). I suspect Brian could have won. "
Where has Brian been. We have not seen him at all this biking season. Unacceptable!
This last weekends rides where totally about the Smell the Roses group. Saturday and Sunday were dominated by those riders.

Please take the time to learn how the Smell the Roses Group RULED the ROADS.

Saturday May 5th ride write up

We assembled between 7:30 and 8am.
The sky was cloudy, the air cool, with winds NOT Calm.

First to arrive were Theresa and Kevin Smit.
First priority Coffee at Caribou cafe.
They settled in a small table and watched to see who will be next to arrive.

Steve Sparano arrived with bike on back of vehicle. As he strolled from the parking lot to the restaurant it was clear that he too was in need of the morning jolt provided by a cup of coffee.

Soon after Steve we were pleased to see Kristine Harkness leaving the driver side of her car to join us for a brief visit before the ride. Last time we rode with her was on the MS-150 warm up ride. It was on this ride that she kept pinching my butt each time she rode past me.

As we sat and visited we noticed Sara Powell drive in. She immediately began visiting with some strange man in the parking lot who was offering to help her remove her bike from the back of her car. Sara carried on quit a long chat with this man ( you go Sara !). Eventually she made her way into the restaurant and joined the group as we discussed the ride for that day. Sara requested (demanded) a route that did not include upchuck. The group suggested that we all ride as one group. A blend of Smell the Roses and Testosterone laiden gear pushing idiots. The goal was to enjoy each others company and to challenge the testosterone group to chill - relax - enjoy the scenery - visit - ride at speeds below the speed of light. We agreed to stay together on this ride - one group - no one gets dropped - no one attacks.

This will be fun.
Kevin had announced he had figured out a route that removes most of the hills and definitely eliminates upchuck hill. This put a smile on everyone’s face. As the smile faded on Sara's face she nervously requested no additional funny stuff like going too fast or too far. "Trust me" Kevin was heard to say. Sara announced that there is no way she "Trusts what might unfold on the ride". Kevin then assured her he will do what is requested, No upchuck, not too fast, not too far.

Sara then introduced us to the Man she was talking to in the parking lot. She knew him through Boy Scouts. This gentleman then approached Kevin and Theresa to share with them a Kassel story. He told them that he sits on all the eagle boards for the district and had seen hundreds if not thousands of young men present their eagle projects and final project write ups for approval.

Eagle Scout is the highest rank in Scouting with few scouts ever to achieve this position. The journey to that rank takes years of continued focus and rank advancement culminating is a community based project. These projects are as involved and detailed as any major business effort. It is much like writing a business plan, presenting that plan to sponsors and beneficiaries, gaining approval of the plan, raising funds to launch the project, directing the efforts of others on the project, and then writing a follow-up of lessons learned.

Any way back to his Kassel Story.
He informed the Smits that he clearly remembers Kassel above and beyond all those who have presented to the board. He had recollection of Kassel's mature nature, confidence, and passion about the project, poise, and SMILE. Kassel was so much like his Father ;-).
He committed to helping get the word out to other scouts about the Kassel Smit "Make a Difference" 5k and 1 mile fund raiser.

It was good for the Smits to again hear how Kassel had made such and impact in his short 16 yrs.

Everyone busied themselves with the task of adding pressure to tires, putting on sunglasses helmets and gloves.

Off the pack headed.
The ride began as most do headed towards the neighborhood roads of Preston Woods. The pack spread out as we rode up High House but quickly reassembled once in the Preston neighborhood. From then on the pack stayed closely formed thru much of the ride. We rode smooth and steady. The chit chat was non stop. This was something yet experienced by Steve and Kevin and was quit natural for Sara, Theresa, and Kristine. How do they find so much to talk about each week? Has there really been that much happen since the last time they visited. Hadn't they already spent more than 1/2 hour in the restaurant covering every topic possible. Kevin and Steve rode along in complete awe of this strange experience.
Out of the neighborhoods and past Green Hope High School the pack progressed.
At the T intersection they altered the normal coarse and took a left rather than the normal right. The pack then turned left onto Highway 55. It was busy but they did not stay long on this as they turned right onto Green Hope road. Smooth and quite and flat. At the end of Green Hope Road the pack turned right onto Green Level Church road. This took them past the intersection of Yates Store and Green Level. This is were they would normally recover from the climb of upchuck. Sara was smiling as she recognized that spot and now can believe that Kevin was not going to pull any tricks and still surprise her with upchuck. Suddenly her pace quickened and her conversations took on a renewed energy. Little did she know that Kevin's plan was about to unfold. On the pack rode in a tight group with non stop chit chat.
Can this be compared to a knitting circle? Everyone focused on the task in hand yet able to converse on any and all subjects without taking a single collective breath.





On they rode with virtually no hills to slow them down. Little traffic to deal with. Past strawberry patches filled with folks who pay to pick their own berries. The group was so engulfed in the conversations they did not notice that Kevin lead them swiftly past the normal left hand turn on Green Level.
On they rode until we came to the T intersection at 751, “Clear”, Kevin announced as he swung right onto 751 and immediately signed that the pack was to make a quick left turn.
Kevin then drew everyone’s attention to the large Yacht that was being worked on in a Farmers drive way. Sara quickly announced that the boat was so big it would not even fit on Lake Jordan. Ah Ha. Kevin has successfully distracted all. No one was asking "were are we going?". No one was complaining that we are too far out. No one was suggesting that Kevin was taking the group too far. Kevin had planned to expose the Smell the Roses group to an additional 7 miles longer than they normally ride. This is a 25 – 30% increase in the mileage they typically do. We were also motoring along at about 2 -3 mph faster than normal for the group. We also had not taken any breaks to rest.

As the pack rode on each one slowly began to discover that they are on roads that are clearly not what they recognize. They then began to scroll through the modes on their computers to get an idea of miles traveled and average miles per hour.

It was as if we suddenly hit a long steep hill. The pace dropped, the chit chat became guarded, suspicious, and sullen, a question was raised, more as a statement than a question. “We are still headed out; there must be a turn back soon”. Kevin with a re-assuring smile as heard to say “Yes, we will be taking a left just up the road here and then looping back towards the end”.

This is where the pack began to crack.
We took a brief stop so the guys could do a bio break in the woods, as Kristine worked to remove a cramp from her foot. Once back on the bikes Kristine took charge.
Kristine road on as if the ride was just beginning and she was just now starting to warm up. She actually picked up the pace and was challenging Steve and Kevin to keep up.
Theresa drifted further and further back. Sara worked hard to not loose ground on the group that was being pushed by Kristine. This placed her in the no mans land. Not able to draft anyone in front and not willing to fall back to were Theresa was. This is the toughest place to ride.
The ride continued with some great down hills and at least 3 long steady climbs before we returned to the parking lot at Brugers. Everyone compared computers to learn they had done 31 miles at 13 to 14 mph average. This was a great ride and that provided something for everyone. No upchuck, longer ride, faster ride, great conversation, no traffic, friendship. And a renewed TRUST that Kevin will not pull any Tricks. NOT.

Sundays ride May 6th.

Dark skies, strong wind, Who will show.
Kevin and Theresa discussed the possibility that no one would bother to ride today due to the strong 30mph winds and the threatening skies. Theresa was ready to pack it in and head for home just as Sara Powell drove into the lot. WOW she returned even after Kevin took her further and faster than she was prepared to go yesterday.

The threesome assembled themselves and their bikes for the days ride. As they did the clouds began to make way for the sun. Sun glasses and sun screen were grabbed and applied.

Kevin said lets do something different today. How about a shorter ride than normal and how about we ride the route in reverse order, and also eliminate upchuck.
Sara stared at Kevin and sternly announced that she absolutely does not Trust him, but the route sounds great.
The ride began in reverse order up Cary Parkway to Waldo Rou, cross Davis and down the hill on old jenks, right onto Holt, cross over 55, and right on Roberts road. We rode smooth and steady. The chit chat was again non stop. This time though the conversation was focused on riding techniques and the virtue of spinning at higher rpms than pushing big gears. Sara was hanging onto each word Kevin said regarding the topic. Sara has always ridden her bike without clips to hold her in. This forced her into a riding style that always had her pushing down on the peddles and no way to pull up to smooth out the peddle stroke. She now has cleats and shoes that lock her to the bike and facilitate a smooth peddling stroke. She and Kevin rode side by side and compared cadence. The objective was to get her to increase her rpms so she could sail along at 95 rpms on the flats and using a combination of various riding positions, and gear selections keep her rpms up above 80 during various types of climbs.
Right turn from Roberts Road onto Green Level Church road. Watch for bad spots on the edge of the road. Left turn onto Green Level from Green Level Church. Now Kevin’s coaching was going to be put to the test by Sara. We had a short stretch of road were she could get her cadence to 95 then there was a two tiered climb that lasted close to ½ mile.
She was to shift gears prior to getting bogged down. She was to keep her cadence as high as she could by only matching the pressure of the hill with pressure on the peddles and pull on the handle bars. The goal was to crest the hill doing 85 rpms and not be physically spent. Sara mastered that hill. She did not loose momentum; she kept her rpms high and crested the hill with ease at 85 rpms. She was amazed at how much easier it is to ride when you do not over power the peddles. Normally her foot goes numb from the pressure she applies to the peddles. She is know trying to think of the peddles as a feather rather than boards. The key to changing her old style of riding is to see how little pressure can be applied at a high rpm, and to pull up with each stroke rather than think about mashing down on the peddles.
Job well done.
We shortened the ride today due to wind and the extra miles accomplished Saturday. The ride ended with about 16 or 17 miles, and a Smiling Sara who now has a new riding technique to continue to work on and apply.

April Fools day ride with Dr. Seuss

April Fools day ride.

The band of misfits assembled at the usual spot of High House and Cary Parkway in Cary. This affords us the ability to have coffee, a bagel, and pit stop before and after the ride.

On the way to the start the Smits loaded up Carolyn Sparano’s bike, helment, shoes, water bottles, and Carolyn as they left their neighborhood. This was the first street ride for Carolyn this season. She has been running regularly and is a strong rider on the trials in Umstead park. Last mountain bike ride we saw her at the start and then again at the finish. No going slow for this gal. She and coach would be a great team on a tandem.

Once at the start we began betting who if anyone would show up. We all bet that Ernest would ride to the start and get there just as we were clipping in. (we all lost that bet – Ernest was a no show).

As the clock slowly moved the hands to indicate 8 am we figured we were the only ones riding today.
Just then Kevin spied a YELLOW THING coming down Cary Parkway towards the parking lot.

Could it be.
Are we to SEE.

Kevin was so excited he told the ladies he thought he saw COPE.
ALL held on to HOPE
that they too may See a Cope.

To our GLEE
it was HE.

The COPE had come out to play.
This is shure to be a Glorius DAY

Steve Cope has come to RIDE
and our smiles we could not HIDE.

Just as Cope entered the coffee and bagel shop Kevin spied a Pickup Truck.
WHAT THE &%*$.

This could only be.
We all waited to See

But wait we must on the pick up truck
For COACH was stuck yes stuck in his truck .
Just his LUCK to be Stuck in his Truck .

Can’t come out,
must finish the shout out
to all 5 friends he new about.

His plan was clear his plan was comprehensive
He had to include all 5 people and that was intensive.

It was a new month and his minutes renewed
so Coach had to connect to all five he new.

So the group was assembled and all would agree
Today we were all filled with glee.

Looking forward towards what the ride might be.
Tires were pumped up and so were we.

On with the helmets, sunscreen, and shoes.
On with the gloves, sunglasses, and Bottles in cages refreshments to use
Spare tubes, and pumps we hope never to use.
.
As we straddled the bikes all five riders eager to leave
Carolyn rode the lot practicing shifting with minimal weave.
Kevin Yelled STOP we can not Leave.
Everyone wonder what he had up his sleeve.

Remembering his old shoes that had died.
Kevin had brought his classic bike and new shoes to ride.

New shoes with cleats that would not fit
The classic peddles could not retrofit.

Kevin adjusted the peddles No tight fit making him mad.
Duct tape no was there to be had

No sharp click as there aught to be heard.
Kevin was to float on the peddles with no hope to be secured.

This prompted everyone to reveal
how glad they were to see his ordeal.

For you see a bike mechanic he is not
But for comic relief he is right on the spot.

The ride had begun in its usual way
with the group splitting up well before half way.

The gals riding smooth and steady
at the top of up chuck. For a rest they will be ready

Starting out slow and tapering is the plan
For this is the Smell The Roses Clan

They rode for 24 miles that day.
averaged 14 miles per hour their computers did say.

The guys riding strong and always on the ready.
Keeping the speed very steady.

Into the head winds on they did ride
Pushing big gears swaying the bike from side to side

Coach drafting the fat man on the down hills
only to sling shot past With Cope on his heals

Those two do like to play and attack
Leaving the fat man near a heart attack.

Huffing and Puffing this big man did ride
pushing hard to stay in his cleats and retain his pride.

No drafting did he gain from them you will agree
For their stature is much like a straw in the wind you see.

An eye of the Hurricane Steve Cope did say
as he drafted behind the big man on that windy day.

Coach did extra miles leading that day
Left at Horton’s Pond was the chosen way toady

faster and faster Coaches peddles did spin with no reprise
On straight he did continue to our surprise

We gave him, a holler, a whistle, and a shout
In the Zone he was with out a doubt

On he rode with such a conviction
He did not hear, look, just rode on in his adrenaline addiction.

Debated and debated did we
Let him go and wait to see
Chase him down and bring him back to me
Ride on as if we were three.

Coach was well on his way
and finally looked back to his dismay.

He had ridden and ridden so hard you see
He saw in the distant a lonely rider chasing him but not me.

Thirty Four miles we did see.
Thirty Four Mile for me.

Coach did more as did Cope.
Join us next ride That is our Hope.

March 24th MS 150 warm up ride write up

What a great ride
What a great day.

The MS 150 training ride was well done by the organization that sponsored it.
They had the route well marked, each rider was provided Que sheets, and there was minimal traffic as well.
The route allowed individuals to make a last minute decision of riding 24 or 31 miles.
After the ride there was Great Food, and MUCH BEER, or sodas.
The weather started of cool and cloudy and ended up with bright sun shine and record temps as the ride was ending.

We had a strong representation of riders in attendance.
This list included.

Janet Gregg and her husband.
Janet and I worked together at CP&L several years ago.
It was great to see them at the start of the ride.
Janet has asked to be included in the emails and we may see them soon at one of our weekend Unorganized rides.
She told me after the ride that they rode a total of 18 miles.
She also informed me that they were glad to have ridden the ride.
This is a great start to a fun biking season.
Looking forward to them joining us.

Ron and Tracy Clanton on their tandem.
They rode so strong we only saw them at the start and again at the finish.
Rumor has it that they turned off early and circled back so they could WIN.

Kristine Harkness
She rode very strong and steady visiting all they way with a prior MS150 team mate.
Kevin passed them at least 3 times wondering how they kept getting ahead of him.

Steve Sparano
He was suggesting we all form a team for the MS150.
Design our own jerseys and call ourselves the Ohhh Shiiift team.
Lets us know what you think of this idea and we will begin working on it.
We are already informed that there are no hotel rooms left and we may have to camp, or stay a few miles away from the start.
Reply all with your vote.

Michael Huckabee and his wife Charmane (I spelled it wrong).
This was her first ride with our group. She rode very well. She spins at high cadence, just like Lance Armstrong. She along with her husband Michael, and Steve Sparano all rode in a tight pack throughout the ride. On many occasions they were spotted chasing down and passing the groups ahead of them.


Sarah Powell
Sarah is one of the most dependable participants of our weekend rides.
She is Ms. Positive.
Always with a smile and high energy.
She rode a strong steady ride with only one extra stop at Burger King to visit the rest room. She rode with Theresa Smit through out the ride. They both drafted the Hiberiann team looking for some one from that team to pass them a water bottle. Rumor has it that the water bottles were filled with beer from the team’s Irish Pub sponsors.
Sarah was all smiles at the end having completed an awesome ride and finding a beer tent with free beer. WAHOO>.
Truth be told we all took advantage of the free BEER.

Theresa Smit
Upon arrival Theresa Hugged one of Kassel’s Scouting Buddies.
Mr. David Nadderman.
David has been a solid contributor to the biking community as well as a strong supporter of the Smit Family. David was there representing the Bike Shop that he works at ( Trek Bikes of Raleigh) http://trekraleigh.com/
He happily pumped up tires, tuned riders bikes, and greeted each rider with his appreciation that they were there to ride and support a great cause. Mr. Nadderman has always impressed me with his mature attitude towards life and efforts towards making a difference. We are happy to announce that he will be getting married in October of this year. Kassel will be looking down on that event and trying to figure out what type of prank he can pull on David.

Theresa and Sarah rode the ride visiting non stop as they rode.
Kevin passed them also at least 3 times and each time was trying to figure out how they kept getting ahead of him on the ride.

Kevin Smit
Kevin was again choosing to ride his 1979 classic bike built by a frame builder Jeffery Bock from Ames, Iowa. This is the same bike builder that built Theresa’s road bike.
The classics never die, they just slowly decay, much like their proud owners.

Kevin started out slow near the back of the pack. As the ride unfolded he began to challenge himself to push the peddles harder and faster. He was out to do a solo ride among 300 other riders. Not much intelligence displayed in that decision. When you have a crowed of other riders you should always slip in behind someone else and draft them. Kevin rode much of the ride with others sucking on his rear tire. At times he was pulling groups along at a steady 23 mph against the wind and uphill. Yet he found himself passing many of the same people several times. This should be a topic of study in a physics class. How is it that an individual works hard, appears to go faster than others, and ends up passing them again and again. One event that may have contributed to this time warp was the crash Kevin had at the ½ point. The route had a very strategic rest stop and turn around point at about 13 miles. Kevin had slowed down to make the right hand turn into the parking lot. Upon entry into the driveway a rider in front turned sharply and stopped in a manner that completely blocked the entrance. Kevin hit the brakes, turned in the direction to parallel the rider, and worked feverishly to pull his cleats out of the pedals. No Luck. In slow motion he teetered for and instant only to fall on his right side. In doing so he pulled his shoes apart from the soles, leaving his cleats still in the pedals and the upper part of his shoes still on his now bare feet.
Sorry Dude, You OK. And off the rider went.
Kevin was now in problem solving mode.
Does he ask for a ride back to the start, ride bare footed, steal someone else’s shoes, or ?
DUCT TAPE TO THE RESCUE.
Sitting on the picnic table along with bananas, oranges, and other goodies was a role of the best product ever produced by mankind, A silver role of wide Duct Tape.

Kevin began the process of wrapping duct tape several times around the toes, arch, and heal of his exploded shoes. He made sure that this did not interfere with the mechanism of pedal and cleat. After a quick test to ensure both feet could clip in and release Kevin was again headed down the road. In just a few feet he stopped again as his rear detailer was making more noise then normal. Upon further investigation he concluded that the back tire had shifted in the chain stays. He released the quick release, realigned the rear wheel, tightened down the quick release and jumped back on the rode. Kevin continued to try and push solo with one group from the TarWheels drafting for over 7 miles. At about the 21 mile mark Kevin made a wrong turn. He soon discovered he was finishing the ride as if he was doing the 24 mile rather than the 31 mile route. So back to the last intersection to make the correct turn for the 31 miler. A little extra never hurts – too much.

A great ride was had by all.

At the end of the ride we also met up with Gail Del Greco. Gail has not yet ridden with us on our weekend rides but plans to in the near future.
Upon visiting with her we learned that she left her house to drive to the start about the time the ride began. So she got a late start. She still finished about the same time Kevin did. Again this needs further study. Maybe Kevin was approaching the speed of light. That is when time slows down or comes to a stand still, and it allowed every one to pass him as his time was suspended.

March 10 ride write up

Sorry for the delay in the write up.
here it is.
March 10th ride recap
Two groups of riders assembled at the usual spot. Theresa Smit, Sara
Powell along with Kevin Smit and Ernest Davis were about to leave as
Theresa's Phone rang. It was Beth Gonzales calling to say she would
meet the group along the route at Green Hope High School.
The group of 4 rode together as the Ladies were riding very strong at
the start of this ride. They must have been in a hurry to meet up with
Beth. Kevin was focused on working out the kinks in the rebuild of his
1979 classic bike. He has spent several evening tearing down all the
components, soaking and cleaning them, then replacing any worn out
items, (special ordered some that are no longer stocked at local bike
shops). He also replaced all cables and cable housings, brake hood
covers, and wrapped the handle bars with new Bright Yellow tape. Kevin
did bring the bike into the new age by adding a computer/heart rate
monitor to the bike.
All the old components worked as if they were new. The one item that
created any issue was the new heart rate and speed monitor. According to
this new monitor Kevin was riding at 30 mph when everyone else's
computers suggested a more moderate 13 miles per hour.
Once the group arrived at Green Hope we met up with Beth who was on her
brand new never ridden Trek bike. After a quick adjustment of her
speedometers magnet on the front tire she was ready to ride.
Kevin was still struggling with adjusting the settings on his polar tech
speedometer. Ernest ran several calculations in his head to try and
help dial in the proper number into the computer to indicate the proper
wheel size.
The Ladies were already a long way down the road before Kevin and Ernest
tried the new settings in Kevin's speedometer.
Still wrong.
Kevin would ride next to Ernest and change the settings on the fly.
After several of these attempts the two bike speedometers were within
.01 mph of each other.
This took the team until mile 24 of a 31 mile bike ride to finally dial
the computer in.
This was partly due to the fact that Ernest was feeling really strong
and would constantly attack the hills leaving Kevin far behind. This
resulted in Kevin having to work real hard to catch up, with Ernest
having to coast for great periods of time so we could finish dialing in this
new component.
In all Kevin's bike performed well. Kevin performed as an out of shape
old man would. Ernest is clearly ready for the season and will be there
for anyone to challenge.
The Ladies enjoyed their ride as they chatted at the same pace they
rode. They did take a detour prior to climbing UpChuck Hill. They
thought they could go around the hill through the new construction area
known as Dell Webb.
Alas they found no way around this short and challenging climb.
A great day with head winds in all directions.
The season is off to a good start.
At the end to the ride we met a gentleman named Ted who is the ride
leader for many of the Cycling Spoken Here rides.
He invited us to join them on Saturdays. I believe they leave from the
bike shop starting at 9:30am. They break into several groups with more
than 50 riders in attendance.
This is something to consider.
What we propose for this Saturdays ride is to join the training ride for
the MS 150. The cost is $15 with two distance choices of 24 or 31
miles.
See the link below for details. http://www.msfits.org/kickoff_2007.html
Please indicate whether you plan to attend this ride and we will try to
hook up.

Jan 13, 2007 Can't beleive it's January ride...

Jan 13, 2007

Folks tricked into the Brueggers Bagel's parking lot. You would not miss this group with Tracy's pink booties and Huck's neon jacket.





We were glad to see ther return of a larger group. Steve S, Huck, Smit's, Bridenbaugh, Clanton's tandom arrived to socialize a bit before the ride.
John M. was early but had to go back to get the all important helmet. Sarah and Larry arrived ready to roll ....

The smell the roses group with it's 2 members insured the Testosterone group they would knew the route and not to wait for them. With that permission, the 'T-team' took off for a 'no holes barred' 24 miles.

Right off the bat John M discovered his early morning tire change resulted in a buldge and he regretfully had to head back home one again. Just not his day to ride!

The sun tried to come out a few times during the ride so we were able to shead jackets and arm warmers.

Hard to believe this was a January ride!

Next ride Sat. Jan 20, 2007 assemble at Brueggers at 9:30am, ride off at 10am. The Smit's will have to skip this one ...

2007 Inaugural Ride - January '07

January 2007:
The calendar said January...the thermometer says May. Beautiful weather.
FIrst ride of the year and we had 6 riders:
Kevin, Theresa, Steve, Ron, Tracy, and Sara.

It was the first ride and with the weather so nice, we could not miss this opportunity. Kevin rode with the usual reckless abandon frigthening friends and farm aninals alike. It was great to have the team expand to include some new faces and to see the same old faces. ; )


The next road ride will be announced soon, weather permitting.

From left:
Steve, Tracy, Ron, Theresa, and Kevin.
 

Don't Mess with Cope....

Mountain Bike Ride on Sat August 5, 2006
AKA the Horse Dung Dodge

Ernest and Jon were there to keep Carolyn and Theresa company. Kevin again had to ‘work’… thought he was retired? Carolyn was looking forward to the Beer and Jon was salivating at the thought of soybean bars as there had been on the previous Saturday ride. But alas, the only thing close was the processed grain products left by the equestrian users of the trails.
Carolyn took Ernest’s bike for a test drive, which meant Theresa could ride her Trek, her back was very thankful. Theresa lead from the rear as usual, with a few opportunities to catch up to those directionally challenged.
There was some discussion of crank size, Ernest proclaimed that short guys have long cranks. Jon’s was short, but he claimed that the long seat post more than make up for it. With all this technical discussion the group rode the 20 mile loop clockwise with only a few short stops to let Theresa catch up.
Since there was no threat of rain it did seem like there were lots of Horseback riders and the road apples they left on the trail for us to dodge. None the less, a great ride.
Carolyn struck a deal with Ernest for the bike, not sure of the complete deal but I’m sure both parties were very satisfied and smiling!

Smell the roses Ride on Sun August 6, 2006
Theresa, Carolyn, Jae and John

Jae arrived just in time to start the ride, she and Carolyn led the whole group for most of the way thru Preston and the Testoterone group did not break away until Up-Chuck hill. John helped the ladies up the hill and kept us entrtained with various discussions the rest of the ride. He also suggested an alternate path down Whimbly to Jenks rd to avoid one of the larger hills on the White Oak Church route. The group rode strong and powered up any incline concentrating on spinning. We completed 25 miles and had our bagels and coffee long before any of the Testoterone group returned to give us the report on their eventful ride.

Monday John did get his diagnosis report and we are happy that he is officially is in remission! And ready to do more riding!

Testosterone ride “aka don’t mess with COPE”.
Kevin, Ernest, Steve Sparano, (all three rode to and from start of ride), Steve Cope, Brian, David Bridenbaugh.

The group was all assembled, or so we thought. Up rides David Bridenbaugh at the last minute. David is a powerful rider and has only ridden with us one time before. We bored him by going at a slow 17 mph pace. David loves to hammer hard and has reportedly snapped bike frames in half with his powerful surges. We made quick introductions for those who had not yet met on our various rides. We briefly discussed the fact that Coach was not there today so the yellow jersey was up for grabs. The pack started to leave the parking lot just as Ernest zoomed in on his bike. Each Sunday Ernest has cut it closer and closer to the start time as he rides from home to meet us at the start. Clearly he is not one for chit chat and early morning coffee. Once on the bike he is ready to ride non-stop. This band of testosterone laden fools began the ride slow and easy. The smell the roses group led up and through all of Preston Woods. Lots of nervous chit chat as each rider tried to size up the competition for today’s race for the Yellow Jersey. Upon further inspection we all realized that everyone was on a vintage 1970 or 1980 classic frame and compo group. David Bridenbaugh was the only one riding a late model with shifters built into the break leavers. This meant we each could observer when the other bent down to shift gears. David was the one with the advantage as he could cleverly tap the side of his break lever to invoke a subtle change in his spin rotations of the pedals. David did mention that the rear cluster he was riding was new and he had not yet had time to fully adjust his derailleur to mess with this new cluster. This little bit of knowledge was then used by the more savvy cyclists to tune into the sounds made by a miss aligned derailleur and cluster. David no longer had the advantage. He did not have to see him shift we could sense it. The pack road at a respectable 16 mph average with everyone taking turns pulling from the front. A well organized peleton.

At one point early in the ride we were traveling along Fire Station Church Road were all the construction has bee taking place. On this stretch of road are many holes, and man-hole covers that are needing repair. Kevin was riding in the middle of the pack and had missed the signal from the front that one of the obstacles laid in his path. Clang, Bang, Tinkle, Thud. Steve Cope shouted to the front of the pack that Kevin has lost his dentures. The peleton bust into much laughter which disrupted the smooth flow that had been established. This then lead to old man and fat man jokes. That lead to additional comments on other noises being heard on the ride and attributed those to knee caps exploding, and the sounds that arthritis makes within each joint.

The ride took on the expected attack as we approached up-chuck hill. Steve Cope announced that Kevin Smit pays $5 for the winner of the up-chuck sprint. Last week Brian (his first time on the ride with us) took that $5 with ease. Was he going for 2 in a row? David Bridenbaugh was expected to attack as well as Steve Cope and Steve Sparano and the every present Ernest (quiet and calculating). Kevin would sweep the hill from behind and be the excuse everyone needed to rest at the top as they wait on him. Each rider spread themselves out positioning for the attack as we zoomed down the hill, swept into the corner and hit the base of the hill. From behind Kevin could hear the jamming of gears and the excited banter of the riders as the attack unfolded. Half way up the hill, still anyone’s victory. Then as if shot from a cannon Brian raised up off the saddle and with 3 strokes of the peddles had exploded past David Bridenbaugh who had until then led the scamper up the hill. Later we learned that David’s heart rate monitor was reading over 200 bpm as Brian left him behind. David was shocked at the explosive nature of this rider. At the top the group reassembled and rode in circles as Kevin plowed his way up the hill and took time to stuff his lungs back into his chest.

On we rode as we decided to ride the route that took us straight at the top of the hill vs turning right. This is the route we did last weekend and would provide 40 miles of hills and long flats were we could pull hard with a well formed draft line. At the T intersection we turned left, down and around sweeping turns and rolling hills. On one of the first rolling hills Kevin and Steve Cope were at the front of the double draft line. The unwritten rule of “no ones wheel gets ahead of mine” began to unfold. The pace quickened, the chit chat stopped, the heads dropped, the cadence intensified.

THEN IT HAPPENED.

Kevin sensing the serious focus of the riders decided to lighten things up a little. Ridding close to Steve Cope, Kevin fell back slowly giving the impression that Steve was about to beat everyone up the hill. As Steve dug deeper to put more pressure on the group Kevin reached over and grabbed the spare sew up tire that Steve had tucked under the seat of his bike. Kevin then stopped pedaling in an attempt to let Steve pull him the rest of the way up the hill. Steve immediately felt the weight of several hundred pounds pulling him backwards (now he knows what it is like for Kevin to climb a hill). Steve’s immediate unconscious response was to swat at the thing that was bogging him down as if he was swatting at a pesky fly.
SMACK.

Kevin’s neck and head snapped back.

Only Kevin’s solid riding skills kept him following a straight line as he slowly recovered the broken tooth from his mouth. With a huge toothless grin he showed Steve the results of that little skirmish. As this unfolded Ernest swung out wide and raced past the battling duo to claim victory at the top of the hill. No one believed that Steve had knocked out a portion of Kevin’s front tooth until we made a full stop at the next intersection. At that point everyone had a new greater respect for Steve Cope. They now know that he will do anything to win. If you listen close enough when you ride next to Steve you can hear him Growl if your tire inches ahead of his. The riders continued their ride with periodic attacks on each hill. Each of these attacks splintered the group more and more. On one of the longer flatter stretches Brian was riding no handed at 20 mph so that he could reach into his pouch and retrieve a granola bar. Riding along no handed he offered part of the granola bar to Kevin. Then he stopped, pondered what he had just suggested, and announced I guess you better not, your teeth might not be able to chew this with out breaking. Kevin confirmed that his teeth are old and week just as the rest of him is.
Again the Peleton had great fun with this latest revelation.

The riders found themselves on the road that parallels Jordan Lake on Farrington road. A nice smooth stretch of road that could take the group in many directions. We planned to turn back towards 751 at Martha Chapel road. At this intersection Kevin had to stop and wipe his face. He was going into shock from the traumatic blow he had received earlier form Steve Cope. Kevin down played this life threatening development and told everyone he was Bonking. He provided the rest of the directions to the group and told them he would short cut back and that they should not worry about him. David Bridenbaugh new the route well and was elected the new ride leader. Everyone was off with a quick wave to Kevin. They never looked back to see him stagger back onto his bike and wobble down the rode.

Every 10 minutes Kevin had to get off his bike and recover. On a couple of occasions he almost passed out before he stopped to recover. At the corner of Green level and Green Level Church, Kevin was recovering along side the road as Steve Sparano and Ernest caught him. They stopped long enough to offer some water and to announce that Steve Cope, David Bridenbaugh and Brian had left them in the dust. Ernest shared the fact that he was trying to draft the three and was riding at 27mph at the time. This was a personal best for Ernest and he held on as long as he could but they still left him as if he was standing still. After this brief interchange, Kevin told them to go on and that he was OK. Off Steve and Ernest rode as Kevin continued to struggle for life. Cramps in both calves, both thighs, eyes rolling into the back of his head, water bottles empty, Kevin pressed on. On occasion he discovered that he had temporarily passed out, only to recover consciousness long enough to return to the right side of the road. On he struggled. Normally Kevin spins the peddles at 95 -110 rpms. Today on this last section of the ride Kevin was turning the cranks at about 40 rpm.

ALL made it to the end of the ride with smiles and more stories to tell. We learned that David had set a blistering pace once they dumped Kevin on the side of the rode. He pulled non stop at 27 + mph up to the bottom of the hill where we turn left onto Roberts road. We are told that he lost it all there. He turned all white and fell completely off the pace. Steve Cope and Brian had to encourage him to ride on.

We learned a great deal on this ride.
DO NOT MESS WITH COPE.
Ernest is quiet but calculated
Steve Sparano rides smooth and never complains
David likes to ride until he pukes.
Kevin Bonks early, and often.
The Smell the Roses riders always have a great ride.

PS. Kevin Smit has had to travel to Indiana were he is undergoing reconstructive surgery for the damage done by Steve Cope.

Write up provided by the Bed Ridden Kevin Smit. The Smits will not be able to ride Saturday or Sunday do to the long recovery period imposed on Kevin by the team of doctors and specialists that did the best they could considering what they had to work with.

Next Saturday and Sunday rides (Aug. 12-13) will be led by Steve and Carolyn Sparano.

Send get well cards to Kevin Smit: Any and all donations will be accepted to help pay for the many medical bills ( Kevin is self employed, and has no life or heath insurance).