Shenandoah 1200k 2009
Well this is my current “remberence”..
Oh here is a link to Juan’s blog. He gave a most excellent report of the trip… A much better writer than myself… Juan’s Blog
The second running of this ride started with good weather compared to the inaugural ride.
Temperatures were cool and overcast and were accompanied by a light sprinkle of rain from time to time.
There were 40 some odd riders in the event. The ride started at 4AM and the pace started out fast. Quickly the group cut in half upon the first set of hills. As we progressed to the first control and we began to run into taller and steeper climbs, I began to doubt if I would be part of the front lines.
The guys (and gals) I was with were climbing strong and fast, too much so for me or perhaps too early. I decided to let them gap me.
After a bit I was left alone but then I rounded a few corners and started another short steep climb only to be passed by the front again! They had missed a turn. In a few steep hills they were out of sight again but only to find them catch up with me again an hour later as they had missed yet another turn. This happened a few more times. Fortunately for me I of course used my trusty GPS so there was no such off route errors for me. Later when I missed a turn and immediately spun around someone said that while the others would end up off course for a half of a mile or more that my errors would need to be measured in yards!
I eventually made it to the second control at the tail of the bunch. This control was in Gettysburg Military Park. The temps were still moderate but a bit chilly when you are sweaty and stopping. However there were Breakfast Biscuits (Egg and Bacon/Sausage) and other supplies. I made quick dispatch of the egg/bacon biscuit and filled my bottles and started to head out. My Buddy Jim Salonic was already on the road in a blink... He is so very quick at the controls.
At this point the pack was vastly scattered and quickly I found in the rolling hills that I was somewhere in the middle of the bunch with no one in site.
For the last few months I'd been reading about the civil war and I began to feel the history of the place. When I approached the "Wheat field" I felt a chill. On the edge of the tree line just before the "wheat field" began in the mist there was a guy in a dark blue shirt with pants that had a red stripe on the side. I looked again and he was gone. Did I see what I thought I saw... I've not been riding long enough to be dreaming! Nah... But hey who knows... The ghost of a Union Solder?
I continued on no knowing if it was the fog or what that made me think that I saw... Uh anyway I eventually made it over to Antidim and on to the 3rd control next to the famous battlefield. I found some still at the control and I saw Jim do his usual quick passage. I decided to hop on the trail asap and found that most of the others did not. Eventually I would catch Jim and would also get caught up by Henrik, Juan and Tim as I passed through Shepherdstown.
Somehow now that I was in the rollers I was able to keep a fast pace and stay with these guys while the others were behind. We eventually got to the next control at a SHEETZ station/food where I got a most delicious chicken salad sandwich (on a croissant). The others departed all but Juan who decided we were going too fast for his planned timetable. My plan was simply to try to get to mile 266 in Deerfield before midnight so I could get some sleep. I was really ahead of schedule and was toying with the idea I may be able to ride through the night. But I will make that call when I get to Deerfield.
With a belly full of good and real food my body began to really crank out the tempo... My surgery site was not even giving me a hint of discomfort so the doc dealt me a perfect hand. Just need to be careful and not get cocky. As I tromped out the miles I caught and passed Jim and some others and eventually caught John and then Tim but not Henrik. I passed Tim who was looking bad long before the EMU control. At the Mennonite University I found Henrik in the showers. I took a break and asked about food (this was the dinner spot) and if there was a dinner in Deerfield. Here there were beds and in Deerfield there were cots... Could not be worse than the cots during PBP is what I thought and that is why I had my drop bag sent there when I found out there was food, cots and a shower.... But now I was not wanting to leave until I knew there was food there... Turns out they did not have cell coverage in Deerfield... But I was promised that there was at least a serious breakfast and the lady in Deerfield would cook whatever I wanted... OK... Decision made... Take the chance and go to Deerfield. I may get there before 11PM at this pace... That will save me 40 miles tomorrow and tomorrow is the big hills of the ride. I called Juliet and grabbed a bit of food and drink. Henrik was out of the shower and dressed again... Meanwhile Tim and John had arrived. They were not ready to leave so Henrik and I took off for Deerfield.
The last segment of day 1 was a lot tougher that I thought... and as night and then rain set in this segment was really getting to me. We slugged on and eventually got there thought the GPS and Q-Sheet had the fire station in the wrong place. But we found it... We were the first two there... and it was only 10:15PM!!!! Rosa Lee(I think) was there along with a guy helping out... I started shaking from the wet and she had us wrap up in blankets and poured coffee into us... In a few minutes I was nice and warm. I found my bag and went to the shower and cleaned up and put on dry clothes... Now I felt REALLY GOOD! Meanwhile she had cooked like 6 scrambled eggs, bacon and toast and there was lots of fresh milk and OJuice. I played easy with the OJ but had two glasses of milk. Henrik was drying out his shoes and planning to go out again... I said I think I will not push my surgery... Being this far ahead I could easily sleep 4 hours and start up again @ 4AM... Just another day :) As Henrik was deciding and I was picking out which cot was in the darkest/quietest corner of the very large pavilion room of the fire station some others started to dribble in... Jim, Mike, John and some others.
I hopped into the bed(cot) and closed my eyes.
At 3AM I woke up and started to get ready.... I skipped eating breakfast because I had only eaten a few hours ago... I downed more mike and topped off the bottles and headed out. Just as I left others started to show from the college and were stopping here for breakfast. Shortly after I left I ran into Mike. He and I chatted and noted that each of us had similar riding styles (we were climbing and cruzin around the same speeds and both of us had aero bars, generator lights, etc). We decided to try to ride together and managed to do so for the rest of the ride.
The second day had lots of hills as we slowly approached Roanoke and the way onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just as we left Roanoke we tackled a tiny little road that was a 16% grade but very short as in only about 100 yards. It was at this point we considered that Matt the ride director had a mean streak. Later we would say when we were not sure of our direction: "when in doubt take the road that goes uphill!"
Once on the parkway we encountered the toughest climb of the day.
The climb was about 2 miles long and elevated us up 2000ish feet to the highest point of the ride which was a low 3000ish feet above sea level. It was getting warm and there was not much shade. Mike couldn’t find a rhythm but I eventually did and I climbed up and away. The closer I got to the top the more I was worried about our pact. It was too hot at the top to stop immediately so I took some lazy slow down hills and there were a few little tough uphills that I tried not to hammer as quickly as before. After a bunch of miles of this I exited the BRP onto 221 to head into Floyd. I stopped under a tree and kicked my shoes off for a few minutes with my eyes on the BRP to see if Mike had caught up... I didn't see him and decided I needed to keep moving and I was hoping to find something cool to drink... I did a quick downhill and was just tooling up the next hill when I hear a bike downshift... It was Mike! Cool... the team stayed intact. A few miles later we found a gas station and pulled over to get some liquids and cool down before heading into Floyd. Eventually we saw some others pass by and also Jim and Heink showed up and stopped where we were. We said Hi and because we were just about to leave we bid adous and hit the road. We saw the other group that had gone past at another station but we kept going into Floyd.
At the Floyd Control I noticed that my brooks saddle was really starting to sag. This is my first brooks and I think now that I did not tension it properly... I was afraid of over tension so I only tensioned it once... Here in Floyd I did tension it a tiny bit but because it was wet I didn't want to over do it. Later in Mt Airy the mechanics/NC-Club guys would look at it and we let it dry overnight and then did a proper tension and that seemed to get it into good shape again. While in the control we ran into a kid named Justin who was in his second year of college and riding strong. He joined ups for the ride into Mt Airy.
Along the ride to Mt Airy we ran into numerous hills to climb and I wasn't feeling that great at climbing... I may had overdone the BRP climbs a bit... But I wasn't too much of a slug so Mike and Justin cut me some slack. Eventually we made the big downhill which is about 17 miles outside of MT Airy... We bombed the downhill... I coulda done it faster but I was in #3 spot and Mike was taking it a bit slower... Justin ate up the road... At one point I went around Mike and I thought I could catch Justin... But what I found out was 1) he is going downhill really fast.. 2) he was waking up all of the dogs and they were coming out onto the road so I had to dodge them which became really dangerous a few times and I slowed.
I was amazed that we got to Mt Airy with all of those big hills BEFORE THE SUN SET... We arrived at 8PM!!!!! Henrik was still there... Unfortunately his knee was bothering him... Later I would find that he DNFed in Mt Airy... Sorry to hear that. The other John I think had just left before we got there and Tim shortly left too. They were trying for RAAM qualify (need to do the ride in 70 hours... They would finish in 70 hours 11 minutes due to missing a turn... sigh... oh well... I'd given them the credit)...
Thought I think I coulda done the 70 hours perhaps esp if I didn't sleep... that is not my nature... I prefer to ride during the day and I was quite happy that I was riding fast enough to do that esp after all of those hills.
The Mt Airy guys were real gentlemen. When I pulled in they immediate became pit-crew and took my bike, planted me in a chair, gave me a drink, fed me and so on... I chatted with them, Justin and Mike... They looked at my bike and said they would either fix it or give me a saddle.. After a bit they asked Mike and me when we wanted to wake and we picked 3AM again and went to bed.
FIVE HOURS LATER we woke up and I FELT WONDERFUL. Again this is when I was very glad I did not push myself for a short time. We got up and ate some breakfast and I did a test ride on the retentioned saddle... One more half-turn and it was good to go. We left I think at 4:15. We were all dreading the big hill we went down the night before but hey we only have 200 miles today so if we spend most of it on the climb so be it.
On the way to the climb there was a funny incident where we ran into a few dogs on the road which right when we thought we were going to have to deal with them someone on the side of the road called them off. There were two guys standing on the edge of the woods a few yards off the road. They hooted at us and I was sitting on the rear and when I went by one said very politely "how ya doin'" and I said fine how about you and he said OK.
The think that became really odd was after we got around 100 yards away these two started hollering so greatly that we could hear them as clear as if they were talking next to us... We understood they were cheering on the riders that were behind us. Later we would find that they got out lawn chairs and would jump out and run next to others as they cycled through.
And even later we would learn as we saw some of the very slow riders coming down the mountain that these two guys actually got into a car and followed behind some of the riders blowing the horn and such... Oh well... Though probably scary at least they were harmless.
Turns out the uphill was not as steep as the downhill had made it seem to be. Thought I had flatted just at the base of the climb the break freshened my legs and I made quick work of the climb and Mike and Justin were waiting for me at the top. Now to head back to Floyd.
After several miles Mike wanted to stop for a moment at a store which turned out to be closed. I think Justin wanted to keep going but I wanted to stop and get a drink. There were some soda machines outside that worked so we bought a couple of drinks each and downed them at the store. Then we got back on the road. This day was graced with some really nice rollers and some nice gradual downhill grades that you could sit and spin and just wind around turns and take in all of the green and scene.
Eventually we got to Floyd and just before we left the town there was a Subway... It was kinda around 8AM which was a bit early but we wound not have a decent stop for lunch so it is now or not. The store wasn’t open but it was suppose to be. The cooks were inside and eventually they opened the store and we got some subs... It was Mike’s idea to stop and after getting the subs and going to the control and sitting there and eating the sub I realized this was a seriously good idea of his! Justin was at the control and I had to keep my eyes on my sub :) He was seriously eyeing it!
We left the control at Floyd and started back over the rolling hills to the control in Buchannan. This involved going down the 8% grade for like 3 miles on HW 221... I was holding onto a 45mph pace and the cars didn't like it as they wanted to go faster... Ah well at least the road was fairly wide so they would pass me when they got a chance. We stopped in Buchannan control which is an Exxon/burger-king... Mike wanted to eat again but I was not so hungry though I decided that a whopper Jr was probably not a bad idea. Some of the others rolled in including Juan and also a group of gals and guys who were riding across country (to Oregon). We wolfed down the burgers and headed out. Next stop was to be the EMU (Mennonite university) and sleep.
Along this last section HW 11 got really HOT and mike started to melt... My bottom was starting to rot with sweat and the only guy who looked like he was OK was Justin but he had already complained about his knee earlier in the day. Just when I thought this would turn out to be a miserably hot day a front moved in and things cooled down... Mike started to recover and pick up his speed... Though my butt was still hurting and my toes were starting to burn the cool down woke up my legs... Justin’s knee decided it didn’t want to play with us old guys so he had to slow down. A few more miles later we got dumped on with some heavy and very cold rain... Amazingly this fixed my burning toes and my bottom liked the flushing out of the sweat in exchange for cold fresh water and I started to feel even better. I told mike we should still not push too hard though the two of us still kept a really high pace up until it got dark which was like 3 miles from the control. We rolled into the EMU dorms around 9PM. We now have 25 hours to bike 125 miles.
We got checked in, showered and into clean clothes and dropped down into the main lobby for dinner which was most excellent turkey (real pulled meat from the bird), mac&cheeze (fresh baked), salad and more... During this time others including Jim and Heik, etc showed and we all sat around and chatted for a while. Though several of the others wanted to leave early Mike and I decided we had the time to sleep until sunrise and do the last bit without the need of lights. This was a 6 hour sleep and man I felt good...
With the 125 miles left I started out and my legs were a bit heavy... an hour later I felt a bit of motion sickness and was wondering if I had food poisoning or what not... After a bit I took off my sunglasses and then I started to feel better... Hmmm... So on we went and rolled along rivers and small streams and through tree line full canopy shaded roads and so on.... It was majestic... I'm glad I did this part during the day! This may had been the section with the best views. Though there were some roads with traffic at times...
Oddly with about 20 miles to go my surgery area started to complain but now I think it was just one of the many areas below the belt line that were starting to complain... I told Mike that I was going to back down on anything hard climbing... It slowed us a bit but not a lot as I found occasions that I could build up a head of steam and plow thought and lead for a good clip...
We stopped just outside of town and got a bit more drink and a rest bit before we made the last push into Leesburg. We arrived around 3:45 ( I think) to cheers, and beers, and brats.... Aha that was a trip worth taking!
Final Stats:
Total time 83:45 (or was it 83:15... ah whatever)
Time on bike 54:27
Total sleeping time 15 hours (4 hrs in Deerfield, 5 hrs in Mt Airy, 6 hours in Harrisburg)
Max speed 45mph
Max Climbing: 52,700 feet
Highest point 3010 feet.
Archive of Juan’s blog below…
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Shenandoah 1200K
When I signed up last December for the Shenandoah 1200K I had only ridden two 200K brevets. I knew I had to keep riding through the Upstate New York winter if I had any hope of staying in shape. The 150+ mile rides in 15F did not prepare me for the 92F heat I encountered in Virginia, but they helped build resilience, a factor I think is fundamental to completing a 1200K. The PA series along with the Ithaca hills got me ready for the climbing, which was ubiquitous. My ride was not epic, as I did not have any breakdowns, rain or even a flat. On the other hand, it was tough, very tough. The only moment I was certain of a completion was when I was 20 miles from the finish with 9h to the cutoff. I new I could crawl if I had to.
Before the ride
This ride involved a lot of planning. It was my first attempt at a 1200K and I wanted it to go as smoothly as possible. Just a few days prior I went out on a 65 mile club ride when I noticed my chain was hopping around. Mark Sheehan, a 2008 Shenandoah participant, pointed out that it could be a frayed cable. Indeed it was. With a replaced shifter cable and a bike inspection at my LBS the equipment was good to go. Then there were drop bags. What to put in them? I did a bit of overkill, as my drop bags were one of the heaviest around. Each contained spare tubes, a fresh set of cycling gear and normal clothes, flasks filled with gel, pre-measured servings of Perpetuem, Hammer bars, toilet sundries, ibuprofen, tums and a recovery drink. I even took toilet paper for the ride. This was a tip from a PA randonneur.
Since I had spent a week getting everything ready, there wasn't much to do other than drive down to Leesburg, VA. I arrived at about 2pm and encountered Bill Olsen's brother Mark along with RBA Matt Settle in the Comfort Suites parking lot assembling Matt's bike. It had the drivetrain replaced the day prior to the event. Matt was very friendly and, judging by his bike, is definitely a no-frills guy.
A few minutes later I saw Dave Thompson, whom I had met earlier in the year during the Western/Central NY ACP 200K organized by RBA Pete Dusel. We would end up riding together for most of the ride. Dave indicated a nearby Mexican restaurant where I could eat. There I had chicken fajitas with beans, rice, chips, guacamole and all that good stuff. My father is from Venezuela and I am fluent in Spanish. I could swear the restaurant owner seemed to be from Venezuela judging from the idioms I heard while I was eating. In any case the food was good enough for me.
After eating I went up to my suite to work on the revision of a research paper. I had to submit changes by that night and wanted to get as much sleep as possible. Unfortunately the revisions took longer than I expected and I went to sleep only around 11pm. Just three hours later I was up for Day 1 of the Shenandoah 1200K.
Day 1
There was a large gathering in the hotel lobby at 3am. Riders from 18 states along with 4 Canadians had signed up. After some last minute instructions from Matt we were sent off. The skies were overcast and it was very humid.
Everyone rode together during the first few miles. Eventually the pack began to string out and I found myself in a group with another 10 riders or so. There were two riders who were ahead, but eventually joined us. On the hills I would stay in front and whenever the terrain was flat I would get passed by several riders. I tried to keep my own pace. It was actually kind of fun to see this yo-yo effect. I noticed there were several riders who knew each other from previous rides. I was rather quiet, a bit nervous by the daunting task ahead of me.
I was in front of a group that also had Mark Olsen when we missed the turn on Spruce Run Rd. My odometer said there was still a tenth of a mile to the turn and there was also no sign. After riding a few tenths ahead, we convinced ourselves to turn back. Spruce Run Rd was the first steep climb we encountered. Again, I distanced myself on the climb and was caught a few miles down the road.
At 7:57am a group of 17 riders arrived at the first contrôle in the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania with an average speed over 17 mph. I was a bit concerned knowing that we still had a lot of riding to do. The volunteers at the contrôle were great. There were even breakfast sandwiches waiting for us. Riders started hopping back on their bikes and I joined them. Leaving the park my chain fell off in a way that required me to stop. I was dropped by the group I had been riding with and it took me a while to catch up. The morning was still very humid and overcast. By this time I had spoken to some of the fellow riders. Many of them were using this ride as a RAAM qualifer and some were already RAAM qualified, such as Jim Solanick, Henk Bouhuyzen, Mike Sturgill and Catherine Shenk (I found this out later). At one point I was speaking to John Preston and found out that he, Henrik Olsen and Tim Carroll knew each other from the Sebring 24h bike race in Florida. Apparently Henrik had just broken John's record. What was I doing with this bunch? This was my first 1200K and I did not want to blow up in fumes on the first day.
I arrived at the Battleview Market with Catherine Shenk, John Preston, Greg Courtney and Henrik Olsen at 11:15am. The average speed was still up there, now at 16 mph. I could not help but notice how fast people were at the contrôles. Before departing I gladly took a potato chip Catherine offered me and hopped back on my bike. The terrain that awaited us was rolling with an uphill trend. When I say rolling, that means it can be steep, but not very long. Along the way I passed Jim Solanick, who arrived later at the contrôle but was out sooner. Eventually I caught up with Henrik Olsen and rode with him, John Preston and Tim Carroll to the Sheetz contrôle in Winchester, VA.
It was 1:45pm and I was hungry. Henrik and Tim grabbed something quick and left. John and I ordered sandwiches. Soon we were joined by several riders. John was ready to go but I wasn't. I still needed to use the bathroom. I found this to be a convenient way to depart from the lead group and ride at a more conservative pace. I decided to leave with Greg Courtney, Catherine and Mike It was now much warmer than earlier in the day and the sun was peaking often through the clouds. The profile for this stretch was full of nasty little spikes. We were on Back Rd for 17.8 miles of inferno. Up, down, up, down, up, down following the George Washington National Forest. A shop was conveniently located once we turned on VA 42. Would I ride all the rollers for a Klondike bar? Sure! While sitting on a chair outside I learned that Greg is a professor at the Department of Entomology of Iowa State University and does research on aquatic insects. I also heard he has spent some time in Patagonia. Insects are so cool, except when the bite you. Mike left a bit sooner and I rode with Greg and Catherine for a while. Then Catherine had some issues with her cyclocomputer and since she was riding with Greg I decided to move on. My plan was to arrive at the Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) Maplewood Dormitory contrôle before dark. The Klondike bar provided some refreshment but the endless rollers continued. I caught up with Mike and we rode more or less together until the EMU. It was 7:38pm when I checked in, averaging 14.44 mph for the first day. This value would plunge over the next two days.
Before the ride I had elaborated three strategies. The conservative strategy was to split the ride in four parts. The first three parts were full days of riding making it to sleepover contrôles before midnight and leaving the next day at 4am. On the last day I would ride the remaining 120 miles or so. The aggressive strategy would be to ride 266 miles the first day, then 226 miles the second day and 273 miles the third day. This plan was a bit problematic because it would require me to stop at places to sleep that were not designated sleepover contrôles, like a roadside motel or in the absence of that, some ditch. The intermediate strategy was based upon the conservative strategy for the first two days, however I would ride all the way through after the second day, i.e., 318.4 miles.
Upon arrival at the EMU contrôle I abandoned the aggressive strategy and decided to go conservative for the time being. Instead of quickly going to sleep I hung around the common area of the dorm and met riders as they came in. I spoke with Andy Brenner, whom I had met on the PA ACP 400K. He was planning to leave at around 2am. Then I also spoke with Dave T. He too was planning on a 2am departure. Initially I had 4am in mind, but since I got pretty early at the contrôle, I thought it was reasonable to leave at 2am. I do not enjoy riding long distances in the the night. My night vision is not the best and I usually get sleepy if I have been riding many hours prior
Day 2
Andy, Dave and I left the EMU contrôle a little after 2am. Next up was the Deerfield Voluntary Fire Department contrôle 40.2 miles away. I cannot say much about this part of the ride because it was dark and I could not see a thing other than a patch of road in front of me. Along the way we passed a rider that I believe was Stephen Bugbee, but I am not sure. At the contrôle we took a rather extended break where we all enjoyed breakfast. I had cereal, a banana nut muffin and scrambled eggs with bacon. Not bad!
Again Dave, Andy and I left together towards Buchanan, VA. The next 66 miles of the ride were among the most pleasant. We had a 17 mile stretch on Marble Valley Rd / Big River Rd during the first morning hours, followed by 9.2 miles on Maury River Rd, both in the George Washington National Forest. The morning fog in the valley and the view of the river along with the sound of running water and the cool temps made for a perfect setting. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to capture the bear we saw on film. It was close to the road but when it heard us it ran back into the forest. Not long thereafter we caught up with Glenn Himstedt, who had left Deerfield before us.
The serious climbing began after we made a turn on Turkey Hill Rd. This segment reminded me very much of the rides I have done in the Eastern PA series organized by RBA Tom Rosenbauer, containing steep climbs on quiet roads with several turns along the way. I like it that way because it gives you a sense of progress. The breakfast I ate had jump-started my digestive system and I needed to go to the bathroom pretty bad. Luckily there was a bathroom available at the Effinger Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue in Lexington, VA. Before reaching Buchanan we had a steady climb on S Buffalo Rd followed by a descent with some mega-rollers into Buchanan. Because the trend was downhill, one roller brought you to the top of the next and so on. I barely had to pedal.
The Burger King contrôle at the Exxon in Buchanan was a welcoming site. At first I thought it would not be a good idea to eat a burger. But I remember somebody telling me that if you crave something, then it is likely your stomach will handle it. So I went ahead and ordered a Tendergrill chicken sandwich combo. Ok, I was really craving a Double Whopper with cheese, but I decided that was too risky. We still had a long way to go and the morning hours were waning. Next on the list was the Pine Tavern Lodge contrôle in Floyd, VA, just 69.2 miles away. Yet in between we had some serious climbing to deal with.
Leaving Buchanan towards Roanoke the climb was gradual and steady, for almost 15 miles. Just before arriving in Roanoke we had some nasty stinkers to bother us. It was particularly difficult because the heat was really on and I was feeling it. A stop in Roanoke was almost mandatory. We decided to have refreshments and use the bathroom at a gas station on route. Bill Olsen's recommendation of constantly wiping your butt with sanitizing wipes was working as saddle sore issues were so far absent. I was also applying Hammer Seat Saver to prevent chaffing. It seems to work well.
I was rather surprised by the fact that we seldom encountered other riders. It seems were were far back off the leaders and well ahead of the rest of the group. As we arrived at the Buchanan contrôle earlier Larry Grabiak (I think) was on his way out. We were now climbing the Blue Ridge Parkway and ahead I saw another rider. I resisted to accelerate, since I knew that if I had him in sight now, it was likely I would catch up. And I did. Both Dave and I passed Larry just as we reached the first part of the climb. Andy had fallen behind. Somehow I thought it was over. But it was not. We began to climb and bend after bend the road kept going up. This went on for 9 miles. It certainly was a great climb, and the sense of accomplishment once I reached the top was very satisfying. But I was tired. Dave and I continued on without waiting for Andy. We were planning on a stop for refreshments. We found a convenient place along US 221 and waited for Andy to ride by. Once he joined us Andy urged us to continue without him, so we did.
Before reaching the contrôle I suddenly noticed a shift of weight on my bike. What I had feared before the ride indeed took place. One of the straps on my Carradice Barley bag had been cut by the friction on the saddle loop. I had observed some wear earlier but decided to take the risk. I was looking at the bag trying to figure out a solution when Dave offered zip ties that he was carrying. The solution worked perfectly. The zip-ties were very strong and kept my bag in place. I was about to hide the bag somewhere alongside the road and continue without it. Dave saved the day!
After a little diddling we found the right door to open at the Pine Tavern Lodge contrôle. The AC was on and I was happy! I had chips, pretzels, and two sodas. As Dave and I were about to leave Andy showed up. We decided to wait because it was getting dark and riding in a group at night is much safer. It was now just past 8pm and we still had 45.5 miles to the sleepover contrôle in Mount Airy, NC.
Daylight remained with us for a good portion of the ride until Mount Airy, but we had to descend Willis Gap Rd in darkness. I was glad to have put new front brake pads on my bike before the ride. I sure did use them. I tried to maintain myself mostly near the center of the road and followed the line the best I could. At one point a damn cat crossed the road and as I braked my rear wheel started to skid and swerve. I let off the brakes and missed the cat by inches. That was close! At the bottom of the descent I waited for Andy and Dave and we rode together to the contrôle.
The volunteers from North Carolina Randonneurs at the Knights Inn (very appropriate) where we were staying were amazing. I felt as if I were in First Class on a transcontinental flight. "What can I do for you?", "What would you like to eat?", "What time would you like to wake up?" were among some of the questions asked. We were very well treated and after a relaxing shower I enjoyed a burger, a hot dog, beans and more soda. Now it was time to sleep. Dave and I shared a room while Andy stayed alone. He said he did not want to be woken up.
Day 3
At 3:15am Dave and I woke up and got ready. A group of three formed by John, Mike and Justin Crawford, the youngest randonneur on the Shenandoah 1200K and also a member of the Hokie Cycling club, left at about 4am. Dave and I left about 10min later without Andy. Once again he urged us to leave. I think he was trying to get rid of us at this stage. Dave and I began to climb Willis Gap Rd, a 9 mile climb with several steep sections. It was good to have this climb right at the beginning of the day, instead of somewhere in the middle or towards the end. I was feeling OK despite some leg stiffness and pain in my ankles. I'm not sure if it is the Achilles tendon or a muscle. Dave and I climb at similar speed. At the beginning of the climb we saw two riders pass in the opposite direction followed by a tandem. We wondered if they would make it back to Floyd in time. Along the way we caught up with John who was fixing a flat. Ahead we also caught Mike and I saw Justin about 2 tenths of a mile ahead of me but I ran out of climb before I reached him. At the top he was waiting for the others. David was the first to show up followed by Mike. At this point Dave and I continued. The following miles were very pleasant, with more steep rollers of course. I was overwhelmed by a sensation of happiness as the big climb was over. A few miles later on Justin caught up but had to stop because of knee pain. This would plague him for the rest of the ride.
Dave and I arrived at the Pine Tavern Lodge in Floyd, now on the way back to Leesburg, at 8:30am. It took over 4h to ride 45.5 miles. At the contrôle I saw Bill Phillips, who had ridden on the Eastern PA 300K. I volunteered on that ride manning a secret/revitalize contrôle. I was very happy when I found out I could have the Starbucks Doubleshot somebody had left behind. It was exactly what I was looking for. At this contrôle we inquired about the status of other riders. We heard of some DNFs and learned that Matt Settle was close to the cutoff. While we were at the contrôle Andy, Justin, John and Mike arrived. Justin left before us and then Andy, Dave and I followed while John and Mike ate Subway subs that they had bought on the road.
The path back to Buchanan was different than the one we took on the way out. Instead of descending the Blue Ridge Parkway, we followed US 211 into Roanoke. I probably would have preferred the Blue Ridge Parkway, as the traffic on US 211, in particular near Roanoke, was quite intense. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun on a 3 mile stretch with an average 8% grade. Although the many curves slowed me down, it was challenging to swing from side-to-side as I cruised down the ridge. At the bottom my back was bothering me a bit and I had to stretch while I waited for Andy and Dave. Soon I looked back to see that they were accompanied by Justin. Apparently he had stopped at a local Arby's for some cold drink. We would ride together all the way to Buchanan, but before we made a stop at a gas station where I had a chocolate milk/Lifewater combo and Dave and Andy went to a nearby 7-11 for more appetizing food. Between Roanoake and Buchanan Justin and I took turns pulling and we made good time.
At Buchanan we met up with John and Mike, who had passed us as we stopped in Roanoke. Justin joined John and Mike as they left. Andy, Dave and I spent more time at the contrôle, where I had my second Tendergrill chicken sandwich of the ride, this time "no mayo." There we also crossed paths with Jim Solanick. As usual, he spent little time at the contrôle and was soon off to Harrisonburg.
Just standing outside the contrôle was unbearable. It was definitely very hot. I knew that once we started to move it would be more pleasant. This is a time you look forward to wind chill. However, I feared the sunscreen I was using could not do magic and my arms were already pinkish, not a good sign. We left Buchanan at about 3:30pm with 88.6 miles to ride before returning to the EMU contrôle. Initially I thought we would retrace the route we took on our way out, but that was not the case. We would have a very long 70.9 miles on US 11. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, the heat was taking a toll and I was in discomfort. It was frustrating to see the odometer move so slowly as we rode along the rollers. Perhaps the highlight of this part of the ride was Foamhenge. Bill Olsen had told me numerous times about it and when I saw the sign I could not help but take a look. It is a replica of Stonehenge, but as the name suggests, made from foam. It was quite the attraction.
Somewhere along US 11 we stopped to put on reflective gear. At that point Dave, who had let me use an extra pair of sunglasses he carried since I had left mine behind in Mount Airy, offered to let me use a different lens, less dark. I said it was OK and that the dark sunglasses would dim the glare of oncoming cars. They did that and also nearly put me to sleep. I was struggling while Andy and Dave took turns pulling. I just sat on their wheels and tried to maintain my concentration, but I was visibly tired. Just as we arrived in Harrisonburg Andy stopped at a gas station to relieve his bladder. I decided to take the sunglasses off to rub my eyes when suddenly night became day. It was amazing! I was instantly 10 times more alert. The sunglasses had created this added darkness that was really affecting me. Never use sunglasses at night, as if that were not obvious.
Earlier during the day I had suggested riding through the night straight to the finish, but the sight of a bed changed all that. Dave, Andy and I agreed to leave at 4am. There were assorted subs waiting for us to eat and I had two, one ham, one turkey. I also took a shower and organized my things for the last day of riding. We only had 120 miles left of this 765 mile journey.
Day 4
The morning turned out to be very cool and for the first time I was using my Showers Pass Double Century jacket, which works very well as a wind breaker. Andy opted to go jacket-less. My legs were stiffer than ever and I just wanted the ride to end before I could not ride anymore. Once we got moving and warmed up I felt better. It was not very long before the sun showed on the horizon and we were joyfully pedaling along S Middle Rd. We would enter and rise out of these pockets of fog as we moved along the rollers. Upon leaving S Middle Rd we decided to stop for food and to use the bathroom as well. Again, we were fortunate enough to find a BP station located on route. There I had a muffin with strawberry vanilla Muscle Milk. That stuff is disgusting. I drank it anyway. Dave and Andy had coffee with a croissant and a breakfast sandwich, respectively. It was time to go.
Edinburg Gap Rd came as a surprise. It was a rather long climb. I found a nice rythm despite my leg stiffness cresting just a bit ahead of Dave. Andy followed not far behind. We then began the descent together and continued a 18.9 mile stretch on Fort Valley Rd. This was another highlight of the ride. The vegetation was at times very dense and the road was completely shaded. The terrain was rolling and later on we had a creek on our right. Of course there were some smaller steeper climbs along the way. That goes without saying. After 67.3 miles I needed a break. Yes, there was a contrôle coming up!
At the 7-11 in Front Royal, VA we had more food. This time I chose a wrap. What I didn't realize is that it had banana peppers in it. I don't like banana peppers. But that was canceled by the deliciousness of the Häagen-Dazs ice cream I ate afterward. That along with the Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot. All was good in my world. Except for the fact that we were not yet at the finish. As we left the 7-11 John and Mike were just coming in.
The last 50 miles of the ride were a blur. I had been slogging a bit before but now I could feel the finish approaching. There was a 10 mile leg on VA 55 that I knew would be good for taking a pull. I pulled with everything I had left. We were averaging 20-22mph and it felt good to be moving swiftly along. Before I knew it we were off VA 55 and back on roads with steep rollers. The pull had affected me and now I was lacking a bit of energy. I reached for my gel flask and had about half of it. Soon thereafter I began to come back to life. In the meantime Andy was pulling us along. In the end I took over again and pushed hard. We had to make one last stop because Andy and Dave had run out of water.
It was such a great feeling to see the Comfort Suites as we made our last turn of the ride. We made it! Patsy took pictures and we were greeted by the other riders. All I wanted to do was take a shower, get the cycling gear off and eat non-stop. That is precisely what I did. It was great to receive the coveted medal and turn in the brevet card that had been a companion for so many hours, 82h45min to be precise. It was now all stamped and signed, the way it should be.
Post-ride
After going up to my room I joined the others downstairs for food and refreshments. John and Mike arrived about an hour after us. Then Hokie Justin arrived. It took a bit longer for others to come in but they did. Each time we would go out and applaud their arrival. I was particularly touched by the arrival of Gator (Martin Cochran), Vickie Tyer, Sharon Stevens, David Rudy and Dave Goodwin. To see them hugging each other and sharing the accomplishment brought tears to my eyes. That is what randonneuring is all about, camaraderie.
I was also very happy to see fellow PA randonneur Bill Olsen. He came in almost running me over and ran to get his brevet card signed. He was amazingly energetic. I didn't even start the ride like that.
The last arrival before the cutoff was that of RBA Matt Settle. He looked very tired. He was arriving at contrôles close to cutoff times so could not afford to sleep very much and that took a toll on him over the course of four days. He was still lucid, but visibly tired. I hung around the lobby until almost 11pm. It was now time to go to bed because I too was very tired.
Matt Settle put together a very tough ride. On the other hand, it was just as beautiful. Seldom did we encounter a patch of bad road or nothing worthwhile to look at. The volunteers at the contrôles were so amazing. It was also nice to see how some of the riders who unwillingly DNFd converted into volunteers. Of note was Hamid Akbarian who spent all of Sunday cooking burgers and sausages for us. He is probably one of the best story-tellers I have met and I laughed until I could no longer breathe with his accounts of misfortune during the ride. I hope to see many of the riders in a future randonée, somewhere in the world.