Jan-23: For the first time ever . . .

. . . I can't recall who all was on the ride!

10 am starters - there were 13 total - how many can I name?:

 1. me (69 miles)
 2. Duke (47)
 3. BobH (45 + ~ 14 to and fro the ride)
 4. Norris (45 + ~ 14 to and fro)
 5. Iva (47 + ~ 6 to and fro)
 6. LT (47 + ~ 3 to and fro)
 7. Lee (47 + ~ 6 to and fro)
 8. Dr. Phil (47)
 9. John H (~ 69; rode to the ride, shorted the "long" course to go directly home)
10. young Mark (47)
11. Mark's dad = Bill (47)
12. Jeffrey (47)
13. Walt (45)

11 am starters - two more; they met us on the road:

14. Snapper (49)
15. Smitty (49)
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Somehow, when making the above list, the extra names came to me. And once I see the names, I can recall the distances they rode. I can even recall the cast of characters that were dragging the pace up early, and in the middle, and further. But obviously, I have no idea what happened on the "homeward" leg of the "47". I  also obviously have no idea what most the conversation was for the first 34 miles (PUE to Grissom) because I was almost NEVER near the lead group. And if I got there (because the "lead" waited), I didn't stay there long -- the combination of Suitt's Store Rd., Old Franklinton Rd., Suitt's Store Rd, NC-96 and the downslope half of Wayside Farm Rd. being the ONLY exception.

Thanks MUCH to Dr. Phil for sticking with me and making my outbound trip on Bruce Garner much better. Phil may be a bit out of shape, he may have been the elder statesman of the ride, but he is still one STRONG cyclist.

Thanks much to Snapper, Smitty, and JohnH for taking it easy on me during the "long" riders section of the ride.

As an aside: I was avg'ing 16.0 mph when we got to Grissom (the 2nd time). I was still avg'ing 16.0 mph at the bottom of MVC with just the climb up to PUE left to do -- but getting there had NOT been "pretty".
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Another ond for the "For the first time ever" category is that we "left" someone other than "Wolfie"-Karen; meaning they "disappeared" and no one knew where they were. Actually, they disappeared and "no one" knew that they had disappeared. (Wolfie, fyi, neither Smitty nor I were involved in "losing" anyone.)

[edited Feb-06-2010]

The above paragraph needs some 'splainen':  I am not counting the times when various people (Wave particularly comes to mind) tried using their I-pod or I-phone or Blackberry or whatever to figure a route because they were incapable of (a) reading an accurate and well-designed cue sheet or (b) recognizing a corner they had been through previously or (c) recognizing a road upon which they had ridden several times previously.  See here and here #2 and here #3 for more details.  I still wonder how effective those orienteering courses that Wave taught the Scout could have been . . . at least they all got back from their wilderness hike out West.

I am also not counting the time that Steve got lost in Franklinton as a "bonus" to the "education" he was being given.  See here for details .

I am also not counting last September when I was taking a week off following my crash, and the crew missed a turn, and thought they were headed to Tennessee.

Wave "got lost" and took the others with him.  Steve got "ed-ju-ca-ted".  The September crew all had each other.

Karen got "left" .  The Duke got "left".  And in each case, the others did not realize it.

[end edit]

After the ride, after I got my damp top(s) off, after I had stretched, etc., after I had made a few important phone call, but before I left PUE, LT and Mrs. LT pulled in to the parking lot. Among the points of conversation, LT asked if the Duke had ridden the extra with me -- uh, no, he was doing the 47, following you, Dave. (Dave was probably still confused by the Duke wearing long cycling pants -- without those massive calves exposed, it was harder to recognize Bob.) If I were you, Bob, tomorrow, when I saw Dave, I would cross my arms and say things like "uh-huh", "suurrrrre", "uh-huh" -- then make a show of grudgingly forgiving Dave -- but only after he made a really good show of groveling.

Seriously, in the future, when we are splitting the group for "short" and "long", we WILL do a MUCH better job of making sure the respective leaders are absolutely sure who is going with them.
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 Best comment of the day (that I heard):

Iva, after completing Flat Rock Rd to get back to Grove Hill Rd: "pah-lease tell me that that was the assault part of the 'Assault'!" The Duke's immediate comment was almost as good: "Ditto!"

LT told me (when we were zipping across Suitt's Store Rd, I think) that a couple people had made similar comments to him.

Hey, we didn't have a southwest wind. Try Flat Rock Rd the direction we did it today into a southwest wind sometime. Guaranteed to "enhance" your thoughts that you might be in the mountains.
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One last thing.  Just for kicks, before we started riding, I asked the 12 riders assembled for the 10 am start "who has a cue sheet?"  A higher percentage than usual:  1 of the 12 did.  Actually, that is a bit unfair:  4 of the 12 never had a chance of obtaining a cue sheet.  Still, a higher percentage than usual:  1 of 8 did.

If you are new to reading this blog, you might be wondering "what is the usual percentage?"  The answer is . . . zero percent (0 %).
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Jan-23:

PUE: "Assault on Flat Rock"  +  lake loop + Pottery loop counter-clockwise; for the record setting cast of characters -- see above; 69.7 m.; 4hrs, 22min; 15.9 mph.

Jan tot: _3 rides; 162.6m.; 10 hrs, _7 min; 16.0 mph.