Aug-22: Werewolf - Axminster

Snapper (and possibly Stew) suggested the title for today's post.  I'm not sure I got it quite right, though.

Snapper contacted a few days or weeks earlier asking if he could do a Sunday recovery ride with me.  I think he did some phast triathlon on Saturday .. perhaps he got credit for winning his age group ... probably because the only other person in his sex/age-group was credited with second master.  Actually, the previous sentence is probably not accurate.  Have you seen Snapper, lately?  He has gotten a lot thinner. 

Snapper invited BigWaveDave and Smitty (and someone named Ken) to join us.  Smitty showed up to return a sleeping bag to Snapper, but informed us that he had messed up one of his ankles, with the upshot being no running and no cycling for at least a few days, perhaps longer.  Here's to hoping that he heals quickly.  But perhaps that it will take just long enough to heal that he'll come back a bit slower due to being slightly out of shape. 

I seem to be having an "evil streak" surfacing today. 

We did a "Shadow" course, but I did inform the others that we'd take Dove Rd up to Creedmoor.  The "lake" / river crossing looked much different this morning than it did yesterday:  yesterday was all foggy and shrouded in mist ... today was clear and bright. 

As we approached Old Weaver on the newly paved New Light Rd, I was bringing up the rear, with Snapper and Ken in the front, and Stew just behind them.  I claimed the lane and signaled the left turn.  I yelled that I had claimed the lane.  Snapper looked back ... I thought he was checking the traffic and/or to see if the lane was claimed.  Then the lead three rode straight past the turn.  I yelled as I turned. 

Stew was the first to catch me.  I asked if he had been on the ride several months ago when we were supposed to take Dove Rd up to Creedmoor, but everyone zoomed past the turn onto Whitt (which leads to Dove), and then waited for Smitty and me at NC-50.  And when I got to 50, I asked "does anyone know the way to Dove Rd?"  Stew acknowledged and remembered the antecdote. 

A few minutes later, Snapper wanted to turn onto Beaver Dam Rd to get to Dove Rd.  S-i-g-h.  He covered his miscue by claiming that there was a house supposedly off Beaver Dam that is supposed to be nice, but has been for sale for over a year. 

Dove Rd was very nice.  The rollers helped me loosen up my legs.  The trees cast nice, cool shadows.  It led us to Creedmoor.

Pausing in Creedmoor allowed me to better prepare the nibbles in my "bento box" and for Snapper to adjust his main handlebar and his tribars.  I didn't charge him a rental fee for using my allen wrenches.  I don't know what Stew and Ken accomplished at the stop. 

We zipped slowly through Creedmoor on Main Street -- I won't comment on the quality of red light stop that certain people made, but the ride leader, who was 100 yards ahead and had made the light on the green, was shaking his head.  Leaving Creedmoor on US-15, Snapper pointed out the building that had been the ABC store for several decades, but no longer serves that purpose.  He tied the knowledge about said building useage to members of Ashley's family and going up to their lake place.  Mm-huh.  Sure.

Past the golf course on Sam Moss Hayes Rd, and Stew was eager to turn onto Moss Hayes Rd.  Sorry, Dave, I'm saving that for another day.  To the stop sign at Hester Rd, where I changed the course to remove a couple/few miles and a couple/few short climbs as Ken's previous long ride was only 30-miles, and there is always the possibility of a 50% increase in distance getting the better of the rider.

So we rode across Hester Rd to Tar River Rd, made a few other turns (that we've done once or twice before) and ended up on Cannady Mill Rd, then Philo White, then Flat Rock Rd.  We stopped for a real refueling stop at the Cowboy Store (this course seems earily similar to one ... or two ... recent IR routes).

Then across to Bruce Garner Rd where we put Snapper on the front to pull us at a very reasonable pace the 9 miles to the bottom of Ghoston.  The other three hit the afterburners once on Ghoston; I rode sensibly (some might say "slowly").

I arrived at PUE to find Ken changed out of cycling jersey and shoes, his bike already mounted on his car.  Harvey and Dave had already put their bikes up, and changed to running footwear ... Harv had even changed to running shorts.  I guess they had "time-trialed" G-P-MVC whereas I had just completed my ride (as if I could have kept up even if I had "TT'd" that last section).

Oh, yeah.  Stew took the only CL that anyone noticed.  Of course, no one else noticed it was coming.  Oops, that sounds "evil" again.

All in all, a very good ride.  And Ken increased his longest ever ride by 66%. 
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Aug-22: 

PUE:  Dove-SamMossHayes-TarRiver-PhiloWhite-FlatRock; 44.9 m.; 3 hrs, 07 min in-motion time; 16.0 mph. 

Q-1 tot: 16 rides; __938.2 m.; _60 hrs, 39 min; 15.5 mph.
Q-2 tot: 31 rides; 2,263.3 m.; 151 hrs, 29 min; 14.9 mph.
Ju1 tot: 13 rides; __786.9 m.; _52 hrs, 36 min; 15.0 mph.
Aug tot: _6 rides; __453.7 m.; _28 hrs, 19 min; 16.0 mph.
YTD tot: 66 rides; 4,442.1 m.; 293 hrs, 06 min; 15.2 mph.
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To see what we rode last year, see here. 
 
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Steppenwolf.  Magic Carpet Ride.  (You're on your own to find a link and give it a listen.)
 
As for why "Magic Carpet Ride" ... ask Stew.
(Just in case my humor is too ... something ... for you to detect, the immediately above bold text is what the guys wanted me to use for the title of the post today.)