Why is that of interest to this blog?
Because rando buddy Biker Bob usually does his non-rando riding with said club.
But, with their semi-hibernation, he thought maybe some Irregulars might be riding this mid-week.
He contacted me about doing the Mayo Lake 100-miler.
Luckily, I convinced him that the Allensville - Dennys Store 80-miler would be a better option.
More likely to get Irregulars other than Ricochet and myself, and
Given the forecast wind direction,
Only 40 miles finishing into a head wind,
Instead of 50.
Ricochet decided he was rather Ragged, or had family / house duties,
So he did not show for the ride.
Tried to get another one or two of the longer-riding IRs to come, but
No luck.
It was just Bob and me.
A frosty start.
Steam drifting up from Falls Lake as we crossed it Old Weaver Trail.
More traffic on Cash / Gate #2 Road than I can recall encountering previously;
Possibly the result of riding on a Thursday instead of a Saturday or a Sunday.
Excellent roads until Central Ave Ext. leaving northwesterly out of Butner.
Same rippled bumpiness as always.
Just that Bob didn't know the only smooth line:
On or to the right of the fog-line.
I don't like riding that far to the right.
Not as safe ... for several reasons.
But when it is a low-traffic road,
Smooth is much to be preferred to jarring.
Range "Wall" done at an easy spin.
Range and Bahama roads smooth.
Little to no traffic.
As always.
A 10-minute stop in Moriah.
Bob wanted to use their RR.
None to be found.
(I've stopped at that store before, but never tried to use the RR.)
Increasing rollers on Mt. Harmony Rd; still smooth and no traffic and reasonably scenic.
Cut over to Surl-Mt.Tirzah Rd, which changes name once or twice north of US-158.
Smooth road, gentle rollers (but more than the usual closer to Raleigh), no traffic.
At Allensville, we turned east on Dennys Store Rd.
Into the headwind.
40 miles still to ride.
Dennys Store Rd makes a slow bend to the south and becomes Old Roxboro Rd..
And we were seriously into the teeth of the headwind.
Luckily, it was only a North Carolina wind;
Not a northern Illinois wind;
Nor a Great Plains nor a Texas wind.
Still ... enough of a headwind that we enjoyed a 30-minute stop in Berea.
Then on to Culbreth, Stem, Creedmoor and points south,
30-miles into the wind.
Irregulars will appreciate this:
Zooming down Brogden Rd at 15 to 17 mph.
Not 20 to 25.
Recrossing Falls Lake, the sun was casting eerie reflections off the wind-driven rippling wavelets.
Very nice effect, actually.
We did not stop to try to capture a photo.
Almost certainly would not have "come out", anyway.
81.5-mile core ride completed in just under 6 1/2 hours.
That includes the 10 + 30 minutes stops mentioned above.
Also a couple flo-max stops.
And assorted stop-sign and a couple stop-light pauses.
5h34 actual in-motion time for the core ride.
That was Bob's time.
I finished a minute or so later.
One last thing:
It was delightfully sunny in / near Raleigh at the beginning and end of the ride.
Heavily overcast from about Mt. Harmony to at least Stem.
I didn't notice the sunlight streaming between the tree branches until we were on Dove Rd.,
Only about 12.5 miles still to ride.
The headwind coming back wore me out.
Bob ... not so much.
Good ride.
Wish there had been more sun and less wind.
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Dec-29:
--> PUE: Allensville - Dennys Store 80-miler; 86.3 m.; est. 5h,51m in-motion; 14.7 mph; we avg'd 13.9 for the ~ 30 miles from Berea to the finish.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; 1822.2 m.; 123 h, 05 m; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; 2604.9 m.; 174 h, 22 m; 14.9 mph.
Q-3 tot: _29 rides; 2479.2 m.; 161 h, 05 m; 15.2 mph.
O-N tot: _20 rides; 1591.3 m.; 105 h, 56 m; 15.0 mph.
Dec tot: _10 rides; _635.0 m.; _43 h, 11 m; 14.7 mph.
YTD tot: 112 rides; 9132.6 m.; 609 h, 40 m; 15.0 mph.
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