Mar-10: Inaugural Warrenton - Egypt Mtn Perm

"Biker Bob", "Wilmington Rick", Jeremy S (first time meeting) and I did the inaugural Warrenton - Egypt Mtn 210k permanent on a beautiful, severe-clear day on a rolling course lined with cow pastures, mobile-home parks, and ... admittedly more dawgs than we would have preferred.  (Shouts of "no" and/or "shut-up" were effective in all but one case -- Bob decided to face down one beast.)  Also, we would have appreciated a bit less breeze / wind from the NE, especially for the first 54 or 59 miles -- on the other hand, we didn't mind the NE wind at all for most of the last 65-miles. 

Some things weren't exactly as I had recalled them, including the dawgs -- but, after all, I hadn't ridden much of the route for at least two years, and some of those roads I'd only ridden once (too much rando in 2011 / not enough adventuresome JRA?).  There were a couple valleys I had not remembered.   One segment / view was on a different road than I had recalled (only a couple miles apart as the crow flies, but separated by 50-miles of the route).  (I still think the view / side-wind climb I see in my mind's eye is on Sims Bridge Rd rather than on Gillburg Rd.)  

One thing was EXACTLY as I recalled and as shown on the digital maps, but I'm going to make a small adjustment to the cue sheet because at least two of the other three were intent on doing the wrong thing at the "turn" from Stagecoach Rd on to Tower Rd..  Namely, I'll be removing the reference to the few yards one rides on the shoulder of US-401 before actually turning onto Tower Rd.   

We had fun, took ambassadorial time at the controls in Epsom and Bobbitt, some unnecessary "stop-and-chat" time in a couple places, 35 or 45-minutes for lunch at the Hardee's in Warrenton, and of course, the other three wanted to be somewhat conservative as they never knew what was coming -- they kept asking when / where we would get to Egypt Mtn (I finally told them that it is noted on the cue sheet). 

I was pleasantly surprised when on Egypt Mtn Rd I noticed that I was about to roll 100-miles.  "Cool," I thought, "'Stovall Mtn' on KLL at 100-miles, Egypt Mtn Rd on this course at 100-miles."  WHY I was surprised by rolling the 100-mile mark while on EM Rd is a mystery:  the cue sheet clearly shows the turn onto EM Rd at 98.3-miles and the turn off EM Rd at 102.8-miles.  Maybe I should look at my own cue sheet once in a while. 

----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Mar-10:  

--> Warrenton - Egypt Mtn 210-km Permanent; 135.6 m.; 9h28 in-motion; 14.4 mph; official rando time -- 10h57 (for the permanent only).  

Jan tot: __6 rides; __426.2 m.; _28 h, 52 m; 14.8 mph. 

Feb tot: __6 rides; __591.0 m.; _40 h, 15 m; 14.7 mph. 

Mar tot: __3 rides; __219.8 m.; _15 h, 12 m; 14.5 mph. 

YTD tot: _15 rides; 1,237.0 m.; _84 h, 20 m; 14.7 mph. 

I ran out of energy or gumption or both at the bottom of Ghoston Rd (9.5-kms before the end).  I was quite slow all the way up Ghoston; it has been a LONG time since I rode up the steep part of Peed Rd at 4.0-mph.  But at least I knew I would finish the ride and not end up in the ditch.  Probably took 40-minutes, or nearly so, to do that 10-kms, instead of the expected 25 to 28 minutes. 

R-20 for me; R-27 for Bob.  

First rando ride this year for Rick. 

Jeremy is new to rando this year; he hasn't been doing this long enough to be counting, yet.  

This ride also made C-25 for me (25 consecutive months with at least one 100-miler-plus ride). 

Also M-37 (37 months with at least one 100-km-plus ride). 

As for the rando P-series:  not yet this month.   

Eddington Cycling Number: 

After this ride:  84. 

Meaning I have ridden at least 84 miles on at least 84 different occasions.