May-26: Two Epics 201-km Perm

I'm borrowing, with modification, a page from the "Doc-on-a-bike" playbook (i.e., blog) from two years ago:  "Sag" has summed up the ride and day pretty well over on "sagittandy", so I refer you to his blog post.  As indicated by Andy, everyone enjoyed the outbound, tailwind aided, camaraderie conversation filled leg -- making the first 100k epic in its own right.


The homebound leg was a different kind of "epic".  

Somewhere during our return leg together, John commented, "next year, White Lake Half-Iron  OR  Assault on Mt. Mitchell,  BUT  not both."  Sore butt and sore feet on a hot afternoon into the headwind definitely made for a different kind of epic than the outbound leg.

I'm under the impression that this, his R-11 ride, was the toughest ride of John's R-series.  If I understood correctly, also his toughest mental struggle in any of his events (triathlons, duathlons, half-marathon, full-marathon (?), two Assaults on Mt. Mitchell and other mountain centuries, RUSA brevets and permanents) in the last couple years.  John admitted during the ride, and repeated afterwards, that this was the one event that he seriously considered DNF'ing.

But John soldiered on, finishing and then immediately heading home to his six year-old son.  My opinion is that that last item of the previous sentence is the most important.

Chapeau, John!  And I hope I can join you next month for your R-12.

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May-26:  

Lookin' Out My Back Door 201-km Permanent; 125.9 m.; 8h16 in-motion; 15.2 mph; rando elapsed time:  10h35. 

Eddington Cycling Number: 

After this ride:  88. 

Meaning that I have completed at least 88 different rides that were at least 88 miles long.