Aug-06: Bahama Beach 103

My plan was to ride the Denny's Store Sortie 138-km perm-pop starting at 0500.
I decided to put out a last minute advertisement.
 
BradW responded that he had taken his PBP machine in to have a cable replaced;
That he couldn't pick up the bike until 8 am;
Would I be willing to delay my start until 0900?

No, I didn't want to still be riding until 4 pm (or nearly so)
In the likely 90 degree heat.
But I would agree to do Bahama Beach, starting a 9.

Somehow, Brad managed to collect his repaired machine on Monday afternoon, and
And Monday night, the plan was again morphed.
We would do Bahama Beach, in the clockwise direction, starting at 0700.

Brad had indicated that he had missed out on several "PBP training" rides, and
That he needed some climbing practice.
He also mentioned that Bahama Beach had always been a nemesis.

In looking at his previous BB rides:
The first had been when he was a near neophyte and had few 100k rides under his belt.
The second was when he decided to do the route on a fixed-gear bike.
And the third was when he was out of shape, but looking to maintain his P-streak
As for the fourth, it was a Jan-14-2014 ride he did with Ricochet (but I was not along). 

On the other hand, I knew that Brad has been riding with some of the fast-crew,
Including on some rather long and arduous routes.
I therefore knew that I would likely have a harder time doing BB than would Brad.


After an initial delay getting started, we got underway.
Part of the initial delay was Brad discovering that he had forgotten to bring any water bottles,

We stopped at the gas station at the corner of Cheek and Burton, 13-miles into the ride,
So that Brad could acquire some water in suitable bottles to carry with him on the ride.
He also purchased some Coco water, which he completely drank before we resumed riding.

At 20.9-miles into the course, one turns off Old-75 onto Stagville Rd.
There is a bit of a flat and then a three-quarter-mile 5% climb on Stagville;
Almost everyone goes up that faster than I do -- even when I'm in great cycling shape.
After that initial climb, there is a little descent, and
Then a 1.1-mile shallow one percent climb.
I went up that shallow incline at 15, then 16, then 17, then 18-mph.
No effort.
And I caught back up to Brad.

That was almost certainly the fastest I had ridden up that shallow incline in several years.
It made me feel good. 

There is an Info Control in Bahama -- after checking the answer there,
Brad asked if I thought he could use the rest room at the church.
I said, "use the fire station."
Brad replied that he couldn't wait that long.
"It's only a quarter mile," said I.
So we rode to the fire station, where luckily, Brad was able to immediately get to the commode.

I don't know what happened, but Brad's emergency took at least 15 minutes,
Probably closer to 20 minutes to resolve.

Starting late, 10 unplanned minutes for water acquisition, 20 minutes for Brad's emergency, 
Cloud cover dissipating -- it was certainly going to hot before we finished.
[Skipping ahead:  it did get hotter than I wanted to experience.]

We paused at the turn off Range Rd onto Robert's Chapel Rd,
To reproduce a photo from several years prior.
That is, Brad standing on the self-propelled artillery gun, lifting his bike overhead.
He did pose for that photo, I did take it, but Brad must not have liked the result,
Because he did not make it available.

Photo from this 2019 ride.  [photo credit?  Brad's smartphone, snapped by me.]

This is the photo for which I was trying to get an update.  This dates from 2013 Memorial Day weekend (if I recall correctly) -- either from a pause during a Bahama Beach ride, or perhaps the following day when doing the Denny's Store Sortie -- my recollection is that this is from the Bahama ride, but I could be wrong.  [photo credit?  Brad's smartphone, almost certainly snapped by me.]

 
 
There is a "wing-it" variant one can take out of Stem,
Starting on Tally Ho Rd, then Saunders and then turning onto E. Thollie Green Rd.
Pre-rando, I used to ride that somewhat often, but
Since going rando, well, it may have been 9 years since I'd ridden that routing.

I had promised Brad that I'd include a couple variants to increase the climbing to be ridden.
I recalled that Tally Ho - E. Thollie Green variant would provide some significant climbs.
Turned out my memory was a bit off.

On the other hand, going forward, I think I'll be using this "E. Thollie Green" variant,
Instead of the "3-Hayes" variant I've been using most times I do the Bahama Beach route.

We stopped at the Grissom store to replenish cold liquids,
Before tackling the "Mangum Dairy" variant.

While at Grissom, adjusting our bottles, perhaps one of us sitting at one of the picnic tables,
Another rider came in to the store.
When he reappeared, he walked over and mentioned that the clerk
Had told him that we were riding 67-miles.

Looking into the face of the new rider, I knew that I recognized that face, but
Did not know the name to go with the face.
Almost embarrassing because he recognized me and knew my name.
Turned out it was "Dr. Phil" -- we knew each other from Irregular rides.

Checking the time, knowing that his wife would appreciate him getting home sooner, and
Recognizing that we had done a bit of climbing already, and
There was the Ghoston - Peed - Mt. Vernon finishing climbs ahead of us,
[Phil chuckled when he heard the G - P - MV routing, quipping, "of course."] 
We decided to skip the "Mangum Dairy" variant and head straight to the finish.

I asked Phil if he would like to ride back with us.  He did ride back with us.

Brad led the way for a mile or so, then
I decided to try to do an old-fashioned "Bruce Garner - New Light" time trial.
So I passed Brad and picked up the pace, or at least I tried to pick up the pace.

Brad and Phil settled in behind me.
Clearly not working very hard to keep up.
They were riding side-by-side conversating.

They did pass me after two or three miles, on one of the bump-ups, but
As soon as the incline was crested, I re-took the lead, and
Stayed in the lead to the bottom of Ghoston, where the other two passed me.
That had been my plan -- try to force some pace / gettiing in shape
On my traditional Bruce Garner - New Light time trial to more-or-less finish the ride.

Phil split off from us when Brad and I turned on Norwood toward the CVS.
I wonder when, or if ever, I will again see Dr. Phil.


Brad rescued four turtles on the day.
He took a photo of each.
 
The first was on Robert's Chapel Rd -- I got him to text the photo to Lynn.
The second was only about 100 yard further along on Robert's Chapel Rd.
He tried to text that one to Lynn, too, but he had no cell signal. 

The third was on Little Mountain Rd, just after the turn off Range Rd.
The fourth, well, I don't recall the road for sure, maybe it was on Tally Ho Rd.

Permanent Route Name / #	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: Bahama Beach / 1404	103	2019/08/06	2	0

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time
RUSA-T91770	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	05:42
RUSA-T91771	8218	W__, Bradley J.	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	05:42

This was Brad's fifth time doing the Bahama Beach perm-pop.
I hope he got enough climbing to be of training use for his upcoming PBP ride. 
  
This was my 74th completed ride on the Bahama Beach route.
Some clockwise.
Some counter-clockwise.
Some using the standard route.
Most, in recent years, making use of one or more variants.

Aug-03: there's a reason I do these rides starting at dawn, or before

Today, 0430 start -- NOT 0800 as I had done three days before.
Finished at 0922.  
I.e., 4h52 rando elapsed time.

 
Cooler, overcast, humid, foggy.
Didn't put my cycling goggles / glasses on until leaving Berea at 0657.
Had to take them off when I got to Creedmoor, approx 0752,
Because they were too fogged up because of condensation to see anything.
Also, at that time, in and around Creedmoor, it was very foggy.

Starting at a more rationale pace made most of the difference.
Of course, on Wednesday, it was SIGNIFICANTLY warmer / hotter than this morning.
And there was no breeze / wind at all today; neither outbound nor homeward bound.

Oh, my clean kit was SOAKED when I finished.
Some from sweat, but mostly, I think, from condensation.

My clothes have been dryer at the end of rides where / when I got POURED upon.
That happens.

Jul-31: P-series Rescue

I rescued my P-series today.

Woke up at 4:57.
Three minutes before the alarm was to go off.
I needed to pee, and I had a colossal head-ache.
I turned off the alarm, took a pee, and went back to bed.
Woke up about 2 hours later -- no headache.
So, instead of doing "Bay Leaf - Oxford - Bay Leaf" starting at 0600,
I switched to "RBR" starting at 0800.


The outbound was great, but I was too enthusiastic and rode too fast.
Outbound in 2:08 in-motion.

Then inbound starting at about 10:16 or 10:17,
Into the increasing breeze, into the increasing temps, and
I had cooked myself on the way out since
I had ridden like an adult that was going for their first bicycle ride in 30 years and
Was loving it and ... you can guess.
I was only approx four minutes slower between Berea and Creedmoor inbound than outbound,
But after that, ugh !
Riding up the inclines at 4.5 to 5 mph, wondering if I could make it back.
Ugh !

I don't know the temp when I started at 8 am, but it wasn't hot, just warm.
The temp when I finished at 1:20 pm was 90F, with a heat index of 95.
Tired from the heat and worn out.
Much, much better to start at 0430 and finish at around 0930 (before the heat gets to be too much).

There is a gas station / c-store at the corner
Where Six Forks Rd makes that 90-degree turn / intersects Possum Track Rd.
I had never stopped there before.
Today, I stopped to acquire a second en-route cold drink as I was completely out of fluids.
Here's some advice: avoid using the rest room there if at all possible !
2:48 in-motion inbound.

Total rando elapsed time: 5h20.
[On May 30, I did RBR in 4h54. 
June 19 -- Iva met me for breakfast in Berea and that elapsed time came to 5h36.] 

Six weeks since my last notable ride.
I should expect some trouble doing "even" a 100k.
Gonna' have to build back up to a 200, again, again, again.

I managed to get through work this afternoon.
Legs should feel better after a night of rest.
 

Jun-15: Badgett Sisters 234

BobB and I decided to ride the "Badgett Sisters Parkway (Bay Leaf Start)" 234-km permanent.
I advertised for other riders, not expecting any "takers."
Surprise, one rider, Chet #1015, decided to join us.
For the outbound leg, anyway.

And Gilbert, proprietor of North Road Bicycles, indicated that he would meet us en-route.
Gilbert indicated his desire to meet us at the south end of the Badgett Sisters Parkway, or
Maybe even before that.

As best I can recall, we were nearly to the Yanceyville city limits when we saw Gilbert. 

Anyway, Bob, Chet, and I got underway at 6 am (or within a couple minutes thereafter).

Nothing much interesting happened until we were on Sawmill or Carr Store Road.
Grinding noises started coming from my bike, seemingly from near the rear wheel.
I thought maybe the chain needed lubrication and the dry chain / dry gears were grinding.

I figured to stop at the next stop sign, or
Maybe wait until the first intermediate control, at Corbett, 51.9-miles into the route,
To lube the chain, etc..

But luckily, Bob dropped back from riding with Chet, and
Almost immediately after getting behind me,
Bob indicated that there was a small pebble stuck between the brake calipers and the rear wheel.

I immediately pulled over, even though I was on a slight incline,
After all, it was a shady spot, and
Saw the pebble trapped as Bob had indicated.

The pebble had worn a groove in the rear tyre!
Slightly toward the drive side of the tyre.
A groove all the way around the virtually brand-new tyre.
Well, not brand-new, but with only approx 2200 miles on it, the tyre looked quite new.

I had to get a tool out of the back-pack to dislodge the pebble.
I wondered how much damage had been done that tyre.
How many future miles I would now get out of that tyre.

[As I type this on Aug-19, there are approx 3030 miles on that tyre. 
The groove is still easily seen. 
I'm thinking the tyre will likely be good for another 2000 or more miles.]

Chet and Bob at the south end of the Badgett Sisters Pkwy.  Yanceyville is at the north end.  Badgett Sisters Pkwy is old-old NC-62.  It caresses the ups-and-downs of the terrain to get into Yanceyville; the result is a fun curving back-and-forth, up-and-down road; it almost seems as if one is in the NC mountains instead of the foothills to the foothills.  [photo by skiffrun]

  
Gilbert joined us for lunch at the same spot, just west of Yanceyville, that we used last year.
Just before arriving at said spot, Chet managed to get a flat tyre.  Rear if I recall correctly.

When we done eating, Chet working to repair his flat, Gilbert supervising,
Gilbert may have actually laid hands on the wheel to hasten the repair,
Bob and I decided to hit the return road, knowing that Chet would soon catch us, and
He his plan all along had been to ride the outbound with us, but
To ride the homebound leg at his own, faster, pace.

Chet caught us, and passed us, while we were still on the Badgett Sisters Parkway.

Bob and I proceeded at our slower pace.
Well, we proceeded at MY slower pace.
Bob being patient enough to soft-pedal to keep the two of together.


Nothing interesting or memorable happened during the homebound leg.
Well, nothing other than dealing with the steep-ish rollers between Yanceyville and Corbett, and
The five non-trivial climbs on Kemp / Victory Church Road.

R-rides for everyone.
But only Bob is counting.
I keep missing months, and
As best I can tell, Chet has never shown an interest in an R-12.

Permanent Route Name / #	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: Badgett Sisters Parkway (Bay Leaf Start) / 2498	234	2019/06/15	3	0

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time
RUSA-T90274	5843	B__, Bob	Randonneurs USA / 933095	13:11
RUSA-T90275	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	13:11
RUSA-T90276	1015	B__, Chet	Randonneurs USA / 933095	12:02

Jun-04: Denny's Store 138

I know that I have told some that the Denny's Store route is my favorite among my rando routes.
And I reckon that is true.

 
Except maybe in the Autumn when certain sites along the Bahama Beach route are colorful.
And maybe except when I might prefer a flatter route for "cadence practice."
Then the "Bay Leaf - Oxford - Bay Leaf" is the option.

But I reckon that the Denny's Store Sortie is my favorite among my rando routes.
I'd like to get to ride it more often than I do.

But at 138-kms, it does take me roughly an hour-and-a-half longer, or more,
Than it takes me to ride the Bahama Beach mini-hill-fest and
Maybe as much as two hours longer than it takes me to ride the mostly flat Oxford route.
So, when the available time window has a tight-ish back-end constraint,
I end up riding the Bahama route, or the Oxford route,
Or, the last couple years, the "Raleigh - Berea - Raleigh" route.

Understand that the RBR route is essentially the last 40% of the Denny's Store route.
Well, the last half of the RBR route is essentially the last 40% of the Denny's route.
The first half of RBR is the reverse of the second half.
And since RBR starts / finishes only half-a-mile from my hovel,
There is no extra commute time when I do the RBR route
Whereas there is a half-an-hour cycling commute to and from the other routes mentioned above.

What has the above got to do with the ride I did on June 4th?
Not much.
But the fingers just starting typing away, and the above resulted.


I did the 5.6-mile commute from my hovel to the Denny's start in 25-minutes.
It usually takes me 21 to 24 minutes, in-motion, for that pre-ride commute.
So, I obviously was "taking it easy" on the way to the route's start.

Starting more-or-less on time at 6 am,
I got to the first intermediate control, at the Allensville Store, 42.3 miles into the route,
After roughly 3 hours.
That's usual.

The clerk that always asks about Lynn #5519, asked her usual question:
"How's your ex-wife?"
I told her, "okay."

Then, I got into a conversation with the clerk and a vendor that was delivering something.
Topic was the "vagaries" of cycling and careless drivers.
Conversation must have lasted 10 or so minutes.


That was the only interesting thing regarding this rando rodeo.

I didn't even take a photo at the Denny's Store crossroad.

I did finish the route in 6h35 elapsed, 5h54 in-motion.

Surprisingly, according to my Excel log,
Instead of taking the usual 6.7-mile afternoon post-ride commute route,
I rode back to my place via the 5.6-mile morning pre-ride commute route.
The 5.6-mile route is safe enough in the morning, when there is no traffic.
But the usual 6.7-mile afternoon route is safer, the road being wider and smoother.
According the Excel log, I did the afternoon 5.6-mile post-ride commute in 22-minutes.
I must have been motivated.

That's my story for this ride.
And since I have no other memories of this, my 36th Denny's Store ride,
I'll be sticking to the above story.

Jun-02: Bunn Warmer 108 Perm-Pop

I was well rested come Sunday morning, and after taking care of usual Sunday business and some other things, I left the house at approx 9:10 am to ride to Cameron Village, where I started the Bunn Warmer perm-pop at 9:50.  To paraphrase "Fixie Pixie" Pamela, RUSA #12, there are headwinds and crosswinds, but no such thing as tailwinds; instead there are headwinds, crosswinds, and "we're feeling good."  I didn't realize how good I was feeling until I got to the Info Control at Wake X-roads, approx 14.5-miles into the route; no stops or even pauses for red stop lights, it took 54-minutes to get to that control.  "Wow!" I thought, "I didn't realize I was riding so well."  I spent 3 minutes to scribble some notes on the cue sheet -- yes, I actually had a cue sheet with me! -- and the control card, and then set off for Bunn.

 

If I didn't realize it before, I certainly did when on Fowler Rd:  there was definitely a tailwind coming out of the SW, or maybe SSW.  I don't understand how such a breeze could have helped much on those first 14.5-miles as the route is up-and-down, and there is protection from the wind provided by trees and city buildings.
  

It must be at about the 25.8-mile mark, there was previously an old, wood-plank bridge with asphalt laid atop it.  The kind of bridge that has been being replaced all over NC in recent years.  Replaced with a new modern bridge and smooth asphalt; that was nice.  However, the DOT and contractors completely ruined that section of road.  There used to be a short but steep climb curving up to an old farmhouse still in use as the center-piece of a working farm, with large trees near the road.  Now there are only HUGE ditches, probably the DOT's idea of run-off mitigation, but those HUGE ditches look more fit for being alongside a super-highway than being alongside a small rural road.  They took half the front yard of the farmhouse, and there are NO great shade trees alongside the road or between the road and the house.  The engineering is also causing problems on the southbound side of the road.  The roadway used to be at ground level the whole way through that section; but now, the curves and inclines have been engineered such that in at least places, actually three I think, the roadways is well below the level the of the land and fields or homesites.  As a result, there are HUGE washouts of gravel and more sliding down the steep access "driveways" into the fields.  In one place, the entire southbound lane is filled with a huge mound of gravel.  The pleasant scene of climbing to that farmhouse has been obliterated, and the engineered inclines are causing severe problems.  A failure of DOT planning / implementation.  (Of course, it is now much easier to ride up that engineered grade outbound; but that is a small return for the obliteration of the quarter to half mile of scenic byway -- and not to mention that the gravel and other debris spilling onto the southbound lane, the homeward bound lane, could be more than just a nuisance if a car should happen upon one while cycling that section on the return.) 

Pearces Rd has been resurfaced.  Smooth new asphalt instead of being a tar-snake haven.
 

I stopped at Perry's Pond to take a photo; texted same to original route-owner Mick with caption "hello."  I figured that he would recognize the location, but as I type this, I've not heard from Mick, so I don't know.

That little tree on the right has made framing the photos at this location much more difficult.  However, a tree there ought to help keep the creek-bank intact should there be floods of water coming over that dam and down the creek.  [photo credit to me]

 

Wake X-roads to Perry's Pond took 54 minutes.  It took 6 minutes to take the photo and get the phone back into the zip-lock bag; I guess I was fumbling about with control card, cue sheet, cash, driver's license, and coin purse that also fits in that zip-lock bag.  The plastic of the bag was not being cooperative, grabbing onto the plastic of the coin purse, or the folded cue sheet and control card were not being cooperative in welcoming the return of the phone.
  

I calculate that it was only another 15 minutes from Perry's Pond at the bottom of Pearces Rd to the Subway in Bunn.  I was clearly being helped by the increasing tailwind.
  

I ended up being only 17 minutes at the Subway.  After some minutes in line, not moving, people at the counter apparently unable to make decisions, or the worker being extremely slow, most likely both, I cut the line to the cashier to get a drink, which is all I wanted.  I could have gotten a small drink, but I order medium for $1.92 including tax.  Filled my insulated water bottle with ice and water.  Filled the non-insulated bottle with ice and sweet tea.  Drank two complete tumblers of sweet tea -- probably 24 oz tumbler -- so perhaps I consumed 48 ounces, or nearly so, of tea before hitting the road for the return.
  

Backing up a bit, I had gotten to the Subway at 12:02 pm.  I.e., 2h12 elapsed for the outbound leg.  Subtracting the 9 minutes stoppage time, 2:03 in-motion for approx 33.4-miles -- better than 16-mph avg pace.  Breeze-blown, but with climbing to slow me some.  But I had ridden with a good cadence the entire outbound leg; even used the 50-tooth chain ring some -- in retrospect, obviously aided by the building tail-breeze.
  

Immediately on the return, while still in Bunn, as I turned onto Bunn Elementary Rd from Main Street, the tail-breeze that had been building during the morning was clearly a headwind.  It would be a noticeable thing all the way back.  Well, once I got to Wake X-roads, the impact of the headwind was diminished due to the combination of the hillier nature of the terrain (and also some tree protection, and finally protection from the city buildings).  1:17 in-motion from Bunn to Wake X-roads, with no stoppage or pausage along the way.  (Compare that to the 1:09 in-motion outbound for that.  Of course, Pearces Rd has a longer climb on the return, and Fowler Rd is a shallow incline for a long stretch on the return, today (as seems usual) into the wind, but at least half that 8-minute difference is likely due to the increasing headwind -- the long grasses in the fields had gotten quite whippy due to the wind.  Strangely, the flag, or was it flags, in Hopkins were completely limp both outbound and on the return; probably protected by trees.)
 

I did not bother to go into the control at Wake X-roads.  Instead, I ended up taking 5 minutes, 5 minutes !?, yikes, to scribble some time estimates on the control card and cue sheet, and to again struggle to get all the contents back into the zip-lock bag.  Oh, and the text to Mick did not actually send when I was next to Perry's Pond.  It may have automatically sent from along the road, but I re-sent the pic and text while at Wake X-roads.  That's why the five minutes.
  

From Wake X-roads to Raleigh, the route gets hillier.  The usual suspect climbs slowed me, but otherwise I was still keeping the cadence, etc..  The entire ride I kept having the sensation of "oh, I'm here already!"  Similar sensations had occurred when I did RBR last week, but it was much more pronounced on this Bunn Warmer ride.
 

Anyway, I was slowed by the headwind and the legs were starting to feel the effort.  And, getting across downtown Raleigh is a pain.  Except for Peace St., downtown is set up for quick north-south travel, not east-west.  And Peace St. is all torn up and gets filled with traffic in the afternoon, so I do think that Mick's routing to get across downtown is a good one:  minimizes traffic issues while winding around to get to the one-way roads that are headed west.  The stop lights are a nuisance, but there is no way to avoid them.  I estimate that I spent at least 4 minutes waiting at stop lights; it may have been more than 4 minutes, maybe as many as 6!
 

I got back to the Cameron Village McD's at 2:58 pm.  2h12 outbound elapsed.  0h17 at the turn around control.  2h39 elapsed on the return (and I estimated 2:29 in-motion on the return for a total 4:32 in-motion to go along with the total 5h08 elapsed).  The winding around to get through downtown Raleigh means that the return leg is one mile longer that the outbound leg (which just blasts straight east on Peace St).  A last comment on Peace Street -- good grief but it is mostly just a collection of banged up, pot-holed, pieces of concrete, asphalt, and patches -- not a pleasant surface at all !!
 

I'll pat myself on the back a bit.  Obviously misplaced "bragging."  My 5h08 is the second fastest ever time on the Bunn Warmer perm-pop, beating Mick's first ride of the course by 1 minute -- I did NOT know that until after I got home and submitted my result.  The fastest ever was turned in by Dayton, 4h35.  However, all those 6-hour, or nearly so, elapsed times are not really comparable to Dayton's time, Mick's, nor mine -- I'm pretty confident that almost all the other rides include a stop at the "Farmer's Table" for lunch -- possibly only some Sridhar rides did not include a long lunch stop.  So, yes, second fastest ever for me, but that is a faux comparison. 

========================= 

I got an ice cream cone and a $1 drink at McD's, and took my time drinking at least two tumblers of half-and-half Sprite and Coke.  Also refilled the insulated water bottle with ice and water and the non-insulated bottle with ice and sweet tea.  I sat at one of the outside tables, enjoying the day, for as much as 30 minutes.  Then I headed out for the 8.7-mile return to my hovel.
 

However, when I got to Lynn's neighborhood, I detoured to her house, ostensibly to chat about dog-sitting Winnie this coming weekend while Lynn goes to visit her friend of about 38 years, Becky, who lives just outside Fredericksburg, VA.  Surprise, she wasn't home (and Winnie was completely zonked out on the sofa by the front window -- usually, Winnie stands on the sofa, or perches her front legs and belly on top of the back of the sofa in order to continuously watch for Lynn's return).  I called Lynn and learned that she was almost back home from having gone to Home Depot for some landscaping rocks.  Winnie did not wake up until well after Lynn had opened the front door -- Lynn was shocked that Winnie did not feel the vibrations of us walking up the ramp.
  

Backing up a bit, Lynn had forgotten to take her heavy-but-upright Specialized Allez off the bike rack on her red CRV, so I was doing that when Lynn pulled in the driveway.  Lynn was completely shocked when she realized that she had forgotten the bike.  I told her that I had wondered if maybe she was hoping that someone would steal it.
  

Lynn further "put me to work" lugging the one bag of landscape rocks from the back seat of the blue Honda to the back yard and a couple other simple house-holdy or other chores (including taking that destroyed wheel out to the shed).  After doing those little things, we chatted some about the dog-sitting and then I putzed the final mile-and-six-tenths from her house to my abode.  

=========================  

During our chat, I had mentioned that I needed to go to Food Lion to get some groceries.  Lynn texted about an hour-and-a-quarter after I left her place to ask if I'd like a ride up to Food Lion.  Yes.  She also needed to return to Home Depot to get a piece of hardware, so we went to Home Depot, ate dinner together at Milton's with more chatting on various subjects, and then we stopped at the Food Lion. 

 

All in all, a fine Sunday. 

May-18: NCBC 400 Brevet -- Short Circuited

As previously indicated in the blog posts about the NCBC 200 and 300,
One of my rando goals this year, maybe my only goal,
Was to complete the NCBC / Raleigh Region Series this year.

The 200 had gone better than I had expected.
Resulting in my best 200-km elapsed time in two or three years.

The 300 brevet pre-ride had gone pretty well, too.
Except for one moment with about 20-miles still to ride,
When my front derailleur had thrown my chain completely over the small chain ring, and
I ended up on the asphalt, with what likely was a hip pointer.

So, all in all, not only was I determined to do the 400,
I was looking forward to it.


Then, on the way to the 400, a not-funny thing happened.
I ended up putting in four consecutive physically hard and long work eays, Tuesday thru Friday.
My legs were WEARY come Friday evening.
 
My friend LynnL asked "are you SURE you want to do that ride?"
I replied that I wanted to do the ride, it was my only chance to get in a 400 for a Series,
That I was determined to do the ride, and
That although my legs were weary, I knew I could and would finish the ride.


Saturday at about 4 am, I headed out for my approx 20-mile commute to the brevet start.
Within a quarter mile, a flat quarter mile, my left leg "commented,"
"Are you sure you want to do this ride?"
The left leg "comment" was a twinge of muscle spasm.
"Okay," I told myself, "make sure to just soft-pedal to Morrisville."

About a mile-and-a-half into the cycle commute, the right leg "commented,"
"Are you sure you want to do this ride?"
And, "are you sure you can complete this ride?"
Obviously, you understand that the right leg "comment" was also a twinge of muscle spasm.
I told my legs, "shut up, legs."
I also reinforced to myself to make sure to just soft-pedaled to the start.


My Excel log indicates that I covered the 19.9-miles to the start in 1h26 in-motion.
That works out to be about 13.8 or 13.9 mph.
And I got to the start and registration table just before 5:30 am (for the 6 am brevet start).

I filled out the required waiver, etc., and
Took up a place on one of the chairs / tables that lines the outside of the shops
At the Morrisville Square shopping ctr where Alan's Raleigh Region brevets start.

I was tired.  I knew it.  I mentioned it to RBA Alan and his wife Dorothy.
I likely mentioned it to anyone that said hello or whatever.


The ride started.
TommyB and I were immediately off the back.
That was my plan.
And given who was there for the ride,
I was Tommy's only likely ride partner.

Soft pedaling kept the leg weariness under control.
Tommy and I more-or-less rode together to the 150-km control in Seagrove.
Well, Tommy was faster climbing, and certainly by the 125-km point,
Maybe sooner,
Tommy was occasionally stopping to wait for me.


We left the 150-km Seagrove control together.
As it had been several years since I had done the 400,
I had forgotten that one entered a roller-coaster almost entirely downslope for a couple miles.
Riding, standing with knees flexed, zooming down, it felt like a wonderful roller-coaster.

Then, the route tilted upward,
And I had to start pedaling again.
My right leg, most particularly the inside of my right thigh, cramped.
Damn!

Keep pedaling, it will release, it isn't a bad cramp.
Just use the left leg to provide the power,
But keep the right leg going up-and-down, or around in circles, if you like.

The cramping subsided.
But if I put any pressure on the right pedal, the leg would announce its intention to cramp.
I had repeatedly get the leg cramp to relax.
By soft-pedaling, or even less than soft-pedaling.
Eventually, Tommy disappeared up the road.

My struggles with my right leg continued for 20-miles.
I was also struggling to get the derailleur to move the chain into the 30-tooth ring.
And the 400 course is one that calls for use of one's small ring,
Then a middling or large ring,
Then rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.
Approaching Flint Hill and Ophir Roads, I got the chain onto the small 30-T ring,
And left it there.
Just coasting down the reverse of the climbs.

The combination of the cramp that would not go away,
Despite all my soft-pedaling AND electrolyte tricks,
And the chain not shifting as it should, 
Was seriously wearing on my brain.

20-miles of fighting those things,
Knowing that I was likely to have to fight the derailleur and the cramping,
For the remainder of the ride,
Solo,
With absolutely no prospect of a rescue ride,
And what seemed a certainty of slowly losing the battle with the control closing times,
I pulled over atop the last crest before reaching the cross-road community of Uwharrie,
Because I knew that I would have phone reception from that crest,
[I had made some phone calls from that crest the year before, when I was volunteering],

I called Alan to let him know that,
Since I wasn't trying to qualify for Paris or any other grand randonnee,
But was only riding for the fun of it,
The better plan had become obvious:
DNF now -- before I was unable to do so.

I then called ChrisK, who was providing support for his wife Annette,
And Wes that was riding with Annette.

I got lucky on the timing of the call to Chris.
He was just about to leave Seagrove headed for Siler City when I called.
Another minute or two later, and he wouldn't have gotten my call until he got to Siler City,
Because he sets his phone to not accept calls once the phone is moving.

I was also lucky in getting Chris to come and SAG me in.
Chris and Annetter are very fast riders.
I am not.
The longest conversation I had ever had with Chris and/or Annette
Was just a "hello" and a nod before the start of a brevet.

Because of the rescue ride,
I got to be with and chat with Chris for two or three hours.
Conclusion:  Chris is a very nice guy.

I hope he thinks similarly of me.

 
After meeting Annette and Wes at the Siler City and Snow Camp inbound controls,
Chris agreed to drop me off at my hovel
Before heading to Morrisville to meet Annette and Wes at the finish.

=====================================  

My goal to complete the Raleigh Region Series thus ended.
I limped about on my right leg for a couple days.
By Monday, I was having second thoughts about whether or not I should have DNF'd.
Several days after having those second thoughts,
My third generation of thoughts rose to the top, and I realized that pulling the plug was the thing to do.

 
I had planned all along to do a pre-ride of the Raleigh 600, because
I was scheduled to work the weekend of the brevet-proper.
However, as I could see no way to pick up a 400 brevet later,
And the 600 would be in VERY HOT conditions, solo,
I decided against doing the 600.
Again,
This year, anyway.

That is my story for the 400, the Raleigh Series, the 600.
And I'll be sticking to it.

May-07: Kerr Lake Loop 208

Seven-and-a-half years since last I did Kerr Lake Loop.

[I just checked out the first part of the report re:  my last KLL -- 
I vividly recall a COLD start to that ride ! ]

Bob and I did KLL on Tuesday, May 7th.
We used photo-texted Electronic Proof of Passage.
Mike indicated that it would be his first encounter with EPP.

Bob took the photo at the fire house start.
No longer Stony Hill Fire Dept -- now part of North Wake Fire Dept.
I don't currently have access to Bob's photo.
 

"Bay Leaf - Oxford - Bay Leaf" perm-pop routing is the same as KLL to the first KLL control.
I've done that "Oxford" route 60 times or more during the intervening years,
So there was nothing new (to me) on that opening 23-miles to the first control.

[However, during the intervening years, the closing times for controls in the first 60-kms has changed.  We had a few more minutes to successfully get to the KLL Oxford control than when last I rode KLL,  We didn't need those few extra minutes, but it is nice to have them available.]  

I took the EPP photo at the KLL Oxford control:

Bob in front of both steeds in front of the Oxford control.  [photo by me]

 
 
There's an old convenience store en-route between the Oxford and Boydton controls.
I had stopped there only once -- on my last KLL, because Mary and Bryan insisted.
The fast-crew always seemed to stop there.
I never had because it was always in the midst of when I would be rolling along quite nicely, and
I never wanted to unnecessarily break my slow-guy momentum.

On this ride, Bob and I decided to stop and check out the state of that old store.
We ended up stopping for about 20 minutes of faff-time while drinking selected beverages.


We had crossed over the Kerr Lake Dam (we did not stop to take a photo), and
Were on Mays Chapel Rd when my phone rang.
It was High Point Region RBA TonyG,
Looking for a bit of extra help on the Carolina Spring 1200 which started in just a couple days.

I had to work every day of the CS-1200, so I was of no help to Tony.
Bob, on the other hand, was able to help out on the first day, the second day?
One of those.

Tony's call was not the most interesting thing we encountered on Mays Chapel Rd.
The most interesting was that the road was being re-surfaced.
Chip and seal style.

It was an interesting process.
The vehicles to oil the existing surface,
Spread the pea-gravel-chip, and
Press the pea-gravel into the oil
Were all in a line,
Re-doing OUR lane.

To add to your impression:
They were chip-sealing the northbound lane of Mays Chapel Rd,
But the vehicles were southbound. 

One minute, the old surface;
The next, the new surface.

We rode most of Mays Chapel Rd in the wrong lane;
It had not yet been re-surfaced.
[My guess is that when the vehicles got to the end of the road, 
They turned around and did the other lane.] 

The chip-sealing process had started at the corner with Phillis Rd,
So once we got to that corner, we no longer had to deal with fresh oil and pea gravel chip-seal.


The ride on Phillis Rd was, as always, one of my favorite parts of the KLL.
Rollers of a size to my liking.
And just enough wiggling back-and-forth to keep ir interesting.

The area around the courthouse statue looked more-or-less the same as 7 years before.
I'm confident that some of the local businesses may have changed, but we didn't look.
I took the Boydton Info Control photo:

Bob, and a hint of his bicycle, in front of the Boydton Info Control statue.  [photo credit to me]

After snapping the Boydton photo, we made the left turn on to Madison St / US-158-Business.
Only to find more road / street re-surfacing.
Madison St was closed to traffic (but you gotta' know that two randos were NOT stopped).

The entire length of Madison St had been scraped and cleaned and
It appeared the crew(s) would soon begin putting down fresh asphalt.
We caromed around the gaps between the concrete surfaces and the crew, and
We were on the "Road to Skipwith" without delay.

Oh, one thing more about Madison St.:
The convenience store on the south side of the street, a couple blocks from the statue:
It appeared to be closed / out-of-business.  Permanently.


The road to Skipwith includes what I used to refer to as the "___ Wall."
[And, of course, at the moment when I need to, 
I cannot recall the name of that dang Japanese ground cover that takes over everything.
Aargh!!]

Well, anyway, I recall that both sides of the road on that little wall are still covered
With that same obnoxious weed.

Downtown Skipwith looks the same.
One main difference is that the old gentleman that used to man the store all the time,
He is still alive and kicking,
But does not spend his days manning the store.
That job has been taken over by a younger female relation.
She, however, seemed to be mostly doing outside chores,
Which she would interrupt to provide service to the few customers.

We took more time sitting on the steps of the Skipwith store,
Drinking and / or eating than was strictly necessary.
But we were enjoying ourselves, so the time did not matter.
 
Bob took the Skipwith photo, and I do not currently have access to it.


The Road to Clarksville (mostly Wilbourne Rd) was mostly pleasant.
I did feel it appropriate to ramp up the pace for the 1.5-miles on US-15 / VA-49.
Luckily that section is mostly downslope.

Crossed the old US-15 causeway / bridge into Clarksville.
Rode passed the McD's and some other potential food stops,
In order to ride across the big parking lot at mile-81.2 to the hidden Subway sandwich shop.

The Subway shop had double its size in the intervening 7 years.
It was much easier to find a table -- not that it ever was difficult.

Bob and spent much more time over lunch and chatting than was strictly necessary.
Btw, don't ask what we chatted about.
I do not recall.
And I'm confident that I wouldn't have remembered by the time we finished the ride.

Clarksville is NOT a control, so we took no photo.


The Road to Stovall, actually several roads, are both interesting and boring.
The roads in Virginia is interesting.
Grassy Creek Rd in North Carolina can be interesting or boring.
I have always found that on a HOT day, Grassy Creek Rd seems to become interminable.
And interminable becomes almost synonymous with boring.

We stopped in Stovall, not a control, for additional cold liquids.
I'm pretty sure we rested our behinds in the gazebo there.
Almost certainly for more than was necessary.


After Stovall, one makes one's way to Mountain Rd,
To ride to and summit "Stovall Mtn," actual name is "Peace Mtn."
On this ride, I seemed not to notice even the steep part of the climb to the summit.
I do recall looking for and spotting one or two of the scenic vistas on Mtn Rd before the mtn.
Either I've put the work needed to summit out of my mind,
Or I geared down sufficiently, and simply spun my way up,
So that the climb did not make an indelible impression on me.

After the mountain, the roads to get to the final intermediate control,
Which is the same gas station / convenience store as the very first intermediate control,
Are more-or-less flat-ish.

Surprise!  I recall that Bob and I may have been relatively quick at that control.
I took the photo.

Bob and at least one of our steeds in front of the Oxford Express Mart.  I decided to get "clever" about the framing of the photo.  [photo by me]

The last 23 miles of the route are a reverse of the first.
And as mentioned above, I've done that stretch or roads umpteen times.

The main interesting parts are:
(1) the climb back up after crossing the Tar River, and
(2) the climb on Lawrence Rd.

However, as I mentioned to the Irregulars many years ago,
The climb on Lawrence Rd is a lot easier if one
Does not also face Ghoston - Peed - Mt Vernon Ch roads to complete one's ride.

I took the end-of-ride control photo:

Bob was faffing about with his bike.  I got tired of waiting and snapped this candid shot.  [photo by me]

After the ride was completed, I mentioned to Bob that the KLL route had seemed pretty easy.
That may be because the routes created and ridden in the intervening years have more climbing, or
It could be that since we took at least an hour of unnecessary sitting around chatting time,
We didn't get as tired as we might have otherwise.
I dunno'.

I do know that I sent Mike a note that we had enjoyed the ride, and
That the KLL route is an excellent one.

================================
This made my 14th successful completion of the Kerr Lake Loop.
This was Bob's 5th successful completion of the route.

I have one DNF on KLL.
I can recall a ride from years ago that Bob may have preferred to be somewhere else.
=================================
Permanent route: NC: Kerr Lake Loop / 143

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club	Time
2019/05/07 finishers=2 DNF=0
RUSA-T89376	5843	B__, Bob	Randonneurs USA / 933095	11:32
RUSA-T89377	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	11:32

Apr-27: Raleigh 300 - Volunteering

As I had promised, I wrote a pre-ride report and sent it to the NC-rando-list-serve:
    ( pre-ride report )  
Text:

DAWGS: 

• on Riverside Rd, at approx 78.7 miles, just before the right turn onto Joel Jessup Rd, there is a LARGE Rotweiller on the right side of the road, he will come out into the road.  I don't ever recall that black demon from previous rides.  Use prudence and be CAREFUL.  I dismounted outbound, keeping the bike between me and the demon; shouting "NO" seemed to distract / derail him enough to get by.  Homeward bound, Harvey tried to outrun the demon, and it was amusing when the demon tried to change direction slightly after getting onto the road surface -- his feet slid out from under him and he belly-slid a foot or more before retreating to his yard.  He was, however, still game to come back barking / growling at me.  Be aware! 
• on the southbound leg of Fork Creek Mill Rd, about half-way between the 90-degree left turn to stay on Fork Creek Mill and NC-705, there is a pack of 4 or 5 dawgs on the right-hand side of the road.  A couple German Shepherds, what looks to be a Shelty / Collie mix, and at least one more dawg.  The blonde Shelty / Collie looking dawg is the worst.  They all came out into the road, but the Shelty / Collie was the worst, apparently an expert at getting in front of your front wheel.  They were just as annoying on the return.  Be  aware! and be careful.   
• there were some other dogs that made noise, but did not present a problem. 

Pot-holes: 

• outbound on Lindley Mill Rd, on the second bridge, there is large, deep, wheel-buster that appeared since the 200 brevet 16 days ago.  It is located exactly in the path that a cyclist is likely to be riding.  Be aware!  Pace-liners may want to open up some space between each other before getting there. 
• on the return leg on Lindley Mill Rd, on the bridge just before the turn onto Old Switchboro Rd, the surface is a mess and could be a problem as some of the holes / gaps could wreck your ride.  Pace-liners may want open some space between each other before getting there. 
• There was another large, deep, wheel-buster in the middle of the lane, a cyclist's normal line would between the edge of the road and that pot-hole.  I couldn't tell how deep the hole was since there was a lot of water standing in the hole.  That's likely a prescription for the hole getting larger before the 27th.  I realized where I was when I saw the hole, and commented to Harvey that we were on the last incline before reaching a notable landmark / end of that particular road.  Unfortunately, I did not stop to make a note on the cue sheet and I cannot recall which road -- aargh.  
• There are many smaller pot-holes (that could open up further during the week), including much of the distance from the start to Davis Dr, but none presented as a wheel-buster.  Just stay aware.

============================================  
I had to work Saturday afternoon and again early Sunday,
So I would be useless as an en-route volunteer for the brevet.

But I could get in a 40-mile ride by riding to the start and back in the morning, and
Go into work in the afternoon.

That would also make me available for any before the start chores that Alan might need doing.
However, the most useful thing to do before the start was:

STAY OUT OF ALAN and DOROTHY'S WAY. 

I did chat with a few of the riders.
Including Ed Boltz, for what would prove to be the last time ever.

Miss you, Ed. 

I also chatted with McDave.
Dave had done a pre-ride of the 200 brevet.
I had chided him for not doing a pre-ride report.
When Dave saw me, he indicated that he had seen my pre-ride report, and
He said, "now I get it about a pre-ride report."

RBA Alan and McDave.  Dave showing off his K-Hound jersey.  [photo by me, using Dave's smartphone]

Dave i s a good guy,
Even if he did attend / graduate from Purdue University.  :-O

Apr-21: NCBC 300 Brevet Pre-ride

My main goal for the year was to do the Raleigh Region Series.
I did the scheduled 200 on April 6th.
That ride had gone better than I expected -- see the above link.

I couldn't do the 300 on the scheduled day of the event due to work.
Instead, I would do a pre-ride the weekend before the scheduled day, and
Write up a pre-ride report of whatever I found that would be useful to day-of riders.

A second goal for the year was to help my friend Harvey get to Paris for PBP.
We had done the High Point Region 200 on January 5th to get Harvey's 200 out of the way.
At mile 42 of that ride, Harvey had wanted to quit, but I wouldn't let him.
So, we completed the 200 with smiles on our faces, or at least Harvey was smiling.
See the last photo of the Jan-5th 200 blog report. 

By the time the Raleigh Region 300 was rolling around,
It appeared that PBP pre-registration would fill up before
Riders that had only done a 200 in 2018 would have a chance. 

And, unfortunately, since his longest 2018 ride was a 200,
Harv had changed his goal(s) for 2019, and was no longer targeting getting to Paris.
[In the event(s), it turned out that there were six (6) pre-reg spots still open 
AFTER all the "only did a 200" riders had pre-reg'd.]

Harv's new 2019 goal was to do a Series.
I understood that the Raleigh Region 300 had always been on his list of brevets to do in 2019,
So I asked if he was interested in doing the pre-ride with me as a "ride-along rider".
 
Since I had to work late on the Friday going into the weekend of the 20th / 21st,
And I had learned earlier in the year that that would mean tired legs on the 20th,
I planned to do my pre-ride on Sunday-the-21st.
[I kinda' figured Harvey would not be able to join me since 
Sunday-the-21st was Easter Sunday. 
However, he somehow managed a kitchen pass for Easter Day.]

To possibly assist the reader in understanding the story, 
Here is an embed of the RWGPS map of the 2019 Raleigh Region 300-km Brevet:



Background completed, on to the brevet pre-ride story.

Although the brevet-event-proper was scheduled to start at 0700 on April 27th,
Harv and I wanted to get as much daylight as possible for our pre-ride, and
We also preferred, if at all possible,
To have an extra hour between ride completion and Monday work that an 0600 start would provide.

[Checking the "almanac," sunrise on the 21st would have been approx 6:34 am EDT. 
Sunset would have been approx 7:54 pm EDT. 
Civil Twilight is typically approx 22 minutes before and after sunrise and sunset. 
Thus we would have a total of approx 14h04m of effective daylight for our ride. 
The riding after approx 8:16 pm would be after effective daylight. 
And riding after approx 8:38 pm would be in more-or-less complete darkness.]  

RBA "Fearless Leader" Alan agreed to the 0600 start time.
And given the early start time, the required paperwork would be "hidden" near Alan's front door.
H and I found our waivers, control cards, and cue sheets in the "hidden" package.
We kept the cards and cue sheets, but
Obviously, we signed the waivers and returned them to within the package.
We then proceeded to the brevet start location to prep our bikes and ourselves for the ride.

We had found an interesting thing or two in the package:
A signed waiver and another piece of paper pertaining to BradW.
Looking at that extra paperwork, I realized what it was.

Closing the loop on that extra paperwork (since I might otherwise forget to do so):
At rides end is revealed in the following story,
Alan was awake and came to his door while I was putting our completed cards
Into Alan's collection device.

Alan inquired as to whether our ride had gone well.
He also asked about the third rider -- clearly referencing the aforementioned extra paperwork.
"Oh, Alan," I replied, "I think that is Brad's waiver ... from his 200 pre-ride."
I could see the brain cells working, and Alan responded, "yes, that makes sense."
[The quotes are probably not perfectly accurate, but allow me some poetic license.] 

Harvey and I set off on our pre-ride more-or-less on time.
Certainly not more than a couple minutes after the agreed upon 6 am EDT.
The sun going about rising in the eastern sky behind us. 

Nothing notable happened the entire outbound ride

• To and "through" Snow Camp (the first intermediate control), 
• To and through Siler City (the second intermediate control), and
• To (and through) Seagrove (the turn-around control), 

Except for the following:

• I was repeatedly amazed that Harvey remembered the course.  He had only done the 300 once, two years earlier, when he DNF'd at the control in Seagrove because one of his shoes had "exploded." 
• On at least one occasion, perhaps two, maybe even three times, Harvey indicated that he thought he needed to call his wife to come rescue him.  At each instance, I told him, "no, you are doing fine."  [If you have read the blog post regarding the Jan-5th 200-km brevet, this will have a very "deja va" sound.] 

While lunching at the control in Seagrove, Harvey indicated that he hoped we could finish by 10:30 pm.
So, when we left Seagrove, with me knowing that with just a little extra effort,
We could pop all the inclines, or all but one or two of them, for the first 7 or 8 miles from Seagrove.
And possibly "get ahead" of a "10:30 schedule" by 7 or 8 minutes.

I paused at the 101.2-mile mark (there's a turn there to stay on Fork Creek Mill Rd),
To properly re-combine with Harvey and to take a quick break, and ...
Harvey interrupted to admonish me for picking up the pace.
I explained that I knew we could pop those inclines, and
"Get ahead" of his desired 10:30 pm finish time.
[I'm pretty sure that Harvey was skeptical.]

After that, we pedaled on, more-or-less maintaining the avg pace we had done all day.
Keeping the Siler City and Snow Camp returning controls to somewhat quick stops,
We seemed to be on target for a finish at approx 10:30,
Even taking into account the likely slowing after darkness would descend.

Still nothing interesting happened.
Then, the one interesting thing of the entire ride happened.

But before I can describe the interesting thing, I need to fill in some background information.

Several days before the pre-ride being discussed herein,
I had gotten my mechanic to replace the chain and jockey wheels and
Had some other minor tune-up work done.

To the best of my recollection,
Every previous time I've had the chain replaced,
It has been easy to shift from the 39-tooth chain ring into the 50-tooth, and
Somewhat difficult to shift into the 30-tooth chain ring. 

This 300 pre-ride was the the first real ride since the chain, etc. replacement(s).
Certainly the first time I needed / wanted to shift among the chain-rings.
Early-ish in the ride, I had learned that chain-ring shifting was in "opposite mode" --
That is, shifting from the 39 to the 50 was near impossible;
That would be okay since I didn't need the 50 on the 300.

However, it was VERY easy to shift from the 39 to the 30.
I should have attempted a barrel adjustment on the fly,
But I didn't.
After all, I would need the 30 repeatedly during the ride, and
If it was easy to get into the 30, well, that seemed a good idea.

Darkness had descended upon us.
We had completed Jones Ferry / Hamlet Chpl Rd in the darkness.
And the shifting into the 30 on JF / HC Rd had been fine.

We were on the last little climb to get up to the Andrews Store, 
Only about 20-miles from completing the brevet.
Harvey riding next to me.
I think it would have been better if he were ahead,or behind, but ... .

That last little climb is just a bump if one is doing the 200 brevet.
It may be just a little bump for fast riders that get to that point in daylight.
But, for me, in the darkness, somewhat tired near the end of a 300,
That little climb is not so little.

I wanted / needed to shift from the 39 to the 30.
The chain was thrown completely over the 30-tooth chain ring.
And when I pushed down with my left foot,
There was no resistance from the drive system (since the chain was connected to nothing).

I started going over onto my left side.
In that sped-up time and space of the mishap,
I did NOT want to crash into Harvey.
He managed to move a bit to his left and as he still had a useful drive system,
He moved slightly ahead, and
I came down, HARD, onto my left hip.

I was a bit tangled up in my bike.
The car that had been behind us, slowly closing, stopped.
Thank-you, car and driver!

Harvey was worried about me getting quickly onto my feet since
My head was essentially on the double-yellow.

I was not quite as interested in instantly jumping to my feet.
After all, as a result of the fall, my legs were trying to cramp.

After what seemed a long time, I finally got up.
It was probably less than 30 seconds.

I'm not exactly sure what a hip pointer is:
But if what I experienced is not a hip pointer, it ought to be.
I had a pain centered on where the left hip-bone is the most left it gets.

Also, my front and rear derailleurs were a bit messed up.
As best I can recall, I rode the rest of the brevet in the 39-15 gear combination.
[It turned out that the fall had created a bit of twist in the chain, and 
That twist prevented smooth pedaling and discouraged / prevented shifting among the rear cogs.]

Harvey had already announced a desire to stop at the Andrew's Store,
So after I walk the bike and me to the crest of the little climb,
I remounted and the two of us made our way to and into the store.

Harvey looked for something approaching real food.
I recall he may have found some Spagettios (or similar).

He also thought I might want some food, but
All I wanted to do was get back on my bike and finish the ride.

Additionally, it seemed that Harvey was playing for more recovery time for me,
To get closer to being "over" the effects of my fall.

However, I was getting stiff, and I really wanted to get back on my bike
Before I got completely stiffened up.

We finished the ride at 11:00 pm.
Dropped our cards off at Alan's, and
As indicated above, I chatted with Alan for 30 seconds or so.
I couldn't accept Alan's invitation to step inside and chat for a bit since
Harvey wanted to get home as soon as possible to begin recovery.
After all, he had a whole series of sit-down work meetings on his Monday agenda.

That was the only interesting thing that occurred during our ride.
That is my story, and I will be sticking to it. 
==============================
Oh, I did send a pre-ride report to the NC-rando-list serve.
I'll duplicate that and discuss it in the next blog post.