For example, if I am scheduled to work starting some time in the afternoon, perhaps 1 or 2 pm,
Starting RBR at 0430 allows me to start the ride when there is no traffic, or almost no traffic, and
Finish the ride around 0930, and thus allow time to do laundry or other chores before going to work.
Starting RBR at 0600 or 0700 on a weekday does not appeal to me.
Perhaps in the middle of Summer when the sun would have already risen.
But not during other seasons when 6 and 7 am would still be quite dark.
0430 works because there is little to no traffic.
6 or 7 am do not appeal, because the "rush hour" traffic is in full swing, regardless the season.
And actually, it is worse whenever traditional schedule schools are in session.
Anyway, that takes care of that type of background.
RBR was created in 2015 because Lynn wanted her own route.
Likely so that she wouldn't have to "ask" me for permission to ride.
Her "asking" was never a problem, because we had an open-to-ride agreement, and
Getting a waiver signed was never a problem since we lived only 1.6-miles apart, and
Lynn had to go by my hovel to get to my rides.
However, she wanted her own route.
So, I helped her create RBR, and rode with her on her maiden voyage as a route-owner.
Lynn did the route about a dozen times in September thru December 2015.
Or maybe it was a dozen times between September-2015 and mid-February-2016.
Then, disaster struck Lynn in late February-2016.
Lynn has not ridden rando since then.
And although she has ridden some informal hundred milers,
I doubt she ever will again do rando.
[Maybe, maybe she might do some Populaires, but not 200+ kms.]
When Lynn decided she would no longer do rando, I adopted her RBR route.
But with the proviso that if she ever returned to RUSA membership,
I would return the route to her.
Okay, more than enough double-deep background.
The RBR route starts approximately 1/2 mile from my bed.
I can get up at 4 am, get dressed, and be riding by 0430.
The way I do the route, the outbound half is approximately a mile shorter than the return.
Regardless of how one approaches the route,
The first half is a net uphill, and the return is a net downhill.
That tends to make the return leg a bit faster.
Also, if I start at 0430, much of the outbound will be in the dark, complete dark.
Sometimes ALL of the outbound is in the dark, the complete dark.
And one tends to ride more slowly in the dark than in the daylight.
So, don't be surprised if I report the mile longer return in the same in-motion time as the outbound.
Don't be surprised if I report the mile longer return in less in-motion time than the outbound.
Gee, it seems I just can't stop typing background material.
I'm now three layers deep in the background.
So, on August 15th, I started promptly at 0430.
That means crossing NC-98 at 0500 or a couple minutes later than that.
Turning off New Light Rd onto Old Weaver Trail approximately 15-minutes after that.
And riding Main Street through Creedmoor at approx 0545 to 0550.
Stem just under half-an-hour after that, and
Berea sometime in the 0648 to 0705 time-frame.
On August 15th, the note on my control card indicates 2:18 in-motion for the outbound leg.
That means I might have gotten to the control as early as 0648.
However, that is unlikely as there are 5 stop-lights on the outbound leg, and
Two of those lights, NC-98 just north of Raleigh and US-15 in Creedmoor,
Tend to be "uncooperative."
[That is, they have long cycles between green lights.
But sometimes I can catch them on the green.
And maybe I did on the 15th -- I must have given when the clerk initialed my card.]
So, I got to the Berea Control at 0648 or 0649,
Quickly removed my cycling gloves, quickly retrieved a cold beverage, and
Purchased same in time for the owner/clerk to note 0651 on the card.
I took a photo of the new window at the control -- the photo is time-stamped 0655.
I noted that the old window had been in place on Saturday, Aug-10th,
When Bob and I had done the "Denny's Store" ride,
But by Thursday, Aug-15th, the new window was firmly in place.
The note on the card indicates that I left the Berea Control at 0658.
[Ten minutes, or less, to get a beverage, pay for it, take a photo and put the phone away afterward.
And I may have visited the men's room to make a #1 deposit.
Pretty quick, I say.
Especially since the putting the phone back into the zip-lock is sometimes troublesome.]
On the 15th, I had noticed "veggies for sale" signs at Culbreth.
First time I had ever seen such at that location.
But outbound, there wasn't enough light to take a semi-reasonable photo.
There was enough light when homebound.
The time-stamp on the "veggie" sign is 0714.
So sixteen minutes to ride Berea to Culbreth, get out the phone and snap the photo.
The sign from the other direction indicates "organic," but
I didn't take a photo from the other direction.
I also took an across the yard landscape photo -- but not my preferred Culbreth landscape angle.
 |
| That's a boring photo, but hey! I've got it, I might as well use it. |
After taking the photos, I continued my ride.
I was not trying to be in a big hurry or any such thing.
Just trying to keep a decent effort, a decent pace.
No traffic worth mentioning until just before Falls Lake on New Light Rd.
I don't really like coming straight in New Light Rd, which becomes Six Forks Rd south of NC-98.
I don't care for Six Forks Rd from NC-98 to the corner with Possum Track Rd.
After reaching the Possum Track corner, the filed route is flat.
The safest return, taking Honeycutt Rd all the way from Possum Track to finish, in NOT flat.
The intermediate safe route, Six Forks to Durant to Honeycutt, is in between on the flat/hilly front.
On August 15th, I used the intermediate Durant-Honeycutt finish.
Total inbound time in-motion: 2:18.
Finishing time: 0923, for an elapsed time of 4h53.
The above is my story for the August 15th ride,
My story, and I'll be sticking to it.
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