Then, wanting to ride with IvaHawk, it became "Oxford" at 7:30, also with BobB.
However, Iva has been trying to get a roofing contractor to his place for a couple weeks,
And the contractor changed his visit from Monday to Wednesday.
No IvaHawk.
And that put paid to my plan to spend only one or two dollars during the ride (for cold drinks).
And the plan became BobB and me doing "Denny's Store" starting at 7:30.
I figured two to three dollars during the ride (for cold drinks and maybe an Oatmeal cookie).
I had two goals on the day:
- complete "Denny's Store Sortie" 138-km route in under 6h30 elapsed,
- get in a 100+ mile ride (including commutes to and from).
"Half-way" through the commute ride to Bay Leaf for the ride,
I realized that I had forgotten my water bottles.
They were still in the refrigerator, water still chilling.
Not to worry.
I was on schedule to arrive at the CVS at about 7:15.
Plenty of time to get Bob's wet ink signature on the waiver
And go across the road to the gas station and find a bottle of cold water.
Got lucky on that:
Found some Deer Park bottles with re-seal-able flip-tops, on sale 2 for $2.22.
But that did put an end to the two or three dollar plan.
One issue: the bottles were just a bit too small to fit properly in the bottle cages.
The bottle in the cage on the part of the frame beneath the saddle was fine.
But the cage on part of the frame from the bottom bracket to the headset,
Well, the bottle in that cage was pretty loose.
I had drunk a few ounces from the loose bottle,
But when hurrying, standing, pedaling quickly to make the light at NC-50,
The bottle slipped and started pouring water on my right foot and onto the ground.
I pulled over before crossing the highway and grabbed the bottle,
Thus rescuing at least a third of the water originally in that bottle.
Heavy sigh.
I closed the flip-top and put the bottle in my left jersey pocket.
[Wish I had done that first thing.
Because it turned out that being in the pocket
Kept the fluid chilled longer than the fluid(s) in the bottle in the cage.
Apparently the jersey provided protection from direct sunlight?]
We arrived at the Allensville Store Control after 2:49 in-motion, 2h54 elapsed.
The difference being roughly 3 1/2 minutes at the light at NC-98 plus
A short minute at the aforementioned NC-50 stop-light.
12 minutes at the control.
Including the clerk asking "how is your ex-wife doing?"
That clerk always asks.
She remembers Lynn from rides prior to Feb-20-2016.
[Sometimes, if certain locals are sitting on the outside bench,
One of them might ask about "that woman that used to ride up here with you."
However, being 10:30-ish, with the temperature rising toward the mid-90's,
There were no locals on this day.]
Oh, because of the heat, and the increasing temperatures expected,
I got a large Gatorade (~ $2.50 with tax) instead of my usual 99-cent Arizona Tea.
 |
| On the ride to Allensville, I realized that Bob was wearing a new jersey, or at least a different one; that is, one I did not recognize. So, at the Control, where I was close enough to "study" the jersey, I realized that, once again, Bob was wearing a PacTour jersey. Trying to intimidate me, again? [That's a running joke, ya' know.] I got Bob to pose for a photo; that revealed it was a "Notorangelo Midwest Camp" jersey -- I decided to feature the shoulder pic of Susan. Bob explained that the jersey had been one of the Richard Lawrence collection -- which jerseys Joel had parceled out after his father had died. |
So, off for the Berea Open Control, 12.8-miles in an easterly direction.
It appeared we would have a tailwind -- at least until the road curved to a southeasterly direction.
By which time I figured the wind would have back around to be from the SW instead of the west.
[Turned out I was correct regarding the shift in the wind direction.
It is no great feat to forecast that wind shift to the SW.
It happens almost every time the temperature reaches "hot" in central NC.]
En route Allensville to Berea,
Probably between the Denny's Store crossroads and Berea,
We were stopped by a flagman for some sort of road construction.
While waiting, I commented to the flagman that it was certainly getting hot out here on the asphalt.
The flagman definitely agreed, commenting that he didn't understand why
He wasn't stationed about 50 yards behind Bob and me,
Which would have been in the SHADE.
We waited for several minutes.
All the while "melting" under the unrelenting sunshine with no apparent breeze.
Finally, the flagman indicated that he couldn't legally stop us,
That we were free to continue at our own risk.
We immediately continued on our way.
It was a mile or more to the other end of the flagged section of road.
Half or two-thirds of the way across, we encountered the "pilot truck"
Followed by one, count 'em, one vehicle.
There were traveling on our side of the road.
So, we crossed over to the other side, intending to pause while the pilot went by.
However, it was clear those vehicles were going to stay on the wrong side of the road,
So we did not pause, but kept on pedaling, returning to the correct side after safely passing.
We arrived at the Berea Control at 4h04 rando elapsed time.
In other words, it was more-or-less 11:30 am.
4h04 elapsed with 3:42 total in-motion time.
I.e., it had taken 58 elapsed minutes, 53 in-motion minutes
To get from Allensville Store to Berea.
The six-and-a-half hour elapsed time goal appeared to still be easily within reach.
If, repeat IF, one didn't consider what the increasing temps might mean.
I failed to note the time when we actually left the Berea Control.
That is unusual.
It usually takes me a little less than an hour in-motion to ride from Berea to Creedmoor.
But on this day, the heat started to get to me, and I was sure I was slowing.
Approaching Creedmoor, having finished most of my two bottles of fluids,
I informed Bob that WE would be stopping at the BP in Creedmoor,
To refresh cold liquids and to sit at one of the inside tables to cool off.
I admit -- I was adamant.
We took a full 30 minutes at the BP.
And then we left for the last 15-miles.
The only thing I recall from those 15-miles is this:
Climbing Mt. Vernon Ch Rd, just a couple miles from the finish,
I noted it was now 6h58 elapsed since the start.
I commented to Bob that I had had two goals on the day:
Finish in 6h30 or less, and by cycling to and from the ride, sneak in a 100-mile ride.
"It is now 28 minutes beyond the time goal, and
Are you willing to give me a lift home?"
Bob chuckled and agreed.
Total 7h09 elapse, 6:05 in-motion.
I.e., 2:23 in-motion from Berea to the finish.
If I hadn't needed that extra 30 minutes in Creedmoor,
We would have finished in just over six-and-a-half hours.
But if we hadn't taken that 30-minutes in Creedmoor,
The ride time from Creedmoor to the finish would likely have been significantly more.
| 2019/10/02 finishers=2 DNF=0 | ||||
| RUSA-T93021 | 5843 | B_, Bob | Randonneurs USA / 933095 | 7:09 |
| RUSA-T93022 | 6218 | S_, Martin | Randonneurs USA / 933095 | 7:09 |
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