0600, solo -- 70-88 F -- 7h51 elapsed -- V-150 #1
93.4-miles -- 7:01 in-motion
The plan was to use the "Denny's Store Sortie" 138-km perm-pop as the core for a 100-miler. Started at 0600 from my abode (that was probably too late -- shoulda' started at 0500 or 0430). The ride started well, but the increasing heat and headwind outbound followed by more heat and the wind shifting from NW to SW (on a hot day, it always backs around to be from the SW) made for a headwind all the way back to Raleigh.
The first 33+ miles in faux single-speed 39/15 mode, including the climb up the "Range Wall" huffing and puffing the entire way. Just after 33-mile-mark, I reflexively shifted to the 39/14, and I decided I'd use gears the rest of the ride.
Before I got to Shoofly, approx 63-miles into the ride, I had bailed on doing a 100-miler and was instead in "survival" mode.
Although this was my Hudson Valley Randonneurs Virtual Spring Brevet V-150 #1, the way I feel right now, I think I'll count it as V-100 #6. [Someone had an insane plan going into the weekend: 100-miler Saturday + a 200k on Sunday + another V-100 on Tuesday -- those would have meant a successful V-50 campaign, a successful V-100 campaign, and a V-SR. Hahaha -- THAT is definitely not happening.]
So, I'll finish the virtual brevet season with 10 x V-50 and 6 x V-100. However, having cleaned out the house of my mother-in-law and separately my father-in-law, I collect VERY FEW awards (to gather dust and for someone else to have to dispose of at a future date). In other words, I won't be filing my results nor applying for the associated bumper stickers (?).
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| Camp Butner was a United States Army installation in Butner, North Carolina during World War II. It was named after Army General Henry W. Butner. Part of it was used as a POW-Camp for German prisoners of war in the United States and this site eventually became the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Butner |
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| This "prop", across the road from the previous sign for Camp Butner, sometimes used to take photos en route, usually the "Bahama Beach: perm-pop. I think the most recent use of this location was last September when John + Ann J agreed to pose. |
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| NC State Farm across from the Camp Butner sign. |
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| More NC State Farm. |
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| Looking Deep into the Creek. |
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| NW corner of the modified route -- I didn't do the mile out and the mile back, down-and-up-and-down-and up, to the Control at the Allensville Store and back to this location. |
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| Strange! That flag was luffing about some, and showing that the direction of the wind was becoming variable, but I'm surprised to see a "sad Flag" in this photo. The iconic location for photos on this route, the actual Denny's Store x roads, is just visible in the middle of that curve in the background. |
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| This year, tobacco in that field. Some years, cotton. Some years, essentially lying fallow with an alfalfa crop. |
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| Berea c-store. [I unintentionally took a mirror selfie.] |
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