Jul-18: In Which I Again Meet "Serendipity"

Wracking my gray matter for a title, I recalled several prior "Serendipity" blog posts, so ...  a title.

 

I set out a little after 8 am to do the 40-mile "TT" course I'd been riding. 

Either that, I would add side-trip down and up Coley Rd, and possibly more. 

Two Coley side-trips would make a 55-mile ride. 

Essentially the same course as on July 9th, but without the two visits to Blue Jay Point County Park. 

 

The opening mile on the usual sidewalks, 

Then down Honeycutt Rd to the stop-sign at Durant. 

Left onto Durant, approx 1.45-miles to Brassfield Rd. 

Right onto Brassfield and a fairly quick left onto Coachman's Way. 

 

Coachman's is a winding, down-and-up, rinse-repeat, shaded "main" road thru an established neighborhood. 

A pleasant ride in and of itself. 

Or possibly a chore at the end of a ride as the short but steep inclines can feel tough. 

Anyway, a peaceful way, with a couple connectors, to Norwood Rd. 

 

A now retired from cycling acquaintance once told me that "they" used to refer to 

One of the climbs on Norwood Rd as "Cow Mountain." 

The farmhouse of what was once a large cow/milk farm is still there. 

I know (perhaps should type "I've met") the people that live in that farmhouse. 

The wife is the daughter of the last man to run the dairy farm on those pastures. 

Those pastures are now just a collection of faux mansion housing developments, 

With an interesting passage of the creek at the bottom. 

 

[Lots of description above.  Maybe one day I'll snap some photos.] 

 

Right turn at the stop-light at Mt Vernon Ch Rd, 

Drift downslope to near Pleasant Union Elementary, 

But follow MVC to the left before reaching PUE (in order to follow the "TT" course). 

 

MVC drops 120+ feet in 0.7-miles, and then climbs back up to stop-light at NC-50. 

Cross NC-50 and it is another mile till MVC "T's" into Old Creedmoor Rd. 

Left onto Old Creedmoor, which becomes Carpenter Pond Rd in Durham County. 

 

Old Creedmoor / Carpenter Pond is not flat, but not hilly -- a good ride except during rush hours. 

I decided to ride down-and-back-up Coley Rd -- 3.65-miles each way. 

There are some places worth photographing on Coley Rd; 

There are some snaps of some of those places in previous blog posts, but 

I took no new ones on this day. 

 

Upon reaching the top of Coley Rd, i.e., the corner with Carpenter Pond Rd, 

I had ridden 16.1-miles in 1:12 time-in-motion (avg 13.3-mph). 

 

I was looking forward to the false flat decline of the rest of Carpenter Pond, 

Followed by the false flat decline of Leesville Rd, and 

Then the 1.9-mile drop on Doc Nichols Rd. 

I started my ride at 0819 -- the time-stamp on this photo is 0931.  Therefore, this is the pond at the corner of Carpenter Pond and Coley roads.  I took this photo just before doing the down-and-back-up on Coley.  And as such, I should have inserted this photo before the text regarding riding the 7.3-miles on Coley.

The time-stamp on this photo is 1002.  That suggest I took this on Coley just before returning to Carpenter Pond Rd.  So, again, this should have been inserted in the text earlier than it is.  And I should have mentioned this turtle rescue to Lynn -- maybe I did -- maybe she had done several turtle rescues before our paths crossed -- but once my attention was drawn to the click-click-click coming from her bike, turtle rescues were driven from my thoughts.

 However, after only nine-tenths of a mile, just after turning onto Leesville Rd, 

There came riding toward me a woman. 

I should note there had already been quite a few single riders, two-somes and maybe three-somes, 

None of whom did I recognize. 

 

Back to the solo woman riding toward me. 

It seems quite strange, but at first I did not recognize the woman. 

Then I thought, "hmmn, that 'jersey' looks exactly like one of Lynn's." 

Then, "oh, that is Lynn." 

 

I decided to turn around and ride with her for a bit -- if she would allow it. 

I had ridden a total of 17.0-miles in 1:15 time in-motion (avg 13.5-mph). 

I.e., I had covered the last 0.9-miles in 3-minutes (avg ~ 17.8-mph). 

 

Lynn, sometimes referred to as "Serendipity," realized I was coming, and slowed to wait for me. 

Turned out she had an ulterior motive:  there was an annoying clicking coming from her machine. 

I dropped in behind her to listen and look, hoping I might figure out the source of the clicking. 

 

Lynn led the way onto Coley, and we pulled over so I could carefully look over her drive train. 

I attempted to fiddle with the rear derailleur and cables, and we got back underway. 

No impact on the clicking. 

 

Down and back up Coley, chatting or expressing mutual annoyance regarding the clicking. 

We stopped again just before reaching the top of Coley (just before Carpenter Pond). 

Again fiddle with the drive train, and checked for loose spokes and what-not. 

No impact on the clicking. 

 

I decided to follow Lynn back toward "home." 

She turned onto the flat Harrington Grove Rd -- flat, but it does have the high elevation of the ride(s). 

Then the bike lane on Leesville Rd toward I-540, but 

Left onto Farless /  Norwood Rd before reaching the interstate. 

 

Norwood for a mile or so, then right onto Ray Rd. 

Ray Rd drops down and then climbs back up to Strickland Rd. 

That climb can be tough, esp. if riding it near the end of a Triple-L 205-km Perm ride. 

Lynn soared up that climb -- I struggled up. 

 

Left onto Strickland for 100 yards or so, then another left onto Baileywick Rd. 

Baileywick "parallels" Strickland, but 

Whereas Strickland is more-or-less flat or flattish, 

Baileywick drops 150 feet or more, crosses NC-50, and then climbs back up. 

 

Of course Lynn soared up that Baileywick climb. 

I "crawled" up, eventually losing track of Lynn. 

So ... I rode through the shopping center at the top of the climb, and 

Then ended up waiting / broiling in the blazing sun and heat,

Waiting to make the turn from Six Forks Rd onto Strickland for the final 1.1-mile decline to my place. 

 

I admit I was kinda' cursing Lynn for her routing to get "home." 

Shorter than my routing would have been. 

One less climb. 

But two of my climbs would have been shaded. 

And there would have been NO WAITING in the broiling sun and heat.  

 

At the time of the ride, after I posted something to Facebook, 

An acquaintance commented to the effect "the price we pay for the ride partners we choose." 

 

Total 36.5-miles, 2:26 time in-motion (avg 14.9-mph). 

Therefore, the last 19.5-miles were 1:11 time in-motion (avg 16.4-mph). 

 

Since Lynn waited or rode tiny circles in two or three places waiting for me, 

She clearly averaged faster than I did for those last ~ 20-miles. 

She still thinks she is slow (resulting from being bashed into in February-2016), 

She still complains that "everyone passes her." 

I think this 20-miles proves that her speed has increased increased significantly in recent years. 

If only I could convince her. 

 

----------------------------- 

Epilogue: 

 

It took Lynn two trips to local rando Byron to find and fix the clicking sound. 

Locals understand Byron's skills as many of us have benefited from his help during brevets. 

 

Jul-09: 64+ for 64

Once a year, July 9th rolls around. 

I usually try to get in a ride on the 9th, but 

I don't always succeed. 

 

My "cycling lifetime" is rather short, 

The "lifetime" for which I have records is a bit shorter, as it dates back to only 2004. 

With luck, the following chart extracted from my Excel records will be readable. 

The chart shows what I've recorded for each July 9th beginning in 2004. 

 

2020	Jul	9	-> H'cutt-Norwood-BJP-"old'TT'course+2xColey-BJP-N'wd-Durant-H'cutt	1105, solo  --  80-90 F  --   5h28	64.9
2019
2018	Jul	9	Raleigh - Berea - Raleigh (RBR) 109	0500, solo    --     4h54    --    temp 60F@ start, chilly	67.8
2017	Jul	9	Bahama Beach 103 (3-Hayes, 65.9-m)    --    61st birthday ride	0600, solo    --     4h45	65.9
2016	Jul	9	PUE:  Irregulars Falls Lake Loop	w/ Ags, Iva, BobH    --    elapsed  2h44	38.4
2015	Jul	9	--> Oxford 104 -->	w/ LL (until Lawrence Rd inbound)    --    Oxford  4h21	77.0
2014	Jul	9	--> Oxford 104 -->	6 am start, Oxford   4h14	77.0
2013
2012
2011	Jul	9	--> PUE:  Long AFR --> Char Grill -->	w/  Smitty, Mallet    +    G + W, Doug + Karen, Kim	71.2
2010	Jul	9	BJP:  Coley-(DocN-Bap-view-Virgil)-(DocN-Kemp-Virgil)- 2/3 of Coley		54.1
2009	Jul	9	BJP:  Coley-DocN-Kemp-Virgil	northish breeze	37.1
2008
2007
2006	Jul	9	home:  Crdmr, Stem, Hester Rd, Wilton, Old Frnk, Evans, Pokomoke	coxis pain from < 30 m to 48 m	68.3
2005	Jul	9	PUE:  Falls Lake Loop		41.2
2004

 

[Okay, the above chart was readable when drafting / typing this post, but 

is decidedly not readable once published.]  

 

If I blogged a ride in the above chart, there is a link to that blog report. 

Note that the blog was begun in 2009. 

[There was a time when I blogged every ride -- within hours or days of the ride. 

But then "Serendipity" indicated strongly "leave me out of your blog." 

And another indicated that they were afraid to say anything lest that make into the blog. 

On that immediately above, I can keep a secret. 

Regardless, I've typically not blogged certain rides because of "them peoples."]

[Blogger has certainly made some/many of the edit functions more difficult.  And these are supposedly improvements.] 

=================================  

 

This July 9th, I didn't get around to riding until 11:05 am. 

Was I waiting for the heat to set in? 

That would have been stupid. 

So there must have been some other reason for the late start. 

A reason that is not being revealed here. 

 

The plan was to ride the downslope on Honeycutt Rd and turn left on Durant Rd. 

Then take Durant to Brassfield Rd and then use Coachman's Way, etc. thru the neighborhood. 

However, when I got to the Durant intersection, 

there were a couple cars behind me that were signalling that they were turning onto Durant, and 

there were two or three cars on Durant at the stop-sign ready to proceed my direction on Durant, and 

there was another brace of cars on Durant heading the opposite direction. 

But there was only one car on Honeycutt facing me. 

So, I decided to continue straight on Honeycutt with apparently less traffic. 

 

Durant is smoother and wider than Honeycutt, and has the 1.4-mile long incline 

Whereas Honeycutt has two or three climbs, each shorter than the one on Durant, but significantly steeper. 

But the thing that threw the balance to riding Honeycutt was the prospect of less car traffic. 

In case you're curious:  there was only a couple cars that passed me on the 3 addtnl miles of Honeycutt. 

 

Honeycutt T's into Possum Track Rd a half-mile from where the neighborhood route 

Crosses Six Forks Rd to get onto Norwood Rd proper. 

And making that left onto Possum Track, a straight quarter mile later, one is on Six Forks Rd. 

Distance until getting onto Norwood Rd proper is the same for the two options. 

 

Down and up on Norwood to Mt Vernon Church Rd to (near) Pleasant Union Elementary (PUE), 

Then straight onto the "flat" couple miles of Pleasant Union Ch Rd to Blue Jay Point County Park. 

 

Blue Jay Point County Park is the traditional start/finish of my old "TT/cadence" route. 

I snapped a pic of the water fountain at BJP to provide proof that the fountain was operating. 

 
It was 10.5-miles from my start to the water fountain. 

That allowed me to confirm my pre-ride calculations: 

• 10.5-miles to BJP, plus 
• 29.6-miles of the "TT/cadence" course, plus 
• 7.3-miles, twice down and up Coley Rd -- once outbound, once inbound, plus 
• 10.5 miles from BJP back to the start/finish location. 
• That would give me just over 65-miles for the entire ride, and that would suffice. 

I noted that I covered the 10.5-miles to the water fountain in 45-minutes in-motion. 

Four climbs in that 10.5-miles had reduced my avg pace to only 13.8-mph. 

[Well ... the first mile had been on sidewalks, where the avg pace had only been ~ 11-mph. 

So, I had likely avg'd approx 14.2-mph after that "sidewalk mile."]

 

Following the "TT" course, I retraced the 2.5-miles to get back to PUE and Mt Vernon Ch Rd. 

MVC is a short mile down, followed by some steep up and then a more gentle(?) incline to NC-50. 

[My friend "Snapper" used to complain about that when Irregulars rides started from PUE.] 

 

After crossing NC-50, the "TT/cadence" route is flat-tish for 8-miles until Doc Nichols Rd. 

["Flat-tish" -- ha!  I grew up in a true FLAT-land, would have thought it wasn't flat-tish back then.] 

 

However, that 8-miles was interrupted after 5+ miles for the side-trip down and up on Coley. 

On this ride, that meant turning onto Coley Rd after riding 20.2-total-miles in 1h27 in-motion: 

Avg pace to that point therefore 13.9-mph (and the 9.7-miles from BJP avg'ing that pace). 

 

It took half-an-hour for me to ride the 7.3-mile round-trip on Coley. 

That suggests and avg pace of 14.6-mph for that segment, and 

The avg pace for the total 27.5-miles to that point was 14.1-mph. 

 

[You might be thinking that this report is all about the distances and avg pace of the ride. 

Well, that is the case. 

Because that is what I was paying attention to during the ride. 

That is, I was trying to push my pace a bit to get in better habit of going a little harder/faster.] 

 

On the "TT/cadence" course, it is right at 10-miles from Coley to get back to Coley Rd. 

That 10-miles includes: 

• The false-flat slight decline on Leesville Rd, then 
• The fun downslope 1.9-miles on Doc Nichols (in 6-minutes or slightly less), then 
• A one-mile gentle incline on Olive Branch Rd -- gentle(?) -- sometimes not so gentle, then 
• Half-a-mile flat section on NC-98, followed by 
• 1.3-miles of Kemp down and UP (the UP being 100 ft in one-half mile), then 
• 2.3-miles on the incline which is Virgil Rd, and finally 
• The flat half-mile to get back to Coley Rd. 
•  
• Hmmn, I think of that 10-miles as having only 3 or 4 turns, but 
• It is actually 6 turns. 
  

Depending on one's abilities and in-shapeness, 

That 10-miles can be an opportunity to improve one's avg pace, or

To lose it completely. 

 

When I got back to Coley Rd, my cycle confuser indicated 37.6-miles with 2h40 in-motion. 

I.e., it had taken 43-minutes to cover those 10.1-miles -- an avg pace of 13.9-mph. 

 

The second time down Coley was as enjoyable as the first time. 

However, on the return, at about 42-total-miles into the ride, 

I realized that the heat, etc. had gotten to me, and 

The last 22 or 23 miles were going to be a slog. 

 

I didn't keep track of any further intermediate mileages / time in-motion. 

I did complete the "TT" course, returning to the water fountain at BJP. 

 

Knowing I could refill my 2 bottles at the fountain, I consumed most of my remaining water, but 

I did pour the last few ounces onto my head and neck once I got to the fountain. 

 

I refilled both bottles, but only after pouring some additional water on my head, neck, and shoulders. 

The water from the fountain wasn't the best tasting water I have ever experienced. 

It wasn't very chilly water, either. 

But it was cooler than the air temperature, which was roughly 90F by then, and 

The water was wet. 

Cooler than the air temp and wet -- those were all I needed to complete the ride. 

 

Retracing, again, across Pleasant Union Ch Rd to Norwood Rd, then 

Down and up to get to the intersection with Six Forks Rd. 

The eastbound climb on Norwood is longer but not as steep as the westbound climb. 

 

My plan on reaching the stop-sign at Six Forks Rd was to cross over and 

Ride through the Coachman's Way neighborhood, which would be nicely shaded all the way. 

 

However, the traffic on 6-Forks was ping-ponging me. 

Car from the left -- car from the right -- car(s) from the left -- car(s) from the right. 

Rinse, repeat. 

 

Finally, although there was traffic coming from the right, there were no vehicles coming from the left, 

So I modified my planned route and turned right onto Six Forks Rd. 

That would give me a long mile-and-half on Six Forks to get to Durant Rd. 

Then Durant would be about 2 miles of gentle decline to the stop-sign at Honeycutt. 

[Sometimes, to keep to the "one-line" per sentence or clause, 

To maintain the "verbose Haiku," I have to replace words or phrase with less elegant choices.]

Honeycutt would be one-mile of non-trivial upslope mostly without shade, then flat, and 

Then the mile on the sidewalks. 

 

Somewhere during the last few miles, I decided to stop by TLC-for-Bikes

To tell Gary that I expected him to get in his 64-mile ride ten days after I got in mine. 

I did manage to do that although the shop was CROWDED with customers and bikes. 

 

As I left the bike shop, I ended up in conversation with someone a couple years older than me. 

He was originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, but had lived in the U.S. for 20 or more years. 

We chatted about bikes and riding them and also about soccer. 

I mentioned that I had had no interest at all in soccer until the amazing result from the 

Leicester City club when it won the 2015-16 Premier League title after 5000-1 odds. 

I forget the gentleman's name (maybe we never exchanged names), but 

I was surprised when he indicated that his club was Liverpool. 

I was expecting either Celtic or Rangers. 

Maybe Liverpool is his English PL club, and he also supports a Scotland PL club? 

 

My cycle confuser indicated 63.97-miles when I got the bike shop. 

So when the above-mentioned fellow asked about my prospects of getting to 64-miles on the day, 

I told him that I only had a flat one-mile on mostly sidewalks to ride, and 

I was already at 63.97-miles, so I figured I would easily make at least 64-miles. 

The fellow agreed. 

 

Upon reaching the end of my ride, my cycle confuser showed 64.9-miles, with 

A total in-motion time of 4h49. 

That means I covered the 27.3-miles since the beginning of the second Coley loop 

(the final 22 or so miles which were a slog) 

In 2h09, for and avg pace of 12.6-mph. 

 

Final / total stats on the day:  64.9miles, 4:49 in-motion, 13.5-mph avg pace. 

 

A very lame story, but one that I'll be sticking with.