Aug-22-2021: Mayo Lake Exploring

I decided to check out a prospective 150+ km route for a possible RUSA Populaire. 

Years ago, Apr-17-2010, to be exact, a group of Irregulars had ridden a Mayo Lake 100-miler. 

Occasionally when doing the "Denny's Store Sortie" 138-km Perm-Pop 

I've thought about making the 20-mile detour to ride up to and across Mayo Lake. 

But I never did. 

 

However, with me putting on RUSA Brevet-Populaires under Alan's auspices, and 

A change in RBA for Raleigh likely to occur in the near future, and 

Me still looking for post-COVID lockdown rides (other than RUSA Brevets or Perms), 

I figured that Aug-22nd would be a good day to check out a prospective Mayo Lake route. 

 

I thought I understood what would be the shortest route. 

As I type this, I thought I had a RWGPS of the original Irregulars Mayo Lake 100-miler, 

But research reveals that the original online route was done via "TrimbleOutdoors," 

And that no longer exists. 

 

Or, the original online route might have been done via "Veloroutes," 

But that was only ever someone's hobby and that stuff essentially no long exists. 

 

I could re-create the route I rode on Aug-22-2021, but that would be mostly a waste of time. 

I choose to embed the final RUSA Mayo Lake 153k Populaire RWGPS at/near the bottom of this. 

 

I'll relay the story primarily via the photos I took that day. 

Most of the photos were taken at prospective controls. 

 

But first, the extract from my Excel log: 

• -> "Mayo Lake 100" - NewLight-SixForks "finish" -> 
• 0645 - 1615  ->   9h30 elapsed    --    4648 ft climbing 
• 109.1-miles, 7:51 in-motion and that includes some walking, 13.9-mph avg in-motion. 

 

Riding thru Butner, the interplay of the sunshine and shadow attracted my attention, so I stopped to take a photo of the Gazebo.  Timestamp 0807. 

 

At the gas station / c-store at / in Surl, Dave was grilling up some tasty ribs.  This was the first time, and the last, that I ever saw the gentleman.  Timestamp 0930. 

Mill Creek gas station / c-store alongside US-501.  This location would become a control on the Mayo Lake Populaire.  There is a grill with some tables and food resembling "real food."  Timestamp 1028. 

Picnic tables in the shade at the Mill Creek store.  Timestamp 1028. 

Family Dollar store across the road from the Mill Creek gas station / c-store.  Timestamp 1029. 

After riding a couple miles north on US-501 (not much traffic) and turning on the first road to the right:  From the middle of the bridge crossing Mayo Lake -- looking north.  Timestamp 1058. 

Mayo Lake bridge, looking south.  Timestamp 1059. 

An hour later, I turned south on J.D. Denny Rd.  I was completely unfamiliar with the road.  Half-way along J.D, Denny Rd., I came upon a surprise:  the road surface changed from asphalt to gravel.  Some of the gravel was initially "okay," but then there was very fresh gravel that looked more like flints ready to become arrowheads.  The entire roadway from edge to edge was covered.  The white flints were also deep.  I got off the bike and walked the wheels in the grass alongside the road's edge.  I should have taken a photo of the "flint section," but it appears I waited until I was clear of the flints. 

Yep, this is definitely NOT the "flint section."  This was after the flints.  Of note after this was the steep downhill with gravel pebbles scattered about, so the surface was mostly hard-packed dirt, but there was no way to avoid the pebbles.  Downhill, coasting at 21, 23, even 25 miles-per-hour, the bike bouncing around because of the scattered pebbles, me repeating the mantra "hold onto the bike, hold onto the bike, don't fall."  I was glad when the downslope ended.  When I reached the end of the road, I realized where I was -- I had ridden past the south end of J.D. Denny Rd many times, but had never paid attention and had not remembered that the south end was gravel.  Timestamp 1207.  

I finished the ride on roads well-known to me (the "Denny's Store Sortie" and "R-B-R" routes). 

 

When I got back to my place, I created the RWGPS routing for what would become the Mayo Lake 153k RUSA Brevet-Populaire.  [As I type this, I want to express the following:  the Populaire is a very good route; I wish I could get more people to ride it.]