Apr-23-2022: Morrisville 300 ACP Brevet

Determined was I to complete the 2022 Raleigh Region ACP Super Series. 

Something that I've more often not completed than I've been successful. 

Though I had struggled mightily the first 50-miles, the 200 was in the bag. 

Time for the 300 was upon us. 

 

Doug was also intending to complete the Raleigh Series. 

However, I was doing the Series as the goal in and of itself, 

Doug's purpose behind doing the Series was to get a good position 

In the queue for 2023 PBP registration. 

 

I cannot recall if Doug and I had pre-arranged to ride together, 

Or if we realized in the parking lot before the ride that we were logical ride partners, 

Or if we teamed up on the road within the first mile 

Recognizing that regarding the faster-folk, we had decided to "just let them go." 

Regardless how it came about, we became ride partners. 

 

 

Due to the "fish-hook" start, there was a control about 2.5-miles into the route. 

Click here for the RWGPS map of the 2022 version of the 300. 

The following is one photo from that photo control. 

Doug "fiddling" with his smart-phone or perhaps his Wahoo GPS device.  There was quite a bit of commentary / discussion on the "randon" and other google-groups around this time in 2022 regarding Wahoo devices repeatedly messing up while users were using them to navigate brevets.  Doug had had troubles during the 200  AND  he would experience repeated Wahoo failures during this 300 brevet.   
 
Eventually, he would mostly attempt to ignore his Wahoo and just turn when I turned -- some might wonder how I navigated -- well, I did have a cue sheet with me, but I never consulted it on this ride, just as I had not consulted a cue sheet for this route for most of the previous dozen years -- the exceptions being to check the routing of the detours to get around bridge re-destruction that had occurred most every year. 
 
RBA Alan had released us for the start at 0700.  The timestamp on this photo is:  0712.   

 

 

After that first intermediate control at the corner of McCormick Pkwy and Davis Drive, 

Doug and I continued at a reasonable pace, letting the faster-folk slowly disappear up the road. 

 

I don't have any photo for the second intermediate control at Snow Camp. 

I also do not have the brevet card or notes from which I might determine 

When we got to Snow Camp. 

 

[The only "brevet cards" that I have kept are the 2023 Raleigh 600, 

Which was Alan's last event as RBA (his tenure covered 1997 - 2023), and

The card for the Raleigh June-2023 Dart-Pop, 

Which was my first event as RBA.] 

 

I don't have any photos or notes for the Siler City control at approx 100k. 

 

I do know that approaching the outbound Snow Camp control, 

I knew I needed to check my left shoe, cleat, and pedal 

As I was having trouble clicking out. 

 

However, when I emerged from the Snow Camp store, 

Doug was already in conversation with a local regarding our bicycle ride. 

Unfortunately, I allowed myself to be sucked into listening to the conversation; 

Forgetting the issue with my left shoe, cleat, pedal. 

 

Arriving at the Siler City ~ 100k control, 

I managed, with difficulty, to click out of the left pedal 

To coast across the parking lot. 

 

After dismounting, I checked the bottom of my shoe, 

The little metal piece that clicks into the SPD pedal had fallen off, 

Obviously somewhere on the parking lot. 

 

I didn't see the point in looking for the missing piece. 

It was essentially the same color as the parking lot, 

So it would not stand out. 

 

Doug wondered if there was a bicycling shop in Siler City. 

I figured it wasn't worth trying to find out, and 

I was confident that I could complete the ride 

Even without the left cleat. 

 

 

We left Siler City headed for Coleridge Rd, Erect, and Seagrove. 

Coleridge Rd:  everyone's favorite road on Alan's brevets. 

Esp. in Spring with everything green and pastures covered in flowers, and 

Higher ridges visible off to the north and to south.  

 

I don't have any photos or notes for the Seagrove control at approx 150k. 

I suspect that I was finding that pedaling without a left cleat was 

More troubling than I had expected, 

But I'm confident that I said nothing. 

 

 

The return from Seagrove to Siler City became increasingly "interesting." 

I had to modify my pedal stroke to deal with the missing cleat; 

I had to concentrate on keeping the bottom of my slick shoe in contact with the pedal, 

Despite the shoe sliding around with nothing to hold it in place. 

Also, I "discovered" that I actually do apply some upward pulling pressure in my stroke

Because the left shoe did occasionally separate from the pedal during the upstroke. 

 

The pains in my left leg became increasingly harder to bear. 

After completing Coleridge Rd on the return, 

And note that Coleridge Rd did not seem as enjoyable when dealing with those pains, 

While on the 2+ miles of Old-Old-64 / W. 3rd St., 

I told Doug that he needed to mentally prepare to ride 

The final 100-kms solo because I was stopping in Siler City, period. 

Given the 1927 timestamp of this photo, this was certainly taken at the Siler City control inbound.  Whether taken when we arrived at the control, or if taken after Doug had left and I was waiting for MikeO, I don't know.  If one looks carefully, one can see the reflected me in the mirroring window. 

 

 

I arranged a rescue ride from MikeO, RUSA #215, 

Whom Alan had recruited to be on stand-by in case anyone needed a rescue ride. 

So, I got in a long 200k training ride (counting the bicycle commute to the start). 

 

Doug did successfully complete the 300. 

However, without me to follow, dependent upon his Wahoo, which failed again, 

Maybe failed more than once in his final 100-kms, 

Doug managed to collect quite a few bonus miles, and 

If I recall correctly, took at least two more hours to ride that "100-kms" 

Than I was expecting him to take. 

 

 

Here follows the edited extract from my Excel ride log (and perhaps the official results): 

 

• -> NCBC Morrisville 300k brevet  --  DNF @ Siler City, lift home from MikeO, 
• to "reward" Mike for the lift, I bought him lunch a few weeks later when the two of us pre-drove the 600k brevet course.
• w/ Doug K, RUSA #876, 
• 19.6-mile commute to the start,  1:24 in-motion 
• (either I was in good shape OR I had to hurry the commute by a few minutes) 
• 126.1-miles of the brevet completed,  9:38 in-motion, 
• total  145.7-miles,  11:02 in-motion,  13.2-mph avg for the entire ride(s). 

 

Region	Club	Type	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	ACPB	300	2022/04/23	10	2

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time	Medal
279210	1803	A, Steven Brantly	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	12:43
279211	15423	A, Bjoern Mc	Cross Creek Cycling Club / 933006	11:25
279212	1015	B, Chet	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	14:27
279213	3095	J, Wes	Randonneurs USA / 933095	11:25
279214	876	K, Doug	Randonneurs USA / 933095	19:50
279215	10866	L, Jon Brady	Carolina Tarwheels / 933047	12:43
279216	4649	M, John L	Carolina Tarwheels / 933047	14:29
279217	3175	O, Lindley	Randonneurs USA / 933095	14:29
279218	14816	S, Kade	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	15:36
279219	608	V, Cynthia F	Randonneurs USA / 910095	14:27

 

 

Three or four things: 

 

 1.  I didn't recall that Doug came SO CLOSE to an Hors Delay finish! 

 2.  I did not know that someone else had also DNF'd. 

 

 3.  Again I note that google-blogger has messed up the alternate text color, so Doug's time is bolded, but I cannot get the text to be any color other than black. 

 4.  Google-blogger has also messed up the way the links work.  If one has already typed the desired text, and then makes the link, blogger is duplicating the test -- once without the link  +  once with the text duplicated for the link.