Mar-10: Hope Springs Eternal 140

The route starts and finishes at Cameron Village in Raleigh (route map). 
Goes east/northeast out of downtown to Bunn and then east to Spring Hope, 
Where the route reverses to return to Raleigh via Bunn.  
140 kms. 

One of these times when I do this ride, or one of the others mentioned below, 
I need to remember to take a photo or two of the temple complex just south of Wake Xroads. 
When this route was created, the "complex" consisted of the original house and a statue or two. 
Now, well, only a photo would suffice to explain, and I don't have one. 
Yet. 

 
My reasons for riding were:   

(1) to help get into shape, or 
(2) to meet route-owner requirements to maintain familiarity and assure appropriateness, or 
(3) both. 

BradW's (#8218) reasons for riding:  

I'm not sure. 
Maybe to get back into shape for riding non-flat routes?

There was more traffic between Bunn and Lake Royale outbound than I expected / more than I recall previously experiencing. Forestville Rd inbound had more traffic than I would have liked / perhaps more than Buffaloe Rd, which is usually the road with the annoying traffic. 

 

Route appropriateness conclusion:  Hope Springs Eternal is a useful route on weekends (also Bunn Warmer, Yellow Dog Lope to Spring Hope, Yellow Dog Run to Bunn - they are all the same route, they just start in different locations and/or turn around in different locations). 

 

Some photos taken en route follow.  

All were snapped by Brad -- I took one or two, but Brad's are better.

Well, there are several decent and informative photos, but every one of them insists on loading sideways and I cannot get them to stand upright (even though I did the necessary edits to the photos).  I blame iPhone (or whatever so-called "smart phone" that Brad uses; I don't blame Brad.


So ... a few words:

Brad started out like a house a'fire.
Storming up every incline (while I just spun my way up).
I did find that I was putting more effort into the inclines, small though they are, than I wanted.
So, finally, on one incline, I sped up to tell Brad that he was going to wear me out,
Zooming up the inclines as he was doing.

At 29.2-miles into the route, one passes Perry's Pond, and

 
Then one immediately rides up what may be the biggest climb of the day.
I took my time going up, whereas Brad predictably sped ahead.
However, luckily for Brad, the incline eases nearing the top, and
I was able to close the distance between us.
I got close enough that I was able YELL to Brad that he had missed the turn.

Interestingly enough, that was the last climb where Brad was quicker than me.
You might be thinking that he was concerned about missing future turns.
But that would be wrong thinking.
He had worn himself out with all the premature climbing attacks.

The unfortunate thing about that for Brad was that later in the ride,
I realized that I needed to slow my pace to keep the two of us together.
I recalled a comment once made by TimL #6016:

"Martin slows down when he talks."

As a result, Brad was on the receiving end of a monologue
Of my high school athletic endeavors.


We finished, taking longer than I had anticipated, but we did not set a course record. 

Aug-26: HopeSpringsEternal 140

Bob and I had already gotten in our monthly R-ride early in the month.
We had also already gotten in our monthly P-ride,
Which also qualified as our NC-P-12-Explorer-Challenge ride.   

That Explorer ride was the brevet-populaire put on by the Raleigh Region
On August 19th as part of our annual rides and picnic to celebrate the birth of RUSA.
I plan to write, er, type something about that picnic-populaire
In conjunction with another ride that we did in October.

You might be wondering why we did the HopeSpringsEternal ride.
The answer(s):

• Bob might have been trying to drag me into shape, 
• Bob might have been trying to edge closer to K-Hound status again this year, 
• Bob might have been trying to put an edge on his in-shapeness prior to joining the last week of the PacTour Southern Trans-continental, 
• We might have been trying to generate some camaraderie in the NC rando peleton by advertising our ride -- advertising being something that seems to have gone out style in NC -- advertising being something I'm trying to re-invigorate, 
• I might have been trying to get into shape, even without Bob's help, 
• I might have been trying to edge closer to 5000 RUSA kms this year, and
• Perhaps highest on our thoughts was that no one had ridden the route since MickH, #6109, had retired and I had adopted the route -- and a route owner is tasked with maintaining familiarity with their routes to ensure suitability for the general rando public use. 

We advertised our ride.
We got one taker, DaveM, #10234.
Dave is generally faster than Bob and me,
But he tolerated our slow pace, and
On our homeward bound leg, we stopped for lunch in Bunn.
At least I think we did -- being four months since the ride, I might be mis-remembering.

Anyway, all three of us had an enjoyable ride
On a pleasant course,
With pleasant company.

One photo on the day:  Perry's Pond.

Add caption

Jul-21: Hope Springs Etermal

I hadn't done the 'Hope Springs Eternal' perm-pop since some time last year.
Luckily, Mick was able to accommodate a rather late request, and I did HSE on Sunday.

I thought I was making good progress,
Meaning I thought I was maintaining a decent average pace, and
Maybe I was, but
I don't really know since the battery in my cycle-confuser-sensor died, and
I haven't got around to replacing it yet.

I left the 69+ km turn-around control at precisely 10 am (3h00 after starting),
After having spent only about 6-minutes at the control in Spring Hope,
Thinking to myself, "wow, I might finish in about 6-hours total."

I had forgotten that a breeze had finally woken at about 9:40 am.
And said breeze would be in my face all the way back to Raleigh.
It wasn't ever strong enough to refer to it as a headwind, but
There was that ever-present small amount of pressure in my face.

I had also forgotten that the route is net upslope inbound.
I had forgotten that Fowler Rd, in particular, can be troublesome upslope into a breeze.
[BTW, it appears that Fowler Rd has been recently infested with tar-snakes. 
At least I don't recall Fowler Rd being particularly tar-snaky last year. 
It certainly is now.  --  And there are no tar smiley faces.]  

I hadn't made any stops on the outbound leg,
Even catching all the stop-lights (save one) on green!
But inbound I made an extra stop at the Hopkins Fire Station
For a pee and to top up a couple water bottles.
5 or 6 minutes.

I must have lost focus at the Mitchell Mill Rd intermediate control,
As the stop took 9 minutes instead of the intended 6.
I thought I was still making a good average pace when I left the control, but
As indicated above, I don't really know.

The last 15+ miles from the Mitchell Mill control to the finish
Always takes longer than an hour.
The result of the combination of surprisingly tougher than expected rollers getting into town, and
The stop-lights.

Outbound, as noted above, the stop-lights had been good to me.
Outbound, there had been no traffic in downtown Raleigh, and
Virtually no traffic anywhere.
Well ... come to think of it, there was one ... jerk ... on Fowler Rd, outbound.

Inbound, as you might guess, the traffic volume increased as I approached Raleigh, and
Although not a lot of downtown traffic, there was more than literally none.
Inbound, as you might guess, I caught all the stop-lights on red.

Outbound, the sky had been overcast with the clouds helping to keep a "civilized" temperature.
Inbound, the overcast slowly disappeared,
So that by the time I was stopped at the lights in downtown,
The sun was making its presence felt.

[Admittedly, the sun wasn't really "all that" during the ride. 
However, on the post-ride commute, 'El Sol' came out in full force 
While I was going up the climb on Lassiter Mill Rd. 
I could feel the sweat-beads forming on my scalp, 
At the base of the few hairs I still have on top. 
Sweat beads forming under the head-sweats cover. 
At least the head-cover keeps the sweat from running into my eyes, and 
Keeps me from getting sumburned up top.]

Anyway, I finished the ride in 6h31.
Fastest time I've ever done the Hope Springs Eternal.
First time I've ever done the route without a prolonged lunch-stop.
[That's neither a complaint nor the opposite -- just a fact.]  
====================================================
Jul-21: 

--> Hope Springs Eternal 140-km Perm-Pop -->; 98.0 m.;  6h49 in-motion; 14.4 mph.  
 ____ pre-ride commute: _5.1 m.; 0h22 in-motion. 
 ____ Hope Springs Eternal +:  87.8 m.; 6h03 in-motion; elapsed time:  6h31. 
 ____ post-ride commute:  5.1 m.; 0h24 in-motion. 

Q-1 tot: _11 rides; __940.3 m; _64h42; 14.5 mph; _1275 RUSA kms.
Q-2 tot: _18 rides; _2293.9 m; 158h18; 14.5 mph; _3142 RUSA kms.
Jul tot: __5 rides; __534.7 m; _35h12; 15.2 mph; __556 RUSA kms.
YTD tot: _34 rides; _3768.9 m; 258h14; 14.6 mph; _4973 RUSA kms.
        

Nov-17: Hope Springs Eternal 140-km Perm-Pop

Not much to type.
 
Headwind outbound.
At least it was sunny.
Tailwind inbound.
But high, thin, milky clouds blocked much of the heat of the sun.

Learned that Wayne + I have one cycling friend in common.
Due to past MS-150 experiences.
We chatted about MS-150 experiences for quite a while / distance.  
(Probably know more than one person from MS experiences, but we didn't go into it.)

Don't know what Wayne + Mick might have chatted about.
Couldn't really hear through the wind.
Don't recall what Mick + I chatted about.
Well ... I do recall Mick mentioning the traffic.

55 minute stop in Spring Hope.

The view from the Fowler Rd ridge-line was nice. 
Perry's Pond looked good.
Next week, the Party-Pop riders will have the opportunity to see both -- twice.
My favorite spot for views remains along Paul Sledge Rd.
Next week, the Party-Brevet riders will have the opportunity to see -- twice.
(They'll also see the same things the Party-Pop riders see.) 

We set a new record for longest elapsed time on this course. 

I seem to be losing what little "edge" of fitness and speed that I had. 
I think I need more rides that are about doing the ride.
Rather than riding somewhere to eat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Nov-17:   

--> Hope Springs Eternal 140-km Perm-Pop -->; 105.1 m.; est. 6h57 in-motion; 15.1 mph; HSE elapsed time:  7h45.

Q-1 tot: _22 rides; 1,610.3 m; 108h42; 14.8 mph; _1947 RUSA kms. 

Q-2 tot: _29 rides; 2,711.5 m; 182h48; 14.8 mph; _2700 RUSA kms. 

Q-3 tot: _32 rides; 2,958.9 m; 197h17; 15.0 mph; _2983 RUSA kms. 

Oct tot: _10 rides; __868.8 m; _58h45; 14.8 mph; _1089 RUSA kms. 

Nov tot: __5 rides; __518.3 m; _34h11; 15.2 mph; __662 RUSA kms.

YTD tot: _98 rides; 8,667.8 m; 581h43; 14.9 mph; _9381 RUSA kms. 

After this ride, I have 99 career rides that are / were at least 100-miles long.  I'll get one more 100-plus-miler this year (if'n I stay alive, my equipment doesn't fail, etc., etc., etc.).

Oct-28: Poodles, Cotton Fields + Monsters

Except for the 600k in June and the Fleche in April, this was the most rando kms I accumulated in one weekend this entire year.  Last year, I did a few back-to-back permanents, and even did a triple-double over the July Fourth holiday weekend (the first two days with Irregular and rando buddy Ricochet).

I planned a double-double, plus a perm-pop over Labor Day weekend.  But, day one on Kerr Lake Loop, I had a mechanical and decided it would be smarter to DNF and have the bike ready for the day two on the Black Creek route with newbie Karen.  That day didn't go so well for Karen, and although I completed the route with plenty of time to spare, I just didn't feel like riding on Labor Day.

Last year, I did 10 solo perms.  I like doing 200-km rides solo.
This year, my only solo attempt was the KLL DNF.
I did manage to do two entire perm-pops solo.
The first, Bahama Beach just before July 4th, left me wiped out.  Not a pleasant experience.
The second, the Benson Mule Pull on Sep-30, was a strange mix of riding well and very slow, but I enjoyed the ride -- I think.

What has all the above got to do with the ride I did on Sunday, Oct-28?
Nothing, really.

Except that by completing Egypt Mtn on Saturday and Hope Springs Eternal (HSE) on Sunday, for a combined 350-kms, I got in my third largest RUSA-credit-kms weekend of the year. 

Each ride was with one other rando.
Saturday with Ricochet, who had no legs while I had energy to spare.
Sunday with Mick, I had Ricochet's Saturday legs, and I guess Mick had energy to spare -- I'm not sure.

Poodles:  There is a poodle breeding farm between Bunn and Spring Hope.  It is amusing to watch the different personalities of the poodles in their large pens as we ride by.  One can even begin to develop favorites after a few rides.  Having now done OakElmOak (OEO) twice and HSE twice (three times ?), I have a favorite.  I won't spoil it for any NC or visiting randos that may do HSE or OEO in the next month -- you can find your own favorite.

Cotton Fields:  There were several cotton fields -- between Bunn and Spring Hope (near the poodles) -- all WHITE and apparently ready for harvest.  Cotton fields just before harvest look quite inspiring -- that's my opinion, anyway.  However, I expect that the fields will either be harvested before the next HSE or OEO ride -- OR the cotton in the unharvested fields will be abandoned.  That sometimes happens if the price of cotton plummets just before harvest.

Monsters:  Upon completion of the ride, while getting a receipt at Cameron Village (CV) near downtown Raleigh, MANY costumed runners were leaving CV.  Apparently a 5k charity run had just completed all their post-race festivities.  Didn't see anyone I know, but I suspect that one IanH may have participated (I saw a couple suspect photos on Facebook).

Anyway, Mick and I had a pleasant, if somewhat slow ride under the completely overcast clouds emanating from Hurricane Sandy.  We stayed dry and with temps between 57 and 64 F, the day was nicely cool-warm.  Oh, there were strong winds out of the north and northwest all ride.  That made some portions of the ride extra slow, and on other portions, one hardly needed to peddle.

We got lucky here in central NC.  Sandy did no damage of which I am aware.  Down east -- not so.  Up in the Bos-Wash corridor -- definitely not so.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct-28:  

--> Hope Springs Eternal 140-km perm -->; 105.8 m.; est. 7h20 in-motion; 14.4 mph; HSE elapsed time:  7h20 (we didn't even come close to challenging our record slow HSE time of 7h41 -- ha!).  

 
Q-1 tot: _22 rides; 1,610.3 m.; 108h42; 14.8 mph; 1947 RUSA kms. 

Q-2 tot: _29 rides; 2,711.5 m.; 182h48; 14.8 mph; 2700 RUSA kms. 

Q-3 tot: _32 rides; 2,958.9 m.; 197h17; 15.0 mph; 2983 RUSA kms. 

Oct tot: _10 rides; __868.8 m.; _58h45; 14.8 mph; 1089 RUSA kms.

YTD tot: _93 rides; 8,149.5 m.; 547h32; 14.9 mph; 8719 RUSA kms. 

FYI, after this ride, Mick is closing in on 15-thousand RUSA credit kms -- that's just insane.
And it might also be wearing him out mentally as well as physically. 

Sep-20: Smitty's Springs Eternal 140-k perm-pop

MickH and I set out at 0600 on the "Hope Springs Eternal" 140-km permanent-populaire.
Possibly to check what the traffic for the first 18-miles (30-kms) or so of the route would be like on a weekday during the school-year.  A more useful idea than you might think since the "Bunn Warmer" 108-km perm-pop and the OakElmOak 209-km permanent all use the same start.  [Actually, they are all the same course; one just turns around at different locations; of course, the route-owner and RUSA rules require that one must choose which route one is doing BEFORE starting.]

Mick and I found that the traffic along the route, at about 0700, was a bit more than we would prefer.  To paraphrase the route-owner (Mick), the HSE route seems to be a good route for weekends all year round, and weekdays during the summer (when schools are mostly not-in-session).

We also wanted to check out a new restaurant / cafe' in Spring Hope -- named "Smitty's".  The previous time that Mick and I did the HSE route, the Police Chief in Spring Hope noticed us checking out a different restaurant, and recommended Smitty's.  Conclusion:  excellent place for breakfast; we also expect it would be excellent for a lunch stop on the OEO perm.  Interesting thing:  while we were in Smitty's, the Police Chief came in for his breakfast.  He left the same we did; we asked if he remembered us; he did.

Excellent day it was for a bicycle ride.  This may sound repetitive, but the morning low was 53 F, and the temp by the time we finished seemed to have topped out at around 83 F.  Low humidity, too!
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sep-20:  

--> Hope Springs Eternal 140-km perm-pop --> ; 98.7 m.; 6h47 in-motion; 14.5 mph; HSE elapsed time:  7h40.

Q-1 tot: _22 rides; 1,610.3 m.; 108h42; 14.8 mph; 1947 RUSA kms. 

Q-2 tot: _29 rides; 2,711.5 m.; 182h48; 14.8 mph; 2700 RUSA kms. 

J-A tot: _19 rides; 1,591.9 m.; 105h29; 15.1 mph; 1599 RUSA kms. 

Sep tot: __9 rides; __901.3 m.; _50h51; 14.8 mph; _857 RUSA kms.  

YTD tot: _78 rides; 6,815.0 m.; 457h49; 14.9 mph; 7103 RUSA kms. 

Eddington Cycling Number: 

After this ride:  94. 
Meaning that I have completed at least 94 different rides that were at least 94 miles long.