I was intending to not-ride-much due to certain inflammation. IvaHawk, upon his return from the Bahamas, decided to "lead" the Irregular ride, and do the Bahama Beach (+ a Little Mtn Rd) route. I decided to join the start of the ride.
I rode out to PUE for the 0800 start.
Surprise!
Since only one person had formally let Iva know that they would ride with him,
And that person requested delaying the start to 0830,
In the "middle of the night" (anything after I disconnect is the "middle of the night"),
The official start had been delayed until 0830.
So ... my mis-timed cycle to the start + a few extra miles
Became mis-timed to the start + even more extra miles + stand in the sunshine and soak up some heat.
I've always said that if no one responds to the "rider-call",
I will not feel obliged to maintain the commitment.
Similarly, once or twice in the past,
Those that had officially responded had requested an earlier start.
(Yeah, sometimes, some people want to start even earlier than I do.)
So ... Iva had done a reasonable thing based on previous precedent and group consensus.
[Some people think the "Irregulars" group / ride is a dictatorship.
But it really is more a consensus thing.
The only thing that is USUALLY dictated is the route and the start time.
We found out, about 4 years ago, that trying to negotiate those leads to kerfuffle.
That noted, I have been over-ruled by the group in the past.
I expect it will happen in the future.]
The crew of 4 gathered just before 0830.
I had cycled to the ride + ridden an additional 10 bonus miles.
Lee cycled to the ride.
IvaHawk cycled to the ride.
BobH, who often cycles to the ride, but usually with Norris when he does so, drove.
In response to a query "I thought you weren't riding this weekend",
I replied "things are improving rapidly; I'll do some of the start, and maybe the whole ride."
(Or something along those lines.)
We set off and immediately took MVC to Old Creedmoor
Instead of following the mapped and cue-sheeted course.
We weren't on a rando ride -- we could modify the course if we wanted.
Besides, the start we actually used is longer than the mapped start (a whole 0.2 miles -- I think).
Several of us took turns being a bit vigorous early in the ride.
I decided to back-off somewhat when I noticed myself straining on Red Mill Rd.
Also, early-ish in the ride, Lee was just ahead of me,
When he raised one of his jersey-work-glove clad hands,
And asked me if I remembered "these?"
I did remember.
(That "Search This Blog" function, powered by Google, comes in handy, sometimes.)
After Stagville Rd up to Bahama, BobH and Lee waited at the corner (at the cemetary).
I stopped to verify the text of the historical marker, then shouted
"I'll wait at the fire station."
Sometimes the fire station is open, and one can get free chilled water from the fountain inside.
And on this morning, the entrances to the fire station would be bathed in sunlight ... and warmth.
The other three joined me in a few minutes.
We chatted and feasted.
A HUGE group of cyclists -- seemingly mixed Gyrators, All-Stars and others(?)
Approach the fire station from the opposite direction.
(HUGE is a relative term. 40+ cyclists in a group is HUGE here, but maybe not where you live.)
We exchanged some pleasantries, and then we continued on our ride.
We saw more of the group, several mini-groups of stragglers from the HUGE group.
On our descent to Lake Michie, and on the climb after, and even on Ellis Chapel Rd.
Ellis Chapel and Robert's Chapel roads were nice riding.
Long shadows. Not HOT!! Not too cool. Decent scenes.
Oh, yeah, each of those roads is roller after roller after roller.
Robert's Chapel Road crosses Lake Butner.
Someone asked if that was part of Falls Lake.
Nope.
I tried to recall the name of the creek or "river" that feeds Lake Butner.
Couldn't recall.
Didn't look it up.
Maybe you can find it if follow the link in the intro to the Trimble map.
Must mention Little Mountain Road.
If you've never ridden Little Mountain Road ... be sure to save some legs for it.
A quick stop in Stem to check out the former A+W Grocery,
To see what the new owner may have done.
Still serving food at certain times of the day.
Don't know how long it takes them to prepare the food.
Don't know if tastes good or not.
But I can guarantee that it will NOT be an experience to match some of
Those I've heard about on the Get 'Er Dunn route.
The route leaves Stem via Brogden Rd.
BobH LOVES to hammer that road even more than I do.
Plus, he is faster than me.
Since I was feeling the route + the early bonus miles,
I told Iva "when Bob hits the afterburners, I'm not going to try to keep up."
Iva responded "me neither."
Iva and I lost sight of Bob and Lee while on Brogden Rd.
As of the "typing-session", I don't know if Bob and Lee did the whole course,
Or if they took the short way home from Creedmoor.
Iva and completed the entire course.
I found that after I stopped straining to keep up, I enjoyed the ride more.
I think Iva indicated a somewhat similar experience.
We finished the route in 4h,52m.
Having averaged 14.6 mph while in-motion on the route.
The Bahama Beach route MAY become a Permanent Populaire.
But Iva and I are in complete agreement: "it is a tough route".
Or at least it was on the 8th.
It certainly would not make a very good "recovery populaire".
Who needs recovery?
That's my story ... and I'm sticking to it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oct-08: --> PUE: Bahama Beach (+ a Little Mtn Rd) -->; 84.5 m.; 5h,43m in-motion; 14.8 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
Q-3 tot: _29 rides; _2479.2 m.; 161 hrs, 05 min; 15.2 mph.
Oct tot: __2 rides; __146.3 m.; __9 hrs, 46 min; 15.0 mph.
YTD tot: _84 rides; _7052.6 m.; 470 hrs, 18 min; 15.0 mph.
Also, after today's ride, my Eddington Cycling Number is 79.
Meaning, I now have at least 79 rides that were at least 79 miles long.
I need five more rides that are at least 80 miles to get to E = 80 .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Career statistics through the end of:
year _rides ___miles _mi./r __long _ E
2004 ___38 __1,176.2 __31.0 __53.4 __26
2005 ___75 __2,441.7 __32.6 __75.6 __33
2006 __133 __4,926.6 __37.0 __75.6 __42
2007 __212 __8,457.1 __39.9 _109.0 __49
2008 __294 _12,222.4 __41.6 _109.0 __54
2009 __420 _18,439.1 __43.9 _126.3 __63
2010 __532 _25,998.6 __48.9 _300.3 __71
2011 __616 _33,051.2 __53.7 _377.2 __79
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Iceman Went to the Mountains ...
And Rode ... (spoiler deleted).
Irregular buddy Iceman went to Murphy, NC this past week, thinking to get in some "serious" and scenic mountain rides. He sent an e-mail to all the Irregulars describing his incredible rides; however, being a firm believer in helping even more people see the humor in life, even occasionally when it is at my expense, I thought a larger readership might enjoy the story of his incredible exploits.
Therefore, Irregular Velo Adventures presents, unedited (except for forcing the paragraphs to properly separate, and inclusion of reference to the Whirligig Farm / Ride), the following TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURE from Iceman:
Irregular buddy Iceman went to Murphy, NC this past week, thinking to get in some "serious" and scenic mountain rides. He sent an e-mail to all the Irregulars describing his incredible rides; however, being a firm believer in helping even more people see the humor in life, even occasionally when it is at my expense, I thought a larger readership might enjoy the story of his incredible exploits.
Therefore, Irregular Velo Adventures presents, unedited (except for forcing the paragraphs to properly separate, and inclusion of reference to the Whirligig Farm / Ride), the following TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURE from Iceman:
"Make Lemonade out of Lemons" Mountain Riding
I promised Martin a synopsis of riding my bike in the mountains this past week. In hindsight, I should have joined IvaN in Cycle North Carolina, with State Tourism perfect weather this week...instead, I honed my expertise at changing flat tires...repeatedly.
I showed up for the "Exploration" ride last Saturday at the McD's in Wakefield with a flat rear tire...first since flatting same on our Summer Solstice [Whirligig] Century ride earlier this summer. I quickly changed the tube and decided to get a new rear tire before my planned riding in the Murphy, NC area later this past week. Taking a scenic 7 hour drive through the mountains on Tuesday, I was ready to start riding on Wednesday.
I went to "Map My Ride" and found a posting for a nice ride out of Murphy around Hiwassee Lake and over the TVA dam - just about 50 miles. Lots of rolling hills and a couple mountain passes. Since the morning temps were in the mid 40s but the afternoon temps up in the low 80s (!!), I decided to start mid-morning after the sun burned off the fog. I got my first flat (second if you count previous Saturday) just barely out of town, but changed quickly without any worries...just a fluke, right? Second flat about six miles later was a killer...was out of air cartridges and did not have a patch kit. Decided to turn around and start walking the bike and within 15 minutes got a ride in a pickup truck back to town. Kindness of strangers!
The nearest bike shop was about 25 miles away in Blue Ridge, Georgia, but they were closed on Wednesday. The next closest was in Blairsville, Georgia, where I got more tubes and air cartridges. I did not drag my bicycle with me, certain that I was capable of fixing the flat properly.
Now here's the Lemonade part...just outside of Blairsville is the famous Brasstown Bald mountain and some gorgeous mountain roads and Parks on the way to scenic Alpine town of Helen. I enjoyed some driving through early-fall foliage, bright sun and little traffic. Even hiked to the top of Brasstown and looked around for miles across three states. Noticed a plume of smoke rising north in North Carolina. Later, coming back to Murphy, I realized that the fire was still burning, and just east of town, an entire mountaintop was engulfed in flame, completely out of control. Lots of traffic, spectators, fire trucks ready to water down houses and yards, etc.. Grand total: 9 miles of "riding" with two flats.
Take Two of the Hiwassee Lake ride started Thursday morning. Five miles out I flatted again, and after repair, again before I even got going. With the last tube and air cartridge, I carefully checked the entire rim and tire and decided to limp back to town. Everthing went OK until the middle of Murphy with flat number three (six for the week). Walked two miles back to the hotel. This time called the Blue Ridge, GA bike shop and drove the bike and all equipment there for professional evaluation. The root cause appeared to be rim tape that slipped to one side of a spoke hole...the tube was getting pinched between the inside rim and the hole. After an expensive charge for labor, more tubes, more cartidges...I was on my way.
Here's the lemonade part again...the local police Captain was in the bike shop talking mountain biking with the owner. He mentioned there was a barbecue lunch further up the hill in a park across from the county courthouse. I visited and found out the local cable company was having a "customer appreciation day" with free food, drinks and entertainment! Expensive bike repairs...free lunch.
I headed back to Murphy and planned to ride an abbreviated route to visit the Hiwassee Dam and hit the Tennesee border on the back side. Pulled the bike out of the back of the car and was flat again! So even the professional didn't do it right! I had the equipment to change everything once again, load up spares, and start riding. It was now about 3 PM on Thursday and I hadn't completed a decent ride yet! Turns out this was finally the last problem and I had an enjoyable 42-mile ride around the lake that afternoon and a short early ride on Friday to the Georgia border and back, before driving to my in-laws place near Knoxville for the weekend.
Total of seven flats and two short rides for the week...but lots of lemonade surprises!
---Iceman
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
"Turtle" Rescue -- Revisited
I logged in, I know not why.
I looked at the blogger behind-the-scenes stats to see how they compare to the Cluster Map.
NOT consistent with each other at all !!!
Blogger-stats indicates pageviews in the last day from Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia.
No indication of those three locations on the Cluster Map.
I don't know enough computer-geek stuff to understand WHY so different.
But I noticed an unexpected Google-search-source, so decided to check it out and see ... what.
(Blogger does NOT like it if you fail to capitalize "Google".)
Second page of google-search-results ... this blog.
I followed the link.
What a completely BORING entry, except for the following (which I had forgotten):
Reminded me of a humorous moment I had experienced, but forgotten.
I looked at the blogger behind-the-scenes stats to see how they compare to the Cluster Map.
NOT consistent with each other at all !!!
Blogger-stats indicates pageviews in the last day from Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia.
No indication of those three locations on the Cluster Map.
I don't know enough computer-geek stuff to understand WHY so different.
But I noticed an unexpected Google-search-source, so decided to check it out and see ... what.
(Blogger does NOT like it if you fail to capitalize "Google".)
Second page of google-search-results ... this blog.
I followed the link.
What a completely BORING entry, except for the following (which I had forgotten):
But I did rescue a reasonably large Slider or Painted turtle just after passing PUE headed to finish at BJP. It was moving fast when I saw it, but seemed to slow as it neared the double-yellow lines. I decided to stop and see if I could encourage it to continue its trip across the road. I tried the "pretend to be a predator and stand close behind it" tactic. The turtle took off ... and U-turned ... and U-turned ... and U-turned several more times. A couple vehicles came by, and were respectful. I tried to pick up the turtle, but it would scamper faster than I could move in my cycling shoes and escaped my grasp several times. It kept trying to stay near the double-yellow lines. It was well above 90F, so he didn't need to be on the road looking for additional warmth. I finally spoke to the turtle, telling him that he didn't need to stay on the road for warmth, and that if he did stay on the road, some jerk would aim for him with their car/truck tires and ... he'd be dead. My advice seemed to make no difference. However, after a few more scampering U-turns to stay near the double-yellow, Mr. Turtle seemed to have tired, and I was able to get ahold of his shell, pick him up and move him to the side of the road toward which he had originally been moving.
Such stubborness to stay near the double-yellow lines. Maybe Mr. Turtle was really a Miss Turtle.Blog does a service today ...
Reminded me of a humorous moment I had experienced, but forgotten.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Oct-01: Exploring We Did Go
Lt. Dave had expressed an interest earlier this year in exploring some of the roads east of Wake Forest / Rolesville, Youngsville, etc.. Of course, he is Capt. Dave -- or Capt. LT -- now, but he still is interested in exploring "east".
Several Irregulars had expressed a willingness to occasionally start from somewhere other than PUE. Almost all the Irregulars have re-iterated their interest in finding new, hidden gems of roads or scenery or historic (or even semi-historic) places to ride, or during rides.
I have an interest in exploring "east" of Wake Forest / Rolesville for new Irregulars routes and possibly new Permanent or Permanent Populaire routes.
Happy convergence of interest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some snippets of the roads from the first long-half of the route were not new to some of us.
E.g., I had ridden some of Fowler Rd ... from Lizard Lick Rd to Hopkins.
Iceman had ridden some of Sledge / Mort Harris Rd on the NCBC Louisburg route.
We had all ridden the short bit we did on Brantleytown Rd,
Either as part of the "Showdown in Black Creek" Permanent,
Or on this year's Irregular's Summer Solstice Whirligig ride,
Or both.
But ... by-and-large, the first 35 or so miles were new.
Once we got to the middle of East River Rd, we all knew the roads the rest of the way.
Well ... maybe not Iceman ... his cycling miles were much reduced the last couple years,
And he may not have ever ridden May Rd and Peach Orchard Rd previously.
He did keep asking about some markings on the roads between Lousiburg and Youngsville.
I'm pretty sure they were from the Tour de Grace.
Anyway, enough of this ... the general concensus was that it was a good route.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This route / ride could have been called ... The FireHouse Tour
We rode past the Hopkins Fire Station at about 14.5 miles into the ride.
I'm pretty sure we rode past at least one Bunn Fire Dept. Fire Station.
We stopped, our only refueling stop, btw, at the Fire Station in Louisburg.
We got awfully close to the Youngsville Fire Station ... but I'll have to verify we actually rode past it.
And when Ricochet and I got back to the Wakefield McD's ...
At least two fire engines fired up their motors and sirens from behind
The shopping center where the McD's is located.
Upon arriving at the Louisburg Fire Station, Capt. LT went in to use the throne.
When he came back out, expressing that he felt much better,
He also commented that he couldn't locate any firemen, but did find the commode.
He further commented that at least he didn't have to fix the commode before he could use it.
At least two of them also made use the commode(s) inside.
Shortly after that, one of the Louisburg firemen made an appearance, and ...
LT started talking "shop".
Robert finally had to call Dave away from "shop talk" to continue the ride.
Before the others had drifted over to the fire station,
Dave and I recalled another part of the Roxboro-Yanceyville Adventure.
Ags was part of the five-man crew today ... but he had his cycling shoes on,
Not "tennis shoes" and faux-toe-clips.
Writing of Ags ... he actually pulled today!!
Actually, he took probably the hardest pull of the day.
On Sledge / Mort Harris Rd, smack into the headwind.
Iceman and Capt. LT also took some hard pulls.
Ricochet took a pull or two, also.
But I think Robert and I mostly tried to suck wheels.
We're no dummies ... and the others were chomping at the bit to lead.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heading into Youngsville, only 8-ish miles more to ride,
Robert sent the other three on to the finish,
And "nursed" me home.
It had been my turn to have "my lucky day".
Meaning, there wasn't much strength behind the veneer my legs put up today.
We started at 0800 ... maybe a minute or two later.
Robert and I finished before 1240 ...
And that includes a three stop-light cycles long delay to get across US-1.
I mentioned to Robert that the route might have rando potential,
But it is a kilometer short.
Robert's reponse?
"Start from the other end of the parking lot."
Hidden Gem During the Ride:
Perry's Pond -- dating from 1718.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oct-01: Wakefield: Firehouse Tour; 61.8 m.; 4h,03m in-motion; 15.2 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
Q-3 tot: _29 rides; _2479.2 m.; 161 hrs, 05 min; 15.2 mph.
Oct tot: __1 rides; ___61.8 m.; __4 hrs, 03 min; 15.2 mph.
YTD tot: _83 rides; _6968.1 m.; 464 hrs, 35 min; 15.0 mph.
Several Irregulars had expressed a willingness to occasionally start from somewhere other than PUE. Almost all the Irregulars have re-iterated their interest in finding new, hidden gems of roads or scenery or historic (or even semi-historic) places to ride, or during rides.
I have an interest in exploring "east" of Wake Forest / Rolesville for new Irregulars routes and possibly new Permanent or Permanent Populaire routes.
Happy convergence of interest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some snippets of the roads from the first long-half of the route were not new to some of us.
E.g., I had ridden some of Fowler Rd ... from Lizard Lick Rd to Hopkins.
Iceman had ridden some of Sledge / Mort Harris Rd on the NCBC Louisburg route.
We had all ridden the short bit we did on Brantleytown Rd,
Either as part of the "Showdown in Black Creek" Permanent,
Or on this year's Irregular's Summer Solstice Whirligig ride,
Or both.
But ... by-and-large, the first 35 or so miles were new.
Once we got to the middle of East River Rd, we all knew the roads the rest of the way.
Well ... maybe not Iceman ... his cycling miles were much reduced the last couple years,
And he may not have ever ridden May Rd and Peach Orchard Rd previously.
He did keep asking about some markings on the roads between Lousiburg and Youngsville.
I'm pretty sure they were from the Tour de Grace.
Anyway, enough of this ... the general concensus was that it was a good route.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This route / ride could have been called ... The FireHouse Tour
We rode past the Hopkins Fire Station at about 14.5 miles into the ride.
I'm pretty sure we rode past at least one Bunn Fire Dept. Fire Station.
We stopped, our only refueling stop, btw, at the Fire Station in Louisburg.
We got awfully close to the Youngsville Fire Station ... but I'll have to verify we actually rode past it.
And when Ricochet and I got back to the Wakefield McD's ...
At least two fire engines fired up their motors and sirens from behind
The shopping center where the McD's is located.
Upon arriving at the Louisburg Fire Station, Capt. LT went in to use the throne.
When he came back out, expressing that he felt much better,
He also commented that he couldn't locate any firemen, but did find the commode.
He further commented that at least he didn't have to fix the commode before he could use it.
Now, What The Heck Is Dave Doing In The Firehouse? Somebody said he went in hoping to find a piece of wire to improve the faux toe-clip(s). Is he having to bribe them or something -- he's been in there an awfully long time. Dave FINALLY emerged and said "I had to fix the toilet so I could take a crap!" Figures. This adventure just kept piling on. Let's go.The other three (Ags, Ricochet, Iceman) eventually filtered over to the Louisburg Fire Station.
At least two of them also made use the commode(s) inside.
Shortly after that, one of the Louisburg firemen made an appearance, and ...
LT started talking "shop".
Robert finally had to call Dave away from "shop talk" to continue the ride.
Before the others had drifted over to the fire station,
Dave and I recalled another part of the Roxboro-Yanceyville Adventure.
Ags was part of the five-man crew today ... but he had his cycling shoes on,
Not "tennis shoes" and faux-toe-clips.
Writing of Ags ... he actually pulled today!!
Actually, he took probably the hardest pull of the day.
On Sledge / Mort Harris Rd, smack into the headwind.
Iceman and Capt. LT also took some hard pulls.
Ricochet took a pull or two, also.
But I think Robert and I mostly tried to suck wheels.
We're no dummies ... and the others were chomping at the bit to lead.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heading into Youngsville, only 8-ish miles more to ride,
Robert sent the other three on to the finish,
And "nursed" me home.
It had been my turn to have "my lucky day".
Meaning, there wasn't much strength behind the veneer my legs put up today.
We started at 0800 ... maybe a minute or two later.
Robert and I finished before 1240 ...
And that includes a three stop-light cycles long delay to get across US-1.
I mentioned to Robert that the route might have rando potential,
But it is a kilometer short.
Robert's reponse?
"Start from the other end of the parking lot."
Hidden Gem During the Ride:
Perry's Pond -- dating from 1718.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oct-01: Wakefield: Firehouse Tour; 61.8 m.; 4h,03m in-motion; 15.2 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
Q-3 tot: _29 rides; _2479.2 m.; 161 hrs, 05 min; 15.2 mph.
Oct tot: __1 rides; ___61.8 m.; __4 hrs, 03 min; 15.2 mph.
YTD tot: _83 rides; _6968.1 m.; 464 hrs, 35 min; 15.0 mph.
 |
| Robert insisted on some test photos after the ride. My mother likes this photo -- she says her side of the family is finally showing through in my jaw-line and lower half of my face in general. . |
Friday, September 30, 2011
Sep-29: Mid-week (?) Black Creek 204 km Perm
Clean, green, quiet, sunny with pleasant morning shadows, tailwind.
At least to Hornes Church outbound.
Homebound?
It was dry and mostly cloudy until around Daddysville or Pine Ridge or Sutton.
Then it was dry and sunny -- as the front had completed its passage.
Headwind the entire homebound trip.
It was work.
The rolling terrain from Youngsville to Purnell broke up the surface winds,
But the UPs on the valley crossings were still work.
At least I had to work them -- MikeH apparently not so much.
Oh, and the morning quiet? ... was replaced with quite a bit of traffic on 98 and Tarboro Rd.
I think an hour or two earlier (based on admittedly only one previous mid-week ride) ... less traffic.
Net summary for this ride?
See the Aug-21 write-up for this same route.
That applies more to this ride than last month's ride.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep-29: Showdown in Black Creek 204 km Permanent; 127.0 m.; est. 8h,24m in-motion; 15.1 mph; elapsed time 10h,55m + however long I took to get a receipt.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
J-A tot: _23 rides; _1944.0 m.; 128 hrs, 29 min; 15.1 mph.
Sep tot: __6 rides; __535.2 m.; _34 hrs, 36 min; 15.5 mph.
YTD tot: _82 rides; _6906.3 m.; 460 hrs, 32 min; 15.0 mph.
At least to Hornes Church outbound.
Homebound?
It was dry and mostly cloudy until around Daddysville or Pine Ridge or Sutton.
Then it was dry and sunny -- as the front had completed its passage.
Headwind the entire homebound trip.
It was work.
The rolling terrain from Youngsville to Purnell broke up the surface winds,
But the UPs on the valley crossings were still work.
At least I had to work them -- MikeH apparently not so much.
Oh, and the morning quiet? ... was replaced with quite a bit of traffic on 98 and Tarboro Rd.
I think an hour or two earlier (based on admittedly only one previous mid-week ride) ... less traffic.
Net summary for this ride?
See the Aug-21 write-up for this same route.
That applies more to this ride than last month's ride.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep-29: Showdown in Black Creek 204 km Permanent; 127.0 m.; est. 8h,24m in-motion; 15.1 mph; elapsed time 10h,55m + however long I took to get a receipt.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
J-A tot: _23 rides; _1944.0 m.; 128 hrs, 29 min; 15.1 mph.
Sep tot: __6 rides; __535.2 m.; _34 hrs, 36 min; 15.5 mph.
YTD tot: _82 rides; _6906.3 m.; 460 hrs, 32 min; 15.0 mph.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sep-28: Three Errands
Some paperwork delivered.
A shop key returned.
A house key returned.
Gosh, but north Raleigh -- actually inside the city -- not my usual cycling ground -- is hilly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep-28:
--> SBC owner's --> Bedford --> ___ ; 29.1 m.; 2h,03m in-motion; 14.2 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
J-A tot: _23 rides; _1944.0 m.; 128 hrs, 29 min; 15.1 mph.
Sep tot: __5 rides; __408.2 m.; _26 hrs, 12 min; 15.6 mph.
YTD tot: _81 rides; _6779.3 m.; 452 hrs, 08 min; 15.0 mph.
A shop key returned.
A house key returned.
Gosh, but north Raleigh -- actually inside the city -- not my usual cycling ground -- is hilly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep-28:
--> SBC owner's --> Bedford --> ___ ; 29.1 m.; 2h,03m in-motion; 14.2 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
J-A tot: _23 rides; _1944.0 m.; 128 hrs, 29 min; 15.1 mph.
Sep tot: __5 rides; __408.2 m.; _26 hrs, 12 min; 15.6 mph.
YTD tot: _81 rides; _6779.3 m.; 452 hrs, 08 min; 15.0 mph.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sep-25: Party on the KLL 208 km Perm
Genesis
ChrisW posted on the NC rando list-serve that he'd like to do "Black Creek" to get his R-12.
Jerry posted that he'd join Chris.
Next thing one knows ... seemingly everyone in the area wants to join the "party".
But prefer Kerr Lake Loop.
I didn't care ... I was "sick as a dog" on Wednesday.
By early Friday, KLL route owner MikeD posted that he would also do the ride,
And he would bring some blank cards ... just in case.
By late Friday, I felt incredibly much better than I had 48 hours earlier.
I e-mailed Mike that if my health continued to improve, I'd like to ride.
The course:
Getting there is one-half the fun ... one-fourteenth, anyway.
I cheated three miles or so my start location,
And started from the Whole Foods parking lot.
10.5 miles to get to the ride, including three non-trivial "ups",
I concluded I needed to start riding by 0615, to be on the safe side.
Actual start time ... 0622.
Uh-oh. I've done that same pre-ride in 36 minutes,
But not just three-and-a-half days after having felt like ... you-know.
I wondered how many randos would pass me on the way to the ride.
Several did, I think.
But I didn't recognize any of the vehicles in the dark.
Besides, half of the inscrits were probably at the start by the time I started rolling.
One rando, JohnA, also an Irregular, btw, mentioned to me at the start that
He thought he had passed me, and wondered if I would have accepted a lift to the start.
I told him I probably would have accepted a lift.
Oh, for the record ... I arrived, on my bicycle, for the 0700 start at 0659 (by my watch).
The parking lot was crowded.
Kerr Lake Loop Party Crew
I'm confident that I didn't quite figure out everyone who was there, but ...
Five 2011 PBP anciens: MikeD, Jerry, StevenA, Ian, Branson.
Three 2011 ToC-1200 finishers: LynnL, Smiley-Bryan, Tim (also Texas 1200 earlier in the year).
At least one other veteran fast-guy: JoeRay.
One rookie fast-guy: JohnA.
One veteran that is sometimes a fast-guy, and sometimes not-quite-so fast: Byron.
Another strong rookie, but I haven't figured out if he is a fast-guy, or only nearly-fast: Rick.
And the likely lanterns: Chris, Richard, me.
That makes fifteen. I wonder if that was all?
Results will get published in a week or so. That will tell.
With so many 1200 and other fast-guys ... who needs to pedal to the first control?
I don't recall needing to pedal, except to get back up after crossing the Tar River.
Arrived at the control, ~ 23 miles into the course, at 8:23.
My receipt indicated 8:28.
Quick nibble. Quick pee. I was starting to stiffen.
I left first out of the control at 8:33.
Jerry chased after me ... saying, after he caught me, that he thought I need not ride alone.
Thanks, Jerry. But I was silently wishing that we were going about one-half mile per hour slower.
Jerry and I stayed side-by-side,
Him asking after his PBP roommate, and my fellow Irregular, Ricochet Robert.
(Sorry, Robert. But no one knows who "just plain Robert" is.)
Jerry also telling me about parts of his PBP adventure.
Jerry is county-line sprinter-par-excellence in the local randonneuring scene.
I was pretty sure that he wasn't going to suddenly zip ahead to the CL,
And then drift back to resume the conversation.
But ... I've been told that Jerry is expert at doing just that.
Anyway, Sunday, I had to work it a bit to make sure we were "even-wheels"
As we crossed the Vance County Line.
A mile or two later, on Glebe Rd., I told Jerry I thought it time for me to retreat
To the protection of the group.
It had been lightly raining, but being in-front, I hadn't paid it much attention.
But as soon as I pulled over near the double-yellow,
Sliding backward behind Jerry, I started looking for someone(s) with fenders to follow.
I was behind Byron and someone else with fenders.
Staying dry.
Then some curves or corners or something,
And JoeRay had managed to oust me from my position.
I cursed JoeRay in a friendly way.
He slid over so we could ride side-by-side behind the befendered.
Separation
Just as predicted, the fast-guys dropped me on the climbs on Nutbush Creek,
Followed by Anderson Creek, and whatever that other road near them is.
I wondered if I would end up thinking of the ride as a group permanent, or a solo.
Then I saw Richard up ahead. Also as predicted.
Doing well on the flats, quite fast on the downslopes, but I was catching him on the upslopes.
I bridged. We chatted. Eventually, I took the lead, figuring I had partner 'till at least Boydton.
A couple/three miles later, we reached the county store on the side of the road in Warren County.
I've been told that that is an interesting country store, but I've never needed to stop.
The entire fast and not-quite-so-fast crew was at the store.
Richard and I rode on by.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jerry starting to "come after us".
Jerry caught and passed us. I forget who was in tow.
Just as I was deciding to try to catch onto the Jerry-train,
Hopefully all the way to Kerr Lake Dam,
Along came the Branson-train. Branson finally looked like he was actually pedaling.
I tried to up the cadence / effort to snag the Branson/Jerry-train.
To no avail.
The smarter side of my brain had indicated that that could be a dangerous thing to do.
I might end up in Boydton (66 miles into the ride) and be TOAST if I stayed with Branson.
I continued pulling Richard along.
Eventually, I realized Richard was no longer behind me.
Oh, well. He has a cue sheet. And Chris is behind him.
It was dry in Virginia -- well, not raining, anyway.
Crossed the dam alone.
Didn't really notice the lake surface.
It was probably all gray and ugly -- just like the sky -- more like "just like the air".
I decided to stop at the entrance to the Virginia Buggs Island State Recreation Area.
To swallow some electrolytes and eat a PB sandwich (no J).
Just as I was finishing the sandwich, about 4 or 5 minutes after I'd stopped,
I saw two randos making their way toward me from the dam.
Richard and ... Rick.
They passed me as I was re-mounting.
I drifted downslope to the curve after the recreation area, and just after completing the curve,
There is JohnA, with a filthy white jersey, and Rick and Richard commiserating.
I pulled over a few yards after passing the others,
Almost immediately, Rick asked, almost jokingly, if I had a spare tyre with me.
"Why, yes I do," said I, "two actually, but no spare tube, today."
John's rear tyre (I must admit that I prefer the British spelling of tyre to the American tire).
One or two or three of my great-grandfathers would be irritated to hear that.
They left England, or Ireland, for reasons.
Anyway, John's rear tyre had a three-or-four inch tear in it,
Right down the center, where there had been a "bead" when the tyre was new.
My spare was a bit iffy, but likely serviceable.
Jumping ahead, it accomplished the task asked of it, providing John ~ 77 trouble-free miles.
John repaired and ready to ride, but now probably part of the near-lantern-rouge crew,
Instead of being part of the fast-crew.
We headed for Boydton.
Two Richards and two Johns. (You figure it out.)
I really enjoy Phillis Rd from the sharp curve at the end of the short steep all the way into Boydton.
Richard, being on his first KLL, we made sure he got a good look at the usual info control device.
Rick and John, being on their second KLL tours, had the opportunity to take a good look,
But settled for a cursory glance.
Me, on my twelfth KLL tour (seventh since Jun-11), what did I do?
You'll have to guess.
To Skipwith and Clarksville.
After filling in the info control question, some needed to stop around the corner to get H2O.
A few many minutes later, ChrisW pulled into the store, also wanting to top-up.
We waited for Chris ... now a party of five lantern rouge crew.
I've learned to enjoy the short trip from Boydton to Skipwith.
Rollers a bit tougher than than those leading into Boydton.
The Skipwith store was closed.
Alternative info control question dealt with.
On to Clarksville.
The road to Clarksville from Skipwith is mostly flat and not too twisty.
Some good section for side-by-side conversation.
Actually, almost the entire course is good for that.
There isn't much traffic on most of the roads.
Just a few spots requiring attention.
We decided to take lunch at the Subway in Clarksville.
However, all summer long, I've been starting KLL tours at 0600 or 0630,
That meant beating the post-church traffic to the Subway.
Sunday, starting KLL at 0700, the post-church traffic was backed up to the door.
Comparatively speaking, there was almost no one behind us.
Will have to remember that and adjust winter start times accordingly.
To the NC State Line, and Stovall, and Peace Mountain.
Chris thought that we shouldn't give Richard a heads-up regarding the mountain.
No one had given him a heads-up.
I guess the first person he did KLL with didn't do a very friendly course introduction.
Or maybe, that person was interested in seeing Chris's reaction.
And watching his 28 front - 32 rear gearing in action.
Who was that person that Chris did his first KLL with, anyway?
(Don't tell anyone ... it was me.)
Zip from the mountain to the Exxon control.
Uh ... closed ???
We called MikeD to let him know what we had encountered.
And that given the route and the closing times,
We'd try to get a couple receipts up the road.
We did.
Fourteen miles up the road, at Wilton.
You can't safely ride a bicycle from Stovall to Wilton unless you go past the Exxon control.
Hey! I can sub-10 this!
Rolling out of Wilton, I told John and Rick (Richard and Chris had dropped us off their front),
That I'd like to do the last 10-miles in 37 minutes or less, to get a sub-10-hour tour.
Rick looked at his cue sheet (John had lost his) ... and informed me that it is only 8.9 mile to go.
That's better than 10.
John, Rick and I pulled into the finish at 4:55 pm --> 9h,55m --> my second fastest ever KLL.
Chris and Richard pulled in 13 minutes later.
R-12 completed for Chris. Congratulations!
About the fast-"guys", and the ONE gal.
LynnL told me that the first finishers completed the ride at 3:10 pm --> 8h,10m. Yikes!!
Several more were 4 or 5 minutes behind.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep-25:
---> Kerr Lake Loop 208 km Permanent;
_ "pre-ride"; 10.5 m.; 0h,37m in-motion; 16.8 mph;
_ _ KLL proper; 131.8 m.; est. 7h,49m in-motion; 17.0 mph; elapsed time 9h,55m;
_ _ _ total ride; 142.3 m.; 8h,26m in-motion; 16.9 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
J-A tot: _23 rides; _1944.0 m.; 128 hrs, 29 min; 15.1 mph.
Sep tot: __4 rides; __379.1 m.; _24 hrs, 09 min; 15.7 mph.
YTD tot: _80 rides; _6750.2 m.; 450 hrs, 05 min; 15.0 mph.
R-14, C-19, M-31 (earlier this month). P-0.
ChrisW posted on the NC rando list-serve that he'd like to do "Black Creek" to get his R-12.
Jerry posted that he'd join Chris.
Next thing one knows ... seemingly everyone in the area wants to join the "party".
But prefer Kerr Lake Loop.
I didn't care ... I was "sick as a dog" on Wednesday.
By early Friday, KLL route owner MikeD posted that he would also do the ride,
And he would bring some blank cards ... just in case.
By late Friday, I felt incredibly much better than I had 48 hours earlier.
I e-mailed Mike that if my health continued to improve, I'd like to ride.
The course:
Getting there is one-half the fun ... one-fourteenth, anyway.
I cheated three miles or so my start location,
And started from the Whole Foods parking lot.
10.5 miles to get to the ride, including three non-trivial "ups",
I concluded I needed to start riding by 0615, to be on the safe side.
Actual start time ... 0622.
Uh-oh. I've done that same pre-ride in 36 minutes,
But not just three-and-a-half days after having felt like ... you-know.
I wondered how many randos would pass me on the way to the ride.
Several did, I think.
But I didn't recognize any of the vehicles in the dark.
Besides, half of the inscrits were probably at the start by the time I started rolling.
One rando, JohnA, also an Irregular, btw, mentioned to me at the start that
He thought he had passed me, and wondered if I would have accepted a lift to the start.
I told him I probably would have accepted a lift.
Oh, for the record ... I arrived, on my bicycle, for the 0700 start at 0659 (by my watch).
The parking lot was crowded.
Kerr Lake Loop Party Crew
I'm confident that I didn't quite figure out everyone who was there, but ...
Five 2011 PBP anciens: MikeD, Jerry, StevenA, Ian, Branson.
Three 2011 ToC-1200 finishers: LynnL, Smiley-Bryan, Tim (also Texas 1200 earlier in the year).
At least one other veteran fast-guy: JoeRay.
One rookie fast-guy: JohnA.
One veteran that is sometimes a fast-guy, and sometimes not-quite-so fast: Byron.
Another strong rookie, but I haven't figured out if he is a fast-guy, or only nearly-fast: Rick.
And the likely lanterns: Chris, Richard, me.
That makes fifteen. I wonder if that was all?
Results will get published in a week or so. That will tell.
With so many 1200 and other fast-guys ... who needs to pedal to the first control?
I don't recall needing to pedal, except to get back up after crossing the Tar River.
Arrived at the control, ~ 23 miles into the course, at 8:23.
My receipt indicated 8:28.
Quick nibble. Quick pee. I was starting to stiffen.
I left first out of the control at 8:33.
Jerry chased after me ... saying, after he caught me, that he thought I need not ride alone.
Thanks, Jerry. But I was silently wishing that we were going about one-half mile per hour slower.
Jerry and I stayed side-by-side,
Him asking after his PBP roommate, and my fellow Irregular, Ricochet Robert.
(Sorry, Robert. But no one knows who "just plain Robert" is.)
Jerry also telling me about parts of his PBP adventure.
Jerry is county-line sprinter-par-excellence in the local randonneuring scene.
I was pretty sure that he wasn't going to suddenly zip ahead to the CL,
And then drift back to resume the conversation.
But ... I've been told that Jerry is expert at doing just that.
Anyway, Sunday, I had to work it a bit to make sure we were "even-wheels"
As we crossed the Vance County Line.
A mile or two later, on Glebe Rd., I told Jerry I thought it time for me to retreat
To the protection of the group.
It had been lightly raining, but being in-front, I hadn't paid it much attention.
But as soon as I pulled over near the double-yellow,
Sliding backward behind Jerry, I started looking for someone(s) with fenders to follow.
I was behind Byron and someone else with fenders.
Staying dry.
Then some curves or corners or something,
And JoeRay had managed to oust me from my position.
I cursed JoeRay in a friendly way.
He slid over so we could ride side-by-side behind the befendered.
Separation
Just as predicted, the fast-guys dropped me on the climbs on Nutbush Creek,
Followed by Anderson Creek, and whatever that other road near them is.
I wondered if I would end up thinking of the ride as a group permanent, or a solo.
Then I saw Richard up ahead. Also as predicted.
Doing well on the flats, quite fast on the downslopes, but I was catching him on the upslopes.
I bridged. We chatted. Eventually, I took the lead, figuring I had partner 'till at least Boydton.
A couple/three miles later, we reached the county store on the side of the road in Warren County.
I've been told that that is an interesting country store, but I've never needed to stop.
The entire fast and not-quite-so-fast crew was at the store.
Richard and I rode on by.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jerry starting to "come after us".
Jerry caught and passed us. I forget who was in tow.
Just as I was deciding to try to catch onto the Jerry-train,
Hopefully all the way to Kerr Lake Dam,
Along came the Branson-train. Branson finally looked like he was actually pedaling.
I tried to up the cadence / effort to snag the Branson/Jerry-train.
To no avail.
The smarter side of my brain had indicated that that could be a dangerous thing to do.
I might end up in Boydton (66 miles into the ride) and be TOAST if I stayed with Branson.
I continued pulling Richard along.
Eventually, I realized Richard was no longer behind me.
Oh, well. He has a cue sheet. And Chris is behind him.
It was dry in Virginia -- well, not raining, anyway.
Crossed the dam alone.
Didn't really notice the lake surface.
It was probably all gray and ugly -- just like the sky -- more like "just like the air".
I decided to stop at the entrance to the Virginia Buggs Island State Recreation Area.
To swallow some electrolytes and eat a PB sandwich (no J).
Just as I was finishing the sandwich, about 4 or 5 minutes after I'd stopped,
I saw two randos making their way toward me from the dam.
Richard and ... Rick.
They passed me as I was re-mounting.
I drifted downslope to the curve after the recreation area, and just after completing the curve,
There is JohnA, with a filthy white jersey, and Rick and Richard commiserating.
I pulled over a few yards after passing the others,
Almost immediately, Rick asked, almost jokingly, if I had a spare tyre with me.
"Why, yes I do," said I, "two actually, but no spare tube, today."
John's rear tyre (I must admit that I prefer the British spelling of tyre to the American tire).
One or two or three of my great-grandfathers would be irritated to hear that.
They left England, or Ireland, for reasons.
Anyway, John's rear tyre had a three-or-four inch tear in it,
Right down the center, where there had been a "bead" when the tyre was new.
My spare was a bit iffy, but likely serviceable.
Jumping ahead, it accomplished the task asked of it, providing John ~ 77 trouble-free miles.
John repaired and ready to ride, but now probably part of the near-lantern-rouge crew,
Instead of being part of the fast-crew.
We headed for Boydton.
Two Richards and two Johns. (You figure it out.)
I really enjoy Phillis Rd from the sharp curve at the end of the short steep all the way into Boydton.
Richard, being on his first KLL, we made sure he got a good look at the usual info control device.
Rick and John, being on their second KLL tours, had the opportunity to take a good look,
But settled for a cursory glance.
Me, on my twelfth KLL tour (seventh since Jun-11), what did I do?
You'll have to guess.
To Skipwith and Clarksville.
After filling in the info control question, some needed to stop around the corner to get H2O.
A few many minutes later, ChrisW pulled into the store, also wanting to top-up.
We waited for Chris ... now a party of five lantern rouge crew.
I've learned to enjoy the short trip from Boydton to Skipwith.
Rollers a bit tougher than than those leading into Boydton.
The Skipwith store was closed.
Alternative info control question dealt with.
On to Clarksville.
The road to Clarksville from Skipwith is mostly flat and not too twisty.
Some good section for side-by-side conversation.
Actually, almost the entire course is good for that.
There isn't much traffic on most of the roads.
Just a few spots requiring attention.
We decided to take lunch at the Subway in Clarksville.
However, all summer long, I've been starting KLL tours at 0600 or 0630,
That meant beating the post-church traffic to the Subway.
Sunday, starting KLL at 0700, the post-church traffic was backed up to the door.
Comparatively speaking, there was almost no one behind us.
Will have to remember that and adjust winter start times accordingly.
To the NC State Line, and Stovall, and Peace Mountain.
Chris thought that we shouldn't give Richard a heads-up regarding the mountain.
No one had given him a heads-up.
I guess the first person he did KLL with didn't do a very friendly course introduction.
Or maybe, that person was interested in seeing Chris's reaction.
And watching his 28 front - 32 rear gearing in action.
Who was that person that Chris did his first KLL with, anyway?
(Don't tell anyone ... it was me.)
Zip from the mountain to the Exxon control.
Uh ... closed ???
We called MikeD to let him know what we had encountered.
And that given the route and the closing times,
We'd try to get a couple receipts up the road.
We did.
Fourteen miles up the road, at Wilton.
You can't safely ride a bicycle from Stovall to Wilton unless you go past the Exxon control.
Hey! I can sub-10 this!
Rolling out of Wilton, I told John and Rick (Richard and Chris had dropped us off their front),
That I'd like to do the last 10-miles in 37 minutes or less, to get a sub-10-hour tour.
Rick looked at his cue sheet (John had lost his) ... and informed me that it is only 8.9 mile to go.
That's better than 10.
John, Rick and I pulled into the finish at 4:55 pm --> 9h,55m --> my second fastest ever KLL.
Chris and Richard pulled in 13 minutes later.
R-12 completed for Chris. Congratulations!
About the fast-"guys", and the ONE gal.
LynnL told me that the first finishers completed the ride at 3:10 pm --> 8h,10m. Yikes!!
Several more were 4 or 5 minutes behind.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep-25:
---> Kerr Lake Loop 208 km Permanent;
_ "pre-ride"; 10.5 m.; 0h,37m in-motion; 16.8 mph;
_ _ KLL proper; 131.8 m.; est. 7h,49m in-motion; 17.0 mph; elapsed time 9h,55m;
_ _ _ total ride; 142.3 m.; 8h,26m in-motion; 16.9 mph.
Q-1 tot: _23 rides; _1822.2 m.; 123 hrs, 05 min; 14.8 mph.
Q-2 tot: _30 rides; _2604.9 m.; 174 hrs, 22 min; 14.9 mph.
J-A tot: _23 rides; _1944.0 m.; 128 hrs, 29 min; 15.1 mph.
Sep tot: __4 rides; __379.1 m.; _24 hrs, 09 min; 15.7 mph.
YTD tot: _80 rides; _6750.2 m.; 450 hrs, 05 min; 15.0 mph.
R-14, C-19, M-31 (earlier this month). P-0.
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