Sep-21: Raleigh Region Picnic 100

Alan, with help from the changing cast of characters, has been putting on
A RUSA birthday celebration 200 brevet, 100 brevet-pop, and picnic since 2008.
The 2008 picnic and rides were to celebrate RUSA's 10th birthday.
Last year, 2018, many regions put on brevets and/or brevet-pops for RUSA's 20th anniversary.
This year, 2019, RUSA celebrated its twenty-first birthday and that
Made this year the twelfth year of Raleigh rides and picnics to honor RUSA's creation.
The rides are typically in August, on a Saturday close / closest to the 14th.
In PBP years, the rides are delayed into September.
(Except 2011, when the celebration was delayed until mid-October.) 

Here follows the complete list of brevet-pops ever put on in the Raleigh Region.
All the populaires using "route 655" were done in connection for the RUSA anniversary events.
The "Mt. Tirzah" populaires, December-2018, were to counter the suspension of the Permanents program.
The "Bunn Warmer" populaire, November-2012, was done in connection with the year-end party.

Region	Club	Type	Distance	Date	Route	select
2019
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2019/09/21	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2018
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2018/08/18	route 655 (unnamed)	view
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2018/12/15	Mt. Tirzah Populaire	view
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2018/12/16	Mt. Tirzah Populaire	view
2017
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2017/08/19	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2016
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2016/08/20	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2015
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2015/09/19	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2014
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2014/08/16	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2013
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2013/08/17	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2012
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2012/08/11	route 655 (unnamed)	view
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	111	2012/11/24	Bunn Warmer	view
2011
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2011/10/15	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2010
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	100	2010/08/14	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2009
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	110	2009/08/15	route 655 (unnamed)	view
2008
NC: Raleigh	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	RUSAP	110	2008/08/16	route 655 (unnamed)	view

In most years, there have been more riders for the 200 than for the populaire.
I won't copy in the list of the RUSA anniversary 200's as doing so would be difficult.

The last few years, the ridership at the anniversary picnic rides has dwindled.
(So too has overall ridership.  There are several likely reasons, but that's a subject for another day.)

This year, McDave and I did a pre-ride of the populaire starting with the 200 riders at 6 am,
So that we would finish in time to help Alan set up for the picnic, etc..

McDave snapped some pics as we rode across Jordan Lake.  I understand, from a third pary, that he posted them, and perhaps others, on his Instagram account.  I'm not on Instragram, and don't figure to join.  This photo came to me via the aforementioned third party.  I'm borrowing McDave's photo for inclusion here just so that those that have trouble reading when there are no pictures will feel welcome.

Usually, someone joins Alan for the trip to the grocery store to acquire picnic food and supplies.
This year, when I called Alan a few minutes after 11 am,
To let him know that McDave and I had completed the 100,
Alan answered his phone, indicating that he was just then leaving Harris Teeter with the supplies.

Dave and I cleaned up a bit, and then walked from the park shelter to Alan's house,
To help load Alan's grill and other supplies into Alan's truck to transport all to the park shelter.

Good thing we didn't waste any time setting up the picnic,
Because the first 200 finishers came in before 1 pm,
Less than two hours after Dave and I had finished the populaire pre-ride,
And likely less than an hour after Alan, Dave, and I had gotten things set up for the picnic.

McDave stayed around as long as he could to interact with other finishers,
But he had a conflicting family commitment -- to attend the App State football game.
I refer to it as the App State game because of McDave's connections to same,
And also because App State won the game, upsetting favored and homestanding UNC!

In addition to the riders, a few family members of some also showed up for the picnic.
I won't try to enumerate the family members because I'm sure I'd leave some out.

There was much conversation among the riders, Alan, and maybe even including me.
Some of the conversation was about the recent PBP, but I reckon less than half.
I did a poor job of attending the grill and cooking -- Alan did more than the lion's share of that work.

Among the riders completing the 200 were a tandem team from New Hampshire.
During the course of the conversations, John inquired about possible ride routes for the next day.
My impression was that he and Ann may have been interested in a greenway ride.
Finally, after a couple minutes of what appeared to be fruitless conversation,
I asked if John and Ann would be interested in riding as far as 100-kms.

Quick conversation confirmed they were staying only a couple miles from Bay Leaf,
The location where three of my permanent-populaires begin and end.
Blah, blah, blah, we agreed to meet at the Bay Leaf CVS for a 7 am ride
On the "Bahama Beach" route the next morning.

Eventually, everyone except Alan and me had left the park shelter picnic area.
Then the final 200 rider arrived at 5 pm.
Alan and/or I prepared another burger or two, and
Enjoyed nearly another hour of conversation with the lantern rouge
After he completed his first ever RUSA ride.

It was about 6 pm when Alan and I loaded up his truck with the grill and accessories.
I recall I left Alan's house about 6:30 pm -- my volunteer day done.
Alan's day, however, still had more to it -- namely, cleaning up kitchen utensils and such.

This is my 2019 RUSA Anniversary Picnic story; I'll be sticking to it.
 

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club	Time
NC: Raleigh RUSAP 100 km 2019/09/21 finishers=7 DNF=0 North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045
RUSA-P16066	3095	J__, Wes	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	04:11
RUSA-P16067	10234	Mc_, David	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	05:10
RUSA-P16069	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	05:10
RUSA-P16070	215	O__, Michael	North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045	05:26
RUSA-P16071	4649	M__, John	Carolina Tarwheels / 933047	04:29
RUSA-P16072	1526	G__, Tony	Bicycle For Life Club / 933057	04:29
1 nonmember(s) also finished this event
NC: Raleigh ACPB 200 km 2019/09/21 finishers=5 DNF=0 North Carolina Bicycle Club / 933045
723578	13342	B__, Nicholas	Randonneurs USA / 933095	11:00
723580	10504	J__, Ann	New England Randonneurs / 921005	06:49
723581	2190	J__, John	New England Randonneurs / 921005	06:49
723582	10866	L__, Jon	Carolina Tarwheels / 933047	07:36
1 nonmember(s) also finished this event

Sep-13: Raleigh - Berea - Raleigh 109

Started in the deep pitch black that is 4:30 am in the middle of September.
Quiet roads in the dark.  Well, mostly quiet.

Careful at the turn off Old Weaver Trail onto Whitt Rd.
Sometimes there are gravel pebbles scattered on that turn.
Wouldn't want to hit one them wrongly and go crashing down.
Also wouldn't want to clip one of them and poke a hole in tyre and tube.

Doubly careful at the turn off Whitt Rd onto Dove Rd.
More likely to be gravel pebbles scattered on that turn than on the previous turn.

Did not see the woman that sometimes walks her dog at 0545 or so on Dove Rd.
I have no doubt that she is more regular at that than I am at riding on Dove Rd,
But I don't see her every time I ride at oh-dark-thirty.

When I do see her in the still pitch black dark,
I am sometimes confused as I approach her, heading in the opposite direction.
The lights on the dog are quite visible, but not of a pattern one expects or recognizes.
I apparently don't expect the pattern even after seeing it on most pitch black RBR rides.

Through Creedmoor just before 6 am.
If I get to and thru Creedmoor before 6 am, Main Street is not yet open.

Civil Twilight does not occur until I'm nearly to Berea.
But sometime between Shoofly and Culbreth, still during Naval Twilight,
There is enough light that I'm finally seeing due to the daylight
Instead of seeing due to the battery headlamp.

Still barely Civil Twilight when I arrive at the Berea Control.
It only took 2h16 today.
And 2:16 in-motion.
Obviously, all the stop-lights were on green this morning.

Only 6 minutes at the control today, but I did manage to snap a photo.

Low light when I snapped the pic.  And apparently I failed to hold the camera-phone perfectly steady.

The ride back felt easy and quick.
Quick, but not hurried, as I let the feet and pedals just circle about.

I finished using Durant Rd to Honeycutt Rd.
Less traffic that way than the filed finishing route of Six Forks all the way to Strickland Rd.

As I was zipping by Snapper's, I saw that his car was in his drive / parking area.
I skidded to a stop, reversed 40 yards, and proceeded to take a close up of his auto.
And texted same, with some lame harassing comment.
[Harvey responded with "stalker?"]

4 minutes to take and text the Snapper photo.
Another minute along the return for stop-lights and stop-signs.
2h18 elapsed on the return; 2:13 of that having been in-motion/

Back at my hovel in plenty of time to shower and do some laundry and some other chores.
And make it into the afternoon work shift with no left-over tiredness or whatever from the ride.
Darn near perfect ride.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Sep-07: North of Burlington 202

Bob currently has the longest R-streak in North Carolina.
At least one 200k or longer every month since he joined RUSA in January-2010.

[IanH currently has the second longest R-streak in North Carolina. 
Ian's streak began in April-2010.] 

Bob has his eyes on completing R-120.
And then, he may re-think his rando goals.

My R-streak is much shorter.
I got to R-41 in December-2013, but life got in the way the next month.
Since then, I've gotten to R-10 and R-11 before life (December stuff) got in the way.
Actually, I recently learned (yep, "learned" is the correct word)
That I did complete a fourth R-12 ending in early 2016.

[I don't recall much from 2016 -- readers may recall why.] 

Bob, Ian, and I are three of the surviving members of the NC-2010-Rando-Rookies.
Tim is the fourth surviving member.
That completes the roster of 2010-rookies that have been / still are active riders.
Each of the four of us has earned at least one K-Hound award and the Mondial award.
The other three have done some other impressive stuff -- too much to mention here. 

[There is a fifth member still a RUSA member, but 
he has NEVER gotten credit for any rando ride.]

I need to get this post back on track.


For his / our September-2019 R-ride,
Bob and I did Bob's "North of Burlington" permanent.

Starting in Graham, NC, the route wiggles northeast over to NC-119,
Then heads more-or-less due north for nearly 30-miles on that smooth road.

I had worked late on Friday; my legs were a bit tired at the start of the ride.
I had to ask Bob to back off the pace half-a-mile per hour or so early on the "wiggles."

I continued to struggle to get the legs into a happy place.
At some point while on NC-119, I decided to force the issue a bit,
And took the lead, upping the pace, taking advantage of the smooth, flattish road.
Oh, and there may have been a bit of a tailwind -- or maybe not.
The legs came around.  Yippee!

There is an Info Control 3.2-miles into the route.
It is a good thing I was with Bob, because as I type this, with readers on,
I can barely make out the question on the Control Card.
If I had had to answer the question during the ride without assistance,
I would have been stuck, because I don't carry the reading glasses with me on rides.

[Some day, I will have to begin to carry the readers with me.] 

Bob at the Leasburg fire-station en route to Semora.  "We" took this photo so I could text it to our friend Ricochet Robert, "perhaps" to confuse him.  [Ricochet mostly / almost only rides the Permanent "Leesville - Leasburg - Leesville" which does NOT pass this station.] 

Bob often wears one of his PacTour jerseys.  Often when he does so, I accuse him of trying to intimidate me -- running joke now several years old, but still makes Bob smile -- he tries to hide the smile, but ... .  [I've sometimes emailed the photo along with a message such "Bob trying to intimidate me again" to SusanN of PacTour.  This time, with Bob's assistance, I texted the photo and message.  Next day, I got a return message from Susan:  "glad to see Bob is riding again [after completing the PacTour 'Ridge of the Rockies']."  There was more to the message, but ... .]

 
The first timed control is at Semora, some 41.7-miles into the route.
According to my card, we arrived 3h03 after starting.

[Although that seems reasonable, I was thinking we would have been faster than that.]

We sat on the outside bench enjoying the sunshine.
Perhaps for a few minutes more than we needed to have done.

The route reverses itself and heads back south on NC-119 about 20-miles to Baynes.

[Sadly, the old country store at Baynes has closed.  Permanently. 
That was a useful liquid re-stocking location on two of Bob's routes.  No more.]

At Baynes, the route turns west, and twists its way on back-roads to Elon.
It must have felt warm and/or there had been a headwind from Semora to Baynes.
I must have feeling hot and had consumed most of my liquids,
Because I asked Bob if we could stop at a store just a few miles west of Baynes.

We stopped at a gas station / c-store to restock.
There was quite a line waiting to check out.
One man had a $100 bill to pre-pay for gas,
But refused to follow standard protocol for cash pre-payment.
Back-and-forth with the clerk.
The clerk doing his job -- the customer being ridiculous.
That was my opinion, to which I'll be sticking.
It was also the opinion of all the other in-line customers near us.
The annoying customer finally quit arguing and left the line.
However, he never pumped any gas.
It appeared the entire exchange with the clerk was simply an exercising in being a jerk.

[I usually limit myself to non-negative comments about non-cycling store customers, 
But I make a deserved exception this time.]

The next timed control was in Elon, just after passing the college, er, university.
Bob and I stopped at the Subway for our Control, and to snag some lunch.

The temperatures had risen into the 80's Fahrenheit, but
The breeze, from whatever direction it was coming,
Was acting as a cooling breeze, not as a hot sirocco wind.

From Elon, the route continues west to Gibsonville,
And then nips a bit more southwesterly to continue west through rural areas.
I recall the route makes a north jog and then turns east once reaching the McCleansboro area.

[I'm guessing as I can't locate a RWGPS or other map of the route.] 

Heading east, the route skims the north side of Gibsonville,
Then transits Elon -- where there were quite a few college parties in progress --
One or two appeared to be being broken-up by police authorities.

The route continues eastward thru West Burlington, Burlington, East Burlington, and
Finally comes to a finish back at the start in Graham.

All in all, we had a good ride.
But the repeated start and stop for stop-lights and stop-signs the last 25-miles got to me.

[Bob indicated it is more on the order of 12 or 15 miles of citified riding.] 

Regardless, I asked Bob if it was possible to revise the route and
Stay on rural roads until right near the finish.

[Bob reports that he has figured an alternate finish -- a more rural roads route.] 

My Excel log indicates a total of 126.3-miles with 8:43 in-motion.

Permanent Route Name / #	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: North of Burlington / 2653	202	2019/09/07	2	0

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time
RUSA-T92432	5843	B__, Bob	Randonneurs USA / 933095	10:17
RUSA-T92433	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	10:17

 

 

Sep-02: RBR 109

Strickland Rd outbound at 0430.  No traffic.
Durant + Honeycutt roads homebound to finish at 0923.
A lot less traffic avoiding the Interstate overpass and Strickland Rd.

[The road taken.] 

2h23 elapsed, 2:22 in-motion to Berea.
The complete darkness lasted until Stem or beyond.
It wasn't really light enough to see without the headlamp
Until somewhere between Shoofly and Culbreth. 
It was serene riding through the darkness.
But the daylight was welcome.

14 minutes at the control.
Included a bit of chat time with one of the two store owners.
And a few words of greeting and "be safe" with some of the regulars.

2h16 elapsed, 2:16 in motion on the return.
I obviously caught all the lights on green.
And the stop-signs?  Musta' been no traffic waiting or coming.

Glorious morning for a ride.  

Permanent Route Name / #	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: Raleigh - Berea - Raleigh / 2818	109	2019/09/02	1	0

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time
RUSA-T92296	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	04:53

No photo(s) this ride.

Aug-21: Egypt Mtn 210

Wednesday, August 21st.
Being a weekday, we chose the lowest traffic route that Bob or I "own" / manage. 

We wanted to beat as much of the heat and rush hour traffic as possible.
The earliest Bob could make a start was 0545, but
As that seemed rather "forced," we chose to start at 0600.
And that would mean riding about 40-minutes in the dark.

New Light Rd presented a "parade" of southbound caravans while we rode northward.
So many vehicles heading toward Raleigh.
Traditional schedule schools back in session likely a major contributing reason for the extra traffic.
I cannot ever recall that much southbound traffic on New Light Rd at that time of day.

But, by the time we got to Grissom, 12.5-miles (20-kms) into the course,
The high volume of traffic was done with.
We settled in for the usually pleasant ride up to Franklinton,
Then beyond that on West River Rd to Sims Bridge Rd.

Sims Bridge Rd -- named for the bridge that crosses the Tar River.
Just after crossing the river, Sims Bridge Rd takes a right turn,
And the interesting down-and-up, curving begins.
A pleasant ride all the way to Rocky Point.

[I've never understood the "Point" in Rocky Point. 
The crossroads is located on dry land, perhaps at the cusp of a grade from all direction. 
Well, not quite -- coming from the north, one would be on a short, false-flat decline.]

The road changes name after passing through Rocky Point, and
Flattens out a bit, but it is still a pleasant ride all the way to Epsom.
[Or it could be IF one weren't counting the minutes to the Epsom AM control.]

We arrived at the Epsom AM control (@ 36.4-miles) after 2h30 elapsed, 2:27 in-motion.
That isn't the earliest I've ever arrived at that first intermediate control, but
It may be among the five earliest.

Some chatting with a local or two -- always a smart thing to do.
That is my opinion, and I'll be sticking to that opinion.
According to the note on my Control Card,
A note I surely made only after arriving at the "lunch" control in Warrenton,
We left the control 18-minutes after we had arrived.

Some day I need to take a few photos from along the route.
Until then, readers will have to settle for the google-street-view.
Or look in previous "Egypt Mtn" blogs for a few photos. 

The second intermediate control is an Info Control in / at Drewry, 17.5-miles from Epsom.
Bob and I engaged in some humorous (?) banter regarding the correct answer to the Info Control.
Not gonna' describe the banter.
If you wanna' guess at the banter and/or hazard a guess at the correct answer:  ride the route.

I've repeatedly written that the 10+ miles after Drewry are my favorite of the route.
But as I type this, September 29th, the only things I can recall of those 10 miles are these:
The view from before the beginning of the declines of the two separate valleys
That are in those 10 miles.
[Again, check the google-street-view or come ride the route.] 

The Warrenton Control is an Open Control.
The cue sheet and control / brevet card suggests the Hardee's just after entering town.
However, we rode nearly another mile, including a quarter-mile off course,
To get to the Subway, arriving 4h48 elapsed, 4:27 in-motion for our control.

[I recall riding the "Egypt Mtn" route with LynnL when I first used the Subway; 
There is a Chinese restaurant next to the Subway; 
Lynn commented, "the [fast-guys] like Chinese food; they might to control there."
[Note:  I've never gotten around to trying the Chinese restaurant.]]  

The note on my control card indicates that we spent 42 eating lunch and chatting.
Meaning we left the control after 5h30 elapsed on the day (i.e., 11:30 am). 

The route leaves Warrenton headed more or less to the west.
A couple little roller things, but the net elevation change is DOWN.
Then, a 1.3-mile 2% incline.
Well, RWGPS indicates it is approximately 2% the entire climb, but
Based on what happens to my pace, the incline seems steeper than that.
I'm always relieved to get to the crest of that climb and the turn onto Stagecoach Rd.
Oh, and the first couple hundred yard on Stagecoach Rd, those are also upslope.
It is a shallow incline, but the road surface, rough chip-seal, makes it tougher than it might be.

[Note:  North Carolina chip-seal is not nearly as debilitating as Texas chip-seal, 
Which is being referred to as "Gravel-Seal" by some Hound-Dog-1200 riders, 
Which 1200 is underway on its second day as I type this.] 

I seem to have lost my way typing this blog report.
I've drifted into ride-this-road, turn-that-way, the-pace-was-such-and-such.
Those are boring.
So let me see if I can finish this off with something else.

It is 18.2-miles from the Warrenton Hardee's to the Epsom control. 
The Epsom PM control comes too early, really.
The original PM control was at Bobbitt, but
That store was permanently closed the second time we did the "Egypt Mtn" route.
The Bobbitt store eventually re-opened, but is closed on Sundays.
And although I am a proponent of supporting the remaining remote mom-and-pop stores,
And I have stopped at the Bobbitt store to see if it would be a reasonable control location,
I've had to conclude that there just isn't enough of the "right stuff" for a rando control.

So, it is fewer than 18.2-miles from the Warrenton Subway to the Epsom control.
According to the note I obviously made upon reaching Epsom,
Bob and I left the Subway at 11:30 am -- 42 minutes after our arrival.
And we got to the Epsom control at 12:54, i.e., 6h54 elapsed from the start.
It took 1:24 in-motion from the Subway to Epsom.
Total in-motion to that point, officially 82.8-miles into the course, was 5:51.

We had obviously slowed down compared to earlier.
The climbing was no more difficult (or was it?).
The temperature was hotting up.
And, almost certainly the breeze / wind was coming out of the SW,
Meaning that after leaving Warrenton, the ride had been into a headwind. 

Regardless what the breeze / wind is doing early in the day,
Regardless what direction the breeze / wind is forecast to do,
When the temps hot up during the long summer period,
The breeze / wind always shifts to coming from the SW.
Always a headwind the last half of the "Egypt Mtn" Perm during that long period period.

We left the Epsom PM control at 1:11 pm.
I still have hopes of one day getting from Epsom to the finish in 3 hours, or less.
I used to be able to count on doing that.
But I was in better cycling shape when I could do that.

Chavis Rd Info Control is officially 94.5-miles into the course.
As we slid past, I commented to Bob that maybe I needed to change the Control Question.
Trees or bushes or something seemed to interfere with the sight-line to the answer.

Egypt Mtn Rd and Egypt Mtn Farm.
Sometimes stop to take a photo, and I coerced Bob into posing this time around.

The Egypt Mountain Farm sign is atop Egypt Mtn, approximately 100-miles into the route.  The time-stamp on the photo is 1437.  That indicates 1h26 elapsed since leaving the Epsom PM control.  [photo credit to me] 

It's another couple miles from the Egypt Mtn Farm sign to the end of Egypt Mtn Rd.
It is "only" 27 more miles from the end of EM Rd to the finish.
I usually find myself thinking "okay, this is in the bag, all [you've] got to do is keep pedaling."
I think that even though the toughest climb is still another few miles down the road.
Well, maybe the second toughest climb, but ... that's a subject for another day.

After that toughest, or second toughest, climb of the day,
There is still the climb on Long Mill Rd, which often seems pretty darn tough.
And then there is "Cowboy Hill" on Pokomoke Rd, which can be tough.

Oh, and the last 10-kms include the Ghoston, Peed, and Mt Vernon Church road climbs.
So, really, sometimes I don't think I've "made it" until the last turn,
For the last 0.7-miles on flat Norwood Rd.

Notes and official things on the control card indicate:
4h04 elapsed, 3:36 in-motion, from Epsom to the finish.
For 47.9-miles.
Seems we obviously slowed considerably. 

Permanent Route Name / #	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: Warrenton & Egypt Mountain / 1444	210	2019/08/21	2	0

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time
RUSA-T92055	5843	B__, Bob	Randonneurs USA / 933095	11:15
RUSA-T92056	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	11:15

Oh, a relatively minor thing:
This ride was my 200th Century.
Two hundred centuries in 1,128 rides.
That is 17.7% of my lifetime rides have been at least 100.0-miles long.

Here follows some "interesting" stats --
[note:  "E" is short-hand for Eddington Cycling Number]  -- 
my current "E" is 127, meaning I have at least 127 rides that were at least 127-miles long, 
but I do not yet have 128 rides that were at least 128-miles long. 
To help others understand. as of the end of this "Egypt Mtn" ride, 
I have completed 135 rides that were at least 127 miles long.]
 

Rides by year currently contributing to E:  total year  # rides  miles mi. / r centuries 200-kms + 2007 0 0.0 0.0 1 0 2008 0 0.0 0.0 1 0 2009 0 0.0 0.0 5 1 2010 11 1,786.3 162.4 25 19 2011 30 4,384.8 146.2 36 33 2012 26 4,104.7 157.9 33 30 2013 19 3,084.3 162.3 31 19 2014 10 1,509.7 151.0 12 11 2015 10 1,421.7 142.2 14 12 2016 6 847.0 141.2 10 10 2017 6 798.6 133.1 13 12 2018 10 1,482.7 148.3 11 10 2019 7 1,056.2 150.9 8 8 total 135 20,476.0 151.7 200 165

Aug-17: RBR 109

Up at 0400.
Riding by 0430.
2:17 in-motion to Berea,
2h18 elapsed to Berea.
I obviously caught all the lights on green.

Berea, looking north from the front door of "Berea Mini Mark," the suggested location for the "Berea Open Control," at 0657 (barely enough light to bother taking a photo).  I don't know what that chicken-looking sign is specifically advertising -- perhaps chicken biscuits.  The Mini Mart does do a bang-up morning business selling chicken and sausage biscuits and other fare.  A hot biscuit can be "just the ticket" on a cold winter morning.

 
2:17 in-motion on the return.
Total 4:34 in-motion for the 68.0-miles.
4h46 total elapsed time.
Leaving only 12 minutes not moving for the entire ride.

1-minute not moving outbound.
9-minutes at the Berea control.
2-minutes not moving on the return leg.
Traffic and lights in Creedmoor must have been favorable.
The light at NC-98 must have been green, or nearly so, when I arrived there.

Not much of a story, but it is mine for this date.
I can't imagine I'll do anything other than stick with the above story.
After all, it ought to be obvious that I have no interesting recollections of the ride that day.

Aug-15: Raleigh - Berea - Raleigh ("RBR") 109

"RBR" is a convenient ride for me to do early on weekdays.
For example, if I am scheduled to work starting some time in the afternoon, perhaps 1 or 2 pm,
Starting RBR at 0430 allows me to start the ride when there is no traffic, or almost no traffic, and
Finish the ride around 0930, and thus allow time to do laundry or other chores before going to work.

Starting RBR at 0600 or 0700 on a weekday does not appeal to me.
Perhaps in the middle of Summer when the sun would have already risen.
But not during other seasons when 6 and 7 am would still be quite dark.
0430 works because there is little to no traffic.
6 or 7 am do not appeal, because the "rush hour" traffic is in full swing, regardless the season.
And actually, it is worse whenever traditional schedule schools are in session.

Anyway, that takes care of that type of background.


RBR was created in 2015 because Lynn wanted her own route.
Likely so that she wouldn't have to "ask" me for permission to ride.
Her "asking" was never a problem, because we had an open-to-ride agreement, and
Getting a waiver signed was never a problem since we lived only 1.6-miles apart, and
Lynn had to go by my hovel to get to my rides.

However, she wanted her own route.
So, I helped her create RBR, and rode with her on her maiden voyage as a route-owner.

Lynn did the route about a dozen times in September thru December 2015.
Or maybe it was a dozen times between September-2015 and mid-February-2016.
Then, disaster struck Lynn in late February-2016.

Lynn has not ridden rando since then.
And although she has ridden some informal hundred milers,
I doubt she ever will again do rando.
[Maybe, maybe she might do some Populaires, but not 200+ kms.]

When Lynn decided she would no longer do rando, I adopted her RBR route.
But with the proviso that if she ever returned to RUSA membership,
I would return the route to her.


Okay, more than enough double-deep background.

The RBR route starts approximately 1/2 mile from my bed.
I can get up at 4 am, get dressed, and be riding by 0430.

The way I do the route, the outbound half is approximately a mile shorter than the return.
Regardless of how one approaches the route,
The first half is a net uphill, and the return is a net downhill.
That tends to make the return leg a bit faster.
Also, if I start at 0430, much of the outbound will be in the dark, complete dark.
Sometimes ALL of the outbound is in the dark, the complete dark.
And one tends to ride more slowly in the dark than in the daylight.

So, don't be surprised if I report the mile longer return in the same in-motion time as the outbound.
Don't be surprised if I report the mile longer return in less in-motion time than the outbound.


Gee, it seems I just can't stop typing background material.
I'm now three layers deep in the background.

So, on August 15th, I started promptly at 0430.
That means crossing NC-98 at 0500 or a couple minutes later than that.
Turning off New Light Rd onto Old Weaver Trail approximately 15-minutes after that.
And riding Main Street through Creedmoor at approx 0545 to 0550.
Stem just under half-an-hour after that, and
Berea sometime in the 0648 to 0705 time-frame.

On August 15th, the note on my control card indicates 2:18 in-motion for the outbound leg.
That means I might have gotten to the control as early as 0648.
However, that is unlikely as there are 5 stop-lights on the outbound leg, and
Two of those lights, NC-98 just north of Raleigh and US-15 in Creedmoor,
Tend to be "uncooperative."
[That is, they have long cycles between green lights. 
But sometimes I can catch them on the green. 
And maybe I did on the 15th -- I must have given when the clerk initialed my card.]

So, I got to the Berea Control at 0648 or 0649,
Quickly removed my cycling gloves, quickly retrieved a cold beverage, and
Purchased same in time for the owner/clerk to note 0651 on the card.
I took a photo of the new window at the control -- the photo is time-stamped 0655.
I noted that the old window had been in place on Saturday, Aug-10th,
When Bob and I had done the "Denny's Store" ride,
But by Thursday, Aug-15th, the new window was firmly in place.
The note on the card indicates that I left the Berea Control at 0658.
[Ten minutes, or less, to get a beverage, pay for it, take a photo and put the phone away afterward. 
And I may have visited the men's room to make a #1 deposit. 
Pretty quick, I say.  
Especially since the putting the phone back into the zip-lock is sometimes troublesome.]

 
On the 15th, I had noticed "veggies for sale" signs at Culbreth.
First time I had ever seen such at that location.
But outbound, there wasn't enough light to take a semi-reasonable photo.
There was enough light when homebound.
The time-stamp on the "veggie" sign is 0714.
So sixteen minutes to ride Berea to Culbreth, get out the phone and snap the photo.
The sign from the other direction indicates "organic," but
I didn't take a photo from the other direction.
 
I also took an across the yard landscape photo -- but not my preferred Culbreth landscape angle.

That's a boring photo, but hey!  I've got it, I might as well use it.

After taking the photos, I continued my ride.
I was not trying to be in a big hurry or any such thing.
Just trying to keep a decent effort, a decent pace.

No traffic worth mentioning until just before Falls Lake on New Light Rd.
I don't really like coming straight in New Light Rd, which becomes Six Forks Rd south of NC-98.
I don't care for Six Forks Rd from NC-98 to the corner with Possum Track Rd.

After reaching the Possum Track corner, the filed route is flat.
The safest return, taking Honeycutt Rd all the way from Possum Track to finish, in NOT flat.
The intermediate safe route, Six Forks to Durant to Honeycutt, is in between on the flat/hilly front.
On August 15th, I used the intermediate Durant-Honeycutt finish.
Total inbound time in-motion:  2:18.
Finishing time:  0923, for an elapsed time of 4h53.

The above is my story for the August 15th ride,
My story, and I'll be sticking to it.