wow u r the man! On May 9, 10:15 am, "Tim & Susan" <[email protected]> wrote: > I get to the meeting place in Morrisville at 5:30 Sat. morning. I park > beneath a flag pole and the old red, white and blue is already standing at > full salute. Wonderful! 36 riders leave out at 6:00, well 35 riders, John > O. (Joe Cool) is at McDonalds chilling. First control is 50 miles and there > is still about 20 riders in the peloton. From there it's packs of 3 or 4 to > a group. Stiff SW headwind for the first 125 miles. There is nothing you > can do about it so you just keep on trucking. Lunch stop in Seagrove at mile > 95. The lead group is still there when I arrive so I eat quickly so that I > can stay close. Then on through the Uwharrie National Forest. John and I > pre rode this section with others a few weeks ago so I know what's in store. > Flint Hill came at mile 108. 18% grade, sucking on my last gear. Mile 125 > is the turn around as this is an out and back. Lead group of 7 are starting > to head back as I arrive so another quick stop for me as I try to stay in > contact with them. For several miles I pass other riders heading down > towards the turn around. Everyone is riding solo as the distance, wind and > hills make drafting a little difficult. There goes John making his way > through the field. So back to Flint Hill, this time at mile 140. Last gear > again. Continuously on/off the saddle, completely wasted at the top. Then > it dawns on me that I still have 110 miles to go. My sanity is hanging on by > a thread and a little bit of doubt creeps in as well as I check the garmin > realizing there are still almost 6000 climbing feet left on the table as > well. Back in Seagrove another quick bite to eat as the guys and gal out > front are already half finished. The cashier wants to know why I'm doing > this. Making money? Raising Money? At this stage of the game I simply said > "I don't know"! It was the best answer I had. The lead group is dwindling. > Captain Mike D. and 3 others out front and I again dangle off the back. We > have more favorable winds on the return but the direction is shifting, and > the heat has taken a toll as well. Next stop a fellow cyclist has set us up > with pizza. Sweet! At mile 200 we have our last mandatory control stop. > Sunset is near so we rig up our lights for the last leg. A few riders set a > goal on 400k rides to finish before midnight and so far we are ahead of > schedule. My goal now is to stay up front as long as I can so that I can > finish before the stroke of midnight. At mile 225 I watch the front 4 ride > away as I slow my pace knowing without mishap I'd meet my goal. I stop and > make some adjustments to the bike, do a little visual stargazing, phone home > as I haven't made time for that the entire ride and enjoy the solitude for > the last 25 miles. The route isn't marked but we all have cue sheets so I > make double sure and note the mileage to all the turns as I don't need to > miss any turns now. Al is the organizer and the ride officially ends at his > house. I pull in at 11:45pm, he and Mike D. are on the porch with > refreshments. I sign in and socialize with them a bit just to see who else > pops in before midnight, but no one shows. Mike and I head home. To stay > awake on the ride home I contemplate my goals for the 600K in two weeks. > > Awesome! Susan makes Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for breakfast to get the blood > flowing again. I consult my garmin and to replenish calorie count from > yesterdays ride I can have 130 of these things and a couple gallons of milk. > I stop at 4 but the day is still young! > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group > athttp://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en.
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