I'm beginning to believe that Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: John Olmstead <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:01:22 To: <[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [COWs] Just another 400K Ride Report!
Forget about carb loading, it's all in the BEEF! --- On Mon, 2/21/11, Tim & Susan <[email protected]> wrote: From: Tim & Susan <[email protected]> Subject: [COWs] Just another 400K Ride Report! To: [email protected] Date: Monday, February 21, 2011, 9:56 PM The madness continues. I’m always too excited the night before a big ride. Can’t sleep, I finally down some Nyquil around 11:30 Friday evening just for the sleep effect. I’m out by midnight, up at 4:00am and I double check all my gear. John arrives at 4:35, dang he’s actually on time, and we’re off to Lumberton . This is the biggest group of brevet riders I’ve ever seen. There are 50 cyclists from all over the east coast. The rides consist from a 200K event to a 1000K event. I and a couple others needed a 400K to complete our SR series, so that is what I signed up for as well as John. We roll at 7:00am towards the sand hills near Laurinburg, Rockingham then on to Pinehurst. Peloton is rolling about 17 to 18 mph into the wind which allows most to hang on for the first couple hours which is always a big social event. I chat with a few riders I haven’t seen all winter including Keith from Va. whom I rode with on last years 1000K. After the first control the peloton splits into several smaller groups. I watch the lead group ride away knowing I’ll probably never see them again. Too many hills and too much wind for me to hang with them today. I ride out solo and wait for the next group. John rides up front for most of the day. Obviously doping! I’m riding with a guy from Pa. and a couple more behind us. As we’re chatting we blow right by our turn and its a couple miles and a big hill before we realize our mistake. Like 250 miles wasn’t gonna be enough! Now I’m not sure who all got by me on the route. I don’t know where all my regular riding buddies are. Now I’m riding harder so I don’t loose touch. At the next control in Ellerbe, after another missed turn, I team up with buddy Geof from Cary who had a flat and we both find ourselves farther back in the pack than we usually ride. Next we cruise through Pinehurst were you either own a Mercedes, BMW or a Lexus. Even the golf carts have bling! Next up is Spring Lake , mile 115. It’s getting warm and I depleted my electrolytes. I’m dehydrated, and I’m toast. Everyone talks about how much salt is caked on my face. I start hitting the sodium and potassium very hard and luckily this is about where we catch a tailwind, so I recover a bit by the time we reach Erwin, mile 138. I down a hot dog and a big bag of chips, sodium overload. Geof and I continue on around Fort Bragg as we have this feeling of being watched. We are now riding with various other people including another friend Ian whom is doing the 1000K. Sun is setting as we approach Fayetteville . We’re making really good time and we get within 5 miles of John and Bryan when Geof flats again. Our group continues on and I stay with Geof . He has a badly cut tire so he replaces the tire as well. He pumps up his tire and he has a pump head that screws onto the valve and when he screws it off the valve stems screws out and the tire deflates. Does it again and same result. Tightens it with pliers and it does it again and again. I offer my more advanced co2 cartridge as he is about ready for the ole bicycle toss, but he tries it one more time and it finally holds. How many f words does it take to change a flat? I lost count! Now John and Bryan are long gone so we bypass food Fayetteville trying to catch them again. We arrive back in Lumberton at mile 200 where Bryan and John have waited for us. Tony has pizza delivered and we feast. John is tired of waiting and heads out solo for the last 55 miles. I wait for Geof , Brian and another rider Mike from somewhere up north. Also gives me time for another slice of pizza. I have a huge calorie deficit. Kinda like the national dept! I don’t remember the time but it’s probably after 11:00 pm before we tackle the last 100K. We’ll never catch John as he has like a 30 min. head start. Temp. is now in the lower 40’s. Geof is a zombie and is struggling to stay awake. We tag a store and chug some high octane energy drinks, then we blast off to catch the others. This part of the route is an out and back so we are passed by all the riders who are kicking our butts on their way back. My ego is shattered. We chug more coffee at the turn around, 27 more miles to go. Geof is still fighting sleep deprivation. We do some sprints to force up our heart rates. We’re also entertained a bit by some still ongoing house parties. Their stamina is commendable! We also pass a few other riders whom are behind us still heading for the turn around. Ok, let me wrap this up before you fall asleep as well. If there is anyone still here! We’re back in Lumberton shortly after 3:00am, (400K) 256 miles in the books. Oh yea, a fresh delivery of pizza. Thanks to the pizza place whom still makes pizza at 3:00am. We celebrate a little bit. Then I being too wired to sleep start driving home at like 4:00am. 30 min. later we dive in a rest stop for a 30 min. nap then I drive some more. I get home around 6:45. I unpack and catch up on emails. Susan rises and being the most wonderful wife a man could have cooks breakfast. Awesome! I finally crash around 8:00am, 28 hours after starting my day. The end! -- 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 at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- 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 at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- 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 at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en.
