this makes me proud to be a CoW but glad I had other plans this weekend...dang Tim and Jon...you da man
________________________________ From: Kim Benson <[email protected]> To: Cows <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, February 22, 2011 8:05:01 AM Subject: Re: [COWs] Just another 400K Ride Report! I'm beginning to believe that Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry ________________________________ From: John Olmstead <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:01:22 -0800 (PST) To: <[email protected]> ReplyTo: [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. -- 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.
