Hey guys, Steve and I went out there today and did all those "hills" so dont bother. We flattened them.
On Apr 7, 4:07 pm, "Kevin Dougherty" <[email protected]> wrote: > "Put a quarter in the juke & boogie 'till you puke" -- Root Boy Slim (circa > 1978). > > I might be interested in being one of the swept up A weenies. When do you > need to know by ? I am anticipating a month of delicate negotiations to get > a release on that date (my wife's birthday). > Btw, the ends might not justify the means in this case. Will there be a sag > wagon if you can't make it back up to your car ? > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > > Gary Rohlke > Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 1:23 AM > To: North Raleigh Cyclists (Gyros) > Subject: [Gyros: 15212] Re: Spring Gyro Mountain Ride > > I will lead a B+ ride if anyone is interested. The B+ ride is intended for > those who want a slightly slower pace than the A ride. > The B+ group will also be the sweep group picking up the many weenies who > retire from the A group. Please let Tony and I know if you are interested > in the B+ ride so we can get a count. > > 1. The B+ ride will follow the same route and rules as the A ride. > > 2. The overall pace will be a bit slower than the A ride, but will not be > leisurely. There are no leisurely rides in the mountains. > > 3. The route, not including the three major climbs, consists of continuous > rollers and long, steep inclines. Just that part of the route is more > difficult than anything we ride here in Raleigh at that distance. > > 4. There are three mountain climbs on the route. The climbs are each over > two miles in length and there are no flat sections where you can rest. It > is a continuous climb all the way up. Mountain roads in North Carolina were > built following old goat and deer paths. If you have ever seen a deer or > goat climb you know what I am talking about. > During the pre-Nascar, moonshine running days in western NC the good old > boys had 400+ cubic inch engines ("got a hemi?") in their cars so a little > "incline" was no problem for them. Each of the three climbs is > "interesting." Sauratown, the first mountain climb on the route, consists > of three long switchbacks. Each switchback gets progressively steeper and > longer with lengthy grades of 10% or better. It is probably the "easiest" > of the three climbs but psychologically seems very difficult because you can > see almost all the way up the last mile and your slow progress up the > mountain is all > too evident and disheartening. This is the first climb on the famous > Three Mountain Madness (3MM). If you are new to mountain climbing it will > be your wake up call. When I ride in the 3MM as I am starting the climb up > Sauratown I get to watch the "big dogs" on their way down, which puts them > about an hour ahead of me less than 20 miles into the ride. Talk about > putting you in your place. There is no rest stop at the top of Sauratown, > only a turnaround, fence, bugs (yes, some bees > too) and a radio antenna farm. Next stop is Hanging Rock which is ranked by > the Rocket Man (Tom > Sheffieldhttp://ncbc.addr.com/documents/Rocket_Man_Climb_Ratings.htm) > as the third most difficult climb in NC. It has several, steep switchbacks > with a 15% grade or more in some places. The bottom section is the only > place where you can see ahead for a few hundred feet, after that the road > twists all over the place. It has restroom facilities (a good place to > puke) and water available at the parking lot off to the left before you > reach the summit. I have had the pleasure of bonking on Hanging Rock and it > was all I could do to keep from going down backwards. We finish with Pilot > Mountain. No, contrary to popular opinion, Andy Griffith did not ride his > cruiser bike up Pilot Mountain from the fictional Mayberry (Mt. Airy). But > I have ridden up Pilot Mountain, several times in fact, and lived to tell > about it - barely. Each time I am grinding and cussing my way up Pilot > Mountain I question my sanity. Rocket Man ranks it number 6 on his list of > most difficult NC climbs. But it deserves better in my book. It is at the > end of the route so you face it when you are tired. And you will be tired. > It has two switchbacks that are so steep (~20% grade) that I have to lean > over my handlebars jsut to keep the front wheel on the ground while barely > turning over the cranks. > The final mile or so is a constant 9-10% grade that just sucks the life out > of your legs. You are so high at the top you can see all the way to > Causfornia. There are facilities and a parking lot at the top > of Pilot Mountain. The first time I made it to the top on the 3MM I > rode over to a guy sitting on a bench and asked him to kick the c...@p > out of me so I would never do it again. But I did and he didn't. > Tony and I are toying with the idea of parking at the top of Pilot and > starting the ride there thus forcing everyone to climb Pilot at the end of > the ride to get back to the cars. Machiavellian, aren't we? > > 5. All that being said don't let me scare you off - "you can do it!" > I have done it - several times. Some suggestions though. a) You will need > proper gearing. A compact crankset with a climbing gear on the cassette, > such as a 25 or 27 tooth, is the minimum in my opinion. A triple is better. > One time I put a mountain bike derailleur, longer chain and "pie pan" (34 > tooth) gear on the cassette on my road bike to give me a nice, low climbing > gear. b) Know your ability. Pace yourself throughout the ride and > especially on the three mountain climbs. You should have the experience > and common sense to ride at your own tempo. Everyone will have a different > tempo and it is important you find and ride yours. Don't try to chase down > or ride with someone faster and stronger than you on the climbs. You will > bonk - I promise. c) Be aware of cramping. If you are susceptible to > cramps on long climbs (like me) drink the proper amount of fluids and take > supplements you know work. I have used Lava salts with some success. > Others may have their favorite potions to recommend. d) It is OK to rest on > the climbs. Just find a place to pull off the road and rest. I promise we > won't call you names (at least until we are on the way back to Raleigh). > Getting started again on a steep incline is another matter, one I will let > you figure out and experience on your own. e) Be careful on the descents - > you will pick up speed rapidly and the switchbacks can come at you in a > hurry and surprise you (false cambers, oncoming traffic, etc.). Make sure > your brakes are in good shape. One lesson I learned is to feather my front > and back brakes alternately to allow the rims to stay cool. It is possible > to flat by overheating the rims. Tony knows about that. f) You will get > very tired and need to make an extra effort to stay attentive to the road > conditions, other riders and traffic. > > The good news is all of the mountain climbs are up and back down > (loops) so you can ride part of the climb or skip it entirely and wait for > everyone at the bottom. So come with us and enjoy some of the "high > country." > > Gary > > On Apr 5, 8:18 am, "Tony" <[email protected]> wrote: > > G's, > > > Bert and I have scheduled a date for our spring mountain ride. > > > Date is Saturday, May 15th. Mark your calendars! > > > For all of you newbie Gyros, we have done this over the last 4 years > > in preparation for upcoming mountain rides. > > > This year we'll make our trip to Sauratown, Hanging Rock and Pilot > > Mountains. > > > The plan is the same as in the past. We'll meet at the Kohl's Store in > Brier Creek early Saturday morning (6am), carpool to Pilot Mountain, have > breakfast along the way, ride the course TOGETHER, and eat dinner on the > return trip. So, if you haven't figured it out, this is a one day > excursion. > > > This is an A ride but B's are also welcome to join in IF you can get > > enough to establish a group. The point here is to ride and stay together. > > > On every climb, the philosophy will be every man for himself but we > regroup at the bottom and will continue our trek to the next climb. What's > nice about this is that you do not have to do every mountain or if you make > it up part way and realize that the task at hand is just too great, turn > around and meet everyone at the bottom. > > > I believe the course is around 55 miles. > > > It's a great time and a fantastic workout for those of you that are doing > Blood, Sweat and Gears or the 3 Mountain Madness. > > > We have had many Gyros do this in the past so we expect a great turnout > this year too. > > > If you are interested, we would like to get a head count so please email > me, OFFLINE, to let me know. > > > If the weather looks iffy or too many Gyros have this date already > reserved, we'll reschedule for a Saturday in June. > > > More information will come as we get closer. > > > Thanks, Tony > > -- > You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected] To > unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] > > To unsubscribe, reply using "remove me" as the subject. > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG -www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2796 - Release Date: 04/07/10 > 06:32:00- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you subscribed to the Gyro email group. 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