Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Day 17 - Tybee Island - DONE!


Will, Steve, Clay, Rob at Tybee Island
 
Today's report is abbreviated as we had a big banquet and are dead tired.  More info and a summary in the next day or so.
 
What a great ride!  Today we cruised through 143 miles of flat to gentle rolling Georgia roads to reach the Atlantic Ocean on the Tybee Island beach. 
 
Here are a few pix of the final day.
 
Alan at the beach - he was clipped by a car a week ago

Clay's parents met us 30 miles from the finish then joined us at lunch

Clay and Rob at the beach

Jacki at the Tybee Sign

Mayor Billy T. in Metter, Georgia

Steve Reed's Family



Ice Cream at Leonard's - great milk shakes

Will at the beach
 


Monday, May 27, 2013

Special post for Aunt Minnie

Aunt Minnie,

Nancy said you are following this blog and asked me to post a special note to let you know I will be coming by to see you in Ohio in a few days.  I'll call the facility you are staying at to confirm the best time to visit you.

Thanks for following along, I look forward to seeing you soon.

Rob

Day 16 - Marching Across Georgia

Another good day!  The first 30 miles were filled with long rollers (grunt!) but after that it was a pretty fast and flat roll to Dublin, Georgia.  The three of us (Clay, Steve, Rob) worked together and were just behind the first group of three riders (Will, Tom, Jeremiah) all day.  At the last rest stop we decided to ride in together (our same group from a few days ago) and had a fast run into town, arriving around 4:40p.  We averaged 19.1 for the day, without pushing too hard (after the hills). 
Everyone else made it in successfully!  There were a number of riders that have been straggling a bit, but they all got in by 7:30p, in time for the ice cream and cake social.  Logistics for tomorrow were reviewed and confirmed.  Tomorrow is Lon and Susan's 30th Anniversary!
 
All of us are thinking about what life after ET will be like.  Some of us are savoring the last days, knowing it will be great to finish the ride, but will want to get back on and ride some more, after a few days break.  Others may need a few weeks to really appreciate their accomplishment.  This was a tough ride!  The heat and hills in California and Arizona, more hills in New Mexico, thunderstorms and headwinds in Oklahoma, not to mention the Talimena Parkway, and the long days across Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama.  It is hard to believe all that went on in the past 16 days - but it will be a special memory for all of us for a long time.

Everyone is tired.  Many riders have sore tushes (big surprise), numb hands, sore shoulders, achy knees, etc., etc..  Several of us have sunburned lips from not getting enough SPF lip balm on in time.  This is bearable until you eat any spicy food or salty chips.

Overall I am doing very well.  I have lost some weight, but it will take several days before the extra fluids wash away.  I am still a ways from what should be my ideal weight, but hopefully I can maintain a reasonable diet and take advantage of the fitness I now have.  Watch out Minnesota Randonneurs and TCBC riding friends, I will be ready to kick butt in a couple of weeks.

When my Brooks saddle broke over a week ago, I was concerned that a replacement saddle wouldn't work as well, but the Selle Ana-tomica that Lon loaned me has been great.  I have had no problems and am actually more comfortable than with the Brooks. 
Everyone is a little brain dead and fatigued by now, but spirits are good.  Tomorrow's ride is 143 miles of pretty flat riding to the coast.  If we get ahead of the time a little bit, we may spend a little time in Savannah before convening at the collection point, a few miles from the finish in Tybee Island to ride in together, jump in the Atlantic Ocean and take a bunch of pictures. 

Thanks to all of you that have been following and commenting on the blog - the notes are appreciated and enjoyed.
 

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Day 15 - Sweet Alabama

Clay, Steve, Rob at the hotel in Eufaula, Alabama
 
What a nice day!  For the first time in well over a week we had a day with less than 160 miles.  The route today was fairly rolling, with 6,500' of climbing but we still made it in just after 4:00p, our earliest time ever. 
At the pre-ride talk, Lon suggested that it would be a good idea for larger groups (i.e. us) to break up for safety and less congestion on the highway.  Yesterday our large group passed a slower group, but they hung on to the back of our group making it difficult for passing vehicles to get by us. 
Right after the start, Will and I talked and Will, Tom and Jeremiah formed a group and went on ahead.  Steve, Clay, Brian and I made up a second group.  With the kind of terrain today (hilly rollers) smaller groups were much easier to work with and our group did a great job of moving along nicely.  Brian dropped back after a while due to some of the longer hills so the three of us carried on for the rest of the day, with a short stint with Steve Marshall. 
After lunch we stopped at the next rest stop and one of the other (formerly pretty fast) riders waved and went by, skipping the rest stop.  We didn't think too much of it until a few miles later we saw him off in the distance ahead of us.  We didn't say anything to each other, but the three of us all had the same idea - our pace quickened, we hit the hills a little harder and rotated through our pace line quickly.  Within a couple of miles we caught up to him and, of course had to blow by with a wave.  We kept up our vigorous pace to the next rest stop and were amazed at how well we were able to shake off 2,400 miles of riding and really push our pace.  We were able to keep up a decent pace all the way in from there, feeling pretty good, in a semi-intense, doesn't matter to anyone else kind of way.

Pace line thinking.  With our smaller pace line today (three riders for most of the day), we really had a good day and were able to keep the speed and level of effort the way we wanted it pretty well all day.  The larger group worked really well on the longer days, particularly when the wind was in our face. 

The sign of the day - thanks to Steve Marshal for sharing:
So, what happened to the old waitress and cook? 

Jacki, our lone woman rider recovered well enough from her bout with edema to ride today.  She completed the ride and was smiling at the finish so it was a good day:
Jacki at the finish

Our support crew has done a fabulous job looking after us across the country.  They are up before we are, feed us and take care of us during the day as we cycle along, then spend several hours in the evening cleaning up and preparing for the next day.  Here are two of our favorite crew members - thanks, ladies!

Tracey and Deb

Dave Jordan, another crew member, rode with us for a while today (and set a tough pace!).  Later on, Dave had other duties - i.e. cleaning the lunch truck.

 
 
Tomorrow is another shorter day (162 miles), with some good sized rollers in the first 70 miles then settling down to some smaller bumps as the day goes on, finishing in Dublin, Georgia, our last state. 
 

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Day 14 - Southern Hills - Mississippi/Alabama

The miles rolled by again today as we continue our trek across the southern states.  Our seven person pace line completed the 195 miles in just under 12 hours, including lunch, several rest stops and a couple of flats.  We passed through many small towns and went up and down for 7,500' of climbing, mostly in little hills, but there were a number of tough grinders.  The weather was excellent - mid 80s, hazy most of the day and only a small breeze.  I am embarrassed to publish our weather as Nancy is reporting from Minnesota that it has been rainy and cold for a week.  The Twin Cities Bicycling Club (TCBC) had their Memorial Day Weekend club ride today but a number of riders cut their routes shorter because of cold weather and wind. 

We got in just before 6p.  The last riders finished up around 8:30p.  The later finishers usually are riding on their own, a lot tougher way to do this tour.  Alan, the rider from Arizona that was clipped by a car a few days ago finished up at dark, as did Joe from North Carolina.

Jacki, our woman rider with edema is hoping to get back on her bike again tomorrow.   Everyone else is healthy, but getting pretty worn out.  The good news is we have completed the last of the super long days.  Tomorrow is a mere 154 miles, although it will be a little hillier, as we stay in Alabama for one more day.

Pace lines are a pretty effective way to cross the country.  We have done really well with our group/pace line.  Starting with Will and I nearly 10 days ago, we added Clay, Steve and Brian.  For the last two days, we have been joined by Tom and Jeremiah.  We all have very different cycling backgrounds but have been able to work together to maintain a good pace every day.  All of the faster riders early in the tour are noticeably slower now.  Our group has a couple of pretty strong riders, but we have been able to keep it fun and consistent.  There is another pace line group, that has finished 1/2 hour behind us for each of the last couple of days.  They are doing well too, but for whatever reason, we are able to maintain a faster overall pace.
 
Pace lines are not for everyone.  It takes a good amount of focus to pay attention to the rider(s) ahead of you, watch the road and maintain your position in the group.  Going up hills in particular is a good test of group cooperation as we need to find a pace that everyone can handle.  This takes a certain amount of  awareness and patience, but we are getting pretty good at finding the right spin or standing speed to keep the group moving along.  The other thing about pace lines is that you don't get to see a lot of scenery along the way, although we are mostly riding through farm country and small towns so there hasn't been too many natural beauty spots.

There are a number of solo riders that are doing a great job, including Bruce, on his recumbent, John from the UK who is 25 and bombs along at a good clip on his own every day.  Wayne, John Newton and Brad all have managed the whole route so far and are riding well. 

Tomorrow we travel from Camden to Eufaula,  staying in Alabama. We are starting to think about life after Elite Tour.  Our re-entry back into the rest of the world will be a bit of a shock, at least for a day or two.  So far I don't think we have missed anything too critical as far as world events are concerned, but I am sure all of us have families, and some have jobs that are waiting for us to be part of again.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Day 13 - Mississippi Crossing

Today our regular group of five (Will, Clay, Steve, Brian and myself) started as the first group, joined by Tom and Jerimiah as we rolled through the rest of Arkansas, across the Mississippi River and well into the state of Mississippi for 184 miles of Mississippi delta, some rolling hills and a variety of roads surfaces from glassy smooth to very rough.

Pace lines were the best way to get through this day.  The roads were relatively flat until the last 40 miles.  The seven of us worked really well together, especially over some long stretches when we faced a brisk quartering head wind.  We practiced different echelon techniques, including 2 lateral echelons and a 2 line rotating pattern, both of which helped to take the edge off the wind and let us keep up a decent pace.  We finished at 5:40p well ahead of the next group of riders, averaging close to 18 for the day.

Crossing the Mississippi was cool, over a new bridge. 

Tom heading over the new Mississippi Bridge
 
In other news, Alan Johnson, who was clipped by a car a few days ago, was able to ride in the parking lot last night and rode part of the route today.  Alan has been one of the slower riders, but has shown a lot of persistence.
 
Jacki, our lone woman rider, has been cruising along nicely - she is a tough rider and has done really well.  She had to go to the ER room today suffering from edema, swelling of the legs, possibly due to too many salty beverages or endurolytes.  Hopefully she will rejoin us soon.
 
Most of the riders are still on track to RAAM qualify by riding every mile.  Pretty well everyone is in the groove and we have our bodies and minds trained to the Elite Tour schedule.  We get up 1/2 before breakfast, get everything ready, eat, head out, ride 25-40 miles between rest stops until we are done, then clean up, find a restaurant, get ready for the next day, do a blog or other email catch up and hit the sack.  Four more days and we'll need to figure out how to manage our own lives again. 
 
Many of the fast riders from the first 10 days are now settling into a much slower, manageable pace.  It is very difficult to ride hard every day, given the difficulty of the course and some of the really hot weather we had in the first week. 
 
This tour has been very different than the 2010 Elite Tour.  The basics are still the same - finding friends to ride with makes all the difference to enjoying the long hours in the saddle.  Being part of a pace line is definitely a much easier way to get through the flatter or even rolling countryside, especially when the winds are not in our favor.  Overall we have had pretty good luck with the weather (other than the hot weather in the desert and the Oklahoma thunderstorms and potential tornados), so some headwinds on a few days are to be expected.  There are a number of riders that typically ride alone every day, this makes for a long day for them and some tough slogging at times. 
 
Tomorrow we have our last long day, 195 miles to Camden, Alabama, with more hills again, 6,500' worth.  After that we cruise in to Tybee Island with three shorter days of 140-160 miles.   


Thursday, May 23, 2013

Day 12 - Mena to Monticello - A Mellow day

Today was a mellow day, everyone is still exhausted from the Talimena Parkway.  We start in three groups every morning fast, medium and slower.  Lon had a hard time getting  many people to start in the fast group this morning.

Our group of five started next and we kept up a steady 18+ mph pace all day to come in among the early finishers.  We are riding really well together and are in sync as we sail along, trading off every 1/2 mile or so.  There were quite a few hills early on, but as the day went on the road flattened out - great for covering a lot of ground quickly in a pace line.  There weren't a lot of scenic highlights, but seeing lots of green grass and trees after the desert days is still nice on the eyes.


I took some pictures of our group early on:
Clay at 9:00a



Will 9:00a
 
Later on, near the end of the ride, it was a little less glamorous
Clay at 5:30, just before we finished
 
 
Brian near the finish

 Susan Notorangelo rode with our group for a good part of the last leg - she is planning to ride the Furnace Creek 508 in October in a team event with three other woman riders from the early RAAM days.
 

Tomorrow is another long day, 188 miles of flatter terrain to Kosclusko, Mississippi.  We are in the stretch, five more days to go, 800 miles or so. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Day 11 - The Talimena Parkway Grind

Long day, very tired.  Here's the high points:

We started in Ada, Oklahoma and finished in Mena, Arkansas, 174 miles later.

Our pace line group rode the first 100 miles in 5:45 (Clay, Will, Steve, Brian and myself).  20 miles later we began the Talimena Scenic Parkway, 55 miles of long climbs and rollers, many in the 10-15% range.  It was brutal.  We started with a 5 mile climb, which I averaged 4-5 mph on, then raced down several steep rollers only to be stopped dead in my tracks when I started up the other 13% roller on the other side. About 1/2 way through we had another 3.5 mile grinder at 7-13%.  It took 5 hours to cover the 55 miles.  will, Steve and Clay all finished ahead of me, but there were still a lot of gear bags waiting in the parking lot when I pulled in at 6:40p.  Dinner was in the restaurant at the hotel - buffet style.  Many other riders were there so it was a fun conversation hearing about everyone's adventures and how hard the day was.

Mike and Nancy Meyers, PACTour friends and tandem riders extraordinaire sent me a note a few days ago telling me the rode the Talimena Parkway on their tandem and would never, ever do that again.  After today I understand and support this statement.

Sorry no pictures today, I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Tomorrow is 190 miles across Arkansas from Mena to Monticello.  Some hills, but it should be a lot easier than today(I hope!).

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Day 10 - an Epic Weather Day

Today was our most challenging weather and distance day so far.  This picture gives you a good idea of what we worried about for the first 1/2 of the 205 mile ride.

The first few miles were pretty easy, with a mild tail wind but this quickly changed to a fairly strong quartering head wind for the next 60 miles.  Our group of five used an echelon approach to help us break the wind. 

Brian, Steve and Clay spread out to break the wind


Steve Reed and Will Oberton share the pace line lead responsibilities




 
 
After 65 miles into the wind, it suddenly became calm, and the wind actually shifted to a tail wind. 
We knew this was not a good sign, particularly after a Sheriff's Deputy stopped to tell us about golf ball sized hail within 15 miles of where we were and another car slowed to tell us a big storm cell was right behind us. 
 

Waiting out the storm in the trailer
Five miles of fast pedaling got us to the next rest stop just as the big drops were starting to fall.  Will initially suggested we go on anyway but couldn't get any takers so we huddled in the trailer and watched a strong thunderstorm blow through for the next 20-30 minutes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once the big storm passed, we continued on in a light rain up to the lunch stop where we were served Mac & Cheese, Potato Soup, Ham & Cheese sandwiches or chicken for lunch, while we found places to sit in the trailer.
 



Will and Scott dining in the support trailer

After lunch we passed through the little town of Cement where we saw many trees ripped up, building severely damaged and many signs destroyed from a wind storm that went through earlier in the day.  30 miles further on, there were drifts of ice pellets in the ditches, remnants of a huge hail storm that went through a couple of hours earlier.  We were very fortunate to be just a little behind these weather problems.  One rider, Brad Haslam did get caught out in the thunderstorm without good rain gear.  When he got to lunch he was pale and in early hypothermia.  Brad got warm and had some food and was able to continue and finish nicely.  in 2007 on the same section of the Elite Tour, Brad fell in a peleton accident, smashed his knee and was unable to continue.  We are all hoping Brad has this bad karma day behind him now.

The last 90 miles after lunch, was filled with rollers and more rollers, but we are getting into a rhythm so the four of us in the group were able to knock them down one at a time  with a team appraoch.  Will and I separately rode a part of the way (30-40 miles) on our own.  For me, this worked out well after the stressful headwind morning and miserable rainy miles it was nice to be on my own for a while.  It helped too because when we all finally got back together, I felt really strong coming through the last 50 miles.

About 2 hours from the end I felt something wrong in my saddle. I kept on riding and when I checked it at the finish found the saddle rails had broken off (see picture) on my well used and comfortable Brooks Swift saddle.  This saddle has over 25,000 miles on it so it was a shame to see it break, but the support crew came up with a Selle An-Atomica that feels very comfortable, at least in the parking lot.



We finished the 205 miles in a little over 12 hours, head wind, trailer time, lunch and several other breaks included, with an 18.4 average, not too far behind the first finishers.  All in all a pretty good day to have in the books.


This is the board we all check at the end of the day for instructions on where to eat, when we start the next morning and where the massage is!



      

Monday, May 20, 2013

Day 9 - Crossing Texas in a day

If you didn't set a personal record for a long distance ride today, you really weren't trying.  With a decent tail wind, a 1,000' drop in elevation and a strong group of riders in a paceline, we blew through the Texas Panhandle on a 180 mile roll today in a little over 9 hours, including lunch and a few more breaks.  Our average speed was 22 mph.  We finished the first 100 miles in 4:45, including 2 rest stops.  We even had a 20 mile section of head wind at the end of the ride to bring us back to a little bit of reality as we crossed into Oklahoma, finishing in Sayre, near the western border.


Our paceline group
 
We started with six riders, then four of us rode the last 100 miles together.  A couple of days ago I was grumbling on this blog about how pacelines didn't work if there were too many riders or if the group couldn't settle in and work together.  Today it was perfect - everyone kept up a good pace, did their turn at the front and looked out for each other.  It was a very good day.

Tomorrow we travel 206 miles to Ada, Oklahoma.  If you have been watching the news you have heard about the terrible tornado touchdowns in the state over the past two days.  Right now the forecast is 50/50 for severe thunderstorms so we will be watching the weather closely.  We will be prepared with rain coats and will keep an eye on where we could go if things get nasty.  I'm sure the tour operators (PACTour) will have some plans too.


Steve Reed, Will Oberton, Rob, Clay Griffin at the finish.
Note the McDonald's in the background where we headed to for a post-ride smoothie

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Day 8 - Hauling to Hereford

Whew!  162 miles, 21 mph average speed, nice tailwind.  Scenic rating = 1 out of 5.  Companionship rating = 5/5.

Will and I rode together today across the rest of New Mexico and into the ranching town of Hereford, in the Texas panhandle.  We had a fine day,  with lots of good chatting and planning for some riding events in Minnesota this fall.

The landscape went from mildly boring with a few small rollers and the occasional grove of trees to virtually flat, semi desert.   As you can see from the pix taken at different points during the day, there weren't a lot of photo ops.  We passed by a huge Cargill feed lot with 1,000s of cattle.  Fortunately the wind was in our favor and we didn't have to endure any ugly odors.

 11:00a
9:00a

                                                                                  12:00p
 1:00p3:00p
 
 
Will and I each had a flat caused by junk on the shoulder - he had a wire, I found a piece of glass.  Susan happened by just as we were starting on my flat and very generously dug out a spare and CO2 cartridge and helped us get back on the road again.
 

 
The other highlight was crossing the Texas state line.  We are now in our 4th state (CA, AZ, NM, TX).
 
Will at the Texas State line.
 



















We met up with Jacki and Rick at the 140 mile rest stop - a Dairy Queen where we could order whatever we wanted! After milkshakes we all rode in together.  Will had been patient all day but with the tailwind and powered by ice cream he led the four of us as we blasted through the last 22 miles at over 30 mph and a fun finish.                                                 


Will leading us along the last 22 miles at 30+ mph!

Rick and Jacki joined us for the fast finish

After a nice massage, Clay and I headed to dinner - everyone was at Pizza Hut.  When we got there many had been waiting for over an hour for their food so we walked a few more blocks and found a nice little genuine Mexican place with fast, friendly service, even though the place was nearly full, and great food, topped with a Mexican ice cream dessert - mucho bueno!

All in all a very good day on the ET.
 
Tomorrow we cruise through the Texas panhandle and into Oklahoma, 180 miles with some wind, hopefully in our favor and more of the same numbing terrain.  We saw the TV reports of devastating tornados touching down in Oklahoma today and can only hope this will pass by the time we get there. 

 

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Thanks for the comments

I really appreciate all the comments posted to the blog or sent to me directly.  Please keep sending your thoughts and encouragement, I really enjoy reading them and it makes it easier to keep posting the blogs.

Rob

Day 7 - Roswell - Hills, Tailwinds and Paceline Curmudgeonry

Today we travelled 170 miles from Socorro to Roswell, over 4 big ridgelines, miles and miles of beautiful desert valleys and a lot of high desert plains.  It was a really nice ride, and a lot of stuff happened.

We started with a six mile gentle downhill that saw all of us in a single 24 rider peleton for a while before a short hill broke us into two groups.  I rode in a pace line in the second group for the first 30 miles, just cruising along but not comfortable.  Later on, three of us formed up another paceline with some different results - see my paceline curmudgeon topic below for more details.

The ridgelines were not as long as yesterday, but the total climbing was about 1,500' more, just over 5,500'.  I felt really good going up the hills, a big improvement since the start of the ride and even a couple of days ago.  Today was our last day at 7,000'.  We ended the day at 4,000' and we have seen the last of any big hills for a while.

The winds were in our favor again today.  Starting with a light crosswind, the wind and our route shifted so we had a good tailwind from midmorning on.  Sometimes in the desert valleys the winds would swirl around, but on the open plains it increased to 20+ mph.  Woo-hoo!

The flag in the picture below is standing straight out near the last rest stop, pointing to Roswell.


Tracey Becken was named crew member of the day when she chased down Brian McGuire after he blew by the lunch stop with his music on.  Several of us saw him go by and yelled but Brian was in a biker trance and kept on rolling.  Tracey jumped on her bike, caught him and brought him back within 10 minutes.  

Susan Notorangelo (PACTour Director), Tracey Becken, Brian McGuire
 

Note: I have been trying to get a picture of Susan's boots and outfit - she wears the boots as long as we are in rattlesnake country. 



Jacki Klancher, our lone woman rider, is laying down a good pace for the rest of her group.  Jacki is doing very well and proven herself to be a strong rider on the hills and in cruising through the long days.


 
 
Along the Way - Alan Johnson
 
Alan has been at or near the back of the group since we left San Diego (see picture above - Alan is at the end of the pace line).  He had a rough first day, but has continued to carry on and has a smile on his face when he finishes every day.
 

 
 
Paceline Curmudgeonry
 
For most of this Elite Tour I have been riding on my own, partly by choice, partly because I didn't come to the ride in very good shape to ride the long hills.  I don't mind riding alone, but do enjoy the company and efficiency of a good pace line.  At the 2010 Elite Tour, I was in really good shape and four of us grouped up almost right away and stuck together for a good part of the ride, especially the flat and windy sections.  We seemed to quickly click on a cooperative style where we all worked together and kept up an even pace. 
Today I rode in a pace line averaging 18-20 mph for the first 20 miles or so.  It was nice to cruise along without much effort, but we had about a dozen riders, which is too many to make it comfortable if you are back more than a few places.  At the first break I decided to go on alone but two riders in the group thought I was just setting a pace so they pulled most of the rest of the group up to where I was.  Soon after that, a number of the riders began to tire and ease up on the pace, which when they were leading the group, really dragged everybody down.  When we hit the first hill the group dissolved and I again went on my own. 
My point to this is not that anyone is a bad rider, everyone here is a strong rider and has some good experience in group riding, it is just that a larger group like this is difficult to manage successfully.  Lon recommends groups of no more than 4.   I think 2-3 is ideal for this kind of ride, unless there is a significant head/quartering wind then a 4th person can be a big help.
 
Later on, when leaving the lunch stop, Tony and I paired up and started on a long downhill.  Since we had just eaten, I was thinking a easy pace of 25 mph would work well. Tony must have had a more energizing lunch and he pushed the pace up to 28-29, which was ok.  When I saw John Newton coming up in my rearview mirror I knew this would be trouble.  John is a locomotive when he gets going so after he hooked onto our group and took his turn to pull, the pace went to 35 mph, on a road with some rough spots, less than a foot between bikes.  I wasn't prepared to ride that fast and after a couple of bumpy pavement sections I decided to back off.  John and Tony continued on for a little longer then split up.  I caught up with both of them at the next rest stop and carried on alone.  I didn't have any problem with what Tony or John did and they are both very good riders  Racers maintain this kind of pace and distance at times too, but it just didn't seem like it was worth the risk of crashing or burning too much energy trying to keep up for this kind of ride.  There were several down hills on today's ride that I was over 40mph, but I was on my own with no other bikes around me so I could see the road ahead clearly and could easily move around rough spots.  BTW - with the tailwind and dropping elevation, we each individually covered the last 65 miles in a little over 3 hours, total time, including two more rest stops.
I am sure there were other fast groups of riders that were maintaining a similar, or even faster pace, but either I am getting too old to
          1. keep up this kind of pace, or
          2. am not comfortable with the risk anymore.  
 
To me the goal of a ride like this is to complete it safely and have fun too.  Going fast is cool and can be fun, but beyond a certain point, can be dangerous and not worth the risk, at least to me.
 
Tomorrow I think I'll start off riding on my own again, and look for another rider or two that wants to cruise along at a decent pace that we can all enjoy.  If this doesn't happen, it looks like we will have tailwinds and a relatively flat 163 mile run to Hereford, Texas, which should be no problem for solo or group riders.


Friday, May 17, 2013

Day 6 - Solo to Socorro

Every day is a new day on the Elite Tour.  Yesterday was a struggle for me to finish, but today was a great day.  We covered 155 miles from Springerville, AZ to Socorro, NM.  I decided to just cruise on my own and really watch my food and water and stay at a comfortable pace.  We started at 4,800' and 40 degrees this morning, which was a perfect start for us, after several hot days.   The terrain was generally rolling up to 8,100' then dropped to 4,600' at the finish.  Winds were generally a quartering tail wind, except for a five mile stretch just outside of Socorro where we dragged through a 20 mph headwind.  On the final screaming descent into town, Tony Koester and I turned on the jets to finish strong. 

Lon Haldeman set the course record for this section two years ago, in 8:25 (on a single speed!).  Today two riders, Clay, my roomie, and Will (from Minnesota) teamed up to turn in a 8:11 time - nice ride, guys!  Everyone made it in fine with no incidents - a nice day on the Elite Tour!

There was a rest stop right at the highest point, near Pie Town, NM, and the Continental Divide.  Here is the treatment some of us Elite Tour riders get from PACTour support crew members when we reach these high points in the ride!



Doug Slack & Lynn Anne Vesper give me the royal treatment, with a neck massage and grapes!
 
Tomorrow is more of the same, another 15 miles longer (170 miles), across more high desert plains and up and over a small mountain range to Roswell NM.   It will be warm so ice socks may be back in fashion.
  

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Day 5 - Winslow to Springerville, AZ - Rest Day?

Today was billed as a rest day - only 120 miles and 4,000' of elevation across the high desert from Winslow to Springerville, AZ.  The wind was a factor though, not in our favor most of the time, and we had a bad accident involving two riders.

The day began with a 30 mile ride along Interstate I-40, heading east.  There aren't too many roads out here so the State Patrol allows bicycles on certain sections of the freeway.  Actually it was not a bad ride, most of the shoulder was reasonably smooth.  We did have 2 flats in the group though from the road junk and small wires from truck and radial tires. 

The big event of the day happened right after the first rest stop, in Holbrook.  Jim Elkins from La Crosse was cruising through town and let go of his handlebars for a second to finish opening a snack.  His bike twitched and he went down in a hard crash at 18-20 mph.  Brett Goett was riding right behind him and was able to miss Jim, but hit his bike and went over the bars.  Brett's helmet was cracked and he picked up some road rash and a mild headache.  Jim was not so lucky.  I was 50' behind them when the crash occurred, when I got to Jim, he was in a lot of pain and couldn't take a deep breath due to a pain in the ribs.  We stabilized him, got the bikes out of the way, traffic under control and called 911.  The police and ambulance arrived and took him back to Winslow where X-rays confirmed a cracked rib and a broken collar bone. 
Jim was released from the ER and was brought to the hotel in Springerville.  He is very disappointed that he won't be able to continue the ride just as things are starting to settle in, but he was able to smile at least a little at the hotel.  He will be travelling with us for another day before being driven up to Albuquerque to fly home to Wisconsin.  Jim was riding very well and said he will really miss the camaraderie that is developing.  Will and I rode with him in Winona in late April.
 
Finally, the last of our group helping out at the accident headed down the road.  We had a fun bunch and made some good time up to the next rest stop. After that, I started feeling a little tired - probably didn't get enough to eat at the rest stop, and I backed off.  Unfortunately the wind picked up and I ended up riding on my own for 15 miles to lunch in a 20 mph varying head/cross wind.  Steve and Clay waited for me (thanks, guys!) and after a great lunch, including mandarin oranges, we headed out again.  The wind was picking up even more and continued to be a nuisance all the way to the next rest stop.  With 28 miles to go we started on the last leg, directly into the headwind blowing across the open desert plains.  Fortunately we started angling more east and at least took some of the edge off the wind.  Our other challenge was the climbing. The last elevation point on the cue sheet was 6,200' (1,400' higher than where we started in Winslow) so when we reached this point, I thought we were done going up.  The road looked straight and flat, but my GPS kept climbing.  It finally peaked at 7,000', with 1,500' of this coming in the last section.  By this time I was getting pretty tired.  Fortunately Clay and Steve stuck with me and we cruised into Springerville just after 3:00p.  A stop at McDonalds for a smoothie hit the spot and Day 5 was in the books after a nice dinner at a local restaurant and an ice cream social, sponsored by PACTour. 
 
 Clay Griffin, my roomie and good guy today
 
 
Steve Reed, my roomie from Desert Camp last year, and another good guy today
 
Along the way.  Bruce Boehm, from Chapel Hill, NC, is our lone recumbent rider. Bruce is doing very well, hanging in on the hills and making up time on the flats and down hills.
 
Brian McGuire, from Phoenix, AZ, was another riding partner today. Brian and I have both done the Taste of Carolina 1200k ride, in North Carolina although in different years.
 
 
 
Tomorrow is a simple ride to navigate - 155 miles on US 60 through the rest of Arizona and well into New Mexico, stopping finally at Socorro.  We'll bounce along at 7,000-8,100', over the continental divide then drop 3,200' over the last 75 miles.  It will be 39 degrees in the morning, 91 when we finish. Winds will be from the south, up to 20 mph.  No more rest days!