Cycloblogger

Sunday Ride in Shindagin Hollow

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:46:00 +0000

It was rather frustrating to see the snow melt away over the past couple of days, not because I miss it that much, but because I am not an adept of this tease-me type of weather. A week of snow, a week without snow, and so on. It is difficult to enjoy it either way. Nonetheless, after a long hiatus from the bike, Ben suggested we go for an early afternoon ride. The sun was out and the roads were clear, so we thought initially, and the temperature was hospitable. What a great idea!

Ben on White Church

Without a route in mind we set off at about 1:30pm from my place on East Hill towards Brooktondale. My only request was to stop at the local market on the way back. Ben agreed. None of us was in the mood for great adventures or strenuous efforts. The idea was to keep it simple. We decided to follow White Church and then Coddington to 96B and continue on an inverted Honeypot ride. But once we got to 96B we both found it best to cut the ride a bit shorter, taking Prospect Valley towards Shindagin Hollow.

Geese and cows on Prospect Valley Rd

All was well and we were moving leisurely along, interrupted occasionally by my request to take a picture here and there. We reached Shindagin Hollow and suddenly ahead lay the problem. The road was covered with snow and ice. Neither had studded tires, at least not on the bikes we were riding. After a brief pause we plowed along in the snow, at times walking at times riding. Eventually it became very icy and the inevitable happened. I went down with a thump. The bike slid underneath me and I fell butt first on the ice. In a jiffy I was back on my feet. We continued.

Curious horses

However amusing it was, we were making little progress and there were still a few miles to go. The road did not get better so we decided to turn around. This time Ben led the way and again the inevitable occurred. Ben went down with a thump, followed by another thump. The latter one was I. None of us was injured and we were back on our feet, this time more cautiously.

My short term memory does not seem to function well because once I found a nice icy stretch I decided to try to drift a bit while holding my bike. This was fun! Until I lost balance and found myself trying to get it back in vain. I was well beyond stability. It is then when both my feet went straight into the air. Instead of letting go of my beloved bike I decided to grab it. It too went in the air with me. Now I had a problem. There was not much I could do other than hope for the best. My bike and I entangled fell together with a large thump. This time it hurt. Ben had front row seats to this debacle and could give a better account. In the end I found myself with a mighty bruise on my right arm and a bent rear fender on my bike. After a bit of pulling and twisting my wheel was free to rotate. But my tire was hissing. Great. A flat.

Snow and ice were difficult to deal with

The decision was made to move onto firmer, i.e., non-icy ground. It is then when Ben realized that he too had a flat. Both rear flats. Deep inside I felt misfortune was handed evenly. It was cold and we hoped that our larger tires could keep us going maybe out to Brooktondale, where we could fix our flats in the comfort of a heated space. That did not happen. We did stop once to inflate our tires a bit. Along the climb on Brailey Hill I was riding my rim. Out of the saddle I went to remove the load off the back of my bike. Ben convinced me it was better to stop. He too wanted to fix his flat.

My flat was caused by a thorn, which I successfully removed. Ben's originated from some sort of metal wire. Altogether the fix took a bit long, mainly because Ben's spare tube was that of a mountain bike, not the best fit for his rim. It all worked out and we climbed aggressively, now on a sticky and muddy road, with thoughts of smooth pavement. My feet were freezing. How I regretted that moment when I decided to leave my shoe covers home. But the end was near.

The gray clouds with which our ride began were now gone and in their place stood a wonderful palette of sunset colors. We were on Central Chapel Rd, on our way back to Ithaca via Brooktondale. It was getting late, and the market was already closed. I ended the ride longing for a treat from the market, but happy to have ridden, bruise, flat and all.

A nice reward after our troubles

Run, run and keep running

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Last year I racked up more than 1,000 winter miles between November and Februrary. I had a goal for June, the Shenandoah 1200K. Although I am signed up this year for the 1001 Miglia Italia in August, I didn't feel pressed to accumulate those winter miles. And there is also the fact that now I have a really nice steel bike that I do not want expose to all the salt thrown on the roads. My desire was to stay fit, but I hate trainers. I bought one last year and used it twice. Now a friend has it. Then I had the idea to start running.

I always enjoyed running, but never took it too seriously. When I did, in my teens, I got really fast and skinny, but less attractive to girls. At that point in my life girls were a lot more important to me. So I started going to the gym and stuck with soccer until 2007 when I tore my ACL. That brought me to cycling.

Late Fall I bought a pair of nice running shoes and started running 2-3 times a week, anywhere between 6-10 miles at a time. Most of these runs were with my friend Ben, who is an exceptional cyclist. What became clear to me is that his dominance in cycling did not translate directly to running. Maybe I could be actually decent at this. A few days ago while running down the hill to Ithaca I suddenly thought of the lake. Why not run around it? Well, for starters that's about 90 miles. Secondly, it's winter. I put the idea in my head to run around lake Cayuga on Dec 31st. A caring soul brought me to my senses and suggested I go for a 30 mile run to test my legs. During the week I planned the run, a map of which can be found here. It turned out to be about 42 miles.

I went to bed last night a bit nervous. It looked like the temperature for the beginning of the run would be around 16F. That was a bit too cold. I managed to wake up at 5am for an early breakfast. I went back to sleep and woke up around 7:30am and left the door at precisely 8am. Already during the first 3 miles I started to feel my calves a bit. This was not going very well.

At the 3 mile mark I met up with a friend, John Dennis, who ran with me for about 3 miles. It was very nice. We both chatted a bit and time went by quickly. I was to meet another friend at the 6 mile mark, but I messed up my predicted arrival time, so we missed each other. I just kept on going. Now solo.

At the 3 mile mark

I immediately noticed that distances were a lot harder to deal with mentally while running when compared to biking. On a bike, if you see the road go on for a few miles, you tend not to worry too much about it because you know it will take you just a few minutes to get there. On a pair of legs it takes a lot longer. I tried to keep my eyes on the horizon, concentrating on my breathing and just the emptiness in my head. At one point I saw a huge flock of geese hovering around a field. It was beautiful to watch them. They settled and as I ran by they all took off and resumed their coordinated movement in the air. Quite something.

My next cue would be on Lake Ridge Rd. This road took ages to show up. And when it did it seemed much longer than I had anticipated. At this point I was suffering in a pretty brutal headwind. My legs started to hurt. Mainly my feet. Oh boy, I'm not even half way there. I would see a stop sign and think, this must be it. It wasn't. Finally my cue did show up. I had made it to the halfway mark. It was time to eat.

I stopped at a diner and ordered 3 eggs over & easy with two slices of wheat toast and a chocolate milk. That costed $3.24. I couldn't believe the receipt. Well, I guess running 21 miles for that kind of deal is almost worth it. While I waited for my order I let John know about my whereabouts and asked him for the time: 11:11am. Wow! I really didn't expect to be there before noon. I stayed at the diner for a little over 30min. My legs were pretty stiff at this point. I was encouraged by my time and got ready to go.

The first miles out of the diner were probably my fastest. I didn't have a watch and the cell phone I borrowed was tucked and not easily accessible. I knew this burst of speed would take its toll later on. But I was happy and happy people run faster. It took a while for the pain to settle in once again. My feet were hurting and now my hips were too.

I slowed down a bit but didn't stop or walk at all. I knew if I did I would be tempted to just walk or give up. This is where the determination part really started to become important. I was following the numbers on the mailboxes. 1242... 1220... 1190.. 1100... 1034... 968... 848... 790... 642. This last number I remembered on my way out. One by one, the visual landmarks I had noticed earlier started to appear. This was encouraging. Then I saw a sign. Ithaca 7 miles. At this point I was well beyond my longest run prior, just over 10 miles. Those 7 miles would be the hardest.

My enthusiasm plummeted after a long uphill stretch just before my next cue. Ithaca 6 miles. Oh no, that was just 1 mile. It felt like at least 2. There must be something wrong with these signs, I thought to myself. Oh well.. On my way out I carried a water bottle mostly in my right hand. Every time I tried to switch it to my left hand it would reappear in my right hand, almost like magic. My right arm was tired from carrying that water bottle so I decided to stash it in my rear jersey pocket. I was wearing a winter cycling jacket. For a while the bouncing of the water bottle on my back bothered me, but I must have adjusted my stride because it subsided after some time. Either that or I got used to it. But now I was thirsty, very thirsty. So I started to walk for a bit while I chugged on my water bottle as I ate a Lärabar, which I highly recommend. I had 6 of them with me and I only ate one. I started to run again... ouch. That wasn't easy.

I decided to give John a phone call. I was close to his house. He informed me it was 2:10pm. What? That tailwind must have helped on the way back, although I did feel like my butt was frozen several times. It was still about 2 miles to John's house. Soon I saw him on his bike coming towards me. We both greeted each other and he took a picture of me. I ran with him alongside for just a few hundred feet and decided to stop. This was hurting too much. I began to walk and he joined me for about 2 miles. We chatted about many things and it took my mind off the cold and the pain I was feeling. I continued to walk home, now at even a slower pace. At 3:50pm I walked into my house. 7h50min of total time, including the diner stop and the 3 mile walk at the end. I was not exhausted. I actually felt great in terms of cardio fitness. I guess the 8,000+ miles this year on the bike really helped me with that. The feet and hips were another story. They hurt.

39 miles in

I was able to muster a smile

90 miles around Cayuga Lake? I don't think I'm quite ready for that. But I feel good and happy about the accomplishment. The time wasn't too shabby either. Foremost I was happy to finish uninjured. I celebrated with two glasses of maple milk. Delicious.

Columbus Day Weekend in Vermont

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Since I started cycling a little over a year ago, I have always enamored the idea of climbing a real mountain. Earlier this year I learned about a ride in Vermont called the Six Gap ride, a challenging 132 mile loop over six mountain passes. Columbus Day weekend coinciding with the peak in fall colors seemed to be the perfect occasion to celebrate the epilogue of a wonderful cycling season. In addition, I had the great company of my friends Ben and Olivia for the weekend, along with several members of our local cycling club, the FLCC. I left Vermont longing for more.

Six Gap Ride
Everything was fairly organized for our departure at 2:30pm from Ithaca. I got delayed because of a research meeting, but made good time getting out of the house, and managed to arrive at Ben's by 2:15pm. Ben had already disassembled his tandem for the trip. After loading the bike and bags we picked up Olivia on the Cornell campus. I was quite excited about this trip. The promise of a challenging ride with great company was something to look forward to. Perhaps the only deterrent could be the weather, which had not been very pleasant during the first two weeks of October.

Our drive to Vermont went without incident, except for a few missed turns along the way. I would rather miss some turns than have to listen to the annoying GPS voice. We made a dinner stop at the Blue Ben Diner in Bennington. The food was good and the diner quite charming. By the time we drove into Vermont it was already dark. It turns out I would see Vermont for the first time only after beginning the Six Gap ride.

Our destination was the town of Ludlow, at the base of Okemo mountain, a popular ski destination. There we would be staying with other FLCC-ers at the Trojan Horse Lodge. Ben, Olivia and I arrived shortly before 10pm I believe. We were greeted by Randy and Sam. Other FLCCers already present were Eileen and Brenda with her son Jordan. Our 132 mile ride required and early start if we had any hope of finishing in daylight. I wanted to get a decent amount of sleep before the ride, so I made sure to organize everything for the next day before chatting with others at the hostel. Unfortunately there was no internet at the hostel, but Olivia let me use her iPhone, so I was able to send out an e-mail to Patrick, a rider from Burlington that would join us for part of the ride and another to Rob, an FLCC-er that also would ride with his friend Jesse. Sam completed the list.

It was past 11pm when I managed to get in bed, after briefly speaking with Andrejs, who had arrived with his wife Diana. Andrejs was the one who suggested I stay with the FLCC touring group in Ludlow for the weekend, instead of driving out of Amherst, MA, as I had originally planned. For one, instead of driving 2h+ to the ride start in Rochester, VT, I would drive less than an hour. Furthermore, we would be able to spend some time with the other cyclists in the evening.

I woke up rather reluctantly to the alarm clock at 5am. We had to leave by 6am at the latest if we were to start at 7am. The morning was wet and cold. Drizzle was predicted for most of the morning and it would clear up during the afternoon. The good thing about driving to a ride far away is that a no-ride is not an option. I had fenders and I was really happy about that. Actually, it is difficult for me to conceive of riding without fenders in foul weather since I started using them.

The drive to Rochester was in the dark. Only once we got there did I finally get a glimpse of Vermont. After meeting up with Rob and Jesse we began our ride. First in line was Brandon Gap. It was long, but the slope was gentle. I was the first over the summit and immediately went down the other side. I must say that I like to descend more than I like to climb. The first couple of curves required full attention, but I managed to go through them without braking. Close to the bottom I slowed down to check a side road as Ben and Olivia zipped by me on the tandem. I chased and we stopped at a little store. A few minutes went by and none of the other riders showed up. I began to worry, so I decided to backtrack. I didn't get far before I saw everyone coming down the mountain. Luckily it was only a flat.

The terrain from the bottom of Brandon Gap to Middlebury Gap was mostly flat, a slight downhill I would say. We rode past Lake Dunmore on a particularly beautiful stretch of the ride. The foliage was exuberant and few cars were on the road. It was still rather cold, however. This slight inconvenience would be taken care of by the next climb.

Middlebury Gap began with a initial steep section. Sam stopped to shed some layers of clothing. The rest of us continued. Rob and I rode off the front and leap-frogged each other a few times. The climb was very long. It did level out, offering much welcomed respite. The road ran alongside a stream for most of the way up. The pleasant sound of water also meant that the summit had not been reached. The road suddenly became steep once again. Rob reached the summit and I followed shortly after. I could feel my heart beating hard. Two gaps had been conquered and four more awaited us. A few minutes later we were joined by Jesse, Sam, Ben and Olivia. The wind was blowing quite strongly on the summit. Rob was shivering. He had only brought a vest and was not even wearing tights. I offered him a wind shell jacket I carried in my Carradice Barley saddlebag, the first of many offers. He refused. As I pushed my bike towards the downhill I exclaimed "Now is time for the real fun." My Grand Bois "Cerf" tires are excellent at cornering, and I was able to comfortably let the bike go as fast as gravity allows.

We had reached the town of Hancock. There we decided to stop. I could not let pass the opportunity for a sit-down meal at the "Old Hanckock Hotel," where I enjoyed a ham and cheese sandwich along with a glass of Coca-cola. Ben was a bit skeptic of my choice for a sit-down meal, but he did not resist the temptation and ordered chili that he and Olivia shared. During lunch we heard a bit of NPR. On the way out Ben grabbed a muffin. He has been speaking wonders of that muffin ever since. Sam, Jesse and Rob opted for coffee and energy bars at the country store on the other side of the road. We were on our way to the dreaded Lincoln Gap.

The approach to Lincoln Gap road was that of a slight incline. The nature surrounding the roads was exuberant. A real treat to the senses. Patrick had planned to join us for Lincoln Gap, but I had not seen him. Just as we turned off VT100 onto Lincoln Gap Rd I saw Patrick driving his car in the opposite direction. He told us to move on that he would catch up. I had read about a quarter mile section at 25% grade. I joked with Ben, "Where is this grade? Ha ha!" In retrospect I probably should not have said that. Rob, Jesse and I rode ahead for a while. The road switched to dirt for a bit and then became paved once again. Then it became steep, very steep. I thought that a quarter mile was manageable and pushed harder than I should have. I believe I didn't get the grade quite right. The 25% grade section had not yet begun and my legs were shot. This was no good. I didn't have a low enough gear to spin and my legs didn't have the punch to grind. What to do? I considered giving up, but then I started doing switchbacks. This alleviated the grade a bit, but even then I could barely manage to continue. I needed rest, but I could not stop! In order to give my legs a little bit of a break I started doing circles. I would climb a bit, then ride perpendicular to the road, go down a bit and then turn around. This gave my legs enough rest to keep on going. Every glance up the road confirmed the climb would not be over soon. First Rob, then Patrick, and Sam passed me towards the top of the climb. Finally Ben, Olivia and Jesse also passed me. Then, all of a sudden it was over. This certainly was the closest I have come to giving up on a climb. I had started the climb too quickly and drained my reserves too early. In the end I made it, and now was time to go down. What an awesome descent! The beginning was very steep with many tight curves on dirt. I demanded a lot from my brakes and they performed superbly. Along the way I stopped for a few pictures. Ben and Olivia were the first to join me. Once the rest of the group caught up we continued our ride towards the Appalachian Gap, finish line of the Green Mountain Stage Race.

At this time the clouds had moved elsewhere. The sun was shining in a blue sky. It still was cold at about 2pm and we had three gaps to climb. It would be difficult to finish the ride in daylight, but we had lights, so I was not too worried. We decided to keep stops to a minimum. Our next stop was just pass Baby App Gap, at a country store. There I bought some water, Gatorade and maple sugar. About a mile after we left the store Patrick got a flat. He urged us to continue. After his showing on Lincoln Gap, I was not worried at all. App Gap is a great climb. Only towards the end does it get uncomfortably steep. Even then, you are able to see the summit, so there is no deceit. Best of all, along the way the markings from the Green Mountain Stage Race were still there, so you knew how far you were from the top. I didn't resist and had to lift my arms as in a victory salute as I crossed the finish line, i.e., reached the summit. Rob followed and then Patrick, Jesse, Ben and Olivia joined us. The view from the summit was quite spectacular and well worth the effort to get there. Almost as spectacular was the ensuing descent. Tons of fun.

The day was growing old and it was quite clear we would either have to ride in the dark or cut the ride short. We opted for the former. After a brief stop at a convenience store we made way towards Warren, on the foot of the Roxbury Gap climb, fifth on the list. In Warren Patrick wished us luck and drove back to Burlington. Unlike the previous gaps, Roxbury had little to no traffic. On this ride there were no easy climbs. Roxbury had a sustained grade up to the top, with a little kick at the end. This time there were no markings to indicate the summit. Not that they were really necessary. A wicked descent was visible from the summit. The sun was now low on the horizon, illuminating the valley below. As had been customary, we regrouped at the summit and took a quick break. I had been drinking chocolate milk on almost every summit. A great treat. The tandem flew down the mountain and I followed as close as I could. At the bottom we had just one gap left. It was getting dark.

We were able to reach the town of Randolph, close to the beginning of the last of the gaps, Rochester Gap, still in twilight. There we refilled our water bottles and had a bit of food. I put on some reflective gear and a light on my helmet, in addition to my dynamo powered headlight. Rob finally took up my offer on the jacket. He was shivering and the jacket would help him stay warm. Unfortunately we would not be able to enjoy the view from Rochester Gap, so there is not much to say about that. On the other hand, there is some to say about the climb. It is long! Not terribly steep. In honesty, after Lincoln Gap, the other gaps are not as hard.

We did it! All of us were pretty happy at the end of the ride, and tired, and hungry. But we had all climbed the gaps, no one had walked, although I came close. In Rochester we took celebration pictures and parted ways. Ben, Olivia and I arrived in Ludlow just in time for some soup. We spoke with others at the hostel and then went for a stroll in Ludlow. The soup was great, but we needed more food. A local indicated a bar that served food until late. We shared a veggie pizza and cajun fries. Not a crumb was left.

Dirt Road Ride
The next day Ben, Olivia and I took it easy. We allowed ourselves to enjoy a good night of sleep. Late in the morning we drove to Quechee for the Annual Ibex tent sale. Ibex sells wool clothing, including cycling jerseys, bibs, shorts and other items. We made great purchases and were eager to ride in our new clothes. The owner of the bike shop in Ludlow, Mountain Cycology, really took the time to talk to us. Ben and him discussed tandems extensively. We then asked for some ride tips. Specifically, we were interested in a dirt road ride. He suggested a 30+ mile loop with a climb into the Coolidge State Forest. With a map in hands we stopped at the local bagel place for lunch before we began our ride a little late, at about 3:40pm. It turns out our timing was perfect. After a tough climb on dirt, we were rewarded with a view of mountain tops everywhere. The foliage was beautiful and the sun low on the horizon made for great pictures. I savored every moment. A sequence of fast descents brought us back to Ludlow just in time for Eileen's delicious lasagna. Dinner was complemented by a visit to the local ice cream shop.

The next day we drove back to Ithaca. The weekend was wonderful, but I wished it had lasted longer. I will return to Vermont, I am sure.

Links
Information on the Six Gap Ride
Patrick's Pics

Buck Hill Cyclocross

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Today I was signed up for one of my favorite centuries, the Five Lakes and a Steak starting from Watkins Glen. Since I had already rode this century a few times, the forecast of rain made me change my plans. If it was going to rain, I might was well get really dirty as opposed to just a bit dirty. Sometime Saturday afternoon I decided to give cyclocross a try and sign up for Buck Hill Cyclocross. I didn't have the right bike, nor the right tires. But I like getting dirty, and mud was promised, so the fun factor was guaranteed.

Ben Kraft and I carpooled to Mecklenburg, arriving at about 9am. I had some hope of competing in the masters category, since after all I am 31 and according to page 5 of the UCI rulebook I am eligible for that category. Not that I was seeking an advantage, but I knew several masters such as Ernie Bayles, Glenn Swan, Jack Rueckheim, Bill Erickson, Mark Shenstone, Bob Nunnink and Wayne Gottlieb. So I thought it would be fun to race with them. In addition, I could also try to race twice, since the open men's category had a later start. However, I guess I don't have enough gray hair or I'm not bald enough, so I was denied entry. The positive side is that I was be able to cheer for all of those guys, and I did!

At the sound of cowbells the masters came and went like a stampede. Since the start was very close to a triple barrier followed by lots of tight turns, things got jammed up a bit on the first lap. On the second lap the first positions were defined and pretty much remained that way to the end. Of note was Glenn's recovery from an early gap to secure the third position. Bill also fought back on the last lap and reclaimed the fourth position. I remained mostly next to the organizers table and had a good view of the race while I drank cider and ate apples and bagels. Breakfast at home was rather meager. Most of all I enjoyed encouraging the riders as they passed. Some of them acknowledged the cheering, but that was not expected. I also got a sense of what I was in for. You could literally see the pain in the faces of the riders as the laps progressed. Ouch!

I told Ben that all I wanted is not to be last. Even if that happened, I wasn't going to be too disappointed. I was told about the importance of getting a good starting position and to come around the barriers as close to the leaders as possible. On the other hand, this was a first time event for me and I had no hopes of placing among the first finishers, so I didn't want to get in the way. With the sound of cowbell, so awesome, we were sent off. I arrived at the first set of barriers in about 20th place. I passed a couple of riders as we jumped over the barriers and another few as we got to open road. I still could see Ben in front of me, so I knew I wasn't too far from the front. In the first lap I was certainly going faster than what I could sustain for an hour. But it was fun! I really enjoyed the muddy sections and in particular a flat stretch in the woods with a few gentle curves followed by a hump and a sharp left turn. I always seemed to either gain on riders in front of me or distance myself from whomever was behind me on this part. As the first lap ended I passed Eli Robinson on the triple barrier and I thought that was cool. He dropped me a few moments later. I heard Ernie yelling some good advice about pacing yourself and the amount of laps left. Acknowledged.

At the beginning of the second lap I was in a group of riders with Syracuse Bicycle jerseys. For a few laps we just shifted positions a bit. I felt I could go a bit faster, so I tried to pull away a few times, but I was caught on the open sections of the course. I had a bit of an incident with another rider when we came to a left turn. My MTB has disk brakes, so I could wait until the last moment to negotiate some of those tight turns. I decided to try to overtake a rider on the inside before turning, but I felt there wasn't going to be enough room, so I hit the brakes and slowed down to allow the rider on the outside to take the turn. However, he slid and went down. He was pissed. Probably rightly so, I'm not sure. I don't have cyclocross experience but I watch a lot of Formula 1, and there you can overtake on curves, on the inside, outside, as long as you occupy the space first. I felt he could have turned. Maybe he was a bit startled by the squeal of my brakes. In any case, it was a good opportunity to pull away since he kept yelling at me and I was in no mood to argue.

I managed to create enough space behind me, which I closely monitored with my helmet-mounted rear-view mirror, an asset other riders did not have. Only two riders passed me, one of which was the race leader and eventual winner, Steve. He went by so fast I figured it couldn't have been one of the guys I was with. I asked him if I was being lapped, but there was no reply. The other rider who passed me was Ethan Suttner. He managed to create a gap that I wasn't able to close. I had decided to go all out on the last lap and was saving some energy for that, but it didn't happen. Since I was lapped, I did one lap less than everyone in front of me except Ethan, who was also lapped. Oh well, better be faster next time.

At the very end Jeremy Gardner, race organizer and second overall, was about to lap me, but I made sure to put in one last kick to avoid that. Mission accomplished, I didn't finish last, far from it. I ended up in 12th place and was very happy. I was also happy for Ben, who finished 5th.

What I liked so much about the event was the interaction with the bystanders. That sweet sound of cowbell made the day. Ernie was also rooting a lot for me, and that made me want to keep on pushing.

Thanks to Jeremy Gardner, Marcia Swan, Glenn Swan, Mark Rishniw, Sara Barker, and all others involved in putting on this special event. As for cyclocross, I'll be in more events in the future. Thanks to Andy Goodell, I can share the pictures below.

Tour de Shunk 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:25:00 +0000

Last year the Tour de Shunk was scheduled the day after the STAP Ride for Life in Ithaca, during which I crashed for the first time, face first on the pavement. I managed to finish the century, probably hurt my chances in an interview for McKinsey with a chin oozing fluids, but got back to riding in a week or so. This year I had my sights on the Shunk for a while and I was not disappointed. The company was great, the weather was nearly perfect and food was awesome. As far as the route goes, certainly not as tough as D2R2, but a good challenge for most people.

Ben Kraft and Olivia Diamond (aka mean Bilenky tandem team) and I got a ride with Steve Powell. The tandem fit nicely in his SUV and the other bikes went on a rack. We left Ithaca shortly after 6am, arriving at Rocky's Bicycle Shop at about 7:50am. The cold was felt immediately, as the temperatures were hovering 40F. I failed to follow my own advice and did not bring arm warmers or tights along. Luckily I did bring a regular street jacket. Ben had an extra bungee and my bike was equipped with a front rack. So my troubles were solved. I would ride in the jacket till it got warm enough, then I would strap the jacket to the rack with the bungee. Of us all, Olivia was the one suffering the most with the cold. We were all eager to start moving.

Registration went smoothly, only $30 on the day of the event. For that amount we were fed at the 25, 45 and 70 mile marks and served a spaghetti dinner at the end of the ride. In addition, we could sign-up for a massage. The coveted massage lasted about 15 min and was administered by two massage therapists. Upon completing registration, we meet several other FLCCers, including John Dennis, Dan Barbasch, Gary Hodges and Stewart Wolsh. Ithaca was the city with most participants, 12 of the 203 cyclists.

Steve, Ben, Olivia and I decided to leave before the official start scheduled for 9am. The first 13 miles or so, with a total of 19 rollers (I am told), were familiar to me from the PA "Endless Mountains" 1000K. I made sure to notice the skunks painted on the pavement, indicating turns for the ride, and to be on the lookout for horses. Visibility was severly limited by the ubiquitous fog. We rode together at a moderate pace and passed a few other cyclists along the way. Picking the right speed was tricky. Ride too fast and the wind chill would make your fingers really get cold. Ride too slow and you didn't warm up at all.

As if by spell the fog started to disappear and patches of blue were seen in the sky. It would be a beautiful day. I remembered the song "Blue Skies" written by Irving Berlin, in particular as sung by Ella Fitzgerald. I could recall the tune, but not the lyrics, as is always the case with me. So I proceeded to hum along.

At the beginning of the first extended climb we were passed by a large group of cyclists in a paceline. I had stopped to take off the jacket, which was now strapped to my front rack. At this point Ben, Olivia and I separated from Steve. I was told sometime ago that tandems were fast on flats and slow on climbs. Not true for the tandem captained by Ben. I was happy to follow the pace. Along the way up the hill we passed a few cyclists. On the descent I tucked in behind the tandem and took advantage of all the draft I could get, making sure no other rider sneaked in front of me, robbing me of the awesome downhill advantage.

We had reached the 25 mile mark and the first snack stop. I still had plenty of water in my Camelbak, so I just drank some Gatorade and ate a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies. They were bite-size and delicious. At the stop we met up with Stewart along with a few Big Horn Velo riders out of Elmira. We left together just as Steve arrived at the stop.

The next 25 miles were a blur. We were moving swiftly on a downhill section followed by a flat stretch. I did not see much. Before I knew it we hit the 45 mile mark. Ben, Olivia and I decided to split from the rest of the group to enjoy more of the scenery. Riding in the paceline required attention that could not be devoted to the surroundings.

We allowed ourselves plenty of time to eat and relax in the sun. At this stop we saw several of our cycling friends come and go. Among them Blaine Chamberlain, Dan Barbasch, John Dennis and Jim Millar. I even enamored the idea of taking a nap. We left shortly after Steve caught up to us.

For a few miles after the stop we did not encounter a single cyclist. A rider behind us came close and then disappeared. I began to worry that we may have missed a turn. I looked desperately for the painted skunks and to my relief one was seen at a sharp right turn that led to a long ramp of a climb. Just as we turned a large group of cyclists encroached upon us. Our competitive side began to surface! At first I kept my pace and that was sufficient to distance myself from most of the riders that had started the climb at a higher pace than they could sustain. But a few of those riders were now climbing with us. Ben and Olivia were just ahead of me. Then a rider passed us, huffing and puffing as if in distress. I couldn't resist. It was a joy to accelerate on my steel frame with fenders and rack, passing the nice carbon frame next to me and watching it get farther away in my helmet-mounted rear-view mirror as I approached the summit. In the name of fenders!

One of the cyclists joined us for the downhill and ensuing rather flat section until the 70 mile mark. Along the way we passed many more painted skunks on the road and followed a creek for a few miles as well. I was getting a little hungry, so the stop was welcome. I drank some soda and had a few cookies along with a banana. At this point I had the spaghetti dinner in my thoughts, so I did not want to eat too much. This stop, as well as the others, was run by volunteers. Because of their continued dedication over the years, the ride has been very successful. In its current running, the 200 rider mark was surpassed and $6,200 was raised for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Perhaps the most unpleasant part of the ride was between miles 70 and 85. It was mostly on a rather busy road with high speed traffic. Both the tandem and I were eager to get off the busy road, so we worked together and moved efficiently along, passing several riders before we made a right turn that lead us towards the initial section of rollers where we began our ride.

The tandem, smelling the barn, imposed a furious pace. I followed with some difficulty and took advantage of draft whenever possible. We raced up the rollers before plunging down the other side. Other cyclists seemed to be immobile as we zipped by them. On the final turn we caught up with a large group that had stopped alongside the road. A few moments later I noticed we were being chased. I told Ben to go for the sprint and we successfully avoided the catch. Of course this was no race, but we did amuse ourselves.

I made the entrance into Rocky's with a hiss coming from my rear wheel. A piece of glass was stuck in my tire. Even the flat was perfectly timed. No need for a repair until the next ride.

After taking our bikes to the car we enjoyed the homemade spaghetti and sauce, along with two types of salad. Delicious. I didn't get my massage, but we topped the day off with a stop at Purity in Ithaca for ice cream.

FLCC Halsey Valley-Waverly-Spencer Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:48:00 +0000

After my plan to take part in the epic Highlander on Saturday went down the drain because of the relatively high fee and iffy weather, I was looking forward to the FLCC ride. This was my first time on the Halsey Valley-Waverly-Spencer ride, which only had 5 cues, all right turns. Hard to make a mistake, right? I did!

Ben, Olivia and I decided to ride out of Ithaca instead of starting in Spencer. A 8am start would allow for plenty of time to reach Spencer for the official 10am start. Maybe because I have done so many brevets this year, I have become somewhat of a cue-sheet anarchist and haven't taken them on many of the recent club rides. It adds a little adventure to the ride. Besides, with only 5 cues it shouldn't be that hard to remember the route.

Ben had proposed a route that would take us along some very nice back roads on the way to Spencer. The morning was cool and sunny, perfect weather for cycling. Time went by quickly and conversation was very pleasant, interrupted by the occasional downhill. Ben and Olivia make a great tandem team. It was nearly impossible for me to keep up whenever the front of our bikes was pointing down. Uphill the story wasn't too different either. Along the way we stopped to pick some pears and take pictures of a few farm animals. Fall foliage is starting to appear and that was duly noted. It was about 9:30am when we arrived in Spencer. But, where is the start after all?

None of us knew. I somehow had the name "Lake Rd" in my head. We rode around a bit, but no Lake Rd was seen. Fortunately Olivia was able to use her iphone to access the calendar on the FLCC website. The name of the road we wanted to find was Water St. I entered a cafe and got the directions. Once we arrived at the rendezvous point FLCCers Mike Richter, Steve Powell and new addition Mike, a graduate student in the Applied Economics masters program at Cornell, were getting ready to ride. It would be six of us. Steve proposed to make a small detour to Sayre, PA to enjoy a meal at the Banana Curve Diner. I smiled. After applying a generous amount of sunscreen we left shortly after 10am.

The first 13 miles of the ride were very pleasant. Halsey Valley Rd is gently rolling with not much traffic. I noticed a sign that read "Change by Obama" on one side and on the other it cited unemployment rates from July and August, showing an increase of 0.3%. I am not sure the objective was to point out the difference between the two months (since we are speaking of change) or the elevated unemployment rate overall. I checked the numbers with those issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and they are correct. It seems that the intention of whoever put the sign up is to single out Obama. Very misleading... But after a week during which a congressman called the president a liar while he was addressing the house and senate and so much turmoil was created around a speech to children, this does not surprise me. Back to cycling...

The tandem was surely responsible for lifting the pace by a few mph and I was pretty concerned to see 24-25mph on my odometer more often then not. We were moving pretty quickly. But now it was time to turn onto 17C, a busy road with not much to offer in terms of scenery. This road was familiar somehow. It then occurred to me that I had ridden the same road on the second day of the PA 1000K in late June. My suspicions were confirmed when I spotted "Bare Facts," a strip club on the opposite side of the road. Like the day I rode by the first time, it was closed.

Shortly after we passed "Bare Facts," it was time to split. Steve, Ben, Olivia, the new Mike and I were interested in the diner stop. Sam and the old Mike had commitments in the afternoon and needed to return to Ithaca.

The Banana Curve diner reminded me of a function that is often used to test optimization algorithms, the Rosenbrock function: f(x, y) = (1-x)^2 + 100(y-x^2)^2, also known as the banana function because of the shape it resembles. Somehow I think it is unlikely that optimization or the Rosenbrock function was an inspiration for the diner. In any case, most customers at the Banana Curve diner were suspicious of our presence. It was a very conservative setting, with a flare of flags and plaques reminding us of God and slightly xenophobic statements. I was interested in the food, and it wasn't all that great. But this opinion is somewhat influenced by the setting.

Upon leaving the diner we resumed our ride on SR 34 heading north. Within the first mile a driver yelled something offensive at me. Initially I thought he was calling my name, but everyone else was pretty sure he was not. Coincidence or not, this was the same spot where an FLCCer (Don) was almost run over less than a month ago.

Out of no apparent reason, the tandem accelerated. The new Mike jumped on the wheel. I wasn't in the mood for intense efforts while my cheese & broccoli omelet was still sitting in my stomach. Steve and I rode together for a while. But now I could no longer see the tandem. OK, I guess I should chase. Since there wasn't much around worthy of looking at and the wind was blowing pretty fiercely, I put my head down and raised the tempo. After a while I passed Mike and eventually caught up to Ben and Olivia. Then we kept taking turns in the wind, missing our right turn. A couple of miles down the road we realized the turn was taking longer than expected to appear. So we backtracked and noticed that the road was labeled "Dean Creek" and we were expecting "Dean Hill." Close enough.

It took us a while to catch up with Steve and Mike. Both of them were surprised to see us behind them. The morning blue sky had been replaced by thick cloud cover. Rain seemed likely. We rode together for a few miles before arriving in Spencer, the end of the ride for Steve and Mike. Ben, Olivia and I started our last leg to Ithaca. Ben once again had picked out some nice dirt roads on the way back.

We started with East Hill Rd, where we saw a few alpacas and a horse as well. This was followed by Hart Rd, on which we experienced a high speed descent on gravel. Nothing that our tires couldn't handle. After turning onto Danby Rd we began to discuss which road would be best for our last leg. Ben was inclined to take Durfee Hill Rd, but Olivia seemed a bit reluctant. I was neutral. In the end Ben threw in some household choirs in the negotiation. Olivia was convinced.

Durfee Hill initially seems innocuous. But soon the road becomes narrower, more technical and very steep. The climb lasts for quite a while and a misshift to a higher gear in the steepest section complicated things a bit. We made it to the top together, enjoying the remaining miles on our way back to Ithaca with an enhanced sense of accomplishment. I like Durfee.

Ben and I felt this route could be improved by including more back roads, avoiding long stretches on 17C and 34. This will likely add some hills, but on the other hand we spent most of the time on the flat busy roads battling the wind.

FLCC Newark Valley - Maine ride

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:25:00 +0000

The weather in Ithaca has been spectacular in the past few days, a great excuse to get on the bicycle and ride. Today a 72 mile loop was on the calendar, taking us through Speedsville, then south of Weltonville onto SR38 up to Newark Valley. In Newark Valley the group split and those of us longing for more miles continued on Rock St to Maine, heading north to intercept SR38 once again, this time in Berkshire. Glen Rd took us back to Speedsville and familiar surroundings. The mileage was just right, the weather was just right and the company was just right.

This morning I woke up at 8am, with plenty of time to prepare for the 9am start. However, somewhat exhilarated by the 3-1 victory of the Brazilian soccer team over Argentina (in Argentina) of the previous night, I totally forgot about the FLCC ride. With yesterday's win, Brazil is officially qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and continues to be the only nation to have played in all World Cups, starting in 1930. I better not start talking about soccer. In any case, I woke up to turn the alarm clock off, puzzled by why it was even on, and went straight back to bed. At 9:06am I jumped off my bed and realized that I actually had a ride to go to, and that I was already way too late. For a moment I debated on driving to Speedsville for the shorter version of the ride, but in the end I got out of the door as quick as I could and began to chase. This was not my idea of starting a leisurely Sunday ride.

I left on an empty stomach and was not warmed up at all for the effort I was putting out. While on SR79 I debated on whether it might be faster to continue straight instead of taking a right turn onto Brooktondale Rd. I decided to stick with the cue-sheet. However, I was already going up Old 76 and hadn't seen a single FLCCer. I was hoping to catch everybody before reaching Speedsville. For a moment I was frustrated. I had ridden past the start at 9:16am, and I assumed that most had left no earlier than 9:05am. Maybe even later if Gary was there. On the other hand, the same Gary usually takes off pretty quick once the ride begins. There were no major climbs, so the group would remain pretty cohesive. Just as I passed Caroline Center I saw a cyclist around the curve. A strangler! I was filled with hope. I approached whom I believe was Anne Shapiro. I inquired about the rest of the group and to my dismay she said nobody had passed her, and that she was expecting it to happen at any moment. I was perplexed. Had the group taken a different route? After a couple of minutes riding with Anne, I saw a contingent of riders in my rear-view mirror. I had gotten ahead of the group! They decided to take Ellis Hollow to avoid riding on SR79. Whew! I was happy to be part of the ride. It was a smaller group than I would have expected on such a beautiful day, comprised of Stewart Wolsh, Sam Kolins, Eileen Penner, Ruth Sherman, Wayne Gottlieb, Mike Richter, Jim (yellow jersey and old-school Camelbak) and Eric from Waverly, whom I had seen for the first time on a FLCC ride.

We soon were in Speedsville, where we met another first-timer, whose name I did not catch. She was not quite ready to roll, so some of us decided to stop at the nearby gas station to use the bathroom. While there I also bought some Gatorade and an ice cream cone for breakfast. By the time I got back on my bike it became apparent that I would not be able to negotiate a few extra minutes to eat my ice cream. Eating ice cream while you are trying to chase is not very pleasant. I ate as quickly as possible and Mike helped me catch up to the rest of the group. By the time I was settled in the pace line I thought it would be a great opportunity to take a picture. I pulled my camera out of my jersey pocket and turned it on. The lens didn't budge. Oh, silly me I thought. It was in "view" mode. I selected "camera" mode and turned it on again. The lens didn't budge. Oh no! It occurred to me that I had removed the battery to charge the night before and forgot to put it back in the camera. I asked the other riders if any of them had a camera. Unfortunately not. This is why the ride report has no pictures, so you will just have to rely on my lack of adjectives to express how beautiful it was.

Eric was off the front for a good portion of the time we spent heading south on W Creek Rd. I later learned that he was attempting to ride without ingesting carbs, to force his body to use reserves. I spoke to Eric about randonneuring and riding 220+ miles on consecutive days with 3h of sleep. I thought about BHVers Bill Fischer, John Fessenden, Mark Sheehan and also Blaine Chamberlain, who at this point were hopefully enjoying some sleep after their 24h Fake Fleche in and out of Pennsylvania. I had planned to join them, but canceled my participation an hour or so prior to the start.

Left turn on Blodgett Rd. We had reached the southernmost point of the ride. I was talking to Mike when suddenly the water bottle of our addition in Speedsville came loose and hit the pavement. Mike barely dodged the fallen water bottle with his front wheel, the rear wheel having less luck. I observed as his rear wheel went over the water bottle and the cap flew off. Fortunately Mike didn't loose control and nobody was injured. Loose water bottles can be a hazard. After the water bottle was collected we resumed the ride on 38 towards Newark Valley.

Once we reached Newark Valley Ruth, Jim, Wayne and the Speedsville addition decided to cut the ride short by remaining on SR38. They missed the best part of the ride. While some of us visited a gas station for fluids, Stewart rode up Rock St to find a pee spot. Sam did the same later. Eileen then commented about how male riders are careful when in the presence of women. I then plugged-in an advertisement for "Go Girl," a female urination device that allows women to pee standing up without any special skills. I have witnessed some women who can urinate in an upright stance with more precision than most men, but I will not get into that. You can read more about this extraordinarily simple, yet wonderful device here.

We were on the lookout for Sam as we rode up Rock St. "Sam, where are you?," could be heard as we climbed. Finally we spotted his bike and immediately thereafter Sam popped out of the bushes. Rock St continued gently up and then rewarded us with a long and fun descent. Steward rated this road among his top ten in NY. A great addition to the FLCC calendar.

The ride resumed along Tiona Rd after a brief stretch on SR26. The scenery was quite breathtaking. Pavement was in good condition and the rolling terrain provided quality exercise. The group split a bit, with Mike and I hanging a little further back. The beauty of the landscape contrasted with the not-so-beautiful properties and a junkyard along the way. With the rest of the group moving out of sight, I decided to chase. A few rollers later I joined them until we reached our first and only cue-sheet issue. The cue-sheet had us going on Tiona Rd, which becomes Kechumville Rd and then Barnes Rd. However, Kechumville Rd does not really become Barnes. Barnes is a seasonal road with a steep descent on gravel. The main road (Kechumville) bends right where Barnes begins. I was looking forward to some dirt, but decided to not voice my opinion too strongly, as most in the group were on 23's. In the end Barnes won and it was a fun descent. I did hit the brakes briefly as it got pretty bumpy, but otherwise I let the Sam Hillborne roll freely. We regrouped a mile later and proceeded on Hartwell and Turkey Hill Rd into Berkshire.

In Berkshire Sam manifested his discontent for missing the local Chicken BBQ and Bake Sale, which took place yesterday. Funds were donated to the Ruppert family. Maybe our president David Ruppert knows something about this. We all left Birkshire longing for BBQ Chicken, or at least I did. Berkshire Rd brought us over the ridge and back to SR38, where we then took Glen Rd into Speedsville. In Speedsville we stopped again. The "man with the hammer" was hovering around Eric. French cartoonist René Pellarin, under the pseudonym Pellos, depicts this man in the cartoon below magnificently. More about him and some of his cartoons can be found here.

Cartoon by Pellos

The man with the hammer did not bother any of us and we made it to EHP at about 3pm. Stewart would still ride 22 miles before reaching the comfort of his home tallying 116 miles for the day. For all of us this was the first time on the Newark Valley - Main ride. A new addition or not, this ride is a great FLCC event.

FLCC Otisco Lake Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:42:00 +0000

A large contingent of FLCC-ers flocked to Homer, NY from many directions. Then, we seemed to have also left Homer in multiple directions. In the end everyone was accounted for. It was an interesting ride to say the least. Maybe we should start riding Audax style, where a ride captain determines which way to go, how long each rider pulls, much like a captain on a row boat. Everybody works efficiently together, no sprinting off the front of the group. Stops are predetermined beforehand. In France they have been riding like this for over a century. One FLCC-er discovered the limits of the body, by attempting the 100 mile ride out of Ithaca without water or food for the entire ride.

Unlike last weekend, this time I was at the Ithaca start on time. Bill Fischer, John Fessenden, Sam Kolins, Ben Kraft, Stewart Wolsh, Eileen Penner, Gary Hodges, Blaine Chamberlain, Acmae El Yacoubi (aka Ace) and I departed Ithaca at about 8:10am towards Homer. We had just passed Tower Rd when a loud pop startled everyone. John had flatted. He must have had 150 psi in his tires judging from the bang. While we waited for him Gary shot off in the distance, unaware of our incident. I used the time to eat a PB&J sandwich, since I had left home in a rush on an empty stomach. In the interim we were joined by Mark Sheehan, a late arrival.

Once our ride resumed we moved at a brisk pace towards Homer, picking up Ben's brother Max Kraft along the way. Max just completed a 4,087 mile journey over 72 days from Providence to San Francisco as part of the Bike&Build initiative. You can read more about it here. Apparently David Sahn was with Max, but decided to follow Gary as he passed by.

Upon arriving in Homer the group split. Gary, misunderstanding where the ride start actually was, darted off in pursuit of another cyclist ahead of us on SR281. Many, including myself, followed. In my rear-view mirror I thought to have seen Bill, our unofficial ride leader. It turns out I was mistaken. I decided to pull over at a gas station to purchase some fluids. At this time the group that was with me continued. I kept an eye on the road and did not see others pass. I thought this was strange, since I was inside for about 5 min. Once I got back on the bike I noticed the time, 9:58am. This was really strange. Bill had mentioned that we would arrive with plenty of time to spare. In my mind, I wasn't yet at the official ride start and it was already almost 10am. Further ahead I saw an entrance to a park. I remember starting a 65 mile ride last year with the Onondaga Cycling Club at this park. Then Gary came racing towards SR281. He saw the rest of the group continue while he was using the bathroom at the park. We decided to continue on SR281 for a while. Once we arrived in Preble I realized the mistake. This is where we were supposed to end the loop around Otisco Lake, not begin! I suggested we try to intercept the official route by taking a detour to the other side of the valley. There was a dirt road with a mega incline in the right direction. Gary and I turned right instead, hoping for another option. At this point Gary contacted Eileen and we found out they too were trying to cut across to the other side of the lake. According to a couple on a tandem, the dirt road was the only way. Gary and I joined Eileen, Mark and John and up the dirt road we went. This climb resembled the many D2R2 climbs, long and difficult. A gnarly descent followed. I let the Sam roll, reaching almost 40mph. It's a good thing I was on 30 mm tires inflated to 50 psi.

The dirt road intersected Cold Brook Rd, where we should have started the ride many miles earlier. As John and I were waiting for the rest to join us, I heard faint voices in the distance. Then many cyclists crested over a hump. We had been joined by the riders who drove to Homer and started the ride at the correct location. Sam was with them. I can remember Doug Dylla, Rob Ferguson, Steve Powell and his daughter, Sara Strickland, Mary Ann Huntley, Mike Richter, Jim Millar and Keith Dickerson. There were others whose names have slipped my mind. Noticed absences were Bill, Blaine, David and Ace. Further riders not accounted were Ben, Max and Stewart. Assuming they maintained there speed, they would be in Syracuse at that point.

After some debriefing, we rolled on. The group split not long thereafter. I remained in the back of the pack for a bit and then decided to chase the lead group, as many of those riders would also be riding back to Ithaca. Every time I chase I am reminded of the efficiency of a pace line. I was only able to catch them because of a few lumps here and there and a descent on Willowdale Rd. We moved on towards SR174. On the way we had a few spirited sprints. In hindsight I should not have contested them given the cramps I am now suffering every time my legs are not extended.

Gary, Keith, Sam and Mike stopped for a tire repair. Jim, Mark, John and I decided to move on to the first stop of the ride at the D&R Convenience Corner. This is the same place I stopped during my last Otisco ride, on March 21, with a 14F start. While we were replenishing ourselves with fluids outside, I saw Ace come along! What? Where did she come from? What was more surprising is that she did not see Keith, Gary, Sam or Mike. This was weird. I guess strange things happen around Otisco Lake. Ace is fasting for Ramadan. Believe it or not, she was riding without food or water. If she was hurting, it didn't show off the bike. I thought this attempt was pretty crazy. Then I saw Ace with a cup of water. For a moment I thought she would drink. But she didn't. It was only to rinse her mouth. She spat all the water out. Oh, crazy little Ace! We were over 50 miles into the ride at this point. She had also accumulated some bonus miles. We learned from her that she was riding with Bill, Blaine and David, but got dropped along the way. Soon we were joined by the trailing riders. Then suddenly Ben and Max arrived from the opposite direction! They had gone further on SR281 and finally decided to turn around. Stewart almost reached Syracuse before he too turned around and joined the Kraft brothers. According to Ben, he crossed with Bill, Blaine and David. Stewart joined Bill while Ben decided to continue around the lake in the counterclockwise direction. For a brief moment of the ride we were (almost) all together, at the D&R.

The Kraft brothers continued their counterclockwise loop while a few of us decided to move ahead. Ace was struggling. Sam and I dozed off for a bit when we noticed a large gap in front of us. Together Sam and I worked to close the gap to Keith, Mike, Mark, John, Eileen, Gary, Jim and John. We moved swiftly along the valley in a pace line. In no time we had reached Preble. A few phone calls confirmed that Bill, Blaine and David were 5 miles ahead of us waiting at the Cafe Mania in Homer. Our pace line accelerated and I wasn't feeling so great. I needed to eat. Keith and Mike must have peeled off since I cannot remember seeing them at the Cafe Mania. Bill & Co were no longer there. I didn't think twice. I had a delicious quiche and a raspberry frappuccino. Finally I was able to also use a bathroom. It really improved my mood.

While I was savoring the quiche Ben and Max arrived at the Cafe Mania upon completion of their loop. We decided to check on Ace. She was in distress. After mile 70 she bonked and moved with difficulty for 10 miles. At one point she felt very sleepy and had to get off the bike and walk. She was lost somewhere around Homer and would not be able to ride home. Fortunately several FLCC-ers were willing to help. Thanks to Eileen a rescue operation was assembled and Sara drove Ace back to Ithaca. She is now well but I believe the lesson to not abuse of your body in that way has been learned. It will take several days to recover from dehydration. I know this from experience.

Once we were certain that Ace had been found we continued our ride back to Ithaca. The returning leg was rather uneventful, except for the strong head wind we encountered. Working in a pace line greatly reduced the overall effort of the group. Ben and Max peeled off in Freeville. We arived shortly after 3:30pm at EHP. Bill and Blaine were still there. To top off the mystery of this ride, Mark Sheehan showed up a few minutes later, coming up Mitchell Rd. He had been dropped somewhere along US11 before reaching Homer and had continued, joining Bill, Blaine and Stewart in McLean for ice cream. Then they dropped him. I don't know how he ended up on Mitchell St.

It was hard to keep track of all the mishaps. A common denominator was that this was a great day to ride, with manageable temperatures and clear skies until noon.

FLCC Skaneateles Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:57:00 +0000

After completing over 5000 km in brevets this year, I have decided to limit (most) of my rides to 100 miles or less, with an emphasis towards achieving the goal of becoming faster. The Skaneateles ride is advertised as 41 miles in length with a start at the southern end of the lake. If you ride out of Ithaca it brings the total distance to about 100 miles, out and back. So this ride fits into the 100 mile category. I was happy to hear during the week that Bill Fischer and others from Elmira would drive to Ithaca at 7:30am and ride to the 10am start. As the ride day approached, my only concern was the weather.

I woke up at 7am and looked out the window. It seemed as if it was raining. That put me immediately back in bed. 38 min later I woke up again. Now I was late. I looked out the window. In spite of the cloud cover, it was dry. Luckily I had left everything set up the night before, so it took me about 5 min to get out the door. By the time I reached the rendezvous point everyone was gone, except for Mark Sheehan, who had just pulled in. I waited for him to get ready and we left EHP at about 8am. We thought that would be enough time. The only detail is that we had no cue sheets nor did we know which way we were going to get there.

Our laissez-faire approach was actually quite effective. We followed Lower Creek / Upper Creek road into McLean (I find this name amusing for obvious reasons) and then turned left onto Church Rd/Lafayette Rd. At this point I realized we were following the exact same route as the Moravia ride earlier this year. The clock was not forgiving and in spite of our good pace, it would be difficult to make the 10am start. Initially we planned riding into Moravia and then climbing east towards the start. A few miles before arriving in Moravia and only 15 minutes before 10am we realized it would not be possible. At this point in time Mark's GPS came in handy. He found a road that would take us across to 41A, which in turn goes by the Colonial Inn, location of the ride start. At about 9:50am Mark noticed we had about 3 miles left and that at 15 mph it would take us 12 min to reach the start. I didn't question his math, which I now know was correct. However, we were going uphill. I then asked him "Are you going at 15 mph?", to which he replied "No." Neither was I. It was more like 12 mph. Missing the ride start by a few minutes would be very frustrating, so I decided to give it a try. The gradual uphill continued for a while, but eventually it subsided and I made good time. I was happy to see the full contingent still at the start, at 10:01am.

At the start were Bill Fischer, John Fessenden, Sam Kolins, David Sahn, Jim Millar, Steve Powell, Eileen Penner and her guest Kirt (Kirk?). Mark, who pulled in a few minutes later, and I completed the roster. I heard from the others that Gary Hodges would be driving to the start. Gary is known for his last minute / a few minutes late arrivals. Eileen tried reaching him on the cellphone, but reception was bad. Actually, there was thick fog leading up to the start. Visibility was poor. We waited a bit and decided to leave at about 10:20am.

The group remained together only for a few miles. Sam noticed that Kirt has vanished. He tried communicating this to the others, but there was no success. I decided to follow Sam's lead and slow down and wait a bit for Kirt. I suspected he had flatted. In retrospect I should have backtracked. Steve, Sam and I separated from the group. Our decision was poor, since now we had failed to find Kirt and also lost the rest of the group. After a quick 15 miles or so we regrouped in Skaneateles. Eileen was suprised by Kirt's absence, but a phone call dissipated any worries as he was en route.

About a year ago I did my first club ride. It was precisely the Skaneateles ride (41 miles) and also my longest ride at the time. It was a very warm summer day and I managed to dehydrate on that ride, cramping at the end. On the way back I almost fell asleep in my car while driving. Since that scorching day I cannot forgive myself for not swimming in the lake, although I did stand on it during a 108 mile ride in mid-winter under heavy snowfall. I made sure to pack my trunks and a hand towel in my Carradice Barley saddlebag. My swimming companion, Ace, bailed out as she is fasting during Ramadan, and a 100 mile bike ride is not advisable without food or drink. The other swimming partner John Dennis could not join because he is in Canada for his son's college debut. So I had no swimming companions. I hate to hold people up, but I think of club rides as social events, where stopping and enjoying what the ride has to offer is part of the package. I'm glad a few riders decided to wait and Jim even joined me for a dip. I was a bit disappointed that I was only allowed to swim in a minuscule square area of the lake and only in the presence of life guards. At times like this I miss the lack of prohibitions. Lifeguards were not on duty, but I jumped in anyway. I did not want to raise too much attention, so I confined myself to immersing my head under water, no swimming. We should do a night ride where everyone jumps naked in the lake. That would be fun.

My impromptu dip-in-the-lake allowed Gary Hodges and Kirt to catch up. Then Gary, Jim, David, Eileen and Kirt had pastries at the Sherwood Inn Patisserie. Sam and I waited at the park on the lake. Once the croissants et al. were eaten we joined the rest of the group at the firehouse on Nunnery Rd. They serve a pancake breakfast on Sundays it seems. At this point I had only eaten an energy bar since the previous evening and already tallied 50 miles plus (and the dip in the lake). I was hungry and not having something to eat was not an option. However, I was short on money. I only brought my credit card and $2 for swimming (in case the lifeguards were on duty). It turns out that for non-residents, the fee is actually $3. Even with the swimming savings I was $4 short. Bill was kind enough to lend me the money. I got in line and Gary approached me to say that everyone was leaving. Great! I tried to eat as quick as possible, and I even forgot to take a picture of the quite ingenious pancake contraption. This consists of a rotating disk about 4 ft in diameter that is heated from below and upon which the pancake mix is poured in consistent amounts by another clever gadget. The mix is poured on one side and before a full revolution the pancakes are ready to be eaten. Amazing! Along with two pancakes I had orange juice and two eggs. I must have eaten all that in less than 3 min. I was eager to get back on the bike and rejoin the group. That took a while.

I was reminded that any speed above 0 mph is infinitely faster than 0 mph. I didn't want to push too hard, given the extra 30 miles I would ride on the way home. I only caught up with the group towards the end of the ride. First I passed Steve on Scott Gulf Rd, then I met Gary and Eileen at the Bear Swamp turn. They were waiting for Kirt, who I had not seen. Gary then told me that the remainder of the group had continued up Scott Gulf. I then caught a glimpse of them and unlike the others, I was undeterred by gravel on my 30 mm Grand Bois tires, soon catching up to David, then Mark and finally Sam, Bill and John. Just in time!

The ride back to Ithaca was spirited with John and I challenging ourselves up some of the hills. After a stop in McLean, we arrived at EHP at about 3:30pm. It was a great day to ride, even if not the most beautiful.

D2R2 - Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnée

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:47:00 +0000

It was only a day before this ride that Peter Ozolins shed some light on the origin of the acronym. Two D's and two R's. That simple. I was seeking for some connection to a droid from Naboo. I disagree with the first of the letters. Yes, it starts in Deerfield. However, a "D" for devilish would be more fitting. If you are in seek of a one-day challenge, this is quite the ride. It was a hot sunny day and buckets of sweat poured down our legs. In the end, most of us were happy. Unfortunately one of our local riders, Brian Lawney, suffered a broken collarbone. I suspect he will be back next year.

It was Brian Lawney who posted information about D2R2 a few months ago on our local cycling club list. At the time I had just finished the Shenandoah 1200K and was getting ready for the PA 1000K, so I put a little asterisk next to the e-mail and visited the link. It seemed like a great ride. The summer came and I finally was able to order the parts for my new bike, the Sam Hillborne. Glenn and his dexterous assistant David built the bike and Ben helped me with the fenders and rack. D2R2 was the perfect occasion for a maiden voyage. Every component of this bike was selected with thought, the tires even more so. I chose the beautiful Grand Bois "Cyprès" 30mm tires for comfort and their excellent cornering adhesion. I was eager to ride.

Ithaca was well represented at the start by Brian Lawney, Laura Kozlowski, Peter Ozolins, Ben Kraft, Jake Bolewski and me. I also met several fellow randonneurs from the PA series, including Bill Fischer and Jack Brace. Just before 6am most of us were occupied with breakfast and registration. Brian was still in his street clothes and taking pictures of the riders and bikes. The organizers allowed riders to start anytime between 6am and 7am.

Stage 1: Deerfield to Heath (35.7 miles, 5750' total climbing)

Peter, Ben, Laura and I started together at about 6:30am. There was thick fog everywhere and I remember thinking it was a cloudy day. Soon the pavement was replaced by dirt and the sun was visible and shining bright. Often we were under heavy tree cover, and it became quite dark all of a sudden. Just a few miles into the ride we were passed by a large group with matching cycling jerseys. They furiously speed by us and Ben was tempted to chase. He did so for a bit, but eased off. This was no race. A couple of miles down the road we passed the same group, which had now stopped to fix a flat. I did not resist and said "30 mm" as I road by, crossing my fingers at the same time. Eventually we were catching up to riders that had started before us. Of note was a hog in the middle of the road. I had to dismount and take a picture. A perfect mascot for such a ride. As we rode on it was interesting to see how different the riders and their bikes were. At the first water stop I was amazed to see a rider with Zipp aero wheels. That is just nuts. We were told that the climbing was about to start. What? Oh, so true.

Before the ride I had commented how I rarely took pictures of climbs. Most of the time I am suffering and taking pictures is not the first thing that crosses my mind. I do regret it later, however, as I have no evidence of the hills that were conquered. D2R2 would be no different. You can believe me, but I encourage you to experience it. The climbing was unrelenting. Just before the end of Stage 1 we started a very steep climb on asphalt. I got a bit cocky and went to the front passing all the carbon people. I miscalculated the length of the climb and soon I was being passed by everyone else. That effort would have dire consequences for many miles.

Atop of the hill was the control. There we found water and food. I was already exhausted and we had only ridden a little over a quarter of the total mileage. I was enjoying my ride on the Sam, but at times I was longing for a lighter bike. How mean of me. I seized the opportunity to wash my face and hands with cold water, proceeding to refuel with a PB&J sandwich. Brian and his team caught up to us at the control. We exchanged our impressions of the ride so far and all agreed it was living up to the promise.

Stage 2: Heath to Green River Covered Bridge (28.7 miles, 3550' total climbing)

Archambo Rd. Hillman Rd. Archambo, Hillman. Those names will be remembered in every cell of my body. Generations to come (in the event of a successful lineage) will prick their ears up to these words. First Archambo, a 27% grade beast with loose gravel. Most of the riders dismounted. Few were lucky enough to make it to the top without unclipping. I am proud to be one. The 30 mm tires had a greater role to play than my legs. The heavier frame also helped retain traction. In the end I was glad not to be beaten by the hill. Hillman was waiting. Hillman is deceptive. It starts out at a moderate grade and rolls into a false flat. "Ha ha! You are nothing," I thought. Well, Hillman had the better of me. I did reach its summit, but not much was left. My smile had been replaced by grimace. The ride was still far from over.

Eventually we began to descend. Is this possible? Am I dreaming? It is on the descent where the Sam shines. I felt confidence in each corner, cruising down the hill. My only worry was the rattling of the stainless steel water bottles. Had they not been there I would have gone faster. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. On our way to the lunch control an ambulance passed us. It was evident that one of the riders was injured. Further up the road we passed the ambulance and I recognized the rider's jersey. It was the same as Brian's. I commented to Peter that the rider was probably in Brian's group. Ben joined us and told us that it WAS Brian. We continued, knowing that he was being taken care of. At the lunch stop I asked one of his team members about Brian. I was told he broke his collarbone. I felt for him, since I knew he was very enthusiastic about this ride, and to have it end like that is a bummer. His love for dirt roads will surely bring him back next year.

The lunch stop was sprawling with cyclists. It was conveniently located next to a covered bridge and we had access to the river. It didn't take long before I was barefoot walking into the river. I dipped my head in the water and washed my face and arms. How refreshing. A huge line of hungry cyclists had assembled. After my turn in the line I was content to eat a baked potato, chips, a hard-boiled egg and a PB&J sandwich. We also caught up with Jake of the Cornell Cycling Team. He decided to join us for the rest of the ride. At the control I spoke with Jack Brace. He was not feeling well at all and decided to call it quits. I have no idea how many riders quit along the way, but I am sure that the heat had a large role to play. Drinking enough and replenishing electrolytes in the right amount is not always easy. I guess the body has very complex mechanisms to ensure the proper balance, but we must provide it with the ingredients in manageable amounts.

Stage 3: Green River Covered Bridge to Patten Hill (32.8 miles, 4970' total climbing)

"This section has three hard climbs and then a monster, but there are flat stretches in between."

The words above were displayed on the ride cue-sheet. I deleted them on my own version. I did not want to know. Each turn was for me just a name. Just one more mile, up or down did not matter. I would take the pain and the pleasure of the ride. That being said, I did suffer quite a lot. Soon after we left the lunch control I was dropped. I had been here before and I knew it was important to take it easy as the route allows. Probably the hardest moment of the ride occurred when I rejoined the group at an impromptu water station. Everyone was holding a Gatorade in their hand. I was offered one and I gladly accepted. Only to find out a few seconds later that none were left. The disappointment I felt was so large and was exacerbated by the joy every other rider felt as they swallowed their Gatorade. As a consolation prize I took a bottle of water. Not all was lost. I noticed that one of my water bottles still had a rather concentrated lemonade mix in it. That together with the fresh water would make for a Gatorade-like drink. The little pleasures of life are so meaningful.

The struggle continued. On the climb I would get dropped, on the descent I would make time and on the flat I would keep up. At some point during the ride Peter's GPS began to disagree with the cue-sheet. The GPS nor Peter were at fault. He had downloaded the route from somebody else that had made it available on the internet. The person who mapped the route did not check thoroughly enough and some turns were missed. I didn't miss the turns because I was following the cue-sheet. These slight deviations allowed me to catch up with the group. At one point I was even ahead. I had seen how they missed a turn, but in my state I was not about to chase anyone. The heat was punishing. My legs did not feel sore, I was just lethargic. In that lethargic pace I began to climb the so called monster named Patten Hill. When I looked at the cue-sheet it seems the climb was only 2 miles long. It felt like a lot more. They were agonizing miles. Along the way I passed several victims of this climb that were slowly walking up with their bikes. I breathed heavily. Each pedal stroke brought me closer to the summit. In the end I made it, tired and in need of refreshment. I was at the control. I found a garden hose that I used to wash my head, arms and legs, once more. There was also watermelon. I ate lots. The control was located at the "Little Big House Gallery", a home that looks like a one-room cottage but is actually a three floor house with 3,000 sq ft. It is home of artist, builder, inventor and humorist Glen Ridler. Here we were told that the climbing was over. That was a lie. But a welcomed one. Interesting it is to know you are being lied to and still can be quite happy about it.

Stage 4: Patten Hill to Deeerfield (13.9 miles, 1400' total climbing)

I don't know if it was the watermelon, the proximity to the finish or the sight of the Little Big House, but I was feeling much better. Of course there was climbing involved. It was not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but in comparison to what we had just ridden, it certainly felt less punishing. Everyone in the group was happy, especially Ben. He was really excited about completing a tough and long ride in great condition. Earlier in the year we had ridden a 150 miler during which he injured his knee. I felt a bit responsible for leading him into that scenario. On this ride I did not see one moment of distress in him. He looked and climbed strong all the way. Peter was also impressive. Riding with his lowest 39x25 gear was no small feat. And Laura, well, amazing. She rode strong the whole way.

We all rolled in at 6:46pm, just in time for dinner offered by the event organizers. There we met Brian, who was in good spirits in spite of his misfortune. I ate a lot and didn't have trouble sleeping. Lights out!

PA ACP 1000K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:02:00 +0000

It was a small contingent at the start in Quakertown, PA. Eight of us rode up and over the many climbs of the "Endless Mountains" brevet, each in our own way. In the end all of us finished the ride within the allowed time limit for 100% completion. After riding the entire ACP PA series this year, I can attest to the beauty of the state of Pennsylvania. It was my last big ride of the year and my last in the US, a farewell of sorts, as I will return to my home country Brazil. With me I'll take memories of the incredible landscape and the cherished company of fellow cyclists.

Pre-ride

During this year's edition of the Shenandoah 1200K I injured my right Achilles tendon. In fear of turning it into a chronic injury, I didn't ride my bicycle during the 12 day interlude before the PA ACP 1000K. As a precautionary measure, I also taped both of my Achilles tendons. I was prepared to DNF if I had to. The day before the ride I pedaled about half a mile and everything felt OK. Half a mile is really not a serious test.

An afternoon meeting was canceled, which allowed me to arrive early in Quakertown. For the first time I actually was in bed and almost asleep at 10pm for a 4am start. I was very happy to feel the cool air as I entered the hostel bedroom. There was air conditioning! A real treat on a warm night.

At 2:30am I was up. After a relaxing shower I joined the contingent downstairs for the pre-ride breakfast. It was a small group comprised of Rick Carpenter, Jud Hand, Chip Adams, Bill Fischer, John Fessenden, George Winkert, Patrick O'Donnell and myself.

Rick helped me tape both of my Achilles tendons and I immediately realized this would be a rather painful affair. Walking was difficult. After the pre-ride meeting, during which RBA Tom Rosenbauer gave last minute instructions, we were sent off.

Day 1

On the first few rollers leaving the hostel I noticed that I was not in top shape. In addition, every pedal stroke was painful. I don't shave my legs and that may have contributed to the pain. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stay off the bike for so many days and then start with a 200+ mile day. I had made the choice and it was time to deal with it.

Initially I rode up to the front to see that Patrick was leading. Where was Rick? I thought I was the last to leave the hostel. Apparently Rick had some business to take care of just as we were rolling out and stayed back. Suddenly I saw him next to me and then he was gone. I could not help but notice that he was riding a brand new Bianchi 928 carbon frame with a very little saddlebag. I knew then he was on a mission.

After a few miles I came upon Patrick and Chip, who had stopped to fix a flat. Patrick was getting the sign-in sheets from Chip that Tom gives to the faster riders to leave at contrôles so that he can keep track of rider progress. Rick was ahead. After the first climb I started riding with Bill.

By the time Bill and I got to the Northampton contrôle Rick was on his way out and Patrick too was about to leave. I rode with Bill until we met the climb on Blue Mountain Dr. From then on I rode alone along Lower Smith Gap Rd / Upper Smith Gap Rd and Cherry Valley until the second extended climb on Fox Gap. Along the way I made a few stops for fender adjustments and had two close calls while making turns on loose gravel that had been washed on the road. It was cloudy and humid. There was a light drizzle at times but I did not get rained on.

It was my second time up Fox Gap, the first being on the PA ACP 200K. I was feeling much better the first time around. After a painful ascent I was filled with joy when I saw volunteer Jim Logan who had set up a secret/revitalize contrôle. I had a refreshing can of Sprite and inquired about the status of Patrick and Rick, who were about 10min ahead of me. I decided not to push it, but go at my own pace and maybe I would get lucky.

I navigated familiar roads until the Gourmet Gallery contrôle in Blairstown, NJ. Once I crossed the Delaware River on the pedestrian bridge in Portland I recognized that the route was exactly the same as that of my first brevet, in November 2008. I also was happy to see the stone homes that caught my attention back then. As I pulled into the contrôle I saw Patrick outside and Rick enjoying some food and drink inside. This was my chance to ride with them, so I took care of my business as quick as possible. Rick was surprised that I would be riding with them, since I did not take a bathroom break at the contrôle. I am notorious for having a digestive system perfectly synchronized with contrôle stops.

Upon leaving Blairstown the terrain became once again hilly. We were now climbing Millbrook Rd and I was able to maintain a reasonable distance to Rick and Patrick. However, I was feeling a lot of pain and I wasn't sure whether it was from my Achilles or the tape itself. I didn't want to find out so I just kept on going. Once we were over the top of the climb there was a steep descent I did not exploit well because of bad road conditions. Then there was the right turn on Old Mine Rd and the dreaded steepness of that climb. If I have any fortes as a cyclist, climbing has traditionally been one, but this time around I didn't feel it at all. Rick and Patrick distanced themselves and a few miles down the road I caught up again. But I was working harder than I wanted to, so I decided to ease off the pedals as I watched them pull away.

It was tempting to stop at the Layton Country Store. I had the most delicious of meals on a volunteer pre-ride of this year's PA ACP 300K with Rick. But I wasn't that hungry and since I was moving ever so slower I decided not to stop. Above, the sky was clearing. I like sunny days, but I know that with the sun comes the implacable heat. Tom had mentioned something about a Raymondskill climb. I looked at my cue sheet while I was on Rt 209 and sure enough the next cue read "L Raymondskill Falls." It was the type of climb I like, twisty and steep. But my legs were not cooperating. My lowest gear is a 39x25 and my cranks are 175 mm, so my cadence plummeted. The pain I was feeling didn't help either. One stroke after the other I slowly moved along. Then I saw Jim again! He had setup another revitalize/secret contrôle. I had more soda, filled my water bottles and chatted a while with Rick and Patrick who were there too. We left the contrôle and almost instantly I was dropped. The climb continued for a while and was followed by rolling terrain. Along this section I made two navigational mistakes that may be related to the excruciating heat.

What a relief to arrive at the Barryville, NY contrôle. I was in dire need of real food. Rick and Patrick were still there and I ran into the store, ordered a 12" Mambo Sub and got a Sprite along with chocolate milk for dessert. Rick and Patrick went ahead to an Italian restaurant for food. Soon I was joined by Bill and Chip and from then on we would ride the rest of the brevet in "fléche style." 12 inches of sub were too much for me, so I shared with Bill. The contrôle didn't have a real bathroom, just a porter-potty. It was like an oven inside! I roasted for a few minutes and got ready to hit the road.

For the first few miles I wasn't feeling so great. I couldn't keep up with Chip and Bill, so I mostly rode a few hundred yards back. As I began to feel better, I made the effort to close the gap and stuck to Bill's wheel. If you have met Bill, that's the best place to be on any flat section. I was feeling so good I even took a pull as were catching up to Rick ahead. We had just passed Patrick, who had stopped for a nature break. Rick was happy to see us, but then maybe not so much. I heard the words "the fun is over" and he was gone. Further down the road, Patrick joined us for a while eventually pulling away as well.

Above there was a storm brewing. I wondered how long it would take before we were poured on. The rain started to fall copiously. Lightning was striking and I actually was liking it. My only concern was my Brooks saddle. I did not want it to get wet. Then I felt something hitting me. Rain isn't supposed to hurt. Thumps on my helmet. Hail. It was time to seek shelter. We sought a house that looked uninhabited and rolled in to be greeted by the owner. He was friendly and didn't mind us loitering around while the storm passed. I put the seat cover on my saddle and changed my socks. We all put our reflective gear on. The storm passed and we were back on the road.

Ahead a construction site was blocking the road. We found a way through and after that I was dropped again. I needed to eat. After a quick stop to pull some food out of my saddlebag I resumed my lethargic pedaling. The next contrôle was in Carbondale, a town in a valley. I was on the other side. Rick had mentioned something about a brutal climb. This wasn't good. I made one more stop at a convenience store just before the climb began. Maybe some caffeine would help. It didn't. I never climbed so slowly in my life. At times my odometer read 2.1 mph and I didn't tip over. Would this be the first time I would have to walk up a climb? I refused to give in but my legs had nothing left. Diapers on the road. What the heck? All I need now is baby poop on my tires. Yes, eventually I made it over the top and I didn't walk. It was time for Dunkin Donuts.

In Carbondale I joined Bill and Chip who were about 10 min ahead of me. I enjoyed a flatbread sandwich along with a vanilla latte. All was good. We were pretty wet still and Chip was shivering. I told him to use the hand dryer in the bathroom to dry up. I did the same. We had ridden 175 miles and 34 were left to the sleepover contrôle in Hallstead. There was just one problem. We had to climb out of Carbondale.

Again I was dropped when we left Carbondale. I was feeling slightly better, but still miserable. The next 34 miles were uneventful. Of course there was climbing, steep rollers and just a bit of flat. I did have a puncture, a "flat break," that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was dark at 9:30pm when I rolled into the Hallstead contrôle. Chip and Bill had arrived at 9:04pm. Rick and Patrick got in at 8:11pm. I spoke shortly with Rick, who was already changed and ready to go for the next day. He sleeps in the cycling shorts he'll use the next day. Rick is nuts.

I was so happy to be there it's hard to describe. Jim was once again working for our comfort. There was plenty of food awaiting us, but I had set my mind on a Double Whopper when I saw a Burger King outside. Unfortunately they did not allow me to walk-thru the drive-thru, so I asked Jim if he wouldn't mind. In 10 minutes I was savoring a delicious Whopper along with crispy french fries. Oh, did that feel good. Jud had also arrived and he too got a burger, a Whopper Junior. Afterward I wondered whether I would be allowed to make an order had I ridden my bike instead of walking. A bicycle is a vehicle as far as I understand. I agreed to leave with Bill and Chip at 2:30am. I got in my room and the first thing I did was take off the tape from my ankles. What a relief! I wished I didn't have hair on my legs. Boy did that hurt. To my surprise my Achilles wasn't in pain at all. It was the tape that was causing all this pain. But I was convinced that I should keep my ankles taped just in case. Time to sleep.

Day 2

After three hours of sleep I was up, taped, and ready to go. It was 2:30am. I have difficulty eating right away, so I was very happy to just have a glass of chocolate milk. I think my stomach wasn't done with the Whopper from the night before. I joined Bill and Chip and off we went.

Finally some flat terrain! I couldn't believe it. Every mile I wondered how long it would last. So far I was feeling good. Certainly the best since the ride started. We cruised through downtown Binghamton NY sometime around 4am. There were lots of people on the streets, drunk young people mostly. I gather they were on there way home from after-parties. I didn't mind it as long as nobody bothered me. We even had some people cheer us on. On one occasion I heard "Look! Bicycles! I love bicycles!." To that tune we left Binghamton and continued a long stretch of 57.6 miles before we reached the next contrôle, a post-office in Sayre, PA. However, just before we getting there we made a stop at a convenience store for breakfast. Patrick had passed us about half a mile earlier. While we were having breakfast John joined us as well. My choice of breakfast was egg and cheese on an English muffin along with chocolate milk. Delicious.

Once we left our post cards at the contrôle a roller-section began, first along the Susquehanna River until we reached Towanda. There Chip decided to stop for wake-up food and to use the bathroom. We continued at a leisurely pace along the many rollers of Southside Rd. This part of the route is also featured in a very hilly century, the Tour de Shunk. Bill was pointing out the little skunks that they paint on the road to mark the route. Apparently one has to follow the skunk tail. They were pretty cute. It didn't take long before Chip rejoined us, revitalized and moving fast.

The sky up to this point was overcast, but I began seeing patches of blue and the temperature started to rise. It was 10:30am when we signed in the Acorn Market contrôle in Canton. This town is apparently in the middle of nowhere. I tried to call my wife Grazie with no result. I was craving some sort of hot sandwich. Once I got in I didn't see that option (indeed it was there), but the sight of a slice of pizza won me over. Another Sprite and vanilla milk for dessert. I didn't like the vanilla milk that much. I put on my arm coolers, sunscreen and sunglasses. That was a good decision. As we were getting ready to leave John showed up.

The next 80 miles were probably the toughest of the ride. The relentless heat along with the climbs and steep rollers made it very difficult. The rollers were the kind that you don't want to ride. Down but not enough momentum to go up. Work work work. Down and not enough to go up. Work work work. This pattern repeated itself for many miles. On the other hand, the views were spectacular. It kept my mind off the pain I was feeling with every pedal stroke. Along the way we went through Liberty just in time to avoid a road block for a parade. This was followed a few miles later by a very pleasant stretch in the Little Pine Creek State Park. We were often passed by a stream of motorcyclists with their loud rumbling motors. I couldn't help to think about how much sound they were missing because of the motors. I could hear the stream, the birds and the animals running for cover as we passed along. Just past Waterville we began a long 5 mile climb up to Haneyville. It was decided we would have lunch when we got to the top. On this climb I started slow and watched Chip and Bill pull away. I increased my cadence as the climb progressed. For the first time I was feeling good on one of the endless climbs. I passed Bill and now had Chip in sight. After a mile or so I caught up to Chip and we rode together for a few tenths of a mile. I didn't change my cadence, standing when it got steep and sitting otherwise. By the time I made it to the top I marked the time. After 2 min Chip arrived and Bill made it to the top 5 min later. I think that was the only time I actually finished a climb in front. I was ready for lunch at an inn we found right at the top. Bill and I had the "Flaming Foliage" chicken sandwich along with chips and soda. This ride was definitely turning out to be a great one. The views, the company and the well planned food stops were working for us.

We left Haneyville towards Lock Haven. Along the way there was a 2.5 mile downhill segment with a 9% grade. Just amazing fun. Arriving in Lock Haven we still had about 13 miles to the next contrôle in Lamar. Now we didn't have any more shade. I was very tired by the time we reached Lamar, consumed by the thought of a nice bed and rest. But we still had 46.4 miles to go before the sleepover contrôle in Lewisburg. In Lamar I had a Klondike bar, chocolate milk, Sprite and peanut M&M's. It was scorching. Once again, as we were about to leave John arrived. He was always riding pretty close to us. We offered to wait but he insisted we kept on going.

Upon leaving the contrôle in Lamar we made a right turn on Heltman Rd that offered the most breathtaking view. The road seemed to go straight into the ridge and on both sides an abundance of farmland and green was seen. Except for the ridge part, I was very happy. My concern was unjustified. The climb on Long Run Rd wasn't too bad, as explained by Chip, who arrived at that conclusion upon observing horse dung on the road. If a horse can pull a carriage up the climb, it can't be too difficult. But then I inquired, "Have you seen the horse?" He was right. However, after another descent we still had a ridge to our left. The cue sheet said turn left. As we began to climb a group of people that were enjoying the late afternoon sun in their yard said to us "you've got a tough one ahead." Bill said not to trust non-cyclists, either way. But they were right. It was tough. I stuck with Chip for most of the way, but had to let go at the end. At the top I devoured a pack of peanut M&Ms in less than 10 s. Bill joined us a few minutes later. He mentioned a comment he had heard about a long descent into Lewisburg. It was so true. A 23 mile descent. What a treat after so many climbs. We were cruising in a paceline down to Lewisburg where we arrived at 9:30pm. Volunteers Ron and Barbara Anderson were waiting for us with lots of pizza and other yummy food. The room at the Country Inn was spectacular. A nice big bed, air conditioning, big bathroom. All I needed to feel good about the 227.5 miles we had ridden during the day.

I found out Rick had arrived at 7pm and would leave at 11pm. Nope, that was not going to happen for me. We would wake up muuuch later, at 2am. Before I went to sleep I had to take the tape off my ankles. That is when I realized why I had been in so much pain. My legs were swollen and the tight tape was making them look like a sausage. Removing the tape was a very painful process. Next time I do tape anything I'll make sure to shave wherever the tape goes. Blood was coming out of my pores after I removed the tape. Then I noticed huge blisters around my ankles. This was not fun. The next morning I decided to take the risk and ride without the tape supporting my Achilles.

Day 3

On the menu 186.9 miles and the promise of more moderate terrain. Our first climb of the day came early and I was once again dropped. My legs were now very stiff and I had no reason to push it. As the sun was rising above the horizon I found myself in a pretty desolate area. You can interpret the pretty in two ways and both will be accurate. I came upon an interesting scene when on the right there was a cow mooing and running around with a bunch of other cows chasing. On the left a few chained dogs barking like crazy. I never had seen cows running around like that. I'm glad the dogs were chained because they probably would have eaten me alive and I would not have been able to do anything about it.

To my surprise I caught up with Bill and Chip just before the extended climb of the day. They were on the lookout for a place to have breakfast. We began climbing and for once I wasn't feeling so bad. My legs were still sore and stiff, but at least I didn't feel all the pain the tape had caused. My right Achilles was doing fine and I was very happy about that. However, the left Achilles started to act up a bit. According to the cue sheet we would cross railroad tracks in 3.3 miles. I told Bill and Chip that meant we would go up and over in 3.3 miles. Have you seen railroad tracks on the top of a climb? I was partially wrong. 3.3 miles wasn't the top. It continued. But fortunately not very longer than that. On the way up we were passed by Patrick, who passed on our offer to join us for breakfast. We found the perfect place for that in Good Spring, a place called Rachel's Country Kitchen. I had a Mountaineer's breakfast, with three pancakes, toast, scrambled eggs, bacon strips and hash browns. I didn't eat all of it, but I ate a lot. It was delicious. Man did that go down well. For once it was nice to have real pancakes, not the mix you buy at the grocery. While we were in Rachel's Country Kitchen John must have passed by because we caught up with him some miles down the road.

We still had about 23 miles to go until the first contrôle of the day in Jonestown. Along this section I once again got dropped on the rollers and worked hard to catch up to John first and then Chip and Bill. In Jonestown I finally made a call to Grazie but she wasn't home. Oh well, I didn't worry because Tom was posting updates on rider progress on the web site. John left with us and we rode together through Amish country for about 20 miles before he had to fall behind because of a spike in his blood sugar level. This was familiar territory, as they are featured in many of Tom's brevets. Along the way we passed Amish girls and boys on bicycles and also the childhood home of Floyd Landis. His parents still live in the home.

We arrived in the New Holland Sheetz contrôle close to 1pm. I was hungry for a change. I had a Cuban flatbread sandwich, Sprite and a creamy orange smoothie with whip cream. Oh, the pleasures of cycling. I know I can eat all that and still be in a calorie deficit. Chip took my lead and also had a creamy orange smoothie. While we were at the contrôle John caught up with us. He didn't want us to wait for him so we clipped in and started our leg to the next contrôle, 35.9 miles away. Fortunately the way back to the hostel was not the same featured on the 600K, which involved a lot of steep climbing. This time Tom took it easy and decided to give us rollers instead. Again I was dropped. Again I caught up close to the next contrôle.

We arrived at the WaWa in Spring City at about 4:30pm. I was exhausted. Once inside the contrôle I entered what I call "squirrel mode," meaning that I look nervous like a squirrel, brevet card signed, running to the bathroom, then getting food, eating, cue sheet for next section, bike check, eat. I sat down outside the WaWa and getting up proved to be very difficult.

The last 34 miles of the ride were probably among the most painful. Not because the terrain was challenging, but because Chip scented the barn. He said he was feeling good and hammered. I was hanging on for my dear life behind Bill. At one point we were approaching a traffic light that was red. I thought "thank God," but then it turned green! Both Bill and I exclaimed "shit" at the same time. We both burst into laughter. I was laughing but still had to keep up with the Chip Adams express. It was probably one of the funniest moments of the ride. The misery of that last stretch was only matched by the relief of making it to the finish, 63h15min and 1000 km later.

At the hostel we were greeted by Bill Olsen, who seemed as excited as us about the arrival. He was volunteering on this ride since next week he'll be riding yet another 1200K, the Gold Rush Randonée. I showered quickly, joined the others downstairs for some chat. Patrick was on his way out, having arrived at 61h37min of riding time and Rick was long gone. He arrived just before 2pm, breaking his own record by almost an hour at 57h57min of riding time, and was getting rest to attend a wine dinner with his wife. John came in at 64h32min of riding time. I hung in the hostel common room until Jud showed up at 67h29min of riding time. It was past 10pm and I was starting to shut down. During the night the last rider, George, arrived at 71h10min. He had an epic ride, making an intermediate contrôle by only 2 min.

The next morning I slowly gathered my stuff and drove home. On the way a stop for another smoothie. But wait, now I was driving. Better think twice next time.

Shenandoah 1200K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:15:00 +0000

When I signed up last December for the Shenandoah 1200K I had only ridden two 200K brevets. I knew I had to keep riding through the Upstate New York winter if I had any hope of staying in shape. The 150+ mile rides in 15F did not prepare me for the 92F heat I encountered in Virginia, but they helped build resilience, a factor I think is fundamental to completing a 1200K. The PA series along with the Ithaca hills got me ready for the climbing, which was ubiquitous. My ride was not epic, as I did not have any breakdowns, rain or even a flat. On the other hand, it was tough, very tough. The only moment I was certain of a completion was when I was 20 miles from the finish with 9h to the cutoff. I new I could crawl if I had to.

Before the ride
This ride involved a lot of planning. It was my first attempt at a 1200K and I wanted it to go as smoothly as possible. Just a few days prior I went out on a 65 mile club ride when I noticed my chain was hopping around. Mark Sheehan, a 2008 Shenandoah participant, pointed out that it could be a frayed cable. Indeed it was. With a replaced shifter cable and a bike inspection at my LBS the equipment was good to go. Then there were drop bags. What to put in them? I did a bit of overkill, as my drop bags were one of the heaviest around. Each contained spare tubes, a fresh set of cycling gear and normal clothes, flasks filled with gel, pre-measured servings of Perpetuem, Hammer bars, toilet sundries, ibuprofen, tums and a recovery drink. I even took toilet paper for the ride. This was a tip from a PA randonneur.

Since I had spent a week getting everything ready, there wasn't much to do other than drive down to Leesburg, VA. I arrived at about 2pm and encountered Bill Olsen's brother Mark along with RBA Matt Settle in the Comfort Suites parking lot assembling Matt's bike. It had the drivetrain replaced the day prior to the event. Matt was very friendly and, judging by his bike, is definitely a no-frills guy.

A few minutes later I saw Dave Thompson, whom I had met earlier in the year during the Western/Central NY ACP 200K organized by RBA Pete Dusel. We would end up riding together for most of the ride. Dave indicated a nearby Mexican restaurant where I could eat. There I had chicken fajitas with beans, rice, chips, guacamole and all that good stuff. My father is from Venezuela and I am fluent in Spanish. I could swear the restaurant owner seemed to be from Venezuela judging from the idioms I heard while I was eating. In any case the food was good enough for me.

After eating I went up to my suite to work on the revision of a research paper. I had to submit changes by that night and wanted to get as much sleep as possible. Unfortunately the revisions took longer than I expected and I went to sleep only around 11pm. Just three hours later I was up for Day 1 of the Shenandoah 1200K.

Day 1
There was a large gathering in the hotel lobby at 3am. Riders from 18 states along with 4 Canadians had signed up. After some last minute instructions from Matt we were sent off. The skies were overcast and it was very humid.

Everyone rode together during the first few miles. Eventually the pack began to string out and I found myself in a group with another 10 riders or so. There were two riders who were ahead, but eventually joined us. On the hills I would stay in front and whenever the terrain was flat I would get passed by several riders. I tried to keep my own pace. It was actually kind of fun to see this yo-yo effect. I noticed there were several riders who knew each other from previous rides. I was rather quiet, a bit nervous by the daunting task ahead of me.

I was in front of a group that also had Mark Olsen when we missed the turn on Spruce Run Rd. My odometer said there was still a tenth of a mile to the turn and there was also no sign. After riding a few tenths ahead, we convinced ourselves to turn back. Spruce Run Rd was the first steep climb we encountered. Again, I distanced myself on the climb and was caught a few miles down the road.

At 7:57am a group of 17 riders arrived at the first contrôle in the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania with an average speed over 17 mph. I was a bit concerned knowing that we still had a lot of riding to do. The volunteers at the contrôle were great. There were even breakfast sandwiches waiting for us. Riders started hopping back on their bikes and I joined them. Leaving the park my chain fell off in a way that required me to stop. I was dropped by the group I had been riding with and it took me a while to catch up. The morning was still very humid and overcast. By this time I had spoken to some of the fellow riders. Many of them were using this ride as a RAAM qualifer and some were already RAAM qualified, such as Jim Solanick, Henk Bouhuyzen, Mike Sturgill and Catherine Shenk (I found this out later). At one point I was speaking to John Preston and found out that he, Henrik Olsen and Tim Carroll knew each other from the Sebring 24h bike race in Florida. Apparently Henrik had just broken John's record. What was I doing with this bunch? This was my first 1200K and I did not want to blow up in fumes on the first day.

I arrived at the Battleview Market with Catherine Shenk, John Preston, Greg Courtney and Henrik Olsen at 11:15am. The average speed was still up there, now at 16 mph. I could not help but notice how fast people were at the contrôles. Before departing I gladly took a potato chip Catherine offered me and hopped back on my bike. The terrain that awaited us was rolling with an uphill trend. When I say rolling, that means it can be steep, but not very long. Along the way I passed Jim Solanick, who arrived later at the contrôle but was out sooner. Eventually I caught up with Henrik Olsen and rode with him, John Preston and Tim Carroll to the Sheetz contrôle in Winchester, VA.

It was 1:45pm and I was hungry. Henrik and Tim grabbed something quick and left. John and I ordered sandwiches. Soon we were joined by several riders. John was ready to go but I wasn't. I still needed to use the bathroom. I found this to be a convenient way to depart from the lead group and ride at a more conservative pace. I decided to leave with Greg Courtney, Catherine and Mike It was now much warmer than earlier in the day and the sun was peaking often through the clouds. The profile for this stretch was full of nasty little spikes. We were on Back Rd for 17.8 miles of inferno. Up, down, up, down, up, down following the George Washington National Forest. A shop was conveniently located once we turned on VA 42. Would I ride all the rollers for a Klondike bar? Sure! While sitting on a chair outside I learned that Greg is a professor at the Department of Entomology of Iowa State University and does research on aquatic insects. I also heard he has spent some time in Patagonia. Insects are so cool, except when the bite you. Mike left a bit sooner and I rode with Greg and Catherine for a while. Then Catherine had some issues with her cyclocomputer and since she was riding with Greg I decided to move on. My plan was to arrive at the Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) Maplewood Dormitory contrôle before dark. The Klondike bar provided some refreshment but the endless rollers continued. I caught up with Mike and we rode more or less together until the EMU. It was 7:38pm when I checked in, averaging 14.44 mph for the first day. This value would plunge over the next two days.

Before the ride I had elaborated three strategies. The conservative strategy was to split the ride in four parts. The first three parts were full days of riding making it to sleepover contrôles before midnight and leaving the next day at 4am. On the last day I would ride the remaining 120 miles or so. The aggressive strategy would be to ride 266 miles the first day, then 226 miles the second day and 273 miles the third day. This plan was a bit problematic because it would require me to stop at places to sleep that were not designated sleepover contrôles, like a roadside motel or in the absence of that, some ditch. The intermediate strategy was based upon the conservative strategy for the first two days, however I would ride all the way through after the second day, i.e., 318.4 miles.

Upon arrival at the EMU contrôle I abandoned the aggressive strategy and decided to go conservative for the time being. Instead of quickly going to sleep I hung around the common area of the dorm and met riders as they came in. I spoke with Andy Brenner, whom I had met on the PA ACP 400K. He was planning to leave at around 2am. Then I also spoke with Dave T. He too was planning on a 2am departure. Initially I had 4am in mind, but since I got pretty early at the contrôle, I thought it was reasonable to leave at 2am. I do not enjoy riding long distances in the the night. My night vision is not the best and I usually get sleepy if I have been riding many hours prior

Day 2
Andy, Dave and I left the EMU contrôle a little after 2am. Next up was the Deerfield Voluntary Fire Department contrôle 40.2 miles away. I cannot say much about this part of the ride because it was dark and I could not see a thing other than a patch of road in front of me. Along the way we passed a rider that I believe was Stephen Bugbee, but I am not sure. At the contrôle we took a rather extended break where we all enjoyed breakfast. I had cereal, a banana nut muffin and scrambled eggs with bacon. Not bad!

Again Dave, Andy and I left together towards Buchanan, VA. The next 66 miles of the ride were among the most pleasant. We had a 17 mile stretch on Marble Valley Rd / Big River Rd during the first morning hours, followed by 9.2 miles on Maury River Rd, both in the George Washington National Forest. The morning fog in the valley and the view of the river along with the sound of running water and the cool temps made for a perfect setting. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to capture the bear we saw on film. It was close to the road but when it heard us it ran back into the forest. Not long thereafter we caught up with Glenn Himstedt, who had left Deerfield before us.

The serious climbing began after we made a turn on Turkey Hill Rd. This segment reminded me very much of the rides I have done in the Eastern PA series organized by RBA Tom Rosenbauer, containing steep climbs on quiet roads with several turns along the way. I like it that way because it gives you a sense of progress. The breakfast I ate had jump-started my digestive system and I needed to go to the bathroom pretty bad. Luckily there was a bathroom available at the Effinger Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue in Lexington, VA. Before reaching Buchanan we had a steady climb on S Buffalo Rd followed by a descent with some mega-rollers into Buchanan. Because the trend was downhill, one roller brought you to the top of the next and so on. I barely had to pedal.

The Burger King contrôle at the Exxon in Buchanan was a welcoming site. At first I thought it would not be a good idea to eat a burger. But I remember somebody telling me that if you crave something, then it is likely your stomach will handle it. So I went ahead and ordered a Tendergrill chicken sandwich combo. Ok, I was really craving a Double Whopper with cheese, but I decided that was too risky. We still had a long way to go and the morning hours were waning. Next on the list was the Pine Tavern Lodge contrôle in Floyd, VA, just 69.2 miles away. Yet in between we had some serious climbing to deal with.

Leaving Buchanan towards Roanoke the climb was gradual and steady, for almost 15 miles. Just before arriving in Roanoke we had some nasty stinkers to bother us. It was particularly difficult because the heat was really on and I was feeling it. A stop in Roanoke was almost mandatory. We decided to have refreshments and use the bathroom at a gas station on route. Bill Olsen's recommendation of constantly wiping your butt with sanitizing wipes was working as saddle sore issues were so far absent. I was also applying Hammer Seat Saver to prevent chaffing. It seems to work well.

I was rather surprised by the fact that we seldom encountered other riders. It seems were were far back off the leaders and well ahead of the rest of the group. As we arrived at the Buchanan contrôle earlier Larry Grabiak (I think) was on his way out. We were now climbing the Blue Ridge Parkway and ahead I saw another rider. I resisted to accelerate, since I knew that if I had him in sight now, it was likely I would catch up. And I did. Both Dave and I passed Larry just as we reached the first part of the climb. Andy had fallen behind. Somehow I thought it was over. But it was not. We began to climb and bend after bend the road kept going up. This went on for 9 miles. It certainly was a great climb, and the sense of accomplishment once I reached the top was very satisfying. But I was tired. Dave and I continued on without waiting for Andy. We were planning on a stop for refreshments. We found a convenient place along US 221 and waited for Andy to ride by. Once he joined us Andy urged us to continue without him, so we did.

Before reaching the contrôle I suddenly noticed a shift of weight on my bike. What I had feared before the ride indeed took place. One of the straps on my Carradice Barley bag had been cut by the friction on the saddle loop. I had observed some wear earlier but decided to take the risk. I was looking at the bag trying to figure out a solution when Dave offered zip ties that he was carrying. The solution worked perfectly. The zip-ties were very strong and kept my bag in place. I was about to hide the bag somewhere alongside the road and continue without it. Dave saved the day!

After a little diddling we found the right door to open at the Pine Tavern Lodge contrôle. The AC was on and I was happy! I had chips, pretzels, and two sodas. As Dave and I were about to leave Andy showed up. We decided to wait because it was getting dark and riding in a group at night is much safer. It was now just past 8pm and we still had 45.5 miles to the sleepover contrôle in Mount Airy, NC.

Daylight remained with us for a good portion of the ride until Mount Airy, but we had to descend Willis Gap Rd in darkness. I was glad to have put new front brake pads on my bike before the ride. I sure did use them. I tried to maintain myself mostly near the center of the road and followed the line the best I could. At one point a damn cat crossed the road and as I braked my rear wheel started to skid and swerve. I let off the brakes and missed the cat by inches. That was close! At the bottom of the descent I waited for Andy and Dave and we rode together to the contrôle.

The volunteers from North Carolina Randonneurs at the Knights Inn (very appropriate) where we were staying were amazing. I felt as if I were in First Class on a transcontinental flight. "What can I do for you?", "What would you like to eat?", "What time would you like to wake up?" were among some of the questions asked. We were very well treated and after a relaxing shower I enjoyed a burger, a hot dog, beans and more soda. Now it was time to sleep. Dave and I shared a room while Andy stayed alone. He said he did not want to be woken up.

Day 3
At 3:15am Dave and I woke up and got ready. A group of three formed by John, Mike and Justin Crawford, the youngest randonneur on the Shenandoah 1200K and also a member of the Hokie Cycling club, left at about 4am. Dave and I left about 10min later without Andy. Once again he urged us to leave. I think he was trying to get rid of us at this stage. Dave and I began to climb Willis Gap Rd, a 9 mile climb with several steep sections. It was good to have this climb right at the beginning of the day, instead of somewhere in the middle or towards the end. I was feeling OK despite some leg stiffness and pain in my ankles. I'm not sure if it is the Achilles tendon or a muscle. Dave and I climb at similar speed. At the beginning of the climb we saw two riders pass in the opposite direction followed by a tandem. We wondered if they would make it back to Floyd in time. Along the way we caught up with John who was fixing a flat. Ahead we also caught Mike and I saw Justin about 2 tenths of a mile ahead of me but I ran out of climb before I reached him. At the top he was waiting for the others. David was the first to show up followed by Mike. At this point Dave and I continued. The following miles were very pleasant, with more steep rollers of course. I was overwhelmed by a sensation of happiness as the big climb was over. A few miles later on Justin caught up but had to stop because of knee pain. This would plague him for the rest of the ride.

Dave and I arrived at the Pine Tavern Lodge in Floyd, now on the way back to Leesburg, at 8:30am. It took over 4h to ride 45.5 miles. At the contrôle I saw Bill Phillips, who had ridden on the Eastern PA 300K. I volunteered on that ride manning a secret/revitalize contrôle. I was very happy when I found out I could have the Starbucks Doubleshot somebody had left behind. It was exactly what I was looking for. At this contrôle we inquired about the status of other riders. We heard of some DNFs and learned that Matt Settle was close to the cutoff. While we were at the contrôle Andy, Justin, John and Mike arrived. Justin left before us and then Andy, Dave and I followed while John and Mike ate Subway subs that they had bought on the road.

The path back to Buchanan was different than the one we took on the way out. Instead of descending the Blue Ridge Parkway, we followed US 211 into Roanoke. I probably would have preferred the Blue Ridge Parkway, as the traffic on US 211, in particular near Roanoke, was quite intense. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun on a 3 mile stretch with an average 8% grade. Although the many curves slowed me down, it was challenging to swing from side-to-side as I cruised down the ridge. At the bottom my back was bothering me a bit and I had to stretch while I waited for Andy and Dave. Soon I looked back to see that they were accompanied by Justin. Apparently he had stopped at a local Arby's for some cold drink. We would ride together all the way to Buchanan, but before we made a stop at a gas station where I had a chocolate milk/Lifewater combo and Dave and Andy went to a nearby 7-11 for more appetizing food. Between Roanoake and Buchanan Justin and I took turns pulling and we made good time.

At Buchanan we met up with John and Mike, who had passed us as we stopped in Roanoke. Justin joined John and Mike as they left. Andy, Dave and I spent more time at the contrôle, where I had my second Tendergrill chicken sandwich of the ride, this time "no mayo." There we also crossed paths with Jim Solanick. As usual, he spent little time at the contrôle and was soon off to Harrisonburg.

Just standing outside the contrôle was unbearable. It was definitely very hot. I knew that once we started to move it would be more pleasant. This is a time you look forward to wind chill. However, I feared the sunscreen I was using could not do magic and my arms were already pinkish, not a good sign. We left Buchanan at about 3:30pm with 88.6 miles to ride before returning to the EMU contrôle. Initially I thought we would retrace the route we took on our way out, but that was not the case. We would have a very long 70.9 miles on US 11. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, the heat was taking a toll and I was in discomfort. It was frustrating to see the odometer move so slowly as we rode along the rollers. Perhaps the highlight of this part of the ride was Foamhenge. Bill Olsen had told me numerous times about it and when I saw the sign I could not help but take a look. It is a replica of Stonehenge, but as the name suggests, made from foam. It was quite the attraction.

Somewhere along US 11 we stopped to put on reflective gear. At that point Dave, who had let me use an extra pair of sunglasses he carried since I had left mine behind in Mount Airy, offered to let me use a different lens, less dark. I said it was OK and that the dark sunglasses would dim the glare of oncoming cars. They did that and also nearly put me to sleep. I was struggling while Andy and Dave took turns pulling. I just sat on their wheels and tried to maintain my concentration, but I was visibly tired. Just as we arrived in Harrisonburg Andy stopped at a gas station to relieve his bladder. I decided to take the sunglasses off to rub my eyes when suddenly night became day. It was amazing! I was instantly 10 times more alert. The sunglasses had created this added darkness that was really affecting me. Never use sunglasses at night, as if that were not obvious.

Earlier during the day I had suggested riding through the night straight to the finish, but the sight of a bed changed all that. Dave, Andy and I agreed to leave at 4am. There were assorted subs waiting for us to eat and I had two, one ham, one turkey. I also took a shower and organized my things for the last day of riding. We only had 120 miles left of this 765 mile journey.

Day 4
The morning turned out to be very cool and for the first time I was using my Showers Pass Double Century jacket, which works very well as a wind breaker. Andy opted to go jacket-less. My legs were stiffer than ever and I just wanted the ride to end before I could not ride anymore. Once we got moving and warmed up I felt better. It was not very long before the sun showed on the horizon and we were joyfully pedaling along S Middle Rd. We would enter and rise out of these pockets of fog as we moved along the rollers. Upon leaving S Middle Rd we decided to stop for food and to use the bathroom as well. Again, we were fortunate enough to find a BP station located on route. There I had a muffin with strawberry vanilla Muscle Milk. That stuff is disgusting. I drank it anyway. Dave and Andy had coffee with a croissant and a breakfast sandwich, respectively. It was time to go.

Edinburg Gap Rd came as a surprise. It was a rather long climb. I found a nice rythm despite my leg stiffness cresting just a bit ahead of Dave. Andy followed not far behind. We then began the descent together and continued a 18.9 mile stretch on Fort Valley Rd. This was another highlight of the ride. The vegetation was at times very dense and the road was completely shaded. The terrain was rolling and later on we had a creek on our right. Of course there were some smaller steeper climbs along the way. That goes without saying. After 67.3 miles I needed a break. Yes, there was a contrôle coming up!

At the 7-11 in Front Royal, VA we had more food. This time I chose a wrap. What I didn't realize is that it had banana peppers in it. I don't like banana peppers. But that was canceled by the deliciousness of the Häagen-Dazs ice cream I ate afterward. That along with the Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot. All was good in my world. Except for the fact that we were not yet at the finish. As we left the 7-11 John and Mike were just coming in.

The last 50 miles of the ride were a blur. I had been slogging a bit before but now I could feel the finish approaching. There was a 10 mile leg on VA 55 that I knew would be good for taking a pull. I pulled with everything I had left. We were averaging 20-22mph and it felt good to be moving swiftly along. Before I knew it we were off VA 55 and back on roads with steep rollers. The pull had affected me and now I was lacking a bit of energy. I reached for my gel flask and had about half of it. Soon thereafter I began to come back to life. In the meantime Andy was pulling us along. In the end I took over again and pushed hard. We had to make one last stop because Andy and Dave had run out of water.

It was such a great feeling to see the Comfort Suites as we made our last turn of the ride. We made it! Patsy took pictures and we were greeted by the other riders. All I wanted to do was take a shower, get the cycling gear off and eat non-stop. That is precisely what I did. It was great to receive the coveted medal and turn in the brevet card that had been a companion for so many hours, 82h45min to be precise. It was now all stamped and signed, the way it should be.

Post-ride
After going up to my room I joined the others downstairs for food and refreshments. John and Mike arrived about an hour after us. Then Hokie Justin arrived. It took a bit longer for others to come in but they did. Each time we would go out and applaud their arrival. I was particularly touched by the arrival of Gator (Martin Cochran), Vickie Tyer, Sharon Stevens, David Rudy and Dave Goodwin. To see them hugging each other and sharing the accomplishment brought tears to my eyes. That is what randonneuring is all about, camaraderie.

I was also very happy to see fellow PA randonneur Bill Olsen. He came in almost running me over and ran to get his brevet card signed. He was amazingly energetic. I didn't even start the ride like that.

The last arrival before the cutoff was that of RBA Matt Settle. He looked very tired. He was arriving at contrôles close to cutoff times so could not afford to sleep very much and that took a toll on him over the course of four days. He was still lucid, but visibly tired. I hung around the lobby until almost 11pm. It was now time to go to bed because I too was very tired.

Matt Settle put together a very tough ride. On the other hand, it was just as beautiful. Seldom did we encounter a patch of bad road or nothing worthwhile to look at. The volunteers at the contrôles were so amazing. It was also nice to see how some of the riders who unwillingly DNFd converted into volunteers. Of note was Hamid Akbarian who spent all of Sunday cooking burgers and sausages for us. He is probably one of the best story-tellers I have met and I laughed until I could no longer breathe with his accounts of misfortune during the ride. I hope to see many of the riders in a future randonée, somewhere in the world.

PA ACP 600K- Water Gap Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:18:00 +0000

This year's edition of the ACP 600K included one very long extended climb, many rollers and countless shorter steep climbs. Did I mention flats? Oh yes, there was that section along the Lackawaxen River. I think it was rather flat. RBA Tom Rosenbauer masterfully designed the most scenic route I have experienced, on bike or car, airplane, buggy, you name it. Over the course of 600 km we visited the Blue Mountain Ridge, rode along the Alleghany Front through the Promised Land on our way to Hawk's Nest on NY SR 97, then returned towards the start through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, followed by an out and back segment that included the French Creek State Park and Amish country near Lancaster. One ride, three states and memories to last a lifetime.

The departure out of Ithaca, NY was a bit hectic. About seven days earlier I made an order from Hammer Nutrition for gel and flasks only to find out that a local store sells all that stuff. In any case, the shipment was taking longer than I expected and I was literally waiting for the FedEx guy to deliver the goods. At about 3:30pm I started my 3h drive to Quakertown, PA. For the first time I actually arrived there in daylight with plenty of time to spare. At the hostel were Eric Keller, Jud Hand, Craig Martek and Brian Berry. Craig was already asleep and Brian was on his way to bed. Shortly after I arrived Lawrence Midura came in. Lawrence successfully completed the Shenandoah 1200K last year but is not up for seconds.

Eric and I went out to an Italian restaurant in Quakertown for some pasta and good chat before embarking on the 600 km adventure. Eric made his own set of LED lights for his bike. His beam was mighty bright. Upon returning to the hostel I got into my pajamas only to notice that I had forgotten my backpack at home with my nécessaire. So instead of sleeping at 9:30pm I went out to a gas station for a toothbrush, soap, and other essentials. I also made some last minute adjustments to my front brakes. In the end I was in bed only at 12pm and woke up just 2h30min later. Oh my...

I was one of the first to get up on Saturday because I like to take a relaxing shower before the big ride and allow time to digest breakfast. At 3am riders from nearby towns began arriving. There were 22 registered riders of which 19 started. One of the "non-starters" was Rick Carpenter, who had done a volunteer pre-ride a week earlier. RBA Tom Rosenbauer would clip-in thanks to volunteers Bill Slabonik, Eric Bower and Mordecai Silver.

A few minutes before 4am Tom made the last announcements and we were sent off. About 30s later I stopped to adjust my rear fender, which was touching the brake. With that little nuisance out of the way I caught up with the rest of the group. We were riding more or less together, with Eric, Craig and I leading the way. Seven miles into the ride Craig and I missed a turn and I noticed the absence of lights in my rear view mirror. It took us about 4 miles to catch up with everyone on the climb on Route 378 towards Bethlehem. It always amazes me how much time is lost when going off course. By the time we were descending into Bethlehem morning twilight was in effect. At this point the group had thinned out a bit.

Craig, Eric, Bill and I arrived at the Cherryville contrôle at precisely 6am, 33 miles in the ride. I was feeling a bit chilly and regretted not bringing my arm warmers with me for the first day of riding. A good solution to that problem is to ride faster! Not long after we left the contrôle we began climbing Blue Mountain Dr. Along the climb I inched my way ahead and enjoyed a descent into the morning fog on the other side of the ridge. I really enjoyed the fog. Riding along the many rollers on Lower Smith Gap/Upper Smith Gap road was a lot of fun. I passed by the point where my wife Grazie and I set up a secret contrôle for the 300K. I even felt a bit of sadness as I rode by, wishing that she would be there greeting me. I miss her when I'm riding.

A climb took me out of the fog and I was able to observe the valley below. The view was quite spectacular. The picture I took did not do it justice. A few miles ahead I encountered a road block on Rt 3017 because of a car that was on fire. The firefighters were on site. I decided to take my chances and rode on the shoulder on the opposite side of the road, behind the firetruck. Nobody complained, or at least I didn't hear anything. Just after I passed the road block I noticed I did not take a picture. It turns out everyone made it through the road block without incidents.

On this day I was working on a new nutrition strategy. On-the-bike nutrition was provided by Hammer Gel contained in flasks. I had one in each jersey pocket. In the left pocket raspberry flavor and in the right, orange. In my saddlebag I carried an extra flask with vanilla flavor. I also had a Hammer water bottle with a gel compartment. Every 30min I would take an endurolyte capsule, drink water from my Camelbak and eat some gel. Every hour I would take an anti-fatigue capsule, which promises to reduce accumulation of ammonia. I really can't gauge how well it works, but I was totally sold by the name. It's perfect for long distance cycling. In addition, I had Spiz in my second bottle and carried some powder in case I ran out of gel. Since the gel does not contain any protein, I decided to eat food that contains protein at the contrôles and I also carried a protein bar in my central rear jersey pocket. I nibbled on it every now and then, mostly because I would crave for something solid.

I arrived at the Snydersville Diner contrôle at 7:35am. The staff there was very friendly. My choice of food was chocolate milk. A few minutes later Craig, Bill and Eric joined me. We were moving at a good pace and wanted to keep it up for as long as possible. The day was upon us and the skies were mostly void of clouds. Bill and I left the contrôle and promised to pedal easy until they caught up. After a few miles Craig reached us. He said that Eric was slowed down by the hills, so we moved on towards the Promised Land State Park. This was the longest extended climb I have done. It lasted for nearly 20 miles. During most of that time I was pulling at 20mph. I didn't feel like I was exerting too much effort. Craig and Bill were following so I kept it up. One thing I discovered is that I like the shorter steep climbs more. I haven't tried a 20 mile steep climb yet, however. I guess that would take me to heaven, either way you look at it. I'm not religious by the way. Craig and I lost Bill somewhere along the last steep part of the climb.

Along the descent we passed by the shore of Lake Wallenpaupack, created by the Pennsylvania Power & Light Company in 1927, arriving at the Hawley contrôle at 10:46am. At this point in time our average speed, including contrôle stops, was 15.4 mph, which is considered pretty fast for non-supported endurance events. At this contrôle I bought honey roasted cashew nuts. Bill Fischer joined us shortly and we left together towards Hawk's Nest. For months now I have been wanting to check this place out. Such a cool name.

We left the contrôle on Kimbles Rd following the Lackawaxen River. The terrain was rolling, with a downhill trend. It was also shaded and I appreciated that very much as the day grew warmer. I find that it takes me some time to speed up after a contrôle stop, unlike Craig and Bill. I didn't want to push myself out of my comfort zone with 275 miles to go, so I observed as they pulled away. Eventually I only had Bill in sight. After a few miles I started increasing my pace reeling Bill. Then Bill and I worked a bit together and caught up to Craig just after crossing Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct. Shade was no more and I "discovered" my full front zipper jersey. I rode with it unzipped for the rest of the day and even received some remarks from oncoming cars. I'm not sure why, but my jersey is pink and I had white arm/leg coolers on.

Hawk's Nest was as spectacular as the name. The winding road with the Delaware River on the side was a magnificent site. One could observe the many rafters flowing with the water and for a moment I envied them. I too wanted to be in the water. A few miles ahead I had my first and only incident during the ride. I was in the drops and had my head down intermittently. I was feeling sleepy and for a moment I closed my eyes. In the process I veered off course and rode into the grass on the side of the rode, falling off the bike. I was moving slowly and nothing really happened, but I was much more alert after that episode.

Craig and I pulled in the Dunkin Donuts contrôle in Port Jervis, NY at 1:28pm. Bill joined us just a few minutes later. Our average speed was still up there, at 15.3 mph. For a while I had been longing for a flatbread sandwich. My choice was ham and cheese accompanied by a medium iced tea. We tried to keep our time at contrôles to a minimum, without being hasty and as consequence forgetting to top off water bottles or even forgetting to get the brevet card signed. That would be a scary thought. Before we left the Dunkin Donuts it was agreed we would slow down a bit. However, this did not happen.

Again, in the few miles after the contrôle I found it difficult to follow Craig and Bill, so this time I shamelessly stuck to Bill's wheel. I stayed there for a good amount of time. We were rolling through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area (DWGNRA) towards Dingmans Ferry. The break I was getting sitting on Bill's wheel was much welcomed. However, upon crossing the bridge towards the Pennsylvania side of the DWGNRA, Bill gave me the dreaded sign that it was my time to pull. I sighed and did so for about 10 miles, until we made a left on Community Dr. It's funny how the perception of distance changes when you are on a 600 km ride. Comments like "It's just 15 miles to the next contrôle!" or "Now all we have is a century left!" need to be put in context. Having participated in all the ACP events organized by Tom Rosenbauer this year, I had the opportunity to ride roads in both directions. River Rd is a common occurence and it's steep rollers were well remembered. Even though some of them were quite steep, the following descent was always a treat.

Craig, Bill and I signed in the Delaware Water Gap Diner contrôle at 4:55pm. At this time we had already stopped about a tenth of a mile earlier at a gas station for food and drink. I had a ham and cheese sandwich on rye bread along with a bottle of Lifewater. It hit the spot just right. I also made a call to Grazie to tell her we had just completed 184 miles of the 240 miles we would ride before returning to the Weisel Youth Hostel. She was happy to hear the news and find out everything was going well.

If there is any stretch of the brevet that I didn't enjoy that much it was the second half of the section from Water Gap to Bloomsbury, NJ. The first half was quite nice, along the Delaware River. I also savor any bridge crossing, because it's great to get off the bike, walk a bit and take in the scenery. However, the second half included some roads with a lot of traffic and not very much climbing. Personally, I prefer climbing. Having so many cars buzzing by and some of them doing so dangerously close was rather annoying. The good news is that we finally slowed the pace down a bit, arriving at the Bloomsbury Citgo contrôle at 7:01pm, with our average speed reduced to 14.35 mph.

The sun was low on the horizon as we left Bloomsbury, providing wonderful light for pictures. Unfortunately by the time we passed something worthy of a picture it was already too dark. I did take a picture of my shadow as I rode along. Curiously the angle doesn't allow one to recognize that the shadow is holding a camera. Soon enough we were crossing the Riegelsville bridge, also built by Roebling, back into Pennsylvania. This brevet could also be name "Roebling's bridges."

At 9:05pm we arrived at the Weisel Youth Hostel. We had covered 240 of the 375 miles at an average speed of 14 mph. I was happy to see Bill Slabonik and Eric Bower. They served us Tom's specialty lasagna. There was also noodle soup. I had both and then went to shower upstairs. A fresh set of cycling gear awaited ready for the second day of riding. I avoided looking at the bunk bed since it could seem too tempting. For a moment I thought of staying at the hostel and calling it quits, enjoying a good night of sleep. The thought did not last long. Bill and Craig were ready to go. We left the hostel at 10:10pm. Since the weather forecast for the next hours did not include any mention of rain, I decided to leave the fenders at the hostel.

I soon realized the night was getting chillier. I was using tights and arm warmers. Even then I had to stop to put on my Showers Pass Double Century jacket. It works very well as a wind breaker. For the first few miles Bill was leading the way through darkness. It was hard to spot potholes and on two occasions I did not react fast enough to his alert. The result was a flat rear tire. Before I left the hostel I had coffee with milk, but the effect was wearing off and I was feeling sleepy. The decision to ride the 600K through without sleeping started to look like a bad one.

We made it to the WaWa contrôle in Pottstown at 1:22am, covering 35 miles in a little over three hours. Our average speed over the ride was now at 12.9 mph. Riding in darkness was not just a matter of having good lights. At the WaWa I had a "wake me up" coffee with extra caffeine. I told Bill that I might decide to just sleep in some place along the road. He nodded and said that he and Craig would keep me awake. I really don't know how because as soon as we left I was falling behind again. I could see the little red lights and I kept navigating in spite of that. I wanted to keep the mind busy looking at numbers and signs. Luckily there were some climbs along the route that helped me stay awake. On the longest climb on Shed Rd I hung back with Bill as Craig moved ahead. We talked about the recent Giro de Italia events. Both of us were wondering what had happened earlier that day and how the Friday Lakers vs. Nuggets game went. I was not enjoying this part of the ride at all. All I wanted was the sun to come out.

It was 4:26 as we arrived at the southernmost contrôle of our out & back segment of the 600K in New Holland. Our average speed was now 12.58 mph. At the time I wasn't really worried about times as much as I seem to be now. Although I have to admit that after our fast start I was enamored with the idea of a sub 30h finish. Given my state of sleepiness I seriously contemplated booking a room in New Holland. It was almost 5am and the contrôle closed at 1pm, which meant I could have 8h of sleep. However, the staff at Sheetz remarked how the sun would be out in just minutes. Indeed, I could observe that twilight was upon us. That fact swayed my mood entirely. I didn't even drink coffee having chocolate milk and a breakfast burrito. In retrospect I don't think all the condiments in the burrito were a good idea.

We began our ride back to the hostel. The first rider we encountered on the returning leg was Dan Barbasch, about 10 miles after we left the contrôle. Shortly thereafter we encountered George Metzler. I was no longer sleepy. The only moment I started to fade again was when we were in the shaded roads of the French Creek State Park. On the other hand, there was a big climb that I decided to attack. That sure woke me up. I got ahead of Bill and Craig and made it back to Pottstown at 6:55am. My average speed was now at 12.60 mph. Along this stretch I met several riders in the opposite direction, many of which I was not able to recognize. Craig joined me just a few minutes later and Bill came in shortly after that. At the WaWa I ate scrambled eggs and drank more chocolate milk. We left the WaWa at about 7:20am with about 2h40 minutes to cover 35.5 miles available for a sub 30h finish. 20 of those miles were very hilly. That would be nice, but I wasn't overly concerned about it and would not really push unless someone else did. Craig did just that. Bill was actually leading us at a moderate pace when he missed a cue. At that point the baton was passed to Craig who pulled away. Bill urged me not to wait as this was the hilly section and he knew he would be slower on the climbs. I then followed Craig. We rode at the same pace. I was not in the mood to work more that I needed to in order to keep contact with him. On the climbs it didn't feel like too much effort. However, once we got up to the flatter rolling parts on route 563 Craig seemed to be in his element. I was having to work very hard to keep up with him, even when I managed to stay on his wheel. He would often pull away and I wished every traffic light was closed. I was lucky a couple of times. The only way I found to keep up was to ride in the drops. The miles started ticking away quickly and before I knew it we were going up the last steep climb a mile ahead of the finish at the hostel. It was 9:37am as we were congratulated by Mordecai Silver, Eric B. and Bill S. We had met our goal of a sub 30h finish averaging 12.65 mph. Bill F. also beat the 30h mark by just 2 minutes! He too was happy about that.

At the hostel I enjoyed a long shower followed by chat with Mordecai, Eric B. and Bill S. Craig went to sleep and Bill F. left for Elmira, NY. That guy is nuts. I eventually decided to take a nap at 11am. During my nap a virtual rider, Rick Carpenter, came in at 32h flat. I woke up at about 1:40pm as Eric K. was searching through his belongings. Eric K. arrived after 32h20min of riding time. He was followed by John Fessenden at 32h30min and George Metzler at 32h38min. I learned that George fell asleep at a donut place before we crossed with him on the way back to the hostel. Maybe that was why he was so chirpy. Power naps work wonders. Dan Barbasch came in just 7 minutes later completing the ride in 32h45min. The next rider in was Guy Harris at 33h23min. I was enjoying the chat with riders and volunteers and looking forward to more arrivals. Daniel Aaron was next at 34h23min. Most of the riders arrived and were off to bunks or final destinations. Eric K. was enjoying a nap on the sofa and seemed not at all bothered by the gathering of riders that arrived at 35h06min of riding time. They were Bill Olsen, Lawrence, Jim Logan, Brian and Jud. I heard their stories and shared mine as well. We all agreed the route was challenging, scenic and memorable.

On route remained only Kate and Victor. They had a good night of sleep before returning to the road for the next day. A few knee pains slowed Kate down at the end, but they both arrived safely and in a very good mood at 38h25min of riding time. Kate was very happy to receive her medal. At this point it was 7pm and I still had a 3h drive home. It was time to leave.

I was able to stay alert on the way home and slept a good 10h before budging.

Western/Central NY ACP 300K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:12:00 +0000

I was somewhat concerned when Acmae El Yacoubi, aka Ace, showed interest in taking on the 300K brevet. This is because the longest ride in her life was jsut 43 miles in length. She not only finished, but excelled. While most of us common mortals suffered in the blazing mid afternoon heat, she constantly remarked how she was enjoying the weather. This native from Morocco has in my opinion, everything it takes for the long haul.

Every brevet I ride I vow to get enough sleep before the next one. My vows are not worth much, as this time I managed to really put the ride in jeopardy by sleeping less than 2h. It was 3:30am when I picked up Ace for the 2h drive to Ontario, NY. We were the first to arrive. The field would be sparse, with only 6 riders including RBA Pete Dusel, former RBA Jennifer Barber, Jim Bondra and Dan McKenna.

Things were a little bit hectic for Ace at the start, being her first time on a brevet. She had to borrow a front light from Jennifer and it initially didn't fit on her handlebar. While Ace was inside putting on her cycling gear I gave it a try. As I on my first brevet, she too rode with only a small saddlebag. One day she will discover the wonders of Carradice.

We left shortly after 6am. Early on I decided to test the pace at which the group was willing to ride. After a couple of miles I found myself alone, so I eased off the pedals until the group rejoined. We would stay that way for the first half of the ride.

It was a chilly morning and I made good use of my Showers Pass Double Century jacket until our first bathroom break at the Farmington Town park, 20 miles into the ride. Not long before the group was quite excited by the sighting of a hot air balloon in the distance. The sky was blue and the temperature was slowly but surely rising.

We formed pairs and conversation was interesting. I learned that Jim had worked in NYC for Lehman Brothers in the 80's doing research for mergers & acquisitions before making the move to the family-friendlier Ithaca. Jim, along with cycling, has a great interest in rowing. He was missing one of his daughter's rowing competitions for the first time to ride the brevet. I also heard stories of the PBP "Onion Johnny" Drew Buck from Pete. He's a rider who paid homage to the Onion Johnny during PBP 2007 by riding a retrodrive bike, which gives you a smaller gear when you pedal backwards! There is video about him on youtube and also a nice picture.

Shortly after our stop at the park we reached Canandaigua, a town I have gone through many times on bike, but never in a car. Our stop at the Hess mini mart contrôle was short. There I had my only Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot of the day. Soon we were off to the first significant climb leading to Middle Road, which offers a very nice view of the surroundings. The group strung out on the climb, but rejoined in Rushville. It was then when Pete sprinted away. My legs were fresh so I chased him down and the momentum kept me going once I caught him. A few minutes later I was joined by Dan with whom I rode to the next contrôle at the Bob & Ruth's Vineyard Restaurant in Naples. The segment from Rushville to Naples on SR 245 is very pleasant. The terrain is rolling and vegetation is abundant alongside the road.

It was significantly warmer by the time we arrived in Naples. I enjoyed a PB&J sandwich along with trail mix that I brought with me. The rest of the group got in Naples just a few minutes after Dan and I. We sat on a picnic table and enjoyed the break. I put on my new De Soto arm COOLERs on along with the leg COOLERS. They promise to increase evaporative heat losses, making you feel oh so COOLER on a warm day. My experience was favorable and I intend to use them on the Shenandoah 1200K.

The profile looked more forgiving on this ride than what it actually felt like. The heat may also have played a role in this. I took the climb out of Naples conservatively. Along the way I could see that Ace was not trailing too far behind. The next cue indicated a right turn on Weed Rd, which I made. After a hundred feet or so I stopped. I was curious to see if Ace would miss the turn. She nearly did! That's one of the things that randonneuring teaches you. Often you are alone and navigation is a big part of a successful ride. Ace and I would ride together all the way to the next contrôle, the Seager Farm in Canaseraga.

As soon as we turned on SR 21 the wind greeted us. I was the bigger and more experienced randonneur between the both of us and I don't like to draft, so I stayed in front and rode at a pace that Ace was comfortable with. Occasionally we would loose contact, but not for long. The route took us through Wayland and continued on SR 65 through Dansville, where we had a slight cue mishap. The cue read "L on NY 36 North / Ossian St" but soon after the turn NY 36 curved towards the right while Ossian St went straight. At the time I didn't even remember the Ossian St part, so I kept on following NY 36. When it was apparent that the next cue was not there, I went into a convenience store and asked for directions. Then it became clear to me that the correct route was to remain on Ossian St as NY 36 veered right. The whole affair only resulted in 2 extra miles.

Ossian Hill Rd is a good climb. As one naturally slows down when climbing, it's a good opportunity to keep an eye open for caterpillars crossing the road. I saw many and those that I saw remained alive. At the top of the climb we made a left on McCurdy Rd. The scenery was truly beautiful and I enjoyed every mile. At Canaseraga we stopped so that Ace could fill her water bottles. The 7 mile stretch leading to the Seager farm had some serious headwind. I was relieved to see a house with people on the porch, and what looked like a perfect randonneuring contrôle setup. We were at the Seagar home.

Michael Seager, who was doing some woodwork as we arrived, is a 3-time PBP finisher. Mike's sister Marcia Swan lives in Ithaca. I met her on a Sunday ride where she told me many PBP stories, including that of Alpo Kuusisto, who finished PBP in 2003 on a scooter bike. We thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay at the Seager home. While most of us remained protected from the sun in the shade of the porch I could not help but notice how Ace chose to stand in the sun.

Ace, Jim and I left together towards the Letchworth State Park, our next destination just 12 miles away. At the park we had an info contrôle question to answer. The falls overlook was being prepared for some sort of ceremony, a wedding perhaps? Ace commented that she had never seen such a large waterfall. I told her she should visit Niagara. If she's impressed with that, then she should take a look at Iguaçu Falls. Ace also requested a commemorative picture as she had just completed her first century. Jim, who we had lost a bit earlier, caught up at this point. The heat was on during this time of the day and I was looking forward to some shade on the road.

I found plenty of shade, but at the price of many little steep climbs along the way. During this up and down I lost contact with Ace. There were several riders behind us and I wanted to give her the full randonneuring experience, so I decided to ride at my pace. I figured that if Ace had any problems, help would be on its way. I always kept and eye on my rear-view mirror to see if she was in sight.

With some lament I left the park and made my way to Geneseo. There I made an impromptu stop for water. After filling up my Camelbak I sipped on a bottle of Lifewater while I sat outside the convenience store. It's funny how things are. Back in 2001 I was an intern at Bosch in Germany and I had a friend who would mix effervescent vitamin tablets in a large water bottle. He called it Vitaminwasser. I thought it was nasty. There I am, 8 years later, buying something very similar at a convenience store. No sign of Ace. I hopped back on the bike.

The distance between the info contrôle and the following contrôle in Canandaigua was almost 60 miles. I had covered 22 of them, so many more remained. At this point of the day I was finding it difficult to build an appetite for the food I was carrying. I had eaten a PB&J sandwich earlier but the thought of another one did not entice me at all. The gels I brought were convenient because I could eat them while riding and they were also not very sweet. The rolling terrain was somewhat annoying, but if you exerted effort in the right places, one could move efficiently along. Of notice was the gravel section on Bristol Rd. At one point I saw a turtle on the side of the road. It had its head raised and tongue sticking out. I wasn't sure if I was seeing a dead turtle or not, but I wasn't in the mood to stop.

Once I turned on US 20 it was just a few miles until the next contrôle at the Tim Horton's in Canandaigua. I spent about 5 min waiting at a traffic light to turn left. Then I noticed I was slightly ahead of the white line. So I backed up a bit and the light turned green. I'm not sure if it was coincidence or the traffic light had some sort of sensor. In any case, I was happy to be on my way to a chicken wrap and iced coffee. The lack of sleep (just 2h in the last 47h) was taking its toll. I arrived at the Tim Horton's at 6:45pm and left at 7:10pm. Later I found that Ace came in just 10 min after I had left. Scenting my proximity, she didn't hang around.

The last 28 miles were exactly the same as the first 28, just in the opposite direction. I knew from the 200K two weeks ago that the rolling terrain with a downhill trend was excellent to make up time. In my more or less sleepy state I did not want to ride in the dark. There was no way I could beat sunset, but there was a chance of making it to the finish before darkness settled in. Noticeable were the number of bugs that found their way into my mouth. Also, for some reason I was expecting one last bump in the profile that I clearly remembered from my last 200K. I was surprised to see the traffic light at the crossing of Slocum Rd with SR 104. That meant I had already passed the bump! Yay! I didn't even notice it.

I finished the ride at 8:48pm, 14h 48 min after the start. The first 101.8 miles of the ride were completed in 8h 28 min at an average speed of 12 mph (stops included), while it took me 6h 20min to cover the last 86.7 miles, resulting in an average of 13.7 mph.

Pete's wife Sandy let me use a bathroom to change out of my cycling gear. I was pretty much starving. The only thing I could think of was a burger. I didn't know where Ace was, so I tried reaching her via cell phone to no avail. I heard from Sandy that Pete was at the Canandaigua contrôle, and he said Ace was riding with me. That meant that Ace was most likely on her way. I waited for a while and decided to go get that burger and come back for Ace. As I was leaving the driveway she was walking her bike on the gravel section. Great! She finished about an hour after I did. Ace was pretty hyped from the ride and even talking about riding some extra miles to complete a double century. I was really amazed with her performance, given that her longest bike ride had been about 43 miles long. She does compete in triathlons, but has only done the sprint type so far. Being from Morocco, this small specimen seems really suited for the heat.

The heat was a serious factor to contend with on this day and slowed down most riders during the second half. Jim was about to leave Tim Horton's when Jenn and Pete arrived. Jenn would abandon the ride because of lighting issues. Shortly thereafter Dan arrived and the remaining riders pedaled through the night to finish shortly before midnight.

After a stop at McDonald's, where I savored a Double Quarter Pounder with cheese and a large milk shake and fries, Ace and I made it back to Ithaca at 12:30am of Sunday. It was one long day and I badly needed some sleep.

Blue Mountain PA ACP 400K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:19:00 +0000

Thursday I woke up and my voice was barely audible. What had begun as a sore throat was now affecting my vocal chords and soon would find its way into my lungs. I had enough reasons to stay home and skip the PA ACP 400K. On the other hand, I viewed the ride in the grand scheme of preparation for the Shenandoah 1200K. Riding in far less than optimal conditions was part of it. This event was a great learning experience, as I resisted the desire to follow the fastest, keeping to my pace instead. This allowed me to meet several riders I usually see only at the start and finish. RBA Tom Rosenbauer provided us with a challenging route and mother nature spiced it up with strong winds and thunderstorms, as if the endless steep rollers weren't enough.

Once again I arrived Friday evening way too late for a 5am start. It was almost 11:30pm when Tom signed me in. By the time I was in bed it was past midnight. Because of my late arrival, I did not have the privilege to choose my bunker, so I ended up on a top bunker. The room was full with randonneurs harvesting those precious hours of sleep before a long ride. John Dennis of Ithaca waved at me as I climbed to my bunker. There was no ladder. Later another Ithacan, Dan Barbasch, pointed out that his bunker had two ladders. Oh well, next time.

It was hard to sleep. A perturbing cough had begun. I covered my mouth and nose with the bed sheet and made a serious effort not to cough. I fear I also had a mild fever, as my PJ's were very humid when I woke up at 3:20am. I wasn't sure I would ride. I contemplated volunteering for anything that Tom might need during the day. After a relaxing shower I chose to clip in.

Within minutes the hostel was sprawling, with riders arriving from many locations and a common purpose, to ride. Among them was Craig Martek (RAAM qualified), who asked if I would ride with him. I appreciated the offer, but declined. I greeted Rick Carpenter, who I had last seen at the finish of our 700K weekend adventure a month prior. There were also new faces to me, like Andy Brenner, Kelly Smith, Chip Adams and RAAM qualified John Fuoco.

Soon it was time to go. Tom gave us the last instructions and off we went into the dark. For the first couple of miles I was riding with Rick Carpenter. Once I got on the bike and started pedaling the cough did not bother me too much. Rick and I were soon joined by a pace line comprised of Craig Martek, John Fuoco, Chip Adams, Judson Hand, Eric Keller and Andy Brenner. Rick joined them as they passed, but I stayed back. I didn't want to ride out of my comfort zone, especially at the beginning of this long day. Furthermore, on brevets I avoid drafting, except if I'm the stoker on a tandem. That hasn't happened yet. So I watched the pack distance itself and disappear.

The early morning was cool and foggy. I made a couple of quick stops to adjust my front fender, which was rubbing on the tire. This would be a constant theme throughout the ride. During one of those stops Bill Olsen and Jim Logan rode by. I joined them just before the first crossing of the Delaware River in Riegelsville. I was surprised, if not shocked, to see Bill riding a fenderless bike. As usual, conversation with Bill was easy and pleasant. Bill pointed out that the Riegelsville bridge was designed by John Roebling, to whom the Brooklyn bridge is credited. Later on I burst into laughter when he elaborated on the sensuality of the carbon brake levers on his Serotta Ottrott, not cold to the touch, as he gently caressed them.

Soon after the crossing Jim fell back and on the first moderate climb Bill bad farewell. I did not get too far ahead, because I saw two riders in my rear view mirror and decided to wait. It was Bill, but now in the company of Mike Lutz. We rode together up to the second Delaware crossing in Easton and parted ways soon after crossing the bridge. I was now in familiar territory, as many of the R-12 rides start at Tom's home in Easton. The view of the Delaware was pleasant and I was riding comfortably and enjoying the morning. Then a car slowed down next to me. It was Tom! I received some encouraging words and he drove on.

I arrived at the Aherns Country Café at 7:10am. Tom was sitting at a table waiting for his breakfast order. The lead group had arrived at 6:57am. I still had plenty of food and drink, so I only used the bathroom facilities. As I left the contrôle Guy Harris was just arriving.

The section leading to the next contrôle was probably the one with the most climbing. I guess because it was still early in the ride and cool, the climbing didn't feel like much effort. I took my time. The only nuisance was my front fender. I stopped several times to adjust it. During one of these episodes I accidentally reset my cyclocomputer. From then on I began to use the segment mileage, resetting after each cue. I found this to be a good way to stay alert. Along the way I decided to stop at a Petro Mart that serves as a contrôle on many other of Tom's brevets. There I topped off my water supply and had my first dose of Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot. Soon I was joined by Mike. I was looking out the window when I saw another randonneur ride by.

I left the Petro Mart before Mike. A few miles later I began what would be my journey along the Blue Mountain ridge for nearly 100 miles. About 50 miles into the ride I crossed with Guy. He was checking his cue-sheet as we joined Upper Smith Gap Rd. I presumed he was the randonneur I saw pass by at the Petro Mart. Guy was riding a geared bike instead of his fixie. It was nice to ride along Upper Smith Gap on slightly wider tires and a set of relatively fresh legs, as opposed to the occasion Rick and I pre-rode the PA ACP 300K after completing a fléche hours before. It was that much more enjoyable. I also recognized the spot where my wife Grazie and I set up the secret contrôle during the same event on its official running date.

Guy and I rode side by side for about 15 miles. I think we were victims of the "inching" syndrome, because at some point along Fireline Rd, just before arriving in Bowmanstown, Guy said that he was falling back because the pace was a bit too fast for him. I actually was thinking the same thing! The next 15 miles had some sections of steep climbing. At mile 71 I passed Judson Hand and Eric Keller as we turned on Smithlane Rd. They were the last cyclists I would see until the Blodies Inc in New Ringgold. However, before I got there again I stopped many times to adjust my fender and seriously contemplated taking it off and strapping it to my back. The problem was somewhat remedied when I found out that if I pulled on the fender stay, while riding, the noise would go away. That is, until the next bump. At least I wasn't stopping all the time anymore.

I arrived at the Blondies Inc as Rick Carpenter and Robin Landis were leaving. There was a bike resting outside the restaurant that I found belonged to Andy Brenner. At this contrôle I topped off my water and ate my first of three peanut butter sandwich varieties Grazie prepared for me. A random selection yielded the traditional PB&J. I also mixed a new batch of Spiz. With the increasing temperatures I changed my strategy to mix less powder in each bottle. The mixture remained palatable while it lasted. Andy left Blondies a few minutes before I did. After using the bathroom (located outside the restaurant) I reentered Blondies because I had forgotten to initial the sign-in sheet. Inside were Jud, Guy and Eric enjoying sodas.

A few miles after I left Blondies Inc. I passed Andy on one of the numerous rollers along this section. I remember enjoying this part of the ride very much. The climbing effort on the steeper parts was rewarded with incredible descents. At mile 104 I saw Rick and Robin standing outside a Sheetz gas station. I figured they would be riding faster anyway, so I decided to keep on going. At the time I had enough water and food too. The next 15 miles or so were of rolling terrain. There were many dairy farms along the way and friendly folk who greeted me as I passed by. I had a slight cue mishap and rode an extra mile when I mistakenly kept right instead of left after a sequence of cues that read: bear right, bear right, bear right, turn right. It turns out I was wrong, not right.

The sight of Sweet Arrow lake was welcoming enough to grant a picture. Maybe less than a mile later I saw many cyclists approaching. They seemed to be making an effort to catch me, so I decided to give them some work. I was running low on water and Spiz and had already planned to make a stop at the Hess mini-mart indicated on the cue sheet. There I had another Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot as I observed the group that was behind me move on. Apparently Rick and Robin were not the only ones to stop at the Sheetz. For about 15 miles I actually was riding ahead of everyone else. Less than a mile after leaving the mini-mart a downpour began. I stopped to put on my rain jacket, booties, seat cover and helmet cover. The dryness on my feet did not last long. I remember this section being the least enjoyable.

The trio John Fuoco, Chip Adams and Craig Martek were about to leave as I arrived at the Hess mini-mart contrôle in Jonestown. Rick and Robin decided to wait a few minutes while I mixed more Spiz and selected another sandwich, this time PB & Nutella. I ate most of the sandwich while I was on the bike. At this contrôle I was greeted by Bill Slabonik, who was volunteering during the event. I heard he provided assistance to several riders that had mechanical issues.

It was good to have some company after riding 136 miles mostly alone. Rick was cheerful and making several comments about the roads we were navigating. The only major inconvenience was the wind, at times a crosswind and at times a headwind, but never the right wind, which is tailwind. I joked to Robin about this. Whenever I am present, there is guarantee of no tailwind. The views were nice and I took several pictures along the way. On the rollers I noted how Robin and Rick were grinders. The would usually start climbing much quicker than I, but if the climb was sufficiently long I would catch up. If I know the climb will last a decent amount I start in a low gear and move up as the grade permits.

At the Sheetz contrôle in New Holland we met up with Craig, Chip and John F. once again. They left a couple of minutes after we arrived. At this contrôle I had my last sandwich, PB & honey. I like how the honey is absorbed by the bread. Delicious. Rick's cyclocomputer allegedly cannot sit idle without resetting so we left and I ate my sandwich while riding. About a mile after we left the contrôle Rick was adjusting his shoe while riding when he slammed into a parked SUV. Fortunately nothing happened to Rick. Robin at times was falling back and since it was starting to get dark, Rick and I would wait for him to catch up. I was astonished by how light Robin was riding. He had just a little saddlebag with tools, water bottles and no more.

Another highlight of the brevet was the time we spent on Hopewell Rd going through the French State Creek Park. Along the way we stopped for a bathroom break at the park office. I used the occasion to make a phone call to Grazie. I wanted to let her know we had completed over 200 of the 250 miles. Before exiting the park we experienced a sweet descent. Along the climb/descent Rick and I lost contact with Robin, but after a bit of easy pedaling he caught up just in time for our next contrôle stop at the WaWa in Pottstown.

I was craving for something salty after spending most of the day eating sweetish food. My choice was the WaWa Cuban flatbread sandwich. I devoured it in a minute or so. This time around we did not encounter the lead group at the contrôle. After many hours in the saddle we had about 35 miles left. They will not be forgotten any time soon.

There was some climbing to be done. It seems the "sweet descent" brought us to a low point in the ride profile. But this was the type of climbing I like, not the steep rollers. I was particularly fond of Gerloff Rd in Spring Mount, with lots of vegetation surrounding us. Soon afterward, Robin took a spill upon turning left onto Delphi Rd. It was at a very low speed. Following a quick bike check he was back in the saddle.

Then there was rain. Plenty rain. Lightning too. I was hoping for a dry arrival. This time I wasn't interested in rain gear. In retrospect I probably should have put the rain gear on, judging from the way I am coughing now. We were on Rt 563 for 13 miles on the final stretch towards the hostel. At the end there was also the infamous dip in the profile.

I shouted "yohooo" once I turned onto the hostel driveway at 11:30pm. It was echoed by Rick. What a delight to take a warm shower and put on some loose clothing. And then enjoy a delicious post ride meal. Tom congratulated us and signed us in. Our riding time was 18h30min, just under an hour after the lead group arrived. Robin soon left and Rick didn't spend much time at the hostel either.

The post-ride is to me almost as fun as the ride itself. I like to socialize with fellow randonneurs as they make it to the finish. So instead of hibernating, which I could have, I kept taking naps and coming downstairs to greet riders. At 1:10am Andy, Jud, Guy and Eric came in, at 20h10min of riding time. Just 20min later Mike and the tandem team formed by Mary Crawley and Kelly Smith finished. Most riders were off to their destinations quickly.

I heard about Steve Sheetz, who unfortunately had to withdraw because of a knee injury sustained earlier in the month that wasn't completely healed. I also found out that Bill Olsen's carbon fiber seat post broke. He was quite close to a DNF when he arrived at the Aherns contrôle. As support is allowed at contrôles, Tom offered to take him to his home in Easton for spare parts. A mountain bike seat post did the job. Then Tom returned Bill to the contrôle and he continued. The incident must have ocurred not long after I left Bill at the bridge crossing.

Next in was Jim Logan at 3:10am, completing the ride in 22h10min. Just 30min later fellow Ithacans John Dennis and Dan Barbasch arrived with Victor Urvantsev and Kate Marshall. I actually signed them in while Tom prepared a new batch of pizza. John D. was a sight of relief. A bit sore from the ride, but very happy. We spent some time talking to each other and hearing tales of the ride. Back to bed.

I heard some noise downstairs, but was slow to react. Once I did Christine Newman and Daniel Aaron had just left, after 23h30min of riding time. It was 4:30am when they arrived. The last riders in were Bill Olsen and Walter Pettigrew at 25h. I did not see or hear them.

At around 8:30am Dan woke John D. up and because I was invisible on the top bunker, he didn't notice me. Only us and Jim remained at the hostel along with Tom. We loaded our gear in the cars and drove back to Ithaca. Along the way we stopped at a diner where I had a short stack of pancakes, a bacon and cheese omelet and two hot chocolates. No leftovers.

Western/Central NY ACP 200K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:45:00 +0000

Saturday I rode for the first time with the Western NY series organized by Peter Dusel. Fortunately Pete's wife Sandy was there to sign me in as I was late at the start. One is allowed to start up to one hour late. However, the contrôle opening/closing times as well as the total time limit are not altered. I ended up starting alone at 7:20am. I set the goal to try to join the lead riders. The attempt was unsuccessful, as there was no way I could catch Wayne Panepinto, who finished the 127 mile ride with 6,600 ft of climbing and strong headwind in 7h31min. In the attempt I suffered again with cramps at mile 100, and this time I had to stop. In the end I finished with a personal best of 8h15min and managed to meet several riders along the way. Next time I'll meet Wayne, at the start!

My alarm clock went off at 4am and I woke up at 4:50am. It was a good thing I had everything set up for the ride, but I did not have enough time to make it to the start in time. I was close, arriving just as the other cyclists left at 7am. RBA Peter Dusel stopped to give last minute instructions. His wife Sandy signed my brevet card as I left the Dusel home at 7:20am.

The first miles were a bit strenuous. I was actually planning on a moderate pace with a lot of chat with new riders. At around mile 3 I caught up with two riders that were going out for a training ride. A pickup stopped ahead of us and someone jumped out, opening the door in a rather abrupt manner. We had to swerve in order to avoid it. As I passed the driver I heard something like rando... It turns out he was late for the ride as well and could not find the entrance to the Dusel home. I gave him instructions and moved on, hoping to latch on the training guys for a free ride. They may have sensed my intention, as they made a left turn just as I caught them. Oh well.

The first contrôle was at mile 10. It was an info contrôle. We were asked to write down the information on one of the "Adopt-a-highway" signs. Isn't randonneuring cool? I checked my time and wrote down the info on the sign. Time to move on.

The road conditions were excellent throughout the entire ride and I appreciated that very much. Initially I thought there would be lots of traffic on some of the roads, but that was not the case. I was on Planck road for 8.5 miles. A good way to make time would be to ride in my drops, so I did. I put my head down and followed the white line, looking ahead once in a while. Since the road was in such good condition, I really did not have to worry too much about potholes. I find this riding position quite comfortable, as long as I have my head down.

My next cue was a right turn on Schoolhouse Rd, on top of a small hill. There I met up with Peter Dusel, former RBA Jennifer Barber and some other riders as well, 23.6 miles into the ride. I spent some time chatting with them and also used the opportunity to apply sunscreen as I rode along with the group. The sun was peaking through the numerous clouds on this day with several thunderstorms in the forecast. I asked Peter how many riders were ahead of the group and he said three. He also informed me that among them was Wayne, who would probably finish in 7 hours or so. I thought I should get going if I intended to meet up with any of them. So I left Peter's group 4 miles after the encounter on Schoolhouse Rd.

My determination to catch up with the lead riders did not stop me from taking pictures, however. The crossing of the Erie canal required a stop. The single lane steel bridge was still wide enough for a car plus a cyclist. This reminds me of the perfect automobile according to the late Ken Kifer. In response to the question "Am I anti-car?," he points out their importance to the old and physically handicapped and then goes on to describe the ideal automobile, which turns out to be a bicycle. You can read it here (scroll down or just read all the newsletter shorts).

I was back in the drops for another 15 miles. Then I saw a cyclist in the distance. I patiently waited, assuming that if I maintained my pace I would eventually catch him. It turns out David Thompson is also signed up for the Shenandoah 1200K in June. The other coincidence is that he has ridden Rick Carpenter's Schuykill to Susquehanna permanent. Rick rides the PA brevet series and I was on his fléche team in April. I find that Dave has a pace similar to mine, in normal conditions. But on this day I was very hyped by the effort to catch the lead riders. I learned from him that a guy he was riding with had made a stop a few miles back. He asked me if I saw him, which I didn't. He also mentioned there were two riders ahead of him. This information did not jive with what Peter told me. Hum.. three our four riders?

As I reached the town center in Canandaigua, location of the next contrôle, I noticed that there was a mention of KFC on the cue sheet. Initially I thought it was the contrôle, but in fact it was a cue to bear left at KFC. On the previous day I had thought it was not a good idea to have fried chicken on a brevet, but I hear they now serve grilled as well. In any case, there is no longer a KFC in Canandaigua. In this brevet, the contrôle was of your choice! I figured this out at the gas station Bill Fischer, Jamie Gartenberg and I stopped at during our unofficial "Canandaigua 300K" back in March. I got on my bike to find Dave and tell him just as he was passing the gas station. I had to chase him for a bit since he did not hear me. We turned around and he alerted me to a spoke that was falling from my brand new Carradice Barley saddle bag. I said I would take care of it at the gas station. Suddenly Dave was gone. He actually stopped to pick up the spoke that had fallen to the ground. At the gas station we shared a gallon of water and I also had a dose of Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot. Yum! Outside we both mixed out powder concoctions with water. I told Dave I had to take care of some stuff in the bathroom and that I would catch up later.

After about 10 min I was back in the chase. It is amazing how far one can get in 10 min. On this section the headwind was particularly fierce. On my first ride around Canandaigua I rode along the shoreline. This time Peter chose Middle Rd, which runs parallel to the lake shore, but on higher ground. The view is really amazing, but I still prefer the shoreline. I joined SR 245 towards Naples and still no sign of Dave. Finally, after 15 miles I caught up with him. This time I did not stick around and moved on towards Naples.

There was a restaurant conveniently located at the same corner of our next cue, Bob & Ruth's Vineyard Restaurant. As I crossed the road to enter the restaurant's parking lot two cyclists rode by. They were carrying more gear than typical for a training ride, so I assumed they were the lead group. Bob & Ruth's seemed like a great lunch stop, but the ensuing 8.5 mile climb would be a serious obstacle to deal with on a full stomach. I happily opened my Barley saddle bag and pulled out a PB&J sandwich instead. I also bought some water to mix up more of my concoctions. I found out that the woman at the register was an FLCC member, or at least that it was I understood. Dave joined me at the contrôle and we left together.

The climb started on CR12 and went by the overlook used as a contrôle in the Quadzilla. But then there is more climbing as you make a left on Powel Hill Rd. This is followed by a right on S Gannett Hill Road which takes you to Ontario County Park, the top of the climb at 2,200 ft and location of an info contrôle. It was necessary to follow a gravel path to an overlook where we had to write down the number of benches that were there. I took a picture of the benches just in case. I forgot to take a picture of the view! How stupid is that! A good reason to do the climb again. If the overlook isn't a good reason to climb, maybe the descent on W Gannett Hill is. I reached 57.7 mph on both my odometers. That was pretty scary.

I was now heading back to the start on SR 64. The gentle downhill and lack of wind were welcomed. On this stretch I saw several cyclists riding in the opposite direction and no one riding where I was going. About 10 miles after turning on SR 64 I felt a pull in my right Sartorius (looked it up). For a moment I thought I might have injured it, but then I felt the same thing on my left leg. Cramp attack! This one was bad. I could not pedal. I massaged the muscle and shifted to a lower gear. The cramp subsided until I hit the next roller. Then it came back with vengeance. I found that I could still climb standing, but not in the saddle. I was lucky to find a convenience store on the intersection of SR 64 and US 20. I bought salted pretzels and Gatorade and hopped back on the bike as I tried to replenish my electrolytes. Every time I increased the pace I was held back by my cramps. Eventually I was able to speed up.

The tailwind I was hoping for had now turned into a vicious cross wind bringing several thunderstorms along with it. The cool thing is that even though you appear to be close, it might not even rain on you at all. This was the case for most of them. I felt the first raindrops on Yerkes Rd. I stopped and put on my rain jacket. By the way, I was always happy to stop and pull things out of the Barley, such a nice bag. Once I got back on the road it stopped raining. Great!

The next cue indicated a left turn on CR 8. This road would take me almost back to the start. For the first time, with 25 miles left, I decided to check my time to see what the ballpark finishing time would be. Once I noted that there was a good chance I could finish the ride well under 9h I pushed harder on the pedals. At the same time I could observe a nasty storm approaching from the West. It brought strong gushes of wind and lots of rain. I made another stop to put on my rain booties. They helped, but just for a while. I have not yet found a solution that will keep my feet dry. This is probably because my fenders are not large enough. I could see the water coming off the front wheel fender being blown on my right foot by the wind.

I rode through the thunderstorm into the sunshine. 8 miles left! The hope of catching the lead rider remained alive until I rode into the driveway of Peter Dusel's home and noticed that at least one car was no longer there. I knocked on the door, but Sandy was not home. So I wrote in my arrival time and put my brevet card next to Wayne's. I couldn't help the curiosity and took a peak at his card. He came in at 2:21pm. I came in at 3:35pm, but started 20 min after him. Wow! Even if I did not suffer with cramps and had blown by every rider I found along the way there was no way I would have matched that time. I do however think that a sub 8h would be feasible, although I am not sure I want to do that again.

While I was prepping for my drive back home Peter's wife Sandy arrived. We chatted for a while about cycling and their wonderful home on Lake Ontario. I even took some pictures. On my way out of the driveway I greeted Dave who was arriving. According to my math, there is a rider who stopped along the way or didn't leave his/her brevet card at the finish. By the time I got home it was 6pm, just over 12.5h since I left. That was nice for a change.

Volunteering at the Eastern PA ACP 300K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:02:00 +0000

I had the unique opportunity to ride AND volunteer at this year's Eastern PA ACP 300K brevet. This is because I rode it hours after completing a flèche with a 40km extension on April 19 and Saturday I volunteered so that RBA Tom Rosenbauer could experience the ride. None of it would have been possible without the help and support of my wife Grazie. She made the post-ride meal: black bean stew with rice and potato sticks. I didn't ride on Saturday, but I sure ate as if I had.

Grazie and I woke up at 3am on Saturday morning and drove to Little Gap, PA. There we set up a secret contrôle for the ACP 300K. A 200K option was also available, but this was only a RUSA event. I had some guidelines from Tom as to where the contrôle should be located. Mainly I was looking for a spot that had enough room on the shoulder so that riders could stop safely. It should also be a spot where they would not pass by too fast. After a couple of miles on Lower Little Gap Rd we found a good spot and began to set up the contrôle.

The most time consuming part was preparing the PB&J sandwiches. They did not go as fast as I expected, so I helped out by having one as well. The cranberry juice also went untouched. Grazie tells me it is diuretic. Had I known I would have stuck only to apple juice. However, I was happy to see that odwalla and Clif bars were going fast, as well as the cookies. With few exceptions, including RBA Tom Rosenbauer, riders arrived and quickly left the contrôle.

The first rider in was Craig Martek at 7:46am. Minutes later Victor Urvantsev, Kate Marshall, Christiane Iwert, Gilbert Torres and Eric Keller arrived. The sign-in sheet carrier Len Zawodniak had a flat and was delayed. He arrived and quickly left, determined to make up time and catch Craig. That would turn out to be a difficult task, as Craig established the course record with 12h41min.

The stream of riders continued and I did my best to sign them in and get them going. I would have enjoyed chatting, but I knew that they were eager to roll again. At 8:47am RBA Tom Rosenbauer rolled in. He knew about the secret contrôle, so I guess it wasn't much of a secret for him. Tom thought he was the last rider to come in, but that turned out not to be the case, as Bill Phillips was still to arrive. Tom was a bit concerned, since he was certainly last to leave the hostel and had not seen Bill along the way. We decided to give Bill a call. It turns out he had a mechanical that I believe was related to a cable. He said we was delayed, but on track. Indeed, Bill arrived at 9:15am. He signed in and was off in no time.

At this point Grazie and I were free to leave. We packed the car and drove to the Weisel Youth Hostel in Quakertown, the ride start location. Grazie was very tired and needed a nap. She made herself comfy on the living room couch after unloading the car with the food we had brought for the post-ride meal. It was a almost 12pm and I was ready to take a nap as well. At this time the phone rang. It was Kate Marshall. She said Victor had crashed and could not continue because of a missing dropout that had been torn off the frame. I was not obliged to, but I decided I needed to pick Victor up. I know from experience how miserable one can feel after a crash. The two times it happened to me I was able to continue, but since he couldn't I did not want him to deal with the hassles of getting back to the start. So I hopped in my car and went to get him. He was not very far from where we had positioned the secret contrôle, so that meant two hours of driving, there and back.

When I reached Victor he was sitting in a field of lively green grass and the sun was shining on him, with the bike lying on the ground close by. We had to take the fenders off so it could fit in the back seat of my car. On the way back a very appreciative Victor told me that he was descending and hit a some gravel as he tried to make a turn he should not have. Eric Keller, who was behind him, later reported seeing his front wheel about a foot off the ground. Victor hit the pavement hard and even his helmet cracked. The derailleur side dropout was torn off. I guess there's not much hope after that. Soon after I picked up Victor I received a call from Bill Phillips communicating that he was withdrawing at contrôle #3. A flat had delayed him further and he barely made the closing time at the contrôle to find out he had left his helmet 3 miles back.

I was back at the hostel close to 2pm. Grazie must have been really tired because she was still sleeping on the couch. We hadn't done much other than unload the car, so there was still a lot to do. A couple of hungry 200K riders were due to come in soon, so we had no time to waste.

While Victor was in the shower and taking care of his wounds, I went out with Grazie for a bite at Wendy's. We also needed to get some ice and judging by how fast the apple juice was consumed at the secret contrôle we needed more of that too.

It turned out to be a very wise idea to prepare the black bean stew we would serve beforehand. Grazie did that on Thursday and we froze it for transportation. Because of this, we only needed to prepare rice on site. That proved useful because shortly after we arrived from the mid afternoon escapade the 200K riders were in. Joe Platzner and Robert Ellis were happy to have some of the post-ride meal and Grazie received two of many more compliments to come.

The first 300K rider in was Craig Martek. He put in an amazing time of 12h41min, exactly five full hours faster than the time Rick and I had made on our pre-ride of the 300K. In our favor we had 400 km in our legs and two hours of sleep in the last 36h, so I don't feel bad at all with the time we put in.

The second rider in was Len Zawodniak. He was not able to catch Craig, but he passed all the other riders and delivered the sign-in sheets at all the contrôles. Shortly after Len came in, Christiane and Gilbert arrived. We had plenty of black bean stew and it was going fast.

A riding day that looked initially like it would be nasty turned out to be almost ideal, with balmy temperatures and favorable wind. Eric Keller, who on previous brevets had not been captured by my lens, finally was caught on film as he arrived 14h35min after the start together with Robin Landis.

I think Judson Hand is a randonneur who does not sacrifice his pace for company. He arrived alone at the secret contrôle and again alone at the finish, at 14h57min of riding time. Another loner is Guy Harris. He was the only fixie rider among the group and still was able to finish with a very respectable 15h15min for a geared bike. The next group of randonneurs would arrive almost a full hour later and was comprised of an always smiling Jim Logan and Daniel Aaron at 16h06min and 16h08min respectively. Ed Dodd, 2008 24h champion in the 60-69 category with 290.90 miles, arrived at 16h13min together with Bill Olsen and Walter Pettigrew. It's always nice to have Bill Olsen among the crowd, since he is a source of good conversation and many laughs.

Kate Marshall was greeted with a welcoming hug from Victor as she arrived with Chris Nadovich, the Umble brothers and George Metzler. George recently completed one of the PAC tours. Just five minutes later the tandem team Ron and Barbara Anderson were in. While I kept an eye on the lookout for incoming riders, I was able to enjoy some of the post-ride conversation. This included some amusing talk of how Eric was invited multiple times to sit down in the dining room of the Layton Country Store. The owner was probably expecting the behavior that Rick and I exhibited on our pre-ride, when we stayed there for almost a full hour.

Christine Newman and John Fessenden beat the 17h mark by a minute. John had missed a couple of turns and rode an extra 10 miles, effectively making the ride a double century. Not long thereafter Tom Rosenbauer came in at 17h21min. It seems he was making an effort to be last, as he was surprised that there still was a rider out. It was Mary Crawley. He swore she was ahead of him and it turns out they were at the same contrôle at the same time and managed not to see each other. In the end she was fine, finishing in 17h50min.

It was almost 11pm and I was ready to go to bed. The next day I would have to wake up at 3am and drive to NYC to participate in the Five Boro Bike Tour. For a report of that event, click here. Grazie was also very tired. With Tom's help, we cleared tables of all the food and carefully packed the reusable stuff for the next brevet.

At 12am I was finally in bed, trying to catch some sleep. It was an eventful day and I was very happy to have been part of the brevet in a different capacity, getting a small taste of what it is to be a Regional Brevet Administrator. I still had the help of Grazie. It is really amazing what Tom manages to do on these events. I have much greater appreciation for his efforts in promoting randonneuring and organizing brevets.

Five Boro Bike Tour 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Just days after I signed up for the Five Boro Bike Tour many previous attendants told me to be careful. It would be quite hectic and that they would probably not do it again. I would say the assessment was quite accurate. However, If I have the opportunity, I'll certainly to it again. It was crazy fun! If you add the rain into the equation and the bath of spray I received over the entire ride from the fenderless bikes, it was even more fun. Hey, I didn't even have to shower after the ride. As I write, I haven't yet. Yikes!

The Five Boro Bike Tour was the second event in a very strenuous weekend. I volunteered to operate a secret contrôle and provide all the post-ride food for a randonneuring event in Pennsylvania on Saturday. My wife Grazie did the food part. We slept two hours from Saturday to Sunday, worked at the event all of Saturday and finally slept at midnight. Then on Sunday at 3am we woke up, leaving Quakertown PA towards NYC at 4am. I arrived in NYC at 6am, parked the car in a garage and made my way to the start. This is where the Five Boro Bike Tour story begins.

Grazie and I walked to Battery Park only to find out that the start was actually not there, but at the intersection of Church St and Frankin St, about a mile away. As Grazie was not riding, we both walked up Church St until I could no longer move forward. I had never seen so many people together, much less on bikes. There were 30,000 of us ready to ride. Well, some of us seemed more ready than others, but I am sure the level of excitement and eagerness to turn the pedals was shared equally.

After a long wait of 90min I heard the announcer give the final countdown. Then I waited another 10min to start walking the bike. It was only when I crossed the starting line that I was able to clip in. During the initial miles I rode with Justin Manzo from my department at Cornell. We met at the starting line without knowing that the other would even be there. What are the odds of that?

I was told I would likely be stuck on Staten Island for a while before I would be able to return to Battery Park on the ferry. That thought was not very comforting, since Grazie would be waiting for me. She had some plans of her own, but it was raining and chilly. The day was not very inviting for exploring the city on foot. I made the decision to try to ride as close as I could to the front of the pack. That meant I could not enjoy much of the scenery. On the other hand, it would be hard to enjoy the scenery moving at any speed, since with so many cyclists around, you have to be very attentive. My rear-view mirror proved a very valuable asset.

Weaving through the sea of other cyclists was a lot of fun. I tried to do it as safely as I could, indicating when I was moving sideways and checking behind for approaching cyclists on my left through the rear view mirror and on the right by turning my head. I would often be stuck for a while because there simply was no safe way to move through.

In no time we reached Central Park. This was the first bottleneck. Just before the park entrance I lost Justin and would not see him again. There were two converging streams of cyclists as we entered the park and I saw several falls. Most of them were at very low speed and probably of little consequence to those involved. I was doing my best to avoid any accidents and so far all was going smoothly.

The first bridge crossing was on Madison Ave into the Bronx, followed almost immediately by a crossing of the Third Ave bridge back to Manhattan. Shortly thereafter that we began riding on the FDR drive. The speed picked up and with it also the rain. A bad combo for fenderless bikes. Worse for riding behind fenderless bikes. The spray was almost impossible to avoid. For obvious reasons, I grumbled at MTB's with knobby tires.

It was while on FDR that I was involved in an accident. As I was passing a cyclist on his right side he moved towards the right and his handlebar hit my left thigh. I heard him go down and immediately pulled over and stopped. I went back to him and checked if he was OK. He did not sustain any apparent injuries but his front wheel was misaligned. His friends also stopped and after asserting that all was OK I continued. It sucks to be part of an accident, but at least I was comforted in knowing that he was OK and able to ride on.

Along FDR I also saw several cyclists with flats. The road conditions were not very good on this stretch. My Vittoria Pave EVO CG tires did a great job and I did not have any problems, even though I often rode in the nasty parts of the road where there were less cyclists. It was time to cross the Queensboro Bridge. On the climb to the bridge I jokingly mentioned to a rider next to me that I had never heard of hills in NYC. We both laughed and moved on.

I was steadily passing cyclists and no matter how many I passed there were so many more ahead of me. This was confirmed when we reached Astoria Park. It didn't look very different from the start, huge lines of cyclists waiting for their turn in the porter-potties. I heard on the speakers that this was a mandatory stop and we would be held there until 10:05am. It was 10:00am. Although I had felt like going to the bathroom at the start already, I had no intention of spending more time than necessary at the park. I immediately joined the long line at one of the exits of the park. I did eat a banana and more of my granola.

It didn't take long before we were moving along the streets of Queens. At one point I caught a glimpse of police cars. They were pace cars! The streets were now wide and there was more room to share. A few miles down the road I reached the pace cars and the many cycling marshals riding behind. It was quite a trip, to ride just behind the pace cars. It was also nice to hear the people on the streets cheering for us. It is much more of a novelty for them to see the first cyclists moving along than the last among 30,000. The bad news is that the rain picked up. None of the marshals had fenders, or any of the cyclists in that front group. Now I had nowhere to go in order to avoid the spray and I soon felt the first drops of water penetrating my shoes. There would be many more by the time the ride ended.

The ride continued into Brooklyn until reaching the Cannonball Park. Before we crossed the Verrazano-Narrows bridge we made a sharp turn and a cyclist went down a few feet in front of me. With so many of us converging in narrow turns I was happy not to fall. The cyclist that I saw go down was up on his bike in no time, so I imagine nothing serious happened.

After the bridge crossing we arrived at the festival grounds in Fort Wadsworth. There were many stands with free stuff, including coffee and other goodies. I was tempted to hang out but I decided to head for the exit signs. I was determined on getting on the ferry as soon as I could. It was rainy and chilly, not a good time to stand around. I exited the festival area and together with another cyclist we were stopped and told we would have to wait there until 11:45am. That meant standing there for about 15min. Not too bad.

At 11:45 the police officers let us go and to my surprise we still had to ride another 3 miles or so to reach the ferry. I thought the ride had been over! Along this stretch I almost went down. On the bottom of a small descent there was a left turn. I had a good line, but as I reached the bottom I noticed there was an iron plate and I was turning on it. My rear wheel started to slide but I had enough traction on the front wheel and made the necessary adjustments to stay upright. This occurred instinctively. Whew!

Together with another guy I was riding with at this point, we were the first cyclists to enter the ferry. No lines! Yay! I took a nap while we crossed back to Battery Park. I needed some rest after two nights without proper sleep.

Upon arriving at Battery Park I headed back to the garage to get my car. I found a phone booth and made a call to Grazie. She was at Macy's on 34th. It took me a full hour to get there. I assume that the traffic was partially caused by the Five Boro Bike Tour.

I picked up Grazie and we went to a photo exhibition at the International Center of Photography near Bryant Park. I did not go in cycling gear, but we did see Five Boro cyclists throughout the afternoon up until we left NYC towards Ithaca at 4:50pm.

All told, it was quite an experience. It probably would have been more enjoyable without the rain and with the sun in its place. But those are things one cannot choose but rather deal with. It would be nice if people learned more about fenders.

Steuben 200K test ride

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:46:00 +0000

Saturday 11 hardy randonneurs test rode the soon to be submitted Steuben 200K permanent in Upstate New York. With temperatures hovering 90F it was quite a challenge. The route offered plenty of climbing with long descents and a difficult headwind to deal with during most of the ride. I learned a valuable lesson from this ride, i.e., on hot days ingest electrolytes regularly. I waited way too long and suffered with cramps. Wearing tights also did not help.

Phillip Meerkamp and I arrived at Bill Lodico's home in Elmira at about 8:50am. I was a bit surprised not to see any other cyclists. As many on this ride live in Elmira, I suspected they would show up just minutes before the ride start. Indeed, that was the case.

Today was Phillp's first unofficial 200K. He was very well prepared. During the week we had spoken on the telephone about equipment and nutrition for a 200K. I hope my limited experience was of some value. Phillip, like me, took up cycling just about a year ago. Before that he had dedicated himself primarily to tennis and running.

In a few minutes John Dennis arrived with Dan Barbasch and not long thereafter Bill Fischer, Mark Sheehan, Julie Riplinger, John Fessenden and Blaine Chamberlain completed the roster. We left Bill Lodico's home around 9:20am.

Just a couple of miles into the ride I had a flat. Phillip was kind enough to wait for me and both of us worked together to close the gap to the other riders. On Friday evening I played over two hours of basketball and my legs were feeling it. Probably not the best idea if you plan to ride 200 km the next day. At least my arms seemed OK. That is about the only way they get some sort of a workout. At this point it was around 74F and rising.

We caught the lead group somewhere along the first long climb. Eventually Julie, Phillip and I climbed more or less together to the top. I then coasted down the hill in my aero-tuck for nearly 3 miles without turning the pedals once. I made a comment to Julie that what I had just done was probably considered a heresy among fixie riders. Blame it on the cassette freehub, not on me!

Soon we were joined by the rest of the group. John Dennis was the last to show. A malfunctioning front derailleur slowed him down on the climb. He was not able to shift into his granny-gear and the limit screw was stuck, not allowing for adjustments. On occasions like these fixie riders giggle. Granny what?

The pack rode on along CR 73. After flirting a bit with Tioga River, we crossed a bridge into Presho and followed CR 5. This road is very awkward, as it first takes you south, then west and finally north into the town of Addison. Except for the last 3 miles or so, this is a steady climb. Upon leaving Presho the group split once again. This time Julie, Phillip and I were joined by Dan Barbasch for most of the way. I was feeling the heat as the temperature rose to nearly 87 F (30.5 C) Even the headwind did not mitigate that much. As if in a mirage, I saw a cyclist in the other direction. It was Misty McPhee. She drove from Ithaca to Addison and rode up the hill to meet us. Just after we greeted she gave the good news of a long descent into Addison. A pause for refreshments was much welcomed almost 40 miles into the ride.

At the Sugarcreek Stores I was lucky to find the coveted Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot. I am not a regular coffee drinker, but I do enjoy it occasionally and especially on rides. In Addison we regrouped and many of us used the time to bathe in sunscreen. I was trying out this nutty idea of wearing thin tights on this hot day. Unfortunately the tights were black and that did not help much. However, it was not too bad, at least I did not have to apply sunscreen on my legs.

The group left Addison on CR 119 following the Canisteo River. The headwind at this point was very annoying and the group remained together for the first few miles. I used the opportunity to chat a bit with riders that I had just met like Bill Lodico and Mark Sheehan, both randonneuring veterans. I spoke with B. Lodico about my hometown Florianópolis in Brazil, issues like the right to sunlight and flaws of the Mercator projection. Our conversation was abruptly ended when the speed was notched up as Phillip took command of the pace line. The group strung out in small clumps and remained that way until we regrouped at a right turn on CR14.

One lump remained between us and the city of Bath, our coveted diner stop. Phillip, Julie and I rode at nearly the same pace to the top of the climb. As we began to descend I got into a nice groove, riding in the drops for the next 10 miles. My lower frontal area in this position allows me to gain 2 to 3 mph almost instantly. By the time I reached the Chat-a-Whyle Diner in Bath I needed a break. I used the minutes I had accumulated on the last stretch to take some pictures, among them the town clock. For a while I stood in the street waiting for the other riders to come. I wanted to get a picture of the group riding towards the diner. All of a sudden I turned around and they were there! They had arrived at the diner from the other direction. I suppose they would not get back on their bikes to pose for the shot, so I did not bother. Maybe next time. I noticed Julie was no longer among the group. She continued straight back for a prior commitment.

Us hungry cyclists occupied a large table at the diner. As we waited for our orders Misty and John Dennis entertained us with yoga positions. It hurt just to look at them. I went to the bathroom and on my way out a motorcyclist asked me about my spandex shorts and handed me piece of paper with a prayer. I am not religious, but I am also not one to disrespect others' beliefs, so I took the prayer and thanked him. I was back at the table just in time for a Spanish omelet with home fries and toast on the side. By the look on Phillip's face, I believe he was surprised with our choices. Instead he settled for a milkshake and sliced bananas. I did envy him for a bit, as I too am a huge fan of the milkshake and all the cousins of ice cream.

In a bit of a rush, I quickly ate all that was on my plate and headed to a nearby convenience store to purchase water required to mix Accelerade and Spiz. While at the store Mark Sheehan came and went. I spent a bit of time outside and when I rode past the diner no bikes were to be seen. The feeling of being left behind is not a good one. I figured they would not be riding too fast after a diner stop and that I would eventually catch up. It turned out to be a wrong assessment.

The cue-sheet indicated a bear right onto a certain CR 11. However, there was no indication of a CR 11 so I continued along SR 415 until it was obvious that something was not quite right. I stopped at a roadside motel for directions. After waiting a minute or two for the lady to come to the door after I rang the bell, I found she knew no more about CR 11 than I. I thanked her and apologized for disrupting what seemed to be a nice siesta. On the way out of town I observed an ice cream shop that was sprawling. I figured someone there must know about this infamous CR 11. Indeed, there I was given instructions to follow the I 86 sign. A few tenths of a mile later I was comforted to see the CR 11 sign on the road.

My detour had cost me over 3 miles. At this point I knew it would be difficult to catch the group. Nevertheless I tried. The miles came and went and I grew frustrated. A gentle but long climb began. A little girl on a bicycle approached me and told me to go straight, so she was told. Bill Fischer had asked people on the way to let me know of their passage and indicate the correct route. Just a few minutes after I met the girl I saw Blaine Chamberlain slowly moving along. Just before I reached him there was John Dennis, lying in grass on the roadside next to his bike. Bill told me that John was having some bad cramps. I believe Bill had felt a bit sick to the stomach and decided to stop for rest. Since I knew that John had a cell phone and was planning to return with Misty once we reached Addison, on our way back to Elmira, I continued cranking the pedals. There ahead of me was Bill Lodico. I caught up to him and told my story of the detour, John D. and Blaine. I learned the others were not far ahead. We reached the top of the climb together and began to descend. We were now in Addison. I had ridden nearly 30 miles alone, trying to catch the rest of the group and the effort had taken its toll on me.

We regrouped at a convenience store in Addison. Misty left us to get her car. She would then drive back to pick up John D. and Blaine. I enjoyed another dose of Doubleshot and also munched on beef jerky. Bill Lodico, Mark Sheehan and Dan Barbasch had root beer floats. In retrospect I should have eaten more at this stop. I didn't think much about it, something I would soon regret.

We left Addison for the last 30 miles of the ride. A significant effort would be required to beat the dark. I was not worried about this because I had my generator hub. While riding on SR 417 out of Addison an approaching car gave us a friendly honk. As it passed I saw John D. waving out of the window: "Hi Juan!" It was great to see such a lively John. Blaine was also in the car. Soon afterward my calves began to twitch. Uh-oh. I immediately remembered the endurolyte pills that Rick had given me for our flèche the week before. I had two. I was feeling energy deprived. I ate some gel, which I only use in emergencies. Then I ate Clif shot blocks followed by Jelly Belly jelly beans. The act of eating alone felt good. I knew it would take some time to feel the benefits of what I had just ingested, but my mood was already improving. At this point in time we were on Indian Hills Rd heading south. Soon it was time to cross the Tioga River for the second time in Presho. A brief acceleration by Bill Lodico left John Fessenden behind. Then we made a left on CR 120 for the last climb of the day. The group split up. Bill Fischer, Dan Barbasch, Phillip and I rode together to top of the climb and began a 7 mile descent into Elmira. What a joy! For a moment I had the impression it was beginning to drizzle. I realized I was mistaken and what I sensed as rain drops were actually insects. Better keep the mouth shut. I led the group down during most of the descent and did not have any further issues with cramps on the bike.

Once we entered Elmira Bill F. moved to the front and showed us the way back to Bill Lodico's home. The arrival time was just a few minutes past 8pm. We had beat the darkness. After some celebratory pictures Bill F. left towards his home while Phillip, Dan and I got ready for the drive back to Ithaca. My average moving speed was 16 mph, not bad for a 132 mile ride with almost 10,000 ft of climbing and various stretches with significant headwind, in the heat!

I can't wait to try out the wool jersey and shorts I just ordered from Woolistic. I hear they're good for all weather conditions.

700 km weekend, oh yeah!

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:53:00 +0000

Where to begin? The awesome flèche in Eastern PA with a 40 km extension? Or the following 300 km brevet? Why not add them up? In preparation for the Shenandoah 1200K (as in kilometers) in June, I rode 700 km over the weekend, including 31,250 ft of climbing, with my rando-guru Rick Carpenter. For the flèche we had the company of the ever so stronger Bill Fischer. The weather was amazing and I had a wonderful time. It could not have been better.

A Flèche is a team event where riders complete at least 360 km in a 24h period. Most randonneurs view it as an opportunity to socialize with friends while spending many hours on the bike. Rick Carpenter was the founder of the Squadra Bricconi team in its second year at the start. I happily accepted the invitation to join Rick along with Bill Fischer from Elmira. That would be just the beginning of the story.

During an e-mail exchange in preparation for the flèche, regional brevet organizer Tom Rosenbauer suggested I pre-ride the official Eastern PA ACP 300K after the flèche as preparation for the Shenandoah 1200K. I jumped onto the idea. However, there was some concern of taking on those extra 300 km alone after the flèche. Then Rick Carpenter made it all possible by riding the 300K as well. Unfortunately we could not coax Bill Fischer into joining us for the flèche recovery ride :).

Squadra Bricconi team members met at Jean Carpenter's home in Doylestown PA at about 6pm. I actually drove to Quakertown PA where Rick picked me and my bike up. Jean prepared a wonderful pre-ride assortment of wraps, chips, fruit and drink. We all enjoyed chat and even a bottle of Chianti. I learned Bill played the trombone and that Rick also plays several instruments, self taught. It was about 7:30pm and I was still in my comfy clothes. I was getting a bit anxious.

At 8pm we started. To my surprise we were rolling much faster than I expected. Apparently the proper strategy is not to go very slow, but rather at a brisk pace, allotting time for unexpected events. The extra time can be spent at the contrôles if so desired. For the first couple of hours I was often a behind, even on the climbs, which I like so much to attack. Riding conservatively has more than one interpretation.

After entering into New Jersey over the Delaware River at Washington's Crossing, we arrived at the Titusville NJ post office at 9:10pm, 5 min ahead of our target time. Greetings were mailed to Tom and we were back on the road with little delay. Our speed was just right because upon crossing the Delaware at Lambertville, NJ, the Starbucks in New Hope, PA was reached at 9:44pm, 1 min ahead of the target time. There we thoroughly enjoyed hot drink and some of the wraps that Jean prepared for us. I was carrying granola, cookies, energy bars and even a PB&J sandwich in my jersey pockets. I never imagined so much could fit in them. The atmosphere in New Hope was lively with streets full of people, young and old. It's nice to have spring back. After a few phone calls to respective spouses we hopped back on the bikes. Along the way we were occasionally cheered on by a pedestrian.

Riding at night has its own set of challenges. Although I have ridden many hours in darkness, this was the first time I rode from dusk till dawn. It is imperative to have a nice bright head light to uncover sneaky potholes, especially on descents. In addition, a helmet mounted light can be very useful to see street signs and other features not within the area illuminated by the head light. I was only equipped with a led snap-on light to view my cue-sheet. It was powerful enough to read a street sign, but I needed to be close to the sign, whereas Bill and Rick could read the signs at a much greater distance. Maybe I need new contacts.

After a bit of trouble with a road that had been replaced by a shopping center we made it to the Limerick Diner at 0:55am, again just 5 min ahead of our target time. I was impressed. Squadra Clockwork was breezing through the night. We spent a lot of time at the diner. Bill and Rick had full meals. I was a bit hesitant to engage in the orgy, so I settled for a milk shake instead.

Our next stop was at the Turkey Hill in Honey Brook, PA. For the first time we were off our target time, late by 25 min, arriving at 3:55am. This was largely due to the goofing-off we did at the Limerick diner. But that also belongs in a flèche. The attendant at the Turkey Hill was very friendly and also a cyclist. We heard many stories from him and were actually finding it difficult to leave the convenience store. It must get lonely during the wee hours of the night.

Not long after leaving Honey Brook I started to hear a bird here and there. Suddenly there were many more chirps, of all sorts. Rick is a bird watcher and rock climber as well. I certainly am short-stacked on talents when it comes to my randonneuring friends. Dawn is probably my favorite part of the day and to be honest I rarely experience it off the bike.

We were still off target by 32 min when we reached the Conestoga Wagon Restaurant at 6:32 am. Bill was having some pretty scary shifting problems. Every time we started to climb a steeper hill, it sounded like his drive train was about to explode. A scary thought, since we were only three. If one of us had a really serious mechanical, it could mean the end of the flèche for the entire Squadra Bricconi. Bill made some adjustments and the shifting improved significantly. I seized the opportunity to get rid of some of the stuff in my pockets by eating granola with milk, my favorite breakfast.

The stop at Conestoga must have been quicker than expected because we arrived at the Sheetz in Marietta, PA at 8:25am, a full 35 min ahead of the target time. From then on we jokingly referred to longer bathroom stops as "sheetz contrôles". I suspect the tradition will continue. It was at this contrôle that I had my first Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot, a new favorite on my rando-menu.

The day was turning out to be a great one, with clear blue skies and mild temperatures. About 50 min after leaving Sheetz we arrived at the Turkey Hill contrôle in Elizabethtown. There was an interesting incident that occurred there, when another customer said something about shooting us as a way to get a contrôle stamp in a hospital. It's a good thing he was on his way out, or else I would have to use my pH 1 Accelerade on him.

The most enjoyable part of the ride came between Marietta and the Denver Turkey Hill contrôle. The rolling landscape covered by green pastures and full of spring colors was a beautiful sight after many months of winter. Visibility was astonishing and one could see very far away. We were moving quickly along and making good time. I noticed a significant increase in the bug intake during this stretch.

Just after getting our brevet cards signed in Denver at 11:07am, we walked over to a nearby sandwich shop. It was lunch time. I had a tuna sub, while Bill and Rick had ham and cheese and Philly cheese steak subs respectively. They were well prepared and hit the spot just right. However, it was pretty warm outside and our pace was drastically reduced in order to enable digestion. We also were climbing. After most of the climbing was over, Rick and I started to race across the rollers, with Bill not far behind at all. It was a lot of fun. Even with the extended stop in Denver we were able to beat our target time by 2 min in the Birdsboro, PA Walmart at 1:58pm.

The Walmart did not offer a very enjoyable atmosphere and we left quickly towards the Gilbertsville, PA Turkey Hill contrôle. Along the way we passed by a motorcycle accident. The motorcyclist was being attended to by EMTs. I hope he is OK. I could not tell exactly what had happened. This part of the ride was busy with traffic and required more attention. After reaching the Turkey Hill at 3:10pm we quickly had some refreshments and I bought my daily dose of beef jerky for the rest of the ride. It was time to move on to the 22 hour contrôle in Perkiomenville, PA, just 8 miles away.

The original 22h contrôle was closed and Rick already knew that. He contacted Tom about the issue and had two alternative contrôles that were far enough from the finish to qualify under RUSA flèche rules. We chose the Sumneytown Hotel & Restaurant in Sumneytown, PA. There Rick and Bill had beer while I enjoyed a gin & tonic. What a way to celebrate. Our goal was well within reach. We all sat on chairs on the porch and I observed that Bill had taken his shoes off. I took it to the next level and also removed my wool socks, allowing my toes to enjoy daylight for the first time since the ride had started. The bar owner and a customer entertained Bill and Rick while I laid back and caught a nap. I was not sleeping heavily, as I followed their conversation off and on. It was pretty interesting, at least the bits I heard about Viagra and Cialis. I had to fight a grin not to be noticed.

At 6pm we left Sumneytown and were on our way to the Weisel Youth Hostel in Quakertown, our final flèche destination. The sun was getting lower on the horizon and I had the chance to take some nice pictures. Soon we were rolling in the hostel driveway where Tom fed us lasagna with meatballs and pasta. It was a great evening and the only caveat is that we were not able to meet up with the other flèche teams because of different starting times.

I would have liked to stay longer at the youth hostel, but we still had a 40 km extension to complete the 400K qualifier. It was time to go. Soon after we left it was dark and Rick imposed a fast pace as we moved on roads with lots of traffic. I was soaked in sweat when we arrived at the intermediate contrôle in Ottsville, PA. The wool base layer had to go. The same brisk pace was imposed throughout the remaining 16 miles. We finally reached the starting point in Doylestown at 10:01pm, a full hour ahead of the time limit for a 400 km event. There we were greeted by Jean, who had prepared a delicious frittata for us. It was a perfect recovery dish after so many hours in the saddle. However, the story was not yet over.

Rick and I would still ride a 300K that was to begin at 4am. We had worked everything out so that I would drive with Bill to the Hampton Inn in Doylestown and Rick would pick me up at 3am. My car was still in Quakertown, at the finish of our 300K ride. I did not have much time to sleep.

Bill had already passed out by the time I was soaking in a bath with Epsom salt. It was about midnight when I finally was able to sleep. Not long thereafter I was awoken simultaneously by my cell phone alarm and a wake up call. I don't think I saw Bill even twitch. I gathered all my stuff and met with Rick at precisely 3am. We drove to Quakertown and assembled our gear. By the time we rolled out of the parking lot it was already 4:10am.

The first miles heading north on Richlandtown Rd were very slow. The condition of the asphalt did not help either. While still on Richlandtown Rd we came upon a car accident site. Police, ambulance and firefighters were on site. A car had lost control and hit the side of a house, catching on fire afterward. The clean up crew was working and we initially were not allowed to pass. Rick insisted and they let us walk with the bikes through the debris. I actually lifted my bike because there was so much glass and other sharp and pointy objects lying around. As we left the crash site I saw what remained of the car. Not much. I'm glad we weren't around when it happened.

Because of the limited time between the end of our 400K and the beginning of the 300K ride, we did not have time to get a decent breakfast. While we were rolling through Bethlehem Rick made the wise decision to stop at a Dunkin Donuts. There we spent at least 30 min between eating and using the restroom. The pace after we left did not change and we were still moving slowly. This was probably the part of the ride that was most difficult. I admit I was sleepy and finding it hard to stay as alert as I would have liked to. By the time we made it to the first post office contrôle in Danielsville things had improved a lot. I was feeling alert. We had a sizable climb over Little Gap followed by a very long section in Cherry Valley. At this point I noticed that Rick was slowing down. I am usually the one that is doing my best to keep up with him. But during this particular stretch I noticed he would fall back often and I would wait for him to catch up. The asphalt did not help either. It was a very bumpy ride and I wished I had wider tires.

We were still dangerously close to the closing time when we reached the Village Farmer and Bakery in Delaware Water Gap, PA. It was 10:20am and closing time was 11:08am. At this point I knew Rick was having some energy deficit because he had an apple pie and a monster strawberry short cake. If you know Rick, he is not one to eat sweets on the rides. I had just the apple pie and something that resembled a vanilla latte. It was a bit frustrating that the place only had a porta-potty and not a proper bathroom.

We continued our slow pace along River Rd, encountering many steep rollers, for about 10 miles until we made a right on Community Dr, which led us to Rt 209. There was a significant head wind. Just after we passed a cyclotourist that was on his way up from Key West, FL, I moved ahead of Rick and put in the longest pull of my life. For a about 11 miles I went in the drops and stayed there, pumping my legs as hard as I could without going overboard. Once in a while I would check my mirror to make sure Rick was behind me. It was a significant effort and a sign of it was a bit of blood running out of my nose. It was not persistent and stopped before we reached the bridge crossing in Dingmans Ferry.

Rick and I were happy to reach the Layton Country Store at 12:56pm, about 1h and 10 min before the contrôle closing time. We both had delicious meals and this was a perfect place to get excellent food. I had a ham and cheese omelet with hash browns on the side while Rick ate a Philly cheese steak made with actual good steak. The restroom was very clean. The whole place was just awesome. We took our time and left 15 min prior to brevet closing time. At least my effort on Rt 209 allowed us enough time to enjoy our meals. However, we were still pressed and dangerously close to closing times.

The route took us back to Delaware Water Gap and along the way I noticed a lump in my front tire. For a moment I thought I was going crazy but it was still there. When I carefully inspected the tire there was indeed a bulge. The thread had been cut on the inside and the tube was getting through. Wow! It's a good thing that I carry an extra tire with me on brevets. This stop took some time and as soon as the bike was ready we kept moving quickly. I knew from my first brevet in Pennsylvania that a climb was ahead. It would summit us over Flatbrookville to Milbrook Village, and I remembered it being a tough one. At the bottom of the climb I stopped to take my wool base layer off as Rick went on. Since I had a jersey full of stuff in the pockets on top of the wool layer, this process took a while. When I finished Rick was no longer in sight. I did not climb conservatively and worked hard until I had Rick in view. Then I continued and passed him before we reached the top of the climb. The descent was short lived. We met again after a right on Old Mine Rd heading south. The conditions on this road were less than ideal, with several parts where the asphalt had eroded, often covering the entire cross section of the road. We stopped long the way so that Rick could use a porta-potty we found near a boat ramp. I used the opportunity to get my hands wet in the Delaware River for the first time.

In spite of the brisk pace, we were still only an hour ahead of closing time when we reached the Water Gap Diner at 4pm. We had covered 120 of the 188 miles in a 300K. We left the diner at about 4:25pm. At this point Rick turned on his turbo, sign that he was feeling good. I was able to keep up, sign that I was still alive. The next 21 miles were pretty hilly, as would be the rest of the ride, with several steep climbs.

I was craving for a slice of pizza by the time we reached Louie's Pizza at 6pm, again only 1 hour ahead of closing time. According to the sign, it's the finest pizza money can by. In spite of our hard work, we were not making time. This is because our stops were more extended than usual and the terrain did not help either. When computing the opening/closing times in a brevet, there is no consideration if you live in flatland or the alps.

We left Louie's Pizza at around 6:30pm and continued to ride as hard as we could. It is all a blur in my mind right now. I was not drafting, but Rick was leading the way. Before reaching the Citgo contrôle in Bloomsbury, NJ I hammered for a couple of miles, such was the desire to end the ride at this point. Finally we made some good time. It was 7:57pm when we got our brevet cards signed, over 1h 30min ahead of closing time. We did not stay there for long and were back on the road for 25 miles of pain.

It was now dark and Rick knew the way by heart. So I decided to drop back far enough so that I could ride hard without worrying about crashing into him. I just followed his E3 tail light all the way home. At times I would ride up next to him for a brief chat. Mainly I was asking if we were going up or down. I was confused because it seemed like we were going up, but my odometer reading was above 20 mph on many occasions. That did not make sense. I remember this endless climb, not steep, but just so long. That was followed by more rollers and finally, after two days riding the bike, we finally made it to the finish. My only thought during those last few miles was that a lot has to come into place in order to complete such a long ride. Many things can go wrong and I was very happy to be prepared. Even when I had 186 miles I was still alert to potholes and such. The ride is finished only when you make it to the finish.

We celebrated with a couple of beers that Rick's brother had kindly left for us next to Rick's car. After putting all our gear in the cars we went our separate ways. I was only able to make it to Dickson City before it became unsafe to drive. I then stayed at a roadside motel for the night. The next day I was back in Ithaca at 11:15am. What a weekend!

Below are pictures I took during the brevet.

Here is a link to Rick's pictures http://tinyurl.com/dm8veb

The Solo-Flèche

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:58:00 +0000

My journey around the 11 Finger Lakes is now complete. The ride started on Saturday at 4:30am and ended 227 miles and 20,000 ft of climbing later, on Sunday at 1:30am. The distance covered, a little over 360 km, was equivalent to a Flèche. This was no coincidence, as next Friday I will participate in my first official Flèche and I thought it would be good to try the distance on hilly terrain.

There is something very appealing and rewarding in riding long distances. For one I am able to see and hear so much of what nature has to offer. Then there is the gratification of powering your own journey, even through darkness. Yesterday, riding alone for the first time over such a distance, it was also a moment to reflect.

I had carefully planned the route beforehand such that it would comprise of 360 km (225 miles) and many hills. When I finished mapping the route in DeLorme, I was astonished to see 22,000 ft of climbing. At that point I knew it would be a significant challenge. Before posting the ride on my local cycling club's mailing list I had second thoughts. There were several unknowns, including weather. I was fearful that I would not have company during the ride, even part of it. Bill Fischer answered my plead and agreed to ride 175 of 225 miles.

On Friday night I felt ready for what was to come. My bike was prepared and I had a heavy load of provisions, including spare clothes for drastic temperature changes, food, tools and a spare tire and tube. I had trouble getting in bed, but I managed to sleep a good 2-3 hours. Not much. At 3am I was up and at 4:30am I left East Hill Plaza. My journey had just begun.

It was very important to pace myself on this uncharted territory. I knew it would be a long ride, so I decided to climb conservatively, something I find hard to do. As I was halfway up West Hill on R 79 my cell phone rang. It was Bill. He said he was very sick and had been up all night. In spite of these words I still asked "So you're not riding?". It was more of a desperate plea than a question. "No," was the answer. I wished him well and continued my climb. Thoughts of returning lingered in my mind. I had been advised by a much more experience rider not to undertake such a ride on my own. However, the desire was too great.

There was little traffic and I was very much undisturbed on my way towards Watkins Glen, where I arrived at 6am. Not much was to be seen, but I heard a great lot from the birds. They seemed joyful on this cold spring morning. After a long climb on CR 23 and an equivalently lengthy descent I was in the town of Hammondsport, at 7:30am. The Deli I planned to visit was closed, so instead I ate a banana in front of the Deli. After a brief stretch I was back on the road, this time in unknown territory.

I chose Reservoir Hill as the path out of Hammondsport. It is a very nice climb, and worth the effort if your plan is to turn around and head back down. The road soon turned into dirt but was not all that bad. What I did not enjoy at all was the condition of Two Rod Rd. First of all, it was unmarked. I made the turn and about a mile in I had doubts. So I returned and scouted the road where I had been for another mile or so. No intersections. So I hoped for the best and stayed on this unknown road. After an incredibly steep descent on gravel, where I squeezed hard on both brakes, I was relieved to see a sign that matched the name on my cue sheet. I had ridden almost 4 extra miles already.

I was punished by a constant headwind as I moved north on SR 53 through Prattsburg towards Naples. Along this road I reached the highest elevation of the day, 2122 ft. The climbing, not to steep, but everlasting, was rewarded with a very long descent into Naples. Unfortunately, I could not take maximum advantage of gravity because of the wind that was blowing from the North, quite strong. I was 70 miles into the ride (66 according to cue) when I savored my first dose of beef jerky accompanied with a Starbucks "doubleshot energy + coffee" vanilla flavored drink. I also bought a gallon of water that I used to refill my Camelbak and mix with a new batch of Spiz. The remaining water was used to wash some of the dirt and worms off the bike.

I left Naples around 10:30am along CR 36. Just before I left the town, I stopped along curbside to put on my balaclava and change my gloves from the lobster sort to the regular fingered gloves. Following an enjoyable climb out of Naples the cue sheet indicated I should turn on Feather St. About halfway up the climb the road split in two. There were no signs. After a few minutes standing there, thinking of what to do, a pickup came in my direction. I smiled and waved the pickup. It slowed down, the occupants looked at me, and the pickup continued its path down the hill. Oh well, I guess I do not seem that friendly after all.

I decided to take the path that made most sense in terms of direction. After just a few hundred feet the packed dirt was replaced by loose gravel, the kind not meant for a road bike. The road got narrower and I said enough. This was not going to work. A quick study of my cue sheet indicated that after a few turns I would be on CR 36 again. So I retraced my path towards CR 36 and headed north, looking for an intersection with a certain Dutch Hollow Rd. The intersection never came and suddenly there was a lake on my right. Not the lake I had planned for. I was riding along Honeoye Lake instead of Conesus. What had gone wrong? Apparently the CR 36 I thought I was to return to actually resided in a different county. This meant it was a different road altogether. I was frustrated, but decided to continue along this road. Without a map, there was little hope of finding a way to my planned route.

I reached the northern tip of Honeoye Lake after battling the wind for over 10 miles. A new decision had to be made. Where to go? I knew that Conesus was the westernmost of the Finger Lakes, so I followed that direction, reaching the town of Hemlock after 6 miles on US 20A.

In Hemlock I stopped at a convenience store. The parking lot was filled with motorcycles and a different species of biker than I. At the store I bought beef jerky and a croissant sandwich. I asked directions to Conesus and the gentleman working there indicated that all I needed to do was turn on Big Tree Rd on the top of town and that would take me there. He said it was about a 10 minute drive. I was relieved. Outside I sat on the ground and began eating my sandwich. The bikers were leaving. A boy with a rottweiler approached me. The dog was almost as big as the boy and the leash meant little to me. I was assured the dog did not bite as it sniffed my face. At least my sandwich was safe in my stomach. Tyson was his name and we spoke for a couple of minutes. I did not understand much of what he said to be honest. He was nice and talkative.

I cruised past Livonia on my way to Lakeville on the northern end of Conesus Lake. Along the way I was impressed to see snow still lying around. When I reached my destination I was pleasantly surprised by a curious coincidence. The mileage on my cyclocomputer matched that of my cue sheet within a tenth of a mile, in spite of the utterly different path I had taken. That meant all I needed to do was follow the cue sheet from that point on and the detour would not have long lasting effects. It was time to savor a Chicken Parm Sub at Vincenzo's Pizzeria. I took my time at this stop, arriving at 12:40pm and leaving around 1:30pm. The plan was to stop again at mile 150. I was at mile 99.

It was a good feeling to have the cue sheet again. I also enjoyed the flat terrain alongside the lake as I rode its eastern shore. Conesus Lake has been stricken with viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), responsible for die-offs of many species in the contiguous Great Lakes. More on this can be found here. Every July 3 the Conesus Lake Association also sponsors an event called the "Ring of Fire," where fireworks and flares are lit along the lake's entire shoreline. It must be a beautiful sight. However, July 3 is still far away, so I left Conesus and rode towards Hemlock Lake.

Hemlock Lake was my favorite sight of the ride. I was surprised to see how preserved it was, not a single home in sight. I did notice at least one very pompous entry to a residence that appeared not be inhabited for a very long time. I almost ventured inside the driveway. Almost. Post-ride research indicates that the city of Rochester began buying property surrounding Hemlock Lake and Canadice Lake in 1872. In 1876 these lakes began to be used as a fresh water supply and by 1947 all the cottages had been purchased, consolidating 7,100 acres of protected area around these two lakes. There is a park on the northern end, where I saw a few couples on romantic getaways.

The sight of the lake was lost during the climb on Bald Hill Rd (SR 15A). I made a stop along the climb to change gear. I stowed my jacket and replaced it with a jersey. I also switched to fingerless gloves. At the top of the climb I was rewarded with the most impressive view of Reynolds Gully and Green Gully. After an exhilarating descent I was riding north on Canadice Lake Rd.

While on the shore of Canadice Lake I saw many parked cars. Signs indicated trails in the watershed. I even crossed with another cyclist pulling a trailer with her child. There were also people fishing. Canadice is the highest and the smallest of the Finger Lakes, a little gem perhaps.

I left the lake towards Honeoye on a double digit grade climb that was about a mile long, on Burch Hill Rd. On the way up I was silent enough not to be even noticed by people doing work on their homes, including some painting and also roof top work. The descent on the other side was wicked and fear of the unknown restrained me from exploiting it as much as I would have liked to.

I was once again on the shore of Honeoye. This time I rode to the northern end of the lake and then turned east, moving south on the opposite shore (East Lake Rd). Unlike its western neighbor Canadice, Honeoye has a densely populated shoreline. Here too the "Ring of Fire" is celebrated every year. At mile 136 the cue sheet indicated a left turn on Wesley Rd. As I made the turn I immediately realized I was at odds with the cue-sheet once again. Another steep climb on loose gravel. I made two unsuccessful attempts before deciding to turn around and continue on East Lake Rd. The white slopes of the Hunt Hollow Ski Club was a welcoming site. I had seen the slopes on my way out of Naples. I knew I would find a way back. Indeed, East Lake Rd took me to CR 36, the same road I had taken on my way up Honeoye many miles earlier.

It was about 5:45pm when I visited Naples for the second time. I was tired and still had over 70 miles of riding. I ate a PB&J sandwich I brought with me and I also had a plum. That was topped off by an additional dose of Starbucks vanilla flavored doubleshot. Another gallon of water was used to mix more Accelerade and Spiz. It was getting colder outside, so I changed gear once again. I put on my Louis Garneau Massimo jacket and on top of it my Showers Pass Double Century jacket. That would keep me warm. I also made a phone call to my wife. I told her I was slowing down and it would take me a while to get back home. I left Naples after 6:30pm.

The route took me north on SR 245. I missed a turn on Parrish Hill Rd, distracted by the beauty of the sunlight illuminating the slopes of the hill on my right. After a mile of extra riding I began the climb on Parrish Hill followed by Lower Rd. It was a climb on dirt for the most part. Lower Rd was not very well maintained, but still manageable. While on Lower Rd I was offered the most incredible view of Canandaigua Lake. The sun was setting west as I descended on Sliter Hill Rd into the shade of Italy Valley.

I do not remember seeing a single vehicle while I was on Italy Valley Rd (CR 18). I did see deer and other animals. It was quickly getting dark and as soon as I joined SR 364 I made a short stop to put on my reflective sash and turn on my rear blinky lights. Ahead of me my SON20R generator hub provided the juice for my E3 head light. The day faded and by the time I had crossed Amish country into Penn Yann it was night, well past 8pm.

In Pen Yann I stopped for more Starbucks doubleshot. You may notice that when I like something I have no shame in having plenty of it. I still had over 55 miles to go. I made another call to my wife, reassuring her I was fine and would make it home, eventually.

I left Pen Yann on S 14A, which would take me all the way to CR 28 into Watkins Glen. During this 25 mile stretch I was in company only of the stars. The sky was clear and I wish I had studied astronomy. Nonetheless, I did enjoy looking up once in a while, amazed by the beauty of the night. I also made a phone call to a friend, telling him about this epic ride that was still in the making. Before arriving in Watkins I stopped at a gas station for directions. About a mile earlier I had a disagreement with the cue sheet. It had me turning on a road with a "No Outlet" sign. I ventured on the road for a hundred feet or so until it became gravel. No way! I was not going on this route. A customer at the gas station indicated the easiest way to Watkins and that is the one I took.

In Watkins I made a last stop for a vanilla cappuccino and an oatmeal raisin cookie at the APlus convenience store. The cappuccino was delicious and provided just the right amount of warmth. I called my wife for an update. It was 11:30pm when I left Watkins. An impressive moon could be seen on the horizon.

The route I took back to Ithaca went through Montour Falls and then visited Odessa before taking me to Ithaca. The darkness of the night was interrupted by my head light as I cruised along CR 6 and then Enfield Center Rd. I had a bit of a mishap just as I turned on Enfield Center Rd. I was checking my cue-sheet when I rode into a ditch. I hopped out and continued as if nothing had happened. Another interesting incident occurred when a skunk was not very happy to see me moving towards it. I was able to avoid any gland secretions. That would have been a terrible ending to my ride.

The highlight of my ride was the moment I crested on Enfield Center Rd and saw the Ithaca lights in the distance. I knew I had made it home. Sure, I still had to climb East Hill, but I was home. Actually, I also had to climb out of Enfield once I descended. That unforeseen climb was very annoying after 216 miles into the ride. Once I finished the descent on Elm St I made a call to my wife. It was 1:13am of Sunday. The town was buzzing with people leaving bars, probably not the best time to ride your bike around. I took the last climb as slow as they come and I was home at precisely 1:30am, about 21h after I departed the day before.

My wife had filled the bathtub and added Epsom salt. I enjoyed every minute I soaked in there and told her about the wonderful ride I had just completed. We then looked at the pictures I took along the route, not many, but precious to me. I went to bed at around 3am and fell asleep within a minute or so, says my wife.

Preventing water from getting in your frame

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Spring is officially here! And with the milder temperatures in the Northeast also comes rain. The cyclist is therefore faced with a dilemma. Ride in the rain or not. Jim Langley offers a solution that will make the decision easier.

When I got my first road bike last August, I was not thinking about meteorological conditions nor the primary type of riding I would be doing. Not that I was being stupid, I just did not know at the time. Eventually I joined the randonneuring scene and realized that these guys ride irrespective of the weather.

My first brevet was under pouring rain, what a way to start! When I got home I noticed a sloshing sound every time I moved my bike around. Yikes! My frame was full of water. So I took the seat post out and sure enough, there was a sizable spill. However, not all the water came out. I attempted several methods and no luck. Finally I gave up and posted a question on the RoadBikeRider.com discussion group. Jim Langley of Santa Cruz, CA gave me a very detailed answer that you can read here. Getting the water out was the first step, preventing it from getting in the first place is the real trick.

One of the solutions is to use fenders, which avoids water from getting thrown up onto the seat post and consequently from entering your frame via capillary action. In addition, an old tube can be used as a sleeve covering the lower part of the seat post and top of the seat tube, sealing off any potential entry points. Complemented with fenders, this seams like the ideal solution.

Sleeve made from an old tube

FLCC Spring Clinic on Randonneuring

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:44:00 +0000

This past Sunday I volunteered to give a presentation on randonneuring during a spring clinic at my local cycling club (FLCC). Other presenters were Steve Powell and Andrejs Ozolins on self-contained touring, Bill Goffe on credit card touring and John Dennis on health tips as they relate to cycling, in particular long distance events.

The turnout was great and I was very happy to see a crowd that showed great interest. John Dennis gave me a very flattering introduction, and I am grateful for that. We all had a good time, there were plenty of funny moments and I believe the attendees left with a much better understanding of what randonneuring is all about.

I have uploaded my presentation to scribd. See below.

FLCC Spring Clinic Randonneuring FLCC Spring Clinic Randonneuring Juan PLC Salazar This is a presentation I gave at my local cycling club on randonneuring. I think it gives a fair overview of this wonderful sport.

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Presentations & Spre cycling parisbrestparis

Caught in the whirlwind - Pennsylvania ACP 200K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:02:00 +0000

As a turbulence researcher, I must say Quakertown, PA was a perfect place to perform turbulent measurements in the atmosphere yesterday. As a randonneur, when you must lean into the wind to stay on the bike, I would think the conditions were less than ideal for cycling. However, overcoming the obstacles, including the weather, is part of what randonneuring entails.

It was the first time I started a ride from Quakertown and also my first ACP event.

John Dennis and I drove from Ithaca to Quakertown the night before, arriving at the Weisel Youth Hostel at around 9:30pm. There we were greeted by regional brevet administrator (RBA) Tom Rosenbauer. I was immediately attracted to all the goodies that were lying around: granola bars, fruit, pastry, bagels, etc. Yum!

After paying our dues both John and I received our brevet cards and unloaded our luggage and bikes from the car. I was very pleased with the room, and it was interesting to share accommodations with the other randonneurs as we all prepared for the next day. With an open window we could hear the delightful sound of flowing water from the creek behind the hostel.

John was kind enough to lend me his hybrid car for a spin. I was really hungry and paid a visit to a family restaurant nearby, where I had a garden salad and a chicken parmigiana filet with pasta. In retribution I brought John a dish to ramp up his carbs as well.

It was about 1 am when I finally faded into sleep. During the following hours I had dreams of riding across the country and forgetting to get my brevet card signed at the finish. This randonneur nightmare was very effective at waking me up. It was 4 am. So I decided to get up and take a shower. I like to start any ride fresh. Unfortunately I had forgotten my soap and there was none to be seen. However, there was liquid hand soap on the sink, so I secretly used that. It worked just fine.

The night before I wondered why Tom was still hanging around in the hostel at such late hours. Well, it was because he also slept there. That is a very committed RBA. By the time I went downstairs breakfast was ready. There were so many options and I would have liked to experiment, but I stuck with my usual granola with milk.

Soon the room was packed with riders, those that had spent the night at the hostel and also randonneurs that had just arrived. It was time to meet many new faces and rejoice with old acquaintances. There was some suspense as to Rick Carpenter's new "rando-bike". It turns out he wanted to make the already challenging route even a bit more difficult by riding an 8 speed Bianchi Milano. It also came equipped with Rollo, the Italian clown who does not give a damn. Bill Olsen's mudflap was also on exhibit, the R.F. mouse. I am still trying to figure out what it's about.

Minutes before the start Tom made the last announcements and separated the riders in two groups, those that were aiming at a sub 10h finish and those who would be more than happy just to finish. In all the 5 previous 200K's I had completed my final time was below 10h, including one below 9h. So I was tempted to go ahead with the first group, but Rick had requested we ride "flèche style" in preparation for the upcoming Flèche on April 17-19. I agreed, momentarily.

About 3 minutes later the second wave started, I among them. It was pitch dark and I wish I could have a proper camera to film the silent dance of lights moving along the road. The pace was a bit brisk for flèche speed, but I took the first miles easy. As we approached the first hills I slowly moved to the front of the group. We were all pretty much together and John inquired a couple of times about my heart rate. "I'm in the 150's now!" "Me too!". That was more or less the exchange.

At one point I saw a rider in the distance. I presume he/she started in the first wave. I did not resist the temptation to go faster. Soon thereafter I was passing riders along the rollers. At the first extended climb of the day, Lower Saucon Rd, I caught up with the majority of the fast riders and by that point I knew I would try to keep up with Nate Morgenstern. That was my new plan. He holds the fastest time for the PA ACP 200K, an astonishing 7:47. By the time we were over the second climb on Woodland Rd I was leading a group with Nate, John Wichard and Craig Martek. It was at this point that the wind picked up. As we turned on Island Park Rd there was a loud rattling sound coming from a home. I did not pay much attention, but the wind was howling and it was turning out to be an epic ride already.

As we rode through Easton I remembered many of the RUSA rides that started at Tom's house. For once it was nice to climb College Ave at the beginning, rather than the end of a brevet. I took my first picture on the bike as we were riding along the Delaware River. The Delaware would be visited again, but for now it was time to ride in 20-30 mph wind. The build-up came gradually, as everything was rather calm on Lower Mud Run Rd. However, signs of strong wind were visible, with many tree branches on the ground. I actually almost rode through a huge branch that was propped in front of me, standing at almost my height. Fortunately I spotted it in time. It was on Pen Argyl Rd that for the first time on a bike I had to lean into the wind to stay on the it. It was pretty cool.

By the time we arrived at the Petro Mart contrôle, in addition to the wind, there was also rain. The stop there was brief, and as we were leaving Matt Farrell and Anthony Colasurdo arrived. We would meet them again at the Portland Family Restaurant. I debated on whether to eat or not, but I did not. In the end I would regret it.

On a windy day it is ill advised to ride a bicycle at a place called Wind Gap. Randonneurs are an exception, and they take great pride riding in challenging conditions. Sure enough, there was plenty of wind, but we did not dwell there for long.

Cherry Valley Rd was probably one of the most pleasant parts of the ride. I felt we were shielded from the blistering wind. As we rode along Nate pointed to Fox Gap mentioning that it was our next destination. I looked attentively at the climb, and for a moment I had a power line tower mistaken for a road. It was pretty scary, such a steep incline I had never seen before. Nor will I ever, I presume.

We all turned together on Fox Gap and I probably started a bit too fast at the beginning of the climb. After the first few bends in the road I could no longer see anyone in my helmet mirror. But as we continued to climb I felt the effort I had made. Every time I went around a turn I was reminded that the climb was still not over. It was only when I saw the county line that I was assured it was the last bit. I took out my brevet card and started to draw the requested symbol that was found on a sign. It was actually a bit more challenging than I thought, as my drawing skills pair to those of a two year old. Nate was close behind and as he and I were leaving, Craig crested followed by John. I was glad to descend after that long climb, and also happy that we were approaching the end of the first half of our ride. Along the way Nate remarked how beautiful the sight of Minis Lake was. I concurred.

At the Portland Family restaurant Nate and I had chocolate milk. I also ate a banana while Nate mixed up a powder with electrolytes into his water bottle. Soon thereafter John and Craig joined us. I wanted to make sure I was efficient at the contrôle, and in my lousy attempt I almost lost my cue-sheet. I did have a backup, but the original was found by a waitress. I was safe for now, but the wind would have a say in that story.

We left the Portland Family restaurant as Matt and Anthony were coming in. The route leading to Belvidere had been part of my first RUSA 200K back in November last year. We followed River Rd and along the way we saw a tree full of vultures. Very impressive. Apparently we were too lively as a meal, so they flew elsewhere.

Shortly after leaving Belvidere we began the other big climb of the day, starting with Lommason Glen Rd, followed by Buckhorn Rd and Castners Rd. In the first mile of the climb Nate stopped for a nature break, but he caught up about 3 miles after I had crested the long climb, as we began to descend into Stewartsville, NJ. John and Craig were still working there way up.

As if we had not climbed enough already, there was a steep bump on Staats Rd, just pass a railroad bridge crossing. During most of that climb Nate and I rode side by side, inching our way up in unison. I really enjoy such occasions, it is a moment where we are truly in tune with a fellow rider. It was during the descent that the wind decided to take my cue-sheet. It wanted to know where there were more cyclists around so that it could blow at them too. It was nice that Nate was there to guide me to the next contrôle. Once again I did not need to reach for my backup cue-sheet.

Just before arriving at the General Store contrôle in Upper Black Eddy, PA we crossed the Delaware for the second time. I have never in my life been subjected to such intense wind. I made the comment to Nate that if we were not careful we would likely have to fish our bikes out of the water. It seems the statement was not far-fetched. The General Store was my favorite contrôle of the day. It was comfortable and also offered a variety of goodies to choose from. I had Rick's meal plan: beef jerky. I thought it would be wise to replenish my sodium levels. I also used the bathroom, something I had been longing for. Nate was kind enough to stick around. By the time I left the bathroom John and Craig were at the contrôle. We greeted them shortly and continued, completing 100 miles, a psychological barrier. It is the mark on a 200K where I think the finish is in sight and I will not be deterred. Probably I should make that number 124 instead.

Finally the sun visible and we were riding through the woods on Red Cliff Rd. It is on this road that I took my best picture of the day, although I believe Rollo would contest that statement. Every time we were in open areas the wind would punish us. At times it felt like we were riding backwards. At last we arrived at the postcard contrôle in Point Pleasant, PA. The only problem is that the contrôle is in the bottom of a dip in the route profile. I wrote an appropriate message to Tom on the postcard. I hope he likes it. I had a serious problem. My water bottle was empty and I had no Spiz left. I made the terrible mistake of not stopping to take some food out of my saddle bag. When I reflect upon it I cannot help but think that it was a very stupid decision.

Five miles after we left the postcard contrôle I began to fade. I had no cramps, there was just a lack of energy and 10 miles of a sawtooth profile remained. On top of that, 30 mph headwind. All I could think of was the food I would eat once I got to the finish. I had my meal all thought out: eat anything in sight. Another gross mistake was to keep my jacket on when it was not needed anymore, increasing my perspiration unnecessarily. All that contributed to put me in a difficult situation. I could not believe that I still had to climb on 313 to end the brevet. It seems Tom judiciously chooses the finish such that you need to do just one more little steep climb. However, he rewards us with so much.

Tom greeted us as Nate and I rolled into the youth hostel. It was great to see him. I signed my brevet card and went straight for the food table, where I proceeded according to plan. I ate cinnamon bun, chips with salsa, cookies, green tea, two hamburgers, chicken, animal crackers and more. It all was delicious. After 20 minutes or so I felt much better.

Just 12 minutes after we arrived Craig and John made it as well, followed by Matt and Anthony. Soon Rick was also in, along with Bill Fischer. It was great to see everyone arriving. I congratulated every rider that finished, since it was such a tough ride with all the climbs and wind working against us. I was particularly happy to see John Dennis, since he had not trained that much for the ride, showing how strong of a rider he is. And then there are the regulars like Bill Olsen and Guy Harris, with whom I have ridden six consecutive 200K's. Looking at the preliminary results, I also am very happy that Joe Carbone persevered and completed the ride in 17h and 5 min. Even knowing that he would not qualify for an official finish, he continued and I find that extraordinary.

With every event that I sign up for I have greater appreciation for Tom's effort organizing everything. He thinks about the many details and also is always taking note of ways in which he can improve future events. Thanks Tom!

Canandaigua 300K

noreply@blogger.com (Juan PLC Salazar) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:17:00 +0000

Continuing the quest to circumnavigate the 11 Finger Lakes, Jamie Gartenberg and I rode over 200 miles and tallied 15,000 feet to our year-to-date climbing totals. We were joined during 111 miles by the strong Bill Fischer, who provided us with great anecdotal references and good humor. By the end of the ride I was contemplating a new saddle and a different pair of cycling shoes, but happy for the achievement and looking forward to even longer rides in the future.

This was by far the earliest start for any ride I have done: 4am. That is the time I figured we would need to start at to return to Ithaca in time to participate in the Earth Hour celebrations held in Cass Park at 8:30pm. On Friday the plan was to go to bed early. As usual, that did not happen and it was almost midnight when I finally closed my eyes shut. At 3am I was awake. After the pre-ride routine: breakfast, shower, toilet, dress and mount; I met Jamie at the RiteAid parking lot at about 4:05am. Not long thereafter we started our journey.

The night was pleasant with little wind and temperatures slightly above 40F. A descent into Ithaca was enough to remind us of the importance of wind chill, but we were still comfortable. The route I had borrowed from Ben Kraft to take us to Watkins Glen started with a long steady climb on Elm St, followed by a right-left sequence and three left-right events that led us to CR6.

The first incident during our ride occurred when a man driving a pickup in the opposite direction stopped to ask an intelligible question. He was visibly drunk and disturbed. He probably had us mistaken for another car, since at the time we were riding side by side and both were equipped with Supernova E3 dynamo powered headlights. After noticing his gaffe, he asked for forgiveness and drove on. No, we won't tell anyone.

We had not been on Elm St for very long when Jamie had his first lighting incident. The Minoura Space Grip to which his light was secured to had come loose. Suddenly the light was illuminating everything but the road ahead of him. Since we did not have the proper tools nor the patience to tighten the parts, the decision was made to secure the light to his aerobars instead (now the light turned sideways with respect to its normal position). It was soon apparent that he had an asymmetrical beam, since the pattern on the ground illuminated one side of the road more than the other. A second lighting incident occurred when his light became loose on the aerobars. This was resolved with a thicker shim.

CR6 is used by many FLLC-ers for time trials. Our pace was not even close to the all-out effort required for a time trial, but we were able to enjoy, even in complete darkness, the smooth pavement and gentle rollers along this 8 mile stretch. However, it was much colder than expected. I was cursing myself for not having brought my winter gloves, as my hands were becoming stiff and numb. Jamie's situation was even worse, as he is more prone to freezing fingers. Over the hilltops we could see the morning twilight, sign that the sun was on its way. However, this would take a while, and we had to endure a freezing descent on Cotton Hanlon Rd into Montour Falls. By the time we had finished descending my hands were so cold I rode the next 3 miles to Watkins Glen no-hands, which were tucked underneath my arm pit as I tried to revive them.

We arrived in Watkins at 7am, a full hour behind schedule. Bill Fischer arranged to meet us along the climb out of CR23. Jamie and I missed a turn in Watkins and spent an extra 15 minutes or so backtracking to the original route. We could have easily taken another route that would have saved this time, but I insist on following the cue-sheet if I can. This is because during a brevet it is standard procedure. Taking a detour will cost at the least a severe time penalty. If there is a secret controle along the route you may complete a 1200km randonee only to find out you were disqualified. This was not the case yesterday, but I would rather not develop bad habits.

The climb on CR23 out of Watkins was spectacular. The sun was now well above the horizon and every time I looked in my rear-view helmet mirror I was reminded of its presence. The fields were immersed in a bath of golden light while our backs felt the warmth of the sun. The climb increased the blood flow and soon our hands and feet felt good again. We were even able to enjoy the long descent to SR226, where for the second time we made a mistake. When generating cue-sheets, DeLorme knows of no such thing as a quick left. Therefore one must be very careful and generally read at least two cues at a time, or else you end up riding an extra 4 miles as we did. I made the right turn onto SR 226 without noticing that I should remain on it for only 0.02 miles, after which I should have turned left onto CR23. Two miles down the road I read my cue-sheet and realized my mistake. At least we had not climbed much.

We finally met up with Bill Fischer 45 miles into the ride. He had spent a good part of an hour having coffee with locals at a roadside restaurant. I called to inform him of our detour, after which he decided to move slowly on. So good was the chat with Bill that we missed a turn. This was the third mistake already. This time I felt there would be more resistance in returning to the original route since both paths would take us exactly to the same destination, so I let it rest. After nearly 50 miles both Jamie and I were ready for a bathroom and a quick rest, both of which we found in the Deli & Bakery in Hammondsport, on the southern end of Keuka Lake. I also had a vanilla iced coffee, while Jamie chugged some chocolate milk and Bill drank Vitamin Water. Many might not know, but 50 Cent retains 10% of the Glaceau business, creator of Vitamin Water.

"Five Lakes and a Steak", a popular century in the Finger Lakes region, has a hilly option that follows CR76 out of Hammondsport, rewarding the cyclist with an impressive view of Keuka Lake. On two occasions I have ridden the route, and on both I noticed that there was even a steeper option offered by taking GH Taylor Memorial Dr. So this time I incorporated it into the route. Midway along the climb I was about to regret it when I had an epiphany. I "discovered" an out-of-the-saddle position that was very comfortable. I had the vice of leaning too much forward when out of the saddle. This time I purposely made the effort to keep my arms rather extended, holding onto just the tip of my STI hoods. It felt so good I did not want the climb to stop! I would further use this method throughout the ride. I am not sure if it is faster, but it sure is more comfortable. I also spend next to no energy keeping my torso upright. In my other position I would often find myself alternately pulling on the handlebars, leading to fatigue in my arms.

GH Taylor Memorial Dr is home of Bully Hill Vineyards, started by the Taylor family in 1958. Had it not been so early, we might have stopped for a glass of wine. The view from the top of the hill was incredible. I savored the moment with pictures and even took a little video of Jamie and Bill climbing to the top. This extra bit of climbing is worth every foot in elevation gain.

Our ride continued along the "5 Lakes and a Steak" hilly option as we returned to CR76. I was feeling much better than I did a month or so prior on the occasion I had done a 150 mile ride with Bill and Ben Kraft that included the same route along Keuka Lake. I remember it was on the day of the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California. As I passed Armstrong Rd I could not help but take a picture. On the caption I made the remark "No sign of Lance". Well, there is still no sign of Lance and I will continue to take that picture every time I go by that road, until he decides to finally show up.

Once we reached Italy Hill Rd (CR32) I started to get bothered by a condition known as Morton's neuroma. It consists of a an enlarged nerve in between the third and fourth intermetatarsal spaces, that gets pinched by bones, resulting in a burning and tingling sensation that can be very painful. Often I will ride many miles with it, but this time I had to stop and relieve the pain by pulling on my two outer toes until I feel a snap, followed by a lot of pain and ensuing relief. The pain subsides, but eventually can return. I am seriously considering drilling holes in my shoes to move the cleats to the arch area of my feet. I am certain this will relieve some of the pressure on the ball of my foot. This procedure is even recommended by Joe Friel. I acquired this condition after playing a full season of indoor soccer with shoes that were way too tight. Before reaching Naples I would stop again because of my neuroma and also forget a pair of gloves alongside the road in the process.

We reached Naples around 11am, after a series of descents. I even spotted a wind farm along the way. The rotors were still, indicating good cycling conditions and not so great ones for energy generation. At the Arrow Mart in Naples I followed my rando-buddy Rick Carpenter's suggestion for the consumption of beef jerky. As I read the nutritional facts I was convinced of its value. High in sodium and protein, low in fat. And it comes in several flavors! Next week I will certainly be seen eating beef jerky at the controles of the PA 200K. Bill and Jamie loaded up with bagels, a plentiful source of carbs.

As if we had not already climbed enough, we were ready for more. Ahead of us lied 30 miles before reaching Canandaigua, including two large climbs. On the top of first climb we stopped at a scenic overlook for pictures. I even made an attempt at a mid-ride nap, but I was soon interrupted by Bill who would have none of that nonsense. During this stop we contemplated a road on the other side of the valley that looked wicked. Further research indicates this is S Hill Rd, within the High Tor Wildlife Management Area. We left the scenic overlook and it was not long before we experienced yet another cue-sheet mishap near Bristol Springs. Apparently "go straight" has the same meaning as "turn right" for DeLorme. Fortunately the flaw was made obvious by the lack of an expected intersection. It would be another story if we had 10 miles until the next intersection. I now see the usefulness of having a compass on the bike. Yes, a GPS is much more useful, but it also needs batteries.

Jamie told me of the dreaded Bopple Hill Rd and was wondering if we would climb it. My expectations were confirmed as we began to descend. At first I thought: "Even East Miller is worse than this!" That was before the road turned and got even steeper towards the bottom. It is certainly on par with East Miller Rd, but not as tough as Blakeslee Rd, another Ithaca favorite. Riding alongside Canandaigua Lake was the highlight of the ride. The sights were so nice I did not even notice a couple of lumps on our way to Canandaigua. We crossed paths with several cyclists and pedestrians enjoying the excellent weather. I was impressed by the amount of luxurious homes on the lakefront. It also made me wonder how the everyday person can access the lake if all the property is privately owned. The waters seemed clean and crisp. I will make sure I include swim stops along future rides during summer.

We arrived in Canandaigua between 1pm and 1:30pm if I recall correctly. This was our "long stop", about halfway in the ride. Each of us ate a sub and I had even more beef jerky. In retrospect, I should have taken more for consumption on the bike. Bill and Jamie had some laughs about my explanation about the art of timing your trip to the bathroom. I did not know talking about one's physiology was so funny. I was starting to get worried about the time, wondering if we would make it back to Ithaca in time for the Earth Hour celebration.

On the way to Canandaigua I noticed that my chain had started to chirp a little, so before we left I meticulously oiled each roller, to Bill's astonishment. I find it a bit more time consuming, but just the right parts are lubricated, no more. Our ride along the western side of Canandaigua Lake was as enjoyable as the one on the eastern side. However, now the sky was mostly covered with clouds, but the temperature was above 60F. We bade farewell to Canandaigua Lake at the town of Vine Valley and continued our ride heading northeast to Geneva, on the northern end of Seneca Lake.

The segment of the ride from Vine Valley to Geneva was probably the most difficult. We were feeling the hours in the saddle, there was a constant headwind and I was not drafting. Although we did not encounter extended climbs, there were enough rollers to make it challenging. In addition, my neuroma kept bothering me and I had to stop for a minute or so as I tried to relieve the pain. This was after I attempted to relieve the problem while riding by loosening my cycling shoe and pulling my foot out without unclipping. I had my left foot on the handlebar and was pulling on my toes with my left hand while I pedaled one-legged with my right leg, but just for one revolution, as I heard my shoe (which was now upside down) rubbing on the asphalt. It almost worked! By the time I got back on the bike Bill and Jamie were out of sight. Now I had to catch up in this unforgiving wind. The road was straight enough that I was able to ride in the drops with my head down, following the shoulder of the road. Occasionally I would look down to scan the road for potholes. Eventually I reached Bill and Jamie. Bill apologized for letting me suffer in the wind but I still dropped them in return.

We reached Geneva a bit after 4pm. By the time I rolled in the Tim Horton's parking lot I was out of water, Spiz and Accelerade. The last 30 miles since our stop in Canandaigua had taken its toll. We all enjoyed one form of refreshment or the other. I also had a cranberry muffin made from whole wheat. It was delicious. After mixing up a batch of Spiz and Accelerade and replenishing my Camelbak we were back on the road for 55 more miles.

I celebrated my longest ride ever as the odometer reading exceeded 145 miles. We were on E Lake Rd, on the shore of Seneca Lake. As the hours grew longer the conversation subsided and was replaced by a pace line, as we took turns pulling. Next time I'll make sure to ride behind Bill instead of Jamie. First of all, Jamie is small and now he has the habit of riding in his aerobars, which reduces his frontal area significantly, to my disadvantage. However, there was a slight tailwind and it helped us maintain a nice steady pace without much effort. It was a little after 6pm when we reached Willard. Bill would take a separate path back to Watkins Glen while Jamie and I would cross to Cayuga Lake. We still had 30 miles and 2,000ft to cover in 2.3 hours if we were to make it in time for the Earth Hour festivities. It seemed possible, but we could not stop at O'Malleys for the coveted seafood chowder that Jamie had been speaking of for the entire ride. We did stop there, but just to flip the cue sheet and take a little break off the saddle. My butt was hurting a bit and I am now convinced I need a new saddle for these longer rides. My San Marco has some stupid embroidery that will remain imprinted on my rear for some time to come.

After we left O'Malleys we followed a more or less direct path on Powell Rd and Arden Rd towards Trumansburg. At this point I was checking my clock every now and then to check how much time we had. Once we were following a familiar route I switched the display to show the current time instead of the odometer reading. We were doing good until my foot neuroma reached is worse state. I tried to continue turing the cranks but the pain was too great. I had to stop just before we began to descend into Ithaca. I chose the professional building parking lot where Jamie also relieved his bladder. Curiously Jamie, who is an endodontist, mentioned he had some colleagues who worked there that referred patients to him. He did not want to be seen peeing in the parking lot. After each of us dealt with our bodies we began the descent on SR96, joining the folks at Cass Park for the Earth Hour with 10 minutes to spare.

Yes, we had made it! We were happy to meet other cyclists and share stories from our long day in the saddle. The Earth Hour celebrations consisted of riding along the Waterfront Trail in a loop of about two miles, after which we proceeded to the commons. Along the way we were greeted by customers of Felicia's Atomic Lounge, an establishment that was also obeying the no electricity policy. Upon arriving in the commons, we made a stop at the Collegetown Bagels, where I ordered "the largest hot chocolate you got" and an oatmeal raisin cookie, my favorite. These treats feel well deserved after so many miles. There was a lot of interest in randonneuring and I was happy to share the knowledge I have.

At 10pm Jamie and I parted towards the start of our ride. We still had a sizable hill to climb and I grinned as I proposed Jamie we climb it via Cascadilla Park Rd. He was reluctant at first, but then agreed it would be much more fun than climbing via East State Street and all its traffic. After the twisty climb we were happy with the choice. A bit more climbing and we were back to the start. My odometer read 199.5 miles after we looped around the RiteAid for some extra mileage. Since on more than one occasion my cyclocomputer did not restart after we had stopped, it was official: this ride was over 200 miles. We took a couple of celebration pictures an parted ways.

Earlier I had spoken with my wife. She was at a friends place and they were waiting for me to watch a movie. There was also pizza. The caveat: I had to get there soon, riding downhill almost the same amount I had just climbed. So I did. The pizza was delicious and the talk after the ride as good. I did not take off any of my cycling clothes, but I was assured by my wife that I was not stinking. The movie started and I faded into a deep sleep. It was 2:30am when the movie finished. Everyone left in cars, and I mounted my bicycle for the last climb of the day, half asleep. It was almost 4am before I was finally in bed, showered and all. I recall dreaming about endless climbs and exhilarating descents, all familiar somehow.