Three States of Fleche Ride Report
April 30, 2005
By Jeff Sammons
Our team consisted of:
Bill Glass – Captain
Jeff Bauer
Alan Gosart
Jeff Sammons
Vida Greer
Bill, Jeff Bauer, and Alan are all experienced riders at distances greater than the route we traveled, and this was the same route that Jeff and Alan rode for last year’s Fleche. This would be the longest ride, for both Vida and myself, in distance as well as our first 24-hour ride. In terms of distance rides, I’ve done several 200Ks, a 300K, and a double century this year. So a 400K Fleche didn’t seem out of reach.
The week before the ride, the weather report looked promising, we would have warm temperatures with a little rain mixed in. However as the days progressed, the weather reports kept getting colder and wetter. Most of the rain had ended early Saturday morning before we started. When we left that morning, the roads were still wet and we had a little drizzle to contend with for the first few hours.
Bill wanted us to arrive no later than 7:10 am so we would be ready for a 7:30 am start. I was late getting ready the week before for the Georgia 300K Brevet and departed hastily, leaving behind my glasses and not getting my lights working. So, I was determined to get to Bill’s house early on Saturday so I would be ready when it was time to go. I had everything packed and ready to go Friday night. Jeff Bauer advised me to take a complete change of riding clothes so my Carradice bag was packed to the brim. I even had to carry some extra items in my Camelback to fit everything in. With the exception of Vida, we were all ready to go at 7:30 am. Although Vida indicated she would be there for the ride, she hadn’t arrived and we didn’t know how to contact her. So we started without her.
Our route started at Bill’s house near the Highway 100 Terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway and wound up in Chattanooga 24 hours later after brief stays in Alabama and Georgia. Hence, the name “Three States of Fleche”. The ride down to the first control headed southwest down the Trace. We made a brief stop on the Trace at the Garrison Creek rest stop. Since my feet were getting wet from the wet roads and drizzle, I stopped to put on my shoe covers trying to keep dry. It was there that Vida joined us and explained how she went to Bill’s old house for the ride start. According to the RUSA rules governing Fleches, since Vida didn’t start at Bill’s house, she wouldn’t be an official rider. We rode another 47 miles down the Trace before we turned off and then headed east to Summertown and our first control at 75.9 miles. We stopped at a convenience store and ate lunch.
Since Alan rode the route last year, he was our navigator and official timekeeper. During the ride, he kept telling us how we were doing in time compared to last year’s team. Although Bill brought along his GPS unit, he hadn’t programmed in the ride coordinates, so it didn’t provide any good information except for recording the route for next year. It was about 38 miles to the next control, heading east to Lewisburg. It was during this stretch that we rode past the 100-mile mark in about 8 hours total time. It was also our only sighting of the sun, albeit for only a brief moment. We stopped at Wendy’s in Lewisburg and ate again.
The next leg of about 38 miles would take us east thru Shelbyville and then on to Tullahoma. Vida’s mother lived in Shelbyville and we all thought she would bail here. After a phone call to mom and some encouragement from the team, she stayed the course and went on with us to Tullahoma. We made it to the Wendy’s in Tullahoma in about 12 hours and 152 miles after we started the day. Bill and Alan’s wives met us for dinner. Bill and Alan seem to have a fixation with Wendy’s restaurants, seems we are stopping there during each of the rides I’ve been on with them. It was dark outside by the time we left, so we put on our reflective gear, lights, and some heavier clothing. Bill gave each of us a “Tirefly” which is a small devise that fits on your valve stem and flashes light as the wheel turns. I told Bill that I couldn’t tell if these attracted dogs more or kept them away.
The next ride segment would take us east another 25 miles to a small town called Alto, then up a 3 mile climb to Sewanee, a college town, and then southeast for 27 miles to South Pittsburg. During the ride to Alto, one of the guys mentioned to look up and we saw a sky full of stars. While that meant no more rain that night, it also meant that the temperatures would be dropping. At the top of the climb, it was noticeably colder and since my shirt was soaked with perspiration from the climb, I was getting chilled quickly. We stopped at a small market and went inside and changed clothing. After we left Sewanee, fatigue started to affect me. I had been traveling for business the days prior to the ride, so I didn’t get adequate rest that week. I didn’t think it would be possible to fall asleep while riding, but I had to shake myself and eat some gel to keep alert. All I could think about was making to the next control so I could get a short five-minute nap. Before we made it into South Pittsburg, there was a 3-mile decent. Bill, Jeff, and Vida went flying down it while Alan and I went slower. I think I rode my brakes most of the way down. Unfortunately when we made it to the control, it was already closed. So we sat out there in the cold and I didn’t get any naptime. A short while later, a policeman stopped by to see what we were up to. I think he thought we were all crazy when we told him what we were up to, but he never said so.
It was only 23 miles to the next control, but first we had to cross the Tennessee River, ascend a more moderate 3-mile climb into Alabama, cross over into Georgia, and then descend those 3-miles into the town of Trenton. We stopped at the local Huddle House restaurant and ate breakfast and finally caught a few minutes of sleep. We left the restaurant in time so we could make to the 22-hour control. It was then that I noticed my rear wheel was wobbling. Upon further inspection, I noticed that I had a couple of loose but not broken spokes. Bill started to tighten them up, but Alan didn’t want to chance loosing any time so we just released the rear break and continued the ride.
The end of the ride was now only 23 miles away in Chattanooga. Alan noted the temperature had dropped down to 39 degrees just before the sun came up. The final leg of the ride took us back across the state line into Tennessee. It was nice scenic ride in the early morning hours. We had a couple of small climbs and made it to the end of our route in the allotted time. As we rode over to the hotel where Bill’s wife was staying, we passed Team MBC as they were finishing their route. We made it to the hotel, showered, ate more food, and then departed for Nashville. Vida commented that we all made the 253-mile trek without a single flat tire.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Three States of Fleche Ride Report - Jeff Bauer
Three States of Flèche Ride Report
April 30, 2005
By Jeff Bauer
Last weekend, I rode a 24-hour ride known as a flèche. This was my fourth flèche ride, and my third in middle Tennessee.
A flèche is team ride of 24-hours' duration, subject to specific rules determined by the Randonneurs Mondiaux. A team may consist of three to five machines (a tandem counts as a single machine) and at least three machines must finish together to receive official credit. Each team must choose its own route and may not ride with any other cyclists. A minimum of 360 kilometers must be covered inside 24 hours, with no less than 25 kilometers to be ridden in the final two hours. Flèche routes are point-to-point or a large circuit since any particular stretch of road may be used only once during the event by the team. In French, flèche means "arrow", so the traditional method is to ride from one point to another, like an arrow flying into the bullseye.
Our team consisted of the following members:
Bill Glass (captain)
Alan Gosart
Jeff Sammons
Jeff Bauer
Vida Greer
A flèche is not a race. The point is to keep everyone on the team together in pursuit of a common destination. This year the destination for the Georgia flèche was the Chattanooga Aquarium -- the same as it has been in years past. In addition to our team, three other teams would be participating.
As the weekend approached, we were all watching the weather for signs of rain. The temperatures were already somewhat cool, but the probability of rain appeared to recede just before we started our ride.
We were missing one rider at the start, but had to begin at the designated 7:30 time. Our first 70 miles would take us past Garrison Creek where we stopped to use the restroom facilities (mile 17). It wasthere that Lynn and Vida showed up. They had showedup at Bill's old house. We started the ride from his new house, just a mile or so up the road. At this point Vida was officially disqualified from the ride, but resolutely decided to continue riding the remaining 235 miles with us anyway.
The morning was damp and misty. Overcast skies and 55F temperatures aren't bad for riding. The NatchezTrace Parkway is a nice cycling section, since there is no commercial traffic and no turns to miss. Along the route we would periodically regroup at the historic landmarks (Gordon House, Meriwether Lewis) which had restroom facilities.
After riding down the Natchez Trace for 60 miles, we exited at marker 381 and rode a few miles toward Summertown. At the Phillips 66 store, our first control, we had the clerk sign our brevet cards and filled up on food and beverages. I had a microwaved ham and cheese sandwich just for something hot to eat.
From this point onward we stayed closer together, so we wouldn't miss any turns. I had the cuesheet on my handlebars, but some of the roads were unmarked. We used the same course that Alan designed last year, though it would be the first time Bill, Jeff or Vida had rode this route.
Our next control was a Wendy's in Lewisburg (mile114). Some of us ordered baked potatoes, always a safe food for randonneuring. The weather was looking pretty reasonable. Slightly windy and chilly, but nothing too bad. We had the usual fare of dogs chasing us. Light traffic and no major incidents.
We arrived in Tullahoma (mile 152), just around sunset, around 8 pm. We joked about having less than 12 hours to complete the final 100 miles. Our third control was another Wendy's. We were joined for dinner by Sametta and Susan (Bill and Alan's spouses). This was the point last year that Tom Cayton was forced to bail due to illness. Sametta gave us a progress report on the other flèche team from Tennessee (which included Tom). It appeared that they were ahead of schedule. Just before we left the third control, captain Bill gave us each a light to attach to our wheels. As we rode into the night, you could see red, while, and blue flashes strobing from our rear wheels. Surprisingly, I didnot find this distracting.
For the next 30 miles we wound through country roads towards Sewanee. The last section becomes a 2.5 mile climb with a steep grade. I rode up it last year on my fixed-gear bike and it wasn't much fun. This year, even with gears it was still no breeze. We regrouped at the top of the climb then made our way to a University. It closed at midnight (we were now on the Eastern timezone, I believe), so we had 30 minutes to stop. I added another base layer to prepare for the chilly evening.
For the next 24 miles we followed up and down rollers along the ridge, then a 3 mile descent into South Pittsburg. Upon reaching the Conoco Station there, we found that it had been closed up, locked from the outside. A local cop stopped by and mentioned that this market was no longer open 24/7. We were all pretty well set with food and water, and the next control was only 23 miles away. Jeff Sammons' rear wheel had gone out of true. Bill fixed this by tweaking one of the spokes and loosening the rear brake.
Vida's light went dead, so I attempted to install my backup light, a Cateye LED. The light wouldn't hold, however, and eventually broke off the mount when she hit a bump. She rode to the next control within the beam of our bike lights.
The next section took us across the Tennessee River into Alabama, then up a 3 mile climb with multiple false summits, a 10 mile ride along the ridge, then a winding descent into Trenton.
In Trenton, we first stopped at the Huddle House. Being the only occupants at 4:30 am, we took over half the tables with our gear. After dining, some of us took quick power naps or just lay down with our eyes closed. About 6:30 eastern time, we departed the Huddle House and had our cards signed at the last control, a Golden Gallon/Citgo just down the road.
As the dawn approached, I started taking off my night gear. Even before the day starts to warm, the sun coming up over the mountains promised a pleasant, though somewhat windy ride into Chattanooga. We had one brief climb and descent into the city, then wound our way to the Aquarium. On the way back to the Hampton Inn, we spotted the other Tennessee team led by Cary Way, ahead of schedule. They met us back at the motel to swap ride accounts and share breakfast in the lobby.
Overall, a pleasant 24 hour ride. Congratulations to Jeff Sammons for completing his first flèche and his longest ride. Also kudos to Vida Greer for completing her longest ride, despite missing the start. I enjoy the flèche format and hope to ride on a team again next year.
Jeff Bauer
Nashville, Tennessee
April 30, 2005
By Jeff Bauer
Last weekend, I rode a 24-hour ride known as a flèche. This was my fourth flèche ride, and my third in middle Tennessee.
A flèche is team ride of 24-hours' duration, subject to specific rules determined by the Randonneurs Mondiaux. A team may consist of three to five machines (a tandem counts as a single machine) and at least three machines must finish together to receive official credit. Each team must choose its own route and may not ride with any other cyclists. A minimum of 360 kilometers must be covered inside 24 hours, with no less than 25 kilometers to be ridden in the final two hours. Flèche routes are point-to-point or a large circuit since any particular stretch of road may be used only once during the event by the team. In French, flèche means "arrow", so the traditional method is to ride from one point to another, like an arrow flying into the bullseye.
Our team consisted of the following members:
Bill Glass (captain)
Alan Gosart
Jeff Sammons
Jeff Bauer
Vida Greer
A flèche is not a race. The point is to keep everyone on the team together in pursuit of a common destination. This year the destination for the Georgia flèche was the Chattanooga Aquarium -- the same as it has been in years past. In addition to our team, three other teams would be participating.
As the weekend approached, we were all watching the weather for signs of rain. The temperatures were already somewhat cool, but the probability of rain appeared to recede just before we started our ride.
We were missing one rider at the start, but had to begin at the designated 7:30 time. Our first 70 miles would take us past Garrison Creek where we stopped to use the restroom facilities (mile 17). It wasthere that Lynn and Vida showed up. They had showedup at Bill's old house. We started the ride from his new house, just a mile or so up the road. At this point Vida was officially disqualified from the ride, but resolutely decided to continue riding the remaining 235 miles with us anyway.
The morning was damp and misty. Overcast skies and 55F temperatures aren't bad for riding. The NatchezTrace Parkway is a nice cycling section, since there is no commercial traffic and no turns to miss. Along the route we would periodically regroup at the historic landmarks (Gordon House, Meriwether Lewis) which had restroom facilities.
After riding down the Natchez Trace for 60 miles, we exited at marker 381 and rode a few miles toward Summertown. At the Phillips 66 store, our first control, we had the clerk sign our brevet cards and filled up on food and beverages. I had a microwaved ham and cheese sandwich just for something hot to eat.
From this point onward we stayed closer together, so we wouldn't miss any turns. I had the cuesheet on my handlebars, but some of the roads were unmarked. We used the same course that Alan designed last year, though it would be the first time Bill, Jeff or Vida had rode this route.
Our next control was a Wendy's in Lewisburg (mile114). Some of us ordered baked potatoes, always a safe food for randonneuring. The weather was looking pretty reasonable. Slightly windy and chilly, but nothing too bad. We had the usual fare of dogs chasing us. Light traffic and no major incidents.
We arrived in Tullahoma (mile 152), just around sunset, around 8 pm. We joked about having less than 12 hours to complete the final 100 miles. Our third control was another Wendy's. We were joined for dinner by Sametta and Susan (Bill and Alan's spouses). This was the point last year that Tom Cayton was forced to bail due to illness. Sametta gave us a progress report on the other flèche team from Tennessee (which included Tom). It appeared that they were ahead of schedule. Just before we left the third control, captain Bill gave us each a light to attach to our wheels. As we rode into the night, you could see red, while, and blue flashes strobing from our rear wheels. Surprisingly, I didnot find this distracting.
For the next 30 miles we wound through country roads towards Sewanee. The last section becomes a 2.5 mile climb with a steep grade. I rode up it last year on my fixed-gear bike and it wasn't much fun. This year, even with gears it was still no breeze. We regrouped at the top of the climb then made our way to a University. It closed at midnight (we were now on the Eastern timezone, I believe), so we had 30 minutes to stop. I added another base layer to prepare for the chilly evening.
For the next 24 miles we followed up and down rollers along the ridge, then a 3 mile descent into South Pittsburg. Upon reaching the Conoco Station there, we found that it had been closed up, locked from the outside. A local cop stopped by and mentioned that this market was no longer open 24/7. We were all pretty well set with food and water, and the next control was only 23 miles away. Jeff Sammons' rear wheel had gone out of true. Bill fixed this by tweaking one of the spokes and loosening the rear brake.
Vida's light went dead, so I attempted to install my backup light, a Cateye LED. The light wouldn't hold, however, and eventually broke off the mount when she hit a bump. She rode to the next control within the beam of our bike lights.
The next section took us across the Tennessee River into Alabama, then up a 3 mile climb with multiple false summits, a 10 mile ride along the ridge, then a winding descent into Trenton.
In Trenton, we first stopped at the Huddle House. Being the only occupants at 4:30 am, we took over half the tables with our gear. After dining, some of us took quick power naps or just lay down with our eyes closed. About 6:30 eastern time, we departed the Huddle House and had our cards signed at the last control, a Golden Gallon/Citgo just down the road.
As the dawn approached, I started taking off my night gear. Even before the day starts to warm, the sun coming up over the mountains promised a pleasant, though somewhat windy ride into Chattanooga. We had one brief climb and descent into the city, then wound our way to the Aquarium. On the way back to the Hampton Inn, we spotted the other Tennessee team led by Cary Way, ahead of schedule. They met us back at the motel to swap ride accounts and share breakfast in the lobby.
Overall, a pleasant 24 hour ride. Congratulations to Jeff Sammons for completing his first flèche and his longest ride. Also kudos to Vida Greer for completing her longest ride, despite missing the start. I enjoy the flèche format and hope to ride on a team again next year.
Jeff Bauer
Nashville, Tennessee
