BMB 1200K Randonnee Ride Report
August 17-20, 2006
By Jeff Bauer & Mary Crawley
Earlier this year Mary Crawley posted a message on the Georgia Randonneuring list. It was a request for a tandem captain to ride the Georgia 600K. This presented an interesting opportunity as I'm always interested in mixing up the rides. A tandem brevet would provide a whole new perspective to the Georgia series. Mary and I successfully rode both the Georgia 300K and 600K brevets together. The latter we rode straight through, a brutal ride that got me thinking of various modifications if I were to ever pursue a 1200K on the tandem.
After riding the Cascade 1200K with Ed Felker and Mary Gersema, I contacted Mary Crawley about riding BMB. She had unsuccessfully attempted it the previous year, but was willing to give it another try. I rode BMB in 2002, and had an idea of what to expect on the ride. Our first task was to decide on a ride strategy. Mary worked out a proposed schedule, including the following overnight stops:
1st night: Willston (inbound) Mile 271
2nd night: Willston (outbound) Mile 474
3rd night: Brattleboro Mile 634
I made the following modifications to my tandem: a) new chain rings with lower gearing; b) Panaracer 35C tires. The tires had just enough clearance, but we would come to appreciate riding these fat tires on the bumpy New England roads.
Shipping the tandem turned out to be easily handled through Sports Express for $100 each way. The airlines would have charged $80 each way and I would have had to drag the huge tandem box - kindly lent to me by Paul Kitchens - through the airport terminals.
Thursday - Day One
We started out with the 4am group, the same as most of the BMB riders wearing our night gear. We waited for most of the riders to clear out so we had room to maneuver the tandem. It appeared that we were to be the only tandem riders on the course this year.
Traffic was almost nonexistent early in the morning so we had a chance to chat with the other riders. About 10 miles into the ride someone pointed out that our tool bag was rubbing against the rear wheel. Apparently Mary's seat post had dropped a bit, so we stopped to raise it. I also used a velcro strap to secure the tool bag tighter against her saddle. The suspension seatpost was to cause us problems all morning. It would slowly, inperceptibly drop over the bumpy roads. Finally I got just the right amount of torque on the bolts (without snapping them, thankfully) and the seatpost stayed in place for the remainder of our ride. This issue has been a problem in the past and I may consider an alternative (e.g. Cane Creek Thudbuster) for future events.
As daylight arrived we took off our night gear and were treated to the gorgeous rolling New England countryside. The temperatures stayed in the perfect 60-80F range all day. Our first control stop was Bullard Farm (mile 75) about five hours into the ride. We refilled our CamelBaks with water, ate a quick breakfast, then moved on.
One thing that everyone "knows" about riding a 1200K is that you have to ride it at your own pace. Sometimes this fact gets forgotten when riding with a group of fast riders. Fortunately with the tandem it was easy to ride within our pace because that was often our *only* pace.
We crossed briefly through the tip of New Hampshire then into Vermont. Mary's ride schedule took into account the terrain which included climbing up Mt. Grace and Mt. Pisgah. I recall the latter fairly well because there was a secret control at the summit in 2002. Although the day was warming up, we were blessed with lot of shade in the Pisgah State Forest. The roads were much improved compared to my earlier BMB ride.
All morning I'd been anticipating fried rice, a traditional staple at the Brattleboro control, and it did not disappoint us. Although we stopped to sit down and eat, we still managed to keep our off-bike time to a minimum. Fueled with fried rice we started out on a busy stretch on Route 5, but soon turned onto the smaller roads that would lead us to Ludlow. The first section of this stretch includes a series of extended rolling hills. We would frequently be passed by singles only to pass them again on the descents. Along this section we were passed by many of the faster 6am riders, many of whom looked grim and determined.
Two more major climbs - up Andover Ridge and up the easy side of Mt. Terrible - then a 2 mile descent down a 10% grade brought us into Ludlow. The control at Ludlow is fairly small, but everything is easy to access (food, water, bikes, and drop bags). Cheese macaroni, rice and peanut butter on saltine crackers filled out a pleasantly bland meal. Our last major climb of the day would be Middlebury Gap. We were still feeling pretty strong.
In Ludlow we installed a powerful Light & Motion lighting system, brought along at Mary's insistence to supplement my Schmidt hub/E6 light. A single charge on the L&M provides 5-6 hours of riding, and we had a second charger waiting for us in Williston.
Shortly after leaving Ludlow a bat (yes, a bat!) hit the side of my face on a short descent. I was more surprised/amused than hurt, though it left a minor welt on my skin. However, we soon encountered our first major mechanical issue - one that was to haunt us through the remainder of the ride.
As I shifted out of our big ring on a climb the chain dropped in between the rings and jammed hard in two places. At first I attempted to use a hex wrench to gently ease out the chain. The manner in which it was jammed didn't give me much leverage to extract it and I was worried about twisting the chain. I recalled riding a 400K in South Carolina several years ago when the same problem occurred with Cary Way's bike, which caused him to DNF. Afterwards, either Bill Glass or Alan Gosart told me the problem could be solved by simply loosening the chainring bolts to free the stuck chain.
In the meantime Jerry Phelps had stopped to assist. I didn't want him to lose time, but he insisted on staying until we got back on the road. Finally, after 30 minutes of tinkering I got the chain fixed and my hands and gloves covered in grease. Jerry pulled out some Wet Wipes and gave us the entire pack. I had been calling him Gary since the Georgia 300K, because I misheard him on our first introduction. Meanwhile, Mary was waiting patiently, offering kind words of encouragement to my fumbling efforts.
Just as we were getting ready to depart, Pierce pulled up in the support van. He waited for us to depart, making sure I hadn't bollixed up our roadside repair by weakening the chain.
The climb up Killington wasn't too bad. We had a nice easy descent while there was still enough light outside to enjoy it, then mentally prepared for the last major climb up Middlebury Gap.
Climbing up the south side of Middlebury Gap isn't as steep as the return trip, but it still has a tough section up towards the end of the climb. We stopped to manually put the chain into our granny gear then proceed slowly up the road. For the most part we had to stay in the saddle spinning, with brief respites of standing up to give us some relief from the saddle and our leg muscles.
I was pretty impressed with our steady progress. It was a hard effort this late into the ride, but we kept our legs spinning and our breathing under control. At the summit we donned on an extra layer and were soon joined by other riders. We gave everyone some time to descend first so we wouldn't be attempting to pass them on a difficult technical section. As the descent flattened out, we joined up with some other riders who were having a hard time finding the Middlebury control.
At Middlebury we encountered many of the riders who'd already changed clothes and were preparing to bed down for the evening. Our plan was to keep pedaling down the road another 38 miles and check into a motel in Williston. We left Middlebury after a brief meal, sometime around 11pm.
The distance between the Middlebury and Rouses Point controls is almost 90 miles, so having an overnight in Williston helped break up a long stretch of riding. It was mostly rolling terrain, well-suited for tandem riding. Traffic was light and we could relax and carry on a conversation. I was riding caffeine-free so far and was only slightly drowsy. Just enough to slow our pace, but not enough to cause serious impairment. Caffeine tablets were available if the situation should change.
During this portion we were pretty happy about our progress. We would soon arrive in Williston on schedule and have completed a pretty good chunk of the ride on the first day. We were pretty much riding solo this entire leg since many of the other riders had decided to spend the night in Middlebury or were much further down the road.
We arrived in Williston around 2:10am and it was a treat. We had shipped fresh clothes/toiletries there to await our arrival. Maybe it's counter to the hardcore randonneur ethos, but there's nothing as refreshing as a hot shower, a warm bed, and a room with heat and A/C to lift your spirits at the end of a hard day's riding.
Our sleep goal was to get rested in 90 minute increments and maximize daylight riding hours. I brought along a small kitchen timer to punch just before we hit the sack - giving us 3 hours of sleep, plus a bit more to wind down. We'd be ready to roll at 6:30 am, just as the breakfast bar opened up.
Friday - Day Two
Amazingly we were up, ready and relatively refreshed in the morning. We joined a few other riders for breakfast. Mary microwaved a ham & cheese biscuit for road fuel and I packed a couple extra bananas.
Pleasant temperatures and a sunny sky lay ahead to greet our morning departure. As we pedaled down the road with a mild tailwind, we rode around Lake Champlain and caught up with some of the other riders, most of whom had left Middlebury before dawn. We saw Dan Wallace, who finished the Cascade 1200K in June and Chris Kaiser who was back riding on his recumbent bike. Both had ridden all night with virtually no sleep. Dan was relatively alert, but Chris appeared to be working hard to maintain his concentration. I know the feeling well.
We soon encountered a small group of riders and offered to pull them into Rouses Point. After a short stretch they decided to pull off, not being able to maintain our pace without breaking up their group. We'd see them soon enough again at the control. We also saw many of the faster riders (including Tim Bol from Florida) heading back inbound on their return leg. By this time Tim was over 100 miles ahead of us and I'd estimated that he'd reached the halfway point in 24 hours - a very impressive ride for such a hilly course.
Refueling at Rouses Point is critical. There are 50 miles of road to cover and nowhere to stop until you reach Huntingdon, Quebec. We ate another meal and topped off our CamelBaks. Shortly after we left, we crossed the Canadian border. I didn't even have to present my ID. As we rode into Quebec, it became obvious we were riding in a foreign country because all the signs were in French.
Except for one major climb, this section of the profile looks pretty flat. The appearance can be deceiving. With the sunny day and lack of shade, we weren't able to take advantage of the terrain. About 25 miles into this section we encountered the dreaded Covey Hill. I knew from 2002, that it's appearance from a distance looks worse than the actual climb. Back then, I thought it was a fire break rather than the road we were to climb.
We were slowly passed by other riders up to the approach of Covey Hill, then had to stop when our chain (again!) jammed between cogs. For this and all successive jams however, I didn't have to loosened the chainring bolts. We now recognized the problem whenever it occurred and immediately stopped pedaling. It was still a pain to dismount the tandem and manually extract the chain, getting my fingers covered with chain muck. I joked about having my hand tattooed black so I didn't have to keep wiping off the grease.
Mary provided solid power all through the steep section of Covey and we soon crested the summit, drenched in sweat. The remaining miles into Huntingdon took us over some rough roads. We were gradually - almost imperceptively - losing some elevation as we passed some of the earlier riders in Huntingdon.
Some years ago the control in Huntingdon had a poor reputation for the quality of the food. This has since been remedied. Ladies awaited to take our order for almost any kind of sandwich imaginable. My only complaint was the lack of ice to fill our CamelBaks for the return journey, but this was a minor gripe. I ate half a turkey and cheese sandwich, packed the other half, and ate many slices of fresh watermelon. Mary had a sandwich and drank a couple of Cokes. I was going to attempt a soda - neither the water nor the Gatorade was very cold - but couldn't decide if it contained caffeine. Canada may have different labeling requirements and I didn't want to take the risk.
After applying prodigious amounts of sunscreen - something I neglected on the outbound leg - we left Huntingdon in the heat of the day. Henk Bouhuyzen was pulling a group of 5-6 riders out, looking very strong. In 2002 we encountered a strong headwind on this portion, but fortunately had almost no wind at all today. The descent down Covey Hill was bumpy and fun. I doubt we hit 50 mph, though we could have easily exceeded 60 mph if I'd been willing to lay off the brakes.
As we approached the Canadian border, we started to aggregate with other riders. About 7-8 of us were grouped together behind a long line of cars. Mary approached the border on foot, her DOJ ID in hand, to ask if they would open up a line for the BMB cyclists. No problem. Hey, it's great to get the VIP treatment. After processing us through, we made it back to Rouses Point a few minutes later.
Another 55 miles and we'd be back in Williston, possibly by midnight, right? Wrong. In the first place, we were seriously depleted from riding all day in the heat. Second, we were to encounter a series of unexpected obstacles along the way out.
Just 4 miles out of the control, about 7:15pm, we saw Gerald Goode sitting on the shoulder of the road, tangled up in his bike. A raccoon had darted out into his front wheel and caused him to crash. Mary called the Rouses Point control and we waited for them to pick up Gerald. He had landed on his shoulder, possibly separating it, and was feeling somewhat nauseous. Once the control staff arrived to take him to the hospital, Mary and I remounted the tandem and continued moving south.
The temperatures dropped back into a pleasant range as the evening arrived, but we could not get comfortable. A muscle in my left leg was not working and prevented me from pedaling out of the saddle. I was trying to explain this to Mary and how it might effect the remainder of our ride. This was BMB Low Point #1 - a confluence where everything physically and mentally conspired to bring us down. Mary was having her own issues related to exhaustion and soreness.
Along Lake Champlain a fox darted out, just missing our front wheel. I was getting paranoid about the wildlife, all of which appeared to be involved in a conspiracy to ruin our ride. The oncoming cars wouldn't dim their highbeams, so Mary suggested we install our superbright L&M light. As I was installing it, Pierce stopped by in the van to make sure we weren't having any problems. He helped block the lane from traffic as we pulled back onto the road.
About 20 miles later we pulled into a market. Mary had a coffee and I drank some chocolate milk. Ten minutes later we were back on the road, just as the Kentucky riders passed by.
I caught up with Dr. Royse, a General Practitioner, and he proceeded to conduct an on-bike diagnosis. His conclusion was that I'd torn my Tibialis anterior (?) and suggested a remedy: I could tightly wrap an arm warmer around that part of my leg to support the muscle. Knowing what the problem was, and that there might be some relief, helped get me through the remainder of this section, but it was still quite a slog into Williston - probably even harder on Mary. We were never so happy as to finally check back into our room around 2am. For a supposedly easy portion of the route, today's ride had been pretty rough.
Saturday - Day Three
As with all things related to randonneuring, everything looks better in the light of morning. We stopped to eat in the lobby and were back on the road no later than 7am. The morning was dark and heavy with clouds and crosswinds.
I had tied a bright red arm warmer (complements of Gran Fondo) around my left leg in a square knot, almost as tight as a tourniquet. Dr. Royse's suggested remedy appeared to be working, but I wouldn't know for certain until later in the day.
Our plan for was to ride 160 miles into Brattleboro. It was not too many miles compared to the previous days, but a lot of climbing. But once we reached the summit of Middlebury Gap, we would be progressively dropping elevation into Brattleboro. The Brattleboro control was an important goal, because it meant that we'd have less than 200K to ride on our final day.
We soon joined Steve Rice and Steve Royse on the way to Middlebury. Dr. Royse asked how the homemade sling was doing and I thanked him for his advice. We rode into one of the small Vermont towns around 8:00 am and stopped in a drugstore to purchase an Ace bandage. The arm warmer was working, but the knot was rubbing against my leg. Steve Rice was disappointed when he next saw us -- he said the Ace bandage lacked the style of trendy gangbanger fashion.
The skies soon darkened and it began to rain. The temps were pretty reasonable, so my light rain jacket was more than enough protection. After the heat of yesterday's ride, a little rain was welcome.
The rain continued on and off until we arrived in Middlebury. In 2002, Mike DeLong and I had wandered around Middlebury at midnight in a daze trying to reach the friggin' control. Seeing our approach today in the daylight, it's no wonder we were so confused. The inbound route meanders around the backside of the control through a residential area - you lose all sense of reference.
At the Middlebury control we grabbed our drop bags and withdrew everything we'd need to make it into Brattleboro. It was raining on my last BMB and I remember how cold we were around the Saxton's River section. So I grabbed every bit of warm clothing available and suggested the same to Mary.
I was about to grab some cold pizza, then saw Mary with shredded wheat and milk. Thinking maybe she had the better idea, I adopted it for my breakfast and perhaps saved myself a nasty case of heartburn. I should mention that all along the way we were getting complimented on our progress. As we were representing the only tandem riders in this year's BMB, we were grateful for the encouragement. At every control we either announced, or were told, that we were still leading the tandem division. A heartening thought!
Just before we left Middlebury, I got one of the support mechanics to check out our shifting problem. There was a lot of gunk in the chain and a slight burr on a cog tooth, but he couldn't find anything wrong. Mary and I left to begin the climb up Middlebury Gap, the steep side. After a brief warmup, we got into spinning mode. Periodically we'd climb out of the saddle. Before the climb got really steep, we were joined by someone just out for a Saturday ride. We chatted about BMB and the tandem for a while, Mary carrying on most of the conversation.
As we approached the steeper section of the climb I pulled off so we could manually put the chain into the granny gear since we were still having it frequently drop between chainrings. We got the tandem launched sideways across the street and back up the hill. The lower gears helped, but it was still quite an effort to climb the gap.
Somewhere at the other end of the valley near Killington we saw Steve Royse sitting under a tree changing a flat tire. Steve was having lots of mechanical problems on this ride. By the time he arrived back in Boston, he would have 7 flats, trouble with his freewheel (twice) and destroy a couple of tires.
To save time inflating his flat, I used a CO2 cartridge, but it sprayed back in my face. Okay, the tube has a bad valve. No problem, we've got plenty of tubes. Next attempt. Nada. The tire won't seat properly on the rim. Not wanting to waste another cartridge (we had more waiting for us in our Ludlow drop bags), I attempted to inflate it using his pump. The tire still won't seat properly.
Fortunately we had brought along a spare tire and Steve is soon back in business. Our Panaracer tires are holding out admirably, so I don't think we'll need a spare. Anyway, BMB support is exemplary, so we probably won't have to wait long in the unlikely event we totally destroy a tire.
In the meantime, I've neglected Mary who's gotten chilly sitting on top of the mountain. I've kept warm by fiddling with Steve's tire. We have a long descent coming up, which will chill us even more, but once we lose some elevation and start pedaling again we warm up.
After many miles of descending the terrain starts to flatten out - though we're still losing elevation over the next 20 miles. It's still raining and we climb back up Killington with lots of frogs on the road. Squish, squish. The southbound ascent is much greater than in inbound climb, about 3000 meters. Finally we descend and start making our way over the final 20 miles into Ludow.
This portion is pretty easy, but Mary is not saying much at all, usually a sign that she's experiencing some discomfort. Steve Royse is still at the control when we arrive and he diagnoses her problem as tendonitis in her knees. A control staffer takes her upstairs where they can apply ice packs. Apparently they don't want to do this in the main area because everyone will want some ice for their knees too, but they can see that Mary is in need of the treatment.
Despite Mary's tendonitis, I'm not too worried. We have plenty of gears and can spin up the remaining climbs at a comfortable pace without putting to much stress on her knees. I have slight tendonitis in my right knee, but it very minor compared to my earlier problems. Someone suggests that we raise Mary's saddle. I'm reluctant to do this given our earlier problems in keeping the suspension seatpost raised. The net result could be worse if the seatpost won't stay put.
When Mary comes down, she's in better shape. The ice packs have done their job. The quality of the food in Ludow has deteriorated since our Thursday arrival, but I eat lightly and pack a baked potato for road fuel. Next time I ride BMB I intend to stop at one of the local restaurants in Ludlow. (Like Taco Taco, yeah!)
Only 55 miles to our goal for tonight, the magic town of Brattleboro. We're careful to pack lots of warm clothes because it's raining and will be getting dark soon. So far the rain hasn't been too chilly except for the descent down Middlebury Gap, but I know from previous experience that the temperatures can drop rapidly.
We start riding immediately up the hard side of Mt. Terrible, but with rested legs we're making good progress. Our goal is to get most of the descending out of the way while there's still some daylight hours. Traffic eases up as we leave Ludlow.
As it gets dark, I get more skittish about descending. The roads are wet with buckled up surfaces that are difficult to negotiate. Mary takes the brunt of these bumpy sections, since I often can't find a line to steer around them. We're often riding through a combination of mist and fog, so even our powerful L&M light doesn't provide much assistance. My clear night lenses have become a hindrance, so I remove them.
My memory of this section is somewhat fuzzy, given how tired we were, but I think we were in pretty good spirits. Despite the rain and dark, we kept moving and were never too chilly. It was mostly up and down with a couple of long climbs. Traffic wasn't too bad and we had time to converse and listen to the river. Our lights against the trees played tricks with my eyes and the lack of a fog line kept my attention focused on the edge of the road.
About halfway to Brattleboro we encountered an open market. It was warmer outside sitting on a bench than inside with the A/C on. Mary picked up a fresh turkey sandwich and split it with me. The brief respite did us a world of good and we took off into the evening before we got too chilly.
As we got closer to Brattleboro, the rain picked up. We began to pick up our pace, anticipating a warm, dry motel room and hot showers. I was grateful we had made reservations at the Motel 6 in Brattleboro, since other riders would have to backtrack in the rain to find a place to stay.
At the Brattleboro control the constant rain had penetrated through all the tables and chairs set up in the parking lot, so everyone was huddled against the building. Pretty much everything Mary and I had was soaked through, except the dry stuff in our drop bags. I changed into dry clothes then sat down to eat some crackers and hot soup.
At this point the toughest part of BMB was over. We could get some sleep, eat breakfast, then have a mere 112 miles (less than 200K!) left to ride on our final day. We decided to sleep 3 hours, which would put us on the road just after daybreak.
Sunday - Day 4
A couple hours later I was woken with the sounds of heavy thunder and lightening. My right leg was bent in a 90 degree angle and I couldn't unbend it - probably related to the torn muscle, since I didn't sleep with the Ace bandage on. I spent 20 minutes slowly massaging it, gently increasing its range of motion, and was finally able to get walking again.
I went downstairs to check our tandem. It was thoroughly soaked through because all the other bikes had gotten the choice parking spots. Despite the rain, the temperature was pretty reasonable. I put on a wool jersey, wool knee warmers, and a light rain jacket. Breakfast was shredded wheat, skim milk, and a bagel with peanut butter. Conditions were somewhat cramped, so we ate quickly then moved back to sort out our gear for the final day.
We left out with a group of riders which included Judith Swallow from the UK. She and her late tandem partner used to ride very fast long distance rides together, and she shared some of her acquired wisdom of tandem riding.
About 7 miles out of Brattleboro Mary mentioned that her bike computer had stopped working, possibly because we'd left the tandem out in the rain. We stopped and exchanged bike computers (I'd even brought a third spare) and checked the physical contacts, magnet, etc. to no avail. No matter. My computer still worked and I could call out the mileage at her request.
We still had two more tough climbs on the way to New Salem, but with fresh legs and the rain keeping the temperatures down, we just set to work on Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Grace. A number of other riders complimented us whenever we were standing and pedaling out of the saddle, saying that it's obvious we'd spent a lot of time practicing (ha!). One of the of riders mentioned that he'd love to do some distance riding on his tandem, but he and his wife were never able to prefect the technique of pedaling out of the saddle. The kudos go to Mary who kept her form smooth throughout the ride. It's relatively easy for the captain to stand, but if the stoker rocks side-to-side, the tandem won't remain stable.
Jim Koegel from Ohio rode with us on the way into Bullard Farm. He reminded me that we'd first rode together on a hilly SC 400K in 2002, where we'd each gotten separately lost. We jammed our chain (again) just a couple miles before the control and rode in alone.
Along the way in I kept pointing out orange salamanders on the road. Mary didn't see them. Flashback: On my Furnace Creek 508 ride I counted maybe 40-50 scorpions on the road, but my crew couldn't see them from the support vehicle (nor the two tarantulas). Afterwards, when I mentioned this in my ride report, some people assumed that I was suffering from a sleep-deprived hallucination. So the next time I saw one of those critters, I turned the tandem around, went back point it out to Mary. She can now can confirm that I wasn't hallucinating. There actually were orange salamanders on the road!
At Bullard Farm we stopped for a second breakfast. The mood of most the riders was cheerful since everyone who makes it this far is certain to finish on time.
Outbound from Bullard Farm is my favorite part of the BMB ride. Usually the weather is forgiving. Most of the hard climbing is over and there's only 75 miles left to the finish. We left Bullard Farm riding with a group that included some of the people we'd started with in Brattleboro. The clouds started to break up not ten minutes after we left Bullard Farm, so we stopped to shed rain gear and apply sunscreen.
The next 30 miles were pretty much longish climbs and descents. We'd rush past the group on the way down, only to have them pass us halfway up the next hill. Some of the group wanted to stop and eat about 40 miles outside of Newton, but Mary and I didn't want to lose our momentum. We rode on for another few miles in search of a market for water and a snack. After a short break we were back on the tandem in the heat of the day.
Soon afterwards, we were joined by the Kentucky riders. The last 20-30 miles is mostly flat to downhill, so we started picking up the speed. We kept the pace up over 20 mph, knowing that it would help make the miles go by. Mary kept me fed with Gu gels every 30 minutes because we never slacked our pace to slow down and eat - though we were careful not to drop anyone who started out with us.
Finally, just one mile before the finish, Steve Rice's left pedal got locked up and wouldn't turn. I had to laugh, if only because it was so close to the finish line. After our blistering pace over the past 25 miles, it would be amusing to limp in at 7 mph, following Steve pedaling with one leg.
Steve kept kicking at the pedal in frustration however, and finally loosened it up enough to turn with some effort. Five minutes later we rolled across the finish line to the cheers of the staff and earlier riders.
We made it. Mary and I completed the challenging terrain of BMB on a tandem in 84 hours and 38 minutes. Even more remarkable is that this was only our third time to ever ride the tandem together. Virtually all of our training had been done separately. Mary deserves a great deal of the credit for getting us across the finish line. She bore the brunt of my missed shifts, frequent changes in cadence, unannounced sudden stops, and the arbitrary whims of the road.
Conclusions
A ride like this tends to strip away the thin veneer of civility we normally wear. Between the pain and exhaustion lies an abyss of hurt feelings, suspicion, anger and despair. We saw much of this manifested out on the road or at the controls, but never with each other. Sometimes I would forget to say "Please" or "Thank you". But neither Mary nor I never exchanged anything but encouragement to each other.
The frequent problems with our chain jamming caused most of our mechanical frustration. Stopping to manually extract the chain slowed down our momentum and was generally discouraging. It also made it difficult for others to ride with us. Since the derailleur checked out okay, I'm now suspecting it may have been a problem with the left shifter, which had recently taken a spill. Despite these annoyances, I'm glad we brought low gears for this ride. No flats. The big, fat Panaracer 35C tires served us well.
Lantiseptic is the One True Cream. I have been proselytizing this stuff since the Cascade 1200K with a fervor that would make a Jesuit blush. Begone all you false worshipers of Bag Balm, Chamois Butt'r, and Assos Cream. Lantiseptic has the viscosity of caulking compound and requires a putty knife to apply. Once it's applied however, Lantiseptic stays on through rain, sweat, and friction. Mary has joined the faithful.
Riding on the tandem is a blast. I purchased my Co-Motion Speedster secondhand on a whim, not really sure if I'd even enjoy tandem riding. It changes the dynamics of a long distance ride, but the advantages greatly outweigh any negative aspects, especially if you're fortunate enough to be riding with a stoker as strong and dedicated as Mary Crawley.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Friday, June 30, 2006
Cascade 1200K Rondonnee Ride Report
Cascade 1200K Randonnee Ride Report
June 24-27, 2006
By Jeff Bauer
This is a description of my Cascade 1200K ride in June 2006. For a general overview of the ride itself, check out the following link: http://www.cascade1200.com/
Some photos I took during the ride appear here:http://tinyurl.com/grsek
Cast of Characters:
Tennessee Randonneurs:
Jeff Bauer
Bill Glass
Alan Gosart
Jeff Sammons
Michelle Dulieu (Rochester, New York)
Ed & Mary (mixed tandem couple)
Sue & Peg (tube sock ladies)
Prologue
Last year I missed riding the Cascade 1200K because I wanted to complete the Gold Rush Randonnée. This year four of us from Tennessee trained together to ride the Cascade 1200K in Washington State.
Just days before the ride we receive news that the roads connecting Randle to Carson are closed because the snow hasn't been removed. I start packing more cold weather gear in anticipation of cool evenings. We won't get to see St. Helens on this trip, but the amazing thing is that SIR quickly re-routes the course in short order -- an amazing logistical feat.
After we arrive and assemble our bikes I discover that my rear brake has been damaged in transit. We travel to three different bike shops, finally obtaining a cheap $20 brake and then locate a mechanic willing to install it on his lunch hour. After a quick bike inspection we have dinner and get to bed.
Monroe - mile 0
6/24 06:00
The morning is slightly chilly. I've worn my white, long sleeve jersey for sun protection, but it's also comfortable in the cool morning hours. For once I manage to start my ride at a conservative pace. I ride with Will Roberts for a while, reminiscing about the Rocky Mountain 1200K a couple years ago. He's still riding a single-speed, but I'm no longer doing these distances on my fixed-gear. We ride together through the morning mist.
Cumberland - mile 52
6/24 09:16
A relatively quick stop. Water but no food, unless you count gumdrops. Gumdrops? I was hoping to eat something more substantial this early in the ride. Alan experiences some clicking noises on his bike. It's warming up and anyone who was wearing a vest or arm warmers has already removed them. We can see Mt. Ranier up ahead in the distance.
Kapowsin (secret control) - mile 83
6/24 11:15
Jennifer Wise and Pierce Grafan are waiting at the secret control. Perhaps a secret control is mandatory for a 1200K ride, as this one doesn't otherwise appear to serve any useful purpose. Just as we descend from the control, I recall the Pierce is a bike mechanic and could have diagnosed Alan's problem. Too late. We pass a rider with a flat.
Eatonville - mile 94
6/24 12:05
Ten miles out of the secret control we stop at thePlaza Market in Eatonville. I regret not stopping a mile earlier at the Truly Scrumptious Bakery. We take a long 40 minute break to eat and replenish, then head out toward Randle.
Somewhere along the route our road is closed due to a festival. We simply ride slowly around the pedestrians and the market booths. I'd like to stop for a snow cone, but we keep pedalling. As we come to the next street we encounter a parade -- some skate boarders are led by a fire engine. Rather than wait for the parade to end, we simply become part of the parade, waving to people as we pass through.
Randle - mile 140
6/24 16:07
Before we get to the next control, we stop in Morton and take pictures of a passenger-carrying steam locomotive. It's very hot by the time we arrive in Randle. The market is crowded and the cold drinks aren't cold. We've been warned to stockup on water before we leave, as we'll have a long climb up White Pass with no services. Despite leaving Randle with two (2) 30oz water bottles and a 50oz Camelbak, I run out of water before reachingthe summit. I think almost everyone misjudged how much water we'd require.
White Pass - mile 176
6/24 17:47
About 24 miles outside of Randle the 13 mile climb begins in earnest. Jeff, Bill, Alan and I are more or less together, though we climb at different rates. We occasionally stop for the scenic views to take pictures -- also an excuse to take a breather during this long ascent. The grade isn't too steep, but it's relentless. A support vehicle pulls up and asks if I'm okay. Stupidly, I reply affirmative when I could have taken the opportunity to refill my water.
As we're climbing up White Pass we encounter brief thermoclines -- areas where a breeze passes through the upper snow and cold water to provide a short respite from the heat. As we ascend, the air starts to cool due to the change in altitude. I catch up with Michelle just before the summit. She has also run out of water and was sorely tempted to drink from the mountain runoff, but fortunately a SAG vehicle intervened. Apparently some riders were asking for water from the tourists at the scenic lookouts.
At the control summit we have food and drinks waiting. I eat a turkey sandwich as Jeff, Alan, and Bill arrive. I'm being bitten by with mosquitoes, however, and soon head down the pass before everyone else is ready to depart.
Prior to this climb we'd all misjudged how easy the ride had been going. At the top of White Pass some riders were obviously irritable -- a bad omen of things yet to come.
Cowiche - mile 220 (Overnight)
6/24 23:03
I pedal at an easy pace towards Cowiche, our first overnight control. The terrain is mostly downhill, with a few minor climbs. It gets dark before I've completed the descent as I've stopped to put on night gear and take a few photos, including a particularly nice one of a sunset over the mountain lake.
The last miles are pleasant, with the exception of one steep grind before Cowiche. Just as I turn into the overnight control, I hear Bill, Alan, and Jeff behind me with Michelle in tow. They joke about my "soft pedalling" over the past 44 miles.
The overnight control is the St. Peter's Youth Center. We have bunk beds, hot showers and a hot meal. Great accommodations, especially considering that SIR had to improvise at this location. We decide to attempt a 5:00 am departure.
Ellensburg - mile 269
6/25 09:43
A quick breakfast and we're on the road before 6:00. Accounting for showers and meals, we probably got 3 hours of actual sleep. Once we get started, our legs warm up. Then there's an interesting phenomenon. As we're riding along an irrigation ditch the water appearsto be running uphill. Of course it's a trick of visual perception -- we're actually riding uphill about 11 mph.
By 7:00 am, the day is already warm. We've been warned to expect temps in the upper 90's. As the sun rises, it's obvious that the terrain has changed dramatically since we've crossed White Pass. Gone are the trees and green hills. Ahead lies the dusty desert and sagebrush.
After 20 miles we turn onto Canyon Road. This section is an out-and-back spur that follows the Yakima River into Ellensburg. We're still riding early enough in the morning that we get some shade riding up and down through the canyon. Bill mentions that the popping noise is the road tar boiling up to the surface. At one point I'm riding beside Michelle and we hear --then see -- rocks rolling down into our path. A short sprint, then I turn around and snap a quick photo. In the photo you can see the dust kicked up from the rolling rocks.
The last 3 miles to the Flying J control are flat. We motor along at 20 mph. At the control we stockup on food/water and head back toward Canyon Road. On the return leg it's much hotter and our progressis slower. Traffic has picked up. Jeff and I ride together and plan to regroup with everyone in Selah, about 29 miles down the road.
Selah - mile 299
6/25 12:10
The temps are in the mid 90's by the time we reach the Selah control. Jeff and I arrive first, followed by Michelle, then Bill and Alan. Bill wants to stop at McDonald's. Jeff, Michelle, and I decide to keep riding to the next control at Sunnyside, about 45 miles down the road.
Sunnyside - mile 345
6/25 15:58
After negotiating through busy traffic, we reach a bike trail. We get some small bits of shade and even see some riders off-bike, taking advantage of the shade in the midday heat. We basically ride conservatively through the afternoon and try to keep ourselves hydrated. After 3+ hours of grinding through the heat, we finally reach the market in Sunnyside.
Rattlesnake (water) - mile 363
6/25 18:40
The cue sheet mentions NO SERVICES for the next 43 miles. Fortunately two angels appear at the Rattlesnake Hills in the form of Sue & Peg. Susan France is a former RAAM racer and the current Oregon RBA. She has brought out tube socks and filled them with ice. Wrapped around our necks, the tube socks provide instant relief from the heat. As the ice melts, the water spreads over our jerseys and rapidly evaporates in the dry heat. From this point on, Sue and Peg would be referred to as the"tube sock ladies".
Mattawa - mile 393
6/25 21:32
Our next goal is to arrive in Mattawa before dark. Michelle is having difficulty keeping our pace, so Jeff and I slow down a bit. After another 32 miles of riding in the heat, we stop briefly at the Vernita Rest Area where we encounter other riders recovering from the heat. A mile later we start climbing a section labeled "Yes, up THAT Hill" on the cue sheet. I drop my tube sock, but can't be bothered to retrieve it.
As I push up toward the final section, I'm humming Wagner's "Also Spracht Zarathustra" (a.k.a. 2001: Space Odyssey Theme). In response, I hear someone playing a clarinet. A transcendent moment -- listening to notes being played o na clarinet in the middle of the desert as the sun sets. It's Michael, one of the SIR support guys waiting for us at the top of the climb.
Jeff, Michelle, and I regroup and head onward towards Mattawa riding alongside huge tracts of barley. Half the barley produced in the U.S. comes from this area. On this point Jeff is reminded that we could sure use a cold beer. We're joined by Bill and Alan shortly after we arrive in Mattawa. The five of us head out together towards Quincy. Once the sun has gone down, the riding becomes easier. We later hear that the temperatures rose over 100F today.
Quincy - mile 433
6/26 02:00
Shortly after we leave Mattawa, we encounter a long climb. Michelle is having problems keeping up, so Jeff and I stay with her as Bill and Alan proceed at their own pace. Not long after we cross I-90, we see an ambulance up in the distance. With fear bordering on dread, we approach the carnage. Is it a cyclist? Yes. Is it Bill or Alan? Thank God, no.
But it is one of our riders, a victim of a hit-and-run. The rider -- someone I don't recognize -- is being loaded on the gurney as we ride past. The next day we learn that the vehicle and driver have been identified. The rider is the hospital with a broken femur.
The Quincy control is a High School. Ed and Mary show up shortly after our arrival. We eat, take showers, and sleep on wrestling mats for about an hour or so. Michelle decides to get some extra sleep. Our pace isn't matching hers so she'll find someone else to ride with later this morning.
Today will be another hot ride through the desert, so we head out by 6:00 am. As we're leaving I hear the fire alarm -- accidentally tripped by someone exiting the wrong door. Well, now everyone's awake. We've been told it will be our easiest day of riding, but I later learn this is a piece of deliberate(? ) misinformation to cheer us up.
Farmer - mile 481
6/26 11:41
After a couple hours, I'm starting to feel the effects of the heat -- dehydration and nausea. I'm able to keep up with everyone, though somewhat slower on the hills.
There's a cave to our right. Are the flying creatures birds or bats? Bill and I discuss that whatever is out there are: 1) active in the daylight; 2) have nests; and 3) aren't flying in bat-flight patterns. Hence they must be birds, correct? Of course we later learn that they are indeed bats.
No services for miles and miles. Some nasty cattle guards that are hungry to dine on our wheels. We encounter Manfred Kuchenmuller who's down with a broken chain and no chain tool. Bill removes a link and gets Manfred back on the road in 10 minutes.
The Farmer control looks like a cantina from "Once Upon A Time in the West". I can almost hear the score from Ennio Morricone in the background. No electricity or running water.
A couple of outhouses around back. The volunteers are enthusiastic, however, and we stock up on food and water. We're reluctant leave so soon as it's the only shaded area for the next 26 miles. We've last heard that about 18 riders have dropped out, mostly due to heat-related conditions.
As we depart Farmer, we have a series of rollers, then a gradual climb up McNeil Canyon Road. The 5 mile descent is advertised as fast and dangerous. None of us enjoy the downhill -- it's too steep and we're riding our brakes the whole way down, including Bill. I catch up with him then make a quick detour toward a food packing plant in search of ice. No luck.
At the bottom of the hill we arrive at Beebe Park around 2:30 pm. It has running water, shade, and restrooms. We make a decision to wait out the worst of the afternoon heat and head out around 5pm -- maybe even catch a brief siesta.
Other people arrive, including Ed and Mary, who think that's a good plan. We agree to head out together. In the meantime, the tube sock ladies -- Sue and Peg --have arrived to our cheers of relief. Someone else has brought sandwiches from Subway. I wade into the icy river up to my waist. The temperature contrast almost puts my body in shock. I pretend to sleep on top of a picnic table with a moist tube sock draped over my face. Can it get any better than this?
We leave Beebe Park at 5pm, still facing intense heat, with the tandem on point. This is the first chance during the ride I've had much of an opportunity to chat with Ed and Mary. We have a mutual acquaintance in Mary Crawley, whom I rode tandem with on the Georgia 300K and 600K brevets.
About 21 miles later we stop at a market in Pateros. It's finally starting to cool down. We're riding in our first section of shade all day and the temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees.
Malott - mile 548
6/26 20:40
Another 20 miles takes us into the control at Malott, which is basically an outdoor park. I'm now starting to chill a bit and put on my vest. We exit Malott to begin our climb up Loup Loup Pass (elevation 4020).
The initial portion of the climb is steep, then eases somewhat. But the ascent is another one of those climbs that never seems to end -- 13 miles of grinding up Loup Loup Pass. I'm soon joined by Alan and we climb the last few miles together. I'm already chilly even before we reach the summit. By the time we get there, we've put on all our warm clothes -- tights, gloves, vests, jackets -- for the descent. I'm having some problems with my front brake, so I get passed by everyone on the way down. It's COLD, but we're back on the western side of the mountains -- trees and grass and milder temperatures.
We regroup at the bottom of Loup Loup. We have only 25 miles of rolling terrain to the overnight control, but Bill is in serious need of a micro-nap. He mentions that he almost fell asleep on the descent.
Alan stays with Bill. I head out with the tandem, onward towards Mazama. We soon overtake groups of riders ahead. This proves problematic for Ed and Mary as they're somewhat tired and need room to maneuver their tandem -- so we back off a bit and let the singles pull ahead of us.
Mazama - mile 600 (Overnight)
6/27 03:31
Jeff has arrived just minutes before us in Mazama. I sign up for sleeping quarters and I'm surprised to be escorted by Will Roberts, the single-speed rider. He'd missed his time at the Quincy control and decided to switch from rider to support crew for the remainder of the event. We've been warned to expect as many as four to a room in Mazama, but I'm delighted to find I've got a room to myself, complete with a hot bath. I leave a 5:15 wake up call and drop into a deep, dreamless slumber.
Will wakes me promptly and I stagger over to the breakfast area. I'm not in a breakfast mood, however, and just grab a bagel and orange juice.
Ed is busy replacing the rear wheel on his tandem and I get a mechanic to check out my front brake. It turns out my front wheel is slightly out of round and will need to be rebuilt after this ride. Doug makes some minor adjustments to get me through the next 160 miles.
Jeff and I depart Mazama around 6:00 am. Just before we leave, four of the Florida riders arrive at the control to the sounds of applause. They'd taken a wrong turn and gotten off course. Ouch.
Marblemount - mile 675
6/27 14:25
The next 18 miles is spent climbing up Washington Pass. At 5477 feet, it is the highest elevation we will ascend. The scenery here is the most stunning of the entire ride. Incredible rock formations and enormous cascading waterfalls. After a couple hours of climbing, Jeff and I take a quick break. We lay our backs into a snow bank to chill down, then resume climbing. About three hours after we leave Mazama, we reach the summit of Washington Pass. Once we've stopped climbing it's a bit windy and chilly.
We take photos, put on our vests, and begin our short descent to the base of Rainy Pass. Another mile of climbing brings us to its summit. Note the profile shows us mostly descending from Rainy Pass into the next control at Marblemount: http://www.cascade1200.com/route_profile.html
I'm a bit wobbly on the descents with my suspect front wheel/brake and the severe crosswind pushes our bikes all over the road. Gorgeous scenery -- even if we're too tired to fully appreciate it. As we descend the temperatures pick up, though nowhere close to what we've experienced the past two days of desert riding. We take out our tube socks, soak them in the icy runoff, then apply them over our necks to cool down again.
Jeff and I press on to Marblemount. We make the control with little more than an hour to spare. We wait for the final riders to show up. The first control after the overnight stop is usually the most critical. As we head out with Bill and Alan, the Florida group arrives with 7 minutes to spare. At this point we're all pretty drowsy, but the lack of sleep is affecting Bill probably most severely.
There's a nice shaded side road, almost a grotto -- about 10 miles outside of Darrington. I'm sick of eating energy bars, so I bum a 3-day old sandwich from Alan. We're soon back on the road and arrive at the market in Darrington.
I refill my water and snack on an ice cream sandwich. We have about 40 miles to reach the control in Granite Falls. The tube sock ladies, Sue & Peg, are nagging everyone to get moving so we don't miss the next control.
I head out with Ed and Mary. The next section is flat to rolling and favors a tandem pace. Ed, Mary and I get a chance to catch up with how our day has progressed since we rode together last night into Mazama. We have a bit of wind and traffic, but a nice wide shoulder most of the way into Granite Falls.
Along the way we pick up Dan Wallace from Florida. He rode the challenging Georgia 400K and finished with 10 minutes to spare. Dan said the GA 400K was good preparation for the Cascade 1200K. As the temperature drops, we're all in great spirits. We're getting ready for the final leg.
Granite Falls - mile 741
6/27 21:00
We have agreed to make Granite Falls a brief stop. There is only 21 miles left in the ride, but it will soon be dark and we like to eke out the remaining hour or so of twilight.
After it gets dark I ride ahead of Dan and the tandem. We have a lot of turns (14) over this short distance and my GPS provides an audible signal even before the turn is visible. A crowd of people are cheering us as we arrive at the motel lobby. The four of us arrive at the finish at 11:57 pm, slightly an hour ahead of the closing time.
Monroe - mile 762 (Finish)
6/27 22:57
We turn in our cards, eat pizza, and await the remaining riders. Ten minutes, another cheer as more riders appear. By 11:40, Bill, Alan, Jeff, and Michelle have arrived. Soon the only remaining riders are the four from Florida. Where are they?
I'm sitting with Ed and Mary waiting. My watch buzzes: 12 midnight. "That's it.", I say, "It's over for them." Then a cheer goes up. It's the Florida riders. My watch is fast by two minutes -- control times are based on the atomic clock. The last four riders have arrived with two minutes to spare. Now that's cutting it close!
Post-Ride:
The format of this event, with each day's ride starting approximately the same time, tends to keep most of the riders close together, as evident from the finish times, mostly in the 87-90 hour range. I think the overall abandon (DNF) rate was 30%, which sounds about right for this kind of event. Despite the challenging conditions, all the Tennessee riders completed the ride within the time limit. Special congratulations to Mary Gersema, who finished her first 1200K (and a difficultone at that) on the back of a tandem with Ed.
The good: Lantiseptic -- the miracle cream for adult incontinence and bedsores works well as a saddle balm. I also liked the floating drop bag that this ride format provided. Rather than spread out my gear among 2-4 bags at different locations, I could pack everything in a single bag and choose what to carryon any given day.
The bad: I should have brought along a larger capacity Camelbak. The 50oz bladder just doesn't hold enough fluid for these extreme temperatures. In the grand scheme of things this was a minor issue.
The ugly: Long stretches of unremitting 100F temps with no shade. Everything else held up pretty well. Sore posterior, with 3 minor saddle sores. Hands, feet, and knees okay. No finger numbness. Less sleep than I would have liked.
There is some discussion about SIR hosting this ride once every four years, similar to GRR and the Rocky Mountain 1200K, so I'm glad we took the opportunity to ride it this year. I'm sorry we missed the original route toward St. Helens, but maybe we'll get a chance in a future year.
The biggest and best kudos to the outstanding support staff who did everything in their power to keep us on the road. We literally could not have completed this ride without you guys.
Thanks!
Jeff Bauer
Nashville, Tennessee
June 24-27, 2006
By Jeff Bauer
This is a description of my Cascade 1200K ride in June 2006. For a general overview of the ride itself, check out the following link: http://www.cascade1200.com/
Some photos I took during the ride appear here:http://tinyurl.com/grsek
Cast of Characters:
Tennessee Randonneurs:
Jeff Bauer
Bill Glass
Alan Gosart
Jeff Sammons
Michelle Dulieu (Rochester, New York)
Ed & Mary (mixed tandem couple)
Sue & Peg (tube sock ladies)
Prologue
Last year I missed riding the Cascade 1200K because I wanted to complete the Gold Rush Randonnée. This year four of us from Tennessee trained together to ride the Cascade 1200K in Washington State.
Just days before the ride we receive news that the roads connecting Randle to Carson are closed because the snow hasn't been removed. I start packing more cold weather gear in anticipation of cool evenings. We won't get to see St. Helens on this trip, but the amazing thing is that SIR quickly re-routes the course in short order -- an amazing logistical feat.
After we arrive and assemble our bikes I discover that my rear brake has been damaged in transit. We travel to three different bike shops, finally obtaining a cheap $20 brake and then locate a mechanic willing to install it on his lunch hour. After a quick bike inspection we have dinner and get to bed.
Monroe - mile 0
6/24 06:00
The morning is slightly chilly. I've worn my white, long sleeve jersey for sun protection, but it's also comfortable in the cool morning hours. For once I manage to start my ride at a conservative pace. I ride with Will Roberts for a while, reminiscing about the Rocky Mountain 1200K a couple years ago. He's still riding a single-speed, but I'm no longer doing these distances on my fixed-gear. We ride together through the morning mist.
Cumberland - mile 52
6/24 09:16
A relatively quick stop. Water but no food, unless you count gumdrops. Gumdrops? I was hoping to eat something more substantial this early in the ride. Alan experiences some clicking noises on his bike. It's warming up and anyone who was wearing a vest or arm warmers has already removed them. We can see Mt. Ranier up ahead in the distance.
Kapowsin (secret control) - mile 83
6/24 11:15
Jennifer Wise and Pierce Grafan are waiting at the secret control. Perhaps a secret control is mandatory for a 1200K ride, as this one doesn't otherwise appear to serve any useful purpose. Just as we descend from the control, I recall the Pierce is a bike mechanic and could have diagnosed Alan's problem. Too late. We pass a rider with a flat.
Eatonville - mile 94
6/24 12:05
Ten miles out of the secret control we stop at thePlaza Market in Eatonville. I regret not stopping a mile earlier at the Truly Scrumptious Bakery. We take a long 40 minute break to eat and replenish, then head out toward Randle.
Somewhere along the route our road is closed due to a festival. We simply ride slowly around the pedestrians and the market booths. I'd like to stop for a snow cone, but we keep pedalling. As we come to the next street we encounter a parade -- some skate boarders are led by a fire engine. Rather than wait for the parade to end, we simply become part of the parade, waving to people as we pass through.
Randle - mile 140
6/24 16:07
Before we get to the next control, we stop in Morton and take pictures of a passenger-carrying steam locomotive. It's very hot by the time we arrive in Randle. The market is crowded and the cold drinks aren't cold. We've been warned to stockup on water before we leave, as we'll have a long climb up White Pass with no services. Despite leaving Randle with two (2) 30oz water bottles and a 50oz Camelbak, I run out of water before reachingthe summit. I think almost everyone misjudged how much water we'd require.
White Pass - mile 176
6/24 17:47
About 24 miles outside of Randle the 13 mile climb begins in earnest. Jeff, Bill, Alan and I are more or less together, though we climb at different rates. We occasionally stop for the scenic views to take pictures -- also an excuse to take a breather during this long ascent. The grade isn't too steep, but it's relentless. A support vehicle pulls up and asks if I'm okay. Stupidly, I reply affirmative when I could have taken the opportunity to refill my water.
As we're climbing up White Pass we encounter brief thermoclines -- areas where a breeze passes through the upper snow and cold water to provide a short respite from the heat. As we ascend, the air starts to cool due to the change in altitude. I catch up with Michelle just before the summit. She has also run out of water and was sorely tempted to drink from the mountain runoff, but fortunately a SAG vehicle intervened. Apparently some riders were asking for water from the tourists at the scenic lookouts.
At the control summit we have food and drinks waiting. I eat a turkey sandwich as Jeff, Alan, and Bill arrive. I'm being bitten by with mosquitoes, however, and soon head down the pass before everyone else is ready to depart.
Prior to this climb we'd all misjudged how easy the ride had been going. At the top of White Pass some riders were obviously irritable -- a bad omen of things yet to come.
Cowiche - mile 220 (Overnight)
6/24 23:03
I pedal at an easy pace towards Cowiche, our first overnight control. The terrain is mostly downhill, with a few minor climbs. It gets dark before I've completed the descent as I've stopped to put on night gear and take a few photos, including a particularly nice one of a sunset over the mountain lake.
The last miles are pleasant, with the exception of one steep grind before Cowiche. Just as I turn into the overnight control, I hear Bill, Alan, and Jeff behind me with Michelle in tow. They joke about my "soft pedalling" over the past 44 miles.
The overnight control is the St. Peter's Youth Center. We have bunk beds, hot showers and a hot meal. Great accommodations, especially considering that SIR had to improvise at this location. We decide to attempt a 5:00 am departure.
Ellensburg - mile 269
6/25 09:43
A quick breakfast and we're on the road before 6:00. Accounting for showers and meals, we probably got 3 hours of actual sleep. Once we get started, our legs warm up. Then there's an interesting phenomenon. As we're riding along an irrigation ditch the water appearsto be running uphill. Of course it's a trick of visual perception -- we're actually riding uphill about 11 mph.
By 7:00 am, the day is already warm. We've been warned to expect temps in the upper 90's. As the sun rises, it's obvious that the terrain has changed dramatically since we've crossed White Pass. Gone are the trees and green hills. Ahead lies the dusty desert and sagebrush.
After 20 miles we turn onto Canyon Road. This section is an out-and-back spur that follows the Yakima River into Ellensburg. We're still riding early enough in the morning that we get some shade riding up and down through the canyon. Bill mentions that the popping noise is the road tar boiling up to the surface. At one point I'm riding beside Michelle and we hear --then see -- rocks rolling down into our path. A short sprint, then I turn around and snap a quick photo. In the photo you can see the dust kicked up from the rolling rocks.
The last 3 miles to the Flying J control are flat. We motor along at 20 mph. At the control we stockup on food/water and head back toward Canyon Road. On the return leg it's much hotter and our progressis slower. Traffic has picked up. Jeff and I ride together and plan to regroup with everyone in Selah, about 29 miles down the road.
Selah - mile 299
6/25 12:10
The temps are in the mid 90's by the time we reach the Selah control. Jeff and I arrive first, followed by Michelle, then Bill and Alan. Bill wants to stop at McDonald's. Jeff, Michelle, and I decide to keep riding to the next control at Sunnyside, about 45 miles down the road.
Sunnyside - mile 345
6/25 15:58
After negotiating through busy traffic, we reach a bike trail. We get some small bits of shade and even see some riders off-bike, taking advantage of the shade in the midday heat. We basically ride conservatively through the afternoon and try to keep ourselves hydrated. After 3+ hours of grinding through the heat, we finally reach the market in Sunnyside.
Rattlesnake (water) - mile 363
6/25 18:40
The cue sheet mentions NO SERVICES for the next 43 miles. Fortunately two angels appear at the Rattlesnake Hills in the form of Sue & Peg. Susan France is a former RAAM racer and the current Oregon RBA. She has brought out tube socks and filled them with ice. Wrapped around our necks, the tube socks provide instant relief from the heat. As the ice melts, the water spreads over our jerseys and rapidly evaporates in the dry heat. From this point on, Sue and Peg would be referred to as the"tube sock ladies".
Mattawa - mile 393
6/25 21:32
Our next goal is to arrive in Mattawa before dark. Michelle is having difficulty keeping our pace, so Jeff and I slow down a bit. After another 32 miles of riding in the heat, we stop briefly at the Vernita Rest Area where we encounter other riders recovering from the heat. A mile later we start climbing a section labeled "Yes, up THAT Hill" on the cue sheet. I drop my tube sock, but can't be bothered to retrieve it.
As I push up toward the final section, I'm humming Wagner's "Also Spracht Zarathustra" (a.k.a. 2001: Space Odyssey Theme). In response, I hear someone playing a clarinet. A transcendent moment -- listening to notes being played o na clarinet in the middle of the desert as the sun sets. It's Michael, one of the SIR support guys waiting for us at the top of the climb.
Jeff, Michelle, and I regroup and head onward towards Mattawa riding alongside huge tracts of barley. Half the barley produced in the U.S. comes from this area. On this point Jeff is reminded that we could sure use a cold beer. We're joined by Bill and Alan shortly after we arrive in Mattawa. The five of us head out together towards Quincy. Once the sun has gone down, the riding becomes easier. We later hear that the temperatures rose over 100F today.
Quincy - mile 433
6/26 02:00
Shortly after we leave Mattawa, we encounter a long climb. Michelle is having problems keeping up, so Jeff and I stay with her as Bill and Alan proceed at their own pace. Not long after we cross I-90, we see an ambulance up in the distance. With fear bordering on dread, we approach the carnage. Is it a cyclist? Yes. Is it Bill or Alan? Thank God, no.
But it is one of our riders, a victim of a hit-and-run. The rider -- someone I don't recognize -- is being loaded on the gurney as we ride past. The next day we learn that the vehicle and driver have been identified. The rider is the hospital with a broken femur.
The Quincy control is a High School. Ed and Mary show up shortly after our arrival. We eat, take showers, and sleep on wrestling mats for about an hour or so. Michelle decides to get some extra sleep. Our pace isn't matching hers so she'll find someone else to ride with later this morning.
Today will be another hot ride through the desert, so we head out by 6:00 am. As we're leaving I hear the fire alarm -- accidentally tripped by someone exiting the wrong door. Well, now everyone's awake. We've been told it will be our easiest day of riding, but I later learn this is a piece of deliberate(? ) misinformation to cheer us up.
Farmer - mile 481
6/26 11:41
After a couple hours, I'm starting to feel the effects of the heat -- dehydration and nausea. I'm able to keep up with everyone, though somewhat slower on the hills.
There's a cave to our right. Are the flying creatures birds or bats? Bill and I discuss that whatever is out there are: 1) active in the daylight; 2) have nests; and 3) aren't flying in bat-flight patterns. Hence they must be birds, correct? Of course we later learn that they are indeed bats.
No services for miles and miles. Some nasty cattle guards that are hungry to dine on our wheels. We encounter Manfred Kuchenmuller who's down with a broken chain and no chain tool. Bill removes a link and gets Manfred back on the road in 10 minutes.
The Farmer control looks like a cantina from "Once Upon A Time in the West". I can almost hear the score from Ennio Morricone in the background. No electricity or running water.
A couple of outhouses around back. The volunteers are enthusiastic, however, and we stock up on food and water. We're reluctant leave so soon as it's the only shaded area for the next 26 miles. We've last heard that about 18 riders have dropped out, mostly due to heat-related conditions.
As we depart Farmer, we have a series of rollers, then a gradual climb up McNeil Canyon Road. The 5 mile descent is advertised as fast and dangerous. None of us enjoy the downhill -- it's too steep and we're riding our brakes the whole way down, including Bill. I catch up with him then make a quick detour toward a food packing plant in search of ice. No luck.
At the bottom of the hill we arrive at Beebe Park around 2:30 pm. It has running water, shade, and restrooms. We make a decision to wait out the worst of the afternoon heat and head out around 5pm -- maybe even catch a brief siesta.
Other people arrive, including Ed and Mary, who think that's a good plan. We agree to head out together. In the meantime, the tube sock ladies -- Sue and Peg --have arrived to our cheers of relief. Someone else has brought sandwiches from Subway. I wade into the icy river up to my waist. The temperature contrast almost puts my body in shock. I pretend to sleep on top of a picnic table with a moist tube sock draped over my face. Can it get any better than this?
We leave Beebe Park at 5pm, still facing intense heat, with the tandem on point. This is the first chance during the ride I've had much of an opportunity to chat with Ed and Mary. We have a mutual acquaintance in Mary Crawley, whom I rode tandem with on the Georgia 300K and 600K brevets.
About 21 miles later we stop at a market in Pateros. It's finally starting to cool down. We're riding in our first section of shade all day and the temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees.
Malott - mile 548
6/26 20:40
Another 20 miles takes us into the control at Malott, which is basically an outdoor park. I'm now starting to chill a bit and put on my vest. We exit Malott to begin our climb up Loup Loup Pass (elevation 4020).
The initial portion of the climb is steep, then eases somewhat. But the ascent is another one of those climbs that never seems to end -- 13 miles of grinding up Loup Loup Pass. I'm soon joined by Alan and we climb the last few miles together. I'm already chilly even before we reach the summit. By the time we get there, we've put on all our warm clothes -- tights, gloves, vests, jackets -- for the descent. I'm having some problems with my front brake, so I get passed by everyone on the way down. It's COLD, but we're back on the western side of the mountains -- trees and grass and milder temperatures.
We regroup at the bottom of Loup Loup. We have only 25 miles of rolling terrain to the overnight control, but Bill is in serious need of a micro-nap. He mentions that he almost fell asleep on the descent.
Alan stays with Bill. I head out with the tandem, onward towards Mazama. We soon overtake groups of riders ahead. This proves problematic for Ed and Mary as they're somewhat tired and need room to maneuver their tandem -- so we back off a bit and let the singles pull ahead of us.
Mazama - mile 600 (Overnight)
6/27 03:31
Jeff has arrived just minutes before us in Mazama. I sign up for sleeping quarters and I'm surprised to be escorted by Will Roberts, the single-speed rider. He'd missed his time at the Quincy control and decided to switch from rider to support crew for the remainder of the event. We've been warned to expect as many as four to a room in Mazama, but I'm delighted to find I've got a room to myself, complete with a hot bath. I leave a 5:15 wake up call and drop into a deep, dreamless slumber.
Will wakes me promptly and I stagger over to the breakfast area. I'm not in a breakfast mood, however, and just grab a bagel and orange juice.
Ed is busy replacing the rear wheel on his tandem and I get a mechanic to check out my front brake. It turns out my front wheel is slightly out of round and will need to be rebuilt after this ride. Doug makes some minor adjustments to get me through the next 160 miles.
Jeff and I depart Mazama around 6:00 am. Just before we leave, four of the Florida riders arrive at the control to the sounds of applause. They'd taken a wrong turn and gotten off course. Ouch.
Marblemount - mile 675
6/27 14:25
The next 18 miles is spent climbing up Washington Pass. At 5477 feet, it is the highest elevation we will ascend. The scenery here is the most stunning of the entire ride. Incredible rock formations and enormous cascading waterfalls. After a couple hours of climbing, Jeff and I take a quick break. We lay our backs into a snow bank to chill down, then resume climbing. About three hours after we leave Mazama, we reach the summit of Washington Pass. Once we've stopped climbing it's a bit windy and chilly.
We take photos, put on our vests, and begin our short descent to the base of Rainy Pass. Another mile of climbing brings us to its summit. Note the profile shows us mostly descending from Rainy Pass into the next control at Marblemount: http://www.cascade1200.com/route_profile.html
I'm a bit wobbly on the descents with my suspect front wheel/brake and the severe crosswind pushes our bikes all over the road. Gorgeous scenery -- even if we're too tired to fully appreciate it. As we descend the temperatures pick up, though nowhere close to what we've experienced the past two days of desert riding. We take out our tube socks, soak them in the icy runoff, then apply them over our necks to cool down again.
Jeff and I press on to Marblemount. We make the control with little more than an hour to spare. We wait for the final riders to show up. The first control after the overnight stop is usually the most critical. As we head out with Bill and Alan, the Florida group arrives with 7 minutes to spare. At this point we're all pretty drowsy, but the lack of sleep is affecting Bill probably most severely.
There's a nice shaded side road, almost a grotto -- about 10 miles outside of Darrington. I'm sick of eating energy bars, so I bum a 3-day old sandwich from Alan. We're soon back on the road and arrive at the market in Darrington.
I refill my water and snack on an ice cream sandwich. We have about 40 miles to reach the control in Granite Falls. The tube sock ladies, Sue & Peg, are nagging everyone to get moving so we don't miss the next control.
I head out with Ed and Mary. The next section is flat to rolling and favors a tandem pace. Ed, Mary and I get a chance to catch up with how our day has progressed since we rode together last night into Mazama. We have a bit of wind and traffic, but a nice wide shoulder most of the way into Granite Falls.
Along the way we pick up Dan Wallace from Florida. He rode the challenging Georgia 400K and finished with 10 minutes to spare. Dan said the GA 400K was good preparation for the Cascade 1200K. As the temperature drops, we're all in great spirits. We're getting ready for the final leg.
Granite Falls - mile 741
6/27 21:00
We have agreed to make Granite Falls a brief stop. There is only 21 miles left in the ride, but it will soon be dark and we like to eke out the remaining hour or so of twilight.
After it gets dark I ride ahead of Dan and the tandem. We have a lot of turns (14) over this short distance and my GPS provides an audible signal even before the turn is visible. A crowd of people are cheering us as we arrive at the motel lobby. The four of us arrive at the finish at 11:57 pm, slightly an hour ahead of the closing time.
Monroe - mile 762 (Finish)
6/27 22:57
We turn in our cards, eat pizza, and await the remaining riders. Ten minutes, another cheer as more riders appear. By 11:40, Bill, Alan, Jeff, and Michelle have arrived. Soon the only remaining riders are the four from Florida. Where are they?
I'm sitting with Ed and Mary waiting. My watch buzzes: 12 midnight. "That's it.", I say, "It's over for them." Then a cheer goes up. It's the Florida riders. My watch is fast by two minutes -- control times are based on the atomic clock. The last four riders have arrived with two minutes to spare. Now that's cutting it close!
Post-Ride:
The format of this event, with each day's ride starting approximately the same time, tends to keep most of the riders close together, as evident from the finish times, mostly in the 87-90 hour range. I think the overall abandon (DNF) rate was 30%, which sounds about right for this kind of event. Despite the challenging conditions, all the Tennessee riders completed the ride within the time limit. Special congratulations to Mary Gersema, who finished her first 1200K (and a difficultone at that) on the back of a tandem with Ed.
The good: Lantiseptic -- the miracle cream for adult incontinence and bedsores works well as a saddle balm. I also liked the floating drop bag that this ride format provided. Rather than spread out my gear among 2-4 bags at different locations, I could pack everything in a single bag and choose what to carryon any given day.
The bad: I should have brought along a larger capacity Camelbak. The 50oz bladder just doesn't hold enough fluid for these extreme temperatures. In the grand scheme of things this was a minor issue.
The ugly: Long stretches of unremitting 100F temps with no shade. Everything else held up pretty well. Sore posterior, with 3 minor saddle sores. Hands, feet, and knees okay. No finger numbness. Less sleep than I would have liked.
There is some discussion about SIR hosting this ride once every four years, similar to GRR and the Rocky Mountain 1200K, so I'm glad we took the opportunity to ride it this year. I'm sorry we missed the original route toward St. Helens, but maybe we'll get a chance in a future year.
The biggest and best kudos to the outstanding support staff who did everything in their power to keep us on the road. We literally could not have completed this ride without you guys.
Thanks!
Jeff Bauer
Nashville, Tennessee
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Georgia 600K Ride Report
Georgia 600K Ride Report
May 27-28, 2006
By Jeff Sammons
I would be a long way from home this Memorial Day weekend, riding the Georgia 600K Brevet, a new out-and-back route this year. It started in Smyrna, Georgia on the Silver Comet Trail, a rails-to-trails conversion project. From Smyrna, it would head west on the Silver Comet Trail for 33 miles of flat riding. We would exit the trail briefly to ride on some country roads and then get back on the trail for another 9 miles. In Eason Hill, Georgia we left the trail and picked up parts of the Heart of the South 500 route (a RAAM qualifying route). I had done the Heart of the South Double Century route twice, so I was familiar with some of the roads to be traveled. This route would traverse through the Alabama countryside, going over Cheaha Mountain (Alabama’s tallest point) passing through Talladega, Alabama, and then on to the turn around in Leeds, Alabama.
I was riding with fellow Nashvillian Robert Hendry; we both needed the 600K to complete our Super Randonneur series. We started at 5:00 AM as the riders left the parking lot at the Silver Comet Trailhead. I was slow getting started and before I knew it, the usual group of fast riders rode off the front with Jeff Bauer and Mary Crawley leading the way on their tandem. I usually try to stay with this group as long as possible, but this time they flew off the front and I couldn’t catch them. All I could do was watch their taillights get farther and farther out in front of me. Robert and I rode alone for a while until Kevin Kaiser joined up with us. Kevin was a strong rider, so Robert and I jumped on his wheel and let him pull us at a 20+ MPH pace all the way to the second control at 48 miles. Not far behind Kevin were Peter Springer riding his commuter bike with big fat wheels and which must have weighed over 50 pounds fully loaded, and Doyce Johnson riding his recumbent. A few miles out from the second control, Pete Masiel and Wendy Gardiner joined our group.
When we got to the second control, Kevin was surprised that all of the lead riders were long gone. Robert and I took our time at this control, while the rest of the group hurried up and left. In a way, I was glad to see them go as I didn’t want to try and keep pace with Kevin, Wendy, and Pete for another 46 miles to the third control. We left the Silver Comet Trail 15 miles back before the second control, but would now get back on and ride another nine miles on it. It was during this stretch that we caught back up with Peter, seems he got dropped real fast by Kevin and the other riders in that group. After we left the trail, we picked up the Heart of the South 500 route and headed into Alabama. Around 62 miles out, we encountered a very steep climb. While I usually try and stay in my middle ring during climbs, this one was so steep that I dropped down into my triple ring not wanting to trash my knees so early on this long ride. Robert didn’t have the benefit of a triple, so he had no choice but to stand and climb his way to the top. Peter was wasted after making the climb and dropped off our group.
We pulled into the third control just as the lead group of riders was leaving. We rode 94 miles of a relatively flat route (2,200 feet of Polar elevation gain) in approximately five and one-half hours. We stopped for about a half hour and ate a cheeseburger and fries for lunch. Leaving this control, we would head onto the Cheaha Scenic Byway (a chip & tar road) and start some climbing, eventually making it to the top of Cheaha Mountain some 24-miles out. Robert rode at the front most of the way, as he was a stronger climber than me, and tackled all of the rollers leading up to Cheaha. There was little shade during this section of the ride and the summer heat (90+ degree temps) was beating down on us. It was during this stretch that several riders DNF’d. I was in and out of my triple ring again on this section of the road, still trying to spare my knees. I passed Robert one mile from the top of the climb to Cheaha as he stopped at a parking lot thinking we were done with the climb. We got some refreshments at the ranger station and the rode down the mountain. The next 14 miles were mostly down hill and then we had another 11 miles of flat terrain to the control in Talladega. It took us about four hours to ride the 49 miles from the last control, which had 3,200 feet of Polar elevation gain.
In Talladega, we stopped at the Super 8 motel to get checked-in to our overnight room, which we would come back to later that night after the turn around. Robert seemed like he wanted to get some rest at the hotel before continuing, but I talked him into a Frosty, at Wendy’s, instead. So we headed out to the control, got our cards signed, and then over to Wendy’s. We headed back to the control after downing our Frosty to fill-up on fluids for the trip to Leeds and the next control. We met a few other riders, including Peter and his “iron donkey”, back at the control that joined us on the next stretch of road. About 30 miles out, we stopped at a store to rest, put on our night riding gear, and get more fluids. Pete and Wendy stopped at that store and told us they had got some rest at the hotel and a meal at KFC before heading out from the last control. We would see them on and off through the remainder of the ride. The last twelve miles to Leeds included a gradual 2-mile climb. It was here we started to see some of the returning riders, Kevin, and then the tandem with Jeff and Mary struggling up a hill. It took us about four hours to ride the 42 miles from the last control, which had 1,600 feet of Polar elevation gain.
In Leeds, we got our cards signed at the control, then headed across the street for a Mexican dinner where I enjoyed a few margaritas along with my meal. A couple more riders DNF’d at the turnaround. After heading back to the control for fluids, we picked up a few more riders for the return trip to Talladega. I prefer to ride with larger groups of riders at night so we can be easily seen by traffic. About 30 miles out, we overtook Joan Donohue who was riding by herself. She picked up her pace and rode in with us. Joan mentioned that she didn’t have a hotel room in Talladega, but was tired and need some sleep. So, we offered to let her sleep on the floor of our room if she couldn’t get a room for herself. It took us another four hours to ride the 42 miles from the last control, which had 1,600 feet of Polar elevation gain, arriving back in Talladega just after midnight local time.
I grabbed a couple of cold beers at the control before heading out to the Super 8 motel. The hotel had no vacancies and was all locked up for the night, so I expected Joan to join us shortly. Robert said he wanted to get some food, but changed his mind when only the drive-thru window was open at the Taco Bell. As I sat there drinking my beer and Robert was in the shower, we had a knock on the door from Joan looking for a place to sleep. After I got out of the shower, I asked Robert if he wanted a big meal at the Huddle House or an extra hour of sleep. He opted for the later. We got about three hours of sleep.
The alarm clock went off at 4:00 AM local time and the three of us got ready to ride. After a short trip over to Wal-Mart for breakfast food and fluids, we were back on the road. We stopped briefly to talk to Paul Bacho and his friend Lisa who was sagging for him. They had slept in the Wal-Mart parking lot in the van Lisa was driving. We would see Lisa frequently over the next several hours. After 11 miles of flat roads, the next 14 miles would be climbing, taking us back up to the summit on Cheaha. Since it was early morning, we didn’t have to deal with the heat issue just yet. I was riding ahead and made it to the top 15 minutes ahead of the other two. A park ranger told me the last group came thru here an hour earlier, but I had no idea who was in that group. The ranger station was closed so we rested a while.
When all were ready, we descended Cheaha of which the first three miles were mostly downhill. Then the rollers started for the next 19 miles. I overtook Robert on this section as he was tiring from all the standing and climbing. I had an easier go of it as I was riding in my triple ring again on the uphill sections. The route was somewhat shaded as the sun was still rising during the early morning hours. I made it to the next control first and ate a Subway while I waited. When Joan showed up, she said Robert stopped at one of the scenic overlooks to rest. When the next rider showed up, I asked if he saw Robert, but he didn’t. Then Pete and Wendy showed up and told me that Robert was lying by the side of the road, was DNFing from heat exhaustion, and that Lisa would be bringing him to the control in her van. I was shocked because Robert was having a good ride, as far as I could tell, up until that point. We rode about 270 miles together, ate, drank, and slept the same. The only difference between us was the triple ring on my bike and the beer and margaritas I drank the night before. When Lisa pulled her van into the control, I could tell right away that Robert was delirious and wouldn’t be finishing his ride. Luckily, we had Melinda and Scott Dura providing SAG support for this ride, and they were coming to pick him up. It took me another four hours to ride the 51 miles from the last control, which had 3,600 feet of Polar elevation gain.
I left the control riding by myself as everyone else had left minutes earlier. I caught up with Phil Cohen and Brian James after 17 miles of pushing it. They were stopped at a corner store that was closed, but had a faucet of cold water out front. The summer heat (90+ degree temps) was beating down on us again. They were filling water bottles and running cold water over their heads and necks, so I joined in. Wendy and Pete showed up next, somehow I had passed them while they were stopped at a store. Wendy looked like she was having a rough time battling the heat, but quickly recovered after Pete poured some cold water on her head and neck. I left the store with Phil and Brian, while Wendy and Pete rested some more.
Then disaster stuck! I was following Phil up a small hill, standing in my big ring, when my foot went down to the payment and I tumbled on my ass. The pedal had sheared off the spindle and wasn’t repairable. Phil and Brian stopped to help and flagged down some passersbys to help. But I must have been delusional as I though I could ride in the last 80 miles with one pedal. Pete and Wendy came along at this point and gave me Lisa’s phone number in case I needed to be SAGed in. I started out on that one pedal and made it a couple of miles down the road when I realized this wouldn’t work much longer. Pete was there all that time giving me verbal encouragement and pushing me up some hills. The next hill was too steep so I told Pete I was abandoning and started walking. About that time, Lisa happened by and picked me up. I thought about calling Robert to see if I could borrow his bike and finish, but we were in a long section of Alabama with no cell service. So Lisa finally drove me into the Waffle House at the next control where I called Melinda and Scott Dura for a ride back in.
With 80 miles of flat riding ahead and all the climbing behind us, I had my first DNF on a Brevet. I was really disgusted with myself as I watched all the remaining riders coming through the control on their way to a successful finish. I called my wife and told her the bad news and that I would need to get my bike repaired and ride another 600K next weekend.
Thanks to Pete and Wendy for all the words of encouragement and to Melinda and Scott for the ride back to the start. But most of all, a special thanks to Lisa for being there when Robert and I needed her!
May 27-28, 2006
By Jeff Sammons
I would be a long way from home this Memorial Day weekend, riding the Georgia 600K Brevet, a new out-and-back route this year. It started in Smyrna, Georgia on the Silver Comet Trail, a rails-to-trails conversion project. From Smyrna, it would head west on the Silver Comet Trail for 33 miles of flat riding. We would exit the trail briefly to ride on some country roads and then get back on the trail for another 9 miles. In Eason Hill, Georgia we left the trail and picked up parts of the Heart of the South 500 route (a RAAM qualifying route). I had done the Heart of the South Double Century route twice, so I was familiar with some of the roads to be traveled. This route would traverse through the Alabama countryside, going over Cheaha Mountain (Alabama’s tallest point) passing through Talladega, Alabama, and then on to the turn around in Leeds, Alabama.
I was riding with fellow Nashvillian Robert Hendry; we both needed the 600K to complete our Super Randonneur series. We started at 5:00 AM as the riders left the parking lot at the Silver Comet Trailhead. I was slow getting started and before I knew it, the usual group of fast riders rode off the front with Jeff Bauer and Mary Crawley leading the way on their tandem. I usually try to stay with this group as long as possible, but this time they flew off the front and I couldn’t catch them. All I could do was watch their taillights get farther and farther out in front of me. Robert and I rode alone for a while until Kevin Kaiser joined up with us. Kevin was a strong rider, so Robert and I jumped on his wheel and let him pull us at a 20+ MPH pace all the way to the second control at 48 miles. Not far behind Kevin were Peter Springer riding his commuter bike with big fat wheels and which must have weighed over 50 pounds fully loaded, and Doyce Johnson riding his recumbent. A few miles out from the second control, Pete Masiel and Wendy Gardiner joined our group.
When we got to the second control, Kevin was surprised that all of the lead riders were long gone. Robert and I took our time at this control, while the rest of the group hurried up and left. In a way, I was glad to see them go as I didn’t want to try and keep pace with Kevin, Wendy, and Pete for another 46 miles to the third control. We left the Silver Comet Trail 15 miles back before the second control, but would now get back on and ride another nine miles on it. It was during this stretch that we caught back up with Peter, seems he got dropped real fast by Kevin and the other riders in that group. After we left the trail, we picked up the Heart of the South 500 route and headed into Alabama. Around 62 miles out, we encountered a very steep climb. While I usually try and stay in my middle ring during climbs, this one was so steep that I dropped down into my triple ring not wanting to trash my knees so early on this long ride. Robert didn’t have the benefit of a triple, so he had no choice but to stand and climb his way to the top. Peter was wasted after making the climb and dropped off our group.
We pulled into the third control just as the lead group of riders was leaving. We rode 94 miles of a relatively flat route (2,200 feet of Polar elevation gain) in approximately five and one-half hours. We stopped for about a half hour and ate a cheeseburger and fries for lunch. Leaving this control, we would head onto the Cheaha Scenic Byway (a chip & tar road) and start some climbing, eventually making it to the top of Cheaha Mountain some 24-miles out. Robert rode at the front most of the way, as he was a stronger climber than me, and tackled all of the rollers leading up to Cheaha. There was little shade during this section of the ride and the summer heat (90+ degree temps) was beating down on us. It was during this stretch that several riders DNF’d. I was in and out of my triple ring again on this section of the road, still trying to spare my knees. I passed Robert one mile from the top of the climb to Cheaha as he stopped at a parking lot thinking we were done with the climb. We got some refreshments at the ranger station and the rode down the mountain. The next 14 miles were mostly down hill and then we had another 11 miles of flat terrain to the control in Talladega. It took us about four hours to ride the 49 miles from the last control, which had 3,200 feet of Polar elevation gain.
In Talladega, we stopped at the Super 8 motel to get checked-in to our overnight room, which we would come back to later that night after the turn around. Robert seemed like he wanted to get some rest at the hotel before continuing, but I talked him into a Frosty, at Wendy’s, instead. So we headed out to the control, got our cards signed, and then over to Wendy’s. We headed back to the control after downing our Frosty to fill-up on fluids for the trip to Leeds and the next control. We met a few other riders, including Peter and his “iron donkey”, back at the control that joined us on the next stretch of road. About 30 miles out, we stopped at a store to rest, put on our night riding gear, and get more fluids. Pete and Wendy stopped at that store and told us they had got some rest at the hotel and a meal at KFC before heading out from the last control. We would see them on and off through the remainder of the ride. The last twelve miles to Leeds included a gradual 2-mile climb. It was here we started to see some of the returning riders, Kevin, and then the tandem with Jeff and Mary struggling up a hill. It took us about four hours to ride the 42 miles from the last control, which had 1,600 feet of Polar elevation gain.
In Leeds, we got our cards signed at the control, then headed across the street for a Mexican dinner where I enjoyed a few margaritas along with my meal. A couple more riders DNF’d at the turnaround. After heading back to the control for fluids, we picked up a few more riders for the return trip to Talladega. I prefer to ride with larger groups of riders at night so we can be easily seen by traffic. About 30 miles out, we overtook Joan Donohue who was riding by herself. She picked up her pace and rode in with us. Joan mentioned that she didn’t have a hotel room in Talladega, but was tired and need some sleep. So, we offered to let her sleep on the floor of our room if she couldn’t get a room for herself. It took us another four hours to ride the 42 miles from the last control, which had 1,600 feet of Polar elevation gain, arriving back in Talladega just after midnight local time.
I grabbed a couple of cold beers at the control before heading out to the Super 8 motel. The hotel had no vacancies and was all locked up for the night, so I expected Joan to join us shortly. Robert said he wanted to get some food, but changed his mind when only the drive-thru window was open at the Taco Bell. As I sat there drinking my beer and Robert was in the shower, we had a knock on the door from Joan looking for a place to sleep. After I got out of the shower, I asked Robert if he wanted a big meal at the Huddle House or an extra hour of sleep. He opted for the later. We got about three hours of sleep.
The alarm clock went off at 4:00 AM local time and the three of us got ready to ride. After a short trip over to Wal-Mart for breakfast food and fluids, we were back on the road. We stopped briefly to talk to Paul Bacho and his friend Lisa who was sagging for him. They had slept in the Wal-Mart parking lot in the van Lisa was driving. We would see Lisa frequently over the next several hours. After 11 miles of flat roads, the next 14 miles would be climbing, taking us back up to the summit on Cheaha. Since it was early morning, we didn’t have to deal with the heat issue just yet. I was riding ahead and made it to the top 15 minutes ahead of the other two. A park ranger told me the last group came thru here an hour earlier, but I had no idea who was in that group. The ranger station was closed so we rested a while.
When all were ready, we descended Cheaha of which the first three miles were mostly downhill. Then the rollers started for the next 19 miles. I overtook Robert on this section as he was tiring from all the standing and climbing. I had an easier go of it as I was riding in my triple ring again on the uphill sections. The route was somewhat shaded as the sun was still rising during the early morning hours. I made it to the next control first and ate a Subway while I waited. When Joan showed up, she said Robert stopped at one of the scenic overlooks to rest. When the next rider showed up, I asked if he saw Robert, but he didn’t. Then Pete and Wendy showed up and told me that Robert was lying by the side of the road, was DNFing from heat exhaustion, and that Lisa would be bringing him to the control in her van. I was shocked because Robert was having a good ride, as far as I could tell, up until that point. We rode about 270 miles together, ate, drank, and slept the same. The only difference between us was the triple ring on my bike and the beer and margaritas I drank the night before. When Lisa pulled her van into the control, I could tell right away that Robert was delirious and wouldn’t be finishing his ride. Luckily, we had Melinda and Scott Dura providing SAG support for this ride, and they were coming to pick him up. It took me another four hours to ride the 51 miles from the last control, which had 3,600 feet of Polar elevation gain.
I left the control riding by myself as everyone else had left minutes earlier. I caught up with Phil Cohen and Brian James after 17 miles of pushing it. They were stopped at a corner store that was closed, but had a faucet of cold water out front. The summer heat (90+ degree temps) was beating down on us again. They were filling water bottles and running cold water over their heads and necks, so I joined in. Wendy and Pete showed up next, somehow I had passed them while they were stopped at a store. Wendy looked like she was having a rough time battling the heat, but quickly recovered after Pete poured some cold water on her head and neck. I left the store with Phil and Brian, while Wendy and Pete rested some more.
Then disaster stuck! I was following Phil up a small hill, standing in my big ring, when my foot went down to the payment and I tumbled on my ass. The pedal had sheared off the spindle and wasn’t repairable. Phil and Brian stopped to help and flagged down some passersbys to help. But I must have been delusional as I though I could ride in the last 80 miles with one pedal. Pete and Wendy came along at this point and gave me Lisa’s phone number in case I needed to be SAGed in. I started out on that one pedal and made it a couple of miles down the road when I realized this wouldn’t work much longer. Pete was there all that time giving me verbal encouragement and pushing me up some hills. The next hill was too steep so I told Pete I was abandoning and started walking. About that time, Lisa happened by and picked me up. I thought about calling Robert to see if I could borrow his bike and finish, but we were in a long section of Alabama with no cell service. So Lisa finally drove me into the Waffle House at the next control where I called Melinda and Scott Dura for a ride back in.
With 80 miles of flat riding ahead and all the climbing behind us, I had my first DNF on a Brevet. I was really disgusted with myself as I watched all the remaining riders coming through the control on their way to a successful finish. I called my wife and told her the bad news and that I would need to get my bike repaired and ride another 600K next weekend.
Thanks to Pete and Wendy for all the words of encouragement and to Melinda and Scott for the ride back to the start. But most of all, a special thanks to Lisa for being there when Robert and I needed her!
Georgia 400K Ride Report
Georgia 400K Ride Report
May 13, 2006
By Jeff Sammons
This was my second year of riding the Georgia 400K. I knocked about 2 hours off my time from last year in part by being a stronger rider and by taking less time at the controls. I can't remember ever being finished before Jeff Bauer on one of these rides!
I enjoyed the scenery and challenging climbs, and even stayed out of my triple ring except for the ascent up "Little Brasstown". It was too late at night, with too many miles in my legs, and too wet for me to struggle up it in my middle ring.
I didn't enjoy the road out of Toccoa though. Robert Hendry and I were stopped by a policeman leaving Toccoa who thought we were crazy riding at night in the rain and asked us to ride on the sidewalks thru town for safety reasons. Guess they were all still sensitive about the accident on the 300K two weeks earlier. Well the sidewalks were in worse shape than the roads, but we complied until we ran out of sidewalks about a half mile later. Cars and trucks were flying by us in the rain and on the wet roads leaving Toccoa, so I was glad to be in a group of five going up this stretch of road. I was relieved to finally make the turn on Antioch Church road.
The other part of the ride I didn't enjoy was the pouring rain, the hail in Dahlonega, and cool temperatures at night. The rain started for us leaving Toccoa and was still going strong at the finish. There was no good place to hide during the down pours and hail, so we just road thru it all. But, I guess this was good preparation for the Cascade 1200K.
I recorded just over 19,100 feet of elevation gain on this Brevet with splits at the controls as follows; 2nd - 4,500; 3rd - 4,300; 4th - 3,500; 5th - 2,600; and 6th - 4,200. The road up to Highlands, NC was 2,600 of elevation gain for the 12 mile climb. Total elevation gain at this point was 12,300 or 65% overall.
For those purest wanting to know which direction on Warwoman Road has more elevation gain, the east to west route on the 300K had 1,080 feet and the west to east route on the 400K had 840 feet of climbing. I did think the stretch on Warwoman Road this weekend was easier than 2 weeks ago on the 300K.
I'm looking forward to the 600K in two weeks!
May 13, 2006
By Jeff Sammons
This was my second year of riding the Georgia 400K. I knocked about 2 hours off my time from last year in part by being a stronger rider and by taking less time at the controls. I can't remember ever being finished before Jeff Bauer on one of these rides!
I enjoyed the scenery and challenging climbs, and even stayed out of my triple ring except for the ascent up "Little Brasstown". It was too late at night, with too many miles in my legs, and too wet for me to struggle up it in my middle ring.
I didn't enjoy the road out of Toccoa though. Robert Hendry and I were stopped by a policeman leaving Toccoa who thought we were crazy riding at night in the rain and asked us to ride on the sidewalks thru town for safety reasons. Guess they were all still sensitive about the accident on the 300K two weeks earlier. Well the sidewalks were in worse shape than the roads, but we complied until we ran out of sidewalks about a half mile later. Cars and trucks were flying by us in the rain and on the wet roads leaving Toccoa, so I was glad to be in a group of five going up this stretch of road. I was relieved to finally make the turn on Antioch Church road.
The other part of the ride I didn't enjoy was the pouring rain, the hail in Dahlonega, and cool temperatures at night. The rain started for us leaving Toccoa and was still going strong at the finish. There was no good place to hide during the down pours and hail, so we just road thru it all. But, I guess this was good preparation for the Cascade 1200K.
I recorded just over 19,100 feet of elevation gain on this Brevet with splits at the controls as follows; 2nd - 4,500; 3rd - 4,300; 4th - 3,500; 5th - 2,600; and 6th - 4,200. The road up to Highlands, NC was 2,600 of elevation gain for the 12 mile climb. Total elevation gain at this point was 12,300 or 65% overall.
For those purest wanting to know which direction on Warwoman Road has more elevation gain, the east to west route on the 300K had 1,080 feet and the west to east route on the 400K had 840 feet of climbing. I did think the stretch on Warwoman Road this weekend was easier than 2 weeks ago on the 300K.
I'm looking forward to the 600K in two weeks!
