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!