NW Florida 400K Ride Report

NW Florida 400K Ride Report
March 17, 2007
By Jeff Sammons

Bill Glass and I drove down for the NW Florida 400K this past weekend. There were about 20 riders at the 5:00 am start with temperatures in the low 40s. The front group left the hotel extremely fast with several Bacchetta recumbents out front. Several of us tried to catch the lead group, but finally gave up and settled in at an average pace of just over 18 mph out to the second control. After the third control, we turned north and fought the head winds and cross winds for the next 50 miles as we made it up to the 4th control on the Alabama border. While the temperatures did warm up during the day, the north wind we were fighting made it seem a lot colder.

Just before the 4th control, a pickup truck made a u-turn in the middle of the road and forced Bill and a recumbent rider off the road. Bill wound up with some road rash and a bent spoke, but otherwise came out OK. He patched himself up at the next control and announced that he would have to take it slower the rest of the day. His slow pace didn't last long though.

The course is composed of a 300K leg that winds up back at the hotel, followed by a 100K leg to complete the 400K. Several riders decided to DNF once they got back to the hotel. We finished up the 300K leg just under 14 hours, and rested for a while before we started the 100K loop. The lead pack of the Bacchetta recumbents and a lone single bike finished the 400K route shortly after 14 hours. The guy on the bike complained about not having anyone to draft off of all day.

After putting on some warmer clothing, our group of four riders were off to complete the remaining 100K loop. Now that the sun had set, the temperatures were dropping back down into the 40s. We set a fast pace out and back, for night riding, and finished the ride around 1:00 am. Total climbing was approximately 5,500 feet (Polar) for the 400K.

Thanks to Joe Arnold for putting on another good Brevet!