St. Louis 600K Ride Report - David Bauer

St. Louis 600K Ride Report
June 16, 2007
By David Bauer

At the beginning of the year, I marked the St. Louis 600K on my list of likely rides. I wanted to complete two full series (200/300/400/600K), and the Georgia and Tennessee 600K rides were during my family vacation. My goal for this ride was to simulate the conditions that I would face during PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris); that meant keeping "off-bike time" to a bare minimum and riding the entire distance without sleep, which would be the halfway point of PBP. I was pleased to find out that a number of folks from Nashville were traveling to St. Louis for the ride, many of whom had been there before.

Jeff Sammons and I drove to Edwardsville, IL, for the start of the St. Louis 600K. After checking into a motel in the town of Troy, Jeff suggested that we drive to the starting parking lot, which eliminated one potential headache that we might have had to deal with in the morning. While in town, we also found a nice restaurant/sports bar where we had dinner.

After about five hours of sleep, we got up and prepared to begin the ride at 5am. About a dozen riders began the ride, only eight of which were planning on riding the full 600K. Led by a local rider who had completed the 600K two weeks ago, we began riding on a pleasant bike trail. After a few miles, we exited bike path and began the first leg of the ride. I met Tom, who was looking to complete his first 600K. We had a pleasant visit, and then decided to work together to get to the first control as quickly as possible. There was a slight headwind/crosswind, so trading pulls was definitely helpful. The terrain was flat, the weather was comfortable, and we made great time. We encountered the lead rider returning home, who informed us that the lead group, made up of Jeff, Bill, Alan, and Peter, were about two minutes ahead of us. I did not expect to see the "Nashville Peleton" again until the end of the ride. However, a little while later, I spotted them repairing Peter's tire along the road. Tom and I made it to the first control at Breece, followed in short order by the Nashville Peleton.

Impatient to get back on the bike, I quickly started again, at a slower pace, hoping that Tom would catch up with me. I made my only wrong turn at the only unmarked road on the route, but I quickly recovered with only one bonus mile. Shortly thereafter, I found Scott and Steve, two local riders who were doing a 200K, which crossed paths with the 600K at certain points. They were ultra-distance runners, and when Scott found out I was from Tennessee, he asked if I knew a crazy fixed gear cyclist in the Harpeth Bike Club. They were quite surprised to learn that it was my brother Jeff, with whom he had exchanged e-mails on fixed gear riding. They wanted to take my picture, being the brother of a folk hero, but I instead sat behind Scott's wheel for a few miles. I finally took my turn at the front, trying to maintain the same pace, but I looked around and they were not there. I am sure I still have a lot to learn about pace lines, as I mainly ride solo. I rode into the second control at Okaville, followed quickly by Scott, Steve, Tom, and the Nashville Peleton.

As I left Okaville, I noticed the temperature had gone from warm to hot. My pace slowed a little with the heat, but I was still making good time. I had decided to make an intermediate stop in Dix to get more provisions. A few miles from Dix, I was caught by the Nashville Peleton, and I rode with them until we stopped at convenience store. After getting some provisions, I quickly began another "break-away". The route changed from flat to rolling, but the hills were not steep. I met the RBA John Jost along the way to the next control, which was Wilkey's Cafe in Belle Rive. The Nashville Peleton apparently spotted me near the control, but decided not to waste their energy reeling me in…

I was a little skeptical of stopping for a "sit-down" meal, but once I got there, I was glad I did. At the entrance to the cafe was an old kid's bike, and one of the restaurant workers tried to induce me to ride it to the next control. Another of the restaurant staff filled my water bottles and hydration pack with water and ice. I wasn't real hungry with the heat, but I enjoyed three types of delicious pasta salad and rice pudding. The Nashville Peleton arrived, and they were treated with the same kindness, including one of the workers making lemonade especially for Jeff Sammons.

I started another "breakaway" and decided to stop at a convenience store in Creal Springs en-route to Vienna. As I approached the store, I noticed a mother pulling her daughter on along in a wagon, which I thought was kind of nice. She also entered the convenience store, but instead of buying anything of value, simply purchased "lotto tickets". Her daughter, still in the wagon, began to cry, and the mother gave her one of the used lottery tickets to play with.

I set out for Vienna, and was passed by John Jost again, right before turning onto a 16 mile rails-to-trails route that would take me to the control. The trail was made of crushed limestone, which I initially was leery about, but it turned out to be just fine. The soft pavement was actually a welcome relief for my feet, hands, and backside. I rode slowly, dodging branches and rocks along the way, but I witnessed a deer, turtle, and heard several whippoorwills. It turned from twilight to dark while on the trail, and I met no other travelers along the way. There was a long tunnel through Tunnel Hill, along with a half dozen of so bridges. We had been warned that the pavement in the tunnel might be mushy, but it was solid and well-lit by my bike lights.

I arrived at Vienna around 10pm, and checking in at the control, which was a motel, and then stopped at a convenience store for some food and water. As I set out towards the town of Anna, I spotted the Nashville Peleton, who had just completed the rails-to-trails section. I learned later that they had blasted through that section at around 19mph, while I was timidly crawling through at around 13mph. After a few flat miles, the road to Anna became fairly hilly with half-mile rollers. It was during this stretch that I had my only serious incident. A black dog came out of the darkness, and nudged my ankle with his nose. It happened so fast, that there was nothing I could have done, had he been so inclined to take a bite out of me. I have learned that the dogs to beware of are the ones that don't bark. I later learned that Alan had a similar experience with the same dog. The dog came after him not once, but twice.

After riding through the fairly large town of Anna, I soon turned onto the road to Murphysboro, which passed through the Shawnee National Forest. It included a series of a dozen or more half-mile rollers, which were fortunately climbed during the cool of the night. I expect that it was one of the most scenic areas on the ride, but most of this was missed due to darkness. I arrived at a convenience store in Murphysboro before 3am, and was met there by Jeff and Bill, who were picking up supplies while Alan and Peter were securing their lodgings for the night. They offered for me to stay in one of their rooms, but I decided to ride on. They were not planning to get on the road again until 8am, and I figured that riding in cooler temperatures for an additional five hours was worth losing sleep over.

The next control was a straight-shot into Pinkneyville, and the terrain became less hilly. During the last few miles into Pinkneyville, I started to feel sleepy, and I began to wonder if my decision to continue without sleep would prove costly. When I reached the control, I decided to buy a Starbucks double espresso at the convenience store and close my eyes for about five minutes. At the same time, night turned to dawn. I don't know what combination of these worked, but I was no longer sleepy at that point until after the end of the ride.

On the way to the next control in Okaville, I heard a funny noise from my bike. This was a pretty common occurrence during the ride, with the various types of pavement on the route, but for the first time it wasn't coming from my front tire. I looked back, and realized I had a flat rear tire. Fortunately, it happened next to a grassy, shady area, and I was on the road again in 20 minutes or so. Once you have had one flat, the probably of additional ones seems to be higher, but I made it through the final 70 miles without incident. The final miles were very hot. Riding through farmland, the only trees were right next to the homes, tantalizingly close, but nothing near the road.

The final 10 miles had a moderate headwind, but since it was so hot, it was like opening an oven. I arrived at the final control a little after 2pm, for a total time of just over 33 hours.

I stopped by the local YMCA to get cleaned up, and then waited for the Nashville Peleton to arrive. Jeff and I stopped for a great made-to-order calzone on the way home, and I finally made it home at 2:30am Monday morning.

In retrospect, I was generally pleased with my effort and met all of my goals for the ride; it was a welcome bonus that I was able to interact with fellow randonneurs, all of whom are stronger riders than me. I didn’t sustain any injuries, although my hands (from the road vibration) and my backside (from the heat) were pretty sore.

The primary challenges were the wind, the pavement, and the heat. The wind was not a major factor on this ride, but it easily could have been. The pavement was challenging, in that there must have been twenty different types, some of which were very good, others which kept you on your toes. With the exception of one one-tenth of a mile connecting road, all of the roads were rideable and generally pot-hole free. While Tennessee spends considerable money on blacktop, we have a lot to learn about road signs. I noted only one unmarked road the entire route, and even many of the cross roads were marked with name of the main road, which was very reassuring. The heat was the primary challenge. This was the first time I had used a hydration pack since breaking my collarbone last year, and it was a life saver. Ice water in a standard water bottle turned to bath water in thirty minutes.

The RBA, John Jost, did a great job planning the route, checking up on the riders, and providing us with useful information. He is extremely well organized and definitely worked hard to make the ride as safe and enjoyable as possible.