le Tour de Femme

Earlier this month I participated in le Tour de Femme. This is a great ride that has really grown over the years. The weekend kicks off with festivities at Cycling Spoken Here on Friday. On Saturday morning, there is the ride followed by a catered lunch. All of the riders are given pink carnations as they finish. Good stuff!

The presentation just before the ride

Sandra, all lined up and ready to go

I had a really good time on this ride. After 7 miles or so, I took my first pull and it was lloonngg -- like 12 miles. I was just going my own pace and having fun and stuff. We stopped a the second rest stop to get water and took picked up some other riders (we were down to two at this point). I continued with them.

The group dropped someone on Big Woods and two riders took off while the rest of us slowed up. I don't want to drop someone right after they took a pull. That's just rude! We continued on and one person wanted to stop at the third stop. We all held up for her and the volunteers said there were two riders in front of us. Yikes! I had no idea that I was in the second group. Kinda fun ;-) Yeah, I know the Tour de Femme doesn't exactly draw the racer types but still.

Me and the ladies that I rode with!

Catching up -- way past due

Janyne before the start at
Lake Logan

I know that I've been slack in posting here. I've been busy but nothing seemed interesting enough to report here. I completed my second triathlon in August -- Lake Logan International. That one took place in western North Carolina.

The course was fun and I'd go it again. In September I road in Bike MS for the sixth time.

Also in September I completed my third triathlon -- Wilmington YMCA Sprint. That one was really fun! I had a blast! I really wanted to do the event because the swim is similar to the one that I'll be doing for B2B. There were 1500 people registered for the event -- huge compared to my first two triathlons that had 200-250 athletes each. We went down on Friday afternoon and I went to packet pickup at Two Wheeler Dealer. There was one person in line in front of me so check in was super easy. Then we headed over to Wrightsville and checked out the site a bit and then checked into the hotel. We dropped off the dogs and went to the pre-race meeting. I'd guess 50+ people were at the meeting. Then we walked over to Sea Path which was the swim finish and checked that out along with the 300m run to transition. I found my rack in transition and we went to dinner (pre race pizza!). So, the check in process and pre-race day logistics were simple.

Janyne with teammate
David L. before the start of Bike MS

On Saturday, the usual get up at 5:00. I ate while DH took care of the dogs. We got to the site at 5:30. Parked, set up transition, talk, potty, talk, shuttle bus to swim start at 6:30. Hang out at Blockade Runner (the swim started on the Blockade Runner water access), watch first waves of athletes start their swim (waves started at 7:00), talk to people about siting and current. My wave went at 7:55. The bike course was congested and there were no passing zones over the draw bridge. That was the only on course issue. After the race, I had a hard time finding my parents and keeping Kevin, the Girls and my parents under control :-)

The race was good, well run, etc. I would definitely go back. This was the first triathlon that I felt like a triathlete. I hope that makes sense. The others went well enough but I guess I wasn't really in my comfort zone or whatever. I was more nervous excited that nervous what have I got myself into.

Since then, I have mostly been busy training for Beach2Battleship where I am will be doing my first half iron distance triathlon -- 1.2 mile swim, then 56 mile bike and finally a half marathon run. I've been working to improve my swimming and trying to keep the other pieces together as well and diligently logging my workouts.

Tour de Cure 2010

Team CSH group photo

Tour de Cure Day 1

Early on Saturday morning, I met with Team CSH at the start. Most people were riding the 75 mile route, which was actually closer to 80 miles. Lisa, Stan, Jim and I were all doing the 100 mile route. The route went from Cary to the Pinehurst area. The 75 mile route went directly to the host hotel and the century route did a loop by Pine Needles and rejoined the 75 mile route before going to the finish area.

I started out riding with Stan and Lisa. At about the halfway point we here a ping and it turned out that was the sound of Stan's front spoke breaking. We were near a rest stop and he made it there. Fortunately Steve K. from Bicycle Chain was there. Of course he didn't have a spoke that was the exact length of the broken one! Steve K. managed to jerry-rig it so that Stan could finish out the weekend. Stan, Lisa and I continue together until about mile 60 and then, when it was my turn the take the pull, I was riding along on an incline and glanced back -- no Stan and Lisa. I slowed slightly and the decided to ride my own pace (the incline was not bad but it was about 5 miles long and we had a headwind) until the next rest stop and regroup.

102 miles done!

I got to the rest stop and Team Cheeta was there along with my TdC friend, Tracy. This is the rest stop where people turned off for the century or continued on for the hotel. The Cheetahs were waiting for a straggler and Tracy was ready to go. Stan and Lisa pulled in and I asked if they were continuing on the century. Stan said, "I'll let you know in five minutes." Tracy said, "I'm going." I told Stan and Lisa that I was going to continue on with Tracy. Tracy and I rode side-by-side and talked for the fist bit, which was downhill. Then I pulled for a bit and we got to a water stop. Tracy wanted to stop and I was good with that since we were rejoining the route in time to do the 5 mile uphill headwind section again. Tracy said when we get to the hills, let's go at our own pace and we did.

Happily, DH had already checked us into the hotel and turned on the air conditioner in our room. DH and I hung around in the afternoon and went to the TdC dinner in the tents outside of the hotel. They did a much better job with dinner this year and the beer was a major upgrade -- Fat Tire and Carolina Brewing Company!

Tour de Cure Day 2

Sandra, Mark and Doug from TdC before the start of the ride on Day 2

On Sunday morning, I grabbed some breakfast at the hotel and then gathered up my gear. A group of us met in the parking lot to head back to Cary. Today everyone that I knew was doing the 75 mile route. Jim and I talked and wanted to ride with Team CSH, if possible. We did hang with the team for about 10 miles and got frustrated. Steve L. was sitting on the front and holding the riders at and even pace, not an even effort. Both the pace and the effort were not what we were looking for.

Jim

Jim and I pulled off and three guys came with us so we had a nice little group going. We joined up with the Sandhills Cycling Club group for a while and then there was a split after Sanford. Jim and the others were in the first group and I was with the SCC group for a while. Then it started to feel disorganized and I went off on my own.

I was having a really good ride and generally enjoying myself. I was nearing "home turf" and almost to the last rest stop I planned to use to top off my water when it happened. My foot felt odd. I looked down and saw nothing abnormal. I decided to unclip and reclip thinking that something might be in my cleat. Much to my surprise, when I unclipped, the entire crank arm came off! Uh oh...

I am not experienced with this sort of mechanical problem. I called the TdC SAG number and left a message. Some riders passed me and I asked them to leave a message at the next rest stop. I put on my cleat covers and started walking. A few other riders passed me and I gave them all the same message -- rider with crank problem needs assistance. Then a group stopped. The had tools! We got the crank on but a part was missing -- the star bolt cover piece apparently came off somewhere along Lower Monrure Road. About this time the mechanic from the rest stop came and he said it looked secure enough to ride into the rest stop, do that and he'd look at it there. He tightened down the two screws on the crank. The mechanic reiterated that the star bolt wasn't really need and I was good to go for the next 20 miles.

A few miles out of the rest stop the crank detached for the second time. Rick, who got me on the road the first time, stopped and helped me again. The crank came off again a few miles later. A SAG vehicle was just behind me and I flagged it down. I asked to be SAGged forward since the mechanic at the rest stop behind me had been unable to help. Steve K. from Bicycle Chain was at the rest stop that we pulled into (yes, he of the jerry-rigged spoke the day before). Steve fixed me up and I was able to ride the final bit of the TdC. I was so happy to get back on the bike! I *really* wanted to finish! I am slightly disappointed that I didn't get to ride the whole thing without issues since I had a good ride going but I'm please that I persevered.

Cape Henry Duathlon

Last weekend I participated in my second duathlon, the Cape Henry Duathlon in the Virgina Beach area. For those unfamiliar with this event, this is a run-bike-run event. In this particular case it was a 5k run followed by a 20 mile bike ride (32k actually) followed by a second 5k run. I thought that this would be a fun event that would allow me to train for my upcoming half marathon but also continue riding.

DH went with me and we drove up to Virginia Beach on Friday. Packet pickup was on Friday due to the fact that the event was held on Fort Story which is an army base. After we picked up my race packet, we walked around the boardwalk for a bit and the decided to look for a place for dinner. We decided on pizza or Italian and ended up a YNot Pizza which was really good. I would definitely go back there. I had stromboli which was very good and we got some Italian cookies to go. We got some coffee and had cookies and coffee in the hotel that evening.

On Saturday morning we made our way over to Fort Story and I set up my transition area. I was glad DH got to see the transition area because I wasn't sure that my description was doing it justice. I set up a my transition towel with my bike shoes, bike helmet, shades and made sure that I had my water bottle on the bike, etc. I pointed out the mount/dismount line to DH as well. Earlier I made sure that my bike was in a good starting gear.

The first run went well. I was faster than I expected but I don't think that I overdid it. The route was interesting and I enjoyed running by the two lighthouses on base. I saw DH as I was heading to the transition area. T1 went well and I got on the bike and headed out for my three laps on the bike course.

The course was mostly flat but quite windy. Each of our laps went by the lighthouses which was neat. I saw DH on the course and he got a few pictures too! I was pleased with how the bike section went and headed into T2.

The race organizers also had a lot of people on the run and bike routes to cheer for us. That really gave the event a festive atmosphere.

T2 went pretty well but felt a lot slower than T1. This is weird because it was actually faster than T1. I guess that it's faster to get off the bike and put on running shoes that vice versa. Plus I must have been getting tired. By now everyone was really strung out so I was more or less alone on the second run. The second 5k route was the same as the first one. I was pleased with my time. I was not as fast as during the first 5k but was quite respectable. I passed a few people on the run but I was also passed by a few. I knew that I just needed to going at my own pace.

I was so excited. I can do this!

DH met me at the finish line. I got some water and checked the results. My results were not posted yet so we walked down to the after-race party. They had BBQ and a few other things (DH had my beer) and then I walked back to check the results. DH asked if I was ready to go yet and I looked at the results and said, "No! We have to go the the awards." I got second place in my age group!

We went back to the BBQ area and I got a very nice award -- a custom welded lighthouse sculpture that is quite tasteful!

The army personnel were terrific hosts. There were a lot of people to process us through the check point and direct traffic. The area of the base where the race was held was essentially closed to traffic which was great!

Spooktacular Halloween ride

On Saturday I participated in the Habitat for Humanity Halloween bike ride.

To prepare for the ride I wanted to replace the cleats on my cycling shoes and get some cleat covers. They had gotten worn during Cycle North Carolina and I really probably should have replaced them sooner. I went to my local bike shop and they went to replace the cleats. Uh oh! Trouble! The hole in the shoe where the new cleats needed to be attached -- stripped! Doing the Halloween ride with one shoe did not seem like an option. I ended up leaving the shop as the proud owner of new bike shoes and new cleats. The cleat covers were out of stock.

My friends and I registered for the 100 mile route. Unfortunately, we got up to misty, drizzly, rainy weather. The radar showed no precipitation and the forecast had been for clearing overnight and some clouds and sun -- not misty, drizzle conditions.

I unloaded my bike and went to test my new shoes and could. not. clip. in. Oh no! OK, I did a test ride around the parking area and the shoes were attaching but not like normal. I found my riding friends -- even Chris who had been sick -- and we were off but only after waiting 5-10 minutes in the rain while some stragglers who were doing the same day registration were getting ready. I had a hard time clipping in at the start but I was able to stay with the group. We thought Chris was with us but we lost him somewhere. Then we saw him briefly at the mile 25 rest stop and lost him again. He said that he ended up doing the 62 mile route.

Overall the ride was pretty good. The people that I was with were in a good mood about the weather and we ended up taking it at an off season long ride kind of pace that felt appropriate to the conditions. We were a small group of four -- Doug and Tom who I planned to ride with and one other rider that joined us along the way. At one point I moaned that I really wanted the sun to come out, I was sick of being wet and my back was getting cold. That became a case of be careful what you wish for, the sun came out and the wind picked up. We ended up doing the 25 or so mile into the wind!

Many thanks to Doug and Tom for riding with me!

Cycle North Carolina 2009 Wrap Up

Memories

• Riding with Chris and Doug. Sometimes we were five but a lot of the time the three of us stuck together
  
• Meeting Don, who I hope to ride with again sometime next year
  
• The continuing soap opera in the indoor camping area
• The best overnight stops: Lenoir, Dunn and Kenansville
• The worst overnight stops: Sanford and Statesville -- (bad bad indoor camping both nights and a horrible breakfast in Statesville
  
• The wonderful views from the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Second Fret in Statesville
• The neat rest stop in Warsaw and the stop in Seagrove

Overall results for the week
24:11:58 ride time, 18.5 average speed, 447.70 miles

The Mayor of Indoor Camping

Don, who rode to Surf City with us on Saturday, is another indoor camper. He's from Charlotte and we ran into each other a lot this year. I finally got his name in Sanford and it turns out he is friends with Crash Eddy from Oh Melo Velo. I really knew that Don was one of us, though, when we talked about about The Mayor while we were in Dunn.

The Mayor

There is rider that we nicknamed The Mayor last year. We called him that because he thought he was The Mayor of Indoor Camping. Apparently he has been participating in Cycle North Carolina for years. He would come in and try to boss us and, on top of everything, he snored.

We suspected that he was sagged in a lot last year and sure enough, we saw him get off the SAG wagon in Lenoir this year. Don made some comment about the various personalities of indoor campers and I said something about The Mayor. Don asked who I was referring to and I described him. Don said, "Oh, Big John!"

Apparently, The Mayor complained about how tired he was when he got to Sanford. When the coast was clear, Don then wandered over to The Mayor's bike and toggled through his bike computer -- 23 miles. Of the 75 miles on the short route, he had completed 23 miles that day! We later confirmed with our insider at CNC that he sagged in every day!

That's how I knew that Don was one of us.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 7

CNC Day 7
Kenansville to Surf City
21.9 mph average speed
28.1 mph maximum speed
2:25:21 ride time
53.02 miles
about 675 feet of climbing

The five us us before our final day of CNC 2009

The day was fun and fast and flat. The Gang of Five -- Tim, Jon, Doug, Chris and me -- rode together. We made a micro stop at the first rest area, saw that it was really busy and decided to go on to the next stop for a final PB&J and we picked up a sixth rider, Don. Tim and Jon wanted to do most of the pulling and keep the speed up. We all rode to the next stop.

The final rest stop: Chris, me, Jon and Tim

As we approached Surf City, the pace picked up to 26 mph or so and we started to string out. We all met again at the park where the ride ended. What a week!

Cycle North Carolina - Day 6

CNC Day 6
Dunn to Kenansville
18.9 mph average speed
27.9 mph maximum speed
3:14:08 ride time
61.20 miles
about 1400 feet of climbing

The route from Dunn to Kenansville went through Spivey's Corner, Clinton and Warsaw. Spivey's Corner is a tiny little town with a population of under 500 people. The town is famous for hosting the National Hollerin' Contest. It kind of makes you wonder what the Cycle NC organizers were trying to tell us -- corn hole on Thursday and the home of a hollerin' contest on Friday!

We joked around a bit that the people who developed the route went looking for hills in Sampson county. It was pretty darn flat out there but then suddenly we'd come to a hill. Were they looking for hills?

The town of Warsaw hosted a rest stop for us and they really did it up. There were tons of signs along the side of the road leading up to the town -- Party Ahead, Cookies and Lemonade and so on. When we got to historic downtown Warsaw, we were greeted by bouquets of balloons. The rest stop was located at the Duplin County Veteran's Memorial Museum and they really did have homemade cookies and lemonade on the front porch for us. What a welcome!

We reached Duplin County Events Center, our home for the evening, about 12 miles later. The events center is located near the county extension office and I was able to touch base with a few coworkers. There is not much else within walking distance. Our host towns of Kenansville, Warsaw, Rose Hill and Wallace provided transportation to area restaurants and Duplin Winery.

Normally the host towns provide shuttle buses starting at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Chris, Kevin G. and I wanted to go for coffee a bit earlier than that. We found out where to go and went to the local information booth to ask about a shuttle to Kenansville. We said that we wanted to go to Kenansville and they said, you are in Kenansville. We explained where we wanted to go. Apparently downtown was not on the shuttle bus route but one of the county tourism employees offered to take us. All three of us got a vanilla latte from A Change of Venue Cafe. The latte was surprisingly good (not Second Fret good but good). We hung around the cafe for nearly an hour and then we called for a shuttle back.

The same person came to pick us up. Apparently he has a place in Bryson City. I said how much I enjoyed Bryson City and asked him how he came to have a house there. He replied that the grandkids are there and said, "We had quite a summer. " He went on to tell us that his son was a stay-at-home dad and that his daughter-in-law had always provided the income. She had been working as a jailer in Jackson county and she ran off with a prisoner that she helped escape. They were both caught after a letter that the prisoner had sent to his friend in California was returned to the jail due to a bad address. That letter had apparently spelled out exactly what was going to happen. If this sounds like something from America's Most Wanted, that's because it was on the show -- twice! Yikes!

It turns out the caterer for the evening meal was A Change of Venue Cafe. After dinner service started about 30 minutes late, we found out that this was their first catering job. While most of the 1100+ cyclists go out to restaurants, about 250 people have the evening meal plan. Let me tell you, it is not a good idea to be late serving 250 hungry cyclists! As the week goes on we get hungrier and hungrier. By the sixth night, look out! The line was so long and so late and moved so slowly that I actually called Pizza Corner while I was in line (they do not deliver). Once we finally got the food, it was good. The oatmeal cookies were amazing and I have asked for the recipe.

The Duplin County Events Center was a nice place to stay. The only problem was that the eating area and the sleeping area were adjacent with no barrier between them. That meant that when they started to set up for breakfast, it woke up a lot of people. I think that some people were wound up on Saturday morning anyway since it was the last day.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 5

CNC Day 4
Sanford to Dunn
18.1 mph average speed
35.1 mph maximum speed
3:16:09 ride time
59.20 miles
about 1480 feet of climbing

Dunn was a pleasant surprise! The indoor camping was great and the site is really well prepared. It's like the Hilton after last night! They have vendors on site including pizza and ice cream and downtown was within walking distance.

They also had games set up -- paint ball and corn hole. A lot of cyclists commented on the name corn hole (I did not realize that there is an American Cornhole Association with official rules!) Tim and Chris played a game of pool in downtown Dunn and I played a few rounds of corn hole at the camp ground. The paint ball sounded fun but wasn't really popular. I don't think that most of us felt like running!

Like the other overnight sites, they had music downtown for us in the evening.

The route went from Sanford to Raven Rock State Park and then through Erwin. From there we went to a Civil War site -- Averasboro. The road to that site was not NC DOT's finest moment. Especially since earlier in the day I hit a major pot hole and my front wheel came out of true.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 4

CNC Day 4
Thomasville to Sanford
18.1 mph average speed
35.5 mph maximum speed
5:21:24 ride time
96.77 miles
about 3,742 feet of climbing

Today we had an option of doing a 75 mile route or a century route. I opted for the long route and rode with Chris and Doug.

Both routes went through Randleman where we had a rest stop at the Richard Petty Museum.

The long route was through Seagrove which is an area that I really like. I did a ride called Rolling in Randolph a few years ago so I knew what I was in for. As it turns out, we had more climbing going from Thomasville to Sanford than we did on the Blue Ridge Parkway day. Of course, the first day was a lot fewer miles so it was more climbing per foot.

A lot of riders commented that maybe it should be called Tour de Smell. We passed a lot of chicken houses and saw several "Pigs 4 Sale" signs.

Doug and Chris had not been to Seagrove before. The century rest stop was at the North Carolina Pottery Center where they have examples from many of the area potters. I made both of them go inside. I particularly wanted to show Chris the Fat Beagle section. Chris' daughter has a beagle and he does good work. I also pointed out some of the Kings Pottery -- especially their trademark red glaze.

Doug and I did the century in White Lake last year and practically no one did that route. I think that it was because the route was 75 miles to White Lake, where we were spending the night, and then an additional 25 mile loop beyond that. This year you had to pull off for the century loop at mile 36 and rejoin the regular route later on. A lot more people seemed to do the century route this year.

We had PB&J at the Pottery Center. We had our next rest stop after rejoining the shorter route. More PB&J! Heck, that makes up for yesterday.

The camping situation in Sanford was not desirable. Tim kept on saying that we were sleeping in the pig stalls. We were actually in the old exhibit hall at the Lion's Club Fairground but it wasn't a good situation. While there was plenty of space, a lot of people woke up with swollen eyes. There must have been something in the air.

Thankfully, we were able to get away from the campsite that evening. One of our Team CBC captains lives in Sanford and invited us for dinner and to spend a few hours at his place.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 3

CNC Day 3
Statesville to Thomasville
19.1 mph average speed
35.6 mph maximum speed
3:15:30 ride time
62.21 miles
about 2320 feet of climbing

Today's route to Thomasville was really nice. Tim was loving it and Tim and Jon raced each other, dusting me. The unfortunate thing is that while Tim and Jon raced on ahead, Doug, Chris and I got split up and ended up riding solo.

The course had several hills but was much more rolling with about 2320 feet of climbing. We did run into a construction project that held us up and nearly 100 cyclists ended up waiting at the intersection. Since we all trickle out of the campsite at various times and then get further strung out as the day progresses, it's unusual for that many cyclists to be at any one spot that far into the ride -- even at a rest stop.

Cyclists line up at construction zone at NC801 and US64 (top), Chris at construction zone (middle), Doug at construction zone (bottom)

The one bad thing that happened on the ride is that I broke my perfect record. All last year and until day 3 of this year, I did not miss a single CNC rest stop. Three or four miles after the construction zone, there was a rest stop. Tim and Jon raced ahead out of site. I could see Doug and Chris. Neither of them stopped. It was a PB&J stop too! There is only one PB&J stop per day! Oh no! So much for my perfect record.

When we arrived in Thomasville we felt truly welcome. The Baptist Home for Children hosted us and they did a great job. They had good vendors at the finish -- pizza, burgers, nachos, sandwiches, etc. The indoor camping was great and much more appropriate than the cobble together camping in Statesville.

Every overnight stop has some sort of entertainment. Thomasville had High Point University do some entertainment for us. We saw a solo artist, whose name I did not catch and then she played with her friend Caleb Lovely, who was quite good. Finally, the Genesis Gospel Choir sang for us.

Bobby Labonte rode from Statesville to Thomasville with the CNC riders and he did a little presentation in Thomasville.

The mayor of Thomasville had a proclamation and invited CNC to come back. Ragan from CNC said that he hoped to return every three years.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 2

CNC Day 2
Lenoir to Statesville
17.5 mph average speed
36.8 mph maximum speed
3:13:43 ride time
56.52 miles
about 3000 feet of climbing

We started the day with a climb out of the parking lot and it just kept coming for the first ten miles. By the time we got to the first rest stop, though, the grade started to improve so it was closer to rolling.

Our gang of five stayed together well. The scenery was not as dramatic as yesterday but we got some nice views of the Piedmont at times. We almost had a crisis at the PB&J stop because the port-a-pots were delayed (driver got lost) -- thankfully the church hosting the rest stop let us inside. We saw the port-a-johns arrive as we were leaving.

On our way to Statesville, we passed Fort Dobbs, a French and Indian War site. I did not see a fort per se so did not stop. I understand that there is nothing standing and nothing has been excavated at the site.

After we arrived at our temporary home, we had two unpleasant surprises (1) indoor camping was sparse and (2) the shower trucks were not working. Apparently the church hosting us for the evening was expecting 1/2 to 1/3 the number of indoor campers that there are. We were able to get a spot in an alcove because we arrived before most of the other cyclists. After some scrambling, our host was able to house everyone -- sometimes in unexpected places!

Tim after securing an indoor camping spot and then finding out that showers were unavailable.

The story with the shower trucks is less clear. Apparently the shower truck company hooked up to a fire hydrant. This is common practice and typically there is a water meter on the fire hydrant. They hooked up as usual but the Statesville fire marshall came and threatened a $1000 fine so they unhooked. It seems that some phone calls were made and some money exchanged hands and after a delay of an hour or so, the shower trucks were up and running.

Once we were situated, Chris, Tim and I took a shuttle bus downtown. (Unfortunately, the church was not located within walking distance of downtown.) We visited the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology, The Second Fret and a music store that I need to tell my dad about (they had high end banjos). After all of the turmoil at the campground, The Second Fret was awesome!

We did not feel particularly welcome in Statesville -- especially after they sent us off with a breakfast of still cold frozen Lender's bagels and instant oatmeal.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 1

CNC Day 1
Blowing Rock to Lenoir
17.3 mph average speed
40.2 mph maximum speed
3:25:37 ride time
59.33 miles
about 3500 feet of climbing

The rain cleared in the nick of time! When we went outside to get breakfast, we could see the stars so we knew that it was clear.

All of the riders were excited about the first day of riding. A few were nervous about all of the climbing. I think that the Blue Ridge Parkway intimidated some of them. I later heard that some people walked the hills.

Tim (in black) and Doug (in yellow) climbing the Blue Ridge Parkway. Note, that they did not stop for me when they saw me taking this picture!

We started off by climbing to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance an then did a climb on the Parkway including the Linn Cove Viaduct. I stopped a few times to take some pictures and managed to get back to my riding group. We got off the Parkway and passed Grandfather Mountain making our way toward Lenoir. The route was nice and the views from the BRP with the fog below were gorgeous -- especially from the viaduct. Some of the descents were a bit nerve wracking because it looked slick from the rain the night before and there were wet leaves scattered in some places. I had no problems on the descent but I was nervous at first. Once I found that it looked slick but was not, I settle down.

Tim, Jon, Chris, Doug and I rode together.

Lenoir was a great host town. Kevin G., Chris and I went downtown to check things out. They had a Biergarten set up for us, several musicians played and some restaurants that are normally closed on Sundays stayed open. The music was really good and they had plenty of shuttle buses. I do wish that more of the shops were open for us.

Outdoor camping in Lenoir (top), Chris near the outdoor camping (bottom)

Several of us had the meal plan and ate together -- Kevin G., Doug, Chris and I had dinner together each night. The dinner in Lenoir was good -- lasagna and other pastas, salad, yellow squash and chocolate cake.

Tomorrow, we head to Statesville.

Cycle North Carolina - Day 0

We arrived at Cycling Spoken Here before 8:00 in the morning to load our bikes on a truck and get a bus to Blowing Rock. The buses were not there yet but I needed to get my pedals taken off and loosen the handle bars on my bike before loading it on the truck. Note to self, put the bike on last so that it comes off the bus first.

The day was overcast and I was very nervous about rain. A week of riding is fun. A week of riding in the rain, not so much.

Riders are limited to two bags per person. One bag was for my sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow, Crocs, etc. The other bag was for cycling clothes, street clothes and toiletries. I had a problem with what to do with my helmet -- normally I transport it on my head but for the bus ride I needed to put it somewhere. I finally shoehorned it in.

This year we checked in at the bike shop before getting on the bus. That really streamlined things once we got to Blowing Rock. That is handy since I felt the need to dash to a camping spot. It was raining when we arrived and I planned to indoor camp like I did last year. Since it was raining a lot of the tent campers wanted to indoor camp as well. We were tightly packed that night!

Doug, Chris, Kevin G. and I rode the bus. Emily drove Jon and Tim up to Blowing Rock and we met there. Tim, Chris, Kevin G. and I were all indoor camping and Tim saved a spot for us but he called me and said to hurry, he was not sure how long he could hold our spot on his own. Doug stayed in hotels during the trip and Jon and Emily tent camped with Bubba. Five of us planned to ride together throughout the week -- Doug, Chris, Tim, Jon and me. Four of us planned to camp together all week -- Chris, Tim, Kevin G. and me. Kevin G. rode with another group. Emily provided sherpa service for Jon and Tim, meeting us at each overnight stop with her Honda Element.

After we staked out an indoor camping area, we went to get out bikes. They were still on the truck so we helped unload them. This was a good. We were able to keep our bikes relatively dry and also help out.

As the day worn on it started to rain harder. We kept on looking at the radar and the hourly forecast, obsessing about the weather.

Bike MS 2009

This year I participated in my fifth Bike MS event and my second one in New Bern -- along with about 2,250 other cyclists on September 12-13.

I rode with my friends on Team CBC again. The team is great! We ride together throughout the year and have a number good organizers who do a great job of keeping us on track. I'm sure it's a lot like herding kittens! Several team members arrived at Union Point Park early and set up tents for team members so that we all had our sleeping tents circle around the a large team tent. Not only is the team a group of good riders, we are good fund raisers too! Team CBC has raised over $80,000.

On Friday night after setting up camp, Carolina Brewing Company hosted a team party at a local Bed and Breakfast. This was a great way to socialize with the team and a nice way to kick off the weekend.

This year, I rode the double century again. On Saturday after the team photo (this is where the kitten herding came in!) we found others who were riding our distance at out pace and heading to the start area. Bike MS offers four routes each day -- 30, 50, 75 and 100. The two longer routes start at 8:00 and the two shorter routes start an hour later.

The weather was great -- low 80s with very little wind. On Saturday I had a personal best for the 100, averaging 20.5 miles per hour. Sunday was an equally nice day.