ON BECOMING A SELF-PROCLAIMED “FASHIONISTA”

The recent couple of week’s worth of Bike to Work readings and writings got me to thinking about my own “fashion” choices when riding. I certainly have gravitated to the spandex/brightly colored arena over the past 3 years. Based upon the type of riding I do, that made sense. Now, however…

CYCLING BLOOMING LIKE IT IS SPRING!

All around me, cycling “stuff” seems to be popping out of the ground just like the spring flowers now making their presence known. Seems as if everywhere I turn, some item related to cycling is making itself known. And, well, that is a …

WILL TODAY BE THE DAY?

One of the aspects of writing a blog that remains interesting to me is watching the statistics tracking visits and page views. Possibly today or tomorrow, I should reach the 10,000th visitor to my site. As I type, I’m sitting at 21 visits short of that new plateau. Averaging 26 visits per day, I may get there there before the midnight hour.

(Will today see the 10,000th visitor?*)

I’ve remarked frequently to friends that writing the blog helps to keep me motivated to ride and, hopefully, to find new and interesting cycling related materials that are of interest to my readers. Through the time that I’ve been publishing this blog, I’ve tried to work hard to utilize technology to make this a more interesting reading experience. I’ve also tried to be vigilant in improving my writing skills that were first nurtured by my parents, especially my mother Ila Jean, a published author herself.

PASSING THE TIME BY COGITATING

Some things have been on my mind lately. My recent metric century ride of a couple of week’s ago and this past Saturday’s 45 mile jaunt have provided some time and opportunity to consider the ways of the world and my place in it. This is, of course, a very broad subject and one I’ll narrow down quite considerably in order to make the retelling of the cogitation more efficient.

(The Thinker – Auguste Rodin) 

When one cogitates whilst spinning merrily along upon a racing saddle, certain things eventually come to the forefront of topics to be considered. I’ve discovered that after 35 or so miles, those things seem as if they want to take center stage and dominate your cogitation. Today, I need not dwell upon that particular topic other than to now begin to cogitate upon how much more central those topics might become on a century ride. I’ll have to make a list so I can check it twice when I set additional goals for this riding season. This one can go under the heading “To chamois cream or not to chamois cream?”

No, I was cogitating more on some of my knowledge acquisition over the past couple of years as it relates to riding. In my home dialect of the Southern Appalachians, I might say that I’d be reviewing my “new larning”. Briefly, here’s what I think I’ve “larned”…

1) The first year back to cycling I was more comfortable spinning along on mostly flat ground. I dreaded hills much less mountains. After all, they hurt! I created significant psychological barriers to climbing and would dread the very thought of going so slow that I’d start falling over and be unable to unclip and certainly would then fall into traffic or over the edge of the mountain. As my speed dropped on the climbs, the dread grew in direct proportion to loss of speed. In my 3rd year, I find myself seeking out things to climb. I feel comfortable on the mountains and couldn’t tell you when I last experienced a fear of falling over that paralyzed me and sent me running back down the mountain.

The first big moment in reducing this irrational fear came when I finally topped Rush Fork, which was my nemesis last year. Once I topped the mountain and realized it was in me to ride it, those fears were significantly diminished on future climbs. A great lesson I learned was from the Wood-man, who taught me to let the mountain come to me. Now, when I feel myself getting those butterflies in my stomach, I settle down and do exactly that – I let the mountain come to me.

2) When times got really tough and I was ready to give up, I would go to my “Lance spot”, which is a comfortable position I found on the bike that was unconsciously inspired by an image I saw of Lance Armstrong climbing in the 2009 Tour de France. Somehow, that image and a certain position I found on the bike with me out of the saddle and pumping hard coalesced in my brain and now gives me power when I need it. I haven’t needed it as much this year as last year. I think I’ve learned to accept a more relaxed manner in which to climb. I’m sure that I’ve also developed some climbing muscles that I didn’t have in my first 2 years of riding again.

3) A great, great lesson that I’ve learned comes from Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson and his slogan of “hasten slowly!”. Accepting that I have to go at my own pace and give up competing with the 25 year old riders in speed, has increased my ability to stay on the bike and to be more relaxed. If I’m achieving my own goal, whatever that might be, I don’t need to be overly concerned with what others are doing or not doing. So, thanks to the Mountain Turtle, I’m becoming better at hastening slowly. I still have to work on this one though because I am a competitive person. Truth be told, I let myself get away from the satisfaction of having met my recent goal of completing a metric century and got caught up in my order of finish resulting in less overall satisfaction. I temporarily lost sight of that fact that it was a ride and not a race.

4) If you can walk it – you can climb it! This has become my newest mantra and reduces my need to go to the “Lance spot” and I find it quite compatible with “hastening slowly”. This also complements the Wood-man’s lesson of letting the mountain come to me. No longer feeling the mental anguish of fear of falling over, I find that I can almost literally walk it up the mountain. I figure that my legs have to be doing somewhat similar actions on the bike as when I’m walking so that leads to “if you can walk it, you can climb it!” Granted, I haven’t tried this yet on anything above 12% grade but, so far, it works for me. I’ve cogitated upon the comments of the couple alongside the road Saturday as I was nearing the peak of the Blue Ridge Parkway. In my mind, I was concentrating solely on what was in front of me, spinning the crank one loop at a time seeing only what was in front of me, while these folks were viewing the effort in its fullest context of having climbed the whole mountain and were even kind enough to provide some positive comments as we made our way to the top. I recalled, in my cogitation, the times that I, as a motorcyclist, would ride by a bicyclist climbing the Blue Ridge Parkway or other road, and think “whew, those guys/gals are nuts!” Now, I embrace my “nuttiness” as I am one of “them”.

So, I find myself amused/happy/fulfilled somewhat that in my 3rd year of cycling at the ripe old age of 57 years, 8 months, and 1 day I’m finding joy in climbing things, i.e., mountains and such. How long will this last? Probably until I fall over somewhere along the line…

Until later,

- Zeke

BLUE RIDGE BREAKAWAY REVIEW, PART II

 

Part one of the ride of the inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway.

 

When last I left you, Wolfpen Andy and I had just enjoyed a nice long train ride behind a tandem and 3 cyclists and were making the right hand turn onto Coleman Mountain Road and the first moderate climb of the day for all routes of the Blue Ridge Breakaway…

After crossing Jonathan Creek on Coleman Mountain, we were still riding along behind the “train” and beginning the very early rise of the climb to the peak above I-40. I was still on last wheel and then, I wasn’t… The tandem and accompanying cyclists, including Wolfpen Andy, were still motoring on up the mountain at a pace I knew I wouldn’t survive and get to the top. I quickly dropped back into my Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson personae and began to “hasten slowly”. 

Coleman Mountain has a couple of small inclines and dips before the main part of the climb begins and you cross under I-40 before making a right hand turn to a straight stretch leading to the top. Wolfpen Andy had dropped from the “train’s” wheels and we rejoined just as we went under I-40. I saw my first cyclist of the day on the side at that point. This person had popped just before the underpass, which is about 1/3rd of the way up the climb.

As we made our way to the top, some distance had opened between myself and Wolfpen Andy and I decided to go ahead and begin the winding descent to Iron Duff Road intending that we would hook up again at that point. The top of Coleman on the Iron Duff side has about 5 curves in the top half and is rather serpentine around the point where Jack Pine Drive joins to Coleman Mountain. I had good speed going down and did not have to avoid other cyclists as there were none in front of me. The tandem train was long gone and I was not to see them again.

I was enjoying the descent but got just a wee bit hot into one corner and my heart jumped up into my throat as I tried not to panic and trust the bike. All worked out well and I finished the descent with good speed. At the intersection of Coleman Mountain and Iron Duff Road, I checked for Wolfpen Andy but he was no where to be found.

(Note: In a phone call Saturday evening, Wolfpen Andy told me was descending Coleman behind me when a cyclist blew past him and was way too hot for the curve at Jack Pine. He lost control and went off the road into the bank and assorted bushes, vines, and trees. Wolfpen Andy stopped to check on him and help him to the side of the road. He stayed with him until the motorcycle support arrived before he resumed his ride of the 40 miler. My best friends live on Jack Pine and I was telling them about the accident at their drive. Nick said he was glad that the cyclist wasn’t hurt seriously but that he’d have to wait for 2 to 3 days to see all of the outcome of that crash. Being familiar with the specific bank and location, Nick advised that it was full of poison oak! Our fallen comrade may be itching up a storm by the time you read this!)

 

Betwixt and Between seemed to become my theme for the remainder of the ride from this juncture. I rode the full descent to the Pigeon River and the right hand turn onto Riverside alone having no cyclists behind nor in front of me. It was pretty much a solo adventure for the rest of the day. I made my way up Riverside and enjoyed the smells of barbecue being cooked along the way and then made my way up Crabtree Church Road before coming upon a lone cyclist making his way to the top. Just before the peak of the short climb, we were greeted by fans 3 deep along the side of the road cheering us on. Well, actually, it was a father and his two daughters and he was standing behind the two of them. Still, they did cheer us on!

Crabtree Church Rd. intersects with NC 209 and the first water stop of the day was immediately on our right at Crabtree United Methodist Church. All routes of the ride were to come by this position so it was a large stop manned by many volunteers. Everyone was greeted warmly and volunteers offered to hold bikes while the participants refreshed themselves with food, drink, and visits to the portajohns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Friendly volunteer watching over my bike!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The first aid station of the day laid out with goodies!)

The first of the Century riders had not made it to this point as I departed but we were  soon joined by the young man on his 18” bike referenced in part one of this story. He was still going strong! I’m not sure he had worked up a sweat at this point.

After a short break and refresher, it was back to the course. I followed out two cyclists, who were unfamiliar with the course. As we pedaled along NC 209 to Golf Course Road and then Big Branch, I gave them a short introduction to the remainder of the 60 mile route. In short order, we were climbing up the backside of Hyder Mountain Road and I found myself again riding solo. I recall a nice greeting from a resident as he was putting out his American flag on his second floor deck. Topping Hyder Mountain was a moderate climb leading to a steep downhill descent and the Pigeon River. It was at this point, the 40 milers and 25 milers would return to Lake Junaluska. The century riders and metric century participants turned east on Hyder Mountain Road and spun along the riverbanks of the Pigeon to Clyde, NC where the second aid station of the day was located.

It was at this point that I found out about what appeared to initially be a serious accident. Riders were required to stop at all traffic signs/lights and this location was a major intersection of travel from Waynesville to Canton. A rider had stopped at the traffic light in order to cross over Carolina Boulevard and begin the approach to Stamey Cove. It is unclear to me exactly what happened at the traffic light but the most common report that I’ve received is that a truck pulling a horse trailer pulled up on the left of the cyclist. When the light changed, the truck proceeded to turn right in front of the cyclist and shortened the turn dragging the horse trailer across the curbing and pulling the cyclist under the trailer.

It is not clear at this point why the truck driver proceeded as he did and I do not know whether he was charged with any traffic offense. The good news is that the rider was transported to the hospital and treated for abrasions and other non-life threatening injuries. He was later released and was reported to be home and doing well on Sunday.

The next section of the ride was the most difficult climb for the metric century riders. Well, to be more accurate, it was 50% of the most difficult climb because the planners of the route had us climbing Stamey Cove on the outgoing leg and on the return leg. The two sides are both difficult although their characteristics are different. Along this short stretch before the climb began, I enjoyed a brief conversation with a cyclist, who was riding in support of her friend. The friend was struggling mightily at this point and we had not yet arrived at the climb. We soon parted ways and I made my way up the initial steep climb. On the Clyde side of Stamey Cove, you have an initial steep climb into a left hand hairpin turn and then a LONG steady climb to the top.

I was just short of approaching the hairpin curve when I heard “on your left” for the first time in quite awhile. It turned out to be the lead pack of century riders. I was “hastening slowly” up the mountain and they passed me like I was standing still, which wasn’t far from the truth. It was a humbling experience to be passed so easily on such a steep climb. They were gone and out of sight rather quickly leaving me to my solo ascent of the climb free to wonder if I could have ridden at that pace in my 20’s.

The gap was in sight and I was again greeted by a local resident, who was leaning over the deck of her railing and appeared to be enjoying the morning. I inquired as to her state of being and she inquired as to mine. We both agreed she probably felt better than I did at that moment! The gap was soon under my wheels and I was shifting to the big ring looking for some speed downhill.

The descent to the Pigeon River was swift and fun and my legs were able to recover nicely. A short run up NC 215 and then across Wells Road soon brought me to NC 110 about one half mile short of the third aid station. At this point, we had run along and over the Pigeon River at least 3 times since beginning the route. Soon enough I pulled into the local Church of God parking lot and the aid station where the Navigator was working.

(Getting my 24 mile (or so) hug from the Navigator) 

A local Girl Scout troop(?) was greeting riders at the entrance to this aid station with signs and lots of energy. The aid station was slightly below road grade and difficult to see without the presence of the Scouts. The Navigator told me later that a gentleman of Hispanic heritage saw the girls and thought it was a car wash. He pulled in and was trying to inquire about getting his car washed. Unfortunately, his English was worse than the Navigator’s Spanish. I’m sure it was an interesting attempt at conversation before he finally figured out he wasn’t getting his car washed!

After a short break and pick up of my water bottles from the Navigator, I was back on the route and headed to the aid station at Lake Logan, which was the turn around point for the metric century riders. It was along this next section after the Church of God aid station that I would begin to see the first of the returning metric century riders leaving me to ponder my relative position among riders on the metric century ride.

I was lucky to catch the rear wheel of 3 riders doing the century route and benefitted from their pull the rest of the way to the NC 110 and US 276 intersection and the beginning of Love Joy Road. As we started a short climb, I knew my time with them was over and said my good-byes and thanked them for the pull…

(In part 3 of my report, I’ll cover the return trip to Lake Junaluska, the most serious crash of the day, a dramatic change in weather, and oh yeah the post race rescue efforts that were made…)

Until later,

- Zeke

NUMEROUS CHALLENGES MARKED WEEKEND PAST…

This past weekend did not live up to the fun schedule that was laid out in my last post. As noted last Thursday, August 12th, I was turning over my laptop for a clean install of Windows 7. Knowing that I would be without my connection to the blogosphere other than through my Blackberry Storm II, I laid out an ambitious final weekend of preparation for the upcoming Blue Ridge Breakaway on August 21st. Only a small portion of the planned training came to pass. More on that later in this post…

Friday was a sad day for us on two fronts. Our friend Big John Medford was buried following his battle with ALS for the past 6 years. John was a big man with a bigger heart and his passing was felt throughout our community. He was known for his generosity of spirit and willingness to help others. He will be sorely missed.

(John Manson Medford)

I’ll get to the other sadness in our day later… First though, let’s talk riding!

Saturday morning presented the opportunity to try out the 40 mile route for the upcoming Blue Ridge Breakaway. Several of us agreed to meet at 8:30 and ride the route checking road conditions and potential hazards to address before the day of the ride.

I was the last to arrive of the 4 folks riding that morning. Cross Country Stan was already there and warmed up. Ken Howle, one of the race coordinators was making his final preparations to ride and Christina from Sarasota, Fl decided to join us before returning home with her family. We met Christina at our Thursday night ride when she joined us for our weekly beginners and newly returning group ride. She informed us that she had begun riding in April of this year and had just completed her first triathlon.

After final checks and chats, we headed out south and west on US 19, which pretty much immediately becomes a climb of about 2 miles to the intersection of US 276. The grade isn’t bad so I wasn’t expecting any trouble. Ha! Within about a mile, I was already losing the wheel of the  rider in front of me. I seemed to be going backwards compared to my 3 companions. I was breathing hard and struggling. Now, I know that some days you just don’t have it but, generally, it takes more than a mile for me to figure that out. I looked down at my computer and realized that my good buddy Cross Country Stan was taking us out at a 16 mph pace going uphill. I couldn’t do it and found myself adopting Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson’s philosophy of “hasten slowly.” So, I did…

I settled into my own pace and slowly hastened right on back up to the crew where they were waiting on me at the crest of the climb. I apologized but told them that going from 0 mph to 16 mph with no warm up was more than this old body could do! From there, we settled into a nice rhythm going down US 276 along Jonathan Creek. This is flat for the most part and we had a nice 22 to 24 mph pace going as we approached the turn to Coleman Mountain.

A right onto Coleman presented the first climb of the day. With warmed up legs, we all pedaled our way to the top and then enjoyed a nice twisty descent to Iron Duff Road. We then dropped down to the crossing of the Pigeon River and took a moment for some pictures and to hash out the ride thus far.

(l-r, Ken, Christina, Stan) 

At this point, the metric century ride will turn right up river while the century and 40 miler will go left down into Panther Creek. We discovered later in the weekend that a cyclist riding on Rabbit Skin Road was taken down by a loose dog and is now paralyzed as a result. The rider was scheduled for surgery today Tuesday, August 17th. Apparently the dog is well known to many of the area cyclists, who ride that particular route. This event must have happened near the time that we were in the general area and within just a couple of miles. Panther Creek Road goes down the north side of the river and Rabbit Skin Road goes down the south side.

 (Three thorns as opposed to a rose between 2 thorns above!)

Upon resuming our trek, we climbed out of Panther Creek and dropped back down into Fines Creek where we checked out a water stop at the Fines Creek Community building. After giving it a passing grade and petting a well fed, happy Labrador Retreiver, we moved on and ran by a pack of dogs laying in and out of the road. One dog began to give chase but it was redirected by Cross Country Stan and his water bottle. Ken will be making a home visit to ask these mountain folk to put their dogs up next Saturday morning. Should be an interesting conversation as, culturally speaking, dogs often have as much or more rights than humans here in the mountains. Hopefully, the folks will be aware of last weekend’s tragedy and will be happy to assist us in getting some 250 cyclists through the county.

We enjoyed a brief stop at Ferguson’s Supply store at the intersection of NC 209 and Max Patch Road. This is also the base of Rush Fork Mountain and we were going to be climbing to the top. From the north side, the mountain is arguably one of the top 5 climbs in the county. The south side is likely one of the two toughest climbs in the area. It is for more experienced riders than I to come up with the final rankings. I do know this – it will wear you down with its 13% grade over approximately 2 miles.

We all made it to the top – some quicker than others and then enjoyed an exhilarating descent reaching 40+ mph on the straight stretch as we blasted past WeKirk Farms and the G.C. Palmer dairy. We had one more short climb on NC 209 to the Crabtree First United Methodist Church where a water stop will be located and the metric century riders will rejoin the route. Time was running low at this point so we opted out of the climb up the backside of Hyder Mountain and headed on back to our starting point at Lake Junaluska Assembly. Christina found some new juice in her legs on this final stretch and pushed us up to about 20 mph pace before we said our goodbyes to Cross Country Stan and made our way around South Lakeshore Drive to the starting point. 38.5 miles later we were back after enjoying a fine morning in the saddle.

This ride really whetted my appetite for the upcoming metric century. I’m looking forward to this Saturday!

The other sad event…

On Thursday evening, the Navigator and I came to the sad conclusion that Mattie Anne, our 13 year old Golden Retriever,  had reached the end of her time with us. Three weeks ago on Sunday evening, we noticed that she was having difficulty breathing. She had been fine up to that point. We took her to the Vet on Monday morning and he took a quick look at her and agreed that she had the swelling in her throat that I had felt on Sunday. He said he wanted to run some more tests and would call us.

Less than 30 minutes later, he was on the phone with me asking that I return to the clinic. His tests confirmed what he suspected when he first examined Mattie. She had lymphoma and it was very aggressive. Without treatment, he predicted that she would last no more than two or three days.

After hearing our alternatives (put her to sleep now, Prednisone to make her more comfortable, or chemo), we chose the middle route of Prednisone. It had a remarkable and quick affect relieving almost all of her symptoms within 24 hours. To look at her, you would not be aware of the insidious disease taking its internal toll. It also bought time for extended family to say their good-byes.

We knew it was only a matter of time until the Prednisone was no longer working its magic and we knew we would be facing a decision soon. Mattie was originally a niece’s dog but spent most of her life at my father-in-law’s home when the niece moved on to other pursuits. My “better half” and I took over care of Mattie some 8 or so years ago when my in-laws began experiencing their own illnesses.

Finally, this past fall was a time when my father-in-law could no longer do the day-to-day care for Mattie and her health needs so she came to live with us and became an integral part of the daily routine along with Zeke and Orla, our two Labs.  Mattie would greet anyone and everyone with a big “smile” and apparently could not be petted to a point of satiation. She never met a stranger, either human or 4-legged. I don’t think I ever saw anyone turn away without a smile on their own face after a few seconds with Mattie.

Toward the middle of last week, Mattie became noticeably weaker and by Thursday, I was having to pick her up so she could walk. Her appetite was off and you could see the weight loss she was experiencing. We are thankful that she never seemed to be in pain but clearly, it was time…

So, Thursday night was a tough night as we tried to wrap her in as much love as possible knowing it would be her last. On Friday morning, we made her last ride in the truck and the Vet and his staff did a wonderful service in helping Mattie move on to her next journey. I sat in the floor and she laid her head in my lap as the Vet administered the sedative. It was a quiet and peaceful transition. I hope that I’m that lucky when my day comes…

(Mattie Anne – a gentle soul has left us leaving a void in our home.)

Until later,

- Zeke

RIDE/TOUR WRAP UPS – WATER MANAGEMENT

 

Tours/Races that I am following:

The Tour Divide My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

The Tour Divide While a number of riders remain on the course, Matthew Lee has finished the race in a time of 17 days, 15 hours and 13 minutes in which he covered 2745 miles. He is the winner of the 2010 Tour Divide. Our “Mountain Turtle” is safely home again after experiencing equipment failure such that the wisest decision was to pack it in and head back to Issaquah. He is posting numerous images of his experience on his blog at KentsBikeBlog.

(Photo credit: Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson

Click the image to see the story!)

My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo.

Also coming to a close is Jim Artis’s field testing, as it turns out, of Fargo. After several days in Ashford, CT and consultation with Fargo builder Ashley, it was agreed that there was nothing else to be gained from further field testing. Information has been gathered for the necessary modifications to enhance Fargo as a touring HPV supreme. Jim has procured a rental truck this morning and is awaiting delivery of a couple of packages at his “home away from home”, the Ashford Motel, on Ashford Motel Rd., in Ashford, CT. I’ll bet UPS won’t have any trouble finding him.

Jim has an approximate 12 hour drive to get home. We’ll be looking forward to his many stories of his adventure in the northeast as he has settles back in at home. He will be shipping out parts of Fargo back to Utah Trikes for in-house review and modification. We’ll look forward to more Fargo adventures down the road!

Some thoughts on local matters…

Over the course of this blog, I’ve written numerous times about the Pigeon River Valley and my rides around it. I’ve posted images of the fields ready for planting, planted, and harvested. To a large degree, my stories have been based upon sitting above the fields on either NC 110 or NC 215 as I looked down on the field. The two roads are the boundaries of an incredibly fertile valley.

Last night, I had the opportunity to get more in-depth knowledge about local efforts to protect the water tables and the land from pollution in this area. I visited 3 spots: Bethel Middle School, Bethel Elementary School, and Cold Mountain Nursery. Each of these are doing some outstanding work at handling run-off water from storms in ways that recycle the water reducing demand upon the areas water table, actually treating the run-off before it enters the streams, and reusing the water in irrigation efforts to reduce overall water use in the nursery business.

By now you may be saying, “Hey, this is a cycling blog. What’s up with water talk?” For me, cycling and reducing our carbon footprint goes hand-in-hand with treating the land better and being better stewards of our natural resources. It was very impressive to me when I saw the work done by David Curtis at Bethel Elementary in developing a rain barrel system with his students. He spoke of how this had brought science and math together to solve common issues in environmental issues. Or to have seen the massive work done at the new elementary school were water gardens and a massive water catch basin have been installed to collect storm runoff and actually TREAT THE WATER before it ever leaves the property making it’s way to the nearby Pigeon River. Finally, to see the integrated network of ditches and ponds used by Cold Mountain Nursery to reuse their non-heribicdal infused water, was outstanding.

Oh yeah, at least two of the guys presenting and responsible for lots of this work are cyclists…

Until later,

- Zeke

A RIDE WITH A GATOR…

Rides/Tours I am following:

The Tour Divide My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

Riding with a Gator…

I’ve never ridden with a Gator before today. It was a very pleasurable experience! This particular Gator is coming off of a significant bike injury that required surgery, which was then followed up with a blood clot. No fun! Everyone knows Gator skin is tough and this particular Gator is no exception!

(Gator John Bryan following our spin up to Sunburst!)

Yep, John is a University of Florida Gator and has sent two of his children to that esteemed institution of higher learning. John and his spouse are here enjoying a couple of weeks at their home in the Bethel Community. We’ve corresponded via email from time to time through this blog and have agreed in the past to get together for a ride when John was in the area. Unfortunately, his bike accident resulting in injury requiring surgery slowed that ride opportunity down. John has jumped back on his back after getting physician clearance and has been putting on some miles at home.

Today was our day to connect. We met at Bethel Middle School and spun our way up to Sunburst, which is a NC Forest campground/picnic area about 8 or 9 miles up the Pigeon River from Bethel Grocery Store.  After some initial greetings and getting acquainted, we started up the mostly river grade road running along the West Fork of the Pigeon. Road traffic was heavier than usual today but everyone had apparently taken a “nice pill” as folks waiting patiently behind us until safe to pass and then waved as they went by us. We crossed the West Fork twice before getting to the bottom of the only real climb we would face today.

Just past the Lake Logan Volunteer Fired Department, the road takes a significant increase in grade as you climb above Lake Logan. The climb can be deceiving because just as you think you’re through, you come upon a little reprieve in grade only to find that the grade increases again to the top of the climb. John’s Garmin was reporting a 13% grade and my VDO-Z1 showed 11%. Somewhere between the two is actual grade we were climbing.

Following a very pleasant, cool descent under heavy pine canopy, we come out of a right hand turn and cross over the bridge at the upper end of Lake Logan. A big peal of thunder occurred just as we hit this straight stretch and you could see the day’s late afternoon thunderstorm beginning to roll in over the mountain. It didn’t look like imminent rain though so we kept the cranks moving.

We passed a number of folks enjoying some swimming in the watering holes of the Pigeon and went by an open house for today’s Family Farm Tour sponsored by the Bethel Community Action Group. I recognized George Ivey, a friend, fellow Rotarian, and serious cyclist, sitting on the porch. George is also a published author in addition to his other many talents.

We made our way to Sunburst and pulled into the picnic area just as the first rain drops began to fall. We didn’t tarry long as neither of us wanted to get caught in a thunderstorm without jackets. The rain turned out to be just enough to be cool and pleasant. We had run out of it by the time we reached Lake Logan on the return loop.

From there, we had one more climb and then pleasant pedaling back to Bethel Middle School and sunshine. This was a very pleasant interlude in a hot day and I’ll look forward to riding with this Gator again!

The Tour Divide

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson had a mechanical that has brought his participation in the 2010 edition of the Great Divide Ride to a halt. The freehub on his Monocog bit the dirt and being in the Great Basin moving at bike/hiking speed isn’t a good plan. Kent had supplies to last at biking pace but not walking pace so he has made the correct decision and withdrawn. I would imagine he is hastening somewhat more swiftly back to the arms of the lovely Christine! It was an outstanding effort that included one heck of a prologue just to get to the start. Thanks Kent for supplying us all with some great inspiration! I know that there will be stories to come with lots of images! Enjoy your embrace with Christine, recharge the batteries, and then give us some great stories that we all know you absorbed on the trail! Well done, my friend!

My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo.

Gearing issues seem to be the tale of the day as Jim Artis finds himself in a “no go” condition in Ashford, CT. He has written recently of difficulties with getting over climbs due to slippage and the reason has become much clearer in the last 36 hours. He has posted clear images of the problem gearing on his blog.  It currently appears that Jim and Fargo will be at the Ashford Motel in Ashford CT until at least Tuesday morning as he consults with Ashley on repairs and receives a needed replacement part. The Lithium Ion batteries required to power his SPOT died yesterday and there was no where on his route to find any replacements. I am in the process of shipping some to him by Tuesday morning in the hopes that he will be on the road again. We’ll see how Staples and UPS keep their promises of overnight delivery. I’ve been assured that the batteries will make it to Ashford by the Tuesday 8:00 or 10:00 a.m. delivery. Jim told me this morning that the only place to get food is by delivery from a Sports Bar!

Jim had another interesting encounter with local Law Enforcement, who once again took his safety to heart and assisted him in getting to his lodging. Jim remains in good spirits and is doing well. As he so clearly points out himself, he enjoys the design and evaluation phases of building new cycles. This is certainly one heck of a shake down cruise! Check it all out by visiting Cycling Experiences! 

Until later… I gotta go put another shrimp on the barbie…

- Zeke

NEW RIDERS GROUP RIDE HAS INTERESTING START

Races/Tours I am following:

The Tour Divide My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

It was hot – muggy hot. Almost, but not quite, New Orleans sultry hot. Not Oklahoma City “slam your butt back in the car” hot… I can’t go that far. How hot was it? It was SOOO hot I broke a sweat putting my hat on to walk to lunch. It was so humid I thought I saw a 20” Rainbow Trout swimming up Main Street. If Tennessee Williams were here yesterday, I’m confident he would have written a new award winning novel on the spot that featured heat and humidity. I had visions of William Hurt and Kathleen Turner comingling in Body Heat as I made my way up to the cafe. You get the picture.

When it’s that hot and humid in our mountains, you just know it’s gonna rain and it did… The skies turned a deep dark black in a pitchfork pattern just as we were hoping for new riders to appear for our first BicycleHaywoodNC sponsored New Riders Group ride. It was a tricky rain pattern.The pitchfork “look” meant that it was raining to our north and east, sunshine to our west holding out promise of a short rain event, and rain to our south. Our riders were beginning to gather and questioning “are we going to get to ride?” “What should we do?” “How long is this rain going to fall?”

Our start time came and went as we watched the rain fall. We were prepped for our pre-ride bike checks, waivers of liability, and a short safety chat as we got the initial ride of this 6 week effort under way. Articles were in the newspaper leading up to the ride and we were on other printed news calendars. We built it but they did not come. The rain let up and the 5 of us – all experienced riders did what cyclists do… we rode!

(BicycleHaywoodNC ride leaders and Newest member prior to ride) 

Given the lack of beginning riders, we decided to ride the route I had suggested for first timers. I should say that we did have a New rider. In the image above, she is on the far right and her last name is- wait for it – New! Still, she is an experienced rider.

The chosen route was about 9.4 miles and as flat as is possible here in the mountains. Other than a short climb out of the LBS parking lot, we were pretty much running river grade from North Main Street in Waynesville all the way to Wal-Mart on the other end of town. The loop utilized our partially completed greenway, went by the town’s recreation department, took in different business sections of Waynesville, and went by schools. It traversed the Village of Hazelwood, a small former town now completely encircled by Waynesville. We rode through some nice residential areas and even enjoyed some newly paved road on Brown Avenue.

As I expressed to our riders, this route is hopefully easy enough for those riders beginning to get back in shape, showcases some of our town’s prettiest spots, and begins to plant the seed “Hey, maybe I could ride to the store instead of driving.” We want to attack that “last mile” that transportation engineers are always talking about. Another goal of our group rides is to get more cyclists on the roads to increase our visibility. The more auto/truck drivers see cyclists on the roads, the more awareness they will develop of cyclists making the roads safer.

One key part of our education effort is to make sure that new riders develop good riding skills. So, yesterday with 3 future ride leaders and our “Newbie”, we practiced good ridership. We stopped at stop signs, we used hand signals, we communicated from back to front and vice versa. All good practice for when our new group rides develop some new group riders!

Was yesterday’s ride a success? Well, I’d have to say yes. We weren’t overrun with exuberant new riders but we did accomplish some goals of increased visibility, gaining additional support/ideas for a recommended “backbone” of a bike route through Waynesville, and got our future ride leaders all on the same page. So, we’ll keep publicizing and be ready for next Thursday evening’s New Riders Group!

Some Tour/Race updates:

My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo.

After his big day on Wednesday, Jim Artis rode a shorter run yesterday to Sturbridge, MA. In fact, he did some unexpected multi-modal transiting yesterday. He has added yet another interesting tale to this adventure with Fargo. Check it out at Cycling Experiences. If he had been in K-Mart, he might have called it a “blue light special.” ‘nuff said…

The Tour Divide

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson was headed into the Great Divide Basin yesterday after having stocked up on critical supplies, i.e., Snicker bars, Slim Jim, and Chocolate Chip cookies. Anyone who has followed KentsBikeBlog for awhile knows that Kent quite frequently denies being a “nutritional role model”. Christine, Kent’s “better half” and “Keeper of the Blog” during his Divide Ride, reported that he has some lingering soreness from his encounter with the cattle guard and barbed wire fence but other wise remains in good spirit and is having a great time!

Sadly, Tour Divide rider David Blumenthal has died from injuries he received when he collided with a truck on a narrow mountain road in Colorado.

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

As best I could tell from following SPOT tracks yesterday, Raphael Giraldo was remaining in the greater Boston area for the day. If I recall correctly, he had some Tour commitments that would keep him in the city. Giraldo has a number of short videos that he posts daily on the TOD: Ride for the Republic. They are available, along with lots of still imagery, on his website.

Esoterica…

In its just released issue, Outside magazine has an article on the upcoming Tour De France – well, really it is more about the rivalry between Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. I didn’t see the image of Armstrong that prompted his tweat about Outside having photoshopped some text on a blank T-shirt worn by Armstrong. To get a better understanding of the dust up over the image, check out Fatty’s in-depth explanation of the situation. In true Fatty style, Eldon gets to the crux of the matter and clearly shows why he too joins Lance in being angry with Outside magazine!

There is still plenty of time to register for the inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway! This ride will include Century, Metric Century, and shorter rides on August 21st. Initial response has been good according to event organizers. Why don’t you come join us and climb in our mountains!

Until later,

- Zeke

A TOUR SAVED, BEGINNER GROUP RIDES IN THE OFFING

 

Tours/Races I am following:

The Tour Divide My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

BIG NEWS FOR JIM ARTIS AND FARGO!

Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences got a major shot in the arm saving, in all likelihood, the remainder of his tour yesterday when Ashley Guy of Utah Trikes in Payson, UT contacted him via email and let him know that he would sponsor Jim and Fargo for the rest of their tour to Fayetteville if Jim so desired. Of course, JIM SO DESIRED! You can get Jim’s take on this at his blog post of yesterday.

I spoke with Jim last night and this morning and he is in great spirits and body. Jim is a veteran of many century rides and there was never a question that his spirit or body would call a halt to the morphed Tour with Fargo. Finances, however, can bring a man to ground and Ashley’s great offer came just before Jim was going to have to make some tough decisions. So, thanks to Ashley and to Jim’s indomitable spirit and belief in Fargo, we get to keep virtually riding along. I also know that Jim is forever grateful to the great support he has received from his readership/friends in the blogs and on BROL. So, thanks to everyone who helped keep this tour going!

Today, Jim has put in over 11 hours on the road as he approaches his next city, Worcester, MA. According to my calculations using Google Earth, he has travelled 37.8 miles thus far today. For those keeping track of such trivia, he is now further south than his initial riding partner Raphael Giraldo, as Raphael has headed into Boston for TOD: Ride for the Republic commitments.

The Tour Divide

The “Mountain Turtle”, Kent Peterson, keeps “hastening slowly” as he rides the Tour Divide. Kent is passing/has passed through the Grand Tetons and is headed for the Great Basin. In contrast to the weather that Jim Artis and Raphael Giraldo experience on the east coast, Kent is daily in and out of snow and mud. He reports that he had a great sleep last night on Cat Creek near the Ashton Flag Ranch Road. Today’s post at KentsBikeBlog gives more overall race details (now 3 basic groups of riders with 60% of the race starters having abandoned) and the sad news that a racer from the front group was involved in a head-on collision resulting in serious injury. The rider, Dave Blumenthal,  has been taken to a hospital in Denver. Kent, being the cagey, veteran rider that he is, rides in the back of the 3rd group biding his time, hastening slowly always.

…and now for some LOCAL NEWS!

BicycleHaywoodNC, which is our local advisory council formed in 2009, will be sponsoring the first of 6 Thursday evening group rides for less experienced riders. This effort is part of the Council’s attempt to increase the number of cyclists in our area, help develop good riding behavior, and increase the presence of cyclists on our local roads in the hopes that other vehicle operators will learn increased awareness of us. We will be rolling out from the LBS in the neighborhood of 6:00 p.m. Prior to leaving the shop, each bike will be reviewed by the shop staff for notable safety issues and a short safety “chat” will be held with the group. In addition,  local Chief of Police Bill Hollingsed, has committed to providing a Bicycle mounted officer to accompany us unless emergent matters dictate their need elsewhere. At a minimum, the patrol units will be aware of our presence in advance and keep an eye out for us. We will also be accompanied by members of BicycleHaywoodNC and a wrench from the LBS.

As the ride leader tomorrow evening, I intend to keep the group within the town limits and hopefully demonstrate that cycling through our town can be done safely without making major climbs. (Note: Waynesville is the eastern gateway to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park so we have significant mountainous terrain.) I’m hoping that a seed will be planted about riding that last mile to the store and leaving the car at home!

Obviously, we’re hoping for a significant turnout. An article appeared in the local papers this week advertising the ride. Time will tell how successful we are. I’m pleased that we have commitments for a minimum of 6 weeks from our Council membership to lead the rides.

Until later,

- Zeke

PROGRESS AND TOUGH DECISIONS TO BE MADE…

Races/Tours that I am following:

The Tour Divide My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo.

Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences has just begun moving on Day 10 of what started out as part of the Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic but has now morphed into “My Cycling Experiences on Tour with Fargo.”  Jim appears to have just started moving this morning have 5.7 miles under his belt following an overnight stay in a Fairfield Inn at Exeter, NH. His goal for today is to reach Lowell, MA.

I spoke with Jim last evening after he arrived in Exeter and before he had secured food for an evening meal. At this point, he is in a balancing act between remaining financial resources and his desire to continue the tour toward home. Each day represents another opportunity to do real field testing of Fargo and to develop plans for modifications to this unique touring vehicle.

Jim has received some donations that have helped extend his stay. As he is no longer part of the Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic, financial assistance from that resource is no longer available and much of Jim’s budget has been spent on unexpected expenses in getting Fargo to Bar Harbor, along with the repair costs along the way. Jim reported to me that he has been largely subsisting on bagels and food from McDonalds in order to keep himself fueled up but he has sorely missed getting enough protein in his diet. His spirit was still remarkably good and he indicated to me that his legs are holding up well at this point.

One interim goal he had set was to get to Richmond, VA where he could do some additional load removal and perhaps some modification to Fargo to further reduce the rubbing issues, which are causing friction/drag and overtime will surely cause additional mechanical issues. Based upon his post of last night, it would appear that Jim is contemplating how much longer he can make it between having enough money to stay on the road and ride versus having enough money to rent a 10’ truck to get home to Fayetteville.

If you wish to contribute to this on-going tour, please send Jim a note at jalexartis@aol.com.

 

The Tour Divide

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson has now been moving for a little over an hour in Wyoming. He crossed over state lines yesterday. He is now approaching Jackson Lake in the Grand Teton National Park, one of the most beautiful places on the face of this earth! Christine posted an interesting story about the “Mountain Turtle” catching air when he, his bike, a cattle guard, and barbed wire all intersected in time and place. Kent has also posted numerous comments about the wet conditions and the toll that the mud is taking on man and equipment. You may visit Kent’s SPOT page HERE!

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

Raphael Giraldo appears to have spent the night in Nashua, NH and does not appear to have started moving as yet today. He has posted a number of daily videos and LOTS of images of his trip thus far. You can access those at the Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic.

Until later,

- Zeke

FATHER’S DAY 2010 – RACE AND TOUR UPDATES!

 

Races/Tours I am following:

The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

The Tour Divide

Mark has a new post up this afternoon following a conversation with Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson. Kent is 900 miles into the race now. Remember that he rode 845 miles just to get to the start line! Kent is reporting on the mud conditions and how bad it is this year from that perspective. He apparently remains in good humor and upbeat and is enjoying this epic ride. Check out the posts at KentsBikeBlog and the pod casts at MTBCast. 

 

My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo

Jim Artis and Fargo are now in Kennebunk, ME for the evening staying at the EconoLodge after a 34 mile day. Jim was able to mitigate the rubbing issue somewhat although it still remains. He is now reporting that it is likely to take a redesign of the rear platform to resolve the issue. Still, this is his longest day today for riding on what has become an interesting field test of the quad. If you’ve been following this story, you know that Jim has experienced considerable unanticipated expenses while on the road and is no longer a part of the TOD: Ride for the Republic. Anyone wishing to assist in whatever manner or amount possible to offset expenses may make a donation to his ongoing development of Fargo via PayPal. If you would like to make a donation, post Jim a note on his blog. I’m sure he would appreciate your assistance!

The Tour of Switzerland

Congratulations to Frank Schleck for his victory in taking the overall GC title in the Tour de Swisse. Team Saxo Bank also had the third place finisher on the podium along with Shleck. Team Radio Shack rider Lance Armstrong placed second overall. HTC-Columbia rider Tony Martin took the stage victory today. Former GC leader finished in 40th place at 2:19 back of the leader dropping him to 5th place in the final GC. Team Radio Shack riders Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden finished 5th and 6th respectively in the final stage. The Tour of Switzerland has certainly  set the tone for much debate going into the Tour du France.

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

A day of rest for Raphael Giraldo and Manifest Destiny. Check his site for updated reports, images, and videos!

I hope your weekend was great!

Until later,

-Zeke

ARTIS IS ON THE MOVE!

 

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

 

(Saturday, June 18th, 09:10 EDT update) Our friend and touring aficionado, Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences, got an early start this morning. He began moving around 5:00 a.m.this morning and appears to have covered 13.6 miles to his latest SPOT track. Note that SPOT tracks are not immediately updated so he is likely further along than this as I write. We’re all hoping the mechanical issues with the misaligned axle and friction from rubbing on the metal brake caliper have been resolved. It will be good to know if Fargo is moving along more smoothly today.

Using Google Earth to calculate the difference in mileage from Jim to Raphael Giraldo and the TOD: Ride for the Republic, it would appear that there are about 56 miles difference between the two. (I am NOT writing this to indicate or insinuate that Jim is attempting to reconnect with the TOD. I note this only as a point of reference between two riders that started at the same time and place 5 days ago.)

(Saturday, June 18th, 6:50 p.m. EDT update) Jim’s last SPOT track was at 4:26 p.m. at GPS coordinates 43.79051, -70.39734. Utilizing Google Earth Street View, I note this appears to be a motel. I’m guessing he has called it a day for travel. His metrics indicate he moved 22 miles today even though he continues to experience a “rubbing of the lexan”. His last post indicates he thinks he has isolated the issue and is working on a resolution. Check out his latest posts at Cycling Experiences.

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson’s images from his prologue to the beginning of the Tour Divide have been received and posted on KentsBikeBlog. These are images he took on the way to the race during his 500+ mile ride to start the race! Click on over to see the images and to also get the latest updates from Mark and Christine on his progress south while “hastening slowly!”

(Saturday, June 18th, 7:00 p.m. Update) Mark has a new post up about the trials and tribulations facing this year’s riders. He notes that “Mountain Turtle” reports being in better physical condition than 5 years ago but reports that the trail is in much worse condition this year due to wet conditions. Check out Mark’s post for some excellent points on the race.

Tour of Switzerland:

Rui da Costa of Caisse d’Epargne took stage 8 of the Tour de Swisse today. His teammate Jose Rojas Gil crossed the finish line second. GC leader Robert Gesink holds the leader’s jersey again as he finished one minute back of the stage winner. Team Radio Shack members Lance Armstrong (7th overall) and Levi Leipheimer (13th overall) finished 14th and 18th respectively at the same time of 1:16.

Pro rider Kim Kirchen was placed in an artificial coma after experiencing a heart attack while competing at the Tour de Swisse. He was hospitalized overnight Friday after reporting that he did not feel well. VeloNews is reporting that he is in stable condition.

Race Across America:

Team Bent Up Cycles appears to have finished the Race Across America in 3rd place in the Mens, under 50, 4 man team category. The 3 top teams crossed the finish line in Annapolis within hours of each other. Jure Robic captures his 5th RAAM title in the Mens, solo, under 50 category completing the race in 9 days 1 hour and 1 minute with an average speed of 13.85 mph. Women’s solo under 50 leader, Barbara Buatois, is still on the course and has what appears to be a very comfortable lead on her nearest competitor.

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic Raphael Giraldo appears to be in Portsmouth, NH. He seems to have covered 22 miles today according to calculations based upon GPS coordinates in Google Earth. His last SPOT track was reported at 6:45 p.m. so he may have stopped for the day. Check out his daily updates at the TOD: Ride for the Republic.

More updates later.. I have to go “ride” my John Deere tractor for awhile…

My own update… (Saturday, June 18th, 7:26 p.m.) I’m tired… 3 yards, 1 field, 2 additional hours of running the weed-eater and more poison ivy than I care to recall. I didn’t travel anywhere near 22 miles today!

Best wishes to all of our ongoing riders and congrats to the winners of the various RAAM categories.

Until later,

- Zeke

…AND THE GOOD TIMES ROLL ON!

 

Races/Tours that I am following:

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland My cycling experiences on tour, with Fargo. The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

(TOD: Ride for the Republic/Touring with Fargo: (updated 06/17/10 @ 11:30 EDT)

This brief update is to inform that Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences is now on his way to Bath Bicycle & Ski via the courtesy of yet “another angel on his trip”. He is being transported to Woolwitch, ME to get repairs on the Rohloff drive completed. Preliminary thoughts are that some pins sheared to protect the drive itself.

Given that Jim has retitled his tour effort separately from the TOD: Ride for the Republic, I believe that his intent is now to tour his way home at his pace and continue testing the limits of Fargo and himself. He is going to have a story rich in detail between the various cycle specific content and the human connection stories. I think we’re in for some good reading based upon both the TOD: Ride for the Republic and Cycling Experiences: On tour with Fargo. Most of Jim’s daily posts will be on a BROL thread so you can check there for more immediate details.

(Update 14:10 p.m. EDT) Jim is on the move again after having found out that mechanical #2 was really an extension of mechanical #1. The LBS got him assessed and fixed quickly. He was also able to ship some more weight home. It is raining at his locale as he started out again.

(Update 16:10 p.m. EDT) I just ended a phone call with Jim Artis and he updates the scenario as follows: The Rohlff did not have sheared pins and was not part of the mechanical problem. As it turns out, a snap ring was not in place for some unknonw reason and it had allowed the axle to shift. It shifted in a way that it was rubbing against a metal brake caliper and wearing it down. This was not discovered until Jim was ready to ride again. He is still at the LBS in Woolwitch affecting change to Fargo. Part of his weight reduction was the removal of a generator and chain, which will further reduce drag once he is rolling again. His hopes and plans are that Fargo will be healthy again shortly with no drag issues and he will ride briefly to lodging for the night. He does not anticipate significant mileage today. The LBS staff have been excellent and have connected with Ashely in Utah several times today to work out repairs. Jim remains upbeat and is very pleased with certain aspects of how Fargo has performed. He will post more details tonight at Cycling Experiences and on BROL.

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

Raphael Giraldo is on the move for the past 3 hours. He is currently, according to his SPOT track, in Brunswick, ME. He is in what looks to be a very busy section of town (utilizing Google Street View for this info) and is either on or headed to Old Portland Rd.

 

The Tour Divide

Our “Mountain Turtle” continues his southward trek through Montana. According to his latest SPOT track, he is just intersecting with Priest Pass Rd. and Highway 12 west of Helena, Montana.  Visit KentsBikeBlog to get last night’s update from his wife Christine! Now for an unsolicited suggestion that if you like the Mountain Turtle logo, BUY YOURSELF A SHIRT EMBLAZONED WITH IT! All proceeds go to Kent to finance these treks. Visit Bike There Online Store to purchase any of several Mountain Turtle inspired shirts, caps, and other products. (Full disclosure: Kent did not ask me to solicit this, probably doesn’t know that I did it, and I get no renumeration in any form other than enjoying his fine writing and riding!)

 

The Tour of Switzerland

The 213 km 6th stage of the Tour de Swisse was won by Robert Gesink of Rabobank. He topped the final summit alone and then raced the final 10k alone. the next group of riders came in 42 seconds later and included American Lance Armstrong. Former Tour leader Tony Martin could not maintain the pace today and came in 2 minutes after the winning time. Gesink holds a 29 second advantage on the field going into tomorrow’s hilly stage. In a tweat following the race, Armstrong indicated that the ride was “tough” but that he felt strong. He also indicated that Levi Leipheimer and Andy Kloedin had goo days as well. Armstrong has moved into 7th place overall at 55 secs. down.

VeloNews is reporting that Mark Cavendish has withdrawn from the tour after the crash in which he was penalized 30 secs and experienced minor injuries.

 

 

Until later today,

- Zeke

EXCITING TIMES IN THE CYCLING WORLD!

Rides that I’m following:

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

Today has been involved with tracking the TOD: Ride for the Republic and the involved participants. Heavy thunder storms and a late afternoon appointment kept my Fuji safely ensconced at home so my “riding” as been of the vicarious nature today. That said, it has been interesting to say the least!

The Race Across America (RAAM)

Team Bent Up Cycles is now in Missouri, remaining in 3rd place in their category and averaging 20.15 mph. Solo Women’s leader, Barbara Buatois, will have covered 2211 miles when she pulls into time station #38. Her closest competitor has yet to reach time station #34. (Time stations appear to be numbered incrementing higher as you move east.) Men’s Under 50 solo leader, Jure Robic should be just arriving at time station #42 having covered 2441 miles.

The Tour Divide

Kent ”Mountain Turtle” Peterson continues to baffle and bewilder the race leaders with his strategy of “I’ll start slow… and then slow down.” (credit: kentsbikeblog.com). Reports indicate that the heavier than usual snow in the upper elevations has slowed many riders and is causing much bike-hiking. 10 riders are reported to have dropped from the race at this time. “Mountain Turtle” continues his time proven pace and is in good spirits and, apparently, rich in canned spam… 

The Tour of Switzerland

Tony Martin retained the overall lead in a rain soaked stage 5 of the Tour de Swisse today. Marcus Burghardt (BMC) took the stage as part of a breakaway that started early and was allowed to go the distance by the peloton. Team Radio Shack members Levi Leipheimer (13th overall) and Lance Armstrong  (21st overall) finished in the main pack 47 seconds back. Leipheimer is listed at 19th in the stage and Armstrong at 29th. Joining Armstrong were George Hincapie (27th) and Andy Schleck (28th).  Three friends out for a wet ride perhaps?

The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

This has been an “up and down” day for the TOD: Ride for the Republic viewers as it first appeared that Cycling Experiences Jim Artis would be withdrawing from the TOD due to distance, weight, and lack of communication with his touring partner Raphael Giraldo. However, as the day progressed, communications were re-established between the two and an agreement to re-evaluate the situation this evening in a phone call was made. Additionally, Artis has been able to jettison his trailer (see post from earlier in day) and therefore, reduced his total weight, which should enable him to make better time assuming no more mechanicals. For most of the afternoon, Jim and Raphael have maintained about a 28 to 29 mile difference in location, which tells me that they are riding at pretty comparable speeds now. I anticipate posting by Jim this evening at Cycling Experiences. I am reminded of the old saying “It ain’t over ‘til the Fat Lady sings.” Well, she may have been warming up but I think she has returned to her seat for now!

Until later,

- Zeke

MY OWN FLAG DAY RIDE

Races I am following:

The Race Across America (RAAM) The Tour Divide The Tour of Switzerland The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

 

I couldn’t be with my friend Jim Artis as he set off on his tour from Cadillac Mountain on Monday morning so I had to settle with a commute home after work. I had a late afternoon appointment that ran me a little later getting started than usual but I thought this would be a good thing as the work crowd in cars would have thinned out.

As I left my office at 6:00 p.m., the temperature was 94 degrees with about 80% humidity. It was hot and sticky! Still, I had hopes of enjoying the ride home at a leisurely but productive pace. As I was cruising along Howell Mill Rd., I looked down and was amazed to see that I was pulling nearly 45 mph! Whew! This was on flat ground too. I was somewhat wary of the data as I’ve never ridden 45 mph downhill much less on flat ground under my own power. Sure enough, I was kicking it! By the time I got to Lowes, which is about 2.5 miles from my office, I was informed by my computer that I had ridden 5.8 miles. I mean I was really having a great ride…

Unfortunately, I had to accept that my bike computer was malfunctioning. I stopped and tried to reset it properly. After getting restarted on the road, I had my first of two events involving A$$Hole Appleton. In the first, an old pickup with 3 passengers found it necessary to wait until they were right on top of me before hammering down on their horn. I imagine the bike and I  jumped 3’ straight up in the air as it scared me. Through their mirrors, I could see them laughing as they pulled away. I proudly held back and did not give them the one finger salute.

My ride continued on at an accelerated pace thanks to the still malfunctioning computer. My cadence and heart bpm seemed appropriate to the exertion level but the speed and mileage was still off. I made it across Lee Road and down to Old Clyde Road without further appearances of A$$Hole Harry. In fact, I even stopped at the end of Lee Road and took this picture of the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway from down below.

(Old Clyde Highway passing under GSM Expressway)

Just past the bridge, the road widens out nicely into a boulevard that runs through Clyde. I had just picked up a good cruising speed of around 20 mph (55 on my computer!) and had a nice vibe going. I noted a large high dollar pickup coming to an intersection on my left. I had the right of way as I was on the through street. I had eye contact with the passenger and, I thought, the driver. He did appear to be looking right at me. I proceeded on – He pulled out. Yep, I apparently didn’t exist even though his passenger was looking dead on at me and I was about to smash into her door. Didn’t seem to bother any of them though and I was fortunate in having the room to maneuver right and get out their lane of travel. Once he passed me, I noted his out of state license plates and then it made more sense. He was from the most dangerous state in the union for cyclists. You know, that one down south of me. The one with the long, long narrow landmass and the panhandle. He was just driving like he was at home. Silly me…

Oh well, alls well that ends well. From there it was a nice uneventful run to Canton via Business 23 and then to Bethel via NC 110. A little shorter than usual ride but, gosh, at an incredible pace – according to my bike computer! Once home, the temperatures cooled down thanks to a cloud burst at our house. The Navigator and I were lucky to enjoy a pretty scene over the valley!

(Pretty rainbow following a thunder storm that cooled us down nicely!) 

Race/Tour updates:

• The Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic

Jim has made good progress today after his initial start yesterday in which he had a mechanical and had to get used to pulling a bunch of weight. As I write this update today, he has just finished crossing Belfast Bay in Maine. His current GPS coordinates are 44.42523, -69.00764. Check in at Cycling Experiences to get his post on yesterday’s eventful start!

 

• The Tour Divide

Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson continues his movement southward while contemplating the cosmos. For his most recent thoughts on Butterflies and Cyclists, visit his blog at KentsBikeBlog where updates are regularly posted. Kent’s current GPS location is 47.44192 , -113.61743 as he continues to ride through the Flathead National Forest.

The Race Across America (RAAM)

My favorite 4 man under 50 team Bent Up Cycles had regained 3rd position in their category and were sailing through Kansas. They have now covered 1380 miles and are averaging 19.59 mph. Whew!

• The Tour of Switzerland

Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) retained the overall lead today. A bad crash within 100 meters of the final took down Mark Cavendish, Tom Boonen, and others allowing Alessandro Petacchi to take the stage win as he avoided the crashed riders. Team Radio Shack riders Levi Leipheimer (19 seconds out) and Lance Armstrong (30 seconds out) are in 13th and 22nd places respectively in the overall standings.

It’s time to go to our BicycleHaywoodNC Advisory Council meeting!

Until later,

- Zeke