Thanks to Ward for the really GOOD name for the new year. So much better than twenty-ten or two-oh-one-oh or two thousand ten. And what better way to spend it than seeing some of the countryside from the seat of a 2 wheeler? The rains of this morning moved on out in time for the noon advertised start of this ride. I wondered how many holiday revelers might stagger into their bike clothes and get a start on all those resolutions. A glance at this picture of the assembly point parking lot yields our answer:
Yes. The only vehicle there is my GMC. Frank pedaled here from the next town over. He ran late due to headwinds. I asked him again, "are you SURE you want to do 50 today?" To be honest, I would have been happy with less at that point in time. Frank was still up for the full monte of miles so off we went. Uphill and into the wind. For 20 miles. I kept telling myself, "Just think how great it will be when you get a tailwind!" It was a while before that happened, because after 20 miles dead into it, we ran another 5 with it quartering us. Finally, we turned south and had a spanker breeze for the 6 mile run to Old Kingston. We made only two rest stops and here is a pic from the 1st one.
Frank looks like he's just ridden out of a Terminator movie, doesn't he? He pushes that decked out Surly LHT (generator hub, spoke lights and counterweights, Dinotte lights and batteries! Wild trekking bars) at around 30 mph on the flats when the spirit moves him. No way I can keep up. Thankfully, I can catch him on the uphills. When he lets me. We did a bit over 2,800' today with grades ranging from 2 to 12 percent. The wind was tiring, but once we had it at the tail, we were cruising at 20 - 25 mph pretty easily. We ran at only 11 - 13 into it. Slower than that up some of the hills!
It was a steady 47 all day, but with the wind chill, it felt like, oh Absolute Zero. My feet were warmer today, as I remembered the shoe covers. It was still good to linger inside at our store stop (the second stop was the only open store we hit) and feel my limbs come back to life. Once the Sun started to set, I definitely felt more a chill. Triple wool layering did a good job at keeping things bearable even when sweat soaked.
So, I'm in the top 100 on BikeJournal.com, if only for 30 seconds. If I was a faster thinker, I'd have grabbed a screen shot. Oh well, maybe I'll remember next year.
I hope everyone gets all the miles they want this year, that each one is safe, and next New Year's finds us thankful for what we will have enjoyed in MMX. You too, Ward.
Tailwinds
Yes. The only vehicle there is my GMC. Frank pedaled here from the next town over. He ran late due to headwinds. I asked him again, "are you SURE you want to do 50 today?" To be honest, I would have been happy with less at that point in time. Frank was still up for the full monte of miles so off we went. Uphill and into the wind. For 20 miles. I kept telling myself, "Just think how great it will be when you get a tailwind!" It was a while before that happened, because after 20 miles dead into it, we ran another 5 with it quartering us. Finally, we turned south and had a spanker breeze for the 6 mile run to Old Kingston. We made only two rest stops and here is a pic from the 1st one.Frank looks like he's just ridden out of a Terminator movie, doesn't he? He pushes that decked out Surly LHT (generator hub, spoke lights and counterweights, Dinotte lights and batteries! Wild trekking bars) at around 30 mph on the flats when the spirit moves him. No way I can keep up. Thankfully, I can catch him on the uphills. When he lets me. We did a bit over 2,800' today with grades ranging from 2 to 12 percent. The wind was tiring, but once we had it at the tail, we were cruising at 20 - 25 mph pretty easily. We ran at only 11 - 13 into it. Slower than that up some of the hills!It was a steady 47 all day, but with the wind chill, it felt like, oh Absolute Zero. My feet were warmer today, as I remembered the shoe covers. It was still good to linger inside at our store stop (the second stop was the only open store we hit) and feel my limbs come back to life. Once the Sun started to set, I definitely felt more a chill. Triple wool layering did a good job at keeping things bearable even when sweat soaked.
So, I'm in the top 100 on BikeJournal.com, if only for 30 seconds. If I was a faster thinker, I'd have grabbed a screen shot. Oh well, maybe I'll remember next year.
I hope everyone gets all the miles they want this year, that each one is safe, and next New Year's finds us thankful for what we will have enjoyed in MMX. You too, Ward.
Tailwinds
2 comments:
I recognize that pit stop, but can't think of exactly where it's at. I'm wondering if it's the one that smells of dead, decaying bodies.
Dove:
It's @ AL143/CR68 just outside of Marbury. I had it mixed up in my mind with the near identical one at CR20/US31, about 2 miles away. It was too cold to smell ANYTHING, so can't help you with that one.
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