Champ's BBQ Ride

What a gorgeous day today! 58F at our 8:00 AM start here in Prattville, and climbing during the day to about 84F by the time we got back around 1:00 PM. We did a 70.5 mile trip to Wetumpka, including the Weoka Loop area and stopped for lunch at, anyone? anyone? Buehler? Yes, Ben Stein, Champ's BBQ. It was just Frank and Ray and I for the whole trip. Joe was at the parking lot, but had "issues." Compare this picture with the one from last week's post, and see if you can find all the items that Joe did not bring to the ride today.



Despite offers to replace the items, he decided his mood was ruined and he headed back home. Probably to cheer himself up by watching the Alabama - South Carolina game. How did that go, Joe?

The ride was generally excellent with a mix of flat and hilly terrain, low humidity and abundant sunshine. I took Louise, the Rambouillet today. I also rode in un-padded wool shorts today and liked it much better on a comfy leather Selle Anatomica saddle. My legs were sore from an attempt at running last night. I say attempt because I didn't get far. It's funny how running and riding use different muscles. So, I'll probably sneak out early tomorrow and try again to make it all the way around the block at a trot. MapMyRide and Google Maps both had an error on the route. They showed a side road crossing of the Coosa River, but such a pathway does not exist, clearly marked "Dead End" by the D.O.T.  Instead, we dropped down to AL 14 for a mile, crossed and returned to quiet side roads. Some of the roads we encountered in the 20 ish mile Weoka loop area were very coarse. Although I let air out of my 28 mm Contis (from 116 down to 85 psi) the ride was still harsher than say, Pari-Motos would be. We got past those sections and the rest of the time the tires were good. No one had a flat today, despite the time we spent on the shoulder and along the lane edges. No camera today, as I traveled light. Avg pace was just under 16 today which is decent for me and why I needed two Advils upon returning home.

We all agreed that Champ's is recommended eating. On US 231 in Wetumpka, about 3 miles north of the AL 14 Bypass.

Tailwinds!

Prattville iROBs

That's Internet Rivendell Owner's Bunch, to everyone else.

  Just a short post today. Frank (Bilenky) Ron (Blackhawk classified two wheeled apparatus) and Curtis (Still repping for the largest bike maker in the USA) met Joe's newest best pal, Sam Hillborne, today for a 33 miler in a brisk wind, but bright sunshine. Gorgeous bike, and the paint looks way better in person than in pictures. It is deeper and redder than it shows. Joe has also made the leap from spandex to comfortable shorts too.



So far, he likes the bike a lot. We both are running Pari-Moto tires, his at 70 psi and mine at 60. That must be why, as I was cranking along at 22 mph, he PASSED me doing at least 25. I take solace knowing that my tires were more "supple" over the bumps. NOT. I should add that this was in the tailwind portion of the ride. So the population of RBW owners in our little neck of the woods has just doubled, as far as we know.

"Keep them dogies movin'"

No ride today. I was a bike wrangler. It's not that different than herding/driving cattle in large groups from one place to the next. Therese casually asked if I'd like to help at the Coosa River Challenge this year. ( http://www.attackonswayback.com/sub_domains/crc/index.htm ) It's a sort of triathlon. Running (through woods), mountain biking, and canoe/kayaking are the 3 disciplines, and there are some special challenges along the way. A compass course in the woods, a mud pit to be navigated, a rock wall to climb, etc. The finishers I spoke with LOVED it. About 270 pre registered, and 100 volunteers helped at the various venues.

I pulled a shift as a general laborer last year from about 6:30 AM to Noon. I figured I was in for the same until Steve emailed me to say, "Meet me at the rental trucks at 4:40 A.M."  (that's ante meridian, O-dark forty, in other words) When I got there (30 mins away from my house) I was a fw minutes early, and the only activity was the burglar light in the yard tripping on and off as possums and raccoons scurried around looking for tasty scraps to steal. There were 2 U-hauls loaded to the gills with mountain bikes dropped off by early registrants. We gulped our coffee and hauled them up to the staging area. Then the trucks  went back to the registration area and picked up the bikes which came today, as they arrived. Having laid 100 bikes out on the ground, some of which were $6,000 a pop, we wondered, "shouldn't one of us stay and WATCH these?" It was 50F out, and cold, and only I had a jacket on. I offered to take the pull on sentry duty.

 All in all, 5 trucks worth of bikes had to be loaded, hauled and unloaded. After announcements by the race director and a welcome from the mayor, and an invocation by I know not who, the racers all were bused up to the staging area. They were divided by gender, individuals and teams, etc.  Here is what the mayhem looked like prior to the start.


we had just two celebrity riders:


They ran first, then transitioned to bikes, then to a street run down to the boat launch and then to the boats. As they came in from the bike portion, we loaded the bikes, and now also the gear bags, BACK on the trucks and hauled them back down to the park where the boat portion would end and laid them out again:


I seem to have gained a reputation as the truck packer of choice. Rumor has it that we would need 1 less truck overall if I packed them all. Rowdy Yates would have been proud, I am sure.  I wonder what job I'll draw next year?

Kudos to my around the corner neighbor and sometimes riding buddy Rich B. Rich and his team placed well, and he rode the tough MTB route on his single speed. He rides a single speed (Colnago) road bike too, but that's no so unusual. Kudos also to the race organizers who clearly juggled a lot of variables and rounded up plenty of help to make this a great event. My co-laborers in the wheel wrangling world were great. Steve, Johan and Cedric mainly, but also the Maxwell AFB students who showed up and pitched in. My favorite part of the day? On our way back for the third load of bikes in the afternoon, when Cedric turned to me and said, "I think we can stop at Champ's BBQ for some lunch to go. What do you think?"  The pulled pork was mighty tasty, that's what I think. Could a destination for a long ride out of Prattville, in fact.

Hope to persuade my resistant brain to get into enjoying mid week hill repeats (did them this week, did NOT like them, especially in the stiff headwinds) and of course, get in a ride next Saturday. Starting to think in terms of a tweed ride this month too. I posted to our club email list to see if anyone would come if I organized one. You know, casual ride (tweed wear of course) refined demeanor, haute cuisine and spirits. That sort of ride. No replies as yet. I may have to travel to ride in fine Harris wool.

See You in September...

Remember that hit by The Happenings? The part that applies to this blog entry is "When the Summer's through." Sadly, my favorite time of the year has once again conceded its place to Fall, with shorter hours of daylight, and a more crowded calendar.
September went out in good order however. Last Saturday, I joined my old gang at the Club Lite ride, and we did 32 miles together. Along this stretch, I got the first flat I've had in 2 years. Everyone stopped to ask if I needed help. Some were happy to have a reason to take a break! As it happened, I was probably the best prepared person there to do a field repair of any kind, let alone quick change a tube. There seemed to be no puncture of the tire, and nothing sticking into the tube, so I put the new one in and got home just fine. When we got to the cars, we used it as a rest stop and several of us did another 23 miles. The sneaky thermometer inched up from the delightful 70s of the first part of the day to 99F mid way into that second loop, and a couple of riders were not happy about it! It was still great to see familiar faces and enjoy the camaraderie and Ann's soprano foghorn err, I mean singing.... :) I got home, patched the tube and it's still holding air a week later.

Today we did a "destination ride." Joe was supposed to introduce us to his new Rivendell Hillborne, but he had to cover for a sick co worker and passed on the ride. 5 of us went from Pintlala to Luverne for lunch, except that 1 of us, Ray pedaled to Pintlala from Prattville, adding 23 miles each way to his total. Way to go Ray! I carpooled with Max. Here we are while the weather is still sunny, although the humidity and heat were both higher than forecast. Front to back: Ray, Tim, Max, Angela.



We stopped at the 1/2 way point to our destination (at 18 miles) and tried to get salt out of our eyes.



It was a Shell station, and the young Indian girl behind the register was studying wold history. Her father said, "We hope she will be a big winner on Jeopardy!" That's a new retirement plan idea. I should look into that with our son. My original thought that he might go on the pro golf tour and I could caddy for him doesn't look too promising, since he has never played golf.
Angela pronounced the restroom "uninhabitable" and we found another venue to stop at on the return leg of the trip.

The traffic on the way there along US 97 and US 331 was not bad. US 331 has a narrow shoulder sufficient for bikes and which kept us out of the traffic lane, which we liked. While US 97 had a lot of elevation, US 331 was more gradual in inclines.
There were some things to see along the way. Here, The Clampett family gets a quick trip to the store in:








We got to Luverne (1st time for me) and discovered that they don't shoot strangers.



The building in the background is Smart AL LLC, a tier 1 or 2 supplier to Hyundai. I didn't know this was the location, but we shipped a project here from work back in June. It's a Korean company, just like the automaker is.

Soon, we made it to lunch destination:



I'd heard nothing but rave reviews of this place, and it did not disappoint. For $5, I got a home made 1/2 fried chicken (not greasy, dipped in flour, not batter) and choice of 3 veggies. I only took two, some really good green beans and delicious roasted seasoned potatoes. Lots more carbs than my usual, but fine for fuel, and I cooked off 3,600 of them today anyway. About double what I ate in total of all meals. No where to lock up our bikes, but they were all there when we were finished. Angela observed that the generally senior crowd, many using canes and walkers, was not likely to want our bikes. Everyone was, as the sign says, friendly.

You'll note the blue color in the picture above. Rain. Lots of it. We were still in Sun for a little while though. We pulled in at a store in Luverne to top off our water bottles, and a ribs skinny old pit bull wandered into the area. Tail wagging, he did not look like a threat. Ray wondered, "Will he leave us alone if I feed him?" and ran inside to buy a dog snack. I kid you not. Here is Ray offering "Bowwowser" some peanut butter crackers.



Another good Samaritan came out with a sack of dry dog food and poured some out. Guess which option the dog (now overcome with amazement at his new friend's unexpected largess no doubt) chose? If you picked Peanut butter, you are a winner. When last seen, the dog was trotting behind Ray back towards Prattville... No, actually, he stayed in the store parking lot.



We encountered some brisk headwinds generated by local storm cells, and of course, it was 14 mile upgrade on US 331 to Highland Home from Luverne. It was a steady 1% - 3% and very doable in a rhythm. Wet patches of road started to appear under our wheels and Max wisely chose the mid leg stop point. Just as we tucked in under the shed:



It eased a little, then poured some more, then eased a little, Finally, I said, "Let's go. I think we'll ride out of it in less than 3 miles." Which is what happened. Before we left I asked our restroom critic for a review of this place, but she said she was done checking out the facilities in dumpy looking places. It was a mob scene anyway. $2.39 a gallon for gas, against $2.59 everywhere else.

The rest of the way back was almost uneventful. A truck came up behind Max and Angela om US 97 and hit his horn needlessly which gave them a startle. I think the rest of the ride was actually very good. Angela's previous long ride was about 50 miles I think she told us. So in addition to being the 1st distaff member of the Prattville Randonneurs, she blasted through her own record for a new personal best. Way to go!  And she was plenty spunky at the end too:



Spunky, but her legs were tired :) 

Well, that's a wrap for the pictures. A few others will go on FaceBook. The stats: Rode the Saluki on Grand Bois Oursons. Li'l Loafer and Kevens bags, filled to the brim. Bike was great. Comfortable, sure footed on wet stuff. Fenders came in handy :) No trouble staying up with the others despite about a 18 lb weight penalty. We all took turns moving up and down the line. 74 miles +/-, 15.4 avg. 3,070' climbed. 78 avg cadence.

Sweet (Hot!) Home, Alabama

We rolled up the driveway this afternoon, following a stop at "Whole Foods Market" in Birmingham. Despite having been on the road for the better part of two days, when Sharon mentioned casually, that we would be passing close by it, I realized that this organic and fresh foods mecca was for her, what Rivendell World Hqs in Walnut Creek CA would be for me, were we passing "close by" on a trip to somewhere else. (For the non cyclist who may chance upon this blog, Rivendell is the brand of bike that i have 3 examples of, as well as all sorts of "lifestyle" items. In other words, excuses to shop their catalog/website) The Whole Foods concept probably would go over well in Walnut Creek anyway, and there was at least a good selection of tasty cheeses to sample.

The last ride of the vacation was on Wednesday. "Long lost" cousin Alan, with who I'd corresponded by email over the past year plus, offered to show me a local route and catch up on old family times. We met outside the hotel and headed to the Key Bridge, and then around Arlington on bike paths. Alan was a serious rider some time back, and still gets out several times a week. Here he is along a path on his Carbon (perish the thought!) Colnago. The ride was fun, but the heavy traffic and rooted bumps in the paths required a close eye on where I was going. Alan graciously commented on my bike handling skills later. Flattery will get you everywhere, Cuz :)


Later that evening, Sharon and I met him and his loevly wife kelly for a rooftop dinner at Perry's in the Kalorama area of the city. It being a nice night, we walked to the meeting place since it was only 6/10 of a mile away. I think he sort of looks like my Uncle Arthur, back when he was slimmer. Here is Arthur, on a bike of course, but in ETO WWII. Arthur is on the left.



We enjoyed the visit. For me, being unhurried was the key. A day at Monticello, another at Mt. Vernon. A full afternoon at the Holocaust Museum. Using the Metro, but not running to make a train. Leisurely meals at the Open City Diner, which we loved. We got along great separately and together.  I know it went well for Sharon too, because she told me to start looking for a 2011 bike ride we could tag a vacation onto. Just, maybe October when it's cooler. :)