This weekend will be remembered, by me anyway, as hot, windy, rough and thoroughly rewarding. In short, I rode 61 hot miles on Saturday, and 73 hot and windy, rough and hilly miles on Sunday.
Saturday I get up at 06:30 to make the 07:30 ride-out time with Team Lockton. A buddy turned me on to the ride, and meets me there with his girlfriend and her son. The other team members are all very friendly, and I feel accepted and welcome immediately. We take off from Nebraska Furniture Mart and on 24/40 split into a fast group and a slow group pretty quickly, with a few people in between. There’s one rest stop in Tonganoxie we hit, and then it’s straight through to Lawrence to have lunch at Miltons.
I order breakfast and a frozen Mocha, and chat with a couple of the other riders. Unfortunately, my buddy doesn’t get a table right away, and ends up leaving about half an hour after I do with several other riders. They leave about a half hour to 45 minutes after we do.
My group makes really good time, with only a couple people struggling with the heat. We opt for K32 all the way back through Edgerton, and I’m a full believer in that route now. Absolutely crazy cool. Smooth with wide shoulders. I expect to explore that area quite a bit in the future. The second group has one person suffer badly enough that an ambulance is called.
While that is teh suck, the level of concern for her, as well as the communication between the first group and the second, is very impressive, and I’m happy to say that she is released from the hospital with no complications. That communication goes both ways as well, while we don’t have an emergency, our lead rider does keep the second group informed of how the route looks.
The first group makes it back to NFM at about 1:30 or so. Plenty of time to have the rest of the afternoon to rest, watch some television and prepare for Sunday… a lot more time than I anticipate having.
I would love to ride again with the Team Lockton folk. It really was incredibly enjoyable… exhausting in that heat, but I have very good feelings about it.
Sunday I’m up at 05:30 to make a 07:15 mass release at the Louisburg Cider Mill. The Louisburg Cider Mill is about 40 miles from my house, straight down I69. My plan is to ride the 100 mile route for a full Century (again, map forthcoming). First thing in the morning, I find myself behind a van with a bike on a roof rack. Out of nowhere, the bike pops off and slams into the pavement at highway speeds! Amazing as it is, the only thing obviously wrong is the torn up seat! The handle bar might be bent a bit, and the right brake/shifter is out of whack, but the only obvious real damage is the seat foam. Unfortunately, they head back and most likely miss the initial release.
The release itself is amazing. I love riding out with dozens or hundreds of other riders! The only thing I would change would be to have a friend or two with me. The two guys that were going to make it had to bail on account of illness. So, flying solo, I ride out of Cider Mill with what looks like 250 other cyclists. All classes of riders are represented, from the obvious accomplished riders with exceptional equipment, to a very large and heavy set woman on a mountain bike with knobby tires, sneakers and no toe clips. Honestly, I have more admiration for the latter.
Until the first SAG, I ride pretty hard. The surface is smooth, and the wind at our backs. I pull around 20-24 the whole time, trying to find my way closer to the front of the group. I do OK, but I probably would be better off laying low a bit and conserving my energy. I can’t help it though, I always have that initial adrenaline at the start of a ride.
I’d like to mention at this time how awesome Johnson County Bike Club is in their handling of these large rides. They do an amazing job of organizing and supporting their riders. They are all very friendly, eager to help and go the extra mile to make us as comfortable as the wind and heat allow.
Around 10 in the morning, I hit the lunch SAG, tired from the already hot roads and the fact that the 10 miles to the lunch SAG were against an increasing wind. Lunch is good, though… hamburgers, hot dogs, lots of water and lemonade, and salty (oh so yummy) chips. 30 minutes there, and I take off again, still a little tired, but as rested and ready as I’m going to be.
About 5 miles later, I take a turn south… directionally, mentally and physically. The wind, at this point, picks up a bit more and is in my face, while the road surface is like gravel that’s been covered with a clear coat… It’s solid, but it’s rough. This part of the ride reminds me sharply of county roads N and K of the Plattsburg Sucky Century. Very rough, hilly, and altogether aggravating. There is a SAG about 6 miles into this phase of the ride (very good planning), at the 51 mile mark, and it comes just in time. The heat and wind are really getting to me. It’s tough going solo without a partner to draft with, and my average is only about 12mph. So, at about 11:30 I stop.
I refill my water bottles, rest up a bit and am on my way. There is another 5 miles or so of gravel-like surface and wind before the route turns east onto smooth road and a tail wind. It’s hilly, but not too bad, until right before the turn east. If only b/c it followed 5 miles of hot struggle that preceded it, the hill right before the turn is monumental. Enough to make my heart sink a little. Conquering that hill is a fabulous feeling, however, and I’m rewarded with a great downhill, wind now at my back. With the wind behind me now and a smooth road under my tires, I make up a little time on the way to the next SAG, pulling 18-20mph.
Of course, after the SAG, the wind is again in my face… and it’s picked up again, harder and gustier. The downhills that had been rewarding before now loom ahead of me, challenging, taunting, even begging me to get off and walk. But no! I will not walk. I will not walk! I may be near total exhaustion, legs protesting every push and pull, lungs on fire and heart racing, but as long as I can move forward, I shall!
I make the climb triumphantly (well… actually, more hunched over and nearly beaten) and turn north. The wind at my back now, and rough road beneath my tires. What I didn’t realize before, while fighting the wind and road on the way south, was that the road was downhill the whole way. Now, though the wind has my back, the trek back to the SAG is uphill. The heat is really starting to get to me now, my line less straight and my shoulders feeling like someone is holding a hot griddle to them. Sunburn is clearly on it’s way.
I’m well hydrated, but every pedal stroke is a struggle. By the time I get to the SAG again, I’m feeling a little dizzy, and having a difficult time concentrating. Fortunately, the Church at which this SAG is located is open, and has running central air! The SAG volunteers are terrific, doing everything they can to make us as comfortable as possible. I sit there for a few minutes and decide that I’ve really had enough. It’s not worth risking my health for the 27 miles left to the Mill. 27 miles is nothing on a good day, but I’ve already gone 73, and it’s not necessarily a good day. 27 miles may as well be another 100.
I call in for a SAG lift, and don’t have to wait long. 30 minutes in the van and I’m back at the Louisburg Cider Mill, where more water and cold wet towels await. They really do think of everything. By now it’s about 13:45. I stand under the sign-up tent for a while, talking about this ride, various routes and future rides around KC before I make my way slowly and gingerly back to my car.
While I didn’t make my 170 mile goal, under the circumstances (heat, lack of recent training), 134 is nothing to be ashamed of.
Today, my shoulders are doing much better, thanks in no small part to liberal applications of aloe gel and lotion. My lower body, while not necessarily “sore” is definitely making itself known more than usual. So… I’ll be hitting the downtown KC airport loop to work out some of the kinks.