~67 miles with Jim and Patrick. Most of the dirt is in smooth and wonderful condition. Plenty of climbing from steep rollers to Brigham Hill Road. I wanted for a century to scout a 300k route… but we opted for close in and backroads. We never ‘race’ on our Sunday rides – but we do work hard when we have to – and we’ll work well as a group to tackle some of the busier roads and to get out of the wind. This Sunday, knowing that we were going short, I attacked nearly every false flat, hill, and climb. The goal was to redline and repeat. I wanted to feel beat by the time I rolled home.
Lost Nation Rd. in Essex. Smooth.
I succeeded and felt great doing it. The form is slow to return – but it is happening. Patrick was recovering from a 4 gapper the day before and Jim was prepping for a trip to Maine – so they idled it back letting me spin like mad off the front – only to catch me over the top and have me sit in and recover while they chatted away – effortlessly I tell you – while I struggled for breath.
Recovering from my non-ride and adventures in home ownership and repair I met Jim this Sunday for a casual cruise. We had planned a hilly route south and east… but the weather shaped our plans as much as the terrain and my legs. I felt strong from the go, but as our Sunday crew was down by 2 with Patrick kicking ass on the Westfield 400k and John sorting out the purchase of a home… Jim and I opted to keep it close to home. I was treated to a super secret bike path shortcut between 2 major roads before the
weather blew in and we dodged with cafe stops.
Bike path shortcut with a great view to the big mountain...
We logged about 25 for the day and I added another 15 getting to and from our start and finish. As we wrapped up at yet another local cafe the rain poured down in buckets and we sipped coffee as the front blew through. 10 minutes later I took off for home – clear blue sky with puffy white clouds and the fresh smell of green and growing and spring rain.
Crisp air after a fresh spring rain...... and the shimmering sun under blue skies.
I awoke at 2am to prep for a double century through the Adirondacks to Utica to visit family. Left the house by 3:30am and rolled slowly through town letting my body and senses adjust. Everything felt off – legs, core, mind. I pushed on to Charlotte and Vergennes knowing that there are always high and low points on long rides – and with an early morning start I shouldn’t put too much pressure on myself to be moving quickly. Usually things sort themselves out as soon as I warm up and the sun makes an appearance.
There was the slightest crossing headwind and a fog in the air as I moved through Shelburne and Charlotte. The flats all felt false and the rollers on Greenbush were beating me down. I tried not to look at my computer – but my speed was well below normal for the effort I was putting out. I rolled into Vergennes about 40 minutes off my schedule – just 30 miles into the ride. I took a seat on the front porch of a bank, put on all the clothes I had and ate one of my PB&J sandwiches. I was cold and clammy and wanted to sleep right there. Couldn’t focus and felt out of it. Began extrapolating my speed and the terrain ahead – also knowing that there was likely to be rain and wind most of the day. Unable to shake the chill and the soreness and the mental offness I opted to roll back home – which felt about as daunting as finishing the ride to Utica. I slogged back north, averaging about 8-10-12 miles an hour on fairly tame terrain. I’m pretty sure I could have rolled into a ditch and slept with the goats and the sheep. All I wanted to do was get warm and snuggled and sleep for a week. I stopped at the Red Brick store in Charlotte for some coffee and napped on the bench for 10 minutes. Despite the warming temperature and the spotty sunbeams that warmed my face my body still felt cold – chilled to the core. I was wearing a base layer, wool jersey and my rain jacket fully zipped. I struggled on to Shelburne and enjoyed the relatively low traffic on Rt. 7 into town. Zagged down to the bike path and spun home in the little ring. A stop at the bagel cafe for some breakfast and a short jaunt on NASCAR North Avenue and I made it home. I covered about 60 miles. It simultaneously feels like far less and far more.
The view from my napping spot at the Red Brick Store in Charlotte.Looking towards the ADKs from the waterfont. It was going to be a pretty day in the mountains.
I’ll have two or three other excuses to repeat this ride. I tweaked the route from last years successful attempt to explore some new roads and some slightly more remote terrain – so I’m looking forward to having a good day on the bike.
Some things I learned on my longest ride to date this year:
I’m in better long distance shape than I’ve been giving myself credit for. Yes, I’m still 20 pounds over my ideal event weight, and I had a tough winter with adjusting to fatherhood and medical issues – but I’ve dropped 22 pounds since the holidays and I’ve been consistent on the bike for the last 3 months. Cruising speed needs to come up – but overall ‘get it done’ at all costs stubborn endurance is there.
I (will always) need to improve my climbing speed. I’ve been holding off on adding too much intensity to my workouts for fear my ‘base’ wasn’t large enough. I think I’m there. Time to put the hurt on 2 days a week with tempo and hill work, saving my weekends for the long stuff. Irish Hill, Bolton, and short bursts up Depot St. – here I come.
Camel's Hump on Rt. 117, our first taste of the wind. (thanks to Patrick for the pic)
Nothing really hurt. There was no time on the ride when I needed to stop and solve fit or contact point issues. I had some minor saddle irritation that was helped with a change into fresh shorts, my hands were good with minor numbness if I hung out in any one position for too long, and my feet were comfortable (if wet) for the entire ride.
At the Red Hen Bakery for second breakfast.
Clif Shot Bloks – sometimes they work, sometimes they upset the tummy. This ride I think they were part of my distress climbing to Killington. They gassed me up on the 200k as well – a ginger ale solved that issue. These will move from ‘go to’ to ’emergency only’. I downed 2 packs of these within 30 miles of the end – knowing we didn’t have time to stop for real food and they do work…
Clif Mojo Bar – Peanut Butter Pretzel – I discovered this on my solo 300k through the Adirondacks last year. Winner for overall best bike food – tastes good and stays down. Four of these propelled me over the 24 hours – I could have used another two.
Lantiseptic Skin Protectant – it is a rear ends best friend. Of all the potions, creams, and goop that I’ve tried – this stuff works. Yes – I’m trying to get away from padded shorts on long rides – but if its wet, and if I’m uncertain about comfort, setup, conditions – the Lantiseptic goes on. Add a bit of Assos to the pad – and I think I have a winning combo.
River Road in Killington (thanks to Jim for the pic)
Acorn Boxy Rando Bag – a great addition on the Mark’s Rack. It was nice having access to food, arm warmers, camera, etc. – all right up front. I did not do enough navigating to need the map case – but it does get wet inside, and as I learned on the 200k – it does not fit an 8.5×11″ cue folded in half. I had to tri fold and clip the edges. Not a deal breaker – but a bit of a pain. I liked the map case on my Ortlieb more – I might have to retrofit some snaps to the Acorn. Not having a decaleur (VO is still out!) didn’t affect things all that much – with a rando load of food and clothes up front the bag was stiff enough using the cord ties to the handlebars. Not ideal – but workable.
Acorn Medium Saddle Bag was a great addition to the rear- we carried extra clothing (bulk) – and having the luggage to do it made the ride that much nicer. I kept my tools, spare tubes, mini first aid kit, and night riding gear tucked away. I had more room if needed, and the rear flap can snug over a jacket or base layer. There are also rings for lashing to the outside, and the leather tailight clip is just perfect – couldn’t ask for it to be in a better spot. I think this will be a perfect bag for 200k and century rides – and currently is still on the bike.
Acorn at speed coming down Granville Gulf.
Edeluxe – what a light. Not sure what else to say. Glad I dropped the bills for it. Rain, country roads, high traffic roads, 30 mph descents in the rain at night on country roads – it does it all. I ran it in senso mode with the overcast skies and can say for sure that it is bright bright as I watched one of my teamates roll up at dusk. If the rack comes off, the light will go back on with my Terracycle mount. It is too convenient and bright to keep off.
Ixon IQ – I lent my battery powered Ixon to Jim – it was bright enough – but he complained of descending in the rain. Not sure if he ran it full blast or if he needed to fine tune its position (something I did with my Edelux mid ride) – but I’ve found that in a winter of town use and spring mornings on the rando bike it is very serviceable as a do all light. Not quite as bright as the Edelux – but damn near close if you don’t want to run a SON hub.
The reflective gear works quite well - a Cactus Creek vest, ankle bands, and a Cateye taillight with reflector (thanks to Jim for the pic)
Reflective gear – It works! I love my Cactus Creek vest with all around visibility and pockets in the back, and I will probably pick up some Riv ankle bands (even though my jogalites probably work fine).
Planet Bike SuperFlash – I mounted a ‘stealth’ to my rig this spring – absolutely love it so far – and having dropped behind my teamates on some climbs in the rain – it really does stand out – whether in blinking or steady mode. I’ll be adding a second for the 400 and 600k.
Wool, it works – I had a combination of jersey, arm warmers, and shorts. The main (and only) regret on this ride was not carrying an Ibex Woolie base layer. I missed it when the sky was sprinkling and it was cool. The arm warmers I carried were too warm… from now on I’ll be carrying or wearing a thin wool layer.
Shower’s Pass Elite 2.0 – was absolutely perfect when the temps dropped below 55 or so. A bit too warm when it was in the 60’s. Perfect for getting rolling in the cold rain – but I found myself shedding it during the night (it stayed in the 60’s). I wore it through the last 25-30 miles as it was raining buckets and the temps dropped 10 degrees.
Flèche NE 2009 was a windy and wet affair. Our team of three departed City Market in Burlington on Saturday at 8am. We left with partly cloudy skies and a wind out of the south – southeast. That wind would never stop – and the partly cloudy would turn to full cloudy, then rain, then deluge, and finally cold wet monsoon.
Partly cloudy, mild temps, happy smiles...
Our route took us through Richmond, VT and we made use of the recently opened bike and pedestrian ferry. I’m fairly certain we are the only flèche team to include a boat ride. We rolled some familiar roads to Middlesex where we stopped at the wonderful Red Hen Bakery. One of the bakery owners was on one of the four teams from our great state – we chatted with his wife while enjoying second breakfast – and then fought the wind pretty much all the way to Warren. We rolled through Granville Gulf on Rt. 100 – a beautiful stretch of road that includes waterfalls, roaring creeks, prime moose habitat, and several ponds. Dropping down from Granville we opted for a lunch stop at the Rochester Cafe. Sitting outside with our bikes we answered a few questions of a bewildered local roadie.
The bike / ped ferry in Richmond.Dirt along the river...Second breakfast!Along Rt. 100b......heading up Granville Gulf......cruising near the top......and down the other side to Hancock.
The stretch from Rochester to Killington was tough for me. The wind picked up and we pace lined the best we could in rolling terrain. My stomach started shutting down – even water was hard to swallow. By the time we reached the climb up to River Rd. I was in distress – my teammates up the road (making it look easy) – and me crawling up the grade in a 32×29 and wishing I had something lower. I recovered a bit on the long descent into Bridgewater Corners as we had to pace line downhill into a really stiff breeze. I was feeling better but desperately needed a restroom – both gas stations had ‘out of order’ signs, and I was preparing to trek into the woods when Jim managed to find an open shop and was waving me across the road. Many thanks to the snowboarder / mountain biker / adventure dude with the electric motocross bikes shop for letting me make use of his facilities…
Jim and Patrick cruising after our lunch stop.Heading towards Killington......and along River Rd. and the wetlands.
Feeling better we started rolling up towards Ludlow for dinner. The route took us along several lakes and was dotted with summer camps and cabins. We rolled into Ludlow only about 10 minutes behind schedule at 6:40pm. We had hoped to build up some bank time – I had thought we would have an hour or more in the bank by Ludlow – but the wind and weather took its toll early on. Tacos Tacos called out to Jim so we ordered up some grub at a hole in the wall Mexican place. We kept the stop short – and rolled out on 103 now 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Rt. 103 is a wide shouldered and moderately traveled road. After a short climb and quick 5% descent the road steadily drops toward the Connecticut River valley. At times we were cruising at 16-18 mph three up and chatting while safely tucked to the right of the 8 foot or larger shoulder. Due to a math error it took forever to get to our turn on Pleasant Valley Rd. A short burn on 103 turned into a bit of a panicked slog as I misread the cue and completely screwed the math while reviewing notes over our dinner. When we finally did reach our road we were running in full night gear – reflective vests and ankle bands, headlights, and blinkies and heading into some climbing in the rain. The road took us over some mild terrain – and the frogs were out singing a full symphony. It was an inspiring way to climb – mother nature soaking us in water and sound.
Turning south to head towards Ludlow......the lights come on and the frogs came out.
Pleasant Valley Road dropped us into Saxtons River for a post card control. We were now a full half hour ahead of schedule – but we had the toughest stretch of road ahead. We dropped the postcard at 8:51 and headed for Putney, VT via Westminster West. I’ve ridden this route dozens of times when I lived in Putney – I knew the road well enough to warn my teammates that it wouldn’t be easy. The skies opened up by the time the first 11% grade hit… and the conversation turned to ‘How far to the top?’, ‘When does it stop?’. The road is a series of climbs stepping up to a high point above town. We worked those miles in the dark, with frogs leaping across the road and a few cars passing us with care – as I’m sure we looked alien rolling up the road at 10 pm in the rain. The road eventually returned the effort of the climbs and we dropped directly into town and rolled to the West Hill Shop for the first of our 2 hour stops. At this point the photography essentially ends – wet, cold, hungry, focused on the task at hand.
Warm and relatively dry with full bike shop at our disposal we tweaked some cranky bikes, adjusted lights, repacked gear, changed clothes, snacked, and took a nap. The rain poured down on the metal roof. Websites were checked for weather. Phone calls made to wives and girlfriends. Stretching, coffee, and then dressing for and heading out into the weather. We rolled about 8 miles to the Dunkin Donuts in Brattleboro, thankful that the chain smoking workers were gainfully employed and the coffee hot. Answering their questions was fun… and the eggy cheesy bacony croissant was just what I needed to warm and perk up. We were now running well behind our ideal schedule – and we knew that our second planned ‘rest’ stop would have to be cut short.
Rolling through southern Vermont brought back many a memory – cruising through town brought back memories of after dark training rides as well as sessions at the local pub enjoying a good pour of single malt. We rolled through Brattleboro to blinking yellow lights and crossed into New Hampshire on Rt. 63. Our next stop was a friend’s garage in Northfield, MA for another ‘rest’. We worked hard trying to make time and arrived about an hour off our planned pace. Craig had the coffee ready to go – and staged the garage with air mattresses, warm sleeping bags and towels. I caught a half hour of sleep before my phone alarm went off. I made the mistake of taking off my wool jersey before I crawled into the warm bag – putting it on was not fun – cold socks, cold shoes, and now a cold jersey. We suited up in rain gear and took off for Amherst and our 22 hour control.
Rt. 63 was tough. We had over 180 miles in our legs and we’d been on the road for nearly 20 hours. The rolling climbs slowed us down and we struggled to stay warm and not overheat in our gear. As the sun came up we were still struggling with the terrain – what seemed like endless rollers – wondering if we would make it in time to pause for the 22 hour control. The 22 hour control is unique to the flèche – it requires all teams to stop and verify their location. As 6am drew near we went into pace line and time trial mode – we needed to find a convenience store, ATM, diner – any place that we could verify time and location with a receipt or business stamp. I crested a small roller and saw the glow of 2 ATM machines in the distance. 2 minutes to go and we pushed hard – and in the same little plaza a 24 hour Cumberland Farms! We warmed, ate, and waited in line behind a fellow checking and purchasing and checking and paying out hundreds of lotto tickets. 10 minutes later we were on the road again – heading into Amherst proper. Again in ‘get it done mode’. Two hours to go, and we needed another 20 miles.
Rolling through a college town on a Sunday morning was uneventful except for two gents who appeared to be doing the walk of shame home from some late night festivities. The sun was well up, the rain just starting to pour down, and the strength of our Edeluxe lights apparent by the blinding gestures and yelling they made in our general direction. Mumbled obscenities ensued, and we were in and out of town – heading into commercial road strip mall city just as the rain reached its peak flow – buckets fell from the sky as we made our way to Northampton. The road was covered in a wave of water. Potholes disappeared. Cracks swallowed wheels. Our speed dropped but we pressed on. Fenders were practically useless as there was so much water coming down it didn’t matter that we were in rain gear, fully fendered, and wearing wool base layers. We were now soaked to the bone wet, cold, and an hour away from reaching our goal. We poked through Northampton, Easthampton, and Southampton as the clock ticked away – and with 4 minutes to spare a likely 24 hour control appeared on the horizon – the glorious ‘All In One Store’ in Westfield, MA. We rolled in, picked up receipts, and breathed. Done. Finished. Epic.
226 miles, approximately 12k of climbing. 17 hours in the saddle. 1 1/2 hours of ‘sleep’.
Our Vermont team for Flèche NE 2009 is ready to roll. We met up with our return driver (an original teammate who had to drop out of the event) tonight over pizza and a few beers, rigged a roof mount bike rack to fit in the back of the cargo van, and talked gear and rain and gear and getting wet and wind. Our team is down from 5 to 3… but we plan to roll on. 225 miles, approximately 12,000 feet of climbing. Forecast has been sketch all week.
!!!
My bike is (over)loaded. Route double checked and cue printed out (although I can get us through the first 150 miles+ from memory), lights checked, clothes laid out, wet gear at the ready. Camera in a baggie, already on the bike, with a memory card and a battery. Rider needs to sleep – but I’m hitting it early tonight – usually I’m up late fretting. 10:30 pm is a good night for me – especially before a big ride.
Sunny morning cruise along the lake, the ADKs in the background.Our trusty steeds from a recent Sunday Dirt mini Epic.The little one on the beach...Commuter and racer dudes - get a bell, and learn how to use it. In civilized society it is the norm for signaling a pass or calling out to cyclists and peds on the road or path. It won't knock your street cred - and if you need to race, take it to the road, please.
Less than a week to the NE Flèche 2009. Our team is down to 3, we swapped some gear and ran through a pre-ride checklist last night. Brevet cards have arrived. Final route tweaking and gear selection is ongoing. Hoping for mild temperatures and sunny skies. Night shakedown ride will happen this week.
The IF with Acorn Bag, Mark's Rack and Edeluxe. I'll add a small seat pack for tools, tubes, and other small items.
70+ miles – Mountain View out of town, Governor Chittenden Road (dirt, and a ripping descent) down to Rt. 2, Kenyon Road up and up (dirt) drop down into Richmond on the pave, then Wes White Hill (rough pave to dirt, 13% or more) along the pond into Huntington, East Rd. (up and dirt) with views of Camel’s Hump, a short stretch of pavement and then on to Shaker Mountain Road (dirt, steep, and forever), Big Hollow (dirt and a ripping descent), a bit of pave to Lincoln Hill (dirt and steep and a rolling false flat on top) to drop down into Hinesburg for refreshments and then a ‘quintessential’ Vermont stretch – Baldwin (dirt) to Drinkwater (dirt) to Prindle, to Roscoe (covered bridge / dirt) to Lewis Creek (fun descent, dirt, covered bridge) to Spear to Guinea (dirt) to One Mile Road (dirt) to Hinesburg Rd. to Ferry Rd. to Charlotte. Views of Mansfield, Camel’s Hump, the ADKs, Lake Champlain. Three major climbs, three covered bridges and 60% or more of dirt. I had an 85 mile day with ~5,700+ feet of climbing by the end.
Dropped my chain into the little ring somewhere on Shaker Mountain Road... a fast descent awaits after the left turn.
Thanks to Jim for snapping some pics as I brought the camera but left the SD card in the laptop. And a huge thanks to the boys for letting me pace it out over the steep stuff. My first Yoga class the Saturday before took its toll… plenty of power to diesel on the rollers and the pavement – not much to deal with the steep on the dirt.
