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rbent Forum
https://rbentonline.org/YaBB.pl General Category >> Ride Reports >> Ferris Wheel 200k https://rbentonline.org/YaBB.pl?num=1208732220 Message started by aikigreg on Apr 20th, 2008, 5:57pm |
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Title: Ferris Wheel 200k Post by aikigreg on Apr 20th, 2008, 5:57pm Another cold-arse morning yesterday. Stayed in my car as long as I could until the start. It was 7 degrees colder in Rockwall than in Ft worth. It warmed u much quicker than last weekend though, and the jacket went off at the first control. I didn't know many of the 10 of us there except Paul of course, Shellene, and Sharon. There was a guy from Austin that I've ridden with before - so tall the stem on his custom bike must be 8 inches. He'd tower over Terry Pickl. It's not really a challenging route so long as you ride your own pace. We didn't really do that :) Everyone kept a good clip to the first control, where I didn't even have time to put on sunscreen or finish my drink before we took off again. Shellene and 4 others broke off and amde a lead group. The rest of us stayed together for a slightly slower pace. There was a great tailwind for a 13 mile stretch that was a long small grade downhill and then a long small grade uphill. One of the roadies hung with us the whole way coming into the mile 70 control. He had HUGE legs that just churned the big gears to hang with us as we 'blew the carbon out" so to speak. ;D I hit a breakaway but could only dial it up to 39.5mph. I slowed down to let Paul and Roadie catch up and that was my undoing. Paul set a tough pace for the last 5 miles uphill and it was all I could do to hang. Thanks to that, and a mechanical made us the lead group into the control. After that I just tried to stick with Shellene as much as possible. Most of the time I was successful, though sometimes I'd be back 50 feet and needed a downgrade to catch up - the knees just didn't want to hammer on the hills. On chipseal. At 22 mph. Chasing a 90 pound woman of steel. ::) At miles 105 in Poetry Texas, my stomach started rebelling. I really need to get my nutrition figured out. I was too sick and sore to pee. Bad sign. Thankfully folks took a real rest on the benches outside and a perrier and a cookie perked me up enough to do my business. I really should have eaten a lot more but somehow I was thinking I only had 15 miles to go (delusional!). Held onto the lead group again until the last 5 miles. headwind plus big grades plus chipseal plus aching knees and sour stomach did me in. I was in turning the pedals mode. Had I had 5 minutes to rest and stretch, I could have picked the pace back up, bu I didn't want to stop. Still, finished in roughly 9 hours and a liter of water settled my stomach. Now I just need to do a couple of fast rides leading up to Calvin's and I'm set! Paul has some good pics a-comin. |
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Title: Re: Ferris Wheel 200k Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Apr 22nd, 2008, 3:43pm I've posted shots on Fotki... http://public.fotki.com/pbacoustic/cycling/lsr/f-w-200k-4-19-08/ |
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Title: Re: Ferris Wheel 200k Post by aikigreg on Apr 22nd, 2008, 11:35pm OMG paul those shots are so awesome. I managed to look happy in every pic, and that final one with me in front just rocked. |
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Title: Re: Ferris Wheel 200k Post by FlyingLaZBoy on Apr 23rd, 2008, 8:37am aikigreg wrote:
Well, ALMOST in front.... :D Greg pretty much told the tale already, but a few notes from my perspective: * It was DEFINITELY colder than I expected at the start -- I hadn't planned to wear my windbreaker, but I was glad I had it in the car. * The group (of 10) stayed together the first 35 miles to the first stop in Ferris. Then Todd got impatient, and broke a group off the front shortly after that. From Ferris, we followed the Lancaster Rally 40 mile route, and were surprised at the lack of bluebonnets around -- I had no idea they were so sparse this year, and basically got no good photos of them. * At one point, a large dog started chasing us -- we looked over, and it was CARRYING A FUZZY BEDROOM SLIPPER IN ITS MOUTH as it ran... I missed the photo op, dangit... but it was VERY funny.... * Turning south instead of north on Novy Road took us across the wooden bridges that the Lancaster Rally had to deal with the last couple of years. Those things are definitely a hazard to cyclists! The semi-natural tendency is to ride along the boards paralleling your travel instead of riding on the crossboards -- but the parallel boards will catch your wheel in a crack, so stay on the crossboards! http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/pb055.jpg * After 55 miles of steadily increasing headwinds, the left turn onto Hwy 34 was a VERY welcome change -- giving us a tailwind on a road with a very nice shoulder for most of the way to the next stop. Here is where Greg and I cranked it up to 25+, with Sonny (DF) working hard, but keeping pace. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/Hwy34.jpg We probably averaged 23-24 mph for this stretch of 16 miles. It was definitely getting sunny out, so I put on the SPF 50 at the rest stop... * The next stop was Crandall, only 11 miles up, but it was starting to get warm, so it was a welcome pause. Here's where we started to get disbelieving questions from people going in and out of the convenience store! One guy weighing about 350 and carrying 3 cases of Dr Pepper out of the store, asked, "So, how far you guys riding?" "About 130 miles..." "Whooo, SH*T!!!" and left without another word... Then a family with ~13yr old girls was next to us in the checkout line, and Mom said: "My daughter wanted to know how far you're riding today.." "We're doing a 200 kilometer ride, about 130 miles..." The daughter just got this confused look on her face -- Mom just smiled, and said, "I don't think she can comprehend riding that far...." I thought to myself, "Neither can we...!" * Leaving Crandall, it got hilly -- Unfortunately, I had seen Shellene down a Monster caffeine drink, so I figured we were in trouble -- and I was right. She and her pal cranked it up to 20 and wouldn't let it go. The rest of the group (including Greg, tailing a bit) basically did their best to keep up, and I fell back, mentally deciding to let 'em go and see 'em at the next stop -- but then, we came out of that section back into flats, and I caught up. Fortunately, the pace stayed at 20-22 (we still had a decent tailwind/crosswind) instead of moving to 25... I cruised up front and said, "Our Motto: No More Caffeine for Shellene!" to much laughter. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/21mph.jpg * Entering Poetry, I could see a good-sized climb crossing the highway, so I backed it down (with Greg) and cruised on in to the rest stop -- George, Sharon, and a couple others had fallen back leaving Crandall (no fools, they), so we had a decent rest while they caught up. http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/pb068.jpg * The pace didn't slow MUCH, but a bit later on along this leg, when Greg happened to be up front, I heard him say "Take a picture!" "What?" "Take a picture -- I want proof I was up front!" ;D Thus, this pic, and I won't say how long he was up there ;) : http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/pb075.jpg * We had an "informational stop" at mile 115, where we had to stop at a particular location and read a sign (and write down what was on it, on our cue card). http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/pb076.jpg While we were stopped here, a large herd of cows across the road started coming toward us, apparently thinking it was either feeding time, or I don't know what --- but the ENTIRE HERD was coming over! We left before they could stampede... :D (The pic only shows HALF of them!) http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/pb079.jpg * We finally got to I-30 for the last stretch, and Shellene cranked it up again -- into a headwind, this time, since we were headed back Southwest. I still had enough in the tank to stay with 'em, but Greg dropped off. We basically held 18-20 mph the last 8 miles back into Rockwall. I saw this billboard, and started laughing - because it was SO true! (I don't think the other riders saw it) http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g73/flyinglazboy/pb082.jpg All in all, an excellent ride, finishing at 4:45pm.. Overall average 17 mph, which I'm sure I would not have held if not trying to keep pace with Shellene and Co.! Definitely a flatter route than Italy, and very nice with a southerly wind! |
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