I think I saw once that posting of non-recumbent rides was OK, although it is something I've never done. But, this ride is special, and while not done on my recumbent, may be of interest to some of the readers on this forum. So here is my recap of the Kiamichi 400k done this past Saturday (another LSR ride).
 
KIAMICHI 400K
 
The heart and soul of this route, which takes place in southeastern Oklahoma and far western Arkansas, is the Talimena Scenic Byway, from Talihina Oklahoma to Mena Arkansas. I have done this route other times, as a standalone 2-day ride from Talihina to Mena, the mountain route on day 1, an overnight in Mena, and a return to Talihina by the valley route, on day 2. So when fellow LSR member Charlie Jenkins developed this 400k route, which takes in the Byway as part of a larger 250 mile ride, it definitely piqued my interest! But, since the last time I had done this loop, I had adopted the recumbent as my primary cycling vehicle, and was pretty convinced that the grades on the Ouachita Mountain section (which includes the Byway) would exceed my climbing capability on the recumbent. I knew I could do this on an upright bike, but I had not ridden a distance as long as a 400k on a road bike since SEP 2009. I decided to skip the inaugural running of this 400k in 2011. This year, I have been riding the road bike more, including a 300k earlier this year. Since then, most of my weekday rides have been on the road bike, too.
 
I decided I would have to try this ride on the road bike, and decided to use a never ridden triple chainring bike I've owned for 2½ years. It was a warranty replacement of a cracked frame but I started riding recumbent just about the same time I received this bike, so it has been parked.
 
The route starts from Antlers OK, taking in Honobia at mile 52 (Big Foot country where sightings of Big Foot have been anecdotally reported), Talihina at mile 72, Mena at mile 136, Whitesboro at mile 179, Talahina at mile 190, Tuskahoma at mile 212, and the finish, back at Antlers. As you can see, there are few locations to replenish supplies, so the ride had to be supported. Charlie Jenkins took care of that, providing a variety of food and drink items in the most remote places along the route. Without that assistance, this ride would probably not be possible.
 
We started at 6AM Saturday morning, in the rain! Rain riding is not my favorite, but it does ensure cooler temperatures and we hoped the rain would become sporadic as we rode north. I had my lightweight yellow rain jacket on, Rainlegs, goretex socks, and a helmet cover together with arm warmers and leg warmers. It wasn't particularly cold, but the key pieces of rain gear help keep the important parts warmer and dry. It was slow going, as the first 52 miles are a litany of climbs and descents, with emphasis on the climbs. We gain elevation as we near the Indian Highway, which crosses a portion of the Kiamichi Mountains.
 
The community of Honobia has the only store we've seen, so far, and is a planned stop. Replenishment of water and nutritional supplements at this store was a must, as climbing was the name of the game for the next 14 miles. It had stopped raining by this point and there were even a few breaks in the cloud cover, so the roads were starting to dry. This was good news as steep descents are much more enjoyable on dry roads. The next 14 miles are a series of steep climbs and steep descents, with gradients of 8% to 16%, on the first climb, which is a mile in length. This was my first use of the small ring and I was pleased at how easily the chain dropped from the middle ring to the inner ring. The climbing in the granny gear was very easy and made it possible to enjoy the passing scenery. The initial climb is 800 ft and there would be another 400 ft before our final descent back to the surrounding valley floor. The total climbing of 1200 ft in this 14 mile stretch, is at an average rate of 86 ft per mile (including descents), and is a preview of our next climbing test: the Ouachita Mountains. In another 6 miles, we arrived in Talahina, a small community at the western end of the Winding Staircase Highway (OK-1) another name for the Talimena Scenic Byway. After replenishing supplies once again in Talihena, we headed for OK-1 and the work we had cut out for us on the way to Mena Arkansas.
 
Our route took us up a 7% incline as we approached the Winding Staircase Hwy - child's play, compared to what was to come! Immediately after our right turn, at mile 81, onto the Scenic Byway, the incline ramped up to 10 to 12% and was a long climb. I was very glad I had chosen the bike with the triple. It actually made the climbing enjoyable, as I could choose my cadence, not the other way around. We were headed to our first "support stop" at mile 100. That was only 19 miles away, but we could count on at least 3 hours of riding, to get to that point - nothing flat, all up or down at 9 to 16% - climbing at 4.5 to 5.5 mph; descending at 40 to 50 mph.
 
It wasn't hot, fortunately, but I still managed to empty my 100 oz camelbak by mile 95, 5 miles before the Winding Staircase Campground, where our ride support waited (although I still had a bottle of Sustained Energy). However, within a mile, I started cramping (an alien concept to me - I almost never cramp!). I decided not to do any climbing in the middle ring, keep it in the granny, and relax as much as possible. That worked for another mile. My speed dropped to under 3 mph at times, using that strategy. (I was surprised I could go that slowly without a wobble!) But, then I was cramping so much I had to put a foot down. I looked back down the hill and Vicky was coming up. I waited, I mentioned my problem, and she offered some e-caps to me. I took four, and never cramped again, on the ride.
 
We reached the support truck and I stuffed my pie hole and filled my containers. Charlie also had a bottle of Sports Leg capsules, and I took a dozen sport leg capsules with me. I had a few at intervals on the climb, just to make sure! By mile 105, we reached 3-mile hill. This is not only by far the longest continuous climb, but the steepest, as well. We had lengthy sections at 12 to 16%, especially in the first 2½ miles. Nearing the end, the climbing tapers gradually, to 7% - that felt flat by comparison! Our next replenishment stop was at mile 122. We still had plenty of shorter, but very steep climbs and awesome descents, though. As we neared the Arkansas border, we came to some road construction, at mile 113. The road was in the process of being repaved, and a layer of gravel had been laid down. This gravel went on for 4 miles of steep ascents and descents - not the least bit pleasant riding. Finally, at mile 117, I reached the Arkansas state line, and from there, it was 5 more miles of smooth riding, to the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge.
 
As the facility was closed for renovation, Charlie had the truck parked there and once again, I replenished everything. We had 14 miles remaining, to reach Mena, and it looked as though we would do that comfortably, in daylight. But before our final, 7 mile descent to Mena, we had to cover 6 more seriously steep climbs.
 
To recap our transit of the Ouachita Mountains, we covered 54 miles and climbed 5200 ft. Although some reports have the climbing at 10000 ft, my Garmin showed the lesser value. At 96 ft per mile (including descents), this portion of the ride ranks right up there among the best and most challenging climbing rides I’ve done!
 
Once we reached Mena, the hard stuff was behind us. We had more climbs to come, but none exceeded 7%. It was mostly flattish to easy rollers with some tougher rollers in the last 10 miles. After we left Mena, the sun went down, and we had several hours of night riding ahead of us. Besides the two main climbing sections, we gained another 6900 ft in 181 miles, an average of 38 ft per mile – pretty flat but still more than most rides we do here in North Texas. Charlie was waiting for us at mile 164; we reached an open store at mile 190; and we depended on Charlie one more time after that, at mile 216, as it was too late to find any other stores open.
 
By this time I was fighting the sleep monster and replenishing food was far from my mind. All I could think about doing was sleeping. But, we had 33 miles left, and sleeping had to come second. I chewed 3 pieces of caffeine gum and managed to stay relatively alert for the balance of the ride. When we reached the final climbs, I stood up on the pedals to climb, and that helped keep me alert as well. I could hardly wait for the ride to be finished. So, when the end came at 4:30 AM there was one thought – launch myself onto the bed and pass out!
 
Well, not so fast - first some soup, a quick shower, and then, dreamland!
 
Climbing: 13283 ft
Miles: 249
Total ft/mile: 53.3
Avg speed: 13.0 / Max speed: 44.7 mph
Ride time: 19 hours / elapsed time: 22.5 hours
Start temp: 62° / high temperature: 70° / end temperature: 56°
Wind was not a factor.

Thanks for the writeup on the ride!  I'd been eyeballing the 200K route.  After reading you're writeup however I'm torn between game on and doing it or saying heck no!  
 
Semper Fi

are E-Caps the same as Endurolytes?  I have taken a couple of bottles of Endurolytes before - usuallly have to start taking them when the weather gets hot to eliminate/reduce cramping.