The Return

It's been a long time....  Too long!

Like the hired man said,  "There's been a deal of trouble around these parts."

That might be a bit strong, but I've been dealing with some personal issues, things that absorb time and attention.  I'm not done with it all yet, but I do feel like I just might have turned the corner.

"So what's been going on here?" you ask.  I most definitely have been riding.  Sometimes not as much as I'd like, but never down to nothing.  I just haven't been able to write about it.  I'm hoping to change all that now. I doubt I'll be posting every day.  I'll do my level best to get out one or two posts per week.

Thank you all for your patience.

Oh yeah!  I guess, since this is a bicycle related blog, I ought to include at least some bicycle related content.  Here goes.

I rode the GA-400 Hospitality ride.  That was on Sunday 29 June.  The 3.5 miles on GA-400 were a complete blast!  The next section was hilly riding, working our way out of the suburbs of Roswell, GA.  There was a long stretch in the middle that was hilly, and mostly rural.  I've been recovering from the Headcold From Hell, so I opted to cut the ride a bit short.  I clipped off one of the 14 mile "do-loops."  (I am incredibly glad I chose to do this!)

By md-day it had become quite warm.  The route was leading us through some hilly country returning to Roswell.  Then I hit the bit with the "Three Sisters."  These are three seriously steep. challengingly long climbs.  Ouch!  My legs were almost sort of recovered as we cruised through downtown Roswell.

The trek along the Chattahoochee riverfront was okay, if a bit to crowded with car traffic.  And then I came to the last practical joke of the course.  "The Mother In Law!"  This was one more serious climb, leading to the very end of the ride.  I came as close as I've ever come to dismounting and just sitting down on that thing.  I did make it.

I'm glad I did the ride.  I won't ever do it again.  It would be a god thing if I never meet the practical joker who designed that course.

Ride Report: Solstice Celebration Night Ride

What a night!  It certainly wasn’t the biggest of these rides we’ve ever done.  There were exactly five of us.  In no particular order, Scott, Wini, Dan, Chris, and I were there and ready at ride time.

It was certainly the coolest evening that we’ve had for this in many years.  The indicated temperature was 77^OF at ride time.  After several previous years of blistering drought, this was a most pleasant change.

Folks rode well, with pleasant bits of chatter and light laughter.  That even held while we climbed the infamous Rockaway Rd into Senoia.

The early evening threatening clouds were tattering and blowing away as we rode out of Peachtree City.  In fact, the scattering of some tattered layers of clouds made for a spectacular sunset, as we turned onto GA-54.

Minix Road was on our route.  We turned onto it, about five minutes after local sunset.

Minix Road.  I recall a story.  Some years ago, an individual who was then new to all this road cycling stuff was chatting with me.  This person had then just recently befun to make solo explorations of the local roads.  He was relating yet another, “I cheated death” story.  I was listening with about half an ear, as I worked on a customer’s bike.  And then my attention was captured.  The guy was telling me he’d ridden into Tyrone via Minix Road.  “It was incredible!”  he said,  “There’s this awful climb on that road!  Have you ever done that?”

I indicated that, yes, I’d done that, and yes, I knew it was a stiff climb.

“Oh yeah!”  my new friend said.  “There’s this stretch that’s two miles long, and it’s ten percent!”

Huh?  Let’s consider that for a moment.  If a grade is 10%, then one climbs 528 feet in every mile.  A two mile climb of 10% would mean a rise of 1,056 feet.  Consider, Stone Mountain rises 825 feet above the surrounding land, and it’s visible for a long way.  I was as gentle as I could be when I pointed out that, if there was, in fact, a rise of over 1,000 feet locally, it should be quite visible from Peachtree City.  No, there is no two mile long, 10% grade on Minix road.

However…  Minix Road is four miles long.  It is pretty much a climb the whole way.  On the right night it can feel like this

K2

Last night, for me at least, Minix Road certainly felt like we were climbing a mountain!

After Minix Road we turned onto Palmetto-Tyrone Road, which becomes Castlewood.  I must say the pavement on this road has deteriorated considerably in recent years.  Rattle-rattle banga-BANG!  And then there was that stinkin’ steep climb up Castlewood, into Tyrone.  Once we passed that, things were pretty much smooth sailing all the way into the end of the ride.

In sum:  We road 38.1 miles, in 2:45.  It didn’t rain.  We had no big bad scary incidents.  Folks behaved well, and rode well.  It was a bunch of fun.  And personally, I am so very glad to be “back in the saddle again”!  Thanks you all!

Ride Report: Ride of Silence ~ the view from the back

Last Wednesday was the annual Ride of Silence.  This is a memorial ride to commemorate cyclists who have been injured or killed in traffic.

We had a large turnout.  Good weather helps with that, and the weather last Wednesday was excellent.  There were 70+ riders (and one shop dog in a trailer) along.  It’s an impressive sight.  That many riders, when proceeding in single file stretch out over a quarter mile of road.

We followed our usual procedures.  That means that Southside Cycling Club President, Dan Christensen led the ride.  Dan follows our usual route, and keeps the speed down.  It’s difficult to hold a group that size together.

I take the “drag postion,” riding at the very back.  My goals in holding this post are twofold.  My first goal is to provide blocking and safety for the riders ahead.  My other function is to render aid to any rider who needs mechanical assistance.

As it should have been, the ride was one of silence and simple intention.  To see over 70 cyclists on the road at once is really impressive.  When this large a group proceeds slowly, with intent to keep the group intact, it’s even more attention grabbing.  Yes we encountered a few motorists who were displeased with us.  On the other hand, we saw drivers who “got it.”  For example, as we were moving down the Peachtree Parkway, there were two drivers who pulled up abreast of each other, and behind us.  They then stayed there and “blocked” for us.  I can’t imagine that they knew why we were there, but they sensed that this was something to be respected.

Ride Report: 65(!) mile Audax Tune Up

Sunday was the day for the first of this year’s longer Audax Tune Up Rides.  This was one for the books.

It was a truly good and great ride.  This was one where everything meshed and just went along to near perfection.  It was all right:  the right people, the right route, the right conditions, the right day, the right bikes, great attitudes, old friends, and much good fun.

The Stats:

Distance:  71.2 miles  (more on that later)

Elevation Gain:  4200+ feet of climbing

Average Speed:  12.8 mph (rolling average)

Present for the ride were (in no particular order)  Janey, Victoria, Aaron, Chris, and me.

The Day did not look auspicious at the start.  It was grey, and had been raining.  At ride start there was still a very light mist/drizzle.  This cleared before we crossed out of Pechtree City.  The threatened rain never did show.  Most of the day, it was cloudy, but the grey skies did little to dampen enthusiasm.

The forecast was for a high a bit above 60F, sometime around 4:00 PM.  The early part of the ride did seem to warm a bit, but then, the temp actually felt like it was dropping.  Perhaps this was due to rising winds and a lot of descending in the mid-section of the route.  Things did seem to warm a bit on our return leg, and we actually saw some patches of blue sky as we re-entered Peachtree City.

In sum, conditons were good enough, and we were all prepared to meet them.  Success!

The Company was about as good as anyone could ask for.  It’s a rare thing to be able to go out with five riders who are compatible, and willing to bend to a common goal.  This was one of those days.  Everyone got along famously, with a lot of grinning, joking, and laughter.  Good fellowship and camaraderie were the themes for the day.

I should note, Janey had a wonder GPS gadget with her.   This thing is a marvel.  It doesn’t do as much navigating as my old and faithful Garmin Etrex, but it supplies a truly amazing wealth of information.  In fact, sometimes a bit too much inormation.  One of this device’s features is an inclinometer function, that reads out in current grade percentage.  Janey was delighted to let us know just how steep any particular climb was.  i.e.  “Hey!  This is a 7% grade!”

That went on until I mentioned that there were certain bits of information that I did not want to know.  I’m really happier if I don’t know how cold it is, or how steep it is.  I mentioned this, and Janey immediately said she would be happy to not tell me, but that if I ever really wanted to know, just ask!  Then she waited until another good climb came up and she asked me what the grade was.  (Gig!)

The Route was almost my standard 65 mile Tune Up Loop.  I think it’s interesting to note that this loop compares to the famous Triple Gap.  The aforesaid is 53 miles around, and gains 5200 feet.  On this day we rode a bit more than 70 miles and gained over 4200 feet.  (I’ve said I picked this thing deliberately for its hilly terrain.)

A bit of explanation is wanted.  This ride is advertised as a 65 mile “Tune Up.”  So how did we get to 71.2 miles?  Well the answer is fairly simple.  We were having fun.  We arrived at the last planned stop in good order.  Then I had a brain-flash.  I did not want to take the final route, did not want to go to Flat Creek Trail, did not want to face the climb up the “Beast.”  And I most especially was not looking forward to the grind up the hill on GA-54.  The group was riding along well, and in good spirits, so…  I changed my plan.

Instead of going South and west, I turned a bit.  We went via an alternate route.  (Actually pieces of three alternate routes.)  We went south for a bit, and then north, and then some east, before turning back toward Peachtree City.  It avoided some more traffic, and lo and behold, we arrived back home, laughing and joking all the way.

In Summary:  This was one of the great ones.  The compnay was great, the weather was tolerable, the route treated us well, and fun was had by all.  I can hardly wait for the next 65 mile Tune Up on 14 April, or the full-on Audax 200K on 28 April.

Ride Report: Mid-Fall Celebration Night Ride

“Did anybody see a guy on a horse with a pumpkin!”

“Hey!  It’s really dark out here!”

“This is great!”

“Do not say the word that starts with R!”

Eight of us met in Hollonville to do the annual Mid-Fall (Samhain) Celebration Night Ride.  I love this one.  It’s Fall.  It’s dark.  It’s a real “Sleepy Hollow” ride.

Before I go any farther, I’d like to make an observation, in the form of a question.  Has anyone else noticed that Flat Shoals Road is uphill in both directions?

Speaking of hills…  It’s an interesting phenomenon, hills don’t seem to be so bad at night.  Perhaps this is because we can’t see them ahead, can not see how tall they are, can’t anticipate how long or how bad the hill will be.

All that said, there were eight of us, and everyone was grinning at the start.  There would be no moon during the time we would be out, and the sky was completely overcast.  Add to that, the country we rode through is more remote, less populated.  It was dark out!

We saw very little traffic, and what little we encountered treated us well, gave us a good respectful amount of room.

We proceeded out of Hollonville and down to Concord with little trouble.  This part of the ride was more quiet, as folks were warming up to the ride.  By the time we left Concord there were conversations and laughter going on throughout the group.

Eventually we got down into Flat Shoals Road.  Just after crossing the Flint River, we climbed a bit and then made the turn onto Covered Bridge Road.  From that turn it is three and a half miles of unpaved road.  The road surface varied from good firm easy hard pack , to gravel covered somewhat sketchy, washboard.  I will state here that everyone present was on some kind of road bike, and no one burst into flames, or crashed, on the dirt road part of the ride.  Some of the less experienced got a bit quiet, but all made it through this ordeal with flying colors.  Some of us (most) were laughing and joking all the way along this section.

The dirt road part of this ride is wonderful.  You can’t see a light anywhere.  There are no illuminated houses, no dogs, and no cars!

The weather cooperated with us marvelously too.  It was cool, but not cold, and everyone seemed to have dressed exactly right for the conditions.  Yes, we experienced an occasional drop of moisture falling from the sky, but the rain waited until we finished the ride!

Present were Jim, Kelvin, Dan, Travis, Courtenay, Scott, Chris,  and your correspondent.  Two of our group had not done this ride before.  Six of us were repeaters.  Interesting thing that.  Seems like there actually are folks (other than me) who actually enjoy this kind of challenge.

I love the night, and had a great time with this group.  I’d do it again tomorrow, and the comments I got seemed to echo that sentiment.

P.S.  For those detail oriented among us...
Distance:  32.5 miles
Time:  2:29
Rolling Average:  13.0 mph

Ride Report: Autumn Equinox Night Ride

A week ago we went out to ride in the night.  No broken spokes!  Yippee!

I have a particular fondness for this route.  For the most part it’s quiet and almost traffic-free.  Yes, there are a couple of spots that require close attention, but something like 35 miles of this fall into that “almost-no-cars” category.

It was a bit cool at ride time, with a prediction of fairly rapid cooling to come.  Most folks had heeded the warning to dress for a cooler ride.

We pulled out right on time, and after just a wee bit of fumbling at the start, got ourselves sorted out and proceeded in good order.

It got dark right on schedule, but a rising half moon and a crystal clear night added charm.  I didn’t see anyone with inadequate lighting.  Folks handled traffic and road conditions very well.  I was pleased with the mutual courtesy and good humor exhibited by all.

We did take the unusual step of stopping about mid-way through to allow for “clothing adjustment.”  (It was getting kinda cool out.)

Other than that one fumbling incident at the beginning, it was a smooth and nearly flawless ride.  I’ve mentioned that twice, and I know enquiring minds will want to know.  It was no big thing.  There was a bit of miscommunication when one rider decided to withdraw early.  Easily fixed and not a major incident at all.

The cooler temps added a bit of spice to the whole evening.  We kept up a 15+ mph rolling average, which is not at all bad for a night ride.

I particularly enjoyed this one, as it was a blend.  I saw several old friends who haven’t been around for a while, and there were several new one too.

Present for the trip were (In no particular order) Chris, Judy, Bob, Jim, Scott, Dan, Van, Travis, Mike, Courtenay, Phil, Theresa, Amanda, and your correspondent.

I can just about wait for the next one.  It’s the Samhain Mid-Fall edition, sort of a “Sleepy Hollow” ride, and very seasonally appropriate.  (A caution, this one will have a few short miles of dirt road in it.)  The Samhain Mid-Fall Celebration Night Ride goes on 5 November, and will leave from the Hollonville Opry House.  Be there!

Ride Report: A Nearly Perfect Mountain Day

On Thursday last we went north to ride one of my favorite routes, the one I refer to as the “Original” Three Gap Ride.  There were twelve of us, a good number for such a day.  (I’m not going to name anyone, as I didn’t get everyone’s name.  You know who you are.)  Among that group were eight folks with experience in the mountains, and four complete newcomers.  All of the new riders completed the route in good order.  BRAVO!

Conditions First:  Of all the many times I have been up north, I cannot recall a more perfect day for the ride.  It was sunny all the way ‘round.  The temp started out in the high 50s, and rose gradually as we rode.  It did not break into the very low eighties until I actually slipped into the outskirts of Dahlonega on the return.  Gentle breezes there were, from time to time, but none of the fierce mountain gusts that can blow a rider across the road.  Traffic was light and courteous.  The foliage was green and lush.  In short, the conditions were as good as anyone could possibly ask.

Some of the road surfaces have deteriorated in recent years, but none were truly bad.  I for one, would like to thank all who came for sharing in, and for helping to make this, one excellent day!

Mid-Summer (Lughnasad) Night Ride: Ride Report

We never know quite what to expect from our Seasonal Celebration Night Rides.  This past Monday was no exception.  To begin with, we had a much smaller group than usual.  Most likely many were put off by an uncertain weather forecast, coupled with overcast sky.  Present at the start were Cindy, Scott, Judy, Dan, Courtenay, Chris, and your correspondent.  A small but happy group.

Things looked especially forbidding right at the 7:30 start time.  Th sky was lowering, and it was getting dark.  So of course we pushed off and rode.

Almost immediately the clouds started to part.  By the time we crossed GA-16 the sky was a spectacular mix of awesome cloudforms, and the lowering sun was painting them in glorious colors.  The sky continued to clear, and by the time we had full dark, it was impossible to detect a cloud up there.  Stars yes!  But no clouds.  No rain.  Pleasant temperatures, down in the mid 70s.  A good night to be out on the road.

This route has its share of good hills.  Dan has a new toy, a brand new, feature-loaded cyclocomputer.  Apparently it has a grade detector feature.  At any rate, he was quite gleeful about reporting the grade percentages.  “This one is 7%!  No, now it’s eight!”

Every ride is different.  This one seemed to be about a lot of chatter and a good bit of laughter.  I rather enjoy rides like that. 

Traffic remained mostly light, even on the four mile stretch of GA-54alt that led us into Luthersville.  The smooth pavement of last year’s work on that road was greatly appreciated too.

Of course, as soon as we hit Luthersville, we turned back to the East, and continued on Luthersville Rd.  There the pavement could use some refinishing.  The surface is almost more patches than original roadway.  Bump and bouncy.  Some good hills add to the fun on Luthersville Rd, but the sky was great, and the traffic continued to be very light.

On the traffic, we only had one “horn-honker” and that was not until we had turned onto GA-85, in Alvaton.  More, as “honkers” go, this one was fairly benign.  He felt it necessary to give us a blast of his “train horn,” from a bit back, and then he roared by in his one-ton “dualie.”  My my, but we are all so impressed.

Have you ever noticed?  After leaving Alvaton, heading north, you descend to the new bridge, and from there it is uphill, not steep, but constant, all the way to Harralson!

We did manage to ride a fairly brisk conversational pace, covering the 40.6 miles of this loop in two hours and 50 minutes.  (For the enquiring minds, that’s a 14.33 MPH overall average.  Not too shabby.)  All in all we had us a good, incident-free, happy, quiet night ride.

I can hardly wait for the “Spoke Breaker” ride on September 24^th.  I’m referring to the annual Autumn Equinox Celebration Night Ride.  (Seems like someone always volunteers to break a spoke on this one.  Let’s break the hoo-doo this year!)

Ride Report: Solstice Celebration

It was still broad daylight when we all gathered at “The Fred” to begin our Annual Summer Solstice Celebration Night Ride.  That might have something to do with several folks not being completely prepared for the ride.

You see, the longer days sort of sneak up on us.  The segment of our community who ride year round have graaaadually put away the winter clothes, and have had to charge lights less, worry about carrying lights less.  Frankly, it’s been a while since most of us have actually managed to ride in the dark.

Even though folks read my discussion and description of these rides, they read from a more relaxed position.  (In some cases, so relaxed as to be indistinguishable from sleep.)  Instead of thinking,  “Right.  Night Ride.  Full darkness discipline applies.  Check!”  The thought is more like,  “Uh huh, Solstice ride.  It will get dark.  Better find the lights…  Hmm.”

Considering that, several people had to scramble around and borrow to come up with a complete set of equipment.  More, a few of the group went completely without reflective ankle bands.  Gang, this isn’t trivial.  Those anklebands make a cyclist much more visible at night.  I invite any and all of you to perform a little experiment.  (This can be done in a neighborhood.)  Sit in a car, about 100 yards from an intersection.  Turn the headlights on.  Then have a friend ride through the intersection, crossing your line of sight.  Have them use lights, but no ankle bands.  Then have them return, while wearing ankle bands.  The results will be…  Shall we say, illuminating?

Okay.  Enough admonishment.

We had a fairly large group.  There were, by count, 12 of us.  We moved out on time, and in good order.  There was a surprising amount of traffic in Peachtree City as we started.  This is a bit odd for a Monday evening.  I guess we can chalk that up to the coming of Summer.  By the time we reached the notorious Rockaway Road climbs, things had thinned a bit, and once we were out on Stallings Road, traffic was close to scarce.  (It would pick up again.  More on that later.)

The sun sank gently to our right as we left Senoia behind us.  The evening advanced.  Our group rode at a pleasantly brisk pace.  The temperature and humidity were as close to ideal as we could have asked for, and the mostly clear sky made for a scenic sunset.

Things were still pleasant, and relaxed when we made our turn onto GA-54.  Down here, in Sharpsburg, where McIntosh Trail intersects GA-54, the traffic is usually pretty light.  The road is moderately un-hilly (as opposed to flat), and undulates pleasantly.  It’s a good place to make good time.  Of course, as we approached the Fischer Road split, things do get a bit more lively.  We had a minor bobble as we negotiated the left hander onto Fischer Road.  There was following traffic, and the motorists weren’t sure how to behave.  We recovered nicely, splitting the group, letting traffic pass, and rejoining afterwards.

We negotiated the evil intersection at GA34 with aplomb.  And then we proceeded up Fischer Road.

I have been leading this ride, on this route for four years now.  I’ll restructure it before we do it again.  There is a stretch of five miles, between GA-34 and the turn onto Major Road.  Four four years, this stretch has been where the “wheels come off.”  I’m speaking figuratively, of course.  But it seems that we always have some sort of challenge, or problem along here.  I can take a hint.

This year, the traffic along Fischer was fairly heavy, fast, and intolerant.  Add to that, one rider had an equipment malf, and another rider fell over.  Then the group got split, and it took a while to get everyone rejoined.  All the while it was growing dark.  We won’t use that bit of routing again.

Eventually we managed to get off of Fischer Road, and then made the climb(s) up to Tyrone.  That meant we were largely out of traffic, and the adrenaline level dropped slowly back toward a tolerable level.  We stopped in Tyrone, just long enough to put a foot down, catch our breath, change bottles, and do a mental re-group for the last leg of the ride.  (Apparently no one else noticed that our stop point was right under the original Starship Enterprise!)

The last leg of the trip was mostly uneventful.  We rode from Tyrone, crossed GA-74, and went the length of Dogwood Rd.  From there we used a tiny bit of Tyrone Road, then turned onto Flat Creek Trail, and out onto GA-54.  A quick jink onto Ebenezer, and then back into PTC.

I’d like to mention, I was largely impressed by the group’s traffic discipline, and by the teamwork exhibited.  The night was characterized by a great combination of good spirits mixed with good judgement.  When we had to make unexpected stops, we did so, in good order, and got off the road.  Even the “jink” that I use to make the left turn off of GA-54 didn’t seem to phase anyone.  Thank you all, Bob, Judy, Bill, Phil, Deb, Amanda, Jan, Jim, Mike, Scott, and Chris, and somebody whose name I didn’t get.  It was a very good and satisfying ride, and I’d go out with any one of you again!  Bravo!

STILL AHEAD:

Pedal for Pets

Yes!  Southside Cycling Club is putting on their first annual organized ride.  The venue will be in Senoia, GA, and it will go on 14 July.  There will be three distance options, 35 miles, 65 miles, and 100 miles.

I’m particularly excited about this one.  I’ve been working hard to develop the courses, and I must say these are some of the nicest, sweetest roads I’ve been on.

For more info, and to register, click Here http://www.southsidecycling.com/p4p/index.php

August (date to be determined)

Trip to the mountains.  We’ll be going up to ride the famous “South Triple Gap Loop.”  We’ll be using the “original” route, with the start and finish points in the center of Dahlonega.  53 miles, over 5,000 feet of gain.  Who’s in?

Be sure to check out tomorrow’s post.  It’s the next in new three year long series on developing as a cyclist.

Ride Report: Audax 200K

What can be said about these Audax 200K rides?  They are long?  Yes they are.  They are demanding.  Uh…  Well, yes.  Obviously there is some kind of reward to be had from them.  People come back and repeat participation, some year after year.

Another thing could be said.  It takes a leap of faith to do this ride for the first time.  Nobody really knows what to expect from a ride like this, not until they have done it.  For seasoned veterans of this kind of riding, these rides are still a challenge.  But the practiced endurance rider at least knows what to expect.  For a first timer, these things are, to some extent, a voyage into the unknown.  It takes courage to make the attempt.

We were blessed with spectacular weather.  The day dawned a bit on the cool side, and warmed slowly.  (I was in arm-warmers for the first 50 miles.)  It warmed nicely as the day progressed, but temps never got up into the unpleasantly hot range.  The skies were blue, with wisps of clouds.  We were graced with breezes to cool us during the hottest part of the day.  And even the evening thunderstorm was kind enough to wait until we had finished riding.  Perfect!

Present at the beginning were Jan Oden, Deborah Tyler, Amy Hill, Dan Christensen, Scott Rutkowski, Ken Finlon, and your humble correspondent.  Each and every rider acquitted themselves in fine style.  Six of the seven rode the complete route.  Amy was feeling a bit of time pressure late in the day, and withdrew, in good order to scurry home.  I might add, she was riding strongly, and left us to complete her day with about 105 miles.  She did the last 25 of her day in just a touch over an hour.  Good job Amy!

The Olympic Moto is Citius, Altius, Fortius.  The Latin translates to “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”  Many cyclists, and other endurance athletes keep track of “personal best” performances.  It is gratifying to report that three of our riders managed to achieve new personal records in three categories each.  Ken, Jan, and Deborah all climbed higher, rode farther, and hit greater speeds than they had ever done before.  Bravo!

Lunch was incredible, and deeply appreciated.  The afternoon was simply a good long ride, with building fatigue, but plenty of rewards too.  I’m happy to report that the more experience riders among us chose to ride in support of the newer folk.  This adds greatly to the spirit of the day.  In short, a good time was had by all.

“Official” stats:  124.3 miles in 9:27.  (Taken from my GPS device.)  The distance is just a little short of the target 125, but is exactly equal to 200 kilometers.

Bon route et Bon Chance!

A (soggy) Mid-Spring Celebration Ride

The weather was threatening.  There were pop-up showers all around us.  So?

Four of us assembled in the “Fred” parking lot.  It was dry (kind of) there.

So Scott, Chris, Deb, and I decided to go for it.  We pushed off promptly at 7:30, pleased that it wasn’t actively raining.

By the time we’d gone a mile and a half, we were on wet pavement.  Another mile saw us riding into drizzle.  By the five mile mark we were on dry roads again.  (Hey!  This isn’t soo bad!)

Of course, as we moved eastward, we started seeing wet more roads.  By the time we crossed GA-85, it became apparent that we were catching up with the storm.  It was wet, and getting wetter.  But I had high hopes.  I knew our route would turn south, and I reasoned that we would be behind the storm, and it would move away from us.  (It could happen.)

As we moved forward, and each rider choose their moment to turn their lights on, the rain picked up.    We had just crossed Goza road when I heard it.  It’s a unique sound.  Not drizzle, but the sound that approaching rain makes as it falls on fresh Spring foliage.  I’ve learned to hear that sound as a warn.  I made a decision call, and we stopped briefly to pull on rain gear.  (Those of us who had it did.)  This turned out to be a really good move, as the rain came in earnest about two minutes later.

I was wondering if we were still catching up to the back of the retreating storm, of if we were advancing into a different kind of trouble.  I didn’t have long to speculate.

As we continued to ride, we started seeing flashes of lightening in the distance, and any hint of clearing sky above us just vanished.  More lightening.  Thunder.  Getting closer.  Decision time.

I made the call.  We turned toward Peachtree City, and abandoned the planned route.  As we continued south for a bit we could  see that we were advancing into a powerful and violent storm.  As Scott put it, “we were riding right into the mouth of the Beast.”

Fortunately, our “bailout” route turned back to the north and west, and we moved away from the storm.  By the time we were at the outskirts of Peachtree City again, we could still hear the rumbles, but they were behind us.  The roads were wet, but there was no more rain falling on us.  We arrived back at the finish point on dry roads.

That was a somewhat sodden and bedraggled crew standing there at the end of the ride.  Oddly, we were all smiling, laughing, and happy.  No, we didn’t go as far as we’d intended, but we did go.  More, we stayed safe, and we had us some fun doing it.

Now don’t you wish you’d been there too!

Ride Report & A Problem

Audax 65 Mile Tune Up:  Challenges

Sunday was the last of this year’s Audax Tune Up Rides.  I’m a little puzzled.  The group was smaller than I anticipated.  Only seven of us.  Still, the day was excellent, and the road was waiting.

We were only just started, barely more than a mile into the ride when we had our first “incident.”  On a brisk descent two riders had a crossed wheel event, resulting in a crash.  Fortunately, the rider who went down landed in the best possible situation,  a “corkscrew fall” off of the pavement and into grass and dirt.  If one is going to hit the ground this isn’t fun, but it beats a lot of other possibilities.

I must say, I’m proud.  A black eye, and a fat lip don’t make for a happy start to a day, but the rider in question decided to press on, and made a good ride of it, completing the day in fine style.

Traffic is always an issue near our start.  Yesterday was no exception.  Still, we handled it well, and by the time we got out of Palmetto and into a more rural setting, things were a lot calmer and better.

Good riding and good times prevailed, until…  At almost the exact midpoint of the route we had another “event.”  One rider hit something in the road.  In all my years of riding, I have never seen a bike tire so completely damaged.  Whatever the object was, it took a bite out of the tire.  A big bite.  We attempted a repair, but it didn’t hold.  With a round hole of more than an inch diameter, I didn’t think it would.

Fortunately our rider was able to call for a ride, but sadly had to abandon.

Thankfully, we had no further incidents, and the afternoon was simply one of good riding, against the challenge of long climbs and brisk winds.  A good and happy group rolled into Peachtree City, in good order.

I should mention that we had one rider who set a personal record for distance, and one rider who equaled a recently set record.  Neat!!

Watch this space for details about the upcoming Audax 200K.  It should be a great one!

New Route Needed:

My regular Novice Road Ride route is in trouble.  There is heavy construction at the intersection of Bernhard Rd, and GA-85.  I have not been able to determine how long the project will last, or what the ultimate goal of it is.  But for now the conditions at this site range from difficult and extremely dangerous, to impossible.

The Novice Road Rides are scheduled to resume on 26 April.  New routing is going to be necessary.

I’m considering the following:

• Develop a “re-route” and get it painted in time for the Novice Rides
• Alter the route to make it a somewhat abbreviated “out and back.”
• Truncate the route to a much shorter distance and concentrate on only the new riders.

All of these ideas have difficulties.  I’m open to suggestions, and would welcome any advice in route alterations.  My criteria are as follows.

• Safety First
• Routing must be “New Rider Friendly”
• Routing must avoid the construction at the intersection of Bernhard GA-85.

Audax Tune Up: Ride Report

It‘s kind of hard for me to wrap my arms around this ride.  I’m not entirely certain how to categorize it, or sum it up.  Perhaps my best course is just to report it.

The weather was as close to perfect as could be asked for.  Temp at ride time was just a bit above 70 degrees F.  The sky was clear, and the humidity was low.  Six of us assembled in front of Bicycle Unlimited, and pushed off right on time.

This wasn’t a large number for one of these rides.  It was a big Sunday, and a lot of folk were also out of town, or attending to conflicting activities.

The ride can be divided into several distinct phases.

Struggle to leave the “Bubble”:

Let’s face it, there’s no flat way to leave Peachtree City.  In the past we used to go up the north end of the Peachtree Parkway, but this presents problems.  There’s a lot of traffic on that road, and it’s narrow.  In recent years I’ve prospected alternate routes out of town.  All of them have something of a challenge.  On this ride, I choose to use the multiuse paths.  The problem with them is that they are, in places quite steep.

In the first three miles of the ride, I supplied the comic relief.  I derailed completely first on the rear, and then on the front, and again on the front.  After that, I outdid myself and missed a turn, necessitating a complete reversal and backtrack.

Eventually we made it out.

To Palmetto with adjustments:

The trip from the edge of Peachtree City to our breakpoint, in Palmetto, is always one of adjustment.  Faster riders move forward, more relaxed ones tend to drift off the back.  This is the stretch where accommodations are made.  We adjust to each other’s riding style.  Gaps have to be filled.  Faster riders need to move to the back of the group.  It takes some sorting out.  This day was no different.  By the time we reached the breakpoint, we were riding well, as a team.

Palmetto to the Lunch Stop (First Hint of a problem):

A short stop in Palmetto, followed by one of the most enjoyable sections of this route.  The 13 miles, from Palmetto to the Chattahoochee river crossing, are mostly down hill, and largely without traffic.  Add to that the scenic beauty of this spectacular Spring day, and this stretch is about as nice as it could be.

Of course, as soon as we crossed the “Hootch,” the road tips up, and the next three miles are a long “grinder climb.  Folks took this in good spirits, laughing and joking about the climb.

The route turns from Capps Ferry Road to GA-166, and rolls north.  For a long stretch from the intersection down to the Dog River inlet, the road drops almost 200 feet.  It’s a screamer of a descent, and a lot of fun.  After that, we were in the big, heavy “rollers,” that go on for almost 10 miles.

It was while working through these big “boomers” that we had the first hint of a problem.  One member of our group was feeling a bit under the weather, and a bit depleted.  We did a hand-off of a snack, and eased the pace a bit.  We’d get to the lunch stop and see.

Lunch to Fairburn (Decisions and Solutions):

The route is actually planned to avoid Fairburn, but that wasn’t in the cards for this day.  Our ailing member was in trouble.  We had an emergency conference after one particularly long grinder climb.  A decision had to be made.  The distressed rider was not going to make the entire route.  They would have to abandon.  Now we had to determine how to do this safely.  (I will not just leave a distressed rider by the side of the road to fend for themselves.)

After a short discussion, we decided to alter the route, proceed into Fairburn, and leave the rider there.  We had the thought that they could stay in place, off the road, and in a safe place (Oz Pizza came to mind) until another of our riders finished the route.  A retrieval could then be accomplished.

Unfortunately, we didn’t count on the character of the town of Fairburn.  It was Sunday afternoon, and the place was closed.  Everything in town was closed.  More conferencing.

Our ailing rider decided that the short trip down the relatively flat Roosevelt Highway, to Palmetto, would be doable.  That would get them to an open store.  The rest of the group would proceed back to Peachtree City via an altered route.  From there we could retrieve motor vehicles and arrange an easy pickup.

Fairburn to Home (Determination):

We waved goodbye to our friend, and headed for Fayette County.  This part of the trip had a somewhat different character.  We all felt a need to expedite the journey.  As soon as we reached a somewhat low traffic road, I held an “on the road conference,” and polled the group.  The question,  “We have about 15 miles to go.  Does anyone need to make a stop?”

I was gratified when all present answered that they could proceed without stopping.  Good job!

Still it was late in a long day.  Three of our group had long since passed their previous all-time mileage records.  We needed to pay attention to each other and proceed in the best possible fashion, not dropping anyone, or creating other problems.

I’m proud to say that the group did this splendidly.  We handled the remaining large hills in a conservative fashion, supporting and encouraging each other all the way.

Good news waited us at the end of the ride.  Our “abandon” had arranged a pick-up and ride.  So everyone was safe, and accounted for.

Final Details:

The main group rode an “official” distance of 68.4 miles.  Three of our members (including our “Abandon”) established personal all time distance records.  Despite my early bout of “mechanicals” we had no serious incidents.  The day was spectacular, and the riding exceptionally good.

I’m very proud to have spent the day with such a sharp and pleasant group of folks.  Good sense and skillful riding were the keys to making a challenging day a successful one.

Given enough long rides, it’s inevitable that someone has to “abandon” from time to time.  There is no shame in this.  Live to fight another day.  What is far more significant is the way in which the problem was handled.  On this ride, it was done with grace, intelligence, and care.

To all who came, BRAVO!  To all who missed this one, be there on 15 April!  It promises to be a grand ride.

Ride Report: Audax 45 Mile Tune Ups

Challenging Ride

I’ll sum yesterday’s ride up with that word.  It was one full of challenges.  Each and every one of our group of ten met one or more challenges.

There was the stalwart on the single speed.

Two members had never been on one of these rides before.

One lady had never gone that far before.

One of our group was doing her first group ride in clipless pedals.  I might add, she just had them installed late in last week.

The course is hilly and challenging in its own right.

The day started out cool, but then the sun came out, and…  Well, it got windy!

It’s always a challenge to blend a group of individuals into a coordinated team.

A couple of us were so new to things that lifting a bottle and drinking while on the bike was a challenge.

For some reason we encountered far more motoring aggression and rudeness than is the norm.  More, there was just a lot more traffic than is normal.

Some struggle with the hills.

Some have challenges with riding close in a group.

One would think, with all those challenges and obstacles to face, this ride would have been a grinding slog.  Yessir!  It was one tough ride.  I guess that’s why there were so many smiles, and so much laughter.

SB 468:  Update

The Georgia State Senate Bill 468, sometimes known at the “Bicycle Single File” bill, did not pass the Senate in the 2011-12 session of the state legislature.  Action on the bill ceased after the Second Reading.  Because the bill did not pass the Senate before “crossover day,” it is finished for this session.  We will have to keep watch for this in the next legislative session, but for now, we can breath a bit easier.  Thank you to all who worked to stop this bill.