The Cop Rides the Tour de Pig

Yes, I admit it, this might just be a little bit heavy handed.  I'm a cop, and I'm riding in a ride called Tour de Pig (no relation).  This is actually part of the Lexington BBQ Festival, and is sponsored by Novant Health.  The money raised for this ride goes to support the Davidson County Mental Health program.  I have been looking for a charity ride that benefits the mental health field or suicide prevention for a few months now.  There are just not that many out there.  I just happened to stumble upon the Tour de Pig shortly after riding in the Tour of Farmington.  Since I had enjoyed myself so much on that ride, I went ahead and signed up for this one with the intention of doing the 100K route.  It was a happy coincidence to find out that this was the type of ride I had been looking for.

I didn't know much about this ride other than it covered the Northern part of Davidson County.  I had ridden several of the roads on the route both in my own personal training rides and during the Tour to Tanglewood.  I wasn't all that concerned at all since this was just a 100K, or 62 mile route.  There were no major obstacles either, so this was just going to be a ride for fun without the need for any specific training at all.  Much like Farmington had been, the Tour de Pig was going to be about how fast could I ride the course.

In the week leading up to the ride, the weather forecast was looking like rain for Saturday.  I wasn't too upset about that since I didn't really have much invested in the ride itself.  Either I would go, or I would pass, and go to work (I had to take a vacation day for this ride).  On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which I had to jump on since it was likely my only chance at this destination for the remainder of the year.  I ended up riding 70 miles with some intense climbs thrown in to the mix.  I felt really good the next day so I went out for another 50 miles close to home and pushed hard the whole way.  The following day, I went out once again to ride another 50 mile route close to home. This one was supposed to be a little bit less intense, but my legs were feeling good once again and I hammered it.  that left me with Friday to use as a rest day.

Typically, I like about two to three rest days before an event ride to make sure I'm in top form for the route.  This time, the route didn't really cause any concern for me, and there was still the question if I would take a rain check.  I spent the vast majority of Friday looking at the weather and pondering the chances of rain.  It looked like the ride would be starting in a light rain, with heavier rain coming in around lunch time.  I could deal with that, I suppose.

Before going to bed, I had loaded up my bike and all the assorted goodies I have to take on these rides, but I still wasn't sure if I would be going.  I did know that I was going to keep the vacation day from work though, and that also played into my potential guilt for not going in the morning.  I had pretty much made up my mind that if the weather didn't look any worse, I would put on my big boy Lycra and go get rained on.

When the alarm rang in the morning, I checked the weather first, before even getting out of the bed.  The hourly was still looking the same, and the minute cast had the rain starting in about a hour and a half in Thomasville.  I could live with that, but there was a huge blob of orange and red coming up the Appalachian chain from Georgia that looked to be aimed right for Davidson County.  The radar image concerned me, and I thought about rolling over and going back to sleep.  But...I had made peace with having to wash the bike when I was done, so a little rain, or a lot of rain really didn't matter.  I had taken the time off of work for this ride, and it was for a cause that I really believed in.  OK, I'll get up and go do it.

I left the house at 7am and pulled into Davidson Community College at 7:30, right when the registration tents opened up.  I went ahead and got signed in, and got my bag of goodies before the lines got long.  I wasn't sure how many would show up today, but for right now there was no rain.  I was quietly hoping for that to continue.

I went back to the truck and pulled my bike out of the bed and finally got to use my bike stand thanks to parking on the asphalt.  The lights, Garmin, and bottles were all put on.  I then got myself dressed out and ready for the ride.  I still had about 30 minutes before the ride started, but I like to have that time to get my mind calmed down, and get into my personal zone.

Some of the things that I was thinking about were pretty typical of these rides.  As always, I found myself wondering if I would ride with a group or not?  Actually, that was a pretty short internal discussion.  With the rain in the forecast, and the wet roads, I would not feel comfortable in a group at all.  The decision was made very quick that I would ride this one solo.  The next question was what kind of pace would I try for?  Again with the wet roads, and potential for rain, I decided that I would keep speeds reasonable and not worry about setting any speed records for myself.  The final question was where did I want to start?  That was a no brainer...I would start at the front as I have grown accustomed to.  I'm much happier out there, and don't feel overly crowded.

As I waited up front by the exit, I watched the riders come into the parking lot in a steady stream.  There were quite a few riders in fact.  I guess it still amazes me how many riders are willing to ride in poor weather.  Speaking of which, there was still no rain falling, and I was seeing dry patches on the pavement.  This might not be all that bad at all.  I know that there were quite a few who were planning on having a grand time with this ride.  I could see pig costumes on some riders, and tutus on others.  This was not a surprise as I had seen pictures from past years with just this type of "fun riding".  In addition to these folks, I also saw what I could only assume were serious racers lining up at the front.  They were a bit more serious, and had expressions on their faces that I recognized in my own face. There are different types of fun to be had at these rides, that is for sure!

Well, it was about 8:30, and that was the time when the 100K folks would be heading out.  I had my place at the front of the line, my Garmin was on, Live Track started, and lights turned on.  I was all ready.  Oddly enough though, they had us lined up at the head of the parking lot which dictated that we follow the lot to the left, around the tents, and then onto the road that would lead us out of the college.  That seemed like a lot of twisting and turning considering the hundred or so riders that were bunched up behind me ready to head out. Oh well, I had my place at the front and I was prepared.  The MC was on the loudspeaker getting everyone corralled  that was riding the long route.  I'm really pretty sure that he was still communicating with people in the lot and getting barricades set up for our exit, but I saw riders to my right starting out.  Well, with that, everyone was off, and I was now an island in a swarm of twisting and turning bikes as everyone pushed off and started out.  Well nuts, there went my first plan for the day.  I wasn't going to be out first today.  In fact, I had to sit and wait until things cleared out a little bit before I could safely get started.  One of these days I'll get more confident in mass starts...maybe.

I was finally off, and on my way.  the weather was still holding which I was very thankful for.  The roads were mostly dry at this point with just some dampness in areas.  I was in my easy gears warming up as I always do.  Since I had made the decision to take this one easy, I wasn't at all concerned with pushing the speed.  I just sat back and pedaled as other riders passed me and pulled away.  This worked out because nobody wanted to get on my wheel which meant that I would be staying solo today.  It was going to be a good day!

Then it happened, I came up on a cyclist and passed them.  Then there was a group...passed as well.  My speeds were climbing, but my legs were not feeling all that great.  I was still very fatigued from the earlier rides in the week.  Nevertheless, I was accelerating and overtaking more and more riders.  The pavement was still mostly dry, and there was nothing kicking up affecting my braking performance.  I decided to see what my legs had in them.  I started to keep my power output at that point where I could feel the tension in my legs, which I have come to really enjoy.  I wasn't as fast as I've been, but I was a lot faster than I expected.  After the first 10 miles, I was switching into the big ring, and really started to find my groove.  It was also at this point that I realized that the fatigue I was feeling in my legs was more due to the headwind that I was fighting than anything else.  Once I turned out of the wind, the bike was sailing effortlessly across the pavement.  I played my little cat and mouse game with cyclists I could find in front of me which really kept me motivated.  I had no idea where in the pack I was, but I knew that I was now holding my own, and I was still solo.

The 100K route was set up as two different loops that ultimately made a

figure 8.  The first loop was the one to the right and was ridden counterclockwise.  The second loop was to the left and ridden clockwise.  The wind was coming from the Northeast, so it took quite a while to get out of the wind.  By the time we turned to the South in Walburg, I was really starting to enjoy myself.  There was a little bit of drizzle, and there were wet patches of roadway, but nothing so severe as to impact my brakes.

Before I knew it, I was half way through with the ride and had really only dealt with the wind.  The rain had been insignificant at best.  Coming down Ridge Rd (for the first time) we were given the option of turning onto Yokely Rd and ending at the college for a 50K, or 31 mile ride.  Some riders had been debating about doing that if the weather had gotten bad.  I hadn't really given it any thought, especially at this point.  My bike was already dirty from the road grit and would need to be washed.  Might as well carry on with the full route.  The weather seemed to be holding as well which made the decision very easy.  However, within a mile of passing the turn off, the rain drops got bigger and more frequent.  Was this going to be my clue that I was in for some less than favorable weather?  It didn't matter, I was going to do the full route, wet or dry.

As I approached the town of Arnold, I was back into the wind again.  It had not relaxed any at all I'm afraid.  I kicked down a gear or two and trudged on.  I also realized that this second loop was full of deep rollers which were starting to try my climbing legs.  They had not fully recovered from the previous rides, and I was starting to have to will them to turn the pedals.  They did continue to turn the pedals without too much fuss, and for that I was happy.

When I got to Arcadia, I was fully in the wind once more, and I started to consider easing off of my pace.  Currently, I was averaging in the upper 19 mph range.  While not a spectacular pace for me, it was very respectable, and one that I could ease off of considering the weather.  Well, that was a nice thought, but no sooner than I had thought it, I saw another rider up ahead.  OK legs, go and play.  It wasn't long before I was saying "on your left" and passing by, only to see another cyclist in the distance.  This was my game, and I enjoyed it.

After a handful of place changes, I passed another cyclist coming into Midway.  I didn't think much about it since like the others, he had fallen behind.  However, I had to stop at a stop sign not far down the road which delayed me long enough for the other cyclist to catch up with me.  We turned on the road together and he stayed on my rear wheel.  I wasn't watching behind me, but I could hear the freewheel spinning every so often and the gears changing behind me.  It looked like he was there to stay.  We came up to a left turn with railroad tracks which we both had to slow for.  He came out in front, and as if second nature, I sprinted back out in front.  I could have just let him go on ahead, but what fun was there in that?

I decided that I was going to use his presence to keep me motivated to finish strong.  My speeds were creeping up, and I was putting some serious work in at this point.  I could still hear the freewheel and gears changing behind me, but now I was also hearing some sounds of stress and fatigue.  He was holding my wheel, but it was hurting it seemed.  Whether he wanted to or not, he got to take part in my little game which was back in full swing again.  "On your left!" was said more than a couple of times as my two man paceline moved down Ridge Rd.  I was still making excellent time, but I was really starting to get tired at this point.  I remember looking at my mileage several times and doing the math for what was left.  I was going to have a hard time keeping this pace all the way to the finish, but I was pretty sure that I could.  I made a mad dash down the hill to Lake Thom-a-Lex and pushed very hard climbing back to Old Greensboro Rd.  At the top of the climb, I had very little left in my legs, but we were also just a couple of miles from the finish.  I had made it.

At 61.6 miles, I saw the sign for the college, and could see the parking lot where we started.  Hmmmm, that is not 62 miles.  Well, I could finish with about 61.8 miles and a 20.0 mph average (I told you, I was hammering the last bit), or I could risk dropping my average speed and wheel around the parking lot to get 62 miles.  Well, for me, if it isn't 62+ miles, it isn't a 100K route, so I had to explore the parking lot for a few minutes.  I saw my Garmin register 19.9 mph for an average which took a little out of my sails, but I also saw an even 62 miles register which made me happy.

I was done, and for the most part I had stayed dry.  There were brief showers that I rode though, but nothing that I would consider significant to the ride.  There was enough water on the road that I was going to need to do a little bike washing when I got home, but I had already made my peace with that.  I had set out to ride a moderate paced ride that I figured would be in the neighborhood of 19-19.5 mph depending on the rain.  The rain had held off, and I had a bit more gas in my legs than I had thought to boot.  My official moving average according to the Garmin was, in fact, 20.0 mph.  I had ridden the 100K route in 3:06:35 which is on par with what I did the Tour of Farmington in.  The difference was the wind and rain for this ride.  I gave up about 10 seconds between the two rides, but this one was much harder to ride fast I thought.

It wasn't but a few seconds after I stopped the computer and officially ended my ride that I felt the big rain drops once again.  There wasn't any need in

delaying putting the bike back in the truck and heading home.  I got everything secured, and got out of my wet jersey in favor of a dry t shirt.  All of my associated equipment was tossed in my cycling bag and put back in the truck.  It was a wrap.  There was a BBQ lunch available for the riders, and I had considered partaking, but with the threat of rain, I decided it was best that I just head home.  Plus, Toni would be getting up soon before going to work and I wanted to say hi to her, and visit for a bit before she had to leave.

Before I got my truck out of the parking lot, the rain was coming harder and faster than it had on any portion of the route.  I was very thankful that I had made it when I did.  As I was exiting the college, I went past several cyclists still coming in from their routes.  They were fighting the rain that I had missed.  At least they were about done.  I'm not sure how many were still out on the course, and I don't know how many of the 100K riders had opted to cut the day in half.  I do know that there were still a good many riders coming in.

Once I got home, the rain was pretty steady.  I opted to wait on cleaning the bike until Toni left for work in hopes that the rain would stop long enough for me to give it a much needed wash.  According to the hourly forecast, that was a pretty good possibility.  However, when she left at 4, the rain felt like it was getting heavier.  This was just not going to work out at all.

I decided to back the truck out of the garage, and wash the bike in the rain.  I could then bring it in to dry off and get lubed up.  I'm sure the neighbors got a laugh at me out in the driveway in a steady rain with hose and bucket washing a bicycle.  I will say this though, Flo cleans up nice after a bath.  I made sure that everything worked and was lubricated before putting her back in the wheel stand.  After about 2.5 hours of work, she is all ready for the next ride which hopefully will be on my next off day.

With that, my sixth event ride of 2015 has come to a close.  This has been a year full of event rides when compared to previous years.  I don't know if it is because I'm just so happy to be riding again, or if I have just decided to explore this end of cycling more.  Either way, I've been having a great time doing charity event rides this year.  Ironically, the shorter rides (the 100K ones) have been some of the more fun for me.  I might be looking into doing more of these rides instead of just waiting on the century rides to come around.  Who knows, there might be another one of these shorter rides in the future for 2015.  Time will tell.

Garmin Data