2013 Carolina Century:an impromptu century.

With the conclusion of the 2013 Tour to Tanglewood, I thought I was done with century rides.  Two weeks later, after the 2nd Annual Fall Foliage ride, I thought I was done with planned event type rides.  I was ready for some rest!!  However, the idea got put in my head to ride in the 6th Annual Carolina Century which is another ride that benefits MS research and the NMSS.  I decided to see how I felt after battling the mountains for 67 miles and to see what the weather would hold for the weekend of the Century.  The nice thing was there was no training that was needed as I was already conditioned for long rides.  I just needed to make sure that I was really wanting to get back in the endurance phase of my riding once again.  It would be eleven centuries (rides between 100-212 miles included) for the year!!!

After riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I still felt very strong and had no problems with recovery so I knew my legs would be fine for another century.  It all just came down to the weather in my mind.  I hate riding in the rain, and will avoid it at all costs!  Early in the week the weather showed rain on Saturday, October 19th....70% chance in fact.  I was not going...no way, no how!

As the week progressed, I was wanting to ride another century and kept looking at the weather.  The chances dropped down to around 50%, then 30% with partly cloudy skies.  By Wednesday, (preregistration cutoff) it was looking like a good gamble.  I went ahead and paid my registration fee and signed up for century number 11 for the year.  Thursday and Friday both showed favorable weather patters developing.  I figured if the ride went long I might get drizzled on, but that was about it.  I could live with that.

Saturday morning arrived and I looked at the weather.  Partly cloudy, lows in the mid 50's and highs in the mid 60's, with very little wind.  The best part....the rain chances were in the teens as opposed to what had been as high as 70%.  Yeah, this was going to be a blast!  I went ahead and put the rack on the truck since it wasn't that far of a drive to get to the starting point in Northern Guilford County.  I could see clouds in the sky, but it felt dry, and wasn't even that cold.  I packed arm and leg warmers along with my full fingered gloves just in case I decided I needed some extra protection from the elements.  I loaded up my food and hydration and set out to the rally point.

I arrived at 6:30 when check in was starting.  Everything was going smoothly.  I signed my waivers, got my name on the list, and picked up my rider packet, along with some pretty cool swag.  Among the treats that were given to me was a pair of arm warmers....I now had two pairs with me!  With check in finished I went back to the truck and started to get the bike ready, and me dressed.  I gave a lot of thought to the current temperatures and decided that while it was a little chilly now, the addition of 10 degrees would make arm warmers extra equipment I would have to store.  I opted to suck it up for the first hour or so and I stayed with my short sleeved jersey and bare legs.  I even went with the fingerless gloves.

As I was closing the truck back up and getting ready to walk over and say good morning to my friend Phil who had just arrived, Toni called me.  She was just leaving work and headed home.  I remember her asking what I thought was a strange question considering we were looking at only 15% chance of rain for the morning.  She inquired if it was drizzling on me?  What??????? Huh?????? was she being funny?  I said it wasn't and the chance of rain was quite low.  She shared with me that it was drizzling on her currently, and that there was a big batch of rain coming in from Lexington.  Ever the optimist I said that was too far South to cause us any concerns and that even if it drizzled I would be fine.

No sooner than I hung up the phone I started to feel rain drops on my head.  Well nuts!!  Oh well, I was here and it was only drizzle.  I click clopped over to Phil's truck to wait on him while he was getting checked in.  While I waited the rain stopped.  That wasn't too bad.  I've gotten the bike wetter than that just by sweating on it.  It was going to be a good day!  When Phil returned we chatted for a while and I told him about the drizzle.  He had seen the same weather forecast that I had....neither of us thought it was going to be a problem.  As we were discussing the dry day ahead the drizzle started again.

it was getting close to the 7:30 start time and I had to make a decision about my current attire.  I was cold, and the rain falling was cold....but I was sure it would be short lived.  I opted to stay dressed the way I was and stick it out, looking forward to the mid 60's later in the day.  I was a cyclist, this was going to be nothing to sweat over.

At 7:30 we heard a whistle in the distance.  There were some confused looks and we decided that this was the pomp and circumstance that would send us off on our various routes.  John joined Phil and me as we left the church in what could only be described as a soaking light rain.  The rooster tails were already spraying my face...but it was going to be short lived.  Dry roads were just around the corner.  I was glad that I had opted to bring my headlight, and swap in my amber lenses on my riding glasses.  These things were mandatory in these conditions.  Speaking of conditions....in addition to getting pelted by 20mph rain drops (those things sting!!), I was shivering cold.  My clothes were already soaked and sticking to my skin.  I could feel the water building up in my shoes...not a nice feeling 2 miles into 103 miles.  It was OK, I would dry out before the end of the day.  It was going to be a good ride!

Fast forward what felt like about an hour of riding.  I looked down at my Garmin....2.6 miles.  Wait a minute......we've been riding all this time and have gone less than THREE miles?????  Oh, this was going to be a long day!  I kept looking down at the distance to see when my 10 mile warm up was done and I could think about switching into the big ring.  It might have been the water bubbles on the face of the cyclometer, but I swear to you I saw 8.7 miles and about 10 minutes later it read 6.4.  Was I going backwards?  I hate riding in the rain!  My glasses were covered in water and road grit, my cyclometer was soaked and I couldn't accurately read it...at least that is a better option than I was going backwards in distance.

It seemed like it took forever to click past 10 miles, but eventually we did.  I was able to shift into the big ring and start settling into my cruising cadence.  We took turns in the front of our three man paceline.  This kept everyone fresh, but I always felt bad when I pulled in front because I would surge and create a gap.  I needed to find the right pace so as not to do that to John and Phil.  It took some time, but I finally got the rhythm of the group.  I also found that I really liked being on the front because I had no rooster tails to contend with.  You see, that drizzle that should have passed over was still there, and was a full fledged rain at this point.  Any time I was not in the front I was getting spray from the tire in front of me.  My mouth tasted like either Possum or 10W-40.  I figured either option was not healthy for me.  I was content staying on the front as long as they would let me.

As it got brighter, my outlook started to change, and the miles started to pass by quicker.  What had started as a very labored ride was starting to get fun.  Hey, we were soaked, might as well enjoy it right?  Well, I had come to terms with being wet, but the cold was not as forgiving.  The fact that I had knowingly left not one, but TWO pairs of arm warmers in the truck made me feel like kicking myself in the chamois!  I was cold, but was tolerating it well considering.  We hit our first rest stop at 15 miles, or 20 miles....I don't know....it was nowhere near 103 miles, that I do know.  It was nice to stop for a moment and assess the situation for the day.  The rain was here to stay, and it was getting colder if anything.  When we started back out, the cold breeze hit my wet clothes and instantly, I stopped breathing....yeah, it was that cold!  I sucked it up, and pushed my cadence a little bit to get myself warmed up.  Gradually I got to a comfortable temperature....just in time for the next rest stop at 40 something miles where I said hi to my friend Karen Wimmer.  She was nice enough to open my Fig Newton package because my fingers were too wet and numb to open the wrapper.  60 more miles of this????  Was I freaking crazy?  It was a rhetorical question, don't jump down to the comment section just yet.

We left the Vance Rd Fire Station and headed towards Hwy 158.  This was cruel to me because we were about 12 miles from my house at this point.  I could have gone home, gotten a shower, hot chocolate, and crawled into bed with Toni.  I had nothing to prove by riding another century.....but I would not let myself quit.  I was going to complete this ride!!!

Since we were firmly in my neck of the woods, I took pretty much the permanent pole position up front and did the pulling for quite a while.  I knew the land, and I knew what to expect as far as climbs and turns and such.  This worked out well, I got to ride my ride, which Phil and John were adapting to very well.  We were making excellent time considering the road conditions.  We were averaging about 17.4 at this point.  The rain was slacking off and turning into spotty drizzle which was promising, but the sky promised that it would be raining in some fashion for the rest of the ride.

An interesting side that I started to notice along this part of the route.  My elevation data was very wrong.  It was showing about 100 feet climbed per 10 miles ridden.  I knew that was way off and kept watching it while climbing.  Most of the time it would not budge.  The only possible solution I could come up with for the failure was that the pressure sensor on the bottom of the cyclometer had become plugged with water preventing it from recording the changes in pressure.  I tried to blow it out but to no avail.  It was just going to be wrong for the ride and I was going to have to be ok with it.

Around the 60 mile mark we had joined up with several other riders from the Burlington Velo Club.  They seemed content hanging onto the back wheel of our group of three as we picked up mile after mile.  As I was pondering our new additions I came upon a startling revelation.  I had to pee.  Not just a little bit....to the extent I could feel my bladder rocking between my legs.  The only other time I have been on a ride and been this kind of uncomfortable was on the Double Down after 100 miles.  This was odd for me at 60 some miles, but it was what it was.  I guess I could have been absorbing the rain by osmosis or something...either way, I had to pee, and it was getting to be crucial.

I decided that the next stop we came to I would make a pit stop.  John and Phil agreed, as did our other riders.  We were well into the climbs now, and I was starting to leave the group on all of them....I needed to find that rest stop, and I needed to find it NOW!!!  There it was...at the top of the hill.  I could see the colors of the umbrella.  As I got closer I realized that this was a lemonade stand of a rest stop.  Just food and hydration (of which I had plenty).  The only facilities were trees right off of the road, next to a house.  Opting for politeness over comfort I asked where the next rest stop was.  He said it was around 6 miles or so from there in Bethany.  That would have to suffice...but it was going to need to be a quick 6 miles.  We agreed to a stop there as John was suffering from a similar delima.

I had never been so happy to see a fire department.  I rode right up to the bay door and dismounted.  I didn't even bother to put my cleat covers on before hotfooting into the rest room.  Ahhhhhhhh, I felt so much better now....and lighter!  The rest of the ride would be a piece of cake.  In fact it had even stopped raining for the most part, but the roads were still wet.

The group of BVC riders that had joined us turned out to be first time century riders.  Their furthest distances had been in the 50 mile range until today.  They had set out to do the 100K route, but decided to dive in and do the full century.  This explained why they had latched onto our wheels and were staying back there.  They needed to conserve their energy for the huge jump in distance to what they were used to.  I was fine with that...we all know I love helping riders break the century barrier whenever I can.  We all continued on together, with me up in front.  I was having a blast up there.  My face was staying dry and I wasn't taxing my brakes as I would stuck in the line.  With the rain from the morning, my pads were covered with a thick slime that made the brakes worthless...and made me feel dangerous for the rider ahead of me.  I was much safer up front....for everyone.

At about mile 80 we made it to Sandy Cross where there was ice cream and some good humor exchanged between riders.  We were about done with out century.  The rain was pretty much just a light occasional drizzle which was welcome...but we were still soaked to the bone.  Oh yeah...that high of 65* that was forecast.....Don't think we ever saw more than upper 50's.  It was still cold.  I was still wishing I had worn my arm warmers...I thought about knocking Phil over and stealing his, but opted against it.   I like riding with him too much.

It was here at Sandy Cross that we learned that the route that usually goes beyond the store, actually had to be detoured due to bridge construction.  The detour was.....right back the way we came.  Oh well, asphalt is asphalt and we only had about 23 miles left.  This was the home stretch!  We saddled back up and set off again.  We had a bit of a tail wind and our speeds were climbing....I was again in the lead which made me happy.  When we got into the last few hills though, the fatigue of the day started showing and we became separated more often.  With the last 7 miles to go, it was decided (without Phil's input) that he would lead us in and set the pace.  He said he would have been happy with the last 7 feet....not 7 miles....but he pulled us in strong as he is known for doing.  We had managed to pull away from our first time century riders, and the three of us pulled in together just as we had left six hours before.  We were wet and cold, but we had ridden in some really nasty conditions and checked off one more century ride for the year!

I was happy that I had signed up for this ride, and happy to have been a part of another MS ride.  I'm always happy when I get a chance to ride with Phil, and it was great meeting John for the first time and riding with him.  However, I was looking at my bike and myself and knew I had a lot of cleanup ahead of me.  I had 103 miles of road grit to deal with.  I was nasty!!!!!  After getting changed into some warm and dry clothes....and looking at my arm warmers all folded up in my bag I got in the truck and headed home.  It was time to get the bike cleaned up and ready for the next ride.

This is the part of a rainy ride that I hate.  What normally takes between 40 minutes and an hour takes at least 2 hours to do.  Instead of just wiping everything down, I have to take the bike apart and wash it all to get the grit out of the nooks and crannies. everything has to be relubed and inspected, and the brakes have to just about be resurfaced to ensure safe stopping.  Its an aggravating process to say the least, but something that I know has to be done and is part of riding.

With the conclusion of the 6th annual Carolina Century, I have now ridden a total of 11 full centuries.  This adds up to approximately 1260 miles in just 11 rides this year.  I don't foresee repeating that kind of distance riding again anytime soon, but I have to say, I'm proud of the accomplishment this year.  Especially since this is only my second full year of riding a bike.  If I can do it...anyone can.....

Just be sure to wear the appropriate clothing!

Garmin Data

The 2nd Annual Fall Foliage Ride

The Linn Cove Viaduct....an engineering marvel that appears at milepost 304 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of North Carolina.  It has long been an icon for this scenic roadway which has been coined "America's Favorite Drive."  Around five years ago this bridge captured my eye as a photographer and I found several vantage points to photograph it from.  However, my favorite images have always been during the times when it is framed in the Autumn colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  This is truly a magical time in this section of the state.  For many years I would wander around on the Parkway in the Fall months in search of colors worthy of my lens.  However, in 2011, I gave up my love of photography for a new passion....cycling.  I never saw the two worlds colliding like they eventually did.

When I started out riding a bike, I looked for the flattest roads around.  I didn't want to go uphill.  I remembered doing that very well as a kid, and didn't recall it favorably at all.  All that huffing and puffing to creep along on an incline.  What fun is that?  I wanted to go fast!  As an adult picking up cycling once again, I still wanted to go fast, but I also wanted to go far.  Neither of these goals seemed to fit with riding on hills.  Oh....if the world was only flat.  As it turned out, hills would be a part of my riding from early on.  Sure, they were minor hills, but I struggled with them nonetheless.  As I got better on my bike, I became faster on the hills.  I started to feel invincible.  I could tackle anything on my trusty Tarmac!

Oh how I overestimated my abilities!!!  My first attempt at the Blue Ridge Parkway (and first real attempt at climbing) came in June, 2012, when I went on a club ride to a section in Virginia starting at the KOA campgrounds and going out to Rocky Knob for a total of 62 miles on this out and back route.  I was going great until I came to the category 4 climb up to Rocky Knob.  I did make it, but I cracked near the top and and to stop because my legs just wouldn't work anymore.  While I did finish the ride without needing to hitch a ride, I felt strongly that the Parkway had beaten me.  I was not invincible on the bike and I still had so much to learn.  In the next few months I did learn a lot, and I listened to the lessons that I taught myself on the summer ride.  I planned on doing the same club ride the following year and try to repair my broken pride.

Fast forward to October, 2012, when I was given a surprise chance to give the Parkway another try.  This was kind of an odd ride as it started out as a planned club ride and then fizzled out leaving three cyclists left who wanted to brave the very cold conditions to ride in the middle of the Fall color.  It was a small group, but we were very excited about being able to do this ride at this time of year.  The route had gone through a couple of different versions, but was finalized with a start point of Doughton Park.  The plan was for a simple 50 mile out and back route.  By the end, we had stretched it to a full 63 miles with 6771 feet of climbing.  This climbing included not one, but TWO category 4 climbs (the type that had bested me a few months before), and 11 category 5 climbs.  I was worn out by the end of this ride, but I had done it and did not crack, I didn't even whimper (too much).  This ride proved to me that while I don't particularly like climbing, I could do it.  It even prompted me to sign up for the 2013 Assault on the Carolinas which I participated in the following April.

 In June, I found myself participating in a little ride called 2013 Double Down to the Beach.  This 212 mile journey gave me some time to chat with my friend Phil Horne who had ridden with me on my last ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We reminisced about that ride and how much fun it had been.  As the miles passed under our tires as we headed to the beach we started to plan another ride on the Parkway, again in the Fall.  I was game...I love the mountains, and have found that riding in the mountains offers a certain sense of accomplishment when you are done.  The wheels started turning for the plans for that trip.

I thought about it off and on as the Summer progressed, but it wasn't until mid September we came up with a plan.  What I really wanted to do was ride on the Linn Cove Viaduct....that symbol of America's Favorite Drive.  I didn't know exactly where we were going to start, but I wanted that to be included in the route.  As I was considering options, the third member from last year's ride offered a suggestion.  Doug Miller pointed out that we could start at EB Jeffress Park and ride South to the Linn Cove Viaduct visitor's center and turn around there.  By the time we returned to our start point, we would have a 100K route done.  I was sold!  We got to pick up where we left off last year, and include the Viaduct.  It was the perfect route....except for the terrain.

One of the riders who was wanting to join us on this 2nd Annual Fall Foliage Ride mapped out an elevation profile for the proposed route and shared it with us.  According to Map My Ride, this 100K route included ten category 5 climbs, two category 4 climbs, two category 3 climbs, and a single category 2 climb leading up to the Viaduct.  Yeah, that sounded a little challenging but having conquered Caesar's Head (category 1 climb), I felt confident that I could manage it.

Based on the changing leaves we agreed on October 11th as the day we would meet at EB Jeffress Park.  The group dynamic changed several times during the planning phase.  We were as few as two, and as many as eight at one time.  By the night before, it looked like there would be just three of us yet again.  However, only Phil and I would represent the original group from last year as Doug had an unforeseen conflict at the last minute.  Joining Phil and me was Adrian Buie who has ridden with Phil on many occasions.  The location was set, the cast was formed, we just had to wait for the opening scene.

Unlike last year the temperatures were much more tolerable when we started out.  We were well into the 50's by the 8:30 starting time.  The only problem was a hurricane that was currently off the coast of NC.  It was causing some pretty strong winds along the rim of the Appalachian chain.  Phil and I estimated the gusts between 15 and 20 mph which would make this a very difficult ride when combined with the climbs.  On the positive side, there were very few clouds in the sky, and the highs were forecasted to be in the mid 60's.  We were going to have to deal with the wind, the rest of the conditions were just too perfect to pass up.

We clipped in and set off Southbound toward the Linn Cove Viaduct.  The wind seemed to die down a little as we got started and we took that as a good sign.  It was a slow start because we were all warming up and unlike last year, we didn't have a 10 mile descent to start with.  This year, we knocked out four category 5 climbs in the first 13 miles of riding.  Surprisingly, I really didn't even notice the climbs.  I felt good, and my legs were in top shape.  I was also forcing myself to stay in the small chainring to warm up in proper fashion.  I knew the biggest climbs of the day were still in the future and I wanted to be prepared for them.

Just about the time I was planning on moving to the big ring, we hit a category 4 climb.  Of course, I was happy to leave the chain on the small ring and spin up the climb.  Shortly after that we hit a smaller category 5 climb and I decided that I might as well just leave the chain in the little ring and work the rear cassette for proper cadence.  When speeds got too fast for the little ring, I would just coast.  That was the strategy this year, and I committed to it in the first 15 miles or so.  I'm glad that I did because after a nice long coast it was climbing time again with the hardest climb thus far.  We were all disappointed when we realized that was just the preface to the climb up to the Viaduct which came shortly thereafter.  More on that in a little bit.

As with last year, we were taking our time on this ride.  There isn't much in the way of flat roads so you are either climbing or descending.  For the most part the wind was at our backs which helped, but the occasional side winds were down right scary on the descents.  We had to stay very focused for the whole ride, and there wasn't much time to just pedal and rest.  To help keep our bodies from burning out too quickly, we took a lot of breaks to adjust clothing, feed, and hydrate.  Oh, and most importantly to take pictures.  This is one of the only rides where I don't mind taking several breaks in a 20 mile stretch.  Usually, it just ruins my rhythm, but riding in the mountains does not allow you to develop a rhythm at all.  You are either mashing the pedals or coasting.  Your legs never stay at a constant cadence so stopping occasionally is absolutely permissible.  Also, it would be a sin not to stop and check out the sights along the Parkway...I mean, we are traveling in the best fashion for sight seeing!

With all of the climbing that we were doing, we were all starting to warm up nicely.  The weather was improving and the wind even seemed to be slowing down a bit.  We were having a great time!!!  It was just that 1100 ft climb that awaited us to get to the Viaduct that had us worried.  We were all doing our own thing to prepare for it.  I had stayed in the little ring the whole ride and spun as easy as possible.  Phil and Adrian were riding their own rides as well.  We were using the tops of each climb as a regrouping point where we would all check in.  It just doesn't pay to get separated from the group on the Parkway.  Cell reception is spotty at best, and if there is a problem, help might not be easy to find...so we stick together.  Each crest was a nice rest stop for us and usually allowed a chance to gaze out over an overlook.  It also gave us an opportunity to see what our current altitude was.  We rode back and forth between 3200 and 4400 feet on this stretch of the Parkway.

At around 25 miles the road pitched up and just kept on climbing.  This was the big climb for the day and the one that I had been anxiously waiting for.  I dropped down into my 28 tooth cog and set my pace for a long climb.  I pulled away slowly from Phil and Adrian in order to ride my ride as Phil always says.  I managed a pretty constant 8mph for several miles and 1100 feet of climbing.  One of those things that I decided to do on this climb was to not stop until I made it to the top.  I was going to plow on regardless of how my legs felt.  I knew I could do it, just had to convince my legs.  To my surprise, the climb really wasn't that bad.  That is not to say that it wasn't hard because I was working to get to the top, but I don't remember straining too much or wishing I had a lower gear.  I was in a comfortable groove and moving at a very satisfactory pace.  When I crested I had a very strange thought....While I was glad that I had done the climb, I was actually a little sad that it was over.  I still had legs and had found that rhythm that I could have maintained for a good bit more time.  But the reality was, the climb was over and there was an overlook to my left...time to pull in and wait for the others.

While I waited I took out my phone and started to snap some pictures of the sights.  I ate, I drank, I rested.  I even talked to a couple who had pulled off to check out the view.  I guess the guy felt a little sorry for me taking pictures of my surroundings for memories of the big climb and offered to take a picture for me.  I was very thankful for the offer and agreed happily.  It wasn't until later in the ride, that I learned that not only was this the memory of the big climb, it was also the highest point of the ride.  Yep, here is proof that I rode a bicycle up to 4400 feet.  The little things always entertain me!

The big climb was done, but the icing on the cake was still ahead of us.  The Linn Cove Viaduct was several miles further on down the road.  After we regrouped we made our way to the famous bridge.  Not wanting to experience this alone, I rode with Phil until we reached Stack Rock Creek which was the official midway point.  Phil and I pedaled along and had to stop on the side of the Parkway when we saw the Viaduct in all of its glory off to the side.  We were so close to it now!  There seemed to be an endless number of small bridges that we rode across, each one I thought for a brief second was going to be the Viaduct.  I swear I don't remember this many bridges when driving a car.  Maybe its a bike thing.  We did finally arrive at the entrance.  I think we were both so excited we forgot to stop and take a picture as we entered it.  Once on the bridge the view captivated us and we were just in awe of what we saw.  This was an amazing sight, and worth the hours of pedaling it took to get here.  Doug had come up with an awesome route, but ironically he was not here to benefit from it.

Once we hit Stack Rock Creek at mile 33.5 it was our long break.  Adrian's wife had agreed to SAG for us and met us here with extra supplies.  Being a self sufficient type, I was doing fine with the supplies that I had brought and didn't need to restock.  Phil and Adrian took on additional supplies and fluids.  We all rested and enjoyed the fact that we were here.  Oh, did I mention that the leaves had really started to pop above 4000 feet?  It was like riding through a painting....or a picture.  I was on a bicycle traveling the same places I had used to photograph just a few years before.  I was enjoying the mountains just as much, but in a totally different way.

Not wanting to wait too long and allow our legs a chance to stiffen up, we climbed back on our bikes and started North, back to EB Jeffress Park.  The ride started out easy enough with some nice rollers to get our legs going again, and then we descended that category 2 climb...into a strong and gusty headwind.  We all stayed together and stayed on the brakes to keep our speeds down due to the wind.  However, I found that I was feeling very unstable at the slower speeds, and was getting some turbulence from Adrian and Phil.  I decided to see what it would feel like attacking the wind and letting the bike coast up to its own speed.  I released the brakes and passed by. I looked down, and I was over 40mph and seemed to be much more stable.  I used the full lane as I made my way down the hill.  An occasional side wind would push me over a few feet, but I had plenty of margin of error with the lane.  I think for me, the way to fight strong winds on a descent is to just plow through them.  I'm not recommending this tactic, just saying that it worked for me.

After that nice and long downhill, it was back to the categorized climbs again.  Up and down, down and up.  All the downhills became uphills, and all the uphills became downhills.  We still had another four category 5 climbs and two category 3's left to go before getting back to our vehicles.  The second half is always the worst it seems.  We were all getting tired and knew that the end was ahead of us.  We made frequent breaks at all possible overlooks to stay together.  I was starting to push things a little bit because I was seeing that the ride was going longer than I had expected and I needed to get home soon.  I still didn't want to get too far away from the others though, so I ended up playing a self imposed game of hurry up and wait.  That worked out because the hurrying up was starting to make me tired and the waiting was allowing me to rest.

We were all motivated to get home at this point.  There wasn't as much talking.  We were quiet...focused on our own progression over the hills and through the winds.  As always, Phil was as steady as he was when he started out.  Even though his legs were not in top form he was his normal consistent self.  Adrian was still very strong, but I noticed he was spending more time out of the saddle in the climbs.  We were all wearing out.  The lesser climbs were starting to feel more like the category 2 I had expected earlier.  It was a combination of wind and fatigue for all of us I think.  Adrian's wife continued the SAG support and stopped at almost every overlook to check on us and make sure that we had what we needed.  She was a very welcome addition to this journey!

I could tell I was getting tired.  For the first time, I saw Adrian pulling away from me and I didn't have enough in me to catch him.  I kept eyes on him, but he had dropped me.  I had hit a wall.  Granted this came after a very long stretch with no breaks.  I was really looking forward to the next overlook so we could pull over and regroup, and I could rest!  I needed more energy than this to make it over that last climb.

In a stroke of deja vu, at mile 62 we all stopped at an overlook and Adrian decided that the looming category 3 climb that remained over the last 5 miles would possibly do him in.  He opted to cut the ride short and catch a ride with his wife.  This brought back memories of last year when Doug broke off and headed to his mountain home leaving Phil and me to finish out the ride by ourselves.  That is what happened again this year...it was Phil and me finishing alone.  We left out from our last rest stop and started down the road.  It quickly pitched up and Phil told me to ride my ride.  Knowing that I needed to get back home soon, I took him up on the offer and settled into my lowest gear and found my rhythm.  At 8mph I climbed that last climb and realized that my legs were comfortable again.  I wasn't hurting, and everything was working as it should.  I pulled into EB Jeffress park as strong as I had hoped with 67 miles under my tires....and a total of 7241 feet of total climb based on my Garmin Data!

 

 

Complete Garmin Data

 

My bucket list item from the Summer of 2012 has now turned into an annual Fall event where I blend my love of the mountains, with my love of cycling, and my love of the season.  Just as with my Photography years ago, I have come back home to the Appalachian Mountains.  Sure, I ride other places, and do a lot of riding around home...but something that I think I will always look forward to is my trips to the mountains.  I have driven the Parkway, hiked its many trails, photographed from its scenic vistas, and have now pedaled my way through a total of 100 miles of the 469 mile stretch of road....and done that 100 miles in both directions.  Phil and I are already planning on next years ride where we will be picking up where we left off this year, or starting into the Virginia section on the North end.  Either way, we will be back, and ready to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the Blue Ridge Parkway.