After considering it for over a year, I went ahead and contacted a fellow randonneur who has a Permanent route that covers a lot of the ground that Harriet Tubman crossed when she ran her piece of the Underground Railroad, moving slaves Northward toward freedom. The route has a number of stops where I would have to learn Tubman / URR information from historical markers in order to answer questions on my brevet card as proof of my having passed thru there. I expect to find the history and the exploits of this remarkable woman fascinating.
After having received permission to ride the route (solo, at this point) as an official Randonneurs USA 200k Permanent, I went ahead and made two-nite motel reservations at the place some of my fellow club members will be staying at the same time while they spend several days riding around the Chestertown MD area. So while we won't be riding together, we will be able to socialize the evening before and after my ride.
My ride is set for Veteran's Day 11/11/19; to pay tribute I will display a little US flag on the back of my bike.
Now I've got to keep up my recent training so I have the best chance of a sub-10 hour ride, because the daylight on that date in that area is shown as only 10 hours and 12 minutes. If I start early, have no "mechanicals" and experience no heavy weather, I should be OK in that time window, as the area is flat.
The route owner does warn of at least one free-range cyclist-biting dog, plus the possibility of wet roads if the tide is high (it is low country in some places). This could be exacerbated by the full moon. Fingers crossed.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Regular hill-climb ride; our own private Iowa
10.03.19
I've been organizing a regular invitational Tuesday hill-climb ride using a route which was originated by a friend from my club. We are about 7 weeks in. Response has been good, with usually 4 or more of us riding together each time, starting and ending at a diner where we have a socializing lunch at the end of the ride. These are hills in the South Jersey sense, with only about 1400' of climbing over 34 miles (there is a 39-mile option with 1600'). But the route is a good one for pushing the pace and working on becoming a stronger rider, eating together and catching up with each other afterward, while still leaving plenty of time in the day for getting other things done. And the route is mostly back roads thru some real nice farm country in Salem and Gloucester Counties, with plenty of corn and soybean fields, silos, livestock, woods and water making for a scenic ride. One might think they were in Iowa.
I've been organizing a regular invitational Tuesday hill-climb ride using a route which was originated by a friend from my club. We are about 7 weeks in. Response has been good, with usually 4 or more of us riding together each time, starting and ending at a diner where we have a socializing lunch at the end of the ride. These are hills in the South Jersey sense, with only about 1400' of climbing over 34 miles (there is a 39-mile option with 1600'). But the route is a good one for pushing the pace and working on becoming a stronger rider, eating together and catching up with each other afterward, while still leaving plenty of time in the day for getting other things done. And the route is mostly back roads thru some real nice farm country in Salem and Gloucester Counties, with plenty of corn and soybean fields, silos, livestock, woods and water making for a scenic ride. One might think they were in Iowa.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Vetting a new route
4.30.19
Today I rode to test a route that I created based on another rider's route which I'd recorded on my then-new Garmin Edge 820 when I'd ridden with him a couple months back. My tweaks snipped and revised in order to make for what I think is a safer route, and it came in at just over 39 miles, a nice distance for a decent workout. The route worked out well; most of the roads are light on car traffic, and go thru some nice rural parts of Gloucester and Salem counties. There are enough rollers to practice hill climbing and enough uninterrupted stretches on which to push the pace if desired, say, with interval work. At about a half-hour drive from home with free municipal parking at the start/finish in Pitman, it is a route I can see myself returning to ride time and again.
At one point, I saw a farmer on a tractor turning over the ground, and was reminded of a Stan Rogers song, with lyrics including:
Watch the field behind the plow
Turn to straight, dark rows.
Another season's promise in the ground.
I drove away from the house this morning without my water bottle, but turned back within the first mile to fetch it. Good thing I did. At one point in the ride, on Heilig Road, a dog came chasing after me in a most unfriendly way. I pulled the water bottle out of its downtube cage, held it at the ready, and when the loud pugnacious 50-pounder came close enough, I squirted it in the face, which stopped it cold. I'd heard that might work, and was happy to learn it did (this time). Hopefully Butch will think twice about chasing a cyclist again.
Early in the ride, I realized I'd dropped my favorite orange handkerchief somewhere. Damn those shallow windbreaker pockets. Fortunately, I covered the same last few miles of road on my return, and found the bright-colored rag along the shoulder. That's three times now I've lost and found that hankie while cycling!
Today I rode to test a route that I created based on another rider's route which I'd recorded on my then-new Garmin Edge 820 when I'd ridden with him a couple months back. My tweaks snipped and revised in order to make for what I think is a safer route, and it came in at just over 39 miles, a nice distance for a decent workout. The route worked out well; most of the roads are light on car traffic, and go thru some nice rural parts of Gloucester and Salem counties. There are enough rollers to practice hill climbing and enough uninterrupted stretches on which to push the pace if desired, say, with interval work. At about a half-hour drive from home with free municipal parking at the start/finish in Pitman, it is a route I can see myself returning to ride time and again.
At one point, I saw a farmer on a tractor turning over the ground, and was reminded of a Stan Rogers song, with lyrics including:
Watch the field behind the plow
Turn to straight, dark rows.
Another season's promise in the ground.
I drove away from the house this morning without my water bottle, but turned back within the first mile to fetch it. Good thing I did. At one point in the ride, on Heilig Road, a dog came chasing after me in a most unfriendly way. I pulled the water bottle out of its downtube cage, held it at the ready, and when the loud pugnacious 50-pounder came close enough, I squirted it in the face, which stopped it cold. I'd heard that might work, and was happy to learn it did (this time). Hopefully Butch will think twice about chasing a cyclist again.
Early in the ride, I realized I'd dropped my favorite orange handkerchief somewhere. Damn those shallow windbreaker pockets. Fortunately, I covered the same last few miles of road on my return, and found the bright-colored rag along the shoulder. That's three times now I've lost and found that hankie while cycling!
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Stagecoach 100k randonneur ride, 4.18.19; Bright and blinky
I rode a sanctioned solo 100k ('Populaire') randonneur route this week, the Stagecoach 100k, which begins in Mercer County NJ. The roads and towns were all new to me. Starting in West Windsor, it passed thru Cranbury on the way to the easternmost point, the small town of Farmingdale NJ, then back past Manasquan Reservoir and Turkey Swamp and thru the Assunpink Creek watershed. All these places were just names to me before. Some double-digit headwinds on the return part of the loop (of course) made for a challenge, but it was a good day on the bike riding a nice route (once I got past the morning rush-hour traffic on one particularly busy road, 527A).
Again my recently-purchased Garmin Edge 820 got confused, and I had to accept Turn Off Navigation in order to get rid of the Make U-Turn message. Unlike on the recent 200k, the device did not recognize I was on the correct route so it did not continue to give me turn-by-turn instructions, alas. But it did continue to track my ride and created a nice file to download. And it helped when I came to an unmarked intersection where the cue sheet probably wanted me to turn (based on my total mileage per the separate Cateye computer still mounted to my handlebar). The Garmin confirmed the name of the road to be the road I wanted.
While riding, I was struck by the fact that the several cyclists I saw and acknowledged seemed very cool toward me, as if they didn't see me, or at least, didn't want to acknowledge me and thereby express solidarity. I then wondered if my bright yellow garb (vest and ankle cuffs) and blinky lights front and rear are a turn-off to some other riders, possibly making me a 'Fred.'
It is important to me to be very visible in order to ride safely, especially when riding solo on roads shared with cars, but maybe I am overdoing it in the eyes of others? Should that matter to me?
I do notice more riders seem to be running blinkies these days, especially rear lights. I think that is a great leap forward for cycling safety.
Again my recently-purchased Garmin Edge 820 got confused, and I had to accept Turn Off Navigation in order to get rid of the Make U-Turn message. Unlike on the recent 200k, the device did not recognize I was on the correct route so it did not continue to give me turn-by-turn instructions, alas. But it did continue to track my ride and created a nice file to download. And it helped when I came to an unmarked intersection where the cue sheet probably wanted me to turn (based on my total mileage per the separate Cateye computer still mounted to my handlebar). The Garmin confirmed the name of the road to be the road I wanted.
While riding, I was struck by the fact that the several cyclists I saw and acknowledged seemed very cool toward me, as if they didn't see me, or at least, didn't want to acknowledge me and thereby express solidarity. I then wondered if my bright yellow garb (vest and ankle cuffs) and blinky lights front and rear are a turn-off to some other riders, possibly making me a 'Fred.'
It is important to me to be very visible in order to ride safely, especially when riding solo on roads shared with cars, but maybe I am overdoing it in the eyes of others? Should that matter to me?
I do notice more riders seem to be running blinkies these days, especially rear lights. I think that is a great leap forward for cycling safety.
Batsto 200k randonneur brevet 4.06.2019
4.18.19
As planned, I rode the Batsto 200k brevet on Saturday 4/06/19.
Drove there via the AC Expressway with the wipers on intermittent setting, and arrived at Lower Bank by the Mullica in the misty gloaming around 0645. We were sent off from the Lower Bank Tavern, 1.7 miles away (due to parking concerns), at 0730.
The weather got nice and I had a decent day on the bike with no cramping (dosing regularly with Saltstick capsules and Advil), riding alone mostly, and besting last year's time by well over an hour. A lot of that was the lack of a serious headwind this year, for which I was grateful. My total time put me 2/3 down the list of 65 finishers, and I was satisfied with that, considering that I thought I might end up being last rider in. There were 4 DNFs.
My newly-acquired Garmin Edge 820 had the route downloaded to it, but somehow got confused, and I had to choose Stop Navigation in order to get rid of the Make U-Turn message. However, a few miles later somehow it recognized I was still on course, and picked right up again, tracking the whole ride and giving me a nice file to download. I am still trying to figure out the device.
Oh, and I fell once. Came up to a blind intersection where I had the Stop sign and the cross traffic did not, and thought I'd be able to roll thru the country crossroads. Got deep into the corner and saw a fast-coming pickup, so I turned back and hit the brakes, but could not un-clip the left pedal in time and fell on that side. Embarrassed but unhurt, I got up quickly as if it never happened, of course.
As planned, I rode the Batsto 200k brevet on Saturday 4/06/19.
Drove there via the AC Expressway with the wipers on intermittent setting, and arrived at Lower Bank by the Mullica in the misty gloaming around 0645. We were sent off from the Lower Bank Tavern, 1.7 miles away (due to parking concerns), at 0730.
The weather got nice and I had a decent day on the bike with no cramping (dosing regularly with Saltstick capsules and Advil), riding alone mostly, and besting last year's time by well over an hour. A lot of that was the lack of a serious headwind this year, for which I was grateful. My total time put me 2/3 down the list of 65 finishers, and I was satisfied with that, considering that I thought I might end up being last rider in. There were 4 DNFs.
My newly-acquired Garmin Edge 820 had the route downloaded to it, but somehow got confused, and I had to choose Stop Navigation in order to get rid of the Make U-Turn message. However, a few miles later somehow it recognized I was still on course, and picked right up again, tracking the whole ride and giving me a nice file to download. I am still trying to figure out the device.
Oh, and I fell once. Came up to a blind intersection where I had the Stop sign and the cross traffic did not, and thought I'd be able to roll thru the country crossroads. Got deep into the corner and saw a fast-coming pickup, so I turned back and hit the brakes, but could not un-clip the left pedal in time and fell on that side. Embarrassed but unhurt, I got up quickly as if it never happened, of course.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Testing, testing
4.02.19
Since my first 200k brevet a year ago, I've joined Randonneurs USA and ridden four 200k Permanents, plus eight Populaires (100k). I felt I had become a solid randonneur for such distances. However, I came to believe it would be best if took a pass on riding Rick's 2019 Batsto 200k brevet on the first Saturday in April, despite having signed up and paid up well in advance.
Ever since February when I did a 42-mile ride where I pushed myself to keep up with a couple stronger riders while I was wearing SPD clip-ins for only the second time, I have been experiencing more cramping than ever. (Cramping has always been a bugaboo for me.) After riding a 100k Populaire in mid-March (the fifth of a planned P-12), I felt that a 200k was not something I would be able to tackle again anytime soon. As I put it to a co-rider at the diner afterward, there was no way I could turn around and do a second 100k that day.
But I felt badly that I was going to miss Rick's brevet this year, which is something of a party he throws annually. I like Rick as both a co-rider and off-the-bike buddy. And reading the recently-arrived RUSA newsletter American Randonneur always motivates me to ride. So I reasoned that doing a 200k is as much about mindset at the outset as anything else. If I expected to do 200k, rode my own pace and dosed myself with salt capsules and ibuprofen at proper intervals, it could go well enough.
Yesterday I tested myself with a 52-miler of my own design, fighting headwinds across the open fields of Salem County. I figured, with 4+ days to rest up (e.g.no jogging) and the right attitude, I am in good-enough shape to tackle the upcoming 200k. I think Rick was glad to learn this. And I now find that I am looking forward to the ride; with around 60 riders signed up, it should feel like a real event.
Friday, April 20, 2018
First 200k
Along with fellow bike club member Frank F ('It ain't nifty if it ain't fifty'), and at his suggestion, last September I rode my first century ride in about five years. The ride leader Neil K talked about doing something a little longer next time, which sounded good to us.
Talking with other club members Rick L, Walt P and Dawn E about their randonneuring experiences, I thought some day I might want to participate in a rando brevet. When Rick told me he was hosting his annual 200 kilometer (124 miles) rando ride in April, from the Pines to Salem and back in a figure-eight loop, I thought it was time to give it a go, especially in such a mostly-flat area as 'down Jersey.' I signed up and so did Frank.
In order to train, I did some rides where I pushed my pace. However the rides weren't as many as I'd have liked, due to the uncooperative weather early this year, but they would have to suffice. To prepare my cf endurance bike, I found some clip-on fenders in case we got a rainy day, and fitted them to the bike. But they weren't needed, as it turned out. I installed new tires, tested my front blinky battery and charged my rear blinky battery. The bike's drivetrain was in tune. Good to go.
I followed the advice of some health columns I'd read lately; in the three days and nites prior to the brevet I avoided strenuous exercise, hydrated conscientiously, and made sure I got lots of sleep.
Weather forecast for our ride day (4/14/18) was good (especially for April), mostly sunny and a high of 80F. But it also showed double-digit winds all day. That was accurate.
On the Saturday of the ride, I drove to Controle #1 with a half-hour to spare (start time was 7am) and was one of the last drivers to find parking in the lot, not out on the roadside. I found and chatted with Rick, signed in (was told the age line was optional, but I proudly wrote in 68), then was issued my brevet card and cue sheets. From a nearby table I took a free snack for the road and stuffed it in a back pocket. (At home, I'd had a chilled can of double-shot espresso, half a buttered roll and a small bottle of Ensure.) Frank arrived and by the time we were ready, it was after 7:15. We headed out east, the last riders to leave (the other 39 riders left at the crack of 7am after Rick's brief address).
One good thing about being the last ones to leave the start - no one passed us!
We headed west toward Batsto then south past Hammonton, riding at an easy pace so as to conserve energy for the long day ahead, but I soon started feeling a nagging soreness in one thigh left over from earlier in the week, so I took an ibuprofen tablet, which made the soreness go away for a while. All told, I took 3 or 4 ibuprofen tablets during the day. And because in warm weather I sweat and cramp more than most (and don't have blood-pressure issues), I took some Salt Stick caps during the day, maybe 10 total (the max recommended).
We joined up with four other riders, and for a while the six of us moved down State Route 54 together, sheltering each other from the wind as best we could on that seven-mile pull.
Dawn was the volunteer who signed our brevet cards at Controle #2 (mile 31.3) on Weymouth Road in Vineland. We arrived maybe 40 minutes before our time window expired. We used the facilities inside, then chatted a bit with Dawn and several other riders who came thru. I ate some trail mix (thanks, Frank), replenished my water, removed my windbreaker and tied it by its sleeves around my waist, as by then it was warm. Leaving there after at least 15 minutes off the bike, we traveled farther west thru some of the nicest farm areas of the entire ride (Grier's Lane, Tices Lane et al), with very little car traffic. Great riding country.
I made a dangerous move, tho. While three of us were waiting to cross a busy road, I said 'I'm going' and started across when it would have been more prudent to wait. As soon as I did it, cranking hard, I realized my chain could have broken or some such, and I would have been dead meat for the oncoming car. I not only endangered myself foolishly, but perhaps the other guys too. I should have been more patient. Immediately I expressed my regrets to Frank about the move, and how he was wise to wait. He replied, 'I promised my wife I'd ride safely.'
Walt was the volunteer at Controle #3 (mile 57.6), Pat's Pizza on SR 49, downtown Salem's main drag. Again we arrived about 40 minutes before our time window expired. We enjoyed talking with Walt while Frank and I split 3 large square slices of good, gooey pizza. I had a Sprite, glad to be able to drink sugary soda without feeling guilty. I needed the fuel, and it was refreshing. After about a half-hour, we headed back out, this time south toward Hancock's Bridge. Still the wind was strong and in our faces.
At mile 66.8, Controle #4 was an 'information controle.' Unmanned, the site was a dilapidated fresh-produce stand, and we had to write on our brevet cards the color of the stand's shelves, as proof that we'd ridden by that location.
Some of the roads on this and the prior leg (Upper Neck, Jericho, Olivet) were familiar to me from our bi-weekly evening club rides and from club century rides open to the public.
Thanks to finally getting a tailwind, we had a seven-mile push on Porchtown Road to get to Controle #5 (mile 90.2), the Wawa in Franklinville, where club member Liz L, Rick's wife, was the volunteer in charge. We arrived about an hour before our time window expired. I ate the free snack I'd pocketed at the start, bought a can of ginger ale, discussed soda versus sports drinks with Frank, and chatted a bit with Liz as I replenished my water. Leaving there after less than a half-hour, I had the distinct feeling that yeah, we were going to be able to finish okay, barring the unforeseen. And man, was it nice not to have a headwind this far into a long ride!
We settled into a mindset of just turning over the pedals and ticking off the miles. Frank said something to the effect that we had a lot less distance ahead of us than we had behind us, which helped. When I saw 100.00 miles on the odo, I yelled to Frank, "We're at double-nifty!" At times I would suddenly realize Frank was far ahead of me. Other times I'd see him in my helmet mirror, way back. We kind of leap-frogged our way along.
At times late in the ride, my minimal oem saddle made me squirm. I just tried not to focus on it. Denial is not all bad. If I were to do it again, I would stay with my endurance bike, but I might change out the saddle.
Seeing cool sights such as the train graveyard at Winslow Junction, singing our high school alma mater, making lame puns, having conversations about music or our post-truth society, etc, were all helpful. Near the end, Frank told me about Measured Mile road signs coming up, so I focused on checking my bike's computer for accuracy against the signs. It made it more enjoyable to do the distance with a good buddy to help pass the time during the longest stretches.
And full props: Rick's cue sheets (3 pages) were spot-on, including letting riders know where NOT to turn, etc. Obviously he and the other pre-riders (Dawn, Walt, Mark R, Gil L and Bill R) did a nice job, checking things over and sorting out where riders might go wrong.
Also, I like loops versus out-and-backs, and the only stretches of road we traveled both ways on this ride were 1.1 mile of Upper Neck Road in the middle and 7.4 miles of CR 542 at the end. Well done, Rick.
Frank and I finished in 11 hours and 39 minutes, officially (maximum allowable is 13.5 hours). We'd done it. After getting signed in, we ate in the Tavern (included in our $28 registration fee) and talked with Rick and Walt for a while. I'm satisfied. All in all, it was a most memorable day on the bike.
Talking with other club members Rick L, Walt P and Dawn E about their randonneuring experiences, I thought some day I might want to participate in a rando brevet. When Rick told me he was hosting his annual 200 kilometer (124 miles) rando ride in April, from the Pines to Salem and back in a figure-eight loop, I thought it was time to give it a go, especially in such a mostly-flat area as 'down Jersey.' I signed up and so did Frank.
In order to train, I did some rides where I pushed my pace. However the rides weren't as many as I'd have liked, due to the uncooperative weather early this year, but they would have to suffice. To prepare my cf endurance bike, I found some clip-on fenders in case we got a rainy day, and fitted them to the bike. But they weren't needed, as it turned out. I installed new tires, tested my front blinky battery and charged my rear blinky battery. The bike's drivetrain was in tune. Good to go.
I followed the advice of some health columns I'd read lately; in the three days and nites prior to the brevet I avoided strenuous exercise, hydrated conscientiously, and made sure I got lots of sleep.
Weather forecast for our ride day (4/14/18) was good (especially for April), mostly sunny and a high of 80F. But it also showed double-digit winds all day. That was accurate.
On the Saturday of the ride, I drove to Controle #1 with a half-hour to spare (start time was 7am) and was one of the last drivers to find parking in the lot, not out on the roadside. I found and chatted with Rick, signed in (was told the age line was optional, but I proudly wrote in 68), then was issued my brevet card and cue sheets. From a nearby table I took a free snack for the road and stuffed it in a back pocket. (At home, I'd had a chilled can of double-shot espresso, half a buttered roll and a small bottle of Ensure.) Frank arrived and by the time we were ready, it was after 7:15. We headed out east, the last riders to leave (the other 39 riders left at the crack of 7am after Rick's brief address).
One good thing about being the last ones to leave the start - no one passed us!
We headed west toward Batsto then south past Hammonton, riding at an easy pace so as to conserve energy for the long day ahead, but I soon started feeling a nagging soreness in one thigh left over from earlier in the week, so I took an ibuprofen tablet, which made the soreness go away for a while. All told, I took 3 or 4 ibuprofen tablets during the day. And because in warm weather I sweat and cramp more than most (and don't have blood-pressure issues), I took some Salt Stick caps during the day, maybe 10 total (the max recommended).
We joined up with four other riders, and for a while the six of us moved down State Route 54 together, sheltering each other from the wind as best we could on that seven-mile pull.
Dawn was the volunteer who signed our brevet cards at Controle #2 (mile 31.3) on Weymouth Road in Vineland. We arrived maybe 40 minutes before our time window expired. We used the facilities inside, then chatted a bit with Dawn and several other riders who came thru. I ate some trail mix (thanks, Frank), replenished my water, removed my windbreaker and tied it by its sleeves around my waist, as by then it was warm. Leaving there after at least 15 minutes off the bike, we traveled farther west thru some of the nicest farm areas of the entire ride (Grier's Lane, Tices Lane et al), with very little car traffic. Great riding country.
I made a dangerous move, tho. While three of us were waiting to cross a busy road, I said 'I'm going' and started across when it would have been more prudent to wait. As soon as I did it, cranking hard, I realized my chain could have broken or some such, and I would have been dead meat for the oncoming car. I not only endangered myself foolishly, but perhaps the other guys too. I should have been more patient. Immediately I expressed my regrets to Frank about the move, and how he was wise to wait. He replied, 'I promised my wife I'd ride safely.'
Walt was the volunteer at Controle #3 (mile 57.6), Pat's Pizza on SR 49, downtown Salem's main drag. Again we arrived about 40 minutes before our time window expired. We enjoyed talking with Walt while Frank and I split 3 large square slices of good, gooey pizza. I had a Sprite, glad to be able to drink sugary soda without feeling guilty. I needed the fuel, and it was refreshing. After about a half-hour, we headed back out, this time south toward Hancock's Bridge. Still the wind was strong and in our faces.
At mile 66.8, Controle #4 was an 'information controle.' Unmanned, the site was a dilapidated fresh-produce stand, and we had to write on our brevet cards the color of the stand's shelves, as proof that we'd ridden by that location.
Some of the roads on this and the prior leg (Upper Neck, Jericho, Olivet) were familiar to me from our bi-weekly evening club rides and from club century rides open to the public.
Thanks to finally getting a tailwind, we had a seven-mile push on Porchtown Road to get to Controle #5 (mile 90.2), the Wawa in Franklinville, where club member Liz L, Rick's wife, was the volunteer in charge. We arrived about an hour before our time window expired. I ate the free snack I'd pocketed at the start, bought a can of ginger ale, discussed soda versus sports drinks with Frank, and chatted a bit with Liz as I replenished my water. Leaving there after less than a half-hour, I had the distinct feeling that yeah, we were going to be able to finish okay, barring the unforeseen. And man, was it nice not to have a headwind this far into a long ride!
We settled into a mindset of just turning over the pedals and ticking off the miles. Frank said something to the effect that we had a lot less distance ahead of us than we had behind us, which helped. When I saw 100.00 miles on the odo, I yelled to Frank, "We're at double-nifty!" At times I would suddenly realize Frank was far ahead of me. Other times I'd see him in my helmet mirror, way back. We kind of leap-frogged our way along.
At times late in the ride, my minimal oem saddle made me squirm. I just tried not to focus on it. Denial is not all bad. If I were to do it again, I would stay with my endurance bike, but I might change out the saddle.
Seeing cool sights such as the train graveyard at Winslow Junction, singing our high school alma mater, making lame puns, having conversations about music or our post-truth society, etc, were all helpful. Near the end, Frank told me about Measured Mile road signs coming up, so I focused on checking my bike's computer for accuracy against the signs. It made it more enjoyable to do the distance with a good buddy to help pass the time during the longest stretches.
And full props: Rick's cue sheets (3 pages) were spot-on, including letting riders know where NOT to turn, etc. Obviously he and the other pre-riders (Dawn, Walt, Mark R, Gil L and Bill R) did a nice job, checking things over and sorting out where riders might go wrong.
Also, I like loops versus out-and-backs, and the only stretches of road we traveled both ways on this ride were 1.1 mile of Upper Neck Road in the middle and 7.4 miles of CR 542 at the end. Well done, Rick.
Frank and I finished in 11 hours and 39 minutes, officially (maximum allowable is 13.5 hours). We'd done it. After getting signed in, we ate in the Tavern (included in our $28 registration fee) and talked with Rick and Walt for a while. I'm satisfied. All in all, it was a most memorable day on the bike.
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