September 9-12 Last Chance 1200 - Preview

Before I begin yammering, I wanted to share a link to my event photos on Flikr. Many of the pictures were taken by Randy Johnson and Dave Meridith. To view the photos click here.

For people who are interesting in learning more about brevets and randonneuring check out "Randonneurs USA" website.

I broke this report up into five parts. You should be able to see all the posts for this ride on the right side of this screen, under the Blog Archive for September or by clicking the 'Previous Page' and 'Next Page' links at the end of each post.

I seriously began thinking about a 1,200-kilometer brevet (754 miles) last November. My friend Jeff Weible had been telling me repeatedly how rewarding the 1,200 kilometer ride called “Paris–Brest–Paris” (P-B-P) is and how I should plan on going to France in 2011. I knew there was no way I would even think of going to France until I finished a local 1,200 kilometer event.

I decided 2009 was my year to get off my couch and back onto my bike. I have been riding a recumbent, a Bacchetta Corsa for the last three years but had not ridden anything longer than 186 miles at a shot. This year I would be required to complete a series of rides (125 miles, 186 miles, 250 miles and 375 miles) in order to qualify for the Colorado “Last Chance 1,200 Kilometer” (LC1200) brevet.

I knew that the “minimum” would not be near enough for preparation. I completed two 125 mile events, three 186 mile events, one 250 mile event and one 375 mile event, plus a few thousand additional miles of training prior to arriving in Boulder Colorado on September 9th. In total I had just over 3,500 miles since January 1st when I arrived at the start line.

I had hoped to ride with my friend and fellow recumbent rider, Randy Johnson, but due to health issues, 2009 was not his year. I did convince another local rider, Dennis Smith to attempt his Race Across America (RAAM) qualification during Last Chance instead of riding a 24-hour race. Randy and his friend, former RAAM rider Dave Meridith provided crew support for Dennis and myself. With stretches of road 70 miles long with no water, no food and no bathrooms, no services of any kind after 8:00 in the evening until 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning weighed heavy on my mind. Having crew support at the official checkpoints and having food and water available made those intermediate distances more manageable.

Dennis, Randy and I drove out to Boulder Sunday, a few days early so we could get in a few rides at altitude (5350 feet) which is ten times as high as St. Louis. Our first ride Monday was fifteen miles and left us both sucking for air. Tuesday morning we rode again, just 13 miles, but we felt a little better. We were glad the route would be heading to lower elevations for most of the event.

Proceeding to the bicycle inspection Tuesday afternoon our bicycles were inspected for redundant front and rear lighting, reflective vests and ankle bands. We were given our route maps and brevet cards. After this, we headed out to a light dinner and got to bed early.

Next Page

September 9-12 Last Chance 1200 - Day 1

Ride Day One:
Boulder CO to Atwood KS - 251 Miles
Profile:
Climbing: 4,295 Feet
Descending: 6,873 Feet

Wednesday at 2:00 AM, the alarm went off. After dressing and filling bottles, all the riders congregated in the parking lot for the final instructions and send off. In all 36 riders, including three recumbents (that would include me), several tandems, and various single bikes toed the starting line. This included two riders coming up from Texas who arrived near 2:00 AM. They would start with little sleep. This group included people from all over the United States, Canada and one rider from Copenhagen Sweden.

At 3:00 AM we rolled out of the parking lot. Having pre-ridden the outbound leg for several miles, I knew the pack would split up quickly on the small climbs in town. I assumed my position at the back of the pack and rolled out, taking my time. Dennis, seeing another recumbent speed up the road, chased only to find it was not me.

After just five miles, I had a mechanical problem with an idler (chain guide) which was making a lot of noise. I reached down to check it, and found it had come completely loose. I had to pull over and watch all the riders disappear into the distance while I fixed the problem. In less than five minutes, I was back on the road heading out of town.

After chasing awhile, I caught several riders and caught up with Dennis as well. We all headed east through Brighton and turned south through town. Next we headed east on 144th Avenue and watched the fading lights of the city disappear behind us. We all took a nature break along side the road in the darkness, then quickly got back down to the task of pedalling.

I stayed with a small group as we headed south towards Strasburg with Dennis just up the road a few hundred yards. We turned east (last turn for a long time) and rode into Byers CO, reaching the checkpoint, at mile 71 with just ten minutes off the bike. Randy and Dave were waiting for us. I had them refill my bottles with drink mix and refilled my camelback with water while I had my brevet card signed. Less than five minutes later, Dennis and I were heading east into the prairie.

Randy had warned Dennis and me that we would find the “strongly rolling hills” challenging for nearly forty miles. He was right. Dennis pulled away as his climbing skills are better than mine. I would climb between four and seven miles an hour and descend the other side at 35 – 38 miles per hour. I reached the town of Anton CO and found Dennis at the little grocery store along with several other riders. I reached the 126-mile mark (nearly 200 kilometers) setting a personal best at 8 hours 14 minutes including a total of 15 minutes off the bike. After refueling and stretching my toes, we left as a group and continued east.

The next checkpoint was a café in Cope CO at the 146-mile mark. I managed to stick with a group of riders through this section arriving in time for a bowl of potato soup. Randy and Dave filled Dennis’ and my bottles while we ate. Our group headed out again barely 20 minutes later.

On the ride towards Idalia CO I had been riding with Dennis, a tandem team (Brent and Beth Meyers of Denver) and Leslie Sutton of Boulder. I managed to keep up for awhile even though the pace was high. Dennis dropped back to ride at his own pace. Leslie and I got dropped by the tandem team on a small roller. Leslie and I stopped at the grocery store in Idalia to buy water and use the bathrooms. Brent and Beth were gone for now, and Dennis was still behind us. We waited a few minutes but Dennis did not arrive. I found out later Dennis had a flat tire shortly after he slowed his pace.

Upon looking at my watch, I noticed I had set a second personal record. My 300K (186 mile) time was 14 hours 30 minutes with stops. Leslie and I continued working together until we reached the Kansas State border mile 195. Brent, Beth and Stephen Whiteman (also from the Boulder area) had stopped to take pictures.

Again, the tandem team and Stephen proved too strong and they pulled away. Leslie and I reached the next checkpoint, St. Francis KS, mile 209 well before sundown. I was sitting and eating a banana, a peach and a plum while Randy and Dave refilled bottles and camelbacks. Leslie, Stephen and I headed out.

Upon reaching Bird City, mile 224 we had to stop to don our night gear and turn on lights. It was nice to stop for a few minutes to take my shoes off and rub my toes.

The three of us reached the overnight at the “It’ll Do Motel” in Atwood KS, mile 251 (400 kilometers) at 8:51 PM (Mountain Time) which set another personal best for myself, 17 hours, 51 minutes with stops. With all these new personal bests on day one of a three-day ride, I was feeling great, but knew I could not keep this kind of pace. I set off for the motel office where pizza and fruit waited. After a short feeding, I went to my room to shower. Dennis pulled in at 9:35 PM as I was going to bed. Dennis showered and was down for a short sleep break.

Previous Page
Next Page

September 9-12 Last Chance 1200 - Day 2

Ride Day Two:
Atwood KS - Kensignton KS - Atwood KS - 219 Miles
Profile:
Climbing: 4,265 Feet
Descending: 4,265 Feet

Dennis is 60 years old, and with his desire to qualify for RAAM, had a 75-hour time limit. I had no such desires, and just wanted to finish the ride in anything under 90 hours. Dennis was up, dressed and checked out before 12:50 AM (local) 11:50 PM Mountain Time. As this ride crossed two time zones, which changed at the Kansas border, times were a bit confusing, at least to me. I was up and gone at 2:50 AM local, 1:50 AM Mountain Time. The downside of my departure was I hit the thick fog. Visibility was not more than about 200 feet for nearly four hours. Dennis apparently did not encounter the thick fog, just pockets of fog throughout the night. Leslie departed shortly after me, and ended up turning around in the fog and quit her ride. With such limited visibility, it was quite dangerous when trucks and cars would pass you. They could not see you until they were nearly upon you.

I reached the town of Norton KS, the next checkpoint at mile 313 at daybreak. It was here that the fastest riders were heading back to Atwood after riding straight through the night. Dave and Randy took good care of me and had me on the road quickly.

Seven miles west of the turn around point in Kensington KS, I saw Dennis on his way back west and he shouted out some encouragement. I continued to roll east, reaching the checkpoint in Kensington, mile 360 at 10:25 AM (Mountain Time). Dennis was just over an hour ahead. Guy Oldfield was staffing this checkpoint. Guy has ridden several of the brevets in St. Louis and I was happy to see him there.

Randy took my picture in front of the post office just before I headed back on the road. If you check out the pictures, you will notice I am leaning to the right. I thought I was standing up straight, but I looked a bit like the "Leaning Tower of Pisa".

I met Hans Binder from Copenhagen at this checkpoint and talked with his wife who was providing support. I also saw another recumbent ridden by Tomas Russell of Alamo CA. Both Hans and Tom passed me on my way out of town.

I reached Norton KS, mile 407 mid afternoon. Randy and Dave asked what I wanted to eat. I just ate some more fruit and had my bottles filled before heading out again. Here was my big mistake. Dave and Randy were standing on a Subway parking lot. I passed up a crucial opportunity to eat solid food. This error caught up with me.

My pace was slowing dramatically and I could not figure it out at first. Then I realized that just drink mixes, gels and fruit were not enough for this distance. I struggled my way back to Oberlin, mile 442 where I found a Subway attached to a gas station. I went inside feeling terrible. I ate a six-inch sub, drank water and refilled bottles again. I began feeling better, but the dreaded bonk had already taken its toll.

I really hated this part of the ride. The traffic between Oberlin and Norton in the mid afternoon was terrible. The shoulder of the road was narrow and the trucks were passing much too close, even when they had room to move over they just buzzed by. I later found out this stretch of road was a major area for traffic heading from Nebraska to Texas, and from Kansas City to Denver. I am generally fine around traffic, but this was freaking me out. I think the best option would be to ride through the first night so you get through this section in the early morning.

Just outside of Atwood, a little before sunset, I was riding up a long mild grade. Two grain or cattle trucks were following a black pickup truck and they were coming towards me. One of the cattle trucks decided to pass and come over into my lane, taking the full lane and the shoulder as well. I began waving my arms to warm the truck. The only response I received was him blowing his horn. I ended up having to bail out off the road into the sand as he blew by still honking his horn. So much for sharing the road.

I arrived safely back at the “It’ll Do Motel” mile 469 in Atwood at 7:36 PM (Mountain Time). I told the volunteers about the trucks passing so close as well as the head on incident. I was not the only person to mention this. Later, I heard truckers complaining of bicyclists being all over the road had called the state police. The owner of the motel, a person of some importance in the area, told the police what he had been hearing. I sat and ate several slices of pizza. It was so good I had to ask where it was from. “It’s not delivery. It’s DiGiorno". Frozen pizza never tasted so good.

Dennis was already in bed by the time I came into the room and showered. I was in bed and sleeping in just a few minutes.

Previous Page
Next Page

September 9-12 Last Chance 1200 - Day 3

Ride Day 3:
Atwood KS to Byers CO - 179 Miles
Profile:
Climbing: 4,163 Feet
Descending: 1,857 Feet

Dennis was back up and on the road by midnight local time. I managed to get a little more sleep and was back on the road near 2:30 AM local time.

I felt much better having food in me. The weather was much better, with no fog. We were going to have a hard day ahead. Wind forecasts were 20-30 mile per hour winds out of the north, north-west and perhaps north-east.

I headed out alone, enjoying the solitude and the scenery. Many riders were complaining about how ugly the prairie was. I totally disagreed. No there are no snow capped mountains or ocean views. There are practically no trees anywhere. The prairie held its own beauty. I could look maybe seven to ten miles in any direction and see the vastness of the prairie, the rolling hills, some cattle, and on a clear night, ten thousand stars. It was beautiful, open and unspoiled.

I reached St. Francis mile 511 a bit before sunrise. The Sinclair gas station had just opened and Randy and Dave were there. I had my card signed, and asked what the woman behind the counter was making. Breakfast burritos was her reply. I bought one and a coffee. I think this was the first coffee I have ever bought. It was cold outside and I needed some caffeine. I inhaled the burrito and drank half the coffee when Tom Russell on his Ti-Aero recumbent rolled in.

I bought a second burrito for the road and Tom and I headed out together. I could not keep up on the slight hills and let Tom disappear into the distance. It was sad as I so rarely get to ride with other recumbents. I guess the answer is for me to get stronger so I can keep up.

The Colorado state line was at mile 525. I wished I had my camera with me as I missed both opportunities to take the state line picture. I pulled into Idalia’s little grocery store, mile 540 and had my brevet card signed. I ate the spare burrito I had been carrying and refilled bottles again. The wind had picked up to the point the tumbleweeds were flying across the road from north to south. There was no dodging the tumbleweeds, you kept pedaling through. Next came several dust storms. The wind had picked up the soil and was blowing it across the prairie. You could see the wall coming and had to squint your eyes for protection. Several of the brevets in St. Louis this year were exceptionally windy, so that ended up being good preparation. I was very glad it was a cross wind and not a full on headwind.

At Mile 575, I pulled back into the little town of Cope. I checked out the offerings and ended up eating a burrito and a bowl of chicken soup. I was refilling bottles when Mark Thomas and several other riders pulled in. I chatted for a few minutes then headed off.

It was mid afternoon when I pulled into Anton’s general store. Several other riders were there as were two people (a young man and woman) who where cycling from New Orleans, up through parts of Missouri, the KATY Trail then Highway 36 to Denver. They were covering the roughly 1,600 miles in five weeks. They were closing in on the last miles and hoped to finish the same day. I warned them that there was no water, no bathrooms, no vending machines for the next 55 miles to Byers and they needed to stock up before they left.

Randy and Dave took good care of my again and I was rolling after eating a turkey sandwich and drinking a 7-Up.

As this was the hilly leg, again, I just reminded myself that as I crested each hill, that was one more hill checked off, and one less hill I had left to climb. Riders were passing me on a downhill (42 mph) when I crossed a bridge and had my first and only flat tire. I pulled over and took my rear wheel off and quickly had a new tube installed and inflated. A passing rider asked if I needed any help and I said yes. I asked that he hold the bicycle up while I reattached the wheel. I then put my bags back on the bike and was off again. Several riders waited while this went on. They were gone quickly as their climbing ability was superior to mine.

I crested the final hill and could see the long downhill leading me to Byers. I stopped briefly to stretch my feet as I had another bout of hot foot. I turned my lights on and rolled down. I reached Byers around 7:40 PM. Dennis had decided to ride through the night and left around 6:20 PM. I sat in the group hotel room feeding my face with wonderful grilled sandwiches and fruit. Randy and Dennis had gotten me a room, on the second floor. How nice…. stairs. After a shower and more food, I was in bed and fast asleep.


Previous Page
Next Page

September 9-12 Last Chance 1200 - Day 4

Ride Day 4:
Byers CO - Boulder CO - 104 Miles
Profile:
Climbing: 1,844 Feet
Descending: 1,562 Feet

I arose at 3:00AM and dressed with my warmest clothes and full finger gloves as it was pretty cold. I left with two other riders, Robert Bruce and Robert Pogorelz. My right knee was very painful and it was hard to pedal. I was thinking that another 103 miles was going to be difficult. After seven or eight miles, the Aleve pain killer was kicking in and the knee was settling down as I was able to pedal again. Of course I lost contact with the Roberts and they were gone.

This last section had 33 turns that I had to make to reach the final checkpoint at John Lee Ellis’ house. I had the map out and was trying to pay close attention. I had enlarged the cue-sheet but my eyes would still not focus and I could barely read the turns.

Upon reaching Keeneburg, mile 691 I passed the two Roberts bicycles as well as a third one at a café. I reached Plattville the penultimate checkpoint with the Roberts close behind. I stopped for some solid food with Randy and Dave. Again it was a gas station burrito. Strange enough, these rolled up gems had been working well for me.

I headed out knowing the Roberts would be passing me soon enough. I headed west into a light rain for the three and a half miles to Road 19 and turned right. I continued until the road came to a “T” intersection. This was not correct. The directions said go five miles to Road 19. This was not five miles and this was not Road 19. I looked at the map again. Shoot! I was supposed to turn left, not right. I turned around and retraced my course until I was back on track. I knew the Roberts had made the correct turn and were several miles ahead of me. Oh well. To be honest I was a bit angry with myself as it was a stupid mistake made with tired eyes.

I finally pulled onto John’s street glad to see Randy, Dave, John Lee and the Roberts there. There were questions as to what happened. I told them my mistake and was just glad to be finished. I handed over my brevet card for the last time.

Before I could even sit down, I had my finisher’s medal draped around my neck and a smile on my face.

Since I like numbers.
754 miles in 81 hours 22 minutes (3 days, 9 hours, 22 minutes)
On bike time: 55 hours 17 minutes (13.64 miles per hour rolling average)
Off bike time: 33 hours 5 minutes (eating, sleeping, eating some more)
Total Climbing: 14,567 Feet


First Page
Previous Page

75 Miles - August 8, 2009

A week ago my friend Jeff asked me if I wanted to meet for a full moon century. As the full moon was actually Thursday, I said no, but I could meet Friday night. As the day approached, life happened and I was having a guy deliver two loads of rock to spread in my back yard. Not being one who likes yard work, nor the thought of wheelbarrows and shovels, I saw that the delivery guy also had a bobcat service listed on his business card. After a phone call, we agreed that he would use his bobcat to spread the rock out as best he could and my wife and I would rake out the remainder. He would be at our house around 9:00 AM Saturday. With revised plans, Jeff agreed on a 75 mile ride in the hopes I could catch a shower and a few hours of sleep before the yard guy showed up.

I managed to lay down Friday night and got perhaps an hours worth of sleep before heading out the door and driving over to Columbia IL. I pulled in and mixed three bottles of Perpetuem drink mix and loaded my 50 ounce camelback bladder with water. By the time I was ready to don my helmet and shoes Jeff pulled in.

It was just after midnight when we rolled out. Aside from the simple fun of night riding, there was a purpose to this ride. I needed to test a few new pieces of hardware, and tune my night riding skills. I had just rebuilt my pedals, Speedplay Frogs and mounted new cleats for this ride. I also mounted a third bottle holder on my handlebars and mounted new Continental Ultra Gator Skin tires.

The moon was not quite full, but the sky was clear and we could see the stars as we cruised south on the farm roads. It was 19 miles before the first car passed us. What was interesting to me was the amount of birds flying around at night. I didn’t think birds flew at night, but sure enough we caught the sight of birds in our headlights off and on during the duration of our ride. We also had several possums, one skunk, some frogs hopping out of the way and only a couple of dogs stirred as we rode past.

Everything was working just fine for the first 30 miles or so, then my new pedals and cleats started to have problems. I would pedal and my left foot would disengage and fly off. After several of these mishaps I pulled over along side the road and pulled out my Allen wrench set and tightened the screws holding my cleats to my shoes. A few miles later, it began again. Jeff gave my plenty of room. As my foot would fly off my pedal, my bike would veer to one side.

We pulled into the little town of Prairie du Rocher, mile 40, and saw a lighted gazebo in the town park. I pulled in, sat down and began to examine the problem. The front of the cleat was not high enough to securely engage the pedal. I looked in my bike bag for a solution. I ended up taking a piece of Velcro and sliding it under the front of the cleat in order to raise it up a bit. This worked for most of the return ride.

We pulled out and headed towards Bluff Road. The bridge was closed. We looked and could see the bridge so we cautiously road around the barriers. I had to walk my bike across some piles of dirt and rock. Finally around the barricade we began riding again, only to find I had lost a bottle. We turned around and found it on the side of the road by the bridge. Once again we headed north.

The ride north was really special as we passed the mines. Blasts of cold air bellowed out across our path and greatly cooled us. It only lasted a mile before all the mine entrances were behind us. Jeff commented how nice that would feel in about 12 hours when the day time temperature reached the mid-90s. Now, in the middle of the night it was still in the upper 70’s.

My pedal issues resurfaced again south of Old Valmeyer. We pulled into the town park and I had no other solutions so decided I would just do my best with these pedals until we finished the ride, which would be in another 15 miles.

Speedplay has changed the specifications on the cleats and the new cleats are significantly thinner than my old cleats. I called Speedplay’s technical support line and they said yes the cleats are thinner than the old ones, and suggested I insert a piece of inner tube under the cleat to raise the front up. It is no longer worth my time to deal with this company. I decided to scrap these Speedplay Frogs and switch over to Shimano SPD pedals as soon as possible.

Jeff and I made it back to Columbia at 5:00 AM covering the 75 miles averaging 16.88 mph and having about 35 minutes off the bike dealing with pedal issues as well as stretching a bit. My lights and hydration worked flawlessly and the new tires were fine, no flats, which is the goal.

I did manage a shower and an hour and a half nap before I woke up and did the yard work. I did manage a second hour and a half nap mid afternoon.

109 Miles - July 18, 2009

I wanted to tell you about my ride this last weekend. I had planned on riding a 100 mile ride, a century; well actually it was a 109 mile loop starting in New Baden IL.

The temperature here in St. Louis, mid-July was setting records, but not record heat. Rather it was record cold. Saturday began around 63 degrees and did not get above 73 degrees all day. There was a mild wind out of the North-west around 11 mph. Grey skies dominated the day with only a few short views of blue.

Basically you could not have asked for a much nicer day to ride. I had set aside this weekend when I saw the temperature forecast. My speed has been lacking for several years and my best 100 mile ride this year was done in just at the six hour mark, or 16.8 mph (plus off bike time eating etc). This is not bad, but I have done better in years past. In fact when I went back to find out what was my fastest 100 miles, it was back in 2002, when I did one in five hours 41 minutes (17.6 mph) when riding with my friend Jeff Weible.

I pulled out of New Baden at 6:30 AM Saturday morning heading south starting slow for the first few miles. I made the left had turn towards Okawville on IL-177 and began picking my pace up as I felt the benefit of a tailwind.

One of the things I wanted to find out on this ride is how far I can ride with as little stopping as possible. I did remember that this particular route did not lend itself to many quickie marts where I could purchase water along the way. So when I pulled into Okawville, around 13 miles into the ride, I decided I would buy one additional bottle of water, and shed, believe it or not, my arm warmers and tights. I was back on the road in less than ten minutes.

I continued east with the benefit of the tailwind making it to Hoyleton, mile 28 in under an hour and a half. I turned south on County Highway 11. To my delight I had only been enjoying a cross tailwind as my pace continued to increase.

I finally needed to take a short break south of Todds Mill, mile 55 and refill my bottles with the water I had stored earlier. My back was beginning to hurt, and my knees were feeling sore and I began to wonder what the problem was. I decided to take a Naproxin to help with pain management. I was back riding in less than five minutes.

I had been watching my average speed continue to increase this whole southerly section and decided to see if I could maintain it until I reached Pinckneyville.

I reached Pinckneyville, mile 65 with an average speed of 19.8 mph and had about 15 minutes off the bike. From here my ride would be into the wind, north and west until I got back to New Baden. I was very interested in seeing what I could do into the wind.

After a twenty-five minute break at Pinckneyville I was back on the bike heading to Coulterville, mile 85. I needed a short break as my legs were really killing me, or should I say I was really killing my legs.

As predicted, my pace was falling with the wind, but still on track for a great ride. After massaging my legs and stretching I remounted and continued north.

I reached the 100 mile mark, just north of Venedy IL. I checked the stats and they showed a ride time of 5 hours 36 minutes, with an average speed of 17.86 mph. This was a new record for me, but I still had another nine miles to go. I didn’t push quite as hard after that, but I also didn’t want to loose too much time for the overall ride either. I pulled into the parking lot in New Baden with a final average speed of 17.5 mph and under one hour off the bike eating and drinking, etc.

There were a few times over the ride I was thinking there is no way I can ride a 1,200 kilometer brevet with my legs and back hurting so much, but I had to remind myself that I would not be riding it at this pace.

108 Miles - June 27, 2009

The last brevet of the year for the St. Louis area was scheduled for this past weekend, June 27-28, 2009. For the 11 days leading up to this ride, we were locked into a nasty heat wave. Temperatures in the mid 90’s with high humidity were seen every day. Saturday, would see 100 degrees in St. Louis with highs around 97 and 98 degrees all along the route. The official high temperature at Lambert Airport was 98. However temperatures around town did top 102 and 103 degrees.

I had riders calling and emailing me almost daily cancelling their plans to ride. I could certainly understand that desire. I certainly didn’t want to ride when it was near 100 degrees. I can only imagine what the temperature was baking off the black top roads. Since I already had my 600K completed, I really did not need to be out in the heat, especially when there was a heat advisory saying don’t be out and don’t do anything strenuous if your are out.

The only rider to show up for the ride was Ralph Rognstad from Springfield MO. He had emailed me saying he was still coming, but did not want to ride solo. Two other riders, Dennis Smith, who I rode the 600K route with two weeks ago came out with one of his friends, Hardy. Neither had any plans for a 600K, just a 60 mile ride before the heat began. Hardy also showed up two weeks ago, but I did not allow him to ride then due to faulty lighting. This time his lights worked fine.

Ralph and I decided to get in 100 miles or so before lunch and call it a day. The four of us pulled out of the Edwardsville parking lot a little after 4:00 AM.

The pace was a bit strange in the dark. It would undulate between 13 and 14 miles per hour then pick up to 17 and 18 miles per hour for a while. Ralph and I slowly opened a small gap on Dennis and Hardy. After an hour I need to answer a call of nature and pulled over, Ralph continued on and Dennis and Hardy passed me.

In these early morning hours we were blessed enough to see one of the pretties sun rises I have seen from the saddle of my bike, and definitely the prettiest one this year by far. The deep reds and purples of pre-dawn, followed by lighter colors slowing filling the skies as the stars and planets faded into our memories. The thin layer of clouds which shot rays of the sun in all directions was just glorious.

With a little effort I caught up with Dennis and Hardy and chatted with them until we pulled into Pocahontas, mile 25. Ralph had been here a few minutes but was patient while bottle were filled, and bathrooms used.

Dennis and Hardy were still doing their thing when Ralph and I headed east towards Greenville. My average pace into Pocahontas was just 14.4 mph. Nice and leisurely. I told Ralph that we could start our time trial riding when we reached Greenville. I was just kidding, but Ralph decided he wanted to get in some miles and a workout. He pulled around me and started pushing the speed up. By the time we reached Breese, mile 52 our average had jumped to 16.4 mph, so we must have averaged something near 18.7 mph for miles 25 through 52.

With no brevet cards and it being 7:20 AM we took our time before heading back out. I kidded Ralph about the speed of the last leg. He had no idea how fast he was riding as he does not use cycling computers. He told me to take the lead as we headed 21 miles east to New Baden.

I tried to hold the pace up, but was only able to manage 17 mph most of the time, bringing our overall average up a notch to 16.6 mph. We pulled into the Shell station in New Baden, mile 73 a little after 9:00 AM. With only 35 miles remaining, I was getting hungry and decided to have a sandwich and an ice cream. Ralph too decided to have a sandwich. After a 20 minute break or so, we got back on the road and headed north.

I looked at my compute when I hit the 100 mile mark; I did the first 100 miles in six hours, and 27 seconds, averaging 16.8 mph. The last eight miles Ralph and I soft pedaled in. When we turned the corner by the bank, the temperature was reading 91 degrees. In all, I rode 6 hours 32 minute covering 108 miles averaging 16.4 mph, and had less than one hour off the bike eating, etc.

600 Kilometer Brevet - June 13 & 14 2009

How many people can say they spent 38 hours with a lawyer and a judge, and had a great time? As it turned out these were two of three riders I spent so much time with over the weekend.

Saturday and Sunday was the first of two 600 kilometer (375 mile) brevet rides. As the brevet administrator I have been running support and SAG for the 600K for the last five years. This would be my first attempt at a 600K event since 2003.

As any good cyclist, I watch and obsessed about the weather forecast all week. The chicken shakers on television as well as on-line were calling for scattered rain on Saturday and thunderstorms on Sunday. Thankfully, the chicken shakers missed the mark. We had plenty of clouds and light winds all weekend.

The good news this year is that my weight is the lowest it has been in nearly ten years. Back in 2003, my last full brevet series, I weighed in at 182 pounds. This year I weigh in at 169 pounds as of this ride.

The bad news is six years ago I trained all winter long and had stronger legs and faster speeds. This year I am riding well but have done no speed work. As a result I am slower.

Now before I go any further I have to put out a huge thank you to George Jarad one of our local brevet riders. George volunteered to drive the drop bags down to Vienna, our over night stop, and drive the bags back north Sunday. George graciously volunteered this year allowing me an opportunity to once again enjoy the pain, suffering and accomplishment of riding a 600 kilometer brevet. George, I really appreciated your time and dedication to this crazy sport.

1:50 AM - Saturday
Officially, I loath alarm clocks that go off before the sun comes up, especially when the sun would not come up for nearly four more hours. I’m a morning person, but morning was not 1:50 AM.

I pull on cycling shorts, jersey, socks and shoes and am out the door fifteen minutes later driving towards Edwardsville IL some 45 miles away.

3:00 AM – Saturday
I arrive in Edwardsville, drop off the final sign in sheet at the police department and drive to the parking lot one block away.

Riders began appearing and registered for the ride, deposited their drop bags by my van and got themselves ready. I was a little disappointed that only five more riders came out for the 600 kilometer adventure. Perhaps the weather forecast of thunderstorms changed their minds.

4:04 AM – Saturday
In the end, or at the start, I had a total of six riders start the 600K event. Riders were Charlie Witsman from Pana IL, George Hiscox up from Tennesse, Ralph Rognstad from Springfield MO, Dennis Smith, Scott Thompson, and me, all from the St. Louis area.

5:30 AM – Saturday
My riding partner, Ralph and I pulled into the gas station at Pocahontas for a quick bathroom break and refilled bottles. Scott, and Dennis were also pretty much with us as well.

The sun was beginning to dawn as we rolled back down the road. Even though it was in the mid-60s, I was chilled and was happy I was wearing arm warmers.

Scott and Dennis had a slightly different pace, which was ahead of Ralph and me, but we would see each other down the road as we all tried to find our own pace.

7:25 AM – Saturday
Ralph and I pull into the Breese checkpoint, mile 52 along with Scott and Dennis. The two other riders, George and Charlie were already 30 minutes ahead of us. We would never see them during the ride, but would inquire as to how far ahead of us they were when we stopped at checkpoints.

Dennis was the first to pull back onto the road saying that we would catch him before the next checkpoint in Okawville. Ralph, Scott and I pulled out together and continued down the road.

As we rolled through the town of Damiansville, around mile 63, I prayed that I would not get another flat tire. I have had two flats along this stretch of road this year. I made it with no problems.

9:20 AM – Saturday
Ralph and I pull into Okawville, mile 78. Dennis and Scott were just ahead of us by a minute or two. I grab a pre-made turkey and cheese sandwich and refill bottles, the four of us are back on the road in less than 20 minutes.

The four of us ride east through New Minden, Hoyleton and continued east toward Irvington. Along here I was leading Ralph and Dennis doing 16 to 16.5 mph. Dennis pulls around and asked if I wanted him to lead for awhile. Dennis pulled around and picked up the pace to around 18 mph. Ralph began to drop back. I hung on for awhile. Eventually Dennis rotated back and the pace went back down to 16 mph or so.

Arriving into Irvington, the one hundred mile mark, we stopped for water. As 100 miles is something of a milestone, I checked my bicycle computer and we had covered the distance in six hours 4 minutes of actual riding time, averaging over 16.2 mph. In addition to the above time we had less than one hour of off bike time at checkpoints. I was very happy with these results. I also knew that the pace would be dropping soon as the hills were ahead of us.

The little shop in town had a very inquisitive staff and wanted to know all about what we were doing and wished us well on our journey. After reapplying sun screen we rolled out. Dennis pulled out a minute or so ahead of the rest of us, each finding their own rhythm.

At Dix, mile 111, where Interstate 57 runs through town we stop again for water at a local gas station as there won’t be any services for awhile. Dennis runs into an old cycling friend here and they spend a little time chatting. Ralph and I pull out and continue east.

Up to this point in the ride, the terrain had been pretty flat to lightly rolling. However from here to Vienna, and over to Murphysboro we would see a lot stronger rollers and hills.

2:43 PM – Saturday
The four of us pull into Wilke’s Café, our checkpoint in the town of Belle Rive, mile 140. Donnie Wilke is the owner of the café and has always been such a generous person when we come in, making sure our needs are taken care of, and that we all have full bottles with lots of ice before we head out. I will be very happy to see him again in two weeks when I drive support for the next 600K event and get to eat my fill from his buffet. For $7.00 you just can’t beat it.

The nicest thing about the St. Louis Brevet Series, in my opinion, is the spacing of towns along the way. Rarely do you need to ride more than 30 miles to get to a quickie mart. Most of the time I can ride with two bottles, one for water and the other for drink mix. By the time I am empty or near empty I am at the next town. Occasionally I will use a third bottle when it is windy or extra hot and will be longer than expected getting to the next town. I carried a third bottle on my bike and did find myself using it as the day wore on, and the temperature and humidity rose.

After a brief stop in Thompsonville, mile 166, refilling bottles again, and applying sunscreen for the umpteenth time we continued south.

On this section our group of four broke up a little bit. Ralph goes off the back a bit while Dennis and Scott take turns passing me on the hills. I would be out front for a while; then one of these guys would pass me and go up the road. I would slowly close the gap, usually on a downhill or short flat, only to have the other rider pass me and take the lead. I felt like a pro cyclist being attacked by other riders trying to tire me out. I know that wasn’t the case, just each rider taking the hills as their strength allowed.

7:30 PM - Saturday
We pulled into a gas station in Creal Springs, mile 190, the last place to get water before our overnight stop in Vienna. Ralph caught up to us allowing the four of us to ride the trail together. The six miles between Creal Springs and New Burnside is very hilly and what I call 4-40 hills. You climb them at 4 mph and descend them at 40 mph.

8:10 PM – Saturday
We regroup one last time at the trailhead in New Burnside, don our reflective gear and turn our lights on as we begin riding the Tunnel Hill trail. The trail, which I had ridden once before during the daylight and on fresh legs wasn’t too bad. It is perhaps a two percent grade uphill for the first half of the trail. You pass through a long tunnel, and then have a two percent grade downhill to Vienna.

The challenges were the limestone surface which was soft made our tires slide side to side. We also had fog making visibility difficult in spots. When we reached the tunnel it was very foggy around and inside the tunnel making it hard to judge where the sides of the trail and tunnel walls were. We all made it through and reached the end without any accidents.

9:47 PM – Saturday
We reached the Limited Inn in Vienna, mile 211 our overnight stop. Our drop bags were in the lobby waiting for us. Ralph’s wife had checked in hours before and was waiting for his arrival. The rest of us checked in and went to our rooms after discussing when we would meet to head back.

I was at a low point upon arrival, I was tired, and my mind had been attacking me for the last several hours. My mind was coming up with many ways to quit. I could break a spoke, a chain or slit the tire making it unrideable. I could sabotage anything on the bike so I didn’t have to wake up at 2:00 in the morning and ride another 165 miles. In my mind I wanted to do anything to not ride, and not have to say I quit.

After calling my wife letting her know I was safe I took a shower and ate a can of Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Noodle soup (cold) drank a chocolate Ensure along with more water. The lights were out by 10:30 PM. Sleep came, but was fitful.

2:00 AM – Sunday
That dang alarm went off. It was time to get up and prepare for day two. After staggering to the bathroom, my brain went through my body to see what condition it was in. Darn it all, nothing but tired and sore, no valid reason to not ride. Maybe it would be storming and unsafe to ride.

I drank another Ensure and filled bottles with ice, water, and drink mix. I rolled my bike down to the lobby and out the front door to check the weather. A clear night, I could see stars, and the temperature was in the low to mid 60’s. No storms, no reason not to ride. I guess I was going to ride.

Scott and Dennis rolled down the hall and we all had a quick breakfast in the lobby. Ralph came down into the lobby dressed in jeans and a shirt, no cycling clothes, no bicycle. He said his butt was too sore to sit on a saddle. He might start a little later and perhaps catch up with us. Ralph’s wife and car were there. I had a strong feeling he was heading back to bed.

2:45 AM – Sunday
Scott, Dennis and I turned on our lights and begin slowly allowing our tired and sore muscles a chance to loosen up as we took the first several miles heading west. The three of us agreed to stay together for safety at least until the sun came up.

I have mixed feelings about night riding. It provides a completely different experience from daylight riding. The temperatures are lower, which in the summer is very nice. You can see the stars, also nice. There is significantly less traffic, a real bonus. You can see and hear cars easier at night because of their lights. And most of the time there are fewer dogs.

The down side is I also have a fear, perhaps a phobia about night riding, alone, in the dark, with strange sounds, animals you can’t see, coyotes howling, dogs barking, bats flying around. And then there are the drunk, tired and inattentive drivers on the road as well. So is it a phobia or a healthy fear?

All that being said; we did get attacked; yes attacked, by a very large dog around 3:30 in the morning. Dennis was out front and from the right side a big dog came chasing, barking a very unfriendly bark and almost had Dennis’ right leg before turning back into the field alongside the road. Scott and I made it past as the dog circled around. The incident did scare the begeebees out of us.

7:00 AM – Sunday
We were finally done with the Shawnee National Forest, the big rolling hills and Alto Pass, a nice mile long climb. Unfortunately that also means the 40-45 mile an hour down hills are also done. I am not a good climber, but I don’t mind the downhills. Scott and Dennis waited for me several times at the top of a few climbs so we could stay together.

The three of us pull into Murphysboro at 7:00 AM, refilled bottles, used the bathroom and shared some fresh popcorn. We managed to pull out again holding onto a small 20 minute time buffer. Not much, but now that the hills were over we should be able to increase that.

We continued to roll north along State Route 127 towards Pinckneyville. The road at this time of morning had little traffic and had a decent shoulder to use when there was traffic. Aside from a few small rollers, the road was pretty flat and we made good progress north.

9:00 AM – Sunday
As the Pinckneyville checkpoint, mile 283 was a rider’s choice, Scott said he wanted McDonalds for breakfast so we pulled in and had our brevet cards signed, and ordered breakfast. I wanted eggs, but didn’t want biscuits, hash browns or pancakes. I decided on the Breakfast Burritos, which is just eggs, cheese and a few pieces of peppers wrapped in a tortilla, along with a large orange juice.

Dennis was have contact point issues, which is a nice way of saying he was not comfortable sitting on his saddle. His posterior was very sore and raw and was looking for other seating options, positions, standing a lot etc. There was a grocery a block away and I suggested two ham steaks, one on each cheek to take the abuse. Dennis said he didn’t want to have bloody ham in his shorts. I joked what was the difference between bloody ham and his blood butt. None of us could come up with any “side-of-the-road” ideas so he was left with changing positions on the bike for the next 90 miles.

After a nice break we headed out the door and headed west along State Route 154. This section of road has a lot of traffic and not much of a shoulder on which to ride. Thankfully the cars, pick-ups, campers, trucks hauling boats, and big rigs all gave us plenty of room.

What was not so nice along this stretch of road was the amount of road kill. While we saw road kill everywhere, this stretch had many deer, skunks, possums, raccoons, birds and turtles. Frankly it stank. Even if you didn’t see the road kill, you could smell the decay all around. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

As we made the turn north at Eden, George Jarad passed us as he was driving the bags back north, and checking on the riders. He pulled over, took some pictures, and provides the three of us with ice cold water. George, you are wonderful. We chatted for a few minutes, and George confirmed that Ralph had indeed abandoned at Vienna and was packing up the car to drive home.

The temperature was not unbearable by any means, in fact it was in the low to mid 80’s but the humidity, the light headwind and of course the miles were taking their toll. We stopped again just six miles north in Coulterville, mile 305 to share a bag of ice and more water.

1:14 PM – Sunday
We continued rolling north until we reached Okawville for a second time at mile 326. After a short break for water, ice and air conditioning, we still had banked an hour and a half as a time buffer. With just 50 more miles to go all was looking good and we should finish well within the 40 hour time limit.

Dennis asked an interesting question several times. “What would it take to quit now?” Before starting day two it would not have taken much to jump into a car and drive home. Now that I was up the road and getting closer and closer to finishing, it would take a lot to make me quit. All it took to succeed was just getting back on the bike and pedaling and moving up the road. I didn’t have any legitimate reason to not finish, and that felt very good.

All the roads from here back to the finish we ride on every brevet. These roads are almost like an old friend greeting us, letting us know that the end was in sight.

Through this section our group started splitting up, each having a different pace. I was off the back, Dennis was up the road a half mile or so, and Scott in between. We reached New Baden, mile 340 a few minutes apart. It was a little sad for me to loose the group, but at this point we all knew we would finish, and due to differing energy levels, we would finish alone.

Scott had pulled over in St. Jacob to refill bottles, and I saw Dennis up the road a little bit. With just 20 miles left I decided to skip another stop and just keep rolling, I knew Scott would catch me before long. Sure enough, as I made the left turn on Fruit Road, Scott was with me again. I tried to pick my pace up and match Scott, to no avail. He had more left in his legs than I. He pulled away on one of the small rollers along this section.

6:04 PM – Sunday
I pulled alongside the Edwardsville Police station a minutes behind Scott, who was a few minutes behind Dennis. We filled out our brevet cards, signed the final check-in sheet and sat talking about the ride and how enjoyable and rewarding it was.

The three of us, along with the other riders who finished a full brevet series (200K, 300K, 400K and 600K) had become Super Randonneurs, some for the first time, others for several times. For me this is my second full series. My only other Super Randonneur series was back in 2003. It has been six long years without this accomplishment. I now had it in the history books.

RUSA has created a new cycling jersey for rider who achieve the status of Super Randonneur. The jersey will come out in December of this year, and I for one will order one.

The final numbers for the ride are as follows: 375 miles (official distance) in 38 hours, 4 minutes. This is inclusive of all off bike time for eating, drinking, sleeping, resting and eating and drinking even more.

Issues: I am so glad I ride a recumbent. I have no problems with sore wrists, sore and raw tush, or sore back and neck. On the other hand, my right thumb and index finger are a little tingly and the ball of the left foot is bit sore. I think the foot issues are because my shoes are at least five years old and have over ten thousand miles and them. The hand issues I believe is because I was gripping the handlebars too tight on the limestone trail as the bike slid around on the loose surface. My legs too are sore and tired. The hardest part of riding long distance, at least for me is not the conquering the long miles, it is conquering the eight inches between my ears.

400K Brevet - May 16, 2009

The event du jour was a 400 kilometer (251 mile) ride starting and ending in Edwardsville Illinois. After the alarm woke me at 2:45 AM, I got up, applied sun screen on my face and neck, and turned on the television to check the progress of the storm we had overnight. Looking at the weather radar, the front line of the storm had just passed St. Louis heading south east but there was more rain trailing the front. The current temperature was 60 degrees with a projected high around 65 degrees and winds out of the north-north-west all day. With this news I put on wool socks, a long sleeve jersey as well as my rain pants and jacket.

I was out the door by 3:00 AM on my want to pick up fellow rider, Guy Oldfield who came in from Maryland for a graduation. Guy was ready and we hopped on the highway and made it to Edwardsville just after 4:00 AM.

Riders began showing up shortly after our arrival and once everyone had filled out the appropriate forms, received their maps, cue sheets and brevet cards I held a brief meeting and inspection of lighting and reflective equipment.

In addition to the twelve riders on the 400 K route, one rider (Guy) was doing the 300 K route, and another rider a 200 K route. With thick clouds overhead, but no rain falling we headed out at 5:00 AM.

My last 400K event was back in 2003. I was six years younger, trained more over the winter and rode faster back then. I had totally forgotten how difficult a 400K brevet was. It is no wonder why I have only ridden this event once before. The challenge, aside from pedaling the 251 miles, is staying awake long enough to complete the ride. At my pace this year, that meant staying awake a long time. The rules provide 27 hours to complete this distance.

I hooked up with Ralph Rognstad pretty much right from the parking lot in Edwardsville and found ourselves chatting away the early miles and keeping together. Guy Oldfield, who was riding the 300K route also stayed with us. The three of us pulled into the gas station in Pocahontas to use the restrooms and refill bottles. Dennis Smith and George Jarad where pulling out as we pulled in. David and Mary Esther Rost pulled in right after us. In less than ten minutes Guy, Ralph and I were back on our bicycles and heading further down the road.

With a really nice tailwind this time, we rolled into the Breese checkpoint, mile 52, around 8:20 AM. George and Dennis were just finishing their checkpoint ritual and getting ready to roll when we pulled in. Mary Esther and David pulled in right behind us again. Our paces were just a little off, but it was nice seeing people right ahead and right behind at each checkpoint.

We were on Highline Road and came to a particularly low spot in the road which was flooded. The area was maybe 75 feet wide and the water was flowing across the road. Even though I had ridden this road many times I was not sure how deep the water was. We all stopped and decided that since we could see bicycle tracks on the far end and no one had back-tracked that we saw, we figured we could cross it.

Riding a recumbent, my feet are up high and I stayed dry with the exception of some spray to my posterior. Ralph and Guy followed once I was safely across and they finished the crossing with soaking wet feet.

About ten miles later I felt a change in my bicycle. I could feel every little bump in the road. Ralph confirmed that my rear tire looked low. We pulled over and sure enough I was very soft. As we were still in a very wet area I was not in the mood to change a tube, and seeing that it was not a blow out, I decided to pump it back up and see if I could make it to the next checkpoint before changing it.

In the next thirteen miles I stopped two more times to pump up my rear tire. Each time, Ralph and Guy would stop and hold my bicycle while I used my mini-pump to get air into the tube.

It was sprinkling again when we pulled into the gas station in Okawville, mile 78 at 10:20 AM. After having our brevet cards signed I went outside and took the rear wheel off and pulled the old tube out and checked the tire for debris. I did find one sharp object which I removed, checked everything again, wiped the rim and tire down with a paper towel and installed a new tube.

Guy was ready to roll again, and decided to ride with a George and Dennis who were just getting ready to head out. Ralph was eating and waiting patiently. Once I had the tire pumped up, Ralph held my bike again while I re-installed my wheel. I quickly bought water, made a bottle of Perpetuem drink mix, grabbed a Hammer Bar (Almond & Raisin) and prepared to go.

With the wind at our backs for a change, the ride east to Hoyleton was very relaxing and done pretty quickly. I remember looking at the clock and thinking that I was already two hours ahead of my pace for the 300K ride a few weeks ago. What a difference the wind direction makes.

As we approached Pinkneyville mile 130, Ralph and I started talking about lunch and where to eat. Subway was on the route and sounded good. Ralph told me about a sandwich with flat pita bread. It sounded good to me and I ordered one. With my flat tire back before Okawville, I had not had time to eat a sandwich so I was ready for something more than just drink mix.

George and Dennis popped in the door to say hello. They ate up the road at the Dairy Queen. They told us of being chased by a farm dog back a few miles and the dog was hit and killed by a passing truck when the dog tried to cross the road. I am sorry to hear that the dog was killed, but on the other hand, there is now one less farm dog to chase cyclists.

After one last short southern section on IL-127 we turned onto Mudline Road and saw a lot of flooding from the rains. Thankfully the road is well above the water here. There were many fallen trees, but all the big stuff had been cleared away from the road.

We made a right turn heading west on West Stein Road which is a new road this year. I chose it as the previous road, Beaucomp Road, no longer exists. A local coal company has stripped mined the area and this required a reroute.

West Stein is very hilly and not in great shape. It is paved, more or less, and has some potholes, as well as patches of gravel. The good side is that it is not heavily travelled and keeps the mileage pretty much the same as the original route.

Ralph and I rolled into the Fleetwood Gas Station in Ava, mile 150 around 4:10 PM still holding onto the five hours of time. Just as we were pulling in we saw George and Dennis heading downhill along Route 4.

Both Route 4 right out of Ava and Brick Plant Road in Campbell Hill have some good hills. It was 35 to 40 mph downhill and 5-8 mph uphill, then repeat over and over and over again.

The worst of the hills ended just short of Sparta and we pulled into the Casey’s General Store (mile 177) around 6:50 PM. To my surprise John Prindable a veteran of many a brevet was standing by his car. I immediately went over and shook his hand and greeted him. He wasn’t there for me, but drove over to SAG Bob Bruce who blew his knee out and was in a lot of pain. John’s generosity in coming over to SAG a rider back to the start is so like him.

Scott Thompson caught up to Ralph and me at the checkpoint. John Prindable said his good byes and reminded us to be safe. Ralph and I were ready to go, and Scott said he would be right behind us.

We made it through the little town of Coulterville and half way to Lively Grove when we needed to turn our lights on. Ralph and I pulled over to the side of the road at Lively Grove as my brain had suddenly turned off. I was having a hard time focusing on anything and could barely keep my eyes open. Ralph had some caffeine pills and I took two. Scott pulled up and the three of us headed north towards New Baden.

We made it into New Baden, mile 216, and stopped at the Shell station around 10:35 PM. The temperature had been dropping a lot since the sun went down, and thankfully, the winds had died down as well.

Ralph and I were pretty cold and found the store to have a hot chocolate machine. I bought a turkey sandwich along with the hot chocolate. Scott kept things short and I could tell he wanted to push on, but my mind needed a short nap. Ralph had his head down on a table and I joined in.

When we woke up later Scott had already pushed on. I got up and went to the bathroom and bought some water to mix another bottle of Perpetuem. While still inside the store I started shivering uncontrollably. I couldn’t stop. I walked out to my bike to get my bottle and the temperature was very cold and I went back inside quickly. While continuing to shiver, I made my bottle and bought a pair a long finger leather gloves for $6.00. It’s amazing what a gas station sells.

Ralph told me we needed to get on the bikes and I would warm up once I started moving again. I had my doubts, but I also knew that the finish was still 35 miles north. We rolled back onto the road at 11:45 PM. I was still shivered pretty hard for the next ten minutes until my body started generating heat again. After that I was fine, and having the long finger glove made a big difference in my comfort.

We rolled through the town of Summerfield, and north into St. Jacob where there is a bar on the corner. The bar had a bonfire going which looked inviting, and a few people called out to us inquiring about what we were doing riding a bicycle at 1:30 in the morning.

The last town we came to was Marine, mile 237. There is a quickie mart/gas station on the corner, and we had hoped it would be open, but at that hour it was closed. We would have to make due with what resources we had for the last 15 miles.

We pulled in at the Edwardsville police station at 3:01 AM. I had hoped that we would break the 3:00 AM barrier as we were coming into town, put I didn’t have any sprint left inside of me. It just wasn’t worth it.

After signing the check-in sheet and filling out our brevet cards, we noticed Scott Thompson made it in 20 minutes earlier. I had planned to catch a few hours of sleep in my van before heading home. I just wish part of my plan would have included a blanket. It was 43 degrees but I managed to drift off.

As for the final statistics, I rode the official course of 251.1 miles in 22 hours one minute. This included 18 hours 22 minutes of pedaling and 3 hours 39 minutes off the bike fixing flats, eating, napping etc. My average riding speed was 13.8 mph which isn’t nearly as good as six years ago, but that was six years ago.

The weather stats showed a low near 64 degrees at the start, a high of 65 during the day and a 43 degree over night low. No wonder I was so cold and shivering. We did experience a little rain, but nothing too bothersome. The winds averaged 9 mph with maximum winds of 21 mph and maximum gusts of 29 mph mostly from the North-North-West.

300K Brevet - April 25, 2009

Saturday April 25 had a dual event, a 200 kilometer (127 miles) ride and a 300 kilometer (187 mile) ride. This was my second 300K event this year, and was probably the most difficult brevet I have ridden.

The weather at 5:00 AM when I pulled into the parking lot was already 70 degrees. 70 degrees is where our daytime high should be, not the overnight low. I assumed that with the extra warm temperatures the turn out would have been much higher, but the weather forecast had been saying we would continue to have 15-25 mph winds out of the south all day and gusts up near 35-40 mph. As our routes spend a lot of time heading south, I guess many people chose to stay in bed.

My friend and fellow recumbent rider Randy Johnson came down and brought a newbie rider, Don (upright bike) who had never ridden over 40 miles. This would be his first 200K event. Also showing up was Dave Towns, another recumbent rider and friend. Dave also brought down a life-long friend for the 200K event, Ken who sported a traditional upright bike.

After about 15 miles of eastward riding we had our first stint heading south and it was just a quarter mile. It was going to be a challenge all day heading south into a strong wind. The winds which had been an annoying crosswind heading east began a real annoying headwind on the south section.

After a short bathroom and water break at Pocahontas, the five of us continued another six miles east to Millersberg Road where we would start our journey south. Randy and I had a little better legs on this 25 mile section as the other riders tailed off the back with the wind hitting them.

I arrived first (of our little group) at the Breese IL checkpoint, mile 51 with Randy coming in a few minutes back. Dave, Don and Ken arrived jusdt a few minutes later. I am trying to keep my off bike time as short as is reasonable, but I would also rather ride with other people so our break here to regroup and get ready was a little longer than I would like. We started out again together with Ken bringing up the rear as we headed out of town.

The jaunt into Okawville at mile 78 was a chore until we made a turn east and had a cross tailwind. Randy and I pulled in together and had our brevet cards validated and had sat down for a sandwich when Ken and Dave pulled in. Randy and I chatted awhile knowing that the other three were on the 200K route and would be heading back, and heading north with the help of a tailwind. Randy and I however had much more headwind to face. Randy’s friend Don pulled in a few minutes before we headed out and Randy and I both congratulated Don on his ride, we all knew he would finish as the tailwind was maybe ten miles down the road for him.

Randy and I finally headed east out of Okawville towards Hoyleton another 15 miles east. We had a lot of wind along this section, mostly a cross wind. When the gusts blew, it would throw our bikes three feet into traffic. Thankfully there wasn’t too much traffic along this stretch.

Once we hit Hoyleton I thought we would make Oakdale 25 miles south of here in maybe two hours. I was not even close. Once we started the southern journey we just kept slowing down. Officially, the historical weather data says the winds were averaging 16 mph all day with maximum winds of 29 mph and gusts up to 36 mph out of the south. Our legs were exhausted and my bottles (four of them) were dry when I pulled in.

I tried to think of good reasons to have a head wind. 1) It kept you cool. 2) The sweat evaporated quickly. 3) It was going to become a tailwind for the last 65 miles or so.

I checked my computer and it read just an average of 12.2 mph for the 122 miles ridden. I arrived at 6:00 PM. Randy arrived five minutes later. The time we had banked by riding faster earlier was eaten up by our slow progress the last 25 miles. The checkpoint closed at 7:00 PM and getting in at 6:00 PM didn’t leave much room for handling mechanical issues should they occur.

Unfortunately Randy’s stomach had shut down on him and had him hurling his Perpetuem drink along side the checkpoint. After that he began shivering and in the 83 degree heat, he decided that his day was over. A local couple offered to drive Randy north to New Baden where Randy’s friend Don could drive and pick him up. Once Randy had secured the ride, I put my helmet on and started down the road by 6:40 PM.

The down side to loosing Randy was riding solo all the way back to the finish. The upside was I at least was enjoying a nice tailwind. Randy called my cell phone and told me that Don was picking him up in New Baden in just a few minutes but would wait for me to arrive before heading back north. I pulled into New Baden around 8:20 PM and refilled bottles one last time, congratulated Don on his first 200K and shook Randy’s hand and hoped he felt better.

When I reached the bicycle trail just east of Edwardsville, I was chased by two big dogs that were running loose. Somewhere I found enough energy to sprint. I managed to out ride the dogs until they gave up. Thank God I didn’t have any hills or head wind to deal with at that point.

I pulled into the Edwardsville Police Station, the last rider out on the course at 10:51 PM and was very glad to be done. This ride was on the same course as the previous 300K, but the weather conditions were much different and made this ride much more challenging. I am very happy I finished as this helps build my confidence for the longer events to come.

300K Brevet - April 04th - Edwardsville

Saturday April 4 had two events on the schedule, a 200 kilometer (127 mile) RUSA sanctioned brevet, which had eight starters and eight finishers. It also had a 300 kilometer (187 mile) ACP sanctioned event that had twelve starters and twelve finishers, of which I was one. Yippee, another success.

The morning temperature began around 38-39 degrees, and it was dry with an east-southeast wind 5-7 mph in the early morning. This wind kept picking up all day long, just like weather.com said it would.

According to the official historical weather data for April 4th, the normal winds were 12 mph ESE, with maximum sustained winds up to 29 mph and gusts up to 36 mph. Again, according to the weather stats, the day's high temperature ended up around 66 degrees, but with the wind, I rarely felt warm unless I had the tailwind.

Being the Brevet Administrator, I am the one who hands out the cue sheets, make sure everyone has their brevet card, has lights and reflective gear, and begins the rides on time. For this ride that time was 6:00 AM.

My friend, and fellow recumbent rider, Randy Johnson had driven down from near Chicago to ride the 200K event. I rolled out of the parking lot last, along with Randy at my side. Being last out of the gate is just normal riding for me. I’m not a particularly fast rider and end up riding near the back of the pack most of the time. I will either catch the riders in front of me, or I won’t.

Randy and I stayed together just rolling down the road until a few miles after Grantfork, around mile 17 or 18. My body was waking up and I felt the bodily need to sprint ahead to make a nature call at the gas station in Pocahontas, mile 24. Randy pulled in a few minutes back. We caught up with several riders, Scott Thompson, Dave and Mary Esther Rost among those still at the gas station. These three riders headed east while Randy and I finished filling our bottles and putting our sunglasses on for the day.

Thinking we had a solid command of the tail end of the ride, two other riders, Mark Clark and Kay Covington appeared behind us just as we reached the little town of Pierron, mile 39. Apparently they had stopped across the street at another gas station back in Pocahontas. Mark took a break while Kay joined Randy and me as we headed south towards New Baden. Since Randy and I were doddering along Kay took off and Mark soon passed us as well placing Randy and me in last position once again. Pulling into the checkpoint at the Casey’s General store in New Baden, mile 52 had us back with a group of seven or eight riders. Scott, the Rost’s, Mark, Kay and a few others headed out a few minutes before Randy and I were ready.

We had a nice tease from the wind as we headed on a short westerly section. Our speed instantly increased with the tailwind assist. Of course this is a two edged blessing, we got a short burst of speed, but we knew that in a few miles we would be heading back into the headwind as we rode towards Okawville.

After making the turn east again, Randy and I get separated in the wind. He could see my yellow jacket up the road, and we each had to dig to complete the nine mile leg to the checkpoint in Okawville.

I pulled in a few minutes ahead of Randy, just in time to see a few of the 200K riders heading back with a fantastic tailwind. I also watched Scott, David and Mary Esther head east into the wind to continue the 300K route. I quickly had my card signed, snarfed down a turkey sandwich and chocolate milk, refilled bottles, applied sun screen and shook Randy’s hand as he headed west along the 200K route, and me east along the 300K route.

My mind likes to play tricks on me, and try to defeat me, and get me to turn around and take the easy way back. I would look down at my computer and see my speed into the wind at 10-13 mph and at least know I was not loosing time to the ever present clock. I had to keep reminding myself that yes I was riding slow, but I was continuing to build a small buffer of time and thus kept the demons at bay.

I had been riding solo from mile 78 until around mile 105 when I came across David and Mary Esther taking a short break alongside the road. I waved, and joined them for a few minutes of relaxing, stretching and massaging my feet before the three of us headed down the road together for the next few miles.

I was so excited knowing that at mile 112 when we turned west along DuBois Blacktop Road; all the headwinds I had battled would now be tailwinds for the rest of the day. I knew that with this turn and having the winds at my back, even with over 75 miles to ride, the finish was in the bag. I checked my cycling computer at the turn and I had averaged just 12.98 miles per hour to this point. I knew that was about to increase.

After stopping in Oakdale, mile 122, to have my brevet card signed and refilling my bottles, I had hoped to see David and Mary Esther, but they had not yet arrived. I decided that I didn’t want to waste daylight, nor a fantastic tailwind, and continued alone heading west and north. It was along here that I glanced over at some cattle in a field and noticed a big black wet object next to a cow. The cow was licking it. It was then I noticed it was a new born calf just born minutes earlier. I called out "A baby!" and continued up the road with a smile on my face. I’m pretty sure I have never seen a calf so new in the world that it had yet to stand on its own legs.

I soared north and west and made it into New Baden, mile 150 in about and hour and a half. Still with some daylight available and more tailwinds. I decided this would be my last stop, and quickly filled bottles and headed out one last time. At this point it didn’t matter if I was heading west or north; I had a decent tailwind going both directions.

I made it to St, Jacob as the sun was setting and I turned my lights on and continued north through Marine. It was fully dark as I made the left hand turn on Fruit Road. After a mile or so I noticed a faint red blinking light a mile or so up the road. A rider. It had to be. It didn’t seem to move away into the distance, and it was flashing. I would catch a glimpse of the light off and on for the next five miles, as I tried to increase my speed to see if I could catch whoever it was.

I made the turn onto the bicycle trail that led back into town and could still see the blinking red light just ahead of me. And now I also saw a steady red light next to it. A second rider was close to the first not more than a quarter mile or so ahead.
I caught the taillights and the attached riders as they dismounted their bikes at the police station in Edwardsville. It was Scott Thompson and Dennis Smith. We sat around and chatted a few minutes while filling out our brevet cards and signing the check-in sheet. We then rode the few blocks to our cars. While I can’t speak for anyone else, I had a big smile on my face. The last 70 miles of tailwinds not only made my day but felt like a "gimme".

My final elapsed time was a total of 14 hours 50 minutes, of which my riding time was 13 hours 5 minutes for the 187 miles. This gave me a rolling average speed of 14.3 mph which is right in line with other 300K events I have ridden. This also meant that ther last 75 miles were done averaging 16.8 mph. Very nice.

The biggest change was knocking off more than two hours of off bike time. Give me a tailwind, and I will skip sitting down for meals and just ride. What a great time.

200K Brevet - March 29th - Springfield MO

The weather on Saturday was horrible, the wind and rains had moved in across the state and snow was on the way. Fortunately, Ralph had accidently scheduled the ride for Sunday. The weather forecast Friday made it clear the weather would be "interesting" and I decided not to drive three hours south-west to Springfield Missouri for the ride. It was a difficult choice but at 2 PM Saturday I made the last minute decision to drive from St. Louis across the state and hope the weather would clear up by morning.

The three hour drive west saw lots of rain and wind. By the time I arrived at my hotel in Springfield, snow was already falling.

Sunday morning at 5:30 AM my alarm roused me from a fitful night’s sleep. I peeked out the window and the parking lot was wet, but not snow covered. The only snow I saw was covering vehicles and grassy areas. I wasn't sure if I should be happy or not. If it was snow covered, I might have headed back to bed and just skipped the ride. However, the weather and roads looked good enough to give the ride a try.

The side doors on my van were frozen shut from ice. I did manage to get the back hatch and driver's side door open. It took 15 minutes of running my defrosters to clear the windows enough to drive.

I headed over to the fire station on Battlefield Street and saw several riders unloading their bikes. After pulling in and registering, the nine of us milled around a few minutes until the pre-ride briefing, and the warning of the many farm dogs that would chase us. At 7:00 the ride began. Unlike the St. Louis rides, no one rolled out. In fact, once all nine of us pulled out of the parking lot, everyone stopped less than a mile down the road at one of two convenience stores to use the restrooms before really starting the ride. It was nearly 7:20 by the time we made mile number two.

The pace started very slow, even for me a true back of the pack rider. That was okay as there was just enough ice on the road to make your wheels spin when riding uphill and slide a bit on the downhills. The group stayed together until mile 17 when some riders wanted to stop at a convenience store near Interstate 44. Three of us continued down the road to the west.

By St. Louis standards, this was a hilly route, and by the time we reached the first checkpoint at the town of Miller 36 miles in, we had climbed more hills than I see on our local 400K ride. The bad news was we would be covering these same hills on the way back. The good news was that the ice on the roads had melted, just leaving some in the trees and fields.

The nine of us had regrouped at this checkpoint and would pull out within a few minutes of each other. Not wanting to get lost in unfamiliar country, I rode with Ralph Rognstad, the route organizer as much as I possibly could.

Being a recumbent rider, I roll downhill much faster than the up-right bikes, but climb a bit slower. When I tried to keep their pace on the downhill by riding my brakes, I would get shelled out the back during the climbs and would have to chase a bit to catch up. I finally decided to roll down at my own pace, then slide to the right and let the riders catch me as we crested the tops of the hills. This worked pretty well for me and I was able to stay with the other riders.

After about 40 miles of hills, we reached the prairie where the big hills ended, and some light rollers began. We of course had the wind in our faces on every single road heading north, and west. As this ride was an out and back route, we kept hoping for a tailwind on the way home.

Ralph and I pulled into Golden City the half way point, mile 63 with two riders a few minutes ahead of us, and the remaining riders a few minutes behind. After having our brevet cards signed at the Casey’s General Store, we all headed to "Cooky’s Diner" which is known for their pies. We all sat together for lunch. I had a side serving of mashed potatoes and chocolate milk (total bill $2.50) before Ralph and I headed back together. The other riders were still eating and would be awhile. Ralph and I assumed they would catch up shortly.

The wind had shifted and was mostly out of the west and gave us some advantage. Not too strong, but enough to notice the assist. On some unknown road to me, we were passed by a fully loaded touring bike with front and rear panniers (bags) heading towards Golden City. I called out asking where he was from, and he answered from St. Louis. Ralph and I were still wearing our jackets and tights, but this rider was in short sleeves heading into the wind. Ralph told me we were close to the Trans-America Bicycle Route which passes through Golden City.

Ralph and I pulled into the Miller checkpoint around 3 PM and none of the other riders had yet been seen. A woman standing in line at the Casey's General Store said she saw a group of cyclists back several miles. Not wanting to lollygag too long, Ralph and I topped off our bottles, used the facilities and headed back down the road.

Those wonderful downhills we enjoyed in the morning were waiting to be climbed in the afternoon. I knew they were coming, I just didn’t remember some of them until they appeared in front of us. During the climbs I would concentrate on turning the pedals, keeping a straight line, not falling over or backwards, and cataloging the wildlife we saw during the day. On that note, there was much cattle, including long horn cattle, horses, some mules, a miniature horse, deer, dogs by the dozens, all loving a good chase, hawks of various kinds, a blue heron, goats, Emus (those 5 foot tall birds), a few llamas and we heard frogs calling back and forth, and of course, squirels, some living, some not. Early season road kill.

We continued back along the same roads making one last stop at a truck stop along Interstate 44 for a bathroom break and to refill bottles one last time. Ralph and I made it back to the final checkpoint in Springfield at 6:20 PM. The remaining riders pulled in within five or ten minutes, save one rider who flatted within the last mile.

This was the first brevet I had ridden that was not in St. Louis and it was a hilly one. Reaching the end of the ride successfully was a nice accomplishment for me as I am not known for my climbing skills. In the final analysis, my speed was a bit slower, about 1.5 mph slower than the St. Louis ride I did a few weeks ago, and it took an hour longer overall, so I am very satisfied.

Next up will be the St. Louis 300K events. The weather is looking pretty nice, at least this far out.

200K Brevet - March 14th - Edwardsville IL

It is still officially winter, and if you read my post from March 5th, I had checked the long range forecast and the chicken shakers at weather dot com where forecasting a morning low of 30 degree with a daytime high of 50 and partly cloudy skies. I will stop here to apologize, perhaps just this once as they nailed it pretty well. The starting temperature at 7:00 AM was 32 and mostly cloudy. We eventually did hit 54 degrees with sun by mid afternoon. As for wind, there was very little, perhaps five miles per hour from, of all places, the east, and northeast. I am simply amazed. I will keep watching for the next event.

Saturday, March 14 was the first brevet ride of the year, a nice 200 kilometers, which translates into an actual course distance of 127 miles, give or take a few tenths of a mile.

We had 16 riders, which broke down into three women, and 13 men. Riders came from Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. For our Wisconsin rider, she told us that this 200 kilometer ride was her FIRST outdoor ride this year. Now THAT is determination. And just because I like this one, there were two, yes two recumbents, mine and Stephanie’s from Wisconsin.

I heard tell of a group of dogs chasing the lead group, but they must have tuckered those dogs out because by the time us slightly (um yeah right) slower riders came around we didn’t have any issues with dogs.

The roads where the normal / usual chip seal for most of the farm roads and it was always such a pleasant change when we got to a state road which were much smoother.

I did have some mechanical issues with my rear derailleur. It was fairly quiet at the start but began grinding part way through the ride. Some of the guys who did ride with me knew when I was around as I sounded like a bad combine tractor or an old handheld mixer. Sorry guys for the noise, and thanks for not kicking me to the curb so you didn’t have to listen to the grinding. By the way, I’ve got that issue fixed.

I’m not going to bore anyone with the amount of drink mix and solid foods I went through, but is was sufficient as I only lost one pound by the next morning when I weighed in. My average speed which was 14.55 mph was right in line with most of the other early season 200K’s I’ve ridden, so nothing to complain about there.

Next ride is another 200K on Saturday March 21st. Weather dot com is saying a low of 36 in the morning and a high of 54 with a chance of showers.

Is it June?

I had a wonderful ride yesterday. Yes it is March, at least by way of the calendar, but our temperatures were mid-June when we topped out at 82 degrees. All I knew before I left the house was I had better put on sunscreen (in March) so I didn’t burn. It was certainly the first time of this year I could ride without a jacket and tights.

I filled two water bottles and fixed up a quick bag of gorp to snack on. I rode south out of Columbia IL into a mild headwind with a smile on my face. My legs are definitely out of shape, but it didn’t matter as it felt wonderful to be outdoors feeling the sun and warmth.

I managed a 40 mile round trip loop and had my first flat of the year. At least it was not a blow out, just a slow leak. I felt the front getting squishy and wondered if I could make it back before it was flat. I made it to about the last eight miles before it felt too soft to continue. I pulled over and checked it, My tire was down to 30psi. I pulled out my Road Morph pump and inflated it to 90psi and headed back for the final miles. I did manage to get back to my car and retested the tire. Soft again, so I will need to fix that.

All in all what is not to like about an 82 degree day in March in St. Louis.

The Weatherman Cometh

What a glorious morning. The sun is just coming up and it is already a nice 50 degrees. There is a mild steady breeze out of the south this morning ushering in a very nice day in the mid to upper 60’s. I am planning on head out later this afternoon for a ride. Wind or not, a ride on a nice day is a wonderful way to clear the head, burn off that meatloaf dinner from last night and feel the endorphins flowing throughout my body.

Our brevet season is just over a week away. The first event is the 200 kilometer (125 mile) brevet which will start and finish in Edwardsville IL. Temperatures at this time of year can surprise you. It may be 10 degrees at the start or it can be 50 degrees at the start. You may have sun, or clouds, wind, rain, snow and or sleet or all of the above on the same ride. Only time will tell.

Don’t get me started with the weather folks. The chicken shakers are almost useless for a long range forecast let alone one for the next day. Time and time again these people forecast one thing and the weather is not even close. I am even amazed the difference between the same station at different times of the day. One will say tomorrow will have a high of 72 degrees the other will say tomorrow will be in the mid-60’s.

On this note I just checked the ten day forecast at weather.com and they are saying, Saturday, March 14th will have a morning low around 30 degrees and a high of 52 degrees with partly cloudy skies and a 10 percent chance of precipitation. We have just got to watch this one.

Where ever you are, I hope you have a chance to get out and ride today too.

Welcome to Randonneuring

For those who have never heard about the sport of randonneuring, let me give you a quick introduction. Randonneuring is long distance self supported cycling. There are five event distances which are ridden. Being this sport originated in France all distances are in kilometers, which I will translate for you. All events which are known as brevets (BRA-Vay) are not races against other riders, rather you are racing against the clock as each event has a set maximum allowed time, and strangely enough, a time which you can not go faster than.

The events are a 200 kilometer (125 mile), 300 kilometer (186 miles), 400 kilometer (250 miles), a 600 kilometer (373 miles) and for the big boys and girls as whopping 1,200 kilometer (745 miles) event.

Like I said, there are also time limits for each event, as I am not a fast rider I will ignore for now that criteria, but the clock is always ticking and for a 200 kilometer event the clock runs out at 13 and a half hours. For the 300 kilometer event the clock runs out at 20 hours. For the 400 kilometer event the clock runs out at 27 hours. The 600 has a time limit of 40 hours and for the 1,200 kilometer event the clock has a 90 hour limit.

My plan is to write about the sport in general terms as well as feature the St. Louis Missouri series which begins on Saturday March 14 this year. For more information check out the RUSA website and my website for more information. I hope I will see you out on the road this year. In the mean time, ride safe and ride smart.