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.