400K Brevet - May 8, 2010

May 8, 2010 – 400 Kilometers

Edwardsville hosted three events on Saturday May 8, 2010. We had four riders enter the 200 kilometer ride, three riders entered the 300 kilometer event, and 11 riders entered the 400 kilometer event. Of the total 18 riders who started, 15 finished within the respective time limits.

The real story of the day was the weather. Basically, the weather was an instant-replay of 2009. We had morning temperatures around 46 degrees and warmed up to 60 degrees with mostly sunny skies. This isn’t really too bad, but the wind…. The wind… Winds were out of the north, north-west and west-north-west all day long. According to official data, winds averaged 14-17+ mph all day with maximum sustained winds between 25 and 27 mph and gusts to 32 mph.

This gave a wonderful tailwind most of the way south, but nasty winds to fight all the way back to the finish. Personally, I think the 200K riders had the worst winds, followed by the 300K riders. I was glad to be on the 400K event as I could continue south with the wind, and hope and pray the wind would die down at some point. With the sun setting, the winds did indeed die down.

I had several goals in mind. First, was to finish the ride. To provide a little self encouragement, I wore my “Last Chance 1,200K” jersey I earned last fall in Colorado. If I could ride and finish a 1,200 kilometer ride, I should be able to finish a 400 kilometer ride. I did not want to dishonor the jersey, so I needed to keep pedaling no matter what.

My second goal was to finish without doing any major harm to my right knee which has been bothering me since last fall. These long rides are wearing away my knees. It’s not muscle or tendon injuries, it is underneath the kneecap. I know I should have it looked at, but I am a stubborn man and plan on riding until, well, I don’t know when I will come to my senses.

I had also planned to ride with my friend Dennis Smith as much as possible. This has always been challenging as Dennis is slightly faster than I am and gets in and out of checkpoints quicker. Dennis and I did roll out of the parking lot together, but a car crossing over the bicycle trail caused us to break the group into two pieces. I was not in a hurry to chase Dennis down, after all, 250 miles is a long day.

My plan included skipping a stop in Pocahontas, mile 25, unless I really needed a bathroom break. As I had not seen Dennis since the bicycle trail, I assumed he was well up the road. Miles Stoneman from Marion IL was riding with me and we rolled through Pocahontas without a stop.

Miles and I stayed together, enjoying the tailwind as we made our way south to Breese, mile 52. Dennis was not there, nor was George Jarad. I assume those two took off and were sailing. As soon as I had my brevet card signed at the Casey’s General store, in rolls Dennis. He had stopped in Pocahontas after all.

A group of us rolled out together. The group included me, Miles Stoneman, Dennis Smith, Ralph Rongstad, Dan Pfaff and perhaps one other rider. As we made a few turns west, we were nailed by the headwinds. Dennis passed and moved up the road as did Miles. Not wanting to press my knees, I just took my time and eventually made a few left turns heading back south-east into Okawville, our next checkpoint.

Instead of stopping for a sit down sandwich at the local gas station, I just mixed bottled, used the bathroom and was heading east with Miles a few minutes later. This section down to Pinckneyville IL was about 50 miles, and I had everything I needed. With a mandatory stop at the “Bonk Cemetery”, actually known as “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” at mile 109 for a break and photo opportunity at the Bonk Family grave, we picked up Ralph and Dan once again.

After heading south along White Walnut Rd we passed Scott Thompson alongside the road fixing a flat tire. He said he was fine, and already had two other riders with him. Eventually Scott abandoned with several flat tires and wheel issues. I think this is the first brevet of any length he has not finished.

Our group pulled into Pinckneyville at the McDonald’s as there were already two riders there. The McDonald’s is not a checkpoint, nor is Pinckneyville, but after 50 miles, a break for refills is much appreciated. My friend Dennis was already there and was getting ready to head out as I scarffed down a hot fudge sundae and refilled bottles. Miles also decided to head up the road at a pace better suited to his abilities. I headed out solo while other riders sat and inhaled Big Macs and fries.

The section from Pinckneyville to Ava and on to Sparta is where most of the climbing is. I was happy to be solo as my climbing skills are, shall we say, lacking. I climbed like a rock when I rode a diamond frame, and it certainly has not improved since I ride a recumbent. I just do my best and make it over the hills. Being able to ride at three to four miles per hour, without falling over is a skill, and I have much practice.

My friend Jeff aka “RoadiJeff” was not on today’s ride, but did show up along this stretch to Ava on his motorcycle. We chatted as he rode next to me for maybe ten minutes. He told me how easy the hills were on the motorcycle. Thanks Jeff. He continued up the road and met me at the checkpoint in Ava.

After a short break I watched Dennis once again take off. I took off a few minutes behind him and could see him ahead for the next ten miles. Dennis was always pulling away a little at a time and reached the Sparta checkpoint ten minutes earlier. Dennis decided to wait for me and team up for night riding. I pulled in and we chatted. He said something about it just making sense to ride the rest together as we had been so close all day. I certainly appreciate the company, especially at night.

We made it north of Lively Grove before we turned on our light. We rode the dreaded Highway 177 together and made the turn north on IL-166 where I needed to lay down. My heart was racing and Dennis told me I was riding leaning over the side. After ten minutes we pushed on into New Baden and a stop at the Shell station.

I made a huge mistake here. I was cold, and Perpetuem drink mix did not sound good. I drank a hot chocolate and ate a chicken salad sandwich. My stomach shut down hard. After 30 minutes of sitting and wasting time, Ralph, Andrew and Dan pulled in. Dennis bought a newspaper and shoved it up between his jersey and jacket. I put my wind vest and jacket and long finger gloves on.

Last year when I rode this same event with Ralph, we fell asleep here for over an hour. I didn’t want to fall asleep again, so Dennis and I rolled out for the last 35 miles.

We reached the town of St. Jacob around 1:30 AM. The bar on the corner had a bonfire again this year and we were invited to sit and warm up and have a beer. We thanked them and kept rolling. The temperature on the bank in town read 41 degrees. Burr.

I needed one more stop to let me heart rate come back down while Dennis took a natural break. We pulled into the Police Station at 2:27 AM. This is slower for Dennis than last year, but a little faster for me (no nap).

Honestly, 400K events suck. It’s just one long ride and even with No-Doz and better clothing choices, its still a very long day. Planning ahead I did remember a pillow and two blankets so I could sleep a few hours in the car before heading home. I woke around 5:30 and saw a few cars with bikes parked beside them. Dennis was gone, and I wanted to get home, get a hot shower, some breakfast and more sleep.

And now for the numbers:

Distance: 251.3 miles
Ride Time: 21:27
On Bike Time: 18:45
Off Bike Time: 2:42

Cyclist State: Crazy, tired, sore legs, needs sleep and counseling from a professional.

Since I like numbers so much, I found it interesting that the weather was almost identical to 2009. My checkpoint times were all within ten minutes of 2009. The only exception was the final checkpoint where I picked up 35 minutes from not napping. In 2009 my on bike time was 18:20 and this year was 18:45, but made up that with less off bike time.