Category: Virginia

Posted on

A New BlueRidger

MARSHALL, VIRGINIA

Oh how Strava Live Segments change everything. I came to ride the BlueRidger Proper (counter-clockwise). The weather was mostly sunny at the start but with a strong wind which would be cross-head or just a headwind for much of the ride. The temperature was 70°.

A few weeks ago I had ridden on Rectortown Road and found a segment I liked: Frogtown Road to Atoka Road. My goal for today: PR on that segment.

Rokeby Road, Upperville, Va.

I am loving my Live Segments but not every segment I sat seems to show up on my Wahoo. Once it’s there it stays but I never no until the next time I approach a segment if it will be a Live Segment. I rode off into a very strong headwind. Part of me said to just pedal through it while another part said to go for it. I listened to the bad me.

It did not show up as a Live Segment. Nor do I think that it would have done any good. I changed my time display to see elapsed time and went passed Frogtown at 8:48. As I approached Atoka Road I could see I was around 11:24. I knew I needed 2:24 and not 2:36. I was way off. And it was the wind. Well, at Atoka a woman looked at me and pulled out right in front of me causing me to sit up. I didn’t have to brake but I could no longer keep the pedals moving. So I settled for 3rd best of my time which was really tied for the second-best of my times. But way off the mark.

General Store at Airmont

The rest of the ride was uneventful. On Rectortown Road the road “bottoms out” as it crosses Goose Creek. I wanted to hit 40 mph here and I did. And then I got a Live Segment – GO! This was for Rectortown Test Climb. And even though I was riding into a strong wind, I decided to see if I could PR it. I was happy when 3:53 (New PR!) popped up. Old PR had been 4:15. Then I could rest the rest of the way.

House on Snickersville Turnpike near Bluemont

Fighting the wind, I averaged 16.1 mph out to Airmont. Without doing a deep search, I found a ride from 11 years ago where I averaged 18 mph on this part. But that was in a group; I didn’t fight winds in my face; and I was 11 years younger.

Bluemont, Va.

Passing through Bluemont, it appeared to me that some new construction has taken place since the last time I rode through here. There was a building on the left and then I saw the E. E. Lake General Store. Apparently it is a welcome center but has the old General Store facade.

General Store, Bluemont, Va.

The climbs were pretty much as I remembered them. Moderately hard. There is a steep climb out of Bluemont on Snickersville Turnpike. It has a 180° switchback at the top and is flat over to Rte. 7. Rte 7 has a wide should as it climbs to the top of the pass. This is the easiest of the three sections here. And turning on Blue Ridge Mountain Road is a pretty steep climb with no end in sight. I still don’t know where it finally ends and dips down.

Ashbys Gap, US Rte 50, Paris, Va.

The ride off the mountain is nice. When I got to U.S. 50 I found it was too windy to descend without braking. That may have been the first time I rode here using brakes. But there were cross-wind gusts hitting me making it hard to control the bike.

Paris, Va.

Once on Leeds Manor Road I expected and received, a Live Segment for Naked Mountain. Once it starts the Wahoo displays the elapsed time, a contour map of the climb, your estimated time, and your PR time. My PR coming in was 9:06. Today I went through in 7:44.

Ashby Inn, Paris, Va.

There is pavement on this road but it is rough. I wanted to descend faster but didn’t trust the pavement. Rounding a corner on a downhill the road turned up and a GO! appeared. This was for Naked Mountain Winery. It’s a short climb but I had no legs. Pretty much left everything I had a few minutes ago on the Naked Mountain climb. Wahoo disagreed. My old PR was 2:21 and I lowered it today to 1:41. I would like to see what I could do when I didn’t fight the winds.

Naked Mountain Winery

The last 10 miles from Markham I had great pavement and crappy pavement. I thought I had a tailwind but my speed was only 16 mph – the same as the first 20 miles into the wind. Maybe my legs were fried at this point.

I wanted to beat four hours and came in at 3:47. Goal accomplished. It was a good solo ride fighting the winds. Wish I could do better but Strava thinks I had a good day.

Strava PRs

Distance: 55.2 miles
Time: 3:45
Average: 14.7 mph
Weight: 180

Posted on

Skyline Drive to Big Meadows

THORTON GAP, VIRGINIA

Two weeks ago Tim Casebere and I were riding out near Remington when we ran into another cyclist. The cyclist, David Thatcher, is from Gainesville and we exchanged numbers for a future ride.

Tunnel

Yesterday David texted me and told me he planned to do a 40-mile ride on Skyline Drive and invited me to join him. I agreed.

Old Rag Mountain

The only hiccup in our plans was where to meet. David said first parking south of the US 211 entrance at Thorton Gap. I saw the area known as Panorama or the tunnel overlook. When I questioned him he told me it was Mary’s Rock Trailhead, “within 1000 yards of 211.”

Looking west

I entered Skyline Drive and passed Panorama and went to the tunnel overlook. Didn’t see David or Mary’s Rock. I knew I went too far so I turned around. I figured I would go back to Panorama and ride by myself if that was the case.

Skyline Drive at Thorton Gap

Somewhere outside of Warrenton all cellular service is lost. I doubted I would be able to contact David by text. But returning to Panorama, which has a very large sign, is a small sign or Mary’s Rock Trailhead. I was in the right place.

Looking west

We hadn’t ridden together except for a little bit in Fauquier Co. near Remington. And he was on a bonk that day. I did not know what to expect from David.

Big Meadows

It was a perfect morning, probably 65°. If I would have been riding on the flats I probably would have opted for arm warmers. But knowing there was a climb immediately, I went with nothing additional. We started out of the parking lot. I was matching David’s pace but after half a mile or so, he was about five meters in front of me. We went through the tunnel, stopping at the end for a quick photo, then continued up the hill.

Same tunnel – different view

I stayed with David early on but he was clearly the stronger rider going uphill. Using my friend, gravity, I was the faster rider going downhill.

David Thatcher

Our first climb lasted about 4.5 miles followed by a three-mile downhill then a three-mile uphill, passing Skyland, the high point on the trail. There was construction in this section which actually made riding more pleasant. The pave was perfectly smooth asphalt.

Looking west

Four of five times we came to a flagman where we had to stop and wait for a pilot car to come by and lead us, and waiting cars, through. We just tucked onto the back behind the cars. And even going uphill, they held all oncoming traffic until we cleared. No oncoming traffic. No following traffic. It was a beautiful ride.

Skyline Drive Tunnel

Other than a garter snake sunning on the new asphalt, I didn’t see any wildlife. No deer. No bear. But plenty of beautiful vistas.

The distance wasn’t far but we had more than 100′ of climbing per mile. Arriving back to our cars I congratulated David on winning all the hillclimb points on course. He said that’s what he does best. And he did well today.

Distance: 40.1 miles
Average Speed: 13.0
Weight: 183

Posted on

A Most Satisfying Ride

POOLESVILLE, MARYLAND

Until November 2019, I was running the Garmin 510 bike computer which was not one of the newer ones capable of live Strava segments. I bought the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt and slowly made a transition to running the Wahoo.

There was a learning curve for advanced features although the basic stuff of speed, time, and distance, were ready immediately. I rode through spring and then in late spring, upgraded to a paid subscription for Strava.

Before subscribing, I would check known segments after each ride. Sometimes I would set a new PR (personal record). Usually not. Nowhere was this more evident than in the summer of 2019 when I was chasing a segment in Prince William Forest Park.

Each day I would go to the segment and go full out for 45-50 seconds. Sometimes I thought it felt good. Other times I knew I didn’t have it. Then one day I got home and uploaded my ride and found I had the KOM.

Live Strava Segments are just that. As I approach a segment I am notified. Then the big GO! appears on my screen. Throughout the segment, I can see my progress.

Looking back on those Prince William Forest Park segments, I always went as hard as I could. So seeing that I was one second down may not have been enough to find that one second. But when I’m on the 3-5 or 10-minute segments, one can find the energy to push it a little harder to match the last time when you are getting feedback.

Live Segments have changed the way I ride. I do a lot of LSD (Long, Slow, Distance) rides. I also know that interval training is necessary to improve. Live Segments give me those intervals that require me to go hard.

Nowhere was that better shown than today’s ferry ride. The W&OD was crowded but I came to the Kincaid Climb just before Leesburg. I was worried about getting a good time here because there was a slight headwind and there were lots of people. If I had to slow while waiting to pass I knew I was toast. But bad luck avoided me and my computer said 1:38 which was down from my previous PR of 1:55. My actual Strava time was 1:39.

Without Live Segments, this is one I would normally just roll through with no effort. In fact, my last ten rides, before today, were: 2:27, 2:17, 2:43, 2:28, 1:55 (old PR), 2:18, 2:24, 2:31, 2:44, and 2:23. I went hard and was rewarded. It’s not great – I am 33rd overall but that’s out of 16,292 athletes. So in that regard, this old cyclist is in the top 99% – 99.8% to be exact. And I am number one in my age group.

I even hesitated to go for a PR on Kincaid. Part of me wanted to save myself for the next climb. And that, too, is the beauty of Live Segments. Had I seen that I was down even 5-6 seconds I probably would have just sat up and soft-pedaled to the end.

I was expecting to compete for four segments today. The ones that show on my Wahoo are the ones that I have selected (starred). I was on the shoulder of US 15 North when I got the GO for Sprint to the SHIP and don’t get TRUCKED. Instant feedback – I went through in 2:01, lowering my time from 2:12 three weeks ago. My Strava time was actually 2:02. But I was two for two. I was on a roll.

A family exiting the ferry

I came today to improve my time on the climb after leaving Whites Ferry. Three weeks ago I did this climb and had a PR (9:17). I waited at the top for my friend, Tim Casebere, at what I thought would be the “finish” line. I was actually short of the finish which was located over the top of the climb and about halfway down the next dip in the road.

When I got home I saw that I was second on the day – beaten only by Tim by three seconds. I laughed. I guess the clock was ticking while I waited. So I knew that if I simply didn’t stop at the top today I would improve my time on Climb Outta Whites Ferry. I went hard, saw that I was 45 seconds up, and then saw the PR on the screen (7:25). Wow! Almost two minutes. Note the “official” Strava time was 7:26 – I’ll still take it.

Climb Outta Whites Ferry

I was happy. I was riding well and I headed next over towards Edwards Ferry then back into Poolesville. There was one segment remaining, that I knew of. It was a climb on Martinsburg Road. And I was three for three and drenched with sweat. And it felt great.

I made my way over to Beallsville and decided if Rt 28 was closed five miles ahead (there was a bridge out at the Monocacy River two weeks earlier when I rode it) that I would take the road which now would be less traveled. It was closed ahead and as I hoped, I had no traffic for the next two and 1/4 miles to the turn onto Martinsburg Road.

Immediately I was smacked in the face with a GO! I was on Power Station Hill Sprint. I could see it wasn’t long and went through in 0:39 – down from my previous best, 1:07. (Actual Strava time was 0:38). I was four for four.

I turned on the beautiful concrete Martinsburg Road and again, GO! I got into a big gear and watched my advantage over my PR increase. I went through the Concert Grind up to Wasche Rd. in 2:28, lowering my PR from 3:14. (Actual time was 2:27.). I was five for five and knew at least one more segment remained.

Martinsburg Road

The reason it was one more is that three weeks ago the Martinsburg Rd Spring Climb popped up while I was riding with Tim. My PR was 1:01 that day and I knew it was ahead. But would I have anything left after going five for five in previous segments?

These Live Strava segments have been wonderful but not perfect. Some that I have starred and are supposed to show up on my Wahoo, haven’t. And I had starred some segments before today and they did not show up as race segments. Yet. So I knew one remained but thought there could be more.

I hit the downhill portion of Martinsburg Road pretty hard then started up the climb. Then came the GO! and I dug deep. I finished in 0:45 which surprised me. And now I was six for six.

It was a good workout and I was prepared for more segments. I didn’t know how much more I could find if there were more segments to pop up. But that would be it.

Without Live Segments, I probably would have ridden “medium-hard.” But I never would have dug deep for six segments on this ride. I can’t see not being a premium member of Strava simply for this benefit. It has changed my riding for the better.

In the end, I had 17 PRs on this ride. For some of those I wasn’t even aware of but I got them because I went hard on the segments. Because of Live Segments.

The Remaining PRs

Trailside School to Catoctin Circle (17:47)
N. Kind St. from North St. (2:16)
1/2 Sprint to the Ferry (3:37)*
Jerusalem to Darnestown (6:46)
109 to Dickerson on 28 (6:34)
Martinsburg Road (11:56)
ElmerSchoolRd2 – Whites Ferry (6:38)*
Run to Whites Ferry (3:36)*
Whites Ferry Last Sprint (2:37)
Come to Think of it I Did Just Get Off the Ferry (5:58)
Belmont Ride to Clairborne Bridge (2:49)**

__
*These are starred segments in Strava but did not show up on my Wahoo to race. But I still did OK.

__
**I didn’t know this segment existed but two dicks went flying by me at the light at Catoctin Circle. It was a red light that another cyclist and I was waiting for. Just as it turned white (for pedestrians and cyclists), they had a head of steam and went flying by us dangerously close. I thought what dicks but then I caught them. I wanted to follow but they passed a couple of people dangerously close. When it was finally clear, I went by never to look back at them. I kept my speed up simply to get away from them. No one likes to ride near dicks.



 

Miles: 43
Average Speed: 16.5 mph
Weight: 194

Posted on

Skyline Drive – Front Royal

FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA

Without looking, and I’m not, it has been a while (years) since I have ridden on Skyline Drive. The forecast looked favorable enough, which simply meant – no rain.

GO!

I was going to park at the library but saw a park – Burrell Brooks Park – and it was nearly perfect. It had a port-a-john, a clean one, in fact. But there was no shade. It did give me an opportunity to take a shortcut over to Skyline Drive but I guess you’re not supposed to use it. At least cars.

Entrance Station

I waited in line at the entrance station in among cars. The ranger had pleasant words for me as I handed her my senior pass for free admittance.

Dickey Ridge

And then it was pedal and sweat. The temperature was a reasonable 84°. Who wouldn’t take that for a July day in Virginia? But the humidity must have been close to 100%. The sweat was pouring off me.

View from Dickey Ridge Visitor Center

I wanted to rub my eyes, or at least my right eye which was burning, but that often makes it worse. I just kept pedaling.

View looking west

I reached the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center at MP 4. I pulled in. I went in the restroom and found some tissue and water. I cleaned my (1) eyes; (2) glasses; and (3) camera lens. I was soaked including my shoes. I had squishy feet.

Indian Run Overlook

My plan today was simple. Ride until climbing stopped. Then turn around and coast back home. But at MP 6 the road goes downhill. And that was too early to turn around. So I enjoyed a 1.5 mile downhill before I started climbing again.

Indian Run Overlook

I came to an Indian Run Overlook at MP 9.5. Took some photos and decided that was a good turn around point. I wish it was all downhill from there but there was the 1.5 descent I enjoyed on the way up and I got to climb that back. But once reaching Dickey Ridge Visitor Center it truly was all downhill from there.

Skyline Drive at Indian River Overlook

Great roads. Great pavement. Sweeping curves. No shoulders but, generally, this is tourist traffic and drivers respect speed limits and cyclists.

Skyline Drive headed north

My max speed going back (or going up on the one descent) was just 42 mph. Would have liked to have gone faster but what a great ride. Need to come back here soon.

Indian Run Overlook

Temperature: 84°
Weight: 205

Posted on

Home Roads RVA

ASHLAND, VIRGINIA

Professional cyclist, Ben King, and his wife, Jenna, hosted a ride to benefit Qubecca, the bike project of Dimension Data. At a little more than one hour door to door to Ashland, I was all set to arrive one hour early. Today I planned to arrive one hour early and not be rushed.

The ride was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I left my house at 8:15 a.m. My rear (car) tire was very low and I went looking for a service station to add air. The first one I came to did not have an air pump. The second one did. It was a slow pump and cost $1.50. Now it was 8:25 a.m.

Roll out

I was on U.S Rte 1 and saw a McDonalds. I thought I’d get a Diet Coke in the drive-thru. Ultimately, that took 17 minutes and it was Diet Dr. Pepper. I dumped it out. It was 8:42 a.m.

I still had one hour to go on I-95. I stopped at the rest area near Ladysmith to change into my riding bib shorts. My ETA moved to 9:42 a.m. I arrived at 9:45 a.m. but there was no close-in parking. A policeman directed my 1/4 mile up the road.

Roll out – three minutes early

I got the bike down from the roof, changed my shirt to a jersey, grabbed a vest, and hustled to registration. It was 9:55 a.m. I was handed a bib to pin on and the ride took off. It was 9:57 a.m. I’ve never been to a ride that left early. I put the bib in my vest pocket.

There were two routes – a full metric (62 miles) and a shorter 48-mile route. My granddaughters came to visit this weekend so I thought I would take the shorter route. I rolled out at the start, dead last. Kept an easy pace and saw the split up ahead with the cool kids picking up the pace.

At the split of routes I went short. I passed a few people and arrived second at the rest stop. A number of riders I passed all showed up as I made sure to thank each of the volunteers. So about six of us left together, I was on the front. Eventually, a couple passed me but I stayed 50-150 yards behind them for the next 20 miles.

Restrooms were in the firehouse. Cool.

And then I passed them, catching and passing the only two riders ahead of me. I was having a good day.

Rest Stop

A car passed me followed by a motorbike who said, “keep right.” I was right and I thought it was a warning not to be all over the road. Instead, he should have said, “stay right, we’re passing.” But he probably didn’t have time. About 10 seconds later a small peloton of about 20 riders, led by Ben and Jeremiah Bishop, came flying by. Ben said, “keep up the good work.” They had caught me. They rode 15 (or more miles) farther and they passed me.

Oh well. I was only 2-3 minutes behind them arriving at the end. I saw Ben and Jeremiah briefly but went inside to pick up my ride swag which I did not have time to take to my car beforehand. When I came out they were gone. Maybe they just put their bikes away.

I had granddaughters at home. I was happy with my ride. I left.

The ride was a fun ride. It especially looked like it had a nice meal plus there were items to be auctioned for charity. I missed the social part as I rushed home. I don’t regret missing out but I hope Ben does this ride next year and I can bring some friends.



Posted on

Cap to Cap

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

The goal: Park in Richmond, take a train to Williamsburg and ride back on the Virginia Capital Trail.

I was thinking Union Station in D.C. with its six-level parking garage. In Richmond, I found nothing other than a mostly vacant lot near the train station which needed a parking app. I drove a few blocks away and found on-street parking. After all, I was riding a bike today so it really didn’t matter how far away I parked.

Richmond Main Train Station

The area where I parked seemed a little sketchy. Next time: I will park at the trailhead at the bottom of Pear St. then bike to the station.

Inside Richmond station

Like so many U.S. train stations, the Richmond Main Station is a treasure. What a beautiful building. It was, however, lacking in signage. I had no idea which track my train was arriving on or how late it would be. It was scheduled at 10:03 a.m. but had not arrived by then.

I had made a bike reservation so someone should have known that I was boarding with a bike. The baggage car was at the front of the train. There was one boarding area, in the middle, where the conductor checked our tickets.

Richmond Main

I had to enter the middle of the train. When I asked the conductor where I should put my bike he said “anywhere.” I was expecting two hooks per car but found none. One we got rolling he walked it through two cars to the baggage car and hung it on a hook.

The train ride could have been enjoyable The windows were filthy dirty and it seemed the engineer loved blowing that train whistle. Seems to me that there should be better ways in 2019 to warn people of an oncoming train rather than a whistle. I’m not sure I ever heard a train in Switzerland use one.

Dirty windows

With the glare of the sun hitting those windows, it was hard to see any scenery. But mostly it was a forested area from Richmond to Williamsburg.

The seats were much better than the last time I rode a train. Only the constant whistle kept it from being truly enjoyable.

At the Williamsburg station, I had to exit from the middle of the train then walk back up to the front to pick up my bike. Seems the two cyclists would have been better served to exit with their bikes.

Colonial Williamsburg

I had no clue where I was but then – I was in Colonial Williamsburg. I rode the traffic-free streets for a few minutes then found Rte. 5 towards Jamestown.

Arriving at Jamestown Settlement, I met Terry Moran. We would ride together the first 13 miles of the Virginia Capital Trail before he would turn around and go back to his Williamsburg home.

Terry Moran

The trail begins here and is a 51-mile bike trail from Richmond to Jamestown. It is 98% trail with two small portions at Charles City diverted to the street as well as one section of about 1/4 mile near Richmond.

If you love wooden boardwalks this is the trail for you. Every mile it seems you cross one of the bridges. All are in great shape now but wonder if they will hold up in 10-15 years. But enjoy them now. They are great!

Terry rides into the distance

The eastern section is pancake flat. It is situated in the Middle Peninsula section. It is wooded with its share of wooden bridges as it follows Rte 5.

Chickahominy River

At MP 6 (or 7) the trail crosses the Chickahominy River. There is a separate bike lane on either side or the cool kids can ride on the shoulder on the highway.

Crossing the Chickahominy River

Once over the bridge, the trail continues with Charles City being the next landmark. Charles City Courthouse is at MP 21. There are little to no amenities on the trail so grab them when you see them.

Chickahominy River

Terry had turned around at MP 13. He suggested to me that I stop at the Citgo service station at Charles City – for their fried chicken. I came to Haupt’s Country Store and at first, kept going. But then I smelled the chicken and went inside. Chicken by the piece was $2.65 for a breast and roll. It was good but there was no seating area, not even a bench outside.

Haupt’s Country Store

At Charles City, the trail disappeared into the street for a couple hundred yards. I passed Cut’s Courthouse Grille and saw some bicycles parked outside. That is your restaurant option if you want sit-down. At the Citgo Station, I stood next to a trash can.

Did you know this?

After Charles City, I entered the plantation area. Shirley. Berkeley. Sherwood Forest.

Once in Henrico County, the trail went from flat to rolling. The rustle of dried leaves cracked beneath my tires. It was still wooded in many sections and the Fall leaves were covering the trail.

Another bridge – all are in great shape

Fueled by my piece of chicken, I averaged 17 mph from Charles City to Richmond. My time at either end, Williamsburg and Richmond, slowed my average speed as I was site-seeing in Williamsburg and climbing Libby Hill in Richmond.

Four-Mile Creek Park

As I got closer to Richmond the trail became familiar to me. I stopped here in April and had ridden part of this before.

The trail goes under I-295 and is the only place there is considerable road noise.

Mile 51 in Richmond

As I got close to Richmond, I remembered some of this trail from having ridden it four years ago when I volunteered at the UCI World Championships. But some of it was also new to me.

James River, Richmond

Rather than finish the last quarter-mile of the trail, I turned off it to go up Libby Hill and find where I was parked. At Libby Hill, there was a chain across the entrance. After 10-15 seconds of thought, I decided that was for automobiles. There was an opening for a bike and I rode up the famous Libby Hill – as I did three times last month.

The cobbles on Libby Hill

At the top I needed to find my way to my car. I was on Richmond Hill and the street where I parked, Grace Street, did not continue because of a cliff.

sN. 23rd St is a cobbled street that looks to be 12% grade going down. I decided not to ride down it, afraid of my traction while bouncing on the cobbles. The sidewalk presented a good option and I carefully went down the sidewalk. However, at the bottom, it becomes steps.

Richmond Hill – It’s steep – need steps

It was a 60-mile day. It was a beautiful day. I would recommend this again although I would think I would like to add the Jamestown Ferry as an option and ride on the south side of the James to Rte 156.



Posted on

Climb to Conquer Cancer

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

A new ride to me. A cancer ride sponsored by Amy’s Army of Cancer Warriors benefitting the VCU- Massey Cancer Center.

Libby Hill

Logistically, I decided I would park at Stone Brewery, a huge lot about a mile from Libby Hill Park. There were only a handful of cars there and the parking space I was looking at (near a tree) had lots of broken auto glass – the sign of a break-in earlier. Ugh.

Libby Hill

I had to check-in and pick up my timing chip before the ride. I rode up Williamsburg Avenue and turned on Libby Hill. Our route would take us up this climb twice on our ride. I decided to make it three. There was as much grass as there were cobbles. It was actually an easy climb. Not steep. Not long. And the stones weren’t that annoying.

Looking down Libby Hill

Throwing some numbers at it – the best I can tell the climb is about 220 meters with an average or steep grade of 9%. While we did two climbs, the pro men in 2015 for the UCI World Championships did 16 climbs up the hill.

Riding in Memory of
Jacob Grecco
Alex Shepherd
Janice Lowmaster
Kay Walborn

I positioned myself at the back of the group for rollout. When we were ready to go they announced that I was at the front. Oh well. I turned my bike around and rolled up behind the police cruiser who would escort us for a four-mile urban loop before bringing us back to Libby Hill where we would climb the hill, for the “first’ time. This one was timed.

The parking lot at Stone Brewery

As we rolled through the Richmond streets the calls of “Hole!” echoed throughout our group. The streets were in bad shape. This was very unfortunate. I was second wheel behind the cruiser on the right. Perhaps third or fourth wheel on the far left was a rider who came upon one of those holes.

Statue at top of Libby Hill Park

We may never know what happened next. It appears it hit it hard. We all heard a loud bang – sounds like a gun but it was the sound of a tire exploding. I heard a crack and in my periphery, I heard two bikes coming together and I saw at least one but I think two riders going over their handlebars while their bikes went up in the air. As far as I know, only two riders were involved which is a small miracle.

At the start line. Little did I know we would turn around to start and I would be in the front, not back.

I did not slow down nor turn to look to see what happened. Any sudden action by me might cause more riders to crash. I yelled “Riders down!” and we told the police to go back and check. We waited for 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived and took the riders away.

Waiting for an ambulance for our riders who went down

At Libby Hill, I crossed the timing mat and then, a rider in front of me, stopped, lifted his bike in my path, and turned around. Any chance I had of doing well on the climb was taken away from me by an inconsiderate rider.

Volunteers at Rest Stop 1 – They make the event happen

While I had been riding first or second wheel behind the cruiser, the word must have gone out to leave the accident scene without the police escort. I had gone from the front of the group to the rear (hence the guy in my way at the bottom of the climb). Once over the top, I locked into a group of orange riders. The group was mostly women but there were some men.

The James River, Richmond

We rode 24 miles to the first stop. Mostly I chatted with an unnamed guy and the big takeaway was telling him about and letting him try my Dual Eyeware sunglasses since he couldn’t read his Garmin. He was impressed. He then met some friends and took off with them.

My 10-year Cancerversary

I stayed with the group I was in. They were with Sweet Spot Cycling. Most seemed to be 30-40s somethings although one woman was riding after a partial knee replacement in July. Based on the age of knee replacements, she was probably on the north side of the 40-something range. Kudos to her!

Sharon MacLean Maggie Hopkins Barton, Leary Jessica Conley, Dixie Newsome, Erin Silliman Wittwer, Marion Palme, Ashley Gibbs.. Source: Maggie Hopkins Barton Facebook Post shared by Amy’s Army of Cancer Warriors (Sept. 23, 2019)

We skipped Rest 2 and rode 30 miles to Rest 3. We averaged 18.2 mph with most, but not all, taking pulls. I did. Some of the non-Sweet Spot riders never came to the front. The last 10 miles we averaged another 18 mph. I backed off before the climb just so it wasn’t so crowded. Once I hit the climb my legs knew it. The first two times were easy. The last one was not – it’s what having 60 miles in your legs will do.

Alongside the James River returning to Richmond

I passed a couple of riders and was out of the saddle at the end. I thought I was way worse but unofficially was just eight seconds slower. It just felt much slower.

Rider finishing on Libby Hill

It was an enjoyable ride. I sought out one of the Sweet Spot riders to thank them for letting me join in with them. I would do this ride again and recommend it to others.

Riding “partners” from Sweet Spot Cycling


Posted on

Alpine Loop Grand Fondo

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

The weekend began yesterday with an invitation-only ride out of Harrisonburg with Jeremiah Bishop and The Vegan Cyclist. Jeremiah took us off-road where he may have been the only one comfortable going down dirt roads. But no one fell and we made it back to registration at Craft Brothers Brewing in one piece.

The Saturday Ride

In summarizing today, one only needs to look at last year’s post. I sucked on the first mountain climb. I sucked more on Reddish Knob. Cramped. I decided it was best not to do the 20-mile loop making a century ride.

Three prostate cancer survivors: Mike, Robert, Barry

Of my eight times doing this event, this started out the most perfect. The temperature was just right (mid 60s). I was at the start line plenty early to say hello to friends.

Rollout thru Harrisonburg
Barry is front and center in yellow
Source: Alpine Loop Gran Fondo Facebook Page (Erin Bishop)

One thing I did not do was to pick up a timing chip to be timed on the climbs. I finished dead last in the WORLD last year at the World Hillclimbs Championship so who am I fooling thinking I would win anything? Plus, without a chip, I may be free to stop and take pictures.

Passing the Amish. She asked us if we were all local.

At the start line, we were called out or recognized. As a prostate cancer survivor, I am always recognized. I’m sort of like a mascot. A big cancer-surviving mascot.

Sunday morning group ride

At 8:00 a.m. we rolled out. I was in the front row and stayed there for the first couple of miles. When we turned off the road I dropped back four or five places. But we were often doing 20-25 mph in tight quarters. Except for Jeremiah Bishop, these are not professionals. I am not a professional. I am just uncomfortable riding that close to that many strangers. I pulled off at a Mennonite Church and let 100-150 riders go by before jumping back in.

The climb on U.S. Rte 33

A century ride should be ridden as easy; medium; hard. That is, ride the first third easy. And I wasn’t. Maybe they were riding easy but it was more effort than I wanted to use at that point. It was foolish for me to ride hard to stay with the group. I backed off.

Top of the Shenandoah – Camera lens blurred with sweat

I was seemingly passed by everyone on the road. Many times I thought I was dead last but often 4-5 minutes later someone else would pass me. Sometimes groups of 3-4 riders went flying by. Where were they hiding?

Volunteers at Rest 1

We got to the first mountain climb, Shenandoah Mountain on U.S. Rte. 33. I was passed by 22 riders and passed no one. I was having a bad day. I briefly talked to 16-year-old Ben, who I helped last year. He had passed me but then I caught him and asked him if he was going for another jersey. He told me he was but didn’t think he had a chance. I hope he made it. We both stopped briefly at the summit but I had a good fast descent and didn’t see him after that.

At Reddish Knob Road I started the climb. It is tough. It begins with a one-mile climb followed by a one-mile descent. Then the fun begins. It’s a five-mile climb with 1,635′ of gain. That averages to 6.2% but that is skewed by the last half mile or so which flattens out. By contrast, the seven-mile climb at Horseshoe Curve (Altoona, Pa.) averages about 4%. That one does have a very tough section of 20% though. But Reddish Knob is harder.

Barry at start of Reddish Knob

I was passed by five riders going up Reddish. But three of those I eventually passed back as they were pushing their bikes. It is tough. One guy was paperboying all over the road and still passed me. Until he walked.

Welcome, Gran Fonda. Henry, I hope.

It took everything I had not to stop. Not to walk. I dug deep then went deeper. My right knee was hurting. I made the decision to do the 80-mile route and forgo the century. I also tried to make plans for dinner with the granddaughters in Martinsburg and I couldn’t do both.

One-lane bridge

The last 20 miles went fine. The last 40 may not have. Occasionally I was passed by a rider or two. I was always amazed at the pop they still had in their pedals while I struggled.

Back roads of the Alpine Loop

And like last year, Katie Yates came over from JMU to meet me. Unlike last year, a storm moved in which would have caught me on course had I not ended early.

Barry at finish (holding an ice-cold towel)

This ride gets harder every year. I have to either get younger or lose weight. I am carrying too much weight up these mountains (although the downhill portion is fun).

Katie and Barry
Posted on

Alpine Loop Gran Fondo

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

I need to rethink the sleepover component of this event. I stayed at home and got up at 4:30 a.m. to drive to Harrisonburg. Four hours of sleep is not enough.

Bib 19 – pretty cool

I arrived at 7:20 a.m. thinking I had plenty of time. I did not. Registration was slower than expected (efficient but there were a lot of people checking in at 7:30 a.m.). Each time I was ready to roll out from the car I seemed to be missing something. Glasses. A spare rear light. Arm warmers.

We were given timing chips to attach to the fork. I took mine to the start then wrapped it around the fork. Around the fork and a spoke. I didn’t notice. There was two minutes before the start. A rider next to me said, “Do you know you have that wrapped around a spoke?” Damn. I had nail clippers to trim the zip ties and cut them off. I simply put the guy in my pocket and off we went through downtown Harrisonburg.

South Fork South Branch Potomac River (WV)

We circled the block then as the group was headed out of town I went back to start and picked up two new zip ties. I then headed through town and saw the tail of the group up the road. I quickly made my way to the end of the group and found Robert Hess. Once I caught Robert we pedaled a little faster and we moved up through the group.

Kathy Mitchell

I caught a woman wearing a Spokes of Hope cycling jacket. I told her my other kit was Spokes of Hope and asked her what she knew about Spokes of Hope. She told me the jacket belonged to her father-in-law and “we’re from Pittsburgh.” I asked her if her father-in-law was Dave Mitchell. She was blown away that I knew, or knew of, her father-in-law. We stopped for a photo before the routes would split.

Welcome to West Virginia

Robert and I rode ahead to the split (Mile 8) where he would turn left (35 miles route) and I would turn right (100 miles route). Because I had to ride to catch the back of the group I was pretty certain I was the last on the road headed to the century route. I wondered if I would catch anyone.

I did catch a few riders before U.S. 33 and the climb over the mountain. I still had not stopped to properly attach my timing chip and decided it wasn’t worth it.* I am still recovering fitness from my knee replacement surgery and I wasn’t going for any KOM (King of the Mountain) segments. Still, I moved the chip from my jersey pocket to the seam in my shorts just above the knee. Maybe it would work.

Looking back at the climb out of Virginia

The descent off the mountain was fast. I made up for my slow ride up with a quick descent. Still, I felt I was more cautious than I had been before May 16. The risk/reward of a couple extra MPH wasn’t worth it.

My shoe didn’t feel right and at the second rest stop, also the base of the Reddish Knob, Kelly, from Rocktown BIcycles in Harrisonburg, fixed my cleat the best she could. She also took a photo of me going up the 18% climb.

As I pulled out of the rest stop, I was side by side with a 15 year old, Ben, from Winchester. He asked me about the climb, having been told it’s not has hard as the climb we did on U.S. 33. I told him it was much harder. Someone lied to him.

Kelly from Rocktown Bicycles and a young volunteer

We kept talking and stayed together for much of the climb. Perhaps two-thirds of the way up I was going faster and did not want to stop. I didn’t know if he stopped or was going slower but eventually I did not see him any longer.

And I felt cramping coming on. This is where a lack of serious riding since my knee surgery was catching up to me. I shouldn’t be cramping and yet I was. When I reached the summit I looked down the road and so no one. There was another rider waiting and he asked if I knew about a scenic overlook. I did not but decided to go up a narrow access road that might lead to one. I had gone about 1/4 mile and was cramping worse. I turned around.

View from WV/VA state line

The descent off the mountain was sketchy, Soaked with sweat, I had nothing to clean my glasses. They were foggy and with the rough pavement, I took the descent cautiously.

Reaching the next rest stop, I had a decision to make. Head on home or do a 20-mile loop to finish the century ride. Cramping is a sign of body fatigue and I thought on a day I was cramping it would be dumb to add what was now an optional loop. If I had 40 miles to finish I would suffer but I was 20 miles from the finish and didn’t need to add the loop. Also, Ben was doing the 80 (or 75, whatever it was) and we would stay together.

Barry and Event Director, Erin Bishop

At the finish, we were greeted by cheerleaders from JMU. Katie Yates, one of my referees who attends JMU, came over and joined us for a post-ride meal. A real surprise was Robert called Ben up to the podium. He had won the KOM for his age group. Since I took him over the mountains I think he owes me one of his polka dots.

Youth KOM winner, Ben

After our dinner, I went to stand up. Ouch. The legs hurt. It was a hard day on the bike and without a good fitness base, I made the right decision not to finish the century. Next year!

With Katie Yates

*Perhaps not the exact measured climb but on RideWithGPS my time in the past has been 30 or 31 minutes. Yesterday it was 40 minutes. Reddish Knob I’ve done in 45 minutes, today was 1:02. I was right. It was not worth race timing.

Posted on

Crashing the White House

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Nine hundred and ninety-one days. That’s the number of days it has been since I last crashed which was on July 3, 2013. I broke my collarbone that day.

Today was to be simple. Real simple. We got a call yesterday that a foreign exchange student on her way home to Denver was stuck in New York since Denver got hit with 18″ of snow. Could she come stay with us for a few days? We said yes to picking up Katrin Bunke from Germany and, as a bonus, her friend, Kaede Furusawa from Japan, too.

DEL_Brett09
Katrin on the Mt Vernon Trail

So what to do with two foreign exchange students “stranded” in the DC area? Go for a bike ride, of course. We had the added bonus of 80° (27° C) and the cherry blossoms at their peak. I asked Terry Moran if we could borrow a bike from his wife, Patty. He agreed. They agreed. We met Terry and Patty, picked up the bike then drove to Daingerfield Island for our adventure to see the cherry blossoms.

DEL_Brett13


We left the lot and rode to Gravelly Point, stopping to watch the airplanes fly over us, landing just a few hundred meters away. We made our way across the 14th Street Bridge and stopped at the Jefferson Memorial. As I was coming to a stop I saw Kaede stop and was talking to some students. These were her friends from the YFU trip in New York. They had added a Washington, D.C option to their trip but as it turned out, Katrin and Kaede got it for free.

DEL_Brett14
Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin

We rode up to the Lincoln Memorial where Patty and the girls walked up inside the memorial while Terry and I waited with the bikes. We then directed the girls to the Vietnam Memorial where they walked down and visited. We stopped briefly at the World War II Memorial then made our way over to the White House.

Katrin and Kaede
Katrin and Kaede

We circled the Ellipse and as Terry tried to stop for a photo-op he was directed by the Secret Service to keep on moving. So we all did. I came to the transition between street and sidewalk. And lurking there, unbeknownst to me, was a 3/4″ lip that was parallel to the street. As I turned my wheel it did not. I came crashing down on my left side, landing hard on my hip and elbow. Nothing broke but I had road rash mostly on my elbow. But my ego was shattered.

DEL_Brett16
Bike taxi

We went to the north portico of the White House so the girls could get a photo-op, which had been denied them on the south side. We then got on the bike lane on Pennsylvania Avenue and rode over to Ford’s Theater. We were hoping to get them inside but there was an hour wait.

DEL_Brett17
Outside the Lincoln Memorial

Checking the time we decided it was best to call it a day. We headed out, carefully maneuvering through traffic and people to get back over to the 14th Street Bridge where one could ride without the crowds. A 15 mph headwind actually felt pretty good the last four miles back to the car.

For the girls who aren’t used to riding, the sunshine and 25 km (15 mi.) was enough of a ride. For me, it was enough of a ride too. With bruises and road rash, well, let’s just hope it’s another three years before I hit the pavement.*

Recent Comments

Meta

Verified by MonsterInsights