Seven years ago, almost to the day, I parked in East Freedom and rode up Blue Knob for the first time. Today’s circumstance would be different.
I was traveling to visit my father in the hospital in Johnstown and I thought this would be a nice way to honor him. Needing gas, I filled up at the Sheetz in East Freedom and then requested permission to leave my car for 90 minutes for a ride. Permission granted.
I rode over to the house that we lived in in 1958-1961. I took a couple of pictures then headed up Rte 164 towards Portage. The climb begins almost immediately although the first couple of miles it is mostly in the 3-4% range.
It is a highway, but a mountain highway. The road has no shoulders but relatively little traffic and all gave me a wide berth when passing. The upper portions seemed to hold steady in the 10-12% grade but with the curves none of the traffic was going too fast either.
At the top I stopped for a photo op with Lady Liberty. The surprise is no longer there as it was seven years ago but it’s nice to take a picture.
From the top it’s all downhill to Newry. The road was a little rough but a nice ride. I wore arm warmers and was glad as it was a little chilly on the descent.
I continued past Newry to Reservoir Road then headed back to East Freedom. It wasn’t a long ride, just 21 miles, but all that I had time for. One good mountain climb and a quick visit to one of my childhood homes.
I drove to Somerset, picked up my mother, then we went to Johnstown. In the hospital I showed my dad the picture of that house and he was glad to see it. That made the ride very worthwhile.
In a nutshell here was my day. I arrived 10 minutes early at the commuter lot. Wrong commuter lot.
Made it to the right one as they were pulling out. I left eight minutes later, did not grab a cue sheet instead relied on Garmin. That did not work. I soon “lost the scent” and decided to do my own ride. Cramps. First cramps in a year. Not enough water.
Was caught five miles in by 23 year-old from Shippensburg University. I told him my name but he never told me his, so it will be “Aaron.”
Aaron asked where I was riding and I told him “nowhere – just riding.” We talked and rode for the next 25 miles. He had raced yesterday and was doing a recovery ride. I refereed yesterday and was just “finding my legs.”
Aaron and I rode side by side where the road permitted and took turns in the wind. He had also downloaded the turns to the PPTC ride to his Garmin and they were working. Out of the blue he says, “do you know where you are in case I should happen to drop you?” I laughed and assured him that I could figure out how to get back to Warrenton. And off he rode, never to see him again.
I rode and eventually caught four guys with the ride. I stayed in their group until four miles from the end when one guy said something really jerky to me. I backed off, thought about what I might say, and when I arrived back I kept my cool, did not call him a name but told him that was a jerky thing to say. Taken aback, he didn’t quite apologize but told me he was kidding. I didn’t believe it.
My legs felt horrible today. I refereed yesterday, ate two hot dogs for dinner, did not eat breakfast, had one water bottle on the bike. What, was I supposed to do it differently?
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.*
My third straight year going to Colorado to ride these big mountains. I don’t know why but my favorite climb was the 14 mile dirt road up and over 12,000′ Cottonwood Pass. The legs felt great that day. Best day of the year, in fact. I rode 105 but could have easily ridden 50 more.
It wasn’t the full Jacob’s Hero Ride that I had hoped but was very glad to have Chey Hillsgrove and Chelsea Johnson join me for two days of riding in Bedford and Blair counties.
On the W&OD Trail I saw a man and daughter on a recumbent pulled over so I stopped and asked “Where did you start and where are you going?” I was surprised to learn they started in Vancouver and were cycling to Key West. Thomas and Sylvaine Houdy, from Lyon, France, and their children, Theo and Elsa, took 11 months off for a trip of a lifetime.
Imagine the surprise on young Amish couple, Keith and Julie Zimmerman, riding their bicycles to church when I slowed down and told her that I was related to her. When she told me her last name was Wenger I knew were were related and tried to explain it to her. I don’t think she believed me.
A quasi-private ride with the governor of Delaware, Jack Markell. Of course I wore a Texas jersey to a Delaware ride.
2015 was my top mileage year by 1500 miles. I rode 8,078 miles (or 13,000 km because that looks cooler). Using the format for Potomac Pedalers’ Iron Crotch Award (for 5,000 miles):
Date on which 5,000 was achieved – Aug. 22 at the Spokes of Hope Ride in Indianapolis
Most miles in a Month — 1,232 (July)
Most miles in a week — 521 During Ride the Rockies
Number of Zero mile weeks – None
Number of 100 mile days – Three
And I will add for 242 rides the average was 33.38 miles per ride.
Most interesting story – My Amish cousins.
And that’s it. Another year. No falls or crashes (always a plus)! It was a good year but I still had 123 days without a ride. Lazy, lazy, lazy. I don’t know what 2016 holds for me. I want to do an epic ride for children’s cancer awareness and research but things have to fall in order. I love France, Italy, and Switzerland but don’t know if I will get back this year. I hope wherever it is I ride safe, make new friends, and most of all, continue to find peace on the bike.
This was the 9th Annual Governor’s Ride. I had signed up for it when it was scheduled for the day after the Sea Gull Century last month but both were canceled due to flooding from Hurricane Joaquin.
Governor Jack Markell
I left the house at 5:15 a.m. for the two and a quarter hour drive to Smyrna. The sun was rising as I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Annapolis. I pulled into the parking lot at 7:30 a.m., relieved that I had 30 minutes before wheels down.
Cory Marshall-Steele
I found Branon Cooper, who drove in from Pennsylvania. I know him from Spokes of Hope – we last rode together in August at Trexlertown. He then introduced me to Cory Marshall-Steele, who organized the ride and someone I have corresponded with on Find a Grave over the years.
Rolling out – Mile 1. Governor in Blue
We rolled out of the Municipal Park with a full police escort. We had four or five SUVs and that many motorcycles leading the way for us. Initially, the governor, Jack Markell (Delaware) set the pace. There was an immediate gap and I stayed up front – there were eight of us from the 75-member group.
Leading out the pack – Barry on front. — Credit: Facebook Page, Governor Jack Markell
But the pace slowed down a little to allow everyone to organize. Branon was going to introduce me to Jack but I found myself riding side by side with the governor. We talked a little – not about politics. I imagine the ride is nice for him that he doesn’t talk politics. He told me he has ridden the W&OD “out to Purcellville.” Nice guy.
Branon Cooper, Barry Sherry
Branon and I moved to the front and tried to set a reasonable pace that wouldn’t blow the group apart. We pulled most of the way to the first rest stop at Woodland Beach – which was right on the Delaware bay. We could see across the bay to New Jersey.
We rolled out of the first stop, again, Branon and I at the front quite a bit. One guy came past us and kept going, maybe in an attempt to pick up the pace, but we were in danger of dropping everyone. We let him go. After a quick in and out at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge I was on the front when we hit Parson Point Road – a chip and tar road that was more chip than tar. I set a pace I was comfortable with – I prefer faster to slower for safety in the loose gravel.
After we got through the chipped road, we sort of regrouped. We were on a country road when we passed a house with two dogs running loose. The owner was furiously trying to corral the younger one, a pit bull chasing bikes. There were motorcycle cops at the front and rear of the group and a governor somewhere in the mix. I could picture the dog attacking the governor and a cop, well, intervening. But the dog was all bark – no bite.
After the second rest stop I decided to roll out last and sit in with the last group. Except I couldn’t. I was behind them for a while but they were too slow. When it was safe to pass, I went through and had to bridge up to the next group which was 1/4 mile away. And after a few minutes I worked my way through that group and bridged up to the next one. That was sort of fun. In a day of casual riding I could still hammer by bridging to new groups.
A triple – Wilson is the middle rider
We all pulled over for someone with a flat and once we rolled out I did the same thing: started last then bridged up to the front groups. At the end there was lunch but I didn’t have time to stick around. I thanked Corey and the state troopers then headed home.
Barry Sherry, Jack Markell
It was a beautiful day although a bit windy and cold at start (45 degrees). But it was otherwise perfect. I didn’t mind a slower than normal pace* (maybe a B or CC) but I’m not a fan of 30 minute rest stops. In all I had 1:10 of down time – way too much for these legs. But I am really looking forward to doing this ride again next year.
___
*Actually my moving pace was 15.8 mph which was much faster than I thought. The lengthy time spent at the two stops made me think the pace was slower than it was.
I told my sister, Betsy, that I would meet her and Dad at Markleton, Pa. on the Great Allegheny Passage. Betsy followed him to Fort Hill, where he left his Jeep, then the two of them drove and met me at Markleton. It was in the low 60s but absolutely beautiful.
GAP near Markleton
I chose this route because of the newly opened Pinkerton tunnel. Also, my dad hadn’t been this far on the trail. I knew it trended downhill from Markleton to Fort Hill and packed a lot of scenery into its five miles.
GAP in the Fall
With leaves mostly still on the trees in Northern Virginia, it was strange to be here where most leaves are on the ground. The trail was fully covered in places.
Casselman River near Markleton
Words cannot describe how pretty the trail is. We went a couple of miles then came to the Pinkerton Trestles. It was probably 10 years since I last rode through here which was always Trestle – Detour – Trestle. And that was a beautiful route.
Dad at Pinkerton Low Trestle
Prior to the tunnel, the trail followed the railbed across the Pinkerton Low trestle. Rather than enter the tunnel, there was a one-mile detour out and around the tunnel which followed the natural flow of the Castleman River. But with the tunnel open it was now a straight shot from trestle to tunnel to trestle.
Pinkerton Tunnel
With the tunnel opened, it was even more beautiful. Although the trail trended downhill, it is mostly flat. One can’t coast but pedaling is a little easier in this direction. We were in a heavy forest and with leaves on the trail one could not see the surface of the trail.
Heavy leaf coverage on the trail
And then – the trestle. We came to the Pinkerton trestle although we didn’t stop on it. We saw the tunnel and kept riding. It is not lighted, one would be helpful but is not necessary.
Pinkerton Tunnel
At the far end, we were on the Pinkerton High Trestle. We stopped and took pictures off of this one.
Besty and Dad on the Pinkerton High Trestle
Reaching Fort Hill where his Jeep was parked, my dad asked, “Is this the end?” There was resignation in his voice but he wanted to keep riding. I was worried that if we rode four miles down to Harnedsville it would be too much for my 86 year-old father to ride another four miles back up to his car. I grabbed his keys and drove his Jeep down to Harnedsville. And so we rode.
Besty, Dad, Barry
Betsy and my dad rode ahead. Arriving at the trailhead with his Jeep, I rode back up to the trail to meet them and we then continued to the Harnedsville trailhead. At the end, we got a little concerned when he went into the middle of the road where the trail crosses. He stopped. This is a road normally lightly traveled, but now there was a car coming from each direction. Betsy yelled “Dad!” I got the attention of one car and motioned for him to slow or stop. All of a sudden it clicked and Dad said “OK!” And then he moved. Whew!
Dad near Markleton
Although my Dad wanted to ride ahead and look at a church in Harnedsville, there was no way we were going to ride on the road with him. I loaded his bike in his Jeep and he drove home.
GAP at Confluence
Betsy and I rode on down to Confluence. We looked for a place for a snack and found stairs leading from the trail with a bike trough to walk the bikes. The problem was the trough was on the side and not in the middle so the pedals hit the supports as I pushed the bike. Oh well.
Stairs from the GAP, Confluence, Pa.
We grabbed some cookies and a drink then rode back up to Markleton. What a gorgeous day on a bike.
Confluence overlooking the Youghiogheny
UPDATE: (SEPT. 14, 2016) – This post has been updated to “My Last Ride With Dad.” With each ride, we wondered if this was our last ride with him but this ride had more of a finality to it than the others. My dad seemed a little out of it standing in the road and I worried for his safety going home. He made it safely and then promptly sold the Jeep.
He never talked about it but looking back I sense he knew his mind was failing and that it was best to sell that beat-up Jeep he loved so much. We were just talking about another ride this spring when he fell in April. I wanted one more ride. I looked first at recumbent bikes. Handcycles. Tandems where I did the work. Ultimately, he would never ride again. And on this day we said our final goodbye to him we were thankful for the rides we shared with him. We were the lucky ones.
Six years ago I didn’t see myself doing charity rides but then … cancer. And today I lined up for my fifth Livestrong Challenge. Two were in Philly (actually King of Prussia) and now the third one is in Austin.
Barry with Lexi. She was my bicycle buddy for the Texas 4000 and we got to meet at In N Out Burger Saturday night.
I wanted to ride with 13 year-old Alex Shepherd in Oregon but never got the chance. At his service in June, I told his dad, Dan, I’d like for him to join me in Austin and we would ride for Alex.
Dan at the end of the road
I arrived on Thursday and attempted to find a route called the Volente Loop using a downloaded file on my GPS. The problem was there were a couple of spots where the route crossed over (think figure eight) and the GPS wasn’t sure, or probably I wasn’t sure, which way to go. At 16 miles I found myself back at my car. OK, at 95 degrees, I gave up.
Rudy’s
Friday morning I went to the airport and picked up Dan. We didn’t have much time as he assembled his bike then we rode downtown to meet Will and some of the Cyclists Combating Cancer group at Mellow Johnny’s. We rode over to a Rudy’s which is delicious BBQ in a gas station.
Four of Seven Yellow Jerseys at Mellow Johnny’s. I think the Tour de France called and want these back.
Yesterday Dan and I went to Livestrong Headquarters to pick up our registration materials. After lunch were able to do the real Volenti Loop. Still hot with some punchy hills and “heavy” pavement. Those 42 miles seemingly took something out of me.
Dan adding Alex’s name to the wall
This morning we timed our entrance perfectly. I had raised enough funds to get a priority start in the first coral. I wanted to ride with Dan but being in the front coral meant I could ride out with the top fundraisers. Our CCC team is almost always the top team but this year we were second to “Lance and Friends.” Well good for him (seriously – if he puts his name out there he will get donations to his former charity).
Ready to roll out
Lance Armstrong lined up in the first group and I thought if I had a chance to ride next to him, I would. I got to the coral at 7:29 a.m. One minute to spare. But there were lots of cyclists in cue and I was at the back of the group. I never even got a glimpse of Lance at the front.
We rolled out at 7:30. Our plan was for me to soft pedal if I wasn’t with Lance and in either case, we would meet at the first stop at Mile 10. I wasn’t with Lance and I began to back off the pace. At Mile 6 Dan and I joined up, both looking splendid in our Team Alex jerseys.
Texas 4000 at Rest Stop 2. Ayesha (middle). Ayesha is part of the 2016 Rockies Team.
I rode up behind a man wearing a picture of a child and said “Tell me about your daughter.” I slowed to talk and I think Dan saw that it wasn’t all about the riding. The best moments of the day would come from riding.
On the road
At the second stop, I met the kids from the Texas 4000. That was a surprise to them as I started dropping the names of Vanessa and Lexi and others who were part of the program the past couple of years. They seemed genuinely excited to meet me. Well, I was excited to meet them too.
Always my favorite gas station
Each “challenge” is designed to feature a challenge on the century route. While this route was mostly flat with some rollers, I remembered well the Wall. Around Mile 50 you could see this butte in the distance. As one got closer you could see there was a road straight up the side to the top. Closer still, you could see almost everybody pushing their bikes.
As Dan pushed on I told him we should back off a little. Don’t want to hammer it and then have nothing left for the big climb. At Mile 48 we pulled into a rest stop. There I met Rudy the Chicken. A girl was holding him and offered to let me hold him. She now has me rethinking my love affair with Chick-fil-A,
Barry with Rudy the Chicken
As we rolled out I wondered about the Wall. Dan went ahead and I found myself next to a woman, Christy. I asked her if she had ridden this century before. She looked at me and said “I rode a century yesterday.” She must have heard “ridden a century before.” We talked.
Dan and Rudy
The next 25 miles went by as quickly as any I have ridden this year. Not quickly as in fast but quickly as in the time few by. Mostly, Christy and I rode side by side and did not notice we were pulling 12 riders. Christy’s friend, Christa, and Dan were busy talking too.
Christa and Christy
Back at the rest stop (with the chicken – we had made a loop) there’s always that moment of truth when you have been riding with strangers. Do you wait for one another or do you move on? Not sure who but we waited for one another and the four of us rolled out of this rest stop.
Dan chatting at the Texas4000 Rest Stop
Both women are strong. Both are triathletes. Christy has been to Kona for the Iron Man Championships. Do I need to say more? But on this day, her derailleur wasn’t functioning and she was stuck in a small ring on the back. Not the 11t but close to it. Having ridden a century the day before in Houston and now riding in a “big gear,” I actually had a chance to stay with her.
One of the rest stops
At the next stop, we found a mechanic. He put the bike on a stand and said a piece of hair was in the derailleur and he removed it. None of us believed that was the cause but her bike functioned again. The mechanics also confirmed that Lance and friends came by really early but apparently did not ride the full century. I never saw him the entire day.
We rode back to Austin enjoying more talk about cycling, doping, school, and politics. Once we passed a man, fit-looking, who was struggling, and he looked over and saw two women. Whatever struggles he had that day he put behind him because he took off just like someone lit an afterburner. It was apparent he wasn’t going to get “beat” (it’s not a race, it’s a ride) by women.
Christa and Christy
As we approached the finish line I soft-pedaled and let the three of them go on. I still find the first 99 miles of these challenges to be easy but the last mile difficult. Even while talking about cancer all day I wasn’t really thinking about cancer. But the last mile is one where I think of others and I reflect on my own journey. I slowed down and moved to the right where volunteers handed out yellow roses to cancer survivors. It was my 5th time receiving a rose but it’s still hard.
Yellow Rose went home with me on the airplane
Back at Camp Livestrong, Dan and I went to the food tent. While we were there a woman came by pimping her kid with a donation jar. She told us her sad story of how she needs money because he child has brain cancer. Dan and I were taken aback and I was the first to ask “What kind of brain cancer?” We know a little about pediatric brain cancer. Dhe had no answer. She started backpedaling both from her story and from our table. Pathetic but perhaps a pathetic cry for other help.
Cards in Memory and Honor of
I made bibs/cards for 60 people that I wanted to put on their message board. Just as soon as we started putting them up, workers started tearing them down. It was 4:00 p.m.
With nothing more to do, we gathered our belongings and went back to shower at the hotel. Dinner. Pack the bikes and reflect on the day. It was a great day of talking about Alex, Jake “the Hero” Grecco, and others affected by cancer. The talking was therapeutic as was the riding.
I am a fan. I wish Richmond was a little bit closer but I made my fourth trip in four days.
The Men’s Individual Time Trial started inside Kings Dominion. I could drive close to Richmond without worrying about parking downtown.
I pulled up and was directed to staff parking (free) because I was wearing yesterday’s Volunteer T-shirt. Neat.
Actually, I wanted to ride down the road about 10 miles and take up a private viewing location. But after leaving the main parking lot I saw the police had already shut down Va. Rte. 30. I found an access road and rode for about 40 minutes. Then settled in for viewing.
I positioned myself at the exit of KD, a sharp right hander, where the riders jump onto Rte. 30. There were about 25 of us there at various times. There was another volunteer (an officially assigned one). There was a truck driver from Pitt-Ohio who stopped for an hour break and got to watch the ITT.
The first rider out of the box was Michael Hepburn, from Australia. The riders went in inverse order or world championship points so he was not expected to do well but put up a winning time that held up for 45 minutes or so. The TV broadcast showed up throwing up as he went to the finish line. He really gave it his all.
Lawson Craddock
Some people relied on me for cycling knowledge. And I was the only one there who had the start order (above). One woman asked if I was one of the professional riders. I laughed and said “No, but that would make a good Facebook post.”
Rohan Dennis
A Christian home-schooled family pulled up in their beat up old school bus. I enjoyed talking with them. When Taylor Phinney came I implored everyone to cheer for Taylor.
Taylor Phinney
Tom Dumoulin – I think
Tom Dumoulin – I think
Then it was a little anti-climatic watching most of the big names go. After Tony Martin went, I rode a little more, then went home and watched a recording of the race.
Vasil Kiryienka
Phinney, just 15 months removed from a horrific accident, finished 12th which qualified the USA of one of the top 10 countries for two spots at next year’s summer Olympics (two countries placed two in the top 12). The winner was the 3rd seed, Vasil Kiryienka from Bulgaria.
Last year I saw an opportunity to be a course marshal in Richmond for this year’s world championships by volunteering for the Collegiate National Championships in 2014. I should have but had some time conflicts. The hook was volunteer then and get guaranteed spots in Richmond.
The road to the trail
I took my chance. And I sort of forgot until August. I went online looking for events and the Men’s Road Race and Individual Time Trials were already full. But the Women’s Time Trial was open. I signed up.
Virginia Capital Trail
Having been in town on Sunday for the Men’s Team Time Trial and to pick up my volunteer credentials, I was worried about where I could park and still get to the course. I settled on parking at Dorsey Park which is over near the airport and looked to be connected to the Virginia Capital Trail which I rode yesterday.
Virginia Capital Trail
Bike selection was an option. Road bike or mountain bike? I didn’t want to take a road bike and have it sit in a big crowd unattended. I settled on the mountain bike.
Virginia Capital Trail – Flood Doors
I had flat pedals on it and decided to change to Shimano SPDs. I was lazy. I hand tightened the left one but the right one didn’t want to cooperate. I “tightened” it a couple of turns and took my pedal wrench with me to finish when I had wheels down.
Dutch National Team
I found the park and parked the car. I saw a large pond or a small lake with a paved path around it. I followed the path which just circled the lake. When I reached the southernmost point I saw a construction road or maybe it was just a dirt road. A construction worker standing there assured me it would connect to the trial. I took it and was really glad I was on the mountain bike with its wide tires.
I found the trail and headed to Richmond. I looked down and realize I forgot my water bottle. No worries. I stopped at a Valero gas station and checked out the water bottles which I thought would fit in my holder. I bought one. I was wrong. I put the bottle in the holder but it wasn’t snug enough. As I rode it would try to fall out but the base would keep it in – barely. My legs were hitting it on every pedal stroke. This wasn’t working. I ended up holding the bottle in one hand while I rode.
Advertising but not for Chick-fil-A
I had entered the trail in what was probably the last mile of its rural section. It was 10 miles to Richmond. Even a suburban trail, this was a nice alternative to riding with traffic. I went through the area at Rocketts Landing which was our start/finish area two years ago for the Cap to Cap ride. This was a really neat area.
One of the Junior Men
I reached the canal area – walked my bike for a block (its the rules) then had to find my way to my location. I had just pulled over to mess with the water bottle and I saw the Dutch National Team go by. I forget I was on a mountain bike with a bottle that was falling off – I gave chase. I thought I would join them. One good press on the pedals and, wham!, the right pedal came off still attached to my show. My chase whimpered away.
Balance Bicycle Shop
Oh yea. I was supposed to use the pedal wrench when I got ready to ride. I tried to thread the pedal into the crank but couldn’t. I decided I could ride one-legged to my assignment. I have ridden one-legged on the trainer many times. What could be so hard? Hills, that’s what.
Ann-Sofie Duyuk, Belgium
I tried but I had to discount to get up one of those streets. But at the top I rode up Grace to my assignment. I was early and found a bike shop, Balance Bikes. They took 15 minutes top to tap that out and repair the pedal. I could ride again.
Kristen Anderson, USA
My assignment was on the campus of VCU at Grace and Belvidere Streets. The course went up Belvidere and came back through. Belvidere Street had a median. The course here was barricaded the entire way. I had an opening to allow people to cross the street. There was 90 seconds between starts with a motorcycle leading the way.
Aude Biannic, France
I had four hours as crossing guard. But it was fun. Riders were going in each direction so I had to be careful. One man from Belgium came up and spent more time with me than any other. He was as excited as a school girl meeting Taylor Swift when he looked at my phone and saw the Belgian rider, Ann-Sofie Duyck, leaving the start house. He ran over to the other side of the street and cheered at her in Flemish.
Carmen Small, USA. Credit: UCI Feed
He came back. We talked. He saw my Livestrong bracelet and tapped it. “He’s a good boy, you know. What, all the others are good but only he is bad?” He was referencing Lance Armstrong, of course. We talked about cycling and doping. But mostly we cheered.
Kristin Armstrong was second on the course because she had no international points. Her time held up most of the day but she would end up fifth, being beaten by Linda Villumsen, a Danish woman who now rides for New Zealand. Evelyn Stevens, third from last, finish a disappointing sixth.
After everyone went home I had to fight traffic to get back to the trail. But I was glad I was on a bike – even a mountain bike.
He’s a good boy, that Lance
A word about the Women’s Time Trial: The men got a 30 miles point-to-point course from Kings Dominion to downtown Richmond. The women and U23s got an urban course of 29.9 km (18.5 miles). Their course was heavy on turns. In fact, it was a 15 km course so the women had to do two loops. To accomplish this the first 11 went at 90 second intervals and then no one else for 30 minutes. So they departed in four waves of 11. It just seemed a strange way to run a race. I’m sure they would have liked departing from Kings Dominion too.
