Tour d'Oconee - Tame The Lion!

The Lion

We left in the pouring rain at 4AM from Hattiesburg.  We were off to visit our friend whom had moved to Georgia.  The forecast called for rain the entire weekend and during the entire 62 mile ride. 

The rain let up a few hours into the drive and by the time we had made it to Watkinsville the sun was out and the weather was perfect.  We ate a quick lunch and went for a quick 20 mile tune up ride.  After the ride we made our way to the Terrapin Brewery!

Brewery

Hopzilla

The crew

Twins?

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This was a hilly area.  Of course, everything is hilly when you live in Mississippi. 

Although this was just a ‘ride’ it took off at 27 MPH – and that is not an exaggeration.  Our goal for the ride was to try and hang onto the front group as long as possible.  I am the weakest of our little group but I am pretty good at dodging the wind (I <3 drafting!).

But I was out of position, in the front middle section of the riders (not the racers).  The group accelerated and took off quick.  I was red lined from the first 10 seconds of the ride just trying to bridge the gap.  It took me a couple of minutes but I was successful!

Right after I was on the back of the front pack they made a hard right turn.  The pace line was like a slinky I was off the back again.  It took almost everything but I battled back to the tail end of the front pack.

But too many matches had been burned too quickly.  I was blown up, failing back and loosing ground rapidly.  This was at mile 6.  Bear in mind, that this was a 62 mile ride.

I ascertained that I was in ‘no man’s land’ and there would be few riders around me of a while.  I rode solo for a couple of miles – still working hard but not red lined at 27 MPH. 

A couple more guys popped off the front group and drifted back.  I was able to regroup with 4 others.  Later another joined our second tier group.

Since we would be with each other for a while we introduced ourselves to each other.  I was from MS, Bill was traveling from FL to New England, Chris, Johan (from Germany) and Jason were locals.

We took turns at the front and made good time.  While the front group made zero stops on the ride we decided to take on water at mile 30ish – I also need to pee like a race horse.

This was a hilly, windy ride and as the miles at intensity racked up I could feel the fatigue.  I was not alone.

On a particularly long hill as Bill and I crowned the apex we looked back.  Jason and Johan were near but Chris was not to be see.

Bill asked aloud, “Where is Chris, the guy in yellow?” 

Johan replied in the best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation that I have ever heard, “He has capitulated!” I laughed out loud.  That is the best term for dropping off of a bike ride!

ca•pit•u•late (kəˈpɪtʃ əˌleɪt)
v.i. -lat•ed, -lat•ing.

1. to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms.

2. to give up resistance; yield: to capitulate to someone's pleas.

Lance and Keith stayed with the lead group until mile 15, Sam until 40 and Raland the entire ride!

Big Dam Bridge Century Ride

The weather could not have been better for the Big Dam Bridge Century Ride.  This post will be more of a short review of the event rather than a detailed report of my riding the Big Dam Bridge Century.

We arrived in North Little Rock in the early afternoon.  I had noticed that my seat bag was extremely worn and actually just hanging on by a tread.  It was time to check in for the event and look around the expo.  Although the expo was small there were two shops swapping their wares.  I was able to find a seat bag, some lobster-claw winter gloves and a Leopold Trek jersey.  The prices were fair.  I got everything that I needed.

Check in for the event was quick and easy.  We were not able to pick up a packet for a rider that was unable to make the event.  Photo ID’s were checked.

The following morning we rode to the event start.  It was just a short ride across the bridge and took just a few moments.  There was a chill in the air but arm warmers and jackets were not necessary although I saw many riders who thought otherwise.

Big Dam Bridge

Charles, Terry and I went out together. Unbelievably, Charles was pushing the pace from the beginning. I guess the cool weather filled him with bravado. Terry and I just held back knowing that it was a long day. We knew that Charles would be successful but wondered how much suffering would take place in the later stages of the ride.

Charles settled down around the 20-mile mark. We were being passed by small pelotons. I decided to jump on the tail of one. However, this group soon slowed. I decided to go around and ride at a tempo pace.

I was bridging gaps constantly. The ride had broken up into hundreds of small groups of riders. I would pass one group and then try to catch the next. Starting at a moderate pace for the ride meant that most of the fast riders were miles ahead. I was not being passed by anyone.

Then, during a particularly long stretch, a solo rider passed me. He had a team jersey on and was riding just a hair faster then I. I jumped on his wheel and we chased down the next pack. We started to fade and I took the lead. When we got to the pack, I slowed to catch my breath. I was thinking that riding a hard tempo at mile 30 of a century was probably the smartest strategy. The ride told me nice pull and that he had flatted early on. He was trying to catch his group. He told me to come along for the ride. We rode hard for another couple of rides and caught his group. He was obviously the strongest of the group. I decided to continue on my own.

My first stop of the day was at mile 35. I used the facilities, refilled the water bottles and ate a couple of PB&J squares. The aid stations were run very well. While I was in line for the bathroom, a volunteer came up to hold my bike for me while I did my business. Wow, curb service.

Charles and Terry soon arrived and we continued onward. Since the last tactics worked out well I decided to continue to ride tempo and take big rest breaks at the aid stations. For me this would be a great workout of hard efforts followed by long rests. Just about perfect.

The ride started to get hilly and I was still passing tons of people at the back and middle of the pack. The last rest stop before the ‘mountain’ was at mile 62. I stopped to wait for Charles and took a long rest. I ate some more, used the bathroom and refilled the water bottles. These are very small towns in north central Arkansas but the entire communities came out. The junior high school cheer squads were loud and proud.

After an extended recovery, we started again. I attacked the mountain. It was a little over 4 miles of climbing. I was in my lowest of low gears and pulling hard but it was not the hill was not insurmountable. When I got to the top, there was another aid station. This station was also packed with cheer squad volunteers. They quickly ran over to you and asked if they could fill your water bottles or get you something to eat. It was awesome.

Kings of the mountain!

The rest of the ride was supposed to be downhill. Not true. Although there were some steep descents, the ride was anything but downhill.

We stopped for one more aid station at around 90 miles and then I took off for the hotel. Although I was not overly fatigued, I was ready for the ride to be over.

Our hotel was half a mile before the finish. I pulled into the parking lot and abandoned the ride. I wanted the first shower. I cleaned up, poured a beverage and headed out to the finish line.

I soon met up with Charles and Terry and we made our way to a steak house for a reward.

We had a great time. I would highly recommend the Big Dam Bridge Century Ride to anyone looking for a fun day in the saddle.