Long Distance Girls....

[snapdragen]

Have you seen this:

http://www.bikeaholics.org/rides2007/

[Veronica]

Wow that's cool! We have a big wall calendar with all the brevets and doubles posted on it.

But it's nice to see some century dates too.

Thanks!

V.

[maillotpois]

That is VERY cool.

So here's my "plan" for organized rides:

DBC 100k Populaire (informal) Sun, Jan. 14th
Santa Rosa CC 200k Brevet Sat, Mar. 3rd
Santa Rosa Cycling Club 300k brevet Sat, Mar. 31st
Santa Rosa Cycling Club 400k brevet Sat, Apr. 28th - Sun, Apr. 29th
Wine Country Double Metric Sat, May. 5th
Davis Double Sat, May. 19th
Santa Rosa Cycling Club 600k brevet Sat, May. 26th - Sun, May. 27th
The Death Ride Sat, Jul. 14th
Mt Tam Double Sat Aug 4
Holstein Hundred Sat Aug. 18th
Knoxville September 22
(MAYBE) Bass Lake double
(MAYBE) El Tour de Tucson

My Spring rides are limited by the Death Ride TNT training schedule. We've got some amazing training rides planned for our folks - Geysers, Skaggs, Trinity, Tam, Atlas Peak. But I set that schedule up so I could do Santa Rosa's series, Wine Country and Davis.

I should know in the next few weeks whether the brevets will be do-able. Right now I am cautiously optimistic. :rolleyes: At least that series gives me a full 2 months of riding before 200k.

[jobob]

Whee !!

My plan is much less impressive, but still pretty ambitious for me ...

DBC 100k Populaire (informal) Sun, Jan. 14th
Santa Rosa CC 200k Brevet Sat, Mar. 3rd
Party Pardee Metric Century Sat, April 7th
Bike Around the Buttes century Sat, April 14th
SLO Wildflower Century Sat, April 28th
Wine Country Century Sat, May 5th
Marin Century Sat, Aug. 4
Holstein Hundred Sat, Aug. 18th
Siskiyou Century (early Sept?)
Waves to Wine Sept. 29-30

I was toying with trying for an R-12, which is a 200K + brevet or permanent for 12 consecutive months, but the logistics for that are pretty daunting, plus it looks like the N. California region has hardly any permanents.

[Veronica]

I have no plan. :)

Well actually...

3/31 Solvang Double
4/28 DaMneD - my new name for it!
5/12 Central Coast Double
5/19 Davis Double
6/23 Grand Tour Double
8/5 Mount Tam Double
9/29 - 9/30 Waves to Wine

If DMD goes well I may switch the Grand Tour for Terrible Two.

I was thinking about doing the SF brevet series,up to the 400. The 600 is too close to DMD. But I'm not digging the cold right now. So I'm dragging my heels on sending in a replacement check. Gotta decide this weekend.

Santa Rosa would be fun, since my buds are there. But the 300 conflicts with Solvang and the 400 with DMD. :rolleyes:

V.

[Trekhawk]

Mine looks pretty much like yours Jo - LOL - I promise Im not a stalker.:D

No LRRH on your list??? The stalker wants to know.:D


DBC 100k Populaire (informal) Sun, Jan. 14th
Santa Rosa CC 200k Brevet Sat, Mar. 3rd
Party Pardee Metric Century Sat, April 7th
Bike Around the Buttes century Sat, April 14th
SLO Wildflower Century Sat, April 28th
Little Red Riding Hood Sat, June 2nd
Holstein hundred, Sat, Aug 18th
Siskiyou Century (early Sept?)
Waves to Wine Sept. 29-30

[maillotpois]

Let's get this party started!

So several of us have already put ONE notch on our belts with the UnPopufreezeyourbuttofflaire. I'm seriously impatient (no not ME) to get these long rides started!! Ack!! Too bad I have to work during the week to support this silly habit. I'm thinking of starting to do some mid week rides in the dark (5 - 6 am) to test out my new lights but it's too durn cold!!!

I guess I've just got a lot of pent up riding frustration I want to get out of my system. Done ranting. For now! :D

[Brandy]

You're all up north!

1/20 San Diego 200K brevet
2/17 Butterfield DC
4/14 Hemet DC
6/2 Eastern Sierra DC

(maybe) 5/19 Davis DC
(maybe) 6/23 Grand Tour DC

I have a bunch of local unorganized centuries coming up too.

[maillotpois]

You're all up north!


We can't help that! :D

Brandy, you've got a good list of rides. I've only done 2 of them, but they're good ones!

You will like the ESDC - it is a really beautiful route. The road surface for much of the last half leaves something to be desired, though! :cool: But it is just so beautiful out there. I don't think (but could be wrong) that any of your other rides are at any real elevation? ESDC doesn't go below 5000 feet and most of it is between 6000 - 7000. So be prepared to keep closer tabs on your GI tract than you might otherwise in a double. I and many of the folks I've coached and trained with for events like the Death Ride find that sometimes altitude can make your stomach a bit wonky. I find that sports drinks are a HUGE "no" for rides at elevation, so I tend to use water and endurolytes instead. Be prepared to improvise. There's really not that much climbing at ESDC - one nasty-ish climb after lunch. Well, okay 2 climbs. But then something like the last 40 miles are down hill. Gotta love that!!

I'd love to do ESDC again, but I've got a very full calendar with the Death Ride training rides we're leading, so I can't fit it in. :(

I've done Davis twice and plan to do it again. It is pretty easy - flat with some climbs in the middle. If you're with a group, it can be a very fast paced ride. It's the only double my husband will do with me because he doesn't have to train too much for it beyond his usual riding. :rolleyes: Maybe we can meet you at Davis!

[Brandy]

Thanks for the alititude tips for ESDC Sarah, I will definitely keep those in mind!

As for Davis, I have considered it...it's on my birthday and I thought it would be cool to wrap up my Triple Crown on that day, but I need to see if I can swing another out of town ride so close to ESDC. My birthday buddy (one of the riders at Bike Forums) has mentioned wanting to make it our birthday double, so we'll see. :p

[SadieKate]

I was toying with trying for an R-12, which is a 200K + brevet or permanent for 12 consecutive months, but the logistics for that are pretty daunting, plus it looks like the N. California region has hardly any permanents.I'm still up for the Flatlander Fiesta.

[maillotpois]

It's a fiesta now? I thought it was a tour de brewpub.

Edit - oh I thought you meant the 200k we're doing. Well, I'd do a flat 200k permanent with you guys.

[SadieKate]

I can't find it under the Permanents now. I could find the email from Bill Bryant that he sent me last year. I hope it's still sanctioned.

http://www.rusa.org/newsletter/05-01-04.html

[Fredwina]

Geez, you folks are so.... organized!:rolleyes:
actually, My career is getting in the way - in a good way. Maybe I can get away from the stress-o-rama.
2/10 Tour De palm Springs 100M - The only problem is attending a Women in computing conference the day before and a general 'puter convention after (I looked at Saturday - i think I can skip that day and ride) , Plus I have an MD appt- My bad - forgot to get a script renewed until it was almost too late. So I may do the 100K at PS instead
On 2/24 I'm going to do a brevet, still debating between Cayucos(200K) and San Diego(300K) MP - I looked - we go up Palomar at about mile 60, so we should be in the daylight - Just have to decide If I can do it without getting DQ'ed for time
I've signed to the the Death Valley Century the next weekend, but I'm thinking right now I can do either a brevet or DV, but not both. I'm also teaching a programming class.
March the SD 400K goes to Hemet - I can always call for a ride home from there.
Doubles - As you may know, I work on contract for La County. The only problem is the contract expires on 4/30 and has not been renewed yet. It sounds like I'm going to be here(and working) on 5/1, But the rest of the US is not as double crazy as CA is, and I've always wound up calling the moving company when I've gone onto the new contract.
I'm still going to try and do century a month
Hemet - maybe
Still looking for May - I was thinking about the Rally in Paso Robles
June up in the air - I may do the bear again
July, aug, and Sept ?
Oct - probably Vegas unless I wind crewing on the 508 again
Nov Tuscon
Dec Salton Sea
Sorry about rambling, just needed to vent:o

[Brandy]

Jana...I just read your blog...I didn't realize that you were at the SD 200k brevet. Wish I would have known! I was there riding with some of the Bike Forums guys, I thought it was a great route and I think I'm going to plan it as a Bike Forums group ride sometime soon but possibly start and end it in Oceanside instead of La Jolla.

[Fredwina]

Brandy, I think you passed on that climb before Esocondido
I Just cancelled out of Death Valley.
I'm doing the 200K in Cayucos on 2/24 - should be pretty. If do a good time, I'l probably do the 300K there on 3/24 It's a couple of out n backs, so I can wimp out if needed :o , and I 'm still planning on doing Hemet.
Are you still doing the Butterflo..er field double?

[Brandy]

Bite your tongue lady! :p Yes, I'm doing Butterfield. I wasn't planning on it being my first DC, but was talked into it (when someone tells you that they guarantee you won't DNF and that they'll double back for you after they finish, how can you turn that offer down?) by a friend, so I took the plunge. Hemet's on my schedule after that and I need a new plan for my third...my commitment to crew for a RAAM team has blown my backup plan of Grand Tour out of the water, so I need to either commit to Eastern Sierra or do the Davis Double.

[maillotpois]

Brandy -

Davis = easy, pretty new climb, rolly hills, LOTS of flat with fast pacelines
ESDC = beautiful, thinner air, lots of time alone, longer climbs but not too bad

Tough choice. Do both! :D

[Brandy]

I wish that I could, but considering that I'm abandoning...err...leaving my kids for 8-13 days (depending on whether I fly back from Atlantic City) in June to crew RAAM, it's going to have to be one or the other. I'm leaning toward Eastern Sierra. I was worried about doing 10,000 feet of climbing, but I recently did a 112 mile 10,500 ft ride (Encinitas to Palomar Mountain observatory and back) and felt really strong most of the day. I'm thinking that if I can handle the 8500 feet of climbing on the Butterfield DC, that ES shouldn't be too bad.

[maillotpois]

I didn't think the climbing at ESDC was too bad. The only climb that was noticeably "tough" on ESDC was after lunch. To get to lunch, you descend down, down, down to Mono lake. You keep going down, all the while knowing that you have to climb out of the lunch stop. So that blew. And the climb after lunch was a lot longer than the descent, because you took a jog left and did a pretty long climb on a different road.

But aside from that extended climb and the moderately long climb out of Bishop in the morning, there wasn't really a lot of climbing that sticks in my mind. There weren't really many roller-y climbs either. And the whole last part is downhill - how can you beat that??

The only real bummer about ESDC and reason I might not do it again was the expansion joints in the road for the last 60 miles. You could get a lot of good speed up, but you'd hit these nasty breaks in the pavement - rattle your fillings out. I actually had to stop at one point to make sure my bike was intact. But it is so pretty. If we didn't have a Death Ride training ride that day, I'd consider doing it again.

[Brandy]

The only real bummer about ESDC and reason I might not do it again was the expansion joints in the road for the last 60 miles. You could get a lot of good speed up, but you'd hit these nasty breaks in the pavement - rattle your fillings out. I actually had to stop at one point to make sure my bike was intact.

Is that THIS ride? I remember reading your ride report last year. :eek:

ETA: I just went back and re-read your report. The views are so amazing, I'm going to block out the mental image of those expansion joints...lol!

[maillotpois]

I hope you don't hit a swarm of bees either.... :cool:

[Brandy]

I hope you don't hit a swarm of bees either.... :cool:

Hey...I was selectively ignoring that part! :p I just booked a room at the cheap motel next door to the host hotel...I couldn't help it, it was half the price! As soon as I have Butterfield under my belt, I'll register for ESDC.

[maillotpois]

OMG, you reminded me of the hotel fiasco....

I made my reservation for the hotel 8 months before the event. In the host hotel. Get there the night before the ride, pick up my resigtratoin for the ride - and the host hotel is undergoing renovation, was sold some months ago, and no longer has my reservation. I even had a confirmation number!!! So I had to stay at the twice as expensive place across the street. :mad:

[Brandy]

Okay, that would make me so mad! Not sure what this Town House Motel where I booked is like, but at $55/night and as tired as I'll be after the 5+ hour drive...I don't think I'll really care!

[jobob]

Davis = easy, pretty new climb, rolly hills, LOTS of flat with fast pacelines...


excuuuuse me, but am I the only one here who considers the phrase easy double century an oxymoron?

:D

[Veronica]

Well it was one of the easier ones I did last year. :p I think Solvang was a tad easier though - probably because I was riding with Thom for 3/4 of it. Company makes long rides easier.

V.

[maillotpois]

Davis is the only double the GP will do any more, because he doesn't have to train for it... :rolleyes:

[Brandy]

Well it was one of the easier ones I did last year. :p I think Solvang was a tad easier though - probably because I was riding with Thom for 3/4 of it. Company makes long rides easier.

V.

Absolutely!! I just finished my first double century...Butterfield yesterday. I started with the early group at 5:30 and by the time I left the first rest stop at mile 38, my friend George who started at 6:15, had caught me. I was leaving as he was coming in, but he caught me again a couple of miles later and I thought I would try to hang with him for awhile. Well, my "awhile" turned into the entire day...he was on a fixed gear but still had to slow his pace a bit for me and I was so appreciative. He caught my overheating before I did and made me pull off and dunk my head under a faucet and really took care of me all day. He was there to talk me through the lulls and assure me that I would recover and get my game back. :) Of course, I had to give him crap since he talked me into Butterfield saying "you want to get doubles in early during the season when it's cold because once it heats up, everything changes"...lol...it was SO HOT and windy yesterday! :p

So...having him there made all the difference in the world. I was able to finish in 14:25...totally exhausted and ready to SLEEP! :)

Oh...and my view for the day. I was NOT complaining. :p

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/394537665_3926c4c40a.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/394537766_649db8a0c6.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/138/394538287_acd82e352c.jpg

[Veronica]

Congratulations!

Are you doing Hemet next?

V.

[Brandy]

Thanks Veronica. :) Yes, I think that my plan is Hemet next. I've heard that the course isn't great, but I just want to get another one done before it heats up...lol...and that one is fairly local to me. I would love to do Solvang, but I don't know if I could get away for another weekend since I have Eastern Sierra in my sights now.

[jobob]

Congratulations Brandy ! That's a great achievment.

(I kept peeking over on bikeforums last night & this morning to find out how it went :cool: )

[Veronica]

Solvang is a beautiful course. It was my first double, so maybe I'm a little biased. Or maybe because it rained buckets in the morning, it made the sun in the afternoon seem so much sweeter.

It was hard for me to stay focused on training between Solvang and my next double attempt which was a month later - Devil Mountain Double. My sister came to visit, we did a mountain bike tour, I got a bad cold...

For me it was better to spread them out a bit, to kind of have a break between. I did Davis in May and then Tam in August. So you have options, if you decide not to Hemet. The Death Valley Fall course is kind of nice. Or you could come up to the Bay Area and do Knoxville in September, tie it into a romantic wine country get away with your honey. There's also Fall Solvang.

Anyway... don't feel like you have to have it all done by June 2. :)

V.

[maillotpois]

congrats, Brandy!! having your first double done in february is great! that should give you a lot of confidence going forward.

good going!!!

[SadieKate]

Congratulations, Brandy. What a great milestone and a nice view (er, friend :p ).

[Trekhawk]

Wow Brandy!!! Congratulations on your Double Century. :)

[roadfix]

Congratulations Brandy, I knew you could do this ride!! :)

[Brandy]

Thanks ladies...and George ;) <~~~who wasn't the fixed gear George that I rode Butterfield with, but is another super duper so Cal fixed gear stud! :D

[Brandy]

nice view (er, friend :p ).

I know...I'm so lucky! The original plan was for him to finish the course and double back for me and "take me home"...lol. :p So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to have his company (and that view) for the entire day. He's the best and I couldn't have made that time without his encouragement and care. :)

[roadfix]

Thanks ladies...and George ;) <~~~who wasn't the fixed gear George that I rode Butterfield with, but is another super duper so Cal fixed gear stud! :D

Dang!....I was pretending to be the George you rode with......:p..:D

[Brandy]

Dang!....I was pretending to be the George you rode with......:p..:D

I called you a stud...that has to count for something. :p

[crazycanuck]

Hey Brandy,

Good to hear your double went well. :) Yes, nice view!

C

[Fredwina]

I got my second Brevet for the r-12 done yesterday at Cayucos. Now, I need to check dice.com to see if somebody in SLO needs a 'puter person

[maillotpois]

Yay Fredwina!

[Fredwina]

I just put photo out on the Daily ride thread

[jobob]

I just mailed in my reg for the Davis 300K brevet in a couple of weeks.

Now I'll get to see if MP is right :D (see my sig)

[maillotpois]

I'm always right!! :p

[SadieKate]

Uh huh.

[Trekhawk]

I just mailed in my reg for the Davis 300K brevet in a couple of weeks.

Now I'll get to see if MP is right :D (see my sig)

Woohoo - I see a complete Brevet series in your future.:D

[jobob]

Eh, one step at a time. Ask me again two weeks from this Suday. ;)

Lee has already graciously pointed out to me that the jump from 300K to 400K is proportionally much smaller than the jump from 200K to 300K, which is itself proportionally much smaller than the jump from 100K to 200K. Ergo, by that logic, according to Lee a 400K should be a piece of cake. :rolleyes:

[maillotpois]

Lee's logic is sound.

(He's as crazy as I am.)

[Veronica]

400 is only 240 miles. That's not bad. :p

Go Jo Go!

V.

[aka_kim]

Oh. My. God. A monster* is born.

Go Jo, Go!

*This is actually a compliment. Really.

[maillotpois]

Jo rocks.

I can't wait to read the report. Does this one finish at a brewpub?

[Veronica]

No, a Park and Ride. But there is a nice restaurant down the street.

V.

[SadieKate]

MP, the park and ride is at the Mace exit. Sudwerk Brewery (http://www.sudwerk.com/)is just west of there under the very next bridge about 1/2 mile north of my house. You can almost see one from the other. They close at 11 Saturday night.

[jobob]

I think the only thing open when I finish will be a 7-eleven (the cutoff time is 3 am) :p

[Veronica]

We're going to finish before 3 AM. :D I predict You'll be towing my fat butt in around 10 PM. Maybe even sooner.

V.

[SadieKate]

The SadieKate kitchen will be open. Never fear.

There is also a 24-hr IHOP near your hotel.

[snapdragen]

We're going to finish before 3 AM. :D I predict You'll be towing my fat butt in around 10 PM. Maybe even sooner.

V.

Fat butt? Fat butt? OK miss skinny sturdy girl, I'll have none of that talk around here.:p

snap "true fat butt" dragen:D

I must add: You 'n Ms bob are both nutz. But I love yous anyways. :D

[maillotpois]

So it starts at 7 and you have 20 hours. I'm assuming the SR series has the same start time. I have to start looking at times and projections. It is kind of interesting to make a sheet with projected control point times. The key is not to let it make you aggro and to realize that you'll just ride whatever pace you end up riding. But it is nice sometimes to give yourself a very relaxed pace in your projections and be ahead of the game.

It's fun to compare the projections to the actual control times at the end to see how spot on or wildly off base you were.

[SadieKate]

I did that last year for the Wine Country. I used the cut off time and projected min avg pace with no adjustments for slower or faster sections, just the avg all the way through. When I hit Monte Rio (is that the right name?), I had the hardest part behind me and was ahead of schedule. HUGE mental boost.

What I didn't add in were the time delays to cross traffic in a few places. You shouldn't have that problem on the Davis route. Quite the contrary.

[jobob]

The key is not to let it make you aggro and to realize that you'll just ride whatever pace you end up riding. But it is nice sometimes to give yourself a very relaxed pace in your projections and be ahead of the game. Bingo! That's exactly how I'm approaching it. It's worked well so far.

Hmmm ... pancakes .... yuuum :)

[jobob]

Well, once we hit the turnaround control on Cobb Mtn. at the halfway point, the good news is it's all downhill from there ;) :D


http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k186/jobob22/stuff/Davis_300K_elevation.jpg

[SadieKate]

And that thing in the middle is what I just volunteered to ride! :eek: :p

[jobob]

hee hee hee

[maillotpois]

Cobb is really not that bad. There are some steep-ish sections, but it's over before you know it.

Jo - where did the pancakes come from??? Now I am hungry.

[jobob]

from this:


The SadieKate kitchen will be open. Never fear.

There is also a 24-hr IHOP near your hotel.

IHOP = International House of Pancakes.

Perhaps they don't allow them in Marin ... :D

[SadieKate]

I'm amazed they allowed it in Davis.

MP, don't you know by now I'm just whining about the mtns to whine? Have you had that 5-shot today?

[maillotpois]

Ah I missed the IHOP reference. All coming together. (I think there is one in Novato, BTW).

Only one 5 shotter today. Maybe I go get a small later. I am clearly not firing on all cylinders.

Well, 7100 feet total over 300k is really pretty decent. Not terrible. I really thought Cobb was beautiful. The GP laughed at me when I told him what the SR 300k route was. Not confidence boosting. :(

[jobob]

C'mon MP, do the Davis one with us, we can all whine in unison! And have pancakes afterwards!

Ever notice how I fixate on the food & beverage opportunities after a ride? Hey, it works for me.

[maillotpois]

Can't do it, sorry. I have a death ride training that day. I planned all our rides around the Santa Rosa schedule. I will wait for the report... ;)

[maillotpois]

Stupid Topo says the SRCC 300k has 17,000 feet of climbing. :rolleyes: I bet it is 10k. I guess we'll find out.

[maillotpois]

Okay, where's the IHOP in Davis?

I am thinking I am going to need to stop there on Sunday after the brevet (not this Sunday but the 15th). I am trying to plan ahead. I completely blocked out the fact I start trial the next Monday. :rolleyes: So getting fed and on the road home will be key.

At least my family will be out of town and they won't be calling and calling me when I have freaking 7 miles to go and it's dark and I don't want to root around for the phone and I just want to be done with the ride so for goddsakes stop calling me I will get there when I get there! :cool:

[Veronica]

Are you going to be nice to me MP? :eek:

V.

[maillotpois]

Yes, if you really do want to ride the second half with me. ;) (Pretty please.)

I just can't stand getting calls on my cell phone while I am riding. :rolleyes: Seriously, if I don't pick up, don't call right back immediately - leave a message. (My phone rang for about 4 minutes straight. The guy I was riding with and I enjoyed the lovely rendition of "Fur Elise" which it plays, but it eventually got a little old. :cool: )

[Veronica]

I really do want to ride the second half with you - after you're a bit tired.

Please Powers That Be - don't let anymore weirdness happen in my life.

V.

[jobob]

someone say Pancakes ??? :)

[jobob]

Cobb is really not that bad. There are some steep-ish sections, but it's over before you know it. Bwahahaha ! Now I know never to believe anything you say.

You'd think I could have figured that out sooner. :rolleyes:

[snapdragen]

Bwahahaha ! Now I know never to believe anything you say.

You'd think I could have figured that out sooner. :rolleyes:

I thought that was one of the first things we covered in the Academy. Bicyclists lie.

"It's not that big of a hill"

"200 is like 300, really"

[jobob]

"It's all downhill from here"
oops, that was me

[Fredwina]

OK, how much climbing is on the davis 400K? I'm debating between that and the Arizona 300K (http://www.azbrevet.com)on the 28th. I think I need back to the midwest....

[maillotpois]

I am estimating 13k of climbing. nothing nasty - cardiac is the only "climb" I can think of. mind you, I don't actually have the route sheet yet, just a general route description.

[jobob]

nothing nasty ....

Bwahahah !

Actually, Cardiac really isn't bad. And I'm pretty sure Cobb Mtn isn't on your route. And you can trust meeee. ;)

Here's a writeup of the Davis 400K from 2003; no idea if it's the same route this year, though.

http://felixwong.com/news/2003/04/davis-400k-brevet/

[maillotpois]

thanks, Jo. I love Felix's reports and had forgotten about this one. it must be a slightly different route this year as I don't think we get all the way to Cloverdale, just Geyserville.

[jobob]

Yes, felix's website is a real gem, thanks for reminding me about it a few weeks ago.

He used to live in my neck of the woods, and he describes a lot of really good local routes in the "self-supported rides" section.

[roguedog]

Hey long distance weirdos.. uh gals. So I was riding the Cindy this past weekend....

Somewhere around mile 30 (ok, laugh at me) I was getting kinda bored and I thought of you folks. What do you do for your 200ks or 300ks???

Warning.. maybe I do have a bit of ADD or something.. but I was just wondering what you all do or think about or...focus on.. or whatever!

[roguedog]

Hey MP.. go to Cindy's in Davis... if it's still there. I think the bfast is/was better than IHOP. I believe it's off the Chiles Road exit.

http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/vme/cindy's/menu.html


Warning -- my information is um... well let's just say it may be dated. :)

[Veronica]

Somewhere around mile 30 (ok, laugh at me) I was getting kinda bored and I thought of you folks. What do you do for your 200ks or 300ks???



I look at the scenery. I talk to myself. I enjoy the feel of the bike. I fret about the big hill coming up. All of my rides are just 15 minute bits strung together. :p

V.

[maillotpois]

Yeah, I always have plenty to think about. And if there are other riders, you can talk to them. Or I sing. Or play movies in my head. Or talk to the cows. I've really never gotten bored. Tired, yes. Sleepy, yes - and sleepy is worse than tired to me. Sleepy means I need to take a break.

I got sleepy at mile 100 of the 300k last weekend. :rolleyes: Pepsi and V8 are good things.

If you want to see a cool ride map, this is it (but don't grill me on the weather conditions, which were taken from Santa Rosa, 75 miles inland. SK already berated me for them): http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2364500

[SadieKate]

You have to admit it is funny to hear someone complain about horrible winds and then send a chart that shows 12.6 mph max wind speed.

Hey, Veronica! Hey you! Cyndi has a Garmin 60CSx that she's never used. She loaned it to me so I'm going to see if I can get it reved up for Pardee. I may be picking your brains (as in you and Thom). We're going to take it on the Telluride trip.

[Veronica]

That's cool! You can get a car charger for it. Might be handy for charging it at night if the truck is being run for warming water for showers or whatever. I used batteries the whole time in NS. They lasted about two days.

V.

[Trekhawk]

Hey long distance weirdos.. uh gals. So I was riding the Cindy this past weekend....

Somewhere around mile 30 (ok, laugh at me) I was getting kinda bored and I thought of you folks. What do you do for your 200ks or 300ks???

Warning.. maybe I do have a bit of ADD or something.. but I was just wondering what you all do or think about or...focus on.. or whatever!

You talk and talk and talk to the poor person your riding with. Poor Jobob and Leebob.....yep I should be called team chin wag.:o

[Fredwina]

OK, how much climbing is on the davis 400K? I'm debating between that and the Arizona 300K (http://www.azbrevet.com)on the 28th. I think I need back to the midwest....
It looks like Davis is out, I won an FSA K-wing handlebar at a a club drawing, and my LBS is backed up(I needed some other stuff done), and I really didn't try to that distance with a new setup, so I debating between the 300K from Camp Verde to Flagstaff, or the Wildflower(I know , the wildflower will knock me out of the R-12 challenge on Bike Journal, although Bryan G has claim that he will ride with me...:rolleyes:

[SadieKate]

That's cool! You can get a car charger for it. Might be handy for charging it at night if the truck is being run for warming water for showers or whatever. I used batteries the whole time in NS. They lasted about two days.

V.The car charger was in the box. They probably won't run the truck extraneous times because it's 6 days without chance for fuel. Last time, the town of Gateway was closed when we went through so no gas. Solar showers only unless there are a lot of guests which could be mean less water per person. There's a spring fed cattle tank at one camp spot that I have staked out in my mind. All the water for bathing you want as long as you like it just above freezing.:p

[cindysue]

I just mailed in my reg for the Davis 300K brevet in a couple of weeks.

did I miss something? where's the report? How was it? How come I heard nothing about this at Cinderella? I guess this is what I get for selective post reading.

edit - thanks snap for posting the link below :)

[snapdragen]

Here you go cindy - our intrepid long distance girl did file a ride report:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14258

:D :D

[SadieKate]

Moved over to this thread per MP's orders.

I cleaned up the drunken ramblings down in Vacaville. I couldn't handle it.:rolleyes: I also cleaning up a bit of the careenings around Healdsburg just cuz.
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/DBC-2007-400K-return-route-unofficial

I also looked more closely at the route and it looks like Foothill is actually the 4th left but in 2 decades of riding the route I've never noticed Hardesty. Foothill is obviously a major intersection (major for the country) and is 5 miles after you start that gradual downhill from Cantelow.

For Vacaville -

--Come down Cardiac and hang a right at Pardehsa's Store (the 3-way to Lake Solano) and you know this intersection
--Go south for several miles up a false flat with a few rollers. The top will be Cantelow Rd (1st turn to the left).
-- Stay straight and continue several miles on a long slow downhill past 2 more roads to your left.
--4TH rd on your left is Foothill and the biggest intersection of the 4.
--This is the key: once you swoop around at the beginning of Foothill, you will essentially begin a series of turns that always take you east or north. The one exception is the I-80 overpass at Sparling and Pedrick which you know from the Fall 200k.
--Once you're over 1-80, it's the same return route. Stay on Tremont until you run into the T and turn north. Last leg take you right to the finish.

[maillotpois]

Wow, SK listens!

I need to print out all these things about the 400k and pore over them. Just really hoping it doesn't rain. :rolleyes: I really love that this ride is pretty flat. Should be speedier all things considered.

[jobob]

MP & V & SK, did you see the this email from the DBC email list? (I saw it on the list archive)

http://dbclist.org/pipermail/dbc/2007-April/003688.html

Also, someone estimated the elevation with Topo:

http://dbclist.org/pipermail/dbc/2007-April/003687.html

[Veronica]

Yes SK very kindly sent it on to me. :)

V.

[maillotpois]

Ditto - but thanks for being sure we got it!

Rain, rain go away...

[Veronica]

Shhhh... if we keep quiet maybe the clouds won't know...

V.

[SadieKate]

I'm riding in the rain
Just riding in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I ride down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just ridin',
Ridin' in the rain

Thank yew, thank yew very much.:p

[jobob]

eat a cookie.

[maillotpois]

So am I supposed to twirl around a lamppost while on my bike?

[SadieKate]

Otay. I can try the video on my new camera and we can make a movie and set it to music and put it on youtube and everthing.

[jobob]

Here's Kent Peterson's take on the recent Seattle 300K. I really enjoy his reports.

http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2007/04/sir-300k-ride-report.html

[merryn ferguson]

I have no plan. :)

Well actually...

3/31 Solvang Double
4/28 DaMneD - my new name for it!
5/12 Central Coast Double
5/19 Davis Double
6/23 Grand Tour Double
8/5 Mount Tam Double
9/29 - 9/30 Waves to Wine

If DMD goes well I may switch the Grand Tour for Terrible Two.

I was thinking about doing the SF brevet series,up to the 400. The 600 is too close to DMD. But I'm not digging the cold right now. So I'm dragging my heels on sending in a replacement check. Gotta decide this weekend.

Santa Rosa would be fun, since my buds are there. But the 300 conflicts with Solvang and the 400 with DMD. :rolleyes:

V.

Hi Veronica,Im new to this quote thing but have a question to ask you.you do all these doubles and my first will be the grand tour .what sort of saddle do you ride on thanks

[Veronica]

I've actually only done three and attempted a 4th double.

I ride a Brooks Finesse.

V.

[spazzdog]

We're breaking into this broadcast with a spazz-o-stoopid question:

What's a brevet?

What's a permanent (other than a hair process and something many relationships aren't :eek: )?

I DO understand this thread is about long... REALLY long rides, but after reading the whole thing I'm still stooopid-spazz.

:D

P.S. Congrats to all y'all doing this crazy stuff.

[SadieKate]

Some cocktail hour reading.

http://www.rusa.org/faq1.html

MP and I are enjoying a nice Fetzer Gewurtz before I start the pre-ride carboload pasta dinner. Baked ziti with Black Forest ham and sundried tomatoes. Grilled aspergrass on the side. Edamame hors duvers.

Major ****inson coffee so she'll ride like Lance.

[Veronica]

She cannot ride like Lance! She'll get to the rendezvous too early!

V.

[snapdragen]

Maybe she could ride like Lance on a bad day?;)

[spazzdog]

Thank you muchly Madam SadieKate!! Very interesting indeed...

Did not see "permanent" defined though... little help here, you fine little iron butts you :eek:

spazz - who likes her rides like she liked her runs... short and FAST!

[snapdragen]

You didn't look far enough:

A Permanent is like a brevet but you can ride it any time, not just on one specific date. Like brevets, routes can start and finish in the same location, but they can also run point-to-point, and can be any distance of 200km+ (100-199km for a Permanent Populaire). Permanents are open to any RUSA member. They can be ridden alone or with a group.

short 'n slow snap

[jobob]

SK, give MP my very best wishes for a safe and warm (if not dry :( ) day tomorrow !

Fetzer Gewurtz, yummers. You do know how to treat your friends right.

Spazz, keep looking around the RUSA site, they describe permanents in there. You're a smart girl, I know you can find it. :)

[jobob]

V and I are doing a permanent next weekend. :)

[snapdragen]

V and I are doing a permanent next weekend. :)

Y'all have fun with that, m'kay? :D

[snapdragen]

SK, give MP my very best wishes for a safe and warm (if not dry :( ) day tomorrow !


Me too! Me too! Best to MP!

[roadfix]

Good luck to all the long distance girls tomorrow.....especially to those doing the Hemet Double century and the Mulholland Challenge! ....Linda, Mary, Brandy, Karen, et al....:)

[spazzdog]

Thanks y'all for the info... I sped read the RSA link; just missed the permanent part.


Good luck to all, and have a great time!

spazz

[SadieKate]

MP's off! The rain stopped just as she was loading the car. Doppler looks pretty good. She'll be heading west on the yellow squiggle. Send dry thoughts. She was very appreciative of everyone's best wishes which she read over her Peet's and a Noah's Bagels door stop during breakfast.

Signing off to sanely go back to bed.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b310/SadieKate/Davis400kdopplerloop.jpg

[Veronica]

What was she wearing? Was she in AV kit?

V.

[SadieKate]

No AV. I think she took her triple crown jersey but I don't know. She has on black knickers. She'll probably have on her yellow Showers Pass rain jacket. It is continuing to pour here and the band of rain has widened. I sure hope it is tapering as she gets farther west.

Her stars and stripes Colnago will be easy to pick out in the rain.

[Veronica]

All right, so it's okay I don't match! I went for warm and dry and I am definite fashion don't! Fuschia, two shades of orange, burnt red and my pink helmet.

V.

[SadieKate]

1:16 pm email from MP - She's in Calistoga and putting on dry socks "for what that's worth."

[Veronica]

Thom subbing for V:

The rain is about done for V and MP. V stood around about 2 hours waiting for MP to get to Geyserville (who should be arriving any minute). It looks like V won't have to ride in the rain, but the early riders were dirty, dirty from the road spray.

Est finish time is now 1AM+

I better take a nap.

[SadieKate]

Thank you, sir. Though tell them to ride slowly so they stay behind the storm. It's still raining here. The "intermittent thundershowers" is really more "well sometimes there's not as much water falling as others."

Thom subbing for V, do you want some pancakes? :) Yawl are welcome to some. We could even manage an omelet prolly. I'll check the cheese supply.

[SadieKate]

Omelets - we have Bavarian Ham, Havarti, shredded Mexican cheese combo, asparagas, bagels, strawberry shmear, Peet's coffee, hot cider.

MP mentioned coming back and sleeping before eating breakfast, but I think with this weather we need to get everyone fed pretty fast.

V of the hairy legs, if you hear anything when they're close to Davis would you call? Thanks.

[jobob]

And SK, if'n you could let the rest of us know that they arrived back safe & sound, we'd be much obliged.

[SadieKate]

But of course!

Or you can come for breakfast. I just don't know what time it will be served. Best guess is sometime between 1 and 9 am.:p

[spazzdog]

Any more news from our intrepid peddlers?


Am going out with my VERY young neighbor and pals for a few cocktails. I will raise my glass of tequila for V and MP... may make the entire bar sing a toast.

Will check back upon my return.

Sending warm hugs and spazzdog barks!

spazz

p.s. it's "take an old lady out for a drink" nite... a ntional holiday of sorts

[SadieKate]

Woohoo! MP just called from the Vacaville Control!

She sounded chipper and upbeat. Having V along has been good though V balked at the garbage bag fashion, but she hasn't been riding since 6 this morning in almost nonstop rain.

ETA about 1 am as Thom said.

[spazzdog]

Hope the grrls got in happy and safe!

Sweet (warm and dry) dreams to V an MP.

spazz

[crazycanuck]

Hey,

I hope you loverly ladies are now warm & dry :) Congrats on your ride:)

How are the pancakes? Did you have a nice warmmmmmm shower?

C

[maillotpois]

well, this ride would not have been possible without sk and bubba and it wouldn't have been FUN without v the last half. I am clean and warm in bed at casa sk after 3 hours sleep where I didn't move at all.

ride report will follow. the short version - it rained til mile 80, stiff headwind to mile 130 where V met me, lovely fast rollers through mile 150, then hills and more rain to mile 200 where it was also getting cold and I changed my "look" to the popular Hefty trash sack. then a last 50 miles of cold rollers and flat roads in the dark.

weather has an impact: ride time from calistoga to geyserville was 45 min slower than on the way back because of wind - but thank heaven it was a tail wind.

3 whopping hrs sleep - feel much more rested than on the last 200 of the 600k last year. NO I am not doing another 200k today :rolleyes:

coffee and pancakes!!!

[snapdragen]

Ah, the ever so fashionalbe Hefty trash bag! We had a number of those yesterday at Tierra Bella. Add a touch of duct tape to make it ever so chic!;)

Good job! Enjoy the pancakes!

[Veronica]

I have a picture - even if it's a horrible due to lighting and exposure I may just have to post it anyway. :p

V.

[jobob]

Great job, both of you! :cool: Your tenacity is awe-inspiring.

MP, you are a goddess. I'm glad you took SK up on the offer of warm bed and pancakes.

[spazzdog]

Way to go grrls!!

da spazz is soooo pwoud of youse.

[Trekhawk]

well, this ride would not have been possible without sk and bubba and it wouldn't have been FUN without v the last half. I am clean and warm in bed at casa sk after 3 hours sleep where I didn't move at all.

ride report will follow. the short version - it rained til mile 80, stiff headwind to mile 130 where V met me, lovely fast rollers through mile 150, then hills and more rain to mile 200 where it was also getting cold and I changed my "look" to the popular Hefty trash sack. then a last 50 miles of cold rollers and flat roads in the dark.

weather has an impact: ride time from calistoga to geyserville was 45 min slower than on the way back because of wind - but thank heaven it was a tail wind.

3 whopping hrs sleep - feel much more rested than on the last 200 of the 600k last year. NO I am not doing another 200k today :rolleyes:

coffee and pancakes!!!

CONGRATULATIONS MP!!!!
I knew you would do fine even with the horrendous conditions. What a legend.:D

[roguedog]

Wow.. awesome MP..

I was thinking of you long distance girls as I was peddling my wimpy 37 miles yesterday in the rain. You guys are an inspiration to the rest of us.. or at least to me. I prob will never do that length esp in the middle of the night.. while it's pouring down rain.

My friend thought I was crazy for even considering continuing on the 100k. That's cuz I kept thinking you LDG (long distance girls.. hey you should make your own jerseys :)) wouldn't cut it short. But it the end I joined her (and looks like most of the other Tierra Bella riders) to huddle in the registration area with warm food and to change into the only piece of warm clothing we had.

Thanks for the inspiration. And congrats on the finish.

Now go to bed :)

[yellow]

OK, I just read the latter parts of this thread...I had no idea all this was going on!

Good job, ladies! No way I would have ridden in that, FWR* that I am!

(*Fair Weather Rider, or Fully Wimpy Rider)

[maillotpois]

Whee !!

My plan is much less impressive, but still pretty ambitious for me ...

DBC 100k Populaire (informal) Sun, Jan. 14th
Santa Rosa CC 200k Brevet Sat, Mar. 3rd
Party Pardee Metric Century Sat, April 7th
Bike Around the Buttes century Sat, April 14th
SLO Wildflower Century Sat, April 28th
Wine Country Century Sat, May 5th
Marin Century Sat, Aug. 4
Holstein Hundred Sat, Aug. 18th
Siskiyou Century (early Sept?)
Waves to Wine Sept. 29-30

I was toying with trying for an R-12, which is a 200K + brevet or permanent for 12 consecutive months, but the logistics for that are pretty daunting, plus it looks like the N. California region has hardly any permanents.



Hmmm....

I'm thinking you need to update this Ms. JoBOB...

;)

[jobob]

hee hee hee

[Brandy]

My final spring event is on Saturday...Eastern Sierra Double!

[maillotpois]

Have fun at ESDC, V and Brandy! It's a great ride. Wish I were going. I'll be doing the "Terrible One" (the second half of the Terrible Two) with the Death Ride team.

Time to look over the calendar and decide what's up for the rest of the year...

[kjay]

I have a picture - even if it's a horrible due to lighting and exposure I may just have to post it anyway. :p

V.



Veronica, even though I don't know you or anyone on your web site, I sure enjoyed all your photos! The scenery on the May ride is fantastic. You also have a superb site! Thanks very much!

kjay

[Veronica]

Thanks kjay.

I'm sure there will be more photos after next weekend if ES is half as beautiful as MP says it is. :p

V.

[Brandy]

I didn't realize that you would be at ESDC Veronica! I hope that I get a chance to meet you!

[Veronica]

I'll be wearing my Amici Veloci jersey. Although if it's cold in the morning you won't be able to see it. :)

Where are you guys staying? We're at the Holiday Inn Express.

V.

[maillotpois]

I do expect a LOT of pictures! The Eastern Sierras are one of my favorite places.

~~~~~~

So I am re-visiting my plans for the year and making some changes. Below is what I set out at the beginning of the year. Notes and changes are in red:


DBC 100k Populaire (informal) Sun, Jan. 14th - Done!
Santa Rosa CC 200k Brevet Sat, Mar. 3rd - Done!
Santa Rosa Cycling Club 300k brevet Sat, Mar. 31st - Done!
Santa Rosa Cycling Club 400k brevet Sat, Apr. 28th - Sun, Apr. 29th - Did the Davis 400k instead, April 15
Added: Devil Mountain Double, April 28
Wine Country Double Metric Sat, May. 5th - Done!
Davis Double Sat, May. 19th - Done!
Santa Rosa Cycling Club 600k brevet Sat, May. 26th - Sun, May. 27th- Skipped this one....
The Death Ride Sat, Jul. 14th
Mt Tam Double Sat Aug 4
Holstein Hundred Sat Aug. 18th
Knoxville September 29
Grizzly Century - October 6
(MAYBE) Bass Lake double - Doubtful!
Solvang Fall Double Oct 20
El Tour de Tucson Nov 20

I've also committed to driving a SAG car for the TT.

[Veronica]

Knoxville's date is changed. It is now 9/29. Unless you're doing the staff ride, which I think will be 9/22.

V.

[maillotpois]

Thanks - I had the date right in the calendar, but I don't think I knew it when I did my original post which I cut and pasted. Shooting for the gold 1000 mile club this year. We'll see. After last year I almost hate to plan anything too far in advance. :rolleyes:

[aka_kim]

Veronica - Jesse will be manning one of the rest stops, and stocking your favorite beverage. I think he said it's at mile 140 (??).

Ooh, I just looked at the web site - the ESDC jersey is beyootiful.

[Brandy]

I'll be wearing my Amici Veloci jersey. Although if it's cold in the morning you won't be able to see it. :)

Where are you guys staying? We're at the Holiday Inn Express.

V.

We're on the budget plan...aka...staying with friends in Mammoth! :D Hopefully I'll be wearing a new jersey (the same one the our riders will wear for RAAM) IF Champ-Sys gets our order to us as promised this week. It's primarily grey and orange.

[jobob]

veering just a leetle off topic ...

Hey Brandy, I was just looking at your RAAM blog - glad to see you have the crew all set. It should be an amazing experience!

[Brandy]

Thank you! It is such a relief to have that out of the way. It was the most challenging part of the planning for me (of course, I wasn't the money guy...lol) and I reached some serious moments of stress where I wondered if we would be able to pull it together! It's going to be an amazing adventure and the fact that we found 11 other people who were able/willing to join us, well...forever indebted, we will be!

Be sure to keep up with us when we're on the road. I promise, the blog will get much more exciting once pictures are being snapped and the trials and tribulations of the race begin!

[maillotpois]

Jo - I don't think RAAM is at all off topic. The title of this thread is "Long Distance" after all - and I can't imagine anything longer than RAAM!! :p

Brandy - very cool about the crew being set. I think crewing for something like RAAM is almost as tough an endurance event as riding it. I was intgiued to read that your team is a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society sponsor. Very cool! I've been involved with TNT for the LLSA since 1999. Great cause.

I'll be eager to read your blogs and our other RAAM bound friend's as well. At this point, it'll be almost as much fun as the Tour de France. Fewer doping scandals at least. :rolleyes:

[snapdragen]

Can I add my friend's RAAM team to the mix? Team2Cure HD (http://www.team2curehd.50megs.com/2007/team/team_2007.html)

We keep this up we're liable to discover we know just about every team in RAAM.....

[Brandy]

Okay...here's my ESDC report, just copied and pasted from Bike Forums. I'll add that I did see Veronica. I had my eyes peeled for an Amici Veloci jersey all day and I saw it as I was climbing out of lunch. I yelled...did you hear me Veronica??? :p

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We got a late start out of Orange County on Friday and sat in horrendous traffic on the 91 and the 15...that totally sucked! We arrived in Bishop just after the check in ended. Luckily while I was searching for ice later that night, Deb was down there cleaning up after the volunteer meeting and offered to check us in. :) We woke up at 4:00 a.m., got ready (including dragging all of the luggage down to the car because we were staying in Mammoth Saturday night) and went to the start at the front of the hotel.

I kissed George goodbye and waited a few minutes to roll out when there was a break in the pack and was on my way. A few miles into the ride I look to my left and there is jpconrad...then scootcore and vmac and danteb. :D Nice to see some familiar faces in a sea of riders! I rode with them for awhile, then as the group started spreading out, I put on my iPod and went out on my own. As I was riding I recognized a girl that I had seen at the Breathless and Heartbreak finishes, so I decided to chat her up. We rode together and talked for awhile until I caught up to maddmike, who I rode with for awhile too. The day would go on like this...riding with Michelle and her fiancee Josh, then with Mike, then alone, then all four of us. It was nice to have the company when it was there, but I don't feel that any of us ever felt the obligation to stick together for the whole ride.

At the first rest stop a guy from OC Velo approached me and asked if I was in their club. I said that I had ridden with them before and he asked if I wanted to ride with them. I told him that I usually ride these alone, but thanks...and left. Up the road a bit they caught up to me in a paceline and he opened a gap and told me to hop in. I warned him that I'd probably jump out when the climbing really started, and not to worry or be surprised...I just prefer to climb alone. On Sherwin Grade I started talking to a couple on a tandem, which was probably the smartest thing I could have done. Tandems obviously climb much more slowly than singles and at the pace we were going, this climb was nothing and I felt great for the first 2/3 of it. Mike caught up to me just at the point that they were really slowing down so I took off with him and then enjoyed a great descent.

Before the second stop the couple Michelle and Josh passed me, so I worked to catch up to them again and we rode together into the second stop. There I introduced myself to some Bullshifters since they're manning the RAAM time station in Congress, Az. We left there and again I found myself alternating between riding partners, enjoying whomever I was with at the moment. On the Mammoth Scenic Loop I went ahead of Michelle and Josh on the descent and I see Timmer's SAG vehicle approaching. I remember thinking "oh, there's Timmer again!"...he had already passed and cheered me on several times earlier on the route and I always felt great when I saw him...I definitely felt like there was someone watching out for me out there yesterday. So I'm enjoying the descent when he pulls alongside me and as I mentioned in my previous post...I realize that George is in the car. Since he didn't appear to be sick, I knew he had crashed...yet all he said was that he would talk to me in a few minutes. That was the longest few minutes...not knowing exactly what had happened really sucked. :( Just before the turn onto the 395, Timmer flagged me down to pull over. On first glance George didn't look that bad and he told me right away that he was okay. He had ice on his knee which was very swollen. Michelle and Josh had rolled up at that point, she was having trouble with her shifting and Timmer fiddled with it a little. George told me to roll with them, so I took off.

From that point forward, my head just wasn't in the game and I was VERY happy to have company for most of the ride. I just couldn't concentrate, wondering how George was doing. It wasn't until after the lunch stop that Timmer flagged me down again, telling me that George was okay, though I wasn't sure I believed him...at the time I was just thinking that George would have said that so I wouldn't get off the bike. He let me know that George had planned to double back on the course to cheer me on, so I had that to look forward to. On the section before the turnoff to Benton, there were horrible cross and headwinds. I got a burst of energy once I turned on the iPod and took off, leaving a group of four or five that I had been riding with. One guy followed and we ended up trading pulls until the turnoff, thankfully! We turned onto 120 and he wanted to wait for his friend, but I just wanted to get going, so I took off. This section was the best...aside from the beautiful climbs during the first part of the ride, this was my favorite. Fast, fast, fast and fun. I was all alone and then the descent was great. Lynn and Eric passed me in his truck and she waved, I always love seeing her face! Up ahead I finally saw Josh and Michelle who I hadn't seen since I slogged out of the lunch stop. I was feeling great physically at this point, so I quickly closed the gap and started riding with them...and then...

F*ck, F*ck, F*ck were the only words Michelle and I could muster during the next section...lol. Some of the rollers were steep and starting to hurt. Oh...and for the second time during the ride, I spit on myself. This time it was a bright yellow Gatorade colored loogie that stuck to my shoe, about a minute before Eric snapped my picture. I had thought about unclipping and trying to shake it off, but figured that I'd fall over since I was climbing...wonder if it will show up in the picture?!?!? :roflmao: Just after the photo spot, Doug Patterson was pulled over with water...what a welcome sight!!! Oh...and ice too...even better!!! I have to give Planet Ultra props for having these extra water/ice stops on their rides. For me at least, they always seem to come just when I need them the most. Back on the bike, there was more cursing the damn rollers, which were really hurting...and then finally...a descent...YAY...and another fast section that we could hammer.

Next thing I knew we were at Sagehen Summit and I look up to see both lightning in the sky and George behind the table! After hugs and reassurance that he really was okay (though he was limping pretty severely at this point) he offered me a soda, some chips and filled my bottles for me. :) It was so nice to see his smiling face there. :) We rolled out of this stop in an attempt to beat or get out of this thunderstorm, but no luck. We rode right into it, so in addition to the incredibly jarring expansion joints, we were being pelted by raindrops that felt more like hail. I have no love for expansion joints, let me tell you. :p There were more rollers before a fun descent (where we were yelled at by a lovely man from Nevada who told us we were being "dangerous" though we were probably descending faster than he should have been driving) and then pulling up to the rest stop...just as George reached us!

At this stop I was pleased to realize that instead of 200 miles, this ride was just over 192...YAY! I just really wanted to be done. The first six or so miles went by quickly and then...motherf*cking wind. Just before it picked up I started feeling great and was thrilled to be almost done. I pulled away from Michelle and Josh and was on my own. As the winds grew stronger I slowed down more and more and more. George was leapfrogging at this point, cheering me on...something I really needed. At a point that I was totally near losing it, he told me that Michelle and Josh weren't far back and to just slow down and conserve some energy, let them catch me and ride with them. I did that and the small draft I caught behind them allowed me to recover enough to keep their pace. We all suffered in this section...Michelle was really hurting. I went to the front to pull, but she's not comfortable drafting yet, so she would fall back, we'd slow for her and then ride together. At some point George pulled alongside and told me that we had 20-something minutes to make sub-14:00. At that point, we all simply wanted to finish, the winds were awful and I was still really struggling. I had told Michelle that we would go in together and claim the same time, whatever that may be...as much as we were all hurting, we had to stick together at that point.

Finally we make it to the junction at the 395, and once we were out of the wind we kicked it into high gear, unsure of the time...but hoping, hoping, hoping we could still make sub-14:00. <~~~see...George was right, we really did care. :roflmao: We haul *** to the hotel, roll up and I ask Sean (wanderingwheel) to hold my bike as I race to the door and Sh*t!!! You can't wear cycling shoes in the hotel...ugh. Deb yells out, "I've got you Brandy" so I yell back "I came in with Michelle...she gets the same time as me!" Deb yells "what's her last name?" :roflmao: Anyway...we all claimed the same time which was...

13:59!!!

George was sitting in there waiting for me and I was just so glad to be done and back with him. He was right, though I made him bring lights for me, I'm happy to say that I didn't need them! So that's it...Triple Crown wrapped up and two weekends in a row I've met my major cycling goals for the year. Now it's on to the final prep week for RAAM!


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/529149738_28008ba6c7.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/529260225_0d84b046f3.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1040/529260229_03d1841d21.jpg

[Brandy]

Veronica - Jesse will be manning one of the rest stops, and stocking your favorite beverage. I think he said it's at mile 140 (??).

Ooh, I just looked at the web site - the ESDC jersey is beyootiful.


Was that the Sagehern Summit stop? George was there waiting for me and helping out after he crashed.

[jobob]

Excccelent ! :cool:

[crazycanuck]

Coolio Brandy!

Gee, I wish Western Australia had such nice scenery in the countryside! I'll pass on riding through the mountains though :o (hill weenie)

I've bookmarked your RAAM site & shall follow as best I can.

Good luck!

C

[Brandy]

Believe me...I wish that so Cal had that scenery too! The Eastern Sierras are just breathtaking, it was such a treat to be up there and I already want to go back. It's about a 6 hour drive from here...not too bad, but I definitely want to stay longer next time.

Before we came home today we drove up two of the climbs that are on Everest Challenge (http://everestchallenge.com/) and HOLY CRAP...:eek: :eek: :eek: It was Pine Creek and Glacier Lodge...the climbing up there is just unbelievable.

[Veronica]

Congrats on the Triple Crown!


Okay...here's my ESDC report, just copied and pasted from Bike Forums. I'll add that I did see Veronica. I had my eyes peeled for an Amici Veloci jersey all day and I saw it as I was climbing out of lunch. I yelled...did you hear me Veronica??? :p


Yes, I did hear you. :) That was actually pretty cool. I'm still working on my ride report. The working title is "F*ck, this sucks!" Elevation is not my friend. That's why I'm up at 2 AM drinking more water!

As we were driving home yesterday Thom (he was a SAG driver) was telling me that someone had crashed and his girlfriend had been pretty worried. I was hoping it wasn't George. :( Is he and his bike going to be all right for RAAM?

V.

[Brandy]

Congrats on the Triple Crown!



Yes, I did hear you. :) That was actually pretty cool. I'm still working on my ride report. The working title is "F*ck, this sucks!" Elevation is not my friend. That's why I'm up at 2 AM drinking more water!

As we were driving home yesterday Thom (he was a SAG driver) was telling me that someone had crashed and his girlfriend had been pretty worried. I was hoping it wasn't George. :( Is he and his bike going to be all right for RAAM?

V.
Thank you!!! I was so distracted after all of that happened that I didn't realize until the next morning that I'd gotten my Triple Crown...lol.

I think that's the perfect title Veronica. I was/am still so dehydrated, I just feel like every bit of moisture has been sucked out of my body. That last section from Benton really did me in. I would take a drink and my mouth and throat would be dry before I could re-cage the bottle. Ugh.

Yes, that was George. :( I was very worried, it's hard to ride another 120 miles once you have that in your head. He'll be okay, he didn't hurt nearly as much yesterday and he's icing it. The handlebars were sheared and there's a scratch on the headtube...this was his BRAND NEW Cervelo Soloist Carbon, by the way. The one he bought specifically for RAAM. He'll get it fixed this week. Check out the pictures, it could have been MUCH worse. He hit a snow stake and luckily the handlebars took the impact.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclemama/sets/72157600306668476/show/

[jobob]

Oh, and to think, I'm planning on doing a double at the end of October with about the same amount of climbing ...

hoo boy :D

[Brandy]

Oh, and to think, I'm planning on doing a double at the end of October with about the same amount of climbing ...

hoo boy :D

You'll do great! That amount of climbing on a double century, in my opinion, is not too horrible. Now the winds...they're another story. :mad:

[aka_kim]

The working title is "F*ck, this sucks!"My, my, you long distance girls have such potty mouths :p, but such great stories!

[Veronica]

Jo, Solvang will be easier. Central Coast and Tam were both easier than ES. You'll be fine.

Brandy did George really fall asleep while climbing?

V.

[jobob]

Ah, I was hoping you'd say that !

jo "I'll believe anything" bob

[Brandy]

Brandy did George really fall asleep while climbing?

V.

He was just done descending Mammoth Scenic Loop, about 1/4 mile from the turn-off onto 395. Yes, he was nodding off. He had stopped twice to shake it out and he was thinking he would just stop as soon as the descent was over. :(

[Veronica]

It was the elevation and lack of humidity. The humidity was only in the teens most of the day. I think I would have liked to get rained on. :p It just sucked me dry, literally.

I've been drinking and eating like crazy and I'm still down two pounds since Friday morning.

V.

[Veronica]

Well, I'm relieved he sounds like he'll be okay. I'll look at the pics when I get home. Stupid blocking software at work...

I SO wish I could have taken today off!

V.

[maillotpois]

congrats to both of you for finishing, and congrats on the triple crown, Brandy!!

[maillotpois]

I am looking forward to reading V's ride report from this. Brandy, it sounds like you had a good ride - more or less! :rolleyes: I sure hope George is okay.

I just went and re-read my report from ESDC last year. I remember struggling (gastro-intestinally) from the altitude, which is often typical for me. But it was REALLY creepy to notice that I wrote about having chest pain. This was after months of struggling with breathing problems, and three weeks before I was admitted to the hospital. (It was also BEFORE I took that cross-country flight, and it tells me that as I suspected, I had those stupid pulmonary emboli coming on for several months that whole year - after I started taking the BC in February. They weren't just brought on by the flight.)

Yowza. Glad to be here.

[Veronica]

I reread your report several times last week in preparation for the ride and the part about the chest pains was creepy.

I'm really glad you're still with us.

V.

[Brandy]

Thanks MP! I too re-read your report, that is scary and I'm glad that you are okay!

As for those expansion joints...people tried to tell me that they weren't as bad as you described. Uh uh...your description was dead-on. In fact, three of us from BF had stuff rattle loose or fall off...a light for me, part of a pump for another guy and one guy's Garmin flew off and almost went in the cattle guard.

Expansion joints are the devil. :mad:

[maillotpois]

Thanks, guys.

Yeah - on those expansion joints, I included a photo of them in my ride report that was taken purely by accident. (I think I was taking out the camera to take a pic of the donkeys and pushed the shutter button by accident.) So it's not a great photo, but the fact that you can see my (SIZE 11 :eek: ) foot is smaller than the joints proves that they were huge. And a huge PITA!!

Glad none of you had a run in with bees.... :rolleyes: But it sounds like you didn't see any donkeys, so you missed out! :p

Brandy, your photos are great.

I wish I could have done the ride this year. I was off doing "The Terrible One" with the Death Ride team. Maybe next year, I'll plan the schedule around this. Expansion joints ... maybe not. :rolleyes:

[Brandy]

Veronica...you're slacking on your ride report. Hurry up, I've been checking back all day! :p

[maillotpois]

:p me too!

[Veronica]

I had to work today. I suppose I could have told my class to sit quietly while I wrote. :p

I did use my Central Coast write up in my class as an example of what revising really means.

I'll get right on it.

V.

[Brandy]

I had to work today. I suppose I could have told my class to sit quietly while I wrote. :p

I did use my Central Coast write up in my class as an example of what revising really means.

I'll get right on it.

V.

Oh, it's the end of the school year...isn't it time for them to slack off anyway? :p Okay, okay...I'll be waiting...patiently. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/BrandyMama/tapfoot.gif ;) :D

[Veronica]

I've gotten as far as that valley after Old Sherwin. I'm taking a break though to go feed my neighbors' cat.

V.

[tprevost]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1010/529149738_28008ba6c7.jpg



Great Job B.... and you look so adorable in your pics!!! :p

[tprevost]

It was the elevation and lack of humidity. The humidity was only in the teens most of the day. I think I would have liked to get rained on. :p It just sucked me dry, literally.

I've been drinking and eating like crazy and I'm still down two pounds since Friday morning.

V.

Great Job to you too Veronica! I'm looking forward to reading your report! :cool:

[Brandy]

Great Job B.... and you look so adorable in your pics!!! :p

Thanks Trac'! It's rare to find a picture of me riding these days, so I was thankful that Mike was quite the shutterbug that day. :)

[tprevost]

Thanks Trac'! It's rare to find a picture of me riding these days, so I was thankful that Mike was quite the shutterbug that day. :)

all of them were great! ;)

[Fredwina]

But congrats all!
Drifting off (or on?) topic, I'm going to be doing an RUSA permanent in 2 weeks! only 200K, though:rolleyes:

[Brandy]

She was sneaky and posted it in Adventure Stories. :cool: The link is in her sig...great report Veronica!