Old Kentucky Home Tour 2007
Well I have another OKHT in my bag. It was a great ride again this year. I rode with my older brother and his son yesterday. At the 70 mile mark it was decided we would go for the century but would take an alternate route around Pottershop Hills. A rider from another club had posted earlier in the week that Pottershop was under construction and was covered in cinders of some sort. We fueled up at the 80 mile SAG and left my nephew waiting for a ride into town. His knees were bothering him and the he decided not to take any chances the last 20 miles (all hills). The alternate route my brother knew of proved to be very hilly but nothing compared to Pottershop so I was relieved though very tired by the time we pulled into the hotel parking lot.
The weather forecasters in the area had predicted rain (70%) yesterday and I kept a close eye on the sky most of the ride. It did not cloud over until the last 20 miles or so and by then it was a welcome relief from the sun and heat. Just as we arrived at our hotel the skies began to spit rain - perfect timing.
The catered meal was okay - not sure BQ is the best thing to serve but it was tastey. I was grateful this year that I had booked a room in a local hotel for the forecasters promised rain by day break and they were right. It was a great day on the bike - I logged 104.32 miles, averaged 16.0 mph and enjoyed the sights and sounds of rural Kentucky.
We woke this morning to a gentle rain but it too stopped by the time we departed Bardstown for Louisville. At a blistering pace we made our way to the first SAG stop. Lines were long for food, drink and the potties so we left to strains of conversations about the down pour that was chasing us from Bardstown. The pace picked up and my brother and nephew quickly dropped me about the time the skies opened up on us. From that point on we basically rode in a gentle to heavy rain until arriving in Louisville. Just before the famous cookie stop my rear brake cable popped leaving me with no rear brakes. I had made it a point to take my bike in two weeks ago for a general overhaul (hubs and BB lubed and inspected, brakes adjusted, etc). Unfortunately I had to take my bike back last week because it was not shifting properly and then today the cable came loose leaving me with only my front brakes. When I arrived at the cookie stop my brother took a look at it but could not figure out how to fix it and he joked about my mechanic (exBF). Though I do not wish any contact with my ex he was also at the cookie stop and I swallowed my pride and asked him to take a look to see it things could be fixed. He (ex) was able to put things back in place and sent me on my way. The rest of the trip was uneventful but very hilly and my legs were starting to talk to me. As we climbed the last long hill to to the final SAG I knew I was in good shape and this ride would turn out to be a good one for me. In the end I logged 55.8 miles today and averaged 16.6 mph. I was glad to pull into the parking log, find my bag and get into some dry clothes. It was not the best day to ride given the weather but the rain did offer some relief from the heat and we did not have a headwind to fight today like we did yesterday. It was overal a great OKHT this year and I'm looking forward to repeating the fun next year.
