My fun cycling getaway weekend
About two weeks ago, I concluded that I could use a weekend away by myself. I like to travel alone and haven't since February of 2007. I had seen a thread on another forum about a century just south of Nashville, Tennessee called the Harpeth River Ride that looked doable. I rode in that general area during BRAT last year and really enjoyed it. So, with an eye toward the forecast, I made my plans.
Here are the highlights.
I stayed in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville with a very quaint historic downtown. I didn't stay downtown, but would consider it for next year. I stayed, instead, at a Hampton Inn with the most inviting Kingsize bed. I slept like a baby. Franklin, while full of stripmalls, was very nice and easy to navigate. I had a lovely dinner on Friday at a Thai restaurant.
On Saturday, I got up at the crack of dawn, which was easy enough because of the time difference between Indiana and Tennessee. The ride started about 15 miles away. I had plans to meet up with a guy from another cycling forum who's a professor from Vanderbilt. Even though the crowd for the ride was pretty big, I managed to spot him. He then introduced me to another friend of his, a woman about my age (or a bit younger) and another forum regular--a guy who lives in Paris and is the equivalent of a Cat 3 racer there. Everyone was very nice. I rode with the Professor and his friend for the first 42 miles, before the metric and century routes split.
The route was very nice. The roads in Tennessee are, by and large, in great shape. There were handful of hills on the ride, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be--certainly no worse than the hills I ride in Southern Indiana. The heat and humidity took some getting used to, though. My body is still trying to acclimate to it.
I generally felt really good, but my right foot was causing me all sorts of problems. In addition to my usual hot spot, my shoe started to feel really tight in the toe box, so much so that I had a blister on the tip of my big toe by the end. My shoes fit just fine in cooler weather, but it looks like they may be too small in the heat. I was in agony at times, and I don't use that word loosely. I'm calling my fitter tomorrow to see what he thinks.
I met some nice people along the century route. There was a small group of us that kept bumping into one another on the road and at the stops. The ride itself was incredibly well supported. The stops had good (real) food, the SAG support was very well coordinated, and everyone was exceedingly friendly and helpful. I would do it again.
On Saturday, after laying prone on my awesome bed for a bit, I grabbed some dinner and then strolled through downtown. Many of the shops were closed, but it was still a very nice evening.
On Sunday, I drove to the Natchez Trace Parkway with the intent of riding about 40 miles before heading home. I parked near milepost 436 (just south of the double arch bridge for those familiar with the area) and rode south from there. The Parkway makes for some lovely riding, especially on that particular stretch which has some nice rollers to keep it interesting. I saw lots of wild turkeys, including two babies with their mom. There were few cars but any number of other cyclists. In the cool of the morning, it was just very Zen!
While I was stopped for a moment on the side of the road, another woman cyclist stopped and asked if I was okay. I recognized her and her beautiful Moots from the day before so we started chatting. It turns out that she's doing BRAT too this year, grew up in Evansville, Indiana and has family in Indianapolis. How fortuitous! She was very nice and I look forward to riding with her come September.
My foot starting bothering me again a bit but I was back to my car before it got too bad. After a brief stop at some shops located just off the Parkway's terminus, I started the drive home, happy as a clam!
Anyway, I know as adventures go, this one was pretty tame, but it was nevertheless great to do something more or less on my own. It's even better to know that when you travel as a cyclist, you're bound to make new friends. I love that!
