BRAT: I think I've bitten off more than I can chew

[slmdunc]

Okay... you can't NOT do it.

Look at your signature quote!:

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

--Mary Anne Radmacher

Good luck to you!

[indysteel]

I'm home and happy to report that I survived BRAT 2007. As Dirt Diva suggested, it feels darn good to say that I did it. I did about 380 miles in 6 days of riding. I'm not sure how much climbing was involved, but it felt like plenty! Overall, I'd say the ride was challenging but very doable. No one day was that hard. Rather, it was the cumulative effect of riding hard each day that wore me out. That said, I felt great on Friday--the day I was most worried about. Elevation profiles can be, as I learned on this trip, disceiving. I think I'll avoid looking very closely at them next time.

The tour itself is pretty nice, although I do think there are a few kinks to work out. There were a little less than 300 people and it rarely ever felt all that crowded. We spent the first night in a park in downtown Nashville. It was a bit noisy even at night, and I don't think any of us slept well. It took a while that first day of riding to get out of the city and suburbs. I could have done without that part of the ride.

After that, however, most of the tour took us through rural and small town Tennessee. Most of the people we encountered were very friendly, although a motorist shot one of the riders with a pellet gun. That was the only "ugliness" that we encountered. Some of the routes took us on busier roads/highways than I'm used to traveling. Most of them had a wide shoulder, but I didn't like that much all the same. That said, the roads themselves were great with just a few minor exceptions. They don't have the freeze/thaw cycle that we have in Indiana, so the pavement was much nicer. We encountered a number of loose dogs as you might imagine. I HATE loose dogs, so I was always a little on guard. One of the riders got bit and had to call the sheriff to file a report.

The routes were exceedingly well marked and my hat goes off to the organizers for that. Park Service rangers escorted us much of the way, which was very nice. The SAGs though were a head scratcher. BRAT's philosphy is that they won't provide food at SAGs or SAGS at all if there are "nearby" stores and gas stations. We often encountered a number of SAG stops--often with only water, Gatorade and limited (if any) food early in each day's ride. From there, you could go 30 miles without seeing another stop. So, you had to really pay attention to the stores indicated on the cue sheet to know when to stop and refuel on your own. I always carry some food anyway, but I started carrying more as the week progressed. I usually had enough water to get from stop to stop, but almost ran out on Friday.

I understand their desire to support local shops, but regular spaced SAGS would have been nice, too. It's hard to keep going sometimes, even when the nearest gas station is only a couple of miles up the road. I think a number of complaints were made to the ride coordinator, but they may have fallen on deaf ears in part because some of the riders took out their frustration on the Park Service rangers who manned the SAGs. That clearly was uncalled for, but I think the complaint was valid all the same.

Tuesday was a layover day and we took a day trip to Lynchburg. We toured the Jack Daniels Distillery and then ate at a cute coffee shop in town. That afternoon's riding was the only time that I kind of lost it. My legs had gotten rather stiff from being off the bike for a few hours and the day had gotten rather hot. After lunch, we hit some long hills with extended steep grades. I found myself really struggling and had to walk my bike twice. I was rather irritated with myself for having "given up," but I just didn't have it in me.

From there, however, I did okay. On Wednesday, we climbed the Cumberland Plateau near the TN, GA, AL border and it was a lovely ride. The climb itself was about 4 miles with about a 7% average grade. I had a blast doing that. We don't have climbs that long in my neck of the woods. And the 4-mile descent was equally fun. On Thursday and Friday, the Cumberland Plateau was the backdrop for most of the days' riding. I shed a few tears in spots because it was just so lovely. I knew then that the trip had been a success.

I met some really nice people along the way. I went down there with someone from home that I knew only marginally. His wife had decided not to go, so we drove down together. We ended up becoming good friends I think and had some really interesting conversations. He's an incredibly strong climber. So, while we started each day together, he often ended up far ahead of me. We also rode most of the week with a man we met from North Carolina. He's also a stronger climber than me, but he was always willing to hang back so that I didn't ride alone. Truthfully, I often would have rather been on my own so I sometimes had to purposely hang back to shake either or both of them. If I had to redo the ride, I would have tried harder to ride at my own pace, even if it meant riding alone. For one, it was easier to enjoy the scenery when I wasn't looking at someone's back wheel. For another, I felt like I had to "perform" when they were around.

I used a "pampered camper" service on the ride and, despite some cons, would probably do that again. It was nice to come into camp with my tent already set up and a fresh clean towel, snacks and drinks waiting for me and to not have to worry about taking it down each morning. Bubba, the man who runs the service, was very helpful. Just the shade tent alone that he sets up at each camp was worth some money as our camp was often in full sun. That said, I had no control over where my tent was set up and I spent two days way too close to the camp bathrooms. I had to listen to the toilet flush throughout the night. Nevertheless, I actually slept better than I thought I would. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but it was plentiful if nothing else. Too plentiful in fact. I likely ate far more than I needed to.

I plan on doing BRAT again. Next year's is in the mountains. I'm hopefully going to use that as next summer's training goal!

Thanks for all the encouragement and for sharin' the ride!

Kate

[Mr. Bloom]

Glad you do it

Great report! Congrats

[DirtDiva]

Well done you!

[SouthernBelle]

Glad all went well. I wanted to come over to Cedar Forrest on Friday, but was having one of those days.

[makbike]

Sounds like you had a great time. Tennessee is such a beautiful state. My parents live on the Cumberland River and I look forward to my trips home for they are surrounded by come beautiful countryside.

[Trekhawk]

Congratulations and thanks for posting your ride report.