Research Trailer Park Bicycle, Bike, Randonneur, Randonneuring Brevets

Phun Physiology: Post-Exercise Consumption of Caffeine-Carbohydrate Combo Speeds Muscle Glycogen Re-synthesis, by Dean Furbish

2008-10-05T18:44:00.006-04:00

There is something new in our understanding of the effects of caffeine on athletic performance!

Caffeine intake after exercise in addition to carbohydrate consumption boosts the rate of muscle glycogen re-synthesis, thereby speeding recovery, according to a team of Australian researchers. Muscles store energy in the form of glycogen for future use. The application of this knowledge would provide endurance athletes who compete on successive days an obvious advantage.

The article which appeared in the Journal of Applied Physiology in June 2008 indicates that subjects who consumed both carbohydrates and caffeine after exhaustive exercise rebuilt 66% more new muscle glycogen than subjects who consumed just carbohydrate and no caffeine. The dramatic effect was seen after only four hours of recovery.

Our readers know that writers here at RTP have unabashedly extolled the virtues of caffeine. We’ve known for some time based on hundreds of studies that caffeine can boost athletic performance. Thus the pre-ride cup of coffee and the caffeinated gels and other fixes during the ride. Now, thanks to our Aussie friends, we have one more reason to continue celebrating caffeine even after the ride. And that ain’t no hill of beans!

As with most scientific studies, there are some caveats. Obviously, some people do not tolerate caffeine. Additionally, the dosage—8mg caffeine/kg body wt—amounts to the equivalent of five cups of coffee for an “average-size” person, according to the lead researcher. The question is whether similar results can be achieved with less caffeine, something the researchers will be addressing.

One strength of the study was the use of trained athletes as subjects. Moreover, an underlying mechanism was suggested, a calcium-dependent enzyme which speeds glucose transport into muscle. For those interested in the actual study, the reference is: Pederson, D.J. (May 8, 2008). High rates of muscle glycogen resynthesis after exhaustive exercise when carbohydrate is co-ingested with caffeine. J Appl Physiol.

Bikes & Trains: A Free Ride (for the bike)

2008-09-29T08:24:00.005-04:00

I just saw a note from Bruce Rosar on another list that bikes now travel free on North Carolina's Piedmont train. Here's the link and information from that link is below.

This sure beats the price & headache we had when rode to Richmond and trained home. The cost was $15 and we had to box the bikes up.

Bikes on Board for free makes it a better option!

We've cut out the handling fee so now you can roll your bike on board everyday for free!

Our Yadkin River coach and baggage car complete with bike racks, gives you the Bikes on Board option everyday on Trains 73 & 74 between Raleigh and Charlotte.

Book tickets and reserve bike space for free one of three easy ways:

* Online at Amtrak.com (When making online reservations, click on View Upgrade Options to make reservation for bike space.)
* Call 1-800-USA-RAIL
* Walk-up window sales at Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro or Charlotte

General Information for Bike Boarding at all Stations

* You must make advanced ticket reservation on Trains 73/74, the Piedmont, and reserve your free bike rack space the same time.
* All bikes must have a completed baggage tag on handlebars with passenger's name, address and phone number.
* Loaded saddlebags must be removed from bike and handled as carry on luggage or checked baggage.

Bike Boarding at Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte

* Check in with the ticket agent at least 20 minutes prior to departure time.
* Keep your bike with you until boarding time.
* When the train arrives, hand the bike up to the conductor at the baggage car door. The conductor will secure it in the bike rack. You may then board the train.
* When you get to your destination, reclaim your bike at the baggage car door.

Bike Boarding at Burlington, High Point, Salisbury & Kannapolis

* Inform the station attendant at least 20 minutes before departure time that you will board with your bike.
* Keep your bike with you until boarding time.
* When the train arrives, hand the bike up to the conductor at the baggage car door. The conductor will secure it in the bike rack. You may then board the train.
* When you get to your destination, reclaim your bike at the baggage car door.

Bike Boarding at Cary

* Cary is an unstaffed train station.
* Be on the platform with your bike when the train arrives.
* Inform conductor you want to load your bike.
* Meet the conductor at baggage car door and hand the bike up to them and they will secure it in the bike rack.
* When you get to your destination, reclaim your bike at the baggage car door.

The Joys and Sorrows of Club Riding

2008-09-27T17:38:00.005-04:00

Know how to do a 21 mph 100K?

Head out with the local club at 23 mph to the 31-mile turnaround, then claw on the back as long as you can when the pace ramps up on the way home. When you crawl home at 12 mph, whipped and exhausted, for the last 10 miles, you've got your big average in the bag.

I love riding with the North Raleigh Gyros, a congenial bunch of guys and gals that focus on two-wheeled camaraderie at 19-20 mph. That's about my limit. Much faster and the wheels are likely to come off two-thirds of the way through a 60-80 mile ride.

Because of other rides and other commitments, I've only ridden with the Gyros twice this summer. So I was looking forward to joining them this Saturday.

I checked the schedule online and saw the note from Tony, one of the Gyro leaders:

G-Men & Women,

We'll be riding "The 2008 Road Dog Rally" this Saturday. It will start from Pleasant Union Elementary at 8:30am and will do the Oxford route.

Distance was advertised at 63 miles, a 100K. And the speed? "Usually FAST going out and FASTER coming back."

Hmmm. This sounded a bit above my instrument rating. The Road Dogs are a club with a reputation for a high pace. Their slogan: "We only drop our friends," and apparently they make friends easily. But what the hey. I decided to stick it out for as long as I could, then drift off the back and do a leisurely pedal in from the "drop zone." I had one other advantage. The route was on the stick portion of my Lake Loop. I'd know every dip in the road, I'd know where the pace was likely to get amped up. And I'd know the way home when I inevitably lost contact with Planet Bike.

The ride started at 8:30 a.m. from one of the Gyros' typical locations, Pleasant Union School in North Raleigh. I put the bike in the car, made a latte, a nutella sandwich. I rolled into the parking lot a few minutes past 8. I didn't see any of my Gyro pals. Instead I saw some of the Simple Green riders, a local racing team. Then I saw David LeDuc in his work van. David is a legend in local and national racing circles. Uh oh. This was going to be a fast day.

Eventually, some of the Gyros showed. Among them: Ed, Bert, Mario, Tony, Derrick. I took comfort in familiar faces, and I took a good look. I wasn't sure how long I'd be seeing them. We clustered, swapped small talk. Riders from other clubs, elbows on handlebars, gathered in separate clumps in the parking lot. Like the Ramones said, we're a happy family....

Lo and behold, somebody actually shooed us out of the parking lot with an official LET'S GET GOING. And we were off. There must have been 50 of us. Lots of club jerseys, lots of banter, and lots of hard pedaling. The first 10 miles has a couple good uphill stretches. They didn't put much of a dent in the overall average of 21. Every time I looked down we were doing 24,25,26, with surges of 30,31. This was going to be tough.

I sat on the back. There was no need for me to do any pretending about a pull. Also, this big pack of mixed clubs made me nervous. I'd seen a crash just two weeks earlier on another Gyro-Road Dog combo ride. Too many riders who don't know each other, too many riders riding at or above their limits. In my experience that was a recipe for touched wheels -- a recipe that never comes out well.

Riding in the back may be safer, but it's a helluva work-out. You get the worst of the accordion effect, with the pace slowing to 22, 23, and immediately pogoing up to 27, 28 as the pack feels the chain at the top of hills and through intersections. The constant seesawing was working my lungs and my legs.

My bike computer showed 31 miles and a 22.8 pace when we hit the turnaround point, the Exxon in Oxford that serves as a Lake Loop control. I told one of the Simple Green riders I'd had a rough ride on the way here. He leveled with me: "That was the easy part. They're getting ready to crank things up."

The line inside the convenience snaked around to the very back, near the drink coolers. It would be at least 10 minutes before folks were ready for the return. And so I made the easy call: I'd get a head start and let the group pick me up. Hopefully, I'd be able to jump in and hang on for the wild trip home.

I wasn't alone in this decision. I'd seen two or three riders head back down the course, and I eventually caught up with one, a rider from Cary named Michael. He was good company. We rode together for about 10 miles, swapping our cycling histories. He was a former racer who had been out of the sport for years and was getting his legs back again -- at least as much as family and work allowed. Like me, he was going to grab a wheel as the peloton came by. He said we'd probably be fine if we made it up the big hill at the Tar River crossing before the catch. He too was worried about the twitchiness of the pack, and he said crashes were more likely as red line riding began to affect peripheral vision and reaction time.

Michael and I got swept up about two-thirds of the way up the Tar River hill. The pack came out of nowhere. One second my mirror was clear, the next it was wall of cyclists pushing a wall of wind. We latched on. The chatter was gone. Riders were now leaning into their handlebars and furiously working the pedals to stay in contact. Any gap now and all hope of reconnecting would be gone.

I stayed on for the next 10 miles or so, but the accelerations had taken their toll, and it only took a very small rise to spit me out the back. I saw another rider come off as the pack crested the rise and got serious with a stretch of straight flat pavement.

I'd hung on for 50 miles and my average was still over 22. I was content. I could come in easy now, 18-19, with lots of downhill.

The route features a 3-mile downhill run to Falls Lake. I imagined the group descending at 35 or 40. They'd be 3 or 4 miles ahead of me by that point, maybe even dumping the water bottles and loading bikes into their cars at the finish.

As I neared the bottom of the Falls Lake Hill an approaching car blinked its beams several times. And I knew what that meant. Around the next corner, there it was. The crash. A rider was down in the far lane. Traffic was stopped and a rescue vehicle was already on hand from the fire station at the top of the hill. A dozen riders and a few motorists were gathered around.

I'm not sure who the cyclist was. He did not look good and appeared to have hit heavily on the left side of his face. He was awake and talking. He knew his name and he knew where he was. One of my Gyro buddies said he'd been knocked out for a minute or more. An ambulance pulled up. Three or four of us left together, did a sober pace line up the next hill. The ambulance caught us and roared through the red light where New Light crosses Highway 98.

I saw Mario in the parking lot at the end. "That could have been any one of us," he said. We could only hope things turned out well for our fellow rider. I finished off my water bottle, loaded the bike and headed home.

Sunday Update: the downed rider was a Gyro, Don, who posted that he's fine, although his injuries required 40 stitches.

Weekend rides

2008-09-24T22:49:00.004-04:00

Too many projects. Just getting to the weekend post.

Two days of weekend riding -- I'm not sure I've done that all summer. But I made it happen last weekend with a 200K on Saturday and a social ride on Sunday with several old friends.

I got back-to-back days in just under the wire. Fall officially sprang on Monday, but the weather on Saturday and Sunday was Autumn's advance team, with temperatures in the mid 70s and a steady wind from the north or northwest.

I glommed on to John M's inaugural ride of his new permanent from his neighborhood just behind Eno State Park up to Hyco Lake and back. Along for the ride were Dean, Mike O, John, and Jerry for about 20 miles. John said the route was relatively flat, but relatively is a relative term. It was flat except for all of those hills.

We rode into a stiff wind all the way up to Hyco. We visited with Gilbert and his fantastic bike shop in Yanceyville on the way up and the way back.

A fun time was had by all, and Mike and Deano apparently had so much fun that they threw in some bonus miles at a missing sign post as they neared Durham.

This is a fun route and highly recommended. Thanks to John for putting it together.

On Sunday, I hitched a ride over to Chapel Hill with Dan for a social ride with JoeRay and Wes. What a great crew that is. This was a foodfest. We did a 100K to Hillsborough and back, with a meal stop at Weaver grocery and a milkshake at MapleView. Did I mention I had an egg, cheese & sausage bagel before heading to Chapel Hill?

Highlight of that ride was watching Joe and Wes chase down and spit out some racer guy who went by without a hello. I watched from a seat way at the back of the train.

Two days of riding. I'm looking forward to an encore presentation this weekend.

Tracing the Natchez (Natchez Trace 600K)

2008-09-20T10:03:00.011-04:00

How many warning signs does it take before you wonder if a ride is meant to be? Maybe I'm too dense but looking back, there were plenty of things that should have made me go "Hmmmmm." The mysterious exploding tube at 9pm the night before? No problem. The agitated skunk trotting along in front of me after the start? Okaayyyyy. The rear hub not freewheeling, just 40 miles in? Uh oh! Then finally, a pedal that suddenly won't engage as we reenter the hills? It's only 60 miles to the finish- I don't care if I have to walk!

The Natchez Trace 600K put on by the Harpeth Bicycle Club was a fantastic ride. Byron, a former Nashvillian, knew the first 100K on the Trace like the back of his hand. South of there, we were both in new territory. The Trace is much like the Blue Ridge Parkway in design: low posted speeds, limited access, beautiful scenery. We rode 300K south from Nashville to Tupelo, then returned. The terrain near Nashville was constantly rolling, but at least it was shaded. Alabama had big, sometimes painful, hills without shade. Mississippi had neither.

Saturday was sunny, hot (in the lower 90s) and very windy. Sustained winds in our faces at 15-20 mph with gusts above 25. Limited water options forced us to ride conservatively. Night fell in Tupelo and we got a great tailwind to start pushing us home. Again, few water options meant watching our water. Dawn broke above a thick cloud deck in Collinwood. The temperatures fell, the winds actually picked up. Low clouds scudded by at amazing speed. One volunteer raised our hopes: "Virtually 0 percent chance of rain." A mile down the road, it was PBP all over again, minus the cheering.

We tried to keep moving during the brevet. We took 15-20 minute catnaps often but never laid down for real sleep. Byron was great company and awesome with his MacGyver skills. Dude could probably build a bike out of a few twigs and a couple links of chain. RBA Jeff Sammons was also a blast to ride with. His club really came out to support the riders. I say without reservation that this was the best-supported brevet I've ever ridden. Big thanks to Jeff B, Bill & Sametta, David, and Kent. I was bowled over to have a RAAM record-holder humbly asking if I wanted mustard or mayo on my sandwiches.

They're talking about a 1000K or even more on the Trace next year. I'm not sure if I can make it- but I'll be watching for the signs.

Branson

Speed Vest

2008-09-19T10:28:00.003-04:00

I picked up on this site after seeing a post on the SIR listserv.

Apparently, it's not yet commercially available.

The vest's purpose, according to the maker:

• Increases awareness of the bicyclist and bicycling as an efficient way of getting around

• Educates drivers about overtaking bicyclists safely

• Illuminates that an average person can easily bike 10-15 mph (15-25 km/h)

Looks like fun, but there will be no hiding the ugly truth on the big hills.

Randonneurs Having Fun: Bike MS, New Bern, NC, 2008, by Dean Furbish

2008-09-18T19:26:00.023-04:00

On September 13th, more than 2100 cyclists descended on the historic town of New Bern for the 20th annual Bike MS celebration sponsored by the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Randonneurs are rightly viewed by their friends as a determined lot, logging miles in 100km multiples.

This begs the question: What are randonneurs like when they are not riding their metric marathons? The answer is that randonneurs can be a very charitable and fun-loving lot!

This was certainly the case this past weekend in historic New Bern, where I caught up with NC randonneurs: Ed Hirsch, Alan Johnson, Mike O'Connor, and Sridhar Sourirajan.

Friday afternoon. Some cyclists opt to be close to the the action, camping at the water's edge in Union Point Park, near the start of the the ride.

Cyclists anticipate the Saturday morning start of the 30-, 75-, and 100-mile routes.

Capturing the festive mood of the weekend, these kids felt obliged to test the sprinkler system.

Riding buddy and friend, Sridhar, in Blackbeard MS team Jersey. Sridhar and I have ridden together this year more than 1000km of sanctioned randonees. Thanks, Sridhar! On Sridhar's left is Karen Ambrose, capable captain and organizer of my MS team, the Rehab Racers, out of WakeMed. Thanks, Karen, for your charitable work!

Time for a little fun with an RTP quiz question: Can you spot the randonneur/randonneuse in the above picture: Sridhar or Karen? Hint: Check out Sridhar's steel Heron bike, replete with generator-hub headlight and handlebar bag. It seems we randonneurs can stand out in a crowd!

Mike O'Connor lined up at the start. Although initially dogged by a couple of flats caused by errant wheel rim tape, Mike made great time anyway! Somebody said there were no hills in New Bern. But, here, Mike seems to be holding onto his Eddie Merkx in order to prevent it from rolling downhill. Or is he holding it close because he's noticed several covetous admirers?

This weekend, I learned something interesting. . . Our Fearless Leader, Al Johnson, is a native son of New Bern! Not only was he a great riding companion, but doubled as tour guide, pointing out several points of interest.

This quaint church near Tryon Palace was founded in 1895 as an Episcopal Mission Chapel. Today it is a garden and gift shop called Late Bloomer.

And what is historic New Bern without Tryon Palace, which we passed on our route?

A couple of my Rehab Racers teammates. Angela on the left and Lee on the right. Pacelines are ubiquitous at the MS ride. Part of the fun is being able to hop one almost any time.

First class operation. With its many volunteers, the MS folks really know how to spoil cyclists, with complete SAG and rest stops every 10-15 miles. This particular operation of filling drink bottles was as efficient as an Indy pit stop. What the picture fails to capture are nearby volunteers stuffing cyclists' personal drink bottles with (n)ice!

An interesting community on the 100-mile route.

The approach back to New Bern (between the two distant cranes) at about mile 95 over the Neuse and Trent river bridges, the only hills on the route.

Sumptuous buffet reminds me of the ingenious NC randonneuring slogan coined by Branson Kimball: Ride, Eat, Sleep. Once again, the MS people spare nothing.

And when sleep finally restrains us, may we find ourselves in the misty contours of our dreamworld in the shape of fun-loving kids!

Ghosttowns and Ghosts -- The Colorado Last Chance by Jerry Phelps

2008-09-17T00:07:00.009-04:00

Boulder and points east.

Thirty-eight hardy randonneurs lined up at 0300 on Wednesday, September 10th for the Last Chance 1200. We were an international field of riders from Italy, Canada, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the US. Many of the riders were experienced randonneurs; several had ridden Last Chance before. But there were a fair number of people taking on their first 1200 as well. Among them was JoAnn Fafrowicz from Durham. We were the sole representatives of the NC Randonneurs.

The ride is named for the small town of the same name that the course passes through. At one time, Last Chance was supposedly the only opportunity to buy gas and food for many miles in any direction. Today it appears to be almost a ghost town.

JoAnn and the Front Range west of Boulder

JoAnn and I spent a pleasant Tuesday driving into the hills west of Boulder on Baseline Drive. We saw the famous Flatirons—steep and slick rock formations that are revered by free climbers. We also saw lots of cyclists making the 5½ mile ride that ascends 3,000+ ft up to Flagstaff Park. We were treated to great views of Boulder and the vast plain to the east we would be riding through.

John Lee Ellis and the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club (RMCC) President Charlie Henderson gave us a brief description of the course at that wee hour on Wednesday. They warned us that altitude, and climbing were not what we should fear at Last Chance—the real challenge would be the ever-present wind. But at the time, the wind was really mild.

The pack headed out and immediately splintered into small groups of 3 to 4 riders. There were several riders using Last Chance as an opportunity to qualify for the Race Across America (RAAM) so I didn’t see them again until they were on their return trips the next morning.

I hooked up quickly with Bill and Mark Olsen, affectionately dubbed the Olsen twins. Mary Kate and Ashley they aren’t—these guys are tough. How tough you ask? Taking a page from my upcoming book, “And You Think I’m Crazy?”, they have ridden four 1200km events each – since JUNE—Shenandoah, Cascade, Rocky Mountain, and now Last Chance. Oh, and Bill managed to squeeze in a 1000km brevet in Pennsylvania during that time. That’s 5,800km since June 4th in just 5 events. By the way, I won’t make 5,800km for the YEAR.

Al (Alan) Becke from Holland, Michigan
Robert Sauve of Lakewood, CO

We rode together until the sun rose while we were heading due south into the first of several mean headwinds on the way to Strasburg. In Byers, the first controle at mile 75, I made a quick stop and had a real breakfast of eggs and potatoes. The morning was cool and clear and I was beginning to see the beauty of this land. After the controle I rode with Robert Sauve, a rookie at 1200s, and Al Becke a veteran of the rainfest known as PBP 2007. Al had back luck at PBP and had to quit around Loudeac on the way back, but he was back to try to bag a 1200.

Eric Simmons of the RMCC

Just east of Last Chance at about mile 110, Eric Simmons of the RMCC was on the side of the road offering pasta salad, homemade oatmeal cookies, and cold cokes. His support during the ride was much appreciated by all of us. This section is marked by a series of pretty nice rollers—not steep, but long—12-14 mph up and 26-30 down. A little while later we joined Beth and Brent Myers riding a sweet DaVinci tandem. The five of us stayed close for the next 70 or 80 miles.
Brent and Beth Myers from Denver

The first day ended in Atwood, Kansas at mile 252 around 8:30 PM—18.5 hours for 400km—not too shabby. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I ate just about a whole pizza, complements of Charlie and another RMCC volunteer, Dan Shields. JoAnn came in soon after and we decided to share a room. OK, stop thinking what you’re thinking! We had a huge room with a half wall between the two double beds. Hell, I shared a room and a bed with Paul and Branson once, so why not see how the other half lives? Besides, my wife trusts me. Beth knows I’m too damn tired in these events for well . . . . whatever.

An early wakeup call and I was back on the road a little after 3 AM. The goal for the second day was to make it to Kensington, the turn-around point, and back to Atwood—about 220 miles. Beth, Brent, Al and I were on US 36, which makes up about 590 miles of the 752. The day started clear but became completely overcast while Al and I were eating breakfast in Oberlin.

Traffic on 36 in Kansas is BAD—no other word for it. It seems every other vehicle is a semi. A “Yellow Brick Road” it ain’t.

Enough complaining. . . . I made it to Kensington after joining a group of 4 Canadians. One, Peter, was originally from Germany and he was a diesel in the class of Jan Ullrich. This guy turned big gears pretty effortlessly, and seemed to enjoy every minute of the ride. Always smiling – he got really annoying at times (just kidding Peter).

We mailed our postcards (part of the checkpoint mechanism) in Kensington and headed back. As soon as we turned off Main Street and back onto 36, a wicked headwind greeted us. And there is nothing to block the wind out there. As my friend Chuck Lathe told me before I left, trees blow away on the plains. Here’s part of a message Chuck sent me before I left:

"For a wind gauge, they hang a piece of 3/4" chain from a pole -- and when the chain blows out horizontally, they figure it's windy. Trucks laying on their sides on the Interstate are another good wind speed indicator."

I laughed when I read that on my comfortable couch—I wasn’t laughing while I was struggling into the wind at 12mph. Eventually, the wind shifted out of the northeast making for a slight tailwind and I cruised back to Atwood pulling in at 7:59 PM.

The next morning there was some confusion about our wakeup time. Maybe it had to do with the difference between the Central Time Zone in Kansas and the Mountain Time Zone (which is what our watches were still set on), but regardless, Dan woke JoAnn and me up at 4 AM MDT instead of 3. My plan for the day was to ride back to Byers, CO (180 miles) and depending on what time I arrived, I would then decide whether to continue on for the 102 miles to the finish. Getting started an hour late didn’t fit into that plan—neither did the cold rain that was falling. Oh well; that’s randonneuring.

I dressed quickly, snarfed down half a bagel and a banana and washed it down with OJ and coffee. I started alone in an annoying drizzle, but caught up with Brent and Beth in Bird City named for Benjamin Bird, President of the Northwestern Land Cattle Company in the 1880s (Wikipedia is amazing). We left together and soon were slogging through pouring rain on our way to St. Francis, KS. We crossed back into CO and “rowed” (pun only slightly intended) onto Idalia where heaven was waiting in the form of a clothes dryer, hot food, and a warm blanket. Robert and his support crew Susan were there too. After being inside for a few minutes, our waitress offered to dry some of our wet clothes. We quickly stripped down to a reasonable level of modesty and she took our sopping clothes to a back room and returned with towels and a blanket for a shivering Jerry. As she was draping the blanket around my shoulders, I looked her in the eyes and sincerely tongue-in-cheek asked if she would marry me. I’m still waiting for her answer.

About that time Charlie showed up for lunch. He had our Atwood dropbags in his truck. He brought me mine, and then I was in great shape. Completely dry clothes, including a wool undershirt, long jacket, plastic bags over dry socks—life was good! The rain even let up while we were eating.

But it came back about 10 miles further down the road. A few miles later I had my only flat of the trip, which was caused by a goathead thorn—a plains menace. A quick fix and I was rolling again, but now alone. In a little community called Joe’s, named for, uh some guy named Joe obviously, there was actually dry pavement. The town is famous for its small high school winning the 1929 Colorado State Basketball Championship with a 10-man team that represented half of the male student body. Since the rain was stopping, I almost took off my raincoat. Hah, what folly—the rain continued for another 11 miles to Cope. I caught up with Robert here and we stopped for hot soup and drinks.

The next 20 miles represented what Charlie had warned us about on the first day. Robert and I made a slight left turn after leaving the relative safety of Cope and were smacked in the face by the highest winds of the entire ride. If I had to guess, I’d say the wind was blowing a minimum of 30 mph and gusting to 40. The course angles to the northwest in this section on the way to Anton and the wind was straight out of the northwest. Robert and I were separated after he pulled over for a brief rest and I continued on. At one point, about 13 miles from Cope, I could see a clump of trees on the horizon that I was pretty sure were Anton. I kept focusing on those trees, but they didn’t seem to be getting any closer. Maybe that was because my top speed in this section was 6 mph—the final 7 miles took an hour and 10 minutes.

I arrived in Anton and was greeted by Eric and Brent and Beth. The tandem couple called it a day and found a small hotel to hole up in until the wind and rain let up. Eric was serving hot Italian wedding soup from a small gas stove—IT WAS AWESOME!! I went into the small grocery store that marked the checkpoint, ate my soup and some bananas and drank warm chocolate milk. While in the store, I could see that the sky was getting brighter and as I walked out, there was the biggest rainbow in the sky I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’d ever seen one that stretched from one side of the horizon to the other. The rain had stopped and the wind had died considerably—the prospects for the 55-mile leg to Byers were greatly improved.

So I threw my leg over the saddle and started on down the road. Well back into Colorado now, the traffic on 36 was pretty sparse. And with the abated wind, the quietness of the landscape was astounding. For miles at a time, all I could hear were the soft hiss of my tires on the smooth pavement, crickets, and the evening songs of the small birds. There were few signs of civilization, and with the darkening sky, here I found the beauty of this ride and why this land was valued so much by both the Native Americans and by the western “settlers.”

The landscape is starkly beautiful in eastern Colorado and western Kansas, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon as the low sun enhances the subtle differences in the earth tones of the crops, freshly harvested wheat, and newly plowed soil. I had never been to this part of the US so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Along the route, I saw buffalo (residents of CO consume more bison per capita than any other state), lots of cows, 8 or 10 mule deer, 3 skunks (dead), 4 coyotes (2 dead), 3 rattlesnakes (2 dead and 1 very much alive and pissed off), another snake (live) of an undetermined genus (i.e., I wasn’t going to get close enough to find out), lots of hawks and countless song birds.

I borrowed a great light set up from my friend Mike Dayton before the ride which illuminated the entire road about as well as car headlights. I was almost back to Byers when I heard a loud “huff” close by on the side of the road. It scared the bejezzes out of me, but not so much that my curiosity didn’t make me stop to see what it was. I turned the bike around and aimed the light off to the side and was eye-to-eye with a huge, un-amused mule deer about 20 yards from the road. I quickly said goodnight and turned around.

I arrived in Byers at 8:45 PM to great hospitality by Eric and Leslie Sutton, another RMCC volunteer. I checked into my room and rushed to the restaurant which closed at 9:00. Later, I asked Eric to wake me at 12:30 AM. A shower and a short nap followed by freshly brewed coffee from Eric and a piece of cherry pie left over from the restaurant and I was ready, well about as ready as I could get, to finish with only 102 miles back to Louisville.

The early morning was cool and clear with a south wind. The stars were so numerous and bright I had a hard time picking out the few constellations I know, but it was easy to find the North Star as I made my way alternatively west and then north. I rode 26 miles before I saw the first car. At one point, I was cold and wanted to get off the bike for a few minutes to rest and try to warm up. It was still way too early for any stores to be open so I just kept turning them over. Finally as I made a turn to the west, there on the side of the road was a backhoe, with an enclosed cabin. Yep, you guessed it. I climbed in and shut the door. It wasn’t really warm inside, but at least it was out of the wind, and the seat was a lot more comfortable than a Brooks B-17. I leaned my head against the window and took a short nap.

I woke up after about 15 minutes and decided to get moving again. I only had about 8 miles to the checkpoint in Platteville and about 45 miles total left in the ride. The sun was already waking up the eastern sky as I headed west on County Road 32. As I climbed over a short rise, I saw something white in the distance on the horizon – more clouds I thought. But after a second look, I realized it was the Front Range and the white was fresh snow from the day before. I can’t describe the beauty and pictures wouldn’t do it justice, but I was in awe of their magnificence.

A few miles later in Platteville, I had a breakfast of steak and eggs, and pancakes at the Doubletree Restaurant (if it had two trees, I didn’t see them), a rancher hangout. The folks in there were curious about the boy in the fancy pants and finally one young man asked me how far I was riding. I gave him the highlights of the trip to that point, and in a typical understated cowboy way, he said “750 miles—That’s a long way to ride a bicycle.” Yep—can’t say I disagree with him.

John Lee Ellis rode out to find me and we met up about 5 miles from his house, which is the official finish of the Last Chance. Thanks to a few timely pulls from him, I was able to squeak in under 79 hours—78:59 to be exact. A talked to him for a few minutes, signed my brevet card, and he hung my medal around my neck. All of the folks I rode with finished and I’m proud of all of us. JoAnn finished in 82 hours and change--a great time for her first 1200. I'm sure there will be others in her future.

Time for a cold beer and a long nap.

I received lots of help and kindness on the ride—from fellow riders, RMCC volunteers, and strangers. I never do these rides completely alone because there’s always a crew of people rooting for me and I really appreciate that. This time though I had some special help. My dad died a couple of years ago and I don’t think he ever completely understood why I ride such long distances. I felt his presence many times over the 752 miles—now I think he understands. Dad would have been 76 on Saturday the 13th--maybe that's why he felt so close. I dedicate this ride to him.

Drill Baby Drill

2008-09-16T15:58:00.008-04:00

We interrupt this cycling blog for a brief political message. At the Republican National Convention, the crowd began to chant "Drill Baby Drill" in the middle of a speech or two. Offshore drilling is a real hot-button issue this political season. Presumably, off-shore drilling would have a big effect on North Carolina, which has lots of coastline. My opinion? It's a stupid idea, but the public is so lathered up about high gas prices that every politician has caved in like an unshored ditch. Shame on all of them. We're looking for solutions, not more pollution.

Here's a chart, reprinted with the permission of Peter Chapman at Architecture 2030, that shows how offshore drilling will figure into our oil supply.

And from that same site:

According to the US Energy Information Administration, oil production from drilling offshore in the outer continental shelf wouldn't begin until around the year 2017. Once begun, it wouldn't reach peak production until about 2030 when it would produce only 200,000 barrels of oil per day (in yellow above). This would supply a meager 1.2% of total US annual oil consumption (just 0.6% of total US energy consumption). And, the offshore oil would be sold back to the US at the international rate, which today is $106 a barrel. So, the oil produced by offshore drilling would not only be a "drop in the bucket", it would be expensive, which translates to "no relief at the pump".

The real beneficiaries of off-shore drilling? Have a look at this article.

We now return you to the cycling program already in progress.

Last Chance Update: Saturday (and Natchez)

2008-09-13T20:51:00.005-04:00

I heard from Jerry this afternoon. He and JoAnn are safely in. Jerry finished in 78:59; JoAnn was a bit behind that time at 82:36. Congratulations to both. Hopefully, we'll get a ride report from one or both of them. Sounds like the last night was very chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and snow in the nearby mountains.

The adventures continue for our NCBC riders. Branson & Byron are currently on the 600K Natchez Trace course.If you're wondering about the Natchez Trace, here's the official description:

What Is The Natchez Trace Parkway? The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates an ancient trail that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River, through Alabama, to salt licks in today's central Tennessee. Today, visitors can experience this National Scenic Byway and All-American Road through driving, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping. Come out and ride on this amazing road with us.

Branson just called from the turnaround, where he & Byron are waiting for a pizza. Branson said some of the course reminded him of Flint Hill Road. Ouch! Best to those two riders, and I know we can coax a story out of those boys.

Update: Byron & Branson did us proud with a strong finish despite lots of wind and rain. Results are here.

Last Chance Update: Friday

2008-09-12T10:00:00.003-04:00

Just talked to Jerry. As of 10 a.m. EDT, he was about 5 miles away from St. Francis, a checkpoint at 511 miles. He says he spent about 6 hours at Atwood, and is currently riding with Brent & Beth, a tandem couple from Denver.

Sounds like he is having a fun ride. He said he is on his Mongoose, a geared bike, and is glad he brought it because of the winds they've faced.

Last Chance Update

2008-09-11T09:13:00.004-04:00

At 9:00 a.m EDT, I reached Jerry by cell phone as he made his way along the Last Chance route. He sounded great and said he'd just passed the 300-mile mark. His goal is to return to Atwood (497 miles) by this evening. He also said JoAnn is doing well and is about an hour behind him.

Updated rider progress is here and John Lee's ride blog is here.

While you're waiting for the next rider update, you can read all about Jerry's single speed accomplishments here. I'm not sure whether he took his geared bike out west.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

11 p.m. Update: Jerry left a message saying he was back in Atwood at 8 p.m. local time. He said he was doing great.

Last Chance: Jerry & JoAnn

2008-09-10T23:02:00.003-04:00

Two local riders have traveled out west to tackle the Last Chance 1200K, hosted by John Lee Ellis. The ride started Wednesday around 3 a.m.

Follow rider progress here. Blog updates with rider mentions are here.

Jerry & JoAnn, we're pulling for you!

Blackbeard's Permanent / the Vacation Edition

2008-09-03T18:07:00.013-04:00

Greetings from Hatteras Island where the surf is fantastic in advance of Hanna.

I rode down with Chuck on our dueling Coho bikes. A fine time was had by all and Chuck filed an excellent report, so I'll take a blog vacation. Chuck's report is here.

In the meantime, here are a few pix from the ride.

I snapped this shot 5 blocks from home, where we camped out under a gas station for 90 minutes, waiting for a monster cell to pass.

Water water everywhere. Chuck grabs a drink before we get rolling.

I took a picture of this tree in Bath after riding all night. I think the tree was delirious.

Here's Chuck riding up in Bath. Notice his Supernova E3 is on. We both rode with our lights on during the day. They're visible for a half-mile up the road.

Everything in Bath, Blackbeard's home and the state's oldest incorporated town, is named Ye Olde, including the liquor store.

Photo retouched in Picassa.

A break at the Hyde County line.

A view from the saddle. The last stretch features some bumpy pavement.

Route Scouting: Showdown at Black Creek or Who's Your Daddysville

2008-08-24T13:16:00.018-04:00

Do we ever get tired of talking about PBP?

Apparently not. That celebrated randonneuring event is just too big, too life-altering. Do it once and it's forever burned into the DVD of your memory, cued up for replay anytime two or more anciens gather for a ride.

And so it was Saturday when Branson, Byron and I tested a route I'm preparing for an October brevet. (I'll call it "Showdown at Black Creek," because it has a nice western sound, like a John Wayne cowboy movie. But the first alternate could be "Who's Your Daddysville" since we cut right through that crossroads community.)

View Larger Map

We gathered Saturday morning at the parking lot of Wakefield High School in North Raleigh.

Byron and I were both wearing our PBP '07 jerseys. Coincidence? Well, yeah, but Branson later surmised some bigger forces might have been at work since exactly a year ago we were on the PBP course, suffering through the rain and the cold and the hills.

Under the big clouds of eastern North Carolina, we mentally relived the rolling hills into Villaines and Mortagne, the speed-run to Dreux. But there were very few hills on yesterday's course, which largely followed state Bike Route 2 before switching off to Bike Route 7 northwest of Wilson and angling south to Black Creek. The route is often signed as a bike route, making navigation fairly easy. The roads were exceedingly quiet, with the exception of Thompson Mill about 5 miles from the start and 3 or 4 miles of Tarboro Road around Youngsville, also near the start.

Here are the boys rolling along on one of the many quiet stretches of back road.

The ride is being planned as part of an effort to travel the state's Mountain to Sea Trail in October. Land is still being acquired east of Raleigh for a true hiking trail, so it currently follows the bike routes. This effort is being coordinated by friend Kate Dixon, the executive director of the Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trail. She's married to randonneuring buddy Dan Wilkinson.

Kate drew out the route for me in the N.C. topo map book. I generated a cue sheet in about 15 minutes using Google's new "Walking Directions" and a program Branson found. See this post for more info.

The mileage on the cue sheet was right on the money, but occasionally Google had trouble when the road crossed a county line and changed names. Google would put in an extra direction or two that, while not wrong, was confusing. Once we had to stop and decide whether we were still on course. We were. Also, Google does not put in confirmation points -- for instance, it makes no mention of crossing a major road. But these minor quibbles were easy to fix in the shake-out ride.

We passed multiple country stores, noting all of them and taking advantage of several for water and fuel. Running out of water should not be an issue on this route.

Here's one we stopped at on the way down. It's at 40 miles and I may use it as a control. It used to have a grill but I'm not sure it's fired up these days. However, there were plenty of food options.

Speaking of options, with a growing Latino population in eastern North Carolina, we now have some new drink choices.

We picked up two riders along the way -- a guy named Jeff who let us know he was very competitive, it was his nature in everything he did, before riding off the front.

Just outside Black Creek we picked up a kid riding into town for a sleepover with a pal. He had a 40-pound pack on his back and a Bozo strapped to the front. He also had a competitive streak and hung with us for a couple miles.

View Larger Map
When we hit Black Creek, the odometer read right at 62 miles -- hmm, this might be a perfect 200k.

The Wilson County municipality of Black Creek is closer to a ghost town than an ongoing enterprise. At one time the railroad must have been the town's lifeline -- it literally slices the place in two, dividing East Center Street and West Center Street. But the railroad doesn't stop there any more. Not much stops there anymore. There are a dozen old storefronts along the two Center Streets, but only one or two appear to be up and running as a business.

Luckily, the Black Creek Grocery is open -- "8 to 8" -- Mickey the proprietor told us. His family has owned the store since 1979. We bought a gallon of chilled water, chips and sandwiches. Byron heated his sandwich in the microwave until "it was 1,000 degrees on the bottom but still frozen on top."

We ate lunch on the only seat in town -- the bench in front of the BB&T bank -- before heading back around 1 p.m. for the second 100k. Any legs I'd had on trip down must have taken the bus home. On the homeward journey I relied on the kindness of Byron and Branson to break wind, but in a good way.

After so much flat riding, it was almost a relief to get back in a few hills around Youngsville.

Speaking of flats, Byron had one about 5 miles from the finish but got it repaired in no time flat. We finished up a few minutes after 5.

All in all a great day on the bikes, topped off by a pizzas at Rudinos, where we were joined by Maxi.

Here's the map in EveryTrail, after being dumped from my GPS.

Showdown at Black Creek

Widget powered by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging

Stopping to Smell Flowers, Eat Berries, and Watch Dinosaur Birds, by D. Furbish

2008-08-22T16:37:00.026-04:00

The first week of August, I had the opportunity of cycling over 300 miles of rails-to-trails in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has an extensive rails-to-trails system with several trails near Madison, alone. My brother and I chose to ride two trails we had not yet ridden: Badger State Trail and Glacial Drumlin State Trail.

While portions of the trails are sometimes paved, most miles consist of firmly packed crushed limestone wide enough for four-wheel patrol vehicles. The surfaces were suitable not only for my 700 x 32 tires but for the even skinnier tires of two tri-athletes who passed us one day headed in the opposite direction.

Trail passes are required in Wisconsin and can be purchased at trail heads and at businesses in the towns along the route. I purchased a $20 annual pass, in part, a donation to a worthy cause. (Daily passes are $4.) Park rangers stopped me on two separate occasions to check my pass. The trails are well utilized by cyclists, walkers, and joggers, but definitely not crowded. There were cyclists on the trails even on week days.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. The sunny days were cool with lows in the mid-50s and highs in the low to mid-80s. Did I mention low humidity? Although it never rained, the usual threat of afternoon showers provided protection against the sun. Below are wildflowers in the foreground and one of many glacial drumlins of southern Wisconsin in the distance.

The Badger State Trail begins at the outskirts of Madison and extends south to the Wisconsin border where it joins the Jane Addams trail. The latter is part of the 500-mile Grand Illinois Trail. Bill and I rode a 90-mile out-and-back chunk that started just south of Madison extending into Illinois. We passed through several scenic towns: Belleville, Monroe, Orangeville. Along the way, we compiled a mental list of eateries that might provide a suitable lunch stop on the return leg.

I switched on my helmet light when we came to an old railroad tunnel that required lighting. The temperature inside the tunnel was easily ten degrees cooler than outside. There was a misty shroud inside the tunnel adding to the make-believe eeriness. A real troll pretending to be a "cyclist" guards the entrance.

The railroad bed cuts through limestone embankments, crosses numerous creeks, and is generally sheltered by a cool, green canopy of poplars, maples, oaks, ashes. The trail was festooned with wildflowers: pink and yellow coneflowers, pink bee balm, milkweed, and Queen Anne's Lace. Now we were riding through a wooded valley alongside a stream, now we were riding a ridgeline with a panoramic view of checkerboard fields of dairy farms below.

Bill spotted a mulberry tree whose limbs full of ripe berries extended to the trail's edge. It was time to stop. We helped ourselves to the sweet treats. Fortified with antioxidants, we continued our quest. I'd learned long ago that when I saw acorns on the ground, I expected to see an oak tree above. Similarly, little dark spots on the trail meant mulberries hanging overhead!

Chipmunks (ground squirrels) were out in force. We saw hundreds of these storybook creatures on and alongside the trails, engaging us in a game of cat-and-mouse, scurrying away at the very last second.

Our second long ride of the week was another out-and-back, this time on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail, which extends eastward from Cottage Grove (near Madison) to Waukesha (near Milwaukee). We included a brief side excursion to Aztalan State Park, an important archeological site inhabited 700-1000 years ago.

My brother is a true randonneur: he looks upon the opportunity of riding as one and the same as an opportunity for eating. We had made good time. So we were justified in our relaxed, late-afternoon lunch in Sullivan, WI, at Jamie's where we'd been told was the best best food in town and the Milwaukee Brewers were on TV.

The glacial drumlin trail is relatively flat. It is protected for the most part by a canopy of trees. There are exposed portions through marshlands that serve as bird sanctuaries. I saw ducks, geese, herons, and Sandhill cranes. The latter are interesting birds. The first time I saw one of these magnificent birds, I had no idea what it was. It looked like a brown ostrich or a mythical giant, long-legged kiwi. The Sandhill crane is unique. In fact, according to experts, it is the oldest known bird species still living! A dinosaur bird? Not quite. But this is as close as it comes. Time once again to stop and look.

Randonneuring in the News

2008-08-22T11:24:00.006-04:00

Yo Adrian, the source for all things cycling, sent along these links to two randonneuring stories.

The first is a good overview of the sport by 3x Ancien Gary Koenig. It's here.

The second article chronicles the attempt by Spencer Klaassen and Dan Clinkinbeard to ride RUSA's longest permanent. They start their journey this Sunday.

Two New Great Tools for Creating Maps & Cue Sheets

2008-08-20T12:41:00.009-04:00

North Raleigh - La Grange NC

Things happen fast on the Internet, don't they? I've been working on a new brevet/permanent route from North Raleigh to New Bern. That route was chosen to track NC's Mountain to Sea Trail, which currently uses bike routes as it travels east of Raleigh. Friend Kate Dixon, the executive director of the Friends of the Mountain to Sea Trails, is trying to have all 935 miles of the trail covered in October. I've agreed to help with a cycling effort.

But back to the maps and cue sheets. Kate gave me a topo map book where she'd traced out the route. It was easy to convert that into a fixed electronic map and somewaht usable cue sheet, thanks to changes in Google Maps and a program that Branson found. Here's how.

First, I went into Google Maps and set directions from North Raleigh to New Bern. Then I set Google Maps to "Walking Directions." Voila! Google actually routed on many of the roads I'd picked for my Blackbeard Permanent. I used the "drag map" feature to pull the route onto the roads that Kate had selected.

Unfortunately, Google maps must have some limit on the number of map drags you can do. That forced me to split the map into two segments: 1) North Raleigh to La Grange and 2) La Grange to New Bern.

Next, once the map was created in Google Maps, I used the information on this site to generate a cue sheet. All you have to do is click on that bookmark after you've created the map.

Here's the cue sheet from No. Raleigh to La Grange (the spacing among the columns is gone, but you get the idea):

Route: Wakefield Pines Dr to La Grange, N Carolina

Distance: 91.94 miles

Total Distance Directions

----------------------------------------------------

0.00 0.00 Depart from: Wakefield Pines Dr

0.11 0.11 Right: Falls of Neuse Rd

1.60 1.49 Bear Right: Old NC 98 Hwy

1.76 0.16 Left: Thompson Mill Rd

4.72 2.96 Bear Right: Bud Smith Rd

4.79 0.08 Right: Purnell Rd

6.10 1.30 Left: Jackson Rd

7.67 1.57 Right: Holden Rd

9.94 2.27 Straight: NC-1147

11.03 1.09 Straight: Main St

11.80 0.77 Straight: Tarboro Rd

18.72 6.92 Left: NC-98

20.75 2.02 Right: Strickland Rd

22.61 1.86 Left: Old Halifax Rd

23.91 1.30 Straight: Medlin a Ln

24.08 0.18 Straight: Brantleytown Rd

25.95 1.86 Right: NC-39

26.12 0.17 Left: Pine Ridge Rd

28.85 2.73 Straight: Daddysville Rd

29.02 0.17 Left: Old US-64

30.14 1.12 Right: Sanders Rd

30.41 0.27 Straight: Frazier Rd

37.83 7.42 Left: Strickland Rd

41.83 4.00 Right: W Hornes Church Rd

45.91 4.08 Right: Old Bailey Hwy

46.71 0.80 Straight: Lamm Rd

52.99 6.28 Straight: Quaker Rd

54.23 1.24 Left: Downing Rd

54.96 0.73 Right: Shirley Rd

55.69 0.73 Right: Wiggins Mill Rd

56.14 0.45 Left: Boswellville Rd

57.98 1.84 Straight: Lely Rd

58.60 0.62 Straight: Wellons Ct

59.54 0.94 Left: Blalock Rd

60.78 1.24 Right: US-117 Alt

60.85 0.08 Left: Church Loop N

61.65 0.79 Left: Central Ave

61.84 0.19 Right: Mercer St

62.17 0.33 Left: Cemetery St

62.38 0.21 Straight: NC-1628/Woodbridge Rd

63.06 0.68 Right: Frank Price Church Rd

66.33 3.27 Straight: Black Creek Rd NE

66.44 0.11 Left: Aycock Church Rd NE

68.24 1.80 Left: Davis Mill Rd NE

69.17 0.93 Right: Turner Swamp Rd NE

70.94 1.77 Straight: N Church St NE

71.74 0.79 Straight: Faro Rd NE

75.75 4.01 Straight: Old NC-1201

77.02 1.27 Straight: Bullhead Rd

77.26 0.24 Left: Saulston Rd

77.33 0.07 Right: Davis Grove Church Rd

78.46 1.13 Left: Cow Branch Rd

79.35 0.89 Right: Edmundson Rd

81.32 1.96 Straight: Creech Rd/Free Gospel Rd

83.90 2.58 Left: Titus Mewborn Rd

84.98 1.08 Right: Mewborn Church Rd

85.26 0.28 Bear Right: NC-903

91.94 6.69 Arrive at: La Grange, N Carolina

Finally, the cue sheet generator also has a function to add the map to Bikely, which is the map you see at the top of this post.

more NCBC RUSA 10th photos..

2008-08-17T20:50:00.004-04:00

RUSA 10th Anniversary Ride Picnic

2008-08-16T23:01:00.001-04:00

Post-ride photos.

RUSA 10th Anniversary Ride

2008-08-16T07:27:00.003-04:00

What a great day for a ride!

RUSA's 10th Anniversary celebration kicks off this morning with rides taking place across the country.

Here in N.C., we had 34 riders show up for our 200K, which rolled out of the Morrisville parking lot at 6 this morning. A 110K populaire gets going at 10. Riders from both events should finish up at around the same time, and a picnic is planned at Morrisville's Community Park.

I pre-rode with Chuck and Branson last Saturday so I could practice my short-order cook skills today. I set the alarm early so I could see everybody off this morning. Lots of familiar faces were at the start, including: Glenn from Virginia, who I hadn't seen since Dinge on last year's PBP; Shenandoah vets Lin and Jon; Paul from Charlotte; locals Jerry, Branson, Dean, Wes, JoAnn, Byron, John, Gregg, Mike, Paul, Gary & Sara; and new faces including Vance from Greensboro and some names I did not catch. And of course: Fearless Leader Al and his lovely bride.

I'm one of the first on the Web with shots of RUSA's anniversary celebration, but you're likely to see hundreds more photos nationwide as ride reports from about 25 events begin to roll in.

Let the fun begin!