And now, closer to home

This morning I signed up for the Frostbite Tour. While still a haul — it starts in Johnston County — it's closer to home than the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. And sooner, since the Frostbite is Feb. 23. I'm shooting for 100 miles, as I did last year, but I reserve the right to bail out at 100k, as I did last year. Distance will depend on temperature. Last year the ride started in the mid 30s and crept up to about 50. Ten degrees warmer and a century should be a snap. Ten degrees colder and I'll probably bag it at 40 miles.

Cycle North Carolina

That's the name of an annual ride across the state and not necessarily a command. The ride, affiliated with Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, fundraiser for starts in West Jefferson and ends at Currituck-Knotts Island. Depending on the exact route taken, the distance ranges from 380 to 495 from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6. Other stops, from west to east, includie Elkin, Greensboro, Mebane, Louisburg, Roanoke Rapids and Edenton. According to the literature I received, the support for this ride will make the Jimmy V folks seem like pikers. I don't think I'll be doing the entire distance this year but at some point, and I hope sooner instead of later, this is on the the to-do list. However, registration is available for the stages so getting in a day (Greensboro-Mebane? Mebane-Louisburg?) is a very possible possibility for this fall.

The limit?

Did an English century today (beware — crappy map). I was able to execute my strategy as if I had planned it: find a group of riders doing the 100 miles, grab on to a wheel and let them pull me along. At about 20 miles the ride split: 50- and 75-mile riders left, 100-mile (it actually clocked in at +/-95) riders right. A group of five quickly caught a group of eight. The octet rode together for 10-15 miles. Just about the perfect size. Seven people could draft and the guy pulling on the front only had to go three to six minutes. Higher speed and energy conservation at the same time — a hard deal to beat. The group started to break up at the first rest stop. One guy rode on; two others stayed behind. Between the first and third rest stops (we skipped the second) a guy dropped off but we caught the guy who rode on. He kept going at the third rest stop, never to be seen again. Still, on flat or rolling terrain, the group of four stuck together thanks in large part to the generosity of the two strongest riders. At the fourth stop, rider No. 4 said he would probably drop off. I was bushed but managed to stay in contact with with the front two for about five more miles. Once we hit downtown Fuquay-Varina, though, there was no use maintaining the charade. the front two pulled away for the last time though they remained in sight for several more miles. The hardest part for the group was on downhill-uphill sections, which tend to pull groups apart and make them hard to put back together.

I crawled back to the parking lot of the Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park. I point out with some pride that I was not last and it wasn't even close. Based on my experience of Aug. 4, today and several other 80-plus-mile rides, 90 miles may be around my limit. Several of those rides have been solo efforts. I suspect that the group rides have just started too fast over the first 50 miles or so for me to have anything left at the end. Some of you may know that I have fantasies of riding across the United States. If my assessment is accurate, it will have a significant effect on how long the ride would take.

One more thing: this was the Jimmy V Ride for Research. It is the Cadillac of charity rides I've been on with four well stocked rest stops and sag support the entire way. Think what you want about Jim Valvano as a basketball coach and human being, but the foundation has raised buttloads of money for cancer research from, well, schmos like me. And as I said, they put on a hell of a ride.

The Firecracker and more

Today was the 15th Firecracker Ride. This annual 50k and 100k event, sponsored by The Spin Cycle, is one of my favorite rides. Soemthing cool happens every year. Today was my third Firecracker. In 2005 I met cyclebuddy, still one of my favorite guys to ride with when we can both find time. Last year I was able to hop from group to group and wheel to wheel and thus go fast without expending a lot of energy.

This year I ran into a professional contact of mine at the first rest stop. He invited me to ride with his group, which included a guy that I met on my smokin' ride on Sunday. What a blast. They were good folks interested in hauling ass on the road and kicking back at rest stops. The best part is I have a standing invitation to join them on their regular Saturday and Sunday rides. I did try to talk up The Electra Challenge but didn't seem to find many takers.

Having spent the morning drafting behind these fine folks, I decided I wasn't done. I came home, had some water, filled my tires and then went out to complete an imperial century for the day. The bike is parked after 103.5 miles.

At last, a near match of plan and action. Sort of.

The journey described in the most recent ride guide nearly matched the one I went on yesterday. I rode the 100-kilometer leg of the Frostbite Tour through Johnston, Wilson and Nash counties. Though frostbite was never a risk, I was a cold mofo while I waited to get started and I never got warm warm even under bright sun. Just cool warm. Temperature, combined with a dearth of riders going for 100 miles and confidence that I had absolutely no idea where I was going, caused me to pack it in a metric century. Those things and the rest stop located at the 100k start-finish, where my car also happened to be. Now I know what I'll do for half a banana.

C'dork's Friday ride guide: 100 reasons

Sorry to have slacked over the last couple of weeks. But I'm actually hitting the road this weekend and am going to put my money where my mouth is tomorrow when I turn in my application for the Frostbite Tour. Johnston and the other counties involved are largely uncharted territory so it will be good to see a new part of the world, even though I'll be seeing parts of it two or three times over 100 miles. The information is pretty slick, as maps and cue sheets are included. As of a few hours before post time there were still spots left.