Siler City Express: Nov. 17

That sign above? I could have used some ether at about mile 80 of the Nov. 17 Siler City Express. But they'd have to bring it to me. No way I could make 4 miles.

Coming back through the Uwharries, I drained the batteries all the way down. The engine would no longer turn over.

I should have known something was up. Coming back from the turnaround, the old ticker monitor registered 180 bpm at the top of every hill. Gee, that seemed high. I had about three sips of water the entire ride and hadn’t been eating. Didn’t feel hungry or thirsty.

Whammo. Climbing up to Ophir I fell apart. I let me buddies go, used the excuse of a nature break, hopped off the bike, gathered myself up. Drank some water. Ate a couple gels. Rolled on at a leisurely pace. Not that I could go any faster. Slowly, I came around. By the time I reached the control in Seagrove, I was fine.

Lesson learned. Eat. Drink. Be happy.

Speaking of happy, here's a content looking group at the turnaround.



A couple notes from the ride:

Chuck’s story. Chuck Lathe did a fantastic write-up of the ride. He was off the back much of the day, owing to a cold. Here’s the link.

Weather report. Did I mention it was cold? I’d looked at the forecast and dressed for mid to upper 30s. Oops, at the start the temperature was 26. My little piggies were frozen for about two hours.

Chicken stories. I stopped and took pictures of those chicken barns I described in an earlier post. This is what passes for chicken farming these days. If you ever wonder why that chicken sandwich has an industrial aftertaste, here’s your answer.



Ed’s story. I drove out to the start with a buddy named Ed. He’s a big strong rider that is a regular with the Gyros. He told me an amazing story. About two years ago he topped the scale at more than 300 pounds. His doctor called him an “ass” and said he could either do something about his weight or spend the rest of his life going from one prescription drug to the next. Ed did something. He changed his diet. He began biking. His weight is around 200 now. An inspiration. Ed was in the front group all day long. Also, it was his very first RUSA event – RUSA membership guru Don Hamilton helped get him signed up as an official member. Thanks, Don and congrats, Ed.

Camera story. My little Nikon died. It's going back for warranty repairs. In the meantime, these pictures are from a loaner camera. Can't wait to get mine back. I mention this because of the pictures that are coming in the next blog entry.