Rolling Through History on the NCBC 600K

Riding against the clock, we usually don't think much about the past. Our focus is on the near future, or the now. Rarely do we have the luxury of stopping to investigate something from a different time. Even when we're literally riding on it.

Gary's hilarious post stated that the road running through Averasboro Battlefield features "authentic Civil War-era pavement." The reality is not as funny, but there may be a good reason it's so bumpy. Originally called "The King's Highway," the "Raleigh Road" was a very important plank road by the beginning of the Civil War. There were few plank roads in the state at the time, and this one linked Raleigh with Fayetteville and its Arsenal. It was the equivalent of a modern interstate highway, and for that reason, it would bring the War into the heart of North Carolina.

After Union General William T. Sherman's infamous "March To The Sea," he turned his attention to linking up with his General-in-Chief, Ulysses S. Grant, in Virginia. There, Grant had his counterpart, Confederate General-in-Chief Robert E. Lee, bogged down at Petersburg. Grant and President Lincoln were determined to smash Lee and force an end to the war.

Sherman proposed marching through the Carolinas to splinter the Confederates and humiliate South Carolina, the first state to secede, and Grant and Lincoln agreed. Sherman set out in January 1865 for Petersburg via the state capitals of Columbia and Raleigh.

Lee begged his old friend and fellow Virginian, General Joseph Johnston, to come out of exile and drive Sherman back to Savannah. President Jefferson Davis reluctantly agreed with Lee, and Johnston took charge. Concerned that Sherman was aiming to burn Raleigh as he had Atlanta and Columbia, Johnston immediately began harassing tactics. He also collected and rallied as many men as possible, many of whom "were shoeless and had not been paid in months."

Sherman divided his army into two wings and marched into North Carolina on March 8th. He did not expect much resistance, and Fayetteville and its important Arsenal fell just three days later. Though Sherman did not burn the city, he did order the the Arsenal destroyed, then continued north. One wing feinted toward Raleigh, the other towards Goldsboro, with its strategic network of railroads heading north.

Here, Johnston made his move. He gave his Lt General William Hardee, once a Commandant at West Point, orders to hold up the left column as long as he could. Hardee put his men across the Raleigh Road near Averasboro, what we now ride as Burnett and Battlefield Roads, and waited. The Federal troops, slogging through rain and mud, were stung on the morning of March 16th, 1865 as they marched up the Raleigh Road. The Union soldiers were stopped cold by the first Confederate line, then were assaulted by a Rebel counterattack. Heavy reinforcements turned the tide in the Federals' favor by mid-morning, and they drove the Confederates back to a third defensive line before bogging down. Night fell, and Hardee withdrew his tired Confederate troops, satisfied they had held up Sherman's Army for two days. Johnston had gotten the time he wanted, and two days later, the largest battle in North Carolina commenced at Bentonville, a surprise attack that ultimately mattered little. Just a few weeks later, Sherman and Johnston would meet at Bennett Place in present-day Durham, and the largest surrender of the Civil War- 89000 soldiers- was official. Though Jefferson Davis and the Confederate government had yet to surrender, the War was effectively over now that Lee's and Johnston's armies had surrendered separately.

One of the men under siege with Lee in far-away Petersburg was Major Charles Manly Stedman. Born in Pittsboro, his family had moved to Fayetteville when he was still a boy. He was a commander of the 44th NC Regiment when it surrendered only 8 officers and 74 men at Appamattox. Having graduated from the University of North Carolina just weeks after Fort Sumter fell in 1861, he returned home and began an illustrious career as a lawyer and Congressman. In 1917, a little town near Fayetteville incorporated, naming itself Stedman in his honor.

Down the road and back in time even more, Moore's Creek Battlefield is a memorial to one of our country's first battles in the original civil war, the American Revolution. 1,000 Patriots sprung a trap on 1,600 Loyalists at a bridge over Moore's Creek in February 1776. The rousing Patriot victory ended British rule in the colony and allowed North Carolina to be the first colony to vote for independence.

One of those at the Moore's Creek battle was a Patriot major named Nathaniel Rochester. A Virginian by birth, he had moved to Granville County as a child and quickly made his mark in Hillsborough. After the Revolution ended, he migrated to Hagerstown, Maryland and became a very successful businessman and civic leader. Two decades later, he and two other men bought land up north on the Indian frontier and laid out a town. It's name: Rochester, New York.

Some things to think about the next time we roll through time.

Morrisville NC 600K/ May 22, 2010

I got to see this weekend's 600K from the sidelines, riding the pine at the overnight control in White Lake. Luckily, we have a crop of talented bloggers / writers in North Carolina, I'm going to let these capable correspondents do the talking.

Bryan's post on Facebook is a classic: How I killed my bike on the NCBC 600K. Bryan, doing his first SR series, hit a pothole so hard that it put wrinkles in his top tube and down tube. I've never seen the likes of that before. Here's what he said:

When you're in a paceline going 20+mph and everything's fine it's a great feeling. But when something goes wrong it happens fast. We were riding to the right of the white line on a shoulder. The rider in front of me dodged left all of a sudden to avoid a massive hole where the shoulder just sort of disappeared. Before I knew what was happening I nailed it head-on. Hard. I think I came very close to going over the handlebars. I'm not really sure how I didn't crash.

Here's his bike in happier times:



Bryan rode his crippled steed another 200 miles to a successful finish. His summary:

"Epic.... I learned a lot about distance riding. Mainly that the brain is the toughest muscle in the body. When it starts cramping up it can end your ride, but if you can overcome the mental challenge you can get through all kinds of adversity!"

Bryan may have killed his bike, but Glenn killed somebody's Ford Explorer. Knocked both axles slap off the sucker. Like the T-shirt says, "One less car." Glenn doesn't have a blog, so you'll have to get him to tell you the whole story the next time you ride with him.



Check out this great stream of consciousness post from Gary (above) on the NCRandon list:

Good turn-out. Medal ceremony. Way to go, Fearless Leader. Time to go. Short light. Ron. Sheep. Sprinkles. Nice sculptures. Rain. Wet feet. BobO. Angier. Don't stop. Erwin. Jerry. Wet people. Sun. Battlefield. Dog! Wade. Detour. Stedman. Cheesesteak (bad idea). Cedar Creek. Andy & Janis! Bumpash "road". Sridhar. Ammon. Ian. Fire tower. White Lake. Dry people. Ham&cheese. No shoes no shirt, OK. Riviera. NC53 (blah). AlP. Sridhar. Black River. Northbound cyclists. Rocky Point. MikeO. Burger. More northbound cyclists (JohnO, Chet and others). Motel 6. Shower. Cheese pizza. Wake up BobB! Rocky Point. "Y'all are special." Two expresso beans. Black River. Jacket on. No more antiques. NC53 (blah). Nature break. Cloudburst! White Lake. Lin Osburrito. MikeD. Turkey/cheese sandwich. Bryan's modified frame geometry. Latte as big as my head. 45 minute snooze. Vance, Maria, BobO. Martin? Jacket off. Lin, BobB, Sara, Gary. Fire tower. Sara & Gary. Bumpash road. Rain. Bumps. Heavy rain. Bigger bumps. Lin. Cedar Creek. Can of Pringles. BobB. Stedman. Bryan&JohnP. Chex Mix. AlP. BobB, Sara, Gary. Wade. Soggy toaster pastry. Yum. Battlefield (authentic civil war era pavement). Erwin. Maalox. Old Stage -- wake up, legs. AlP. Buies Creek. Slog up to Angier. Check out the park. Final water stop. Rawl's Church -- 12% holy crap. Funky sky. Rain. Weather delay on church steps. Northbound cyclists. Resume. Stiff wind from north, briefly. Raven Rock Unramble. Lin&AlP. New Hill. Ron. Rain, thunder, lightning. Funky clouds. Weather delay at Harris Teeter. Northbound cyclists. Resume. Alan, Dorothy, AlP. Ian! Lube chain. Tums. Pasta. Pizza. More pasta. Ice cream. Shower. Bed.

First timer Tim (above) spent some time with me on the porch at Langston's before striking out from White Lake at 2 a.m. Let's see how things went for him after he left us:

After 2:00am I decide to get back on the bike and head on solo with intentions of finding a quieter place to sleep. An hour later I'm dead tired, got to lay down. I find a church with a secluded side porch. I'm so tired that as I pull up to the driveway I try to unclip but can't muster the energy to pull it off so I tumble over on the asphalt. Dang, that's first time the Ridley has hit the ground. Busted mirror, blood oozing from my knee, I hide the bike behind some bushes and crawl up on the porch and set my alarm for one hour. Watch the moon going in and out of the clouds. Beep, beep. I get up at 5:00, still dark but lots more clouds. I slowly limp along, I'm nauseous and can't eat. Gonna be a bad day. Oh yea, more rain as I approach the next control at mile 290. There is John just sitting there dry as a bone wanting to know where I've been. 7:00am. Our other friends show up a little later. They are all getting coffee and food but I pass and head on my way not feeling very well. At mile 316 the sky gets really dark, I'm approaching a small town, Erwin and I find shelter on main street. Nice bench under a large awning. Some serious lightning and heavy rain. I'm still not feeling well and I stand up and walk towards the street thinking maybe a bolt of lightning wouldn't be so bad after all, then the sky lit up and instant bam. I turned around back for the bench. God is being humorous...

Speaking of humorous, there's nothing funny about the following account from a rider I won't name.

I got a newspaper and went to back to try to have a movement. No luck, so back on the road. Next stop was Erwin. I used my bandana and the diarrhea started. I also got a bottle of water from a vending machine. I stayed on the bike after that, but just was really slow. I sort of felt nauseous from time to time, but didn't throw up. I got to Angier and got some towels at the gas station beside the McD's. You know those ones beside the windshield wipers. I went behind the dumpsters and had another diarrhea case.

Ah, the joys of long distance cycling.



My man Geof (sleeping beauty above) chronicled his long trek to his first SR series on his blog. Lots of great pictures to go with those crazy words:

We hit the scotchman, ice up. talk to half drunk townies and roll about 4:30ish? it's nothing but pedaling to sunrise. tranquil in the night. love it. except for-wait up! lost something! i go back and find my camera in the road. of course the battery flew out. found. works! back to pedaling. we see a hint of light, then rain. mist. as if it weren't kinda epic already. tired. chet is chanting coffee!coffee!coffee! it is forever to steadman, but that's where we gotta go to see an open store-40 miles. the rain breaks but the skies don't and when we leave steadman it's raining again...

Over at irrelevance, Vance (above) likes to go long. Buried in all those words are gems like this from (I believe) another first-time SR finisher:

Number of folks in pickup trucks who revved their engines loudly as they roared past us, thereby letting us know that their genitalia are much larger than ours: 10

I always wondered why they did that. Now I know...



On her blog, Lanterne Rouge, Sara (above) details the droppings in her drop bag:

What’s in Your Drop Bag?
So, I’ve been too busy preparing and training for the 300K, 400K, and 600K over the past 5 weeks (wow!) to write about the rides! The Morrisville-Wilmington-Morrisville (N.C.) 600K was this past weekend and one of the novelties of 600K and longer brevets is the drop bag - a small bag you can pack with stuff and the organizers will drop at a predetermined location.
Here’s what was in my drop bag this weekend, which was brought to Wilmington for me by Jerry P., one of this weekend’s awesome volunteers:
Shower Kit (wow, that shower was amazing)
Clean, dry change of riding clothes (it rained, so the dry clothes were glorious while they stayed dry)
Towel
Fresh contacts and solution
Eyeglasses (just in case)
Toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss (I haven’t been so excited to brush my teeth in a long time)
Mini foam roller
Two tennis balls in a sock (these last two items might sound odd - they are self-massage tools, really wonderful for mid-ride muscle releasing and cramp busting - they were great for my back/neck)
Yoga strap for stretching (actually didn’t bother)
First aid kit with a variety of stuff, including lots of advil and biofreeze (luckily did not need anything)
Food for the return trip
Sunscreen (to refill the mini bottle I carry on the bike)
Lantiseptic
Extra cue sheet (just in case)
Spare Advair (just in case I forgot to pack it on the bike)
iPod w/ some morale boosting and mind relaxing stuff on it (didn’t need it this time)
Treat - ginger snaps and chocolate cookies (didn’t feel like I needed those either)
Extra tube
Tire (actually in Gary’s drop bag)
That’s it! Ok, so it wasn’t the smallest bag. :) What’s in your drop bag?

Here's a report from Biker Bob (above), who completed his first 600 and needs one more event for his first SR. Read through his account and you'll see he calls into question my weather forecasting abilities:

Mike assured us that we probably wouldn't encounter rain until late afternoon. However, only about 30 minutes after leaving White Lake the familiar rain showers began.

Bob, that forecast came with a money-back guarantee -- the check's in the mail....



Meantime, "Doc on a bike" Keith (above) provides us with the five stages of rain riding:

Denial: No, that wasn’t a rain drop. I think water just splashed from my water bottle onto my leg. Or a drop of sweat onto my arm. I think those spots are normal on this section of pavement and those little ripples in that puddle are just bugs moving about. Maybe I just imagined the whole thing. NO WAY it could be raining!

Anger: why the hell does have to rain? The weather channel said it wasn’t going to! IT was supposed to rain, but not here and not now! Damn them! Damn meteorologists don’t know anything! Stupid damn rain!

Bargaining: OK, so it’s raining, but I’ll be happy with the current light drizzle, but just don’t let it get any heavier, or at least not a thunderstorm. Yeah, just don’t let it get any heavier I won’t complain. At least not thunder and lighting, OK?

Depression: Oh, hell, I’m wet, my feet are wet, and I’m miserable. It’s never going to stop! I should have put my fenders on and brought my rain jacket. Rain is just the absolute worst thing to happen during a ride. What am I doing on a bike? I should be using a BOAT! I’m such an idiot for not planning for it. Oh, who cares?

Acceptance: Well, so what if I’m wet and it’s raining? I’m still moving forward. And at this point it doesn’t matter if it keeps raining since I’m already soaked. Yeah, I can take this. Bring it on! No problem.

Congratulations to everyone who participated, finish or no, and to Al for the series. And a special thanks to all the volunteers this year. Those are the folks who make each and every ride happen. At the risk of forgetting someone, they were: Maria, Bob, Jerry, Mary & Tom, Mike O, Branson, Andy, JayJay, Tony, Dorothy, Carol, Joel, ... if I left you off, please holler, because you deserve credit.

And a big hand to the 13 (!) first-time 600 participants -- Ian, Maria, Tim, John O, Biker Bob, Martin, Geof, Albert, Bryan, Vance, Terry, John P and Jim (again, hope I got everybody).

600K Route in Trimble

Tony G has uploaded Saturday's 600K route to Trimble. As always, electronic files are no substitute for a printed cue sheet.

It's Triplets!

What better way to warm up for this weekend's 600K than the best animated biking movie of all time: Triplets of Belleville.


The movie is being shown as part of Raleigh's Bike to Work Week celebration.

Below are the details for Friday's events. Mark your calendars, kiddies, and don't miss the fun.

Cyclist Social
May 21, 5:30 - 7pm at Porter’s Tavern.
Mingle with other cyclists at Porter’s City Tavern (2412 Hillsborough St) and enjoy food and drink specials designed especially for the bike commuter!

Triplets of Belleville Screening
Friday, May 21, 7pm.
Free Movie at Witherspoon Hall on NCSU Campus. Open to all cyclists and enthusiasts. Come check out this quirky, animated French film about a cyclist who’s abducted and forced to compete in a never-ending race.

Here's a clip of a proper post-ride rub-down (look closely at 8:28 and you'll see a Paris Brest Paris poster):



And the Hoover song by the Triplets themselves, with a guest player:

Cat's Up....

Back at the Home Office, the cat wants to know what the heck goes on in there all day long...This fellow climbed 20 feet up to say good morning.

Biking to Work on Bike to Work Week

Thanks to the folks at REI, Dale, Shelley and the staff at GoTriangle.org, Steven, Bonner, Rob, John and all the other riders who are making Raleigh a better place for two-wheeled commuters.

Fearless Leader Al Bags the 600

This one goes out to Fearless Leader Al, our beloved local RBA who rolled into the final control at 7:53 p.m. on a workers' pre-ride of our May 22 600K. Of special note, Al successfully completed his first 600 since 2002. That was the year that a car clipped him during Bike Virginia, dashing his hopes for PBP 2003 and putting him on a long path of multiple surgeries for leg, hip and shoulder injuries.

A 600K is a daunting task under the best of circumstances, and the hours of open road create plenty of time for doubts to take hold. In a few low moments, Al entertained the idea of calling it a day. Hey, we're not showing that movie! Carol and Dorothy knew just the magic words to keep everyone rolling along as a team to a magical finish.

Al's legs may have grown tired as the miles exacted their toll, but his sense of humor was unflagging. We had a hotel room in White Lake with three beds, a Lazy-Boy recliner and a fold-out sofa. Two of the beds were claimed beforehand and when Al got out of the shower, Joel was sprawled across the third one. Joel asked: "Al, do you want this bed?" Al's response: "Depends -- do you want your brevet card signed at the finish?" Joel moved along to the fold-out sofa.

The jokes on the homebound leg were populated by your normal cast of characters -- priests, rabbis, lawyers, giraffes and a sawed-off tailpipe. We were caught up in one particularly engaging story when Al jumped around us and bagged a county line. Sandbagger!

In the heat of the day, Jerry made the find of the ride: the walk-in beer cooler at the convenience store in Erwin. Joel debated whether it would count if we moved rollers in there and finished our miles on ice.



A massive thunderhead with thick lightning, heavy winds and flooding rains moved through in the afternoon. It was tough, really tough. We could tell, as we downed our fourth burger of the ride, high and dry in the Angier McDonalds. We waited out the storm, and rode virtually rain-free to the finish.

Al led us into the final control at his Morrisville home and the number five took on a new meaning: the five medals that Al could now add to his collection -- the 200K, the 300K, the 400K, the 600K and the SR. Expect to see them on proud display sometime soon.

After swapping highlights, hugs and handshakes, we headed off to bed and board, but mostly bed.

Thanks to all for a great day on the bikes. And the next time you see Al, be sure to give him a big congratulations and an even bigger thanks for all he does for us.

Tractor Drafting...

On a day with a stiff headwind, 5 miles of bliss. Thanks to Dr. A for the video.

NC Randonneur Jerseys!

As seen on local, national and international brevets -- our local rando club is reordering the NC Randonneurs jersey, designed by our very own Branson and worn and admired by randonneurs worldwide. There may be minor changes in the design, it will have the same logo and motto (ride / eat / sleep).



Price? A mere $75. Interested? Please e-mail with contact info and sizing to mdayton1@ gmail.com.

Jersey cut: You'll have a choice of Pro-Fit (slimmer) or Relaxed Fit.

Deadline: May 17.

Payment: $75 through Paypal or check once the order is placed.

Two Abreast Law in NC?

N.C. cyclists take note: a draft bill being discussed today by your lawmakers could mean major changes to your favorite group or club ride. Here's the bill introduced by Rep. Nelson Cole (Guilford/Rockingham County area).

Here it is.


Here's what N&O writer Bruce Siceloff says on his blog:

"With NCDOT reminding North Carolinians during Bicycle Safety Month that "bicyclists share the same rights and responsibilities as other drivers," legislators are considering a proposal to put new restrictions on groups of bike riders when they share the highways with car drivers.

A joint House-Senate committee [today] will consider a draft bill that would prohibit cyclists from riding more than two abreast on the road. And when cyclists riding side-by-side are approached from the rear by a faster vehicle (i.e., car), they would be required to "move into a single file formation as quickly as practicable."

The North Carolina Active Transportation Alliance, a group of cyclists, skaters, etc., wants the proposal killed or heavily revised:

"The proposed language of the bill prohibits cyclists from riding two abreast and sets a precedent for further limiting (currently allowed) use of the full lane. The NCATA Board is concerned about the proposed bill, and while we encourage bicycles to behave courteously to passing vehicles, we see problems with codifying this as a requirement due to the implications on legal cases related to bicycle crashes, etc."

The NCATA Board has voted to present its position to Rep. Pricey Harrison in Greensboro (a cycling advocate) in hopes that she can work with Rep. Cole on either striking this piece of legislation all together or amending the language as follows:

§ 20-171.3. Operation of bicycles on highways. Bicyclists riding bicycles upon a highway shall not ride more than two abreast in a single marked lane, except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, or when overtaking another bicyclist.

Don't like it? Get vocal. Find out who your state reps are and contact him / her by phone or e-mail.

Here's House contact info. Here's Senate contact info.

Morrisville NC 400K/ May 8, 2010

As we motored along on Saturday's 400K, Bill, a rider who began randonneuring last year, told me that he enjoyed the way that groups and alliances shift and re-form during brevets. I like that aspect of the sport, too. We all start the ride together, but you never know who you're going to finish with, or who you're going to share company with along the way.

You may pair up with a group of riders for 50 miles or so, until a control reshuffles the deck and you head back out on the course with a new crew. Sometimes, your legs simply get heavy, or your stomach turns sour, and you back off the pace for a while until another group approaching from behind picks you up, lifts your spirits and carries you on to the next control.

At so it was on Saturday. Riders came and went. Several of us moved out of the first control ahead of the large group we'd entered with, and that would put us a few minutes ahead for the rest of the day. The one constant in my group were the dual overhead Kamms -- Chris and Annette. Fueled by jelly beans and fit from the mountain training of western North Carolina, they sailed along the course, even into a fierce headwind. Annette was our coach, cheering and badgering us to pick up the pace, stay focused. For the longest time we had Kim with us, but we lost contact with her when she dropped a chain at Love Joy Road; we were up a winding, hilly section before we realized she was no longer with us. Wes was with us until the turnaround, when the heat began to take its toll and he developed leg cramps.

I was in the same boat for 60 miles after the turnaround. I told Chris and Annette I'd be useless until Seagrove, and I kept my word. The hilly section from the Uwharries to the Hardees control can inflict serious suffering on tired legs, and there was some kind of pollen in the air that was driving my throat insane. We made it through the hills intact and stopped for a fast food dinner, where we picked up Jerry, Tim and Wes. We would eventually splinter again in the section from Seagrove to Siler City. Annette was on fire and riding with inspiration. With my own leg cramps setting in, I urged Chris, Annette and Jerry to ride on. I figured I'd back off the pace once they dropped me, allowing me to recover. Instead, they graciously slacked off and pulled my weary butt to pizza and drinks at the Siler City control. A big thanks to volunteer Mike O for the chairs and the food.

We left out of the Siler City control as the heat of the day began to break, and with the cooling temperatures I regained my legs and felt fine the rest of the way home. We stopped for V-8s and cookies provided by Biker Bob, who was volunteering at the Snow Camp control. Tim left the control with us but purposely sat behind us on the final leg and finished a few minutes after our group, after stopping to phone home.

My stated goal was to finish before midnight, thus completing 250 miles in one calendar day. So there was the stated goal, but in the back of my mind I had another thought -- maybe besting my time of 17:17, set back in 2002, my very first year of randonneuring. Jerry knew about that mark because I'd mentioned it in an online post. As the day wore on, that time goal took on less importance than finishing with the group I'd shared so many miles with. I would have been miles back down the road without their help. When we stopped at a store about 20 miles from the finish and took an extended break, I put 17:17 out of my mind. I'd get it on another day.

We were about five miles from the finish, heading up Carpenter Fire Station Road, when Jerry casually said, "Hey, Mike, it's 10:56 right now. I think we can make it in under your time." That breathed new life into our group. Chris, Annette and Jerry dug deep and did big work to the finish. We rolled in at 11:14 p.m., three minutes under the wire.

As Annette would say, nicely done. Thanks to all for another great day on the bikes.

Note: Thanks to Biker Bob for use of his photo.

For other perspectives, here is Vance's report, Keith's report and Bryan's Facebook posting. Maria's pre-ride report is here, and a big thanks to her for volunteering on Saturday. Also, thanks again to Bob for working Snow Camp. His volunteer report is here. Here's Ian's report and a short write-up by Martin.

Quote of the Day

"At one point I felt I had to ride or die. But my energy level now is so high and I feel so good, it's quite a contrast to what's happening in my life outside of riding. I recently told someone that you might be thinking about your problems before you ride, but if you're doing it right, you won't be thinking about them when you're done."

Tip of the hat to Keith, for posting this Huffington story on Facebook.

Belated Happy Birthday....

...to Sridhar, one of our favorite randonneurs, who hit the BIG 5-0 on Tuesday. Here's to 50 more years...

The Good Old Days Before Stoplights....

From one of those forwarded e-mails we all get. The note said this was taken by camera mounted on the front of a cable car in San Francisco -- in 1906, just before the Great Earthquake. What happened to all the fixed gears?