Capitols Riders

Two intrepid riders, Maria and Bob struck out at 6 p.m. on the Capitols of the Confederacy permanent, a 300K route which connects Raleigh, NC and Richmond, VA. We saw them off from the Capitol grounds in Raleigh.

Here's to a safe and successful ride, and I know we'll see details on Maria's blog or Bob's blog.

The Capitols route has been ridden two other times --  a July 4 ride in 2008 and earlier this year as part of the Handmade Bike Show event.

"I'm Grumpy, but you don't look anything like Snow White." Capitols of the Confederacy--Jerry Phelps

Branson, Mike, Paul and I inaugurated the Capitols of the Confederacy Permanent on July 4/5. The Clif Bar, er Cliff Notes version:

Left Raleigh at 18:00 from the Capitol Building.

Beautiful route out of Raleigh—Mike knows all the back roads.

Oxford was the first control at 47 miles.



Saw backyard fireworks celebrations on Kerr Lake at Nutbush.

Saw Mother Nature’s fireworks in Drewry and had to pull over for more than an hour to wait out a storm.


Almost burned down a church with fireworks I brought. (Well, not really, but it makes the story better!)

Crossed the dam with a kicking tailwind around 0100 at about 80 miles.

Paul had a flat.

Branson got sick near Oral Oaks—projectile type sick.

No stores open anywhere.



Kenbridge–0300–Got some change for a drink machine from a motorist—drink machine was empty!

Made it to Blackstone and found heaven—a Huddle House Restaurant OPEN 24 HOURS!



Branson got sick again—more projectiles. He abandoned, and phoned Loree to come get him.

Stationed the B-man in a warm laundromat—he was shivering and couldn’t keep anything down.

Mike, Paul, and I trudged on.

Paul had flat #2—gotta get that boy some new tires.



Jerry started having wet shorts with no Lantiseptic issues.

Pulled into Amelia Couthouse and officially changed my name to Grumpy.

Mike rode like the stud he is—his name is already Sandbagger.

Left, right, left, right, and the occasional deer all the way to Richmond.

Felt like we dropped off a cliff on Old Gun Road down to the James.Thought we would have to pay the piper and climb out of that hole, but for once there was more descent than ascent.



Pulled into the Capitol at 1045—almost exactly 200 miles on the odometer.



Had lunch at a “quaint” establishment—let’s just say that the bullet holes added flair to the décor.

Booked it 8 miles to the Amtrak station.

Caught the train and home about 1800.

Phoned B from the car—he is getting better fast.

All-in-all, not a bad 24 hours, except for B.

We want to do the ride again in the fall, but start in Richmond. It will be beautiful with fall foliage.

Lights! Camera! ACTION!

The showdown is set!

Mike's E3 Supernova versus my brand-spankin' new Schmidt Edelux, fresh out of the box. We're doing a nighttime permanent between Raleigh and Richmond next weekend, so stay tuned for an extended road test.

First impressions, the Edelux is a beautiful little package. Its black-anodized aluminum housing looks seamless, sculpted. The magnetic switch is a joy to move back and forth. Its Senso setting has a raised notch between On and Off, so you can set it correctly without looking down.

The paperwork says the "IQ-TEC optical system" was developed by Busch & Muller, and is also found in their Lumotec IQ Fly. The emitter points slightly backward from the top of the housing, bouncing its light off the beveled reflector. Perhaps the reported difference in output between the IQ Fly and the Edelux is due to different emitters? Our buddy Byron rocked the local SR series with an IQ Fly and I was extremely impressed, especially on wet roads at night. Can't wait to get home and give this light a try!

Total damage to the checking account: just under $200 US.