Shenandoah 1200K Control / Last Riders Out

All remaining riders have cleared Mt. Airy except for Mark and Bill Olsen, who are leaving now.

3 A.M. Update

Bill and Mark Olsen and Paul Donaldson are in, got food and are off for 90-minute naps. Still out are Larry Midura, Michael Fox, David Rudy and Phil Creel.

At 3:33, Phil Creel, Larry Midura and David Rudy arrived.

No Worries --- we can true that up...

Ride organizer Matt Settle is in after a run-in with a car. He's fine. Bike is not.

Shenandoah 1200K Control / More Rider Pix

Top to bottom: Aaron, Chuck, Dave, Henk, John Lee.

Shenandoah 1200K Control / 2 Riders In

Jon Pasch arrived at 20:02 and will be heading back out at 22:00. Jim Solanick arrived at 20:56 and is sleeping until 1:30 a.m. Both guys looked amazingly good for the 440-mile mark, both had two burgers (Jim's were veggies) and both had minor mechanical issues that Bob and John P dealt with. A photo of Jim on arrival:



Jon getting ready to leave,,,



Midnight update: Other riders now in include John Lee Ellis, Aaron Little, Chuck Howes, Henk Bouhuyzen.

Shenandoah 1200K Control / The Mayberry Edition

The NC Randonneurs are once again helping out with the Mt. Airy Control of the Shenandoah 1200K. We've got coolers of drinks, a hot grill, burgers, franks and beans.

Helping out will be fearless leader Al...



...As well as John O, Biker Bob, John P and one or two guests....

If you're out and about, stop by the Knights Inn in Mt. Airy and say hi.

We're expecting the first riders of about 15 still riding sometime around sunset. We'll update with pictures, etc., so check back for the latest information.

After we set up shop and did the day's shopping, we headed to uptown "Mayberry." This is where Andy Griffith is from, and the Main Street strip is a living museum to the Andy Griffith show. Don't be making no jokes about it -- or you're liable to find yourself in the back of Deputy Barney Fife's patrol car.



Images of the TV show grace every window, and tourists wander the street hoping to recapture some early 1960s innocence, relive the days before the hippies fouled the air with smoke and the hollow promise of free love.

Once uptown, you're just about obligated to have a world-famous porkchop sandwich at The Snappy Lunch. (Uh...yes, right next door to Floyd the Barber's.)



Here's John O enjoying one all the way.



Even the outskirts of town feels the magnetic pull of that 60s TV show. Just across the street from us is Aunt Bea's Hickory Smoked Barbecue restaurant and Goober's 52, which is serving up oysters and live music this evening.

So...if you show up at our control and nobody's home, be sure to cross the street. We just might be shagging at the oyster roast....

Shenandoah 1200K Twitter / Blog Updates

Ain't the Internet great? As I receive reports from friends in the ride, I've been updating info on Twitter. Look to the right (this way! ---->) to see posts. Also, Branson has posted a couple pictures on his blog (see link below).

Shenanandoh 1200K Video by Clare Z

In the Blogs / Lin at Shenandoah

Our friends at The Daily Randonneur continue their extensive post-ride coverage of the Shenandoah 1200K. The latest post features photos by Mary G, who showed up at the finish and snapped some great shots of our man Lin.

You can see them here. He's wearing the official jersey. You'll also see a photo of his bike.

The photo on the right was taken as Lin passed through the Fancy Gap control. That look of concern on his face? He still had more than 300 miles to ride at that point. But the Fancy Cap crew never doubted him for a minute.

Matt Settle said Lin entered the final control "with a big smile on his face" and the photos bear that out.

Again, a big congratulations to Lin & all the other participants in the inaugural Shenandoah 1200K.

Shenandoah 1200K: In praise of the volunteers

At 6:14 a.m. on Saturday morning we closed down the Fancy Gap control, Mile 446 of the inaugural Shenandoah 1200K. As the sun climbed the sky for another day of record heat, we packed up the tables, the chairs, the tarps and umbrellas, a cook stove, a leftover box of chili and an unopened barrel of Quaker Oats.

Only 6:14 in the morning, but our day was already done.

Our little army of volunteers had done our best to feed the riders, get them a shower and find them a bed for a few hours of fitful sleep. We’d encouraged them, told them the hardest part was over. We adjusted a bike or 2, helped tired riders put batteries in their lights, filled water bottles and fixed coffee. We’d done all we could before sending them up the road for another 500K of blazing blacktop. Now it was up to them.

For about 12 hours, the Fancy Gap volunteers served as an oasis of food and shelter for randonneurs on their 760-mile trek. By the time the riders reached us, they’d been climbing hill after endless hill. They’d been riding most of the day in an oppressive heat, a 600-pound gorilla that managed to break free the moment the circus hit town. Before things had wrapped up, the combination punch of heat, hills and humidity would take down nearly half of the 56 starters.

Down in the Shenandoah Valley, where most of the ride took place, the temperatures were in the mid to high 90s, a full 10 degrees warmer than our 3,100-foot perch at Fancy Gap. The riders had to climb to reach us, but it was a climb out of the brick oven and into the cooler reaches of mountain air. The salt stains may have been on the riders’ jerseys, but relief was on their faces.

The Fancy Gap Crew

Shortly after the Shenandoah 1200K was announced, riders from the N.C. Randonneurs offered to help Matt Settle, the event organizer, with the Fancy Gap control, the point where the ride came closest to the North Carolina border. We were excited to have a 1200K in our backyard, and we wanted to do our part to make it a success. The Tar Heel riders who signed on as volunteers were all PBP veterans: Jerry, Byron, Chris & Annette, Branson, Paul S... We knew what it felt like to push your tired body through one of those grueling events – and we also knew what it was like to have knowledgeable and supportive volunteers at the controls.

We were not the only volunteers at Fancy Gap. Susan, the partner of rider Paul, was on hand. So were PBP veterans Clare and Jim, who were working the nearby Hillsville control. They stopped up several times to see us, and we dropped down the hill to see them and drop off supplies. Our control drew some guests. Capn Ende and his family were heading up to Vermont for a vacation. They took a slight detour as they headed north and stopped by for lunch.

The Fancy Gap volunteers assembled a full 15 hours before the first riders ever reached us. We’d done the advance work, socked in supplies and readied the stove, stocked the coolers, moved picnic tables and set up chairs. For most of the day we played the waiting game. We were the guys in the bunker, idling the day away, ready to go on high alert the instant the call came in.

After nearly 18 hours where we’d seen only 5 riders, Rush Hour hit, first 2 riders, then a pack of 4, then another of 5, then 3, and on and on through the night. From the hill where the motel was located we could see the lights of riders coming down the Blue Ridge Parkway toward the entrance of the Fancy Gap Campground. The entrance was very dark, so we put a blinking red light on a Shenandoah sign at the driveway. We also rattled a funky old cowbell that Jerry bought from a local antiques shop. The riders first stopped at a cabin manned by Susan, who stamped riders’ cards with a special “Tar Heel / Fancy Gap” stamp we’d made for the occasion. Then Byron ferried riders up a steep gravel road to the motel where we were stationed. We tried to get riders settled in with drinks and foods as quickly as we could, serving up cheeseburgers, rice, beans and chili, and potato chips. We had an assortment of drinks to hand out, including lemonade, Coke, Sprite, chocolate milk and the occasional malt beverage.

Most riders had a plate of food under our tarp area before heading off to a room for a shower and a little shut eye. When they got up, we were ready for them with breakfast bars, bananas, cereal, croissants and coffee. Byron ferried them back up to the cabin, where most of their bikes were parked, and we watched their taillights disappear back up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Rider by rider, our mission was accomplished.

For me, Fancy Gap was a magic moment of camaraderie. I’ve shared many special hours in the saddle with my fellow N.C. randonneurs. I had just as much fun hanging out under our mulch-stained blue tarp.

• Byron. Besides being a damned fine mechanic, Byron’s also a classic tale spinner. In the dead time while we waited for our first riders, he was our entertainment. He’s the guy who turned each dent in his pick-up truck into a 10-minute tale of hilarious woe. He had us rolling in the aisles as he recounted his “cheese popcorn smelling feet” during PBP. Byron was the guy who ferried riders back and forth along that steep dirt road between the control cabin and the motel rooms.

• Chris & Annette. I met these two Asheville riders last year, but I don’t think I really knew them until Friday. These two have a long racing pedigree and have now turned their attention to track racing at the Asheville’s “Mellow Drome” where Chris swears 500 meters can be every bit as tough as 1200K. I discovered Chris is a woodworker and a former collegiate swimmer. I learned how Chris & Annette met in the fast and slow lanes of a masters practice. Annette is a former nationally recognized racer who earned a place on the podium at several events. Annette gets full credit for Saturday morning’s breakfast bar. When everyone else began to wilt, Annette stepped up. She made sure riders and volunteers alike had coffee, and she set up a breakfast spread that made it easy for departing cyclists to get a quick meal before venturing down the road.

• Jerry is the guy who got the t-shirts printed up (based on a design by Branson), which gave our way station a nice club feel. He is also the guy who plunked down big bucks for that great cowbell, giving our stop the flavor of a Tour De France stage. He was an indispensable leader of our volunteer effort. By the way, Jerry was pulling double duty. He left around 10 p.m. Friday evening to head home so he could get up early and drive down to Wilmington, where he was scheduled to man the turnaround for the NCBC 600K.

• Branson was also doing double duty and on Sunday was out driving our 600K course. Branson has the kind of positive energy that attracts people on and off the bike. Branson’s the guy who rounded up coolers and other supplies (thank you NCBC!). And he’s the guy who showed up with not one but two North Carolina flags, effectively pushing back the Virginia border by 6 miles for the duration of the event.

• Charlotte rider Paul Smith showed up unannounced and proved to be a welcome addition to our team, pitching in by handling sleeping logistics for the tired riders.

• Capn Ende showed up with his family just to have lunch. That kind of moral support is worth a cooler full of cold drinks.

• Susan made everyone feel welcome as our official greeter at the cabin control. We couldn’t ask for a better front office presence. She is the one who brought that tarp that saved us all in the heat of the day.

• Clare is an unbelievable ball of energy. I’ve heard about Clare for years from my brother Tim. Now I see why he is so fond of her. She brought popsicles and glow sticks and is the one who made us hunt down the chalk in our misguided effort to sign the road. She mostly worked at the Hillsville control, but she visited us several times.

• Jim Levitt, who ran the nearby Hillsville control, came up for a visit, and was in constant contact by phone to let us know when a rider was heading up the hill in our direction.

• The Fancy Gap control workers send out a special thanks to Gilbert Anderson and North Road Bicycles in North Carolina for setting us up with a box of spare parts, and to Mark Higgins at Lantiseptic for giving us samples of that product.

And more volunteers...

The crew at Fancy Gap was only one pit stop along the way. There were many other volunteers. At the risk of leaving someone out (apologies in advance) volunteers who played a part in the event’s success included DC Rand RBA Bill Beck, Carl and Missy, Jim L, Josie, Jeff, Nick, Pat, Bob, Scott, Fred, Leslie, Ruby Lee and Doc.

Talk about going the distance...New Orleans RBA Pat Horchoff was on hand to pitch in and help out Matt during the ride.

The wizard behind the curtain was Bones, who may be the world’s No. 2 expert on Excel, just behind Bill Gates. Bones’ magic touch was everywhere, from signs and rider lists to control times and web updates. He was the master planner, looking after each and every detail.

John Lee Ellis served as a RUSA mentor, helping to guide the event from drawing board to launch, offering insights and endless optimism.

A big tip of the chapeau to Matt Settle for having the determination and vision to put the whole thing together. Matt was out there on the route looking after riders and volunteers alike. The entire randonneuring community from coast to coast owes him thanks for putting the mid-Atlantic region on the 1200K map. Matt, we can't wait to ride it next year.

Finally, the N.C. Randonneurs thank all of the riders. The appreciation you showed for our efforts made it all worthwhile. Whether or not you finished, you guys are the heroes of the day, and we can't wait to read your ride reports.

Shenandoah 1200K / Slideshow from Fancy Gap Control / Mile 446

Shenandoah 1200K now under way...

Several of the N.C. randonneuring crew, including 6 PBP veterans, are heading up to Fancy Gap, Va. this evening, to man the control at Mile 440 of the inaugural Shenandoah 1200K. The ride started early this morning.

The RTP crew will be taking lots of pictures, and we'll update the blog, if possible, during the ride. We'll also be calling in updates to our good friend Ed Felker with The Daily Randonneur, so be sure to check out his site over the weekend.

Best of luck to all the riders. We're pulling for you.

Update: Bill Beck, a DC-Rand member and a volunteer at the Gettysburg Control, sent this report and a link to photos and a captioned slideshow:

The Shenandoah 1200 started from Leesburg, VA at 4AM on Thursday, June 5. These pictures are from the first control in Gettsburg, PA, which was open from 7:12 to 11:16. The lead pack of about 15 riders arrived at 7:51, and the lantern rouge at about 10:04. All the riders who passed through the control seemed to be doing well. Conditions in the morning were pleasant with no rain and temperatures rising into the low 80s. But temperatures later in the day were predicted to rise
into the high 80s, with substantial humidity. (Temperatures in the mid-90s with heat index around 100F are predicted for Saturday.)

Best of luck to all of the Shenandoah 1200 riders, and especially our fellow DC Randonneurs! -- Bill

Friday noon update: The Tar Heel randonneuring crew is set up at Fancy Gap, and we're hanging out with the Hillsville bunch. The crowd: Branson, Jerry, Byron, Chris, Annette, Susan, Claire, Jim.

We've just heard of a high DNF rate because of oppressive heat in the Valley. As many as 14 riders out of 56 that started have dropped out.

We don't expect to see the first riders until late this afternoon.

More later. In the meantime, here are a couple photos from Fancy Gap control. Click on the picture and you'll be directed to the google album Branson uploaded.