Civil War Bailout

THURMONT, MARYLAND

It was hot. And I was worried. Last year I cramped by Mile 9. I did go out hard last year and posted my best time on the seven mile "warmup" climb from Thurmont up through the Catoctin Mountains. But today it was already humid and I wanted to pedal slowly.



It worked. By worked I mean I posted my worst time of six efforts. Although it was only 53 seconds slower than three years ago when I must have tried to go hard. But I didn't cramp so I was pleased and thought I was on a good day.

South Mountain Creamery

On course I came to the unmarked hill where I have hit 50 on the descent. I held some back and only hit 48.3 mph. I'm never quite sure I'm on the right descent until it's too late.

Rest Stop at Gapland on South Mountain

New this year was a reroute which took us up a challenging little climb. It was on Mt. Tabor Road just beyond Myersville, which we did not ride this year. It was a little more than 1/4 mile but much was at 14% grade. That was quite a surprise. I had been side by side with a rider from California who complained about "east coast roads." I never saw him again once we started climbing. He quickly fell off the back.

Peaches - Fresh Peaches

It was a different route this year. Some of it was due to construction including the tarring (and chipping) of some roads which makes for messy bikes. And some of it was rerouted because communities complained - I am assuming Myersville and Boonesboro - two towns the route historically has gone through but today did not.

Rest Stop at Gapland

After the first rest area on South Mountain the Burnside Bridge Road was closed and we went up Porterstown Road instead. This climb was just nasty. Hot and humid, there were sections at 17% grade. It took us just past the battlefield at Antietam which was not on course this year due to road construction on the Burnside Bridge Road.

Near Boonesboro, Maryland

Arriving at the second rest stop I filled my bottles and drank one on the spot. And promptly filled it again. I was going through water faster than I could replenish it. I was out of water by the first rest stop, out by the second, and just could not keep enough on the bike.

One of the volunteers looked at me and said "today, you'd be best to take the bailout." It's hard enough fighting those voices from within but when a volunteer tells you to bail out I have to admit it became a thought.

The neat thing about this ride is the full century ride features a "bailout" option at Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. If after 65 miles of riding you're just not feeling it, or you are dehydrating, or storms are coming, one can descend nine miles back to the start in Thurmont.

At the rest stop I heard some riders talking about the bailout and they checked the maps. On the climb one could go up a shaded road or out in the sun. I've done both. As I rode up Raven Rock Road I came to the turn to Richie Road. There must have been 10-15 riders there contemplating which way to go. Some were already going straight, which, IMHO, is not where they wanted to go. Richie Road is shaded and it's the same climb up the same ridge.

Thunder and Lightning - Storms moving in

Up and over the top, the last major climb of the day, I descended to Fort Ritchie and Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. I saw a man changing a tire and went back to "help" (really, I was just curious - I wasn't really going to help). It was my friend, Sean Walker. I was hoping to see him today and now got to ride with him.

Sean Walker

Sean had been coaching a client and we were talking about the heat. I was already out of water and the next stop would be another 15 miles in Fairfield, Pa. He suggested the bailout. Had he been riding to Gettysburg, I would have too, but there's strength in numbers. Sean took the bailout and I started to head to Gettysburg. I had been lifted by an adrenaline rush from seeing him. But it wore off and I realized I would be suffering for no good reason. I find the alternative bailout route.

Back in Thurmont, we got our ice cream and watched the storms roll in. They were pretty strong. We were thankful we made the right decision, heat or not. And very thankful not to be caught in the storms.

It's not often I make good decisions on the bike. I am willing to finish, no matter what. So it's hard to make a decision not to finish. But many were caught in bad storms plus I was on my brand new bike and wasn't ready to subject it to bad weather. Not yet. So maybe if it wasn't about me today, it was about the bike.

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What's in a Jersey?

THURMONT, MARYLAND

Group rides that aren't timed often lead to small talk on the road. My experience is when I wear a destination or event jersey someone will talk to me about it. Be it the Mt. Washington Auto Road Hillclimb or Alpe d'Huez, I will have people asking me about the event or sharing their own experiences.

I brought my Ride the Rockies and Spokes of Hope jerseys to wear today unsure of which I would go with. When I wear a cancer jersey very few people will say a word. But I had a feeling and decided to go with my newest kit. I wanted to display the first blue Spokes of Hope kit made (last week).

It was 52 degrees as I rolled out of Thurmont. My legs felt heavy. Very heavy. I refereed a soccer match last night. As the assignor, I had a late turnback of a game and rather than scramble to find someone to take the game I took it myself. 

A Pretty Barn and Horse near Myersville, Md.

When I referee I am not one to stand in the center circle. I give the game the effort it deserves and I worked my butt off running with the U16s. I got home after 10:30 p.m. I showered and went to bed.

Now pedaling my legs felt very heavy. I was conscious not to go out too fast but still found myself passing people on the low part of the seven mile climb over the Catoctin Mountain which greets the riders on the Civil War Century.

Rest Stop at South Mountain

I was passing people and eventually realized that everyone I had been riding with were now behind me. I was going out too fast.

Not the bike I rode

At Mile Nine I felt a twinge in my quadriceps. I knew I was in trouble. I was cramping just nine miles into a 100 mile ride. I decided to back off and take it easy and hope to make the full route. It was a beautiful day for a ride warming up to the mid 80s.

Antietam National Battlefield

Navigating through Boonesboro, Md. was interesting. A quaint little town it apparently held a community yard sale on this day. Traffic was backed up or cars were simply double parked. It was a little bit sketchy at times getting through there safely.

A lasting image of the community came when I rounded a curve and saw three kids in the yard, probably 7-9 years old. I called out "Morning!" One of the kids yelled back "GET OFF THE ROAD!" It sort of reminded me of Gene Wilder in Blazing Saddles stating "the little bastard shot me in the ass." I just thought these kids have already learned this from their parents. They don't have a chance to grow up and be a compassionate member of society.

On the climb up South Mountain headed towards Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., I was passed by five riders. One said "I like that jersey." Once over the top I caught the group (meaning they stopped) and stopped with them. There I met Kim Goldman and gave her my card. We talked about the jersey, the organization, and cancer. She invited me to ride with them.

Save for the last hill before Fairfield, Pa., I stayed with them but even then quickly caught back up to them. I generally felt good. After the rest stop we pedaled on to Gettysburg. Fighting off the cramps there were times when I felt good.

The moment of truth came while riding through the battlefield. I had dropped to sixth wheel (last) as we were required to ride single file through the park. There were even three volunteers with signs to remind us. Out of the blue came a loud pop. My front tire blew.

Help at Gettysburg (Josh Sayre)

This was the second time on the day. I never had a tire blow out on me before but earlier, as I was leaving the rest stop at Mile 50, I had a tire blow. Rather than change it on the side of the road I walked 200 meters back to the fire station where I changed the tire. Now just 20 miles later, it happened again.

Would my new friends keep going? Or would they stop and help this stranger? Without a spare tube (already used) I was screwed, But Josh Sayre, riding in front of me, heard my faint yell of "flat" or at least heard the tire blow. He stopped and gave me his tube. The SAG was right behind us so I could use their floor pump. This change was easy.

After a group photo we were rolling again. At Mile 85 we were riding along at a good pace when we came to the last rest stop. They indicated they were not going to stop but I was low on my fluids. Any thought about continuing with them immediately disappeared with a cramp. Our pace up the small climb to the rest stop was just enough to induce more cramps.

L-R: Ben Herbert, Josh Sayre, Kim Goldman, Ben Aiken, Mike Davis, Barry Sherry

I pulled over and could barely lift my leg over the frame. Looking for something, anything, with salt, I found Doritos (yes). I refilled with Gatorade. I drank five bottles on the day with seven bottles of water. I took off for the final 20 miles. And I was deep in the suitcase of pain.

I could find no rhythm in pedaling. When I did I would stay there. Sometimes it was a slow cadence. Other times it was faster. But then a cramp would come and I would have to change position, cadence, and twice, stop to stretch. To make matters worse, although it was all flat, there was mostly a headwind to contend with.

My Salty Snack

The ride was a struggle. Actually, from Mile 60 to 85 it was a breeze as I was talking with the group. But the last 20 miles, riding solo, was very difficult. My skin was white with salt deposits.

The irony is I like distances. I often do my best in the final quarter of a long ride. But I was ill-prepared. I even had a jar of Endurolytes which would fend off losing all the salt and electrolytes. At home. In a drawer.

It was a difficult ride. And while I did set a personal best on the climb up Catoctin Mountain, I will remember the difficulty of the day and how ill-prepared I was. But I will remember most meeting new friends on the ride. All because of what's on the jersey.

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Reflections on the Year - 2012

WOODBRIDGE, VIRGINIA

This does and does not lend itself to a Top Ten list. I like to do a Top "Ten" because 10 is such a nice number. But for a year that began hoping I'd go to Italy or Ride the Rockies, I had to settle for something less. At least that's what I thought. A year in which I rode more than any year before (6,500 miles) there are too many memories to narrow them to just 10.

It was a year in which I did not have a week without a ride. As for what defines a "ride," I do not count the miles running "errands" including 0.5 mile to the Mall in D.C. at lunchtime to play Ultimate Frisbee. I define a "ride" as just that -- it has to be a minimum of 10 miles to make my count. But I did count one ride of less than 10 miles - the 7.6 miles up Mount Washington. Was that wrong?

In all I had 10 days of more than 100 miles in the saddle.

My Top Ten (or 11)

1. Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb - When I first started dreaming about climbing the big mountains in Europe, I discovered Mount Washington. I wanted to do it once and now have ridden it five straight years. This year was crazy because I had all but decided not to go then changed my mind, drove up Friday morning, arrived late Friday, did the race on Saturday, then drove home Saturday night, arriving just after midnight. I remember this one most for the uber nice Gabinksi family who gave me a ride down the mountain: Vic, Alison, Alexa, and Lucas.

The Last 50 Yards

The 50 yards before the last 50 yards

2. Bike Virginia - I looked forward to Bike Virginia for a chance to ride with my cousin, Kay Walborn. We didn't ride much, mainly because she was on course each day before I could ride to the course since I elected to stay at Bethany's and Ashley's places. But we rode some. I also rode with a former work colleague, John Dockins. But mostly I remember being struck by a car. That hurt. But I survived.

Barry with cousin Kay
(Don't know the dork in the background)

John Dockins, Barry Sherry

3. Pedal Pal - Let me be clear - I wish I didn't know what it was to have cancer. But I am a survivor and that has opened some new opportunities for me including being a Pedal Pal for Patrick Sheridan. I rode out on Day 1 with Team San Francisco from Baltimore to Alexandria and rode in with them on Day 70 from Mill Valley, Ca. to San Francisco. But it was mostly about Team Portland and Chey Hillsgrove supporting Jake the Hero Grecco.

Chris, Lauren, Patrick, Jeff

Patrick Sheridan, Barry Sherry

4. Mt. Tam - My friend, Eric Scharf, always said "you have to ride Mt. Tam." And so I finally did. I was on a rental bike and missed my Trek Pilot. I really missed my bike. This bike didn't have the climbing gears my bike did and I was suffering. But the best "compliment" may have been made by Kevin Barnett, when he asked what we did with Peter (Bai) who rode with Rodrigo Garcia Brito and me that day. Kevin said Peter came in immediately after the ride and crashed.

Peter Bai

View from Mt. Tam

5. Mt. Shasta Summit Century - While on the west coast I found the Mt. Shasta Summit Summit Century. Like Mt. Tam, I wasn't on my own bike but a steel touring bike lent to me by Deron Cutright, a friend from our Trek Travel trip to France two years ago. Beautiful scenery and some pretty long climbs.

View of Mount Shasta

Early morning at the ride start

6. 24 Hours of Booty - My first Booty and it won't be my last one. While I joined Team BootyStrong, in Columbia, Md., I rode in memory of Jake and established a team for 2013 - Jake's Snazzy Pistols.

7. RAGBRAI - Every cyclist must ride across Iowa once and this was the year it worked out for me. I can't say it is my kind of event because it is much too crowded but I enjoyed the point to point riding each day. And I killed the mileage knocking out 700 miles in a week of riding from South Dakota to Illinois.
 

Tractor at a road side Farm stand

 

 




8. Jeremiah Bishop's Alpine Loop Gran Fondo - This is a fund raiser for some local charities including the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project. I invited Chey Hillsgrove to join me and we had a great ride until he crashed out.

Barry, Chey

9. Riding with Dad - I never went for a ride with my dad until he turned 82. Memorial Day weekend we rode on the Great Allegheny Passage between Frostburg, Md. and Meyersdale, Pa.

My dad, me, angry sister

10. Civil War Century - One of my favorite rides but wasn't a century. Cut dangerously short at Mile 75 by severe weather I took a shortcut back to the start. I returned five weeks later and rode to Gettysburg by myself to finish the ride.

The Road Back to Start in Thurmont

Rest Stop at South Mountain

11. Livestrong Gala and Challenge -- Given the 1,000 page report by the USADA outlining systematic doping at U.S. Postal and Lance Armstrong, I am still sorting out my thoughts. But thousands of cancer fighters not named Lance support and are served by Livestrong. It was fun being among them, and Lance, for a weekend in Austin.

Always ride for Jake

With 6,500 miles on my butt for 2012, I now have surpassed 10,000 miles for two years and 15,000 for three years. Cancer-free. I can't predict where 2013 will take me although I would like to do Bike Across Kansas if the route is right and Ride the Rockies. A trip to Europe would be nice. And maybe a repeat of Bike Virginia. As for the Mt. Washington Hillclimb, I just received my private registration code since I have ridden it five consecutive years but don't know if I will do that one again (I said I wouldn't and I mean maybe).

The best rides are just following the road ahead and I'll go where the road leads as long as my health permits.

Peace!

Five Weeks Later I Finished

THURMONT, MARYLAND

With a feeling that I left something unfinished, today was the perfect day to return and finish the Civil War Century. On September 8 I had begun the climb of South Mountain when severe storms hit. I cut the route short electing to return to the safety of the van.



 

Library at Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.

A chilly morning, it was 48 degrees when I left home with a forecast of temperatures in the 70s. Arriving Thurmont, I discovered it was something called Colorfest Days and there was no free parking to be had anywhere in Thurmont. I drove up Catoctin Mountain Road about  two miles and decided I would pull over next to the stream, completely off the road.

Covered Bridge near Fairfield, Pa.

I decided to leave the jacket and long finger gloves behind, believing in the forecast. A mistake.

Tunnel in Md. near Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.

I climbed over South Mountain, partly knowing where I was going and partly just exploring. I was surprised when I entered Pennsylvania that I was immediately in Blue Ridge Summit, a small town I had ridden through before on three occasions. And it made sense to me that this was the bailout route for the Civil War Century should someone on the full century route decide after 65-70 miles they wanted to go back to Thurmont. It really is all downhill back to Thurmont from here.

Sabillsville Rd aka Catoktin Mt Route

I had hoped the road markings from the CWC were still in place and they were. Except when they weren't. At one intersection there was new asphalt down and my marking was gone. I went part on memory and part of feel. And I was right. Mostly.

A painted over marking on the road
Gettysburg, Pa.

Leaving Fairfield, Pa. I came to an intersection and did not see any markings and assumed no turn was necessary. After a few hundred yards I knew it felt wrong but I kept going. I sensed where Gettysburg was and figured I could still get there even though I missed the actual turn.

Fairfield Inn, Fairfield, Pa.

Arriving at the battlefield I got back on course. I found one of the markers and it had been covered in black. I wonder if the Park Service did that but wouldn't be surprised if the CWC staff did that after the event out of respect for the battlefield.

Gettysburg National Park

Leaving Gettysburg I lost the trail, or so I thought, but picked it up again. The winds picked up and were in my face the rest of the day. And I was cold. Until about the final 10 miles, the temperatures held steady in the 50s and I didn't have a jacket. 

I wasn't feeling well. Only a 50-mile ride I had four packets of gels/GUs and ate them all hoping it would help. I was a bit light headed but managed to stay on my bike. Unlike most rides, a sense of relief came over me when I arrived back at the car. Fifty (miles) was enough. But five weeks after I started, I can now say I finished the ride.

EPILOGUE - As a testament to how crappy I felt or how strong the wind was, I averaged a higher speed the first hour which included the 7-mile climb from the start than I did the last hour when it was flat.
 

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Storms on the Mountain

THURMONT, MARYLAND

I planned to get to Thurmont early for the Civil War Century because severe storms were forecast to move into the area around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Up at 5:15 a.m., I still got caught in traffic north of Frederick as a "mudder" event with 20,000 participants was also being held and traffic was backed up for miles. I was wheels down at 8:18 a.m. - an hour later than I had hoped.

Ominous looking early morning sky to the west

After a seven-mile warm up climb through Catoctin Mountain Park, ones comes to Wolfsville, Maryland. Just beyond Wolfsville is a hill. It has no name - I just call it "50 mile hill" because two years ago I hit 50 mph on the descent. Like last year, I didn't recognize it when I descended and only hit 47. So I decided I would double back one mile and try it again. I had a head wind and gave it my all and hit 49.1 mph. Sigh. I decided there would be no third time.

I caught, Jeff, who was wearing a RAGBRAI XL (40 years) jersey. I had talked to him in the parking lot briefly and we would ride together the rest of the day. We chatted about family and RAGBRAI. He attended this year with his 16 year old son. As for RAGBRAI, like me, he was basically one and done unless his son wanted to do it again.

Jeff

As I rode I didn't feel particularly well, especially approaching the climb on South Mountain. I never thought about abandoning or sagging back, I just thought it would be a day where I would suffer through. I usually finish what I start.

South Mountain rest stop

The route took us off South Mountain to Sharpsburg and past the battlefield and cemetery at Antietam. I think there's a 50 mph hill in the park. I'm not entirely certain because when I rode it during Bike Virginia my Garmin was in a pause mode. I thought briefly about riding it today but decided to ride on ahead.

Mount Aetna Rest Stop - Before the Storm

At the second rest stop, halfway at the Mount Aetna fire station, there were some guys with radios and Jeff said they told him the riders should take the bailout route back to start as the storms were very strong. I have no pictures available to share on this blog but looking to our left the sky was already an ominous black color. And it wasn't yet 1:00 p.m. We knew some massive storms were close.

Quietly it seemed riders massed as though there were safety in numbers although I'm not sure that is the case. Just outside Smithsburg we began the climb to go back over South Mountain. And South Mountain stood between us and Thurmont.

Then the rain came. Hard. And lightning. Thunder. COLD rain. Wind. Although it was a tail wind, it also contained lots of debris, mostly leaves and small twigs although it was certainly knocking down branches and trees too -- but we weren't getting pelted by those. It wasn't fun being on the road. Pounded by a driving cold rain and being hit by debris, we stayed on the shoulder and hoped any passing motorists would see us.

When we traveled through Boonesboro an hour earlier the temperature hit 90. Now on the mountain the temperature dropped to 66 degrees. This was a massive storm front.

We were guessing the best way back. I know the official bailout route was up ahead in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., but it seemed we could do better. We passed a road marked Md. 77 with a sign towards Thurmont which really was the best way back. That would have connected us to the road we rode out on in the morning.

Instead, we stayed on course and began the climb up Raven Rock Road (491). Two miles up there is a turn on Ritchie Road, a lightly traveled heavily forested road. Jeff and I opted to stay on the main road hoping it was a direct, or least a shorter way to Thurmont. Turns out it wasn't. In fact, when we reached the top of the mountain we were probably 200 meters from where we would have been had we stayed on Ritchie Road.

Fort Ritchie Road

We turned down Fort Ritchie Road and saw it was littered with tree debris. We were told a power line was down in the other direction.  We found our way through the debris.

Drenched - but safe

Arriving back at Thurmont the rain stopped. Briefly. I started to second guess our decision to abandon but accepted the fact that getting back safely was the most important thing. There were more storms behind this first one and the most important thing was that we made it back safely and can ride another day.

I didn't get to Gettysburg but this still is one of my favorite routes. But I learned additional roads to ride on. And for the first time, the lines weren't too long for the Antietam Dairy ice cream.

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