The Prep/The Race/ The way home .....

Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to rest and recovery. If I could lay down I did, and I made an effort to stand as little as possible. On Saturday I realized that I was getting a cold so I started irrigating my nose to keep the airways clear and try not to get an infection.
Sunday I rode 4 miles to the start to pick up my packet with the number and the freebies (t-shirt, water bottle etc) There was also a mechanic on duty who graciously tuned my shifting as I had had a few dropped chains on the way down.
The evening was spent making sure everything was ready for the next day so I could concentrate on eating and leaving. 
Monday I got up at 4.30 to be ready for the 6.30 start. Had a good breakfast (chicken breast and rice as well as some cereal with yogurt and some coffee!)
The weather had changed: the sunny skies were gone and the temperature had dropped from the 80s to the 50s. The forcast for the top of Mt.Mitchell was "lower 30s" and rain/possibly snow!
I left the hotel with leg warmers and arm warmers. 
I followed a little group of riders to the start and immediately placed myself at the start line almost in the front row! I was amazed at how many riders had not arm or leg warmers: were they tough or did they not own any?
 The race started promptly at 6.30! Even with my cold I felt really strong and in good shape. I had no trouble staying with the front pack. Last year I had found the first 50 miles to be really hard but this year it seemed quite manageable. Either the pace was steadier or I was stronger!
Unfortunately around mile 43 there was a downhill section of chip and seal ...... I am petrified of riding on gravel ..... I tried to keep up, but I got dropped at the first curve and could not catch up :).
A second group cought up with me soon after and we rode into Marion.
I did not stop at Marion, but had to stop when the climb started for a nature break and lost contact with the group. At this point I was feeling really strong and I set up the mountain at a my own pace. Soon I started passing riders from the group I had been with. I remembered some really hard sections from last year ... but they were not there this year ..... I can attribute that to my better condition and my 30x29!
At about 10 miles from the top I got passed for the first time by a rider! It was a great incentive to push the pace. I also realized that it might be possible to finish in under 6 hours! Not only did I mange to keep up with my competitor but I managed to pull ahead on the last mile! By now the temperatures had really dropped and I could not feel my hands ...
The finish line arrived and my time was 5:54:31.991!
I was not really feeling to well at the top, fatigue, plus the cold, plus my cold ....
Two VERY NICE ladies helped me off my bake and helped me find my bag. Thanks! After changing is some dry clothes and wearing the thermal blanket I started feeling much better. The tomato soup that the organizers provide really helped a lot!
After recovering a bit it was time to get on the bus for the ride back to Marion. At the Assault the riders do not ride down the mountain (it is forbidden), the bikes are sent back to Marion in trucks and the riders return in busses. The bus ride back to marion was actually really long as they go around the race route. Around 3.30 we arrrived at Marion where a showers and food await us. I passed on the shower as I still had to rode to Asheveille to take the bus ....
After eating  a "few" tuna and turkey sandwiches, I put on some clean bike clothes and started my ride toward the Greyhound station in Ashville. My GPS indicated that it was 34 miles awa and I was thinking of a leaisurly 2 hour ride ....... There was more climbing ...... I think the entire way was uphill ...... I took old 70 that turned out to be  a beautiful scenic route .... unfortunately it was raining .... the two hour ride turned out to be almost 4 hours ...
On Friday I had called Greyhound and they had told bme that I could rent a crate for the bike at the station .... wrong .... the station attendent tolde me that he had no boxes or crates, but suggested going to the gocery store a few hundred yards away and getting a lot of cardboad boxes and duct tape and making my own box ...
I went to the store and they were really nice when I explained my predicament, gave me the boxes, I bought the duct tape and went back to the station to build the box and pack the bike. An hour later the bike was packed and checked in ...The adventure was over!
The bus left at almost 10 pm. I had to change busses in Charlotte and Charston, WV.
At 3.15 pm the next day I arrived in canton, and shortly there after Aikiko and Aika were there to pick me up!
(by now I was pretty sick and had a fever ... but I was happy I had accomplished my goals!

Pictures from Mt. Mitchell May 16 2011

Day Five - Friday May 13th ...... brrrrrrr .......

Day 5

Duration:               3:15:17 (3:17:33)

Work:                    1768 kJ

TSS:                      141 (intensity factor 0.659)

Norm Power:        178

Distance:                70.232 km

Johnson City – Spartanburg SC

Last day of my epic ride! Ended up being relatively uneventful. I probably did not pick the most bike friendly route, but it was not a 4 lane highway (well actually some parts were three lanes but that makes it easier for the cars and trucks to pass me)

The first part of the ride was on 19E that took me over Roane Mountain and through Elk Park. The ascent was a mild 6% grade most of the way up. The road was relatively busy and felt like a highway if not for the periodic signs pointing out that it was a bike path! There were of course no other cyclists …. At the top of the mountain there was a relatively long section off flat road before the decent started. The decent was fast and steep with many turns and hairpins and great asphalt …. FUN! At the bottom of the mountain I got on 221 that was for the most part a 2 lave highway but with many trucks going by. Most of them were very polite, did not honk and drove slowly behind me till either I pulled over or the was enough room to pass.

The section from Marion to Spartanbug was a series of undulating hills that where quite leg zapping;  I think I also forgot to mention that from day two on I mostly had pretty strong headwinds. The headwind on the last 60 miles was really strong …. Nevertheless knowing that the goal was in sight made it all the easier.

On the outskirts of Spartanburg I realized that the GPS was pointing towards downtown and not my Hotel!!! I started to call the hotel but realized that the phone battery was dead even though I had charged it before leaving. Note to self: turn off the phone before spending 3 hours climbing a mountain with the phone searching for service …. J  

The GPS can find nearby hotels and I thought I had found mine …. but when I got there I found out I was wrong …..… a very nice lady, gave me directions and I made it to the Hotel 5 miles later …..to find out that I had reserved my room for Saturday and not Friday …. ooooops  ….there were no rooms available either … but right next door was a Courtyard and they had a nice room for me!!! J More expensive but very nice! Got some take out Chinese (with double rice!)  and started my two days or recovery ….

Day Four

Day 4

Duration:               8:09:30 (9:16:06)

Work:                    4320 kJ

TSS:                      378.9 (intensity factor 0.682)

Norm Power:        184

Distance:                184.761 km

Whiteburgh, KY to Johnson City, TN.

This was my original destination for day 3 if I had continued on 23 …..

My new route started up great! The GPS was taking through some beautiful mountain roads and I was really enjoying the ride. The first portion took me up to about 2100 feet on a fairly nice road. There were some coal trucks going by …. After the decent the GPS told me to turn right ….. but there was no road ….. I stopped at the first person I saw and asked for directions: he told me I was going the wrong way and that I had too go back to Whitburgh and go to 23 and that was the only way south ….. he also suggest I go back 5 miles and take a mountain road that would take me to 23 ….. I opted for the road over the mountain to 23 and headed back. At the interswection the the little road there was an ald time general store and I stopped for directions and he owner (wearing the wildest blond toupe) told me that I had been going the right direction and that the was a road that would cross the Back mountain and take me into Virginia. I head back south and took 160 across the black mountain. Now this is a nice bike road! It is the beast climb I have ever done. Nice shaded road with almost no cars. And the few cars were super polite!

It was a really great rride up to the top at about 3200 ft. The descent could be a great ride but for the gravel on the road. I really put my new break pads to work! On Google maps it appeared that there was an Old 23 that ran parallel to the freeway …. But it only lasted 10 miles and I had ti choose between getting back on 23 or doing a 70 mile detour. I opted for 23 and rode to the outskirst of Kingston where a slightly better road (30 I think) took me into Johnson City. In Kingston I rode in the gutter to let some cars go by and hit a draincover and got a pinch flat …. The positive side of a flat is that you can rest your legs and work your upper body.

I am actually quite happy with my physical condition. My training has prepared me really well for the ride and I really have never felt tired.

On the other hand I am definitely not mentally prepared for the ride. Not knowing exactly where I am going and not knowing what is ahead is very intimidating. When the roads were really scary I felt like stopping at a used car place (there many around here) buying a car and driving to the race …. When riding from home, no matter how far, I know that my wife is a phone call away …. There is also no one to consult – I have to make all of the decisions …. and tired cyclists should probably not be making decisions ….

Anyway, I am here in Johnson City and a really comfortable Red Roof Inn! My clothes are washed, I am eating, and eating, and drinking and drinking …

Technically I feel that the trip has gone very well. The bike is working really well. My non traditional 29 cog is a little glitchy at times. I might experiment installing a 26 tooth front chain ring instead of the 30 I have now.

I should have perhaps installed heavy duty tires instead of my favorite Continental s4000. Maybe a good set of 28s?

My netbook is great! Whish I had more time to answer all of those work emails J

In the evening I put ma legs up on a table, put the netbook in my lap and eat. The netbook slows me down so I eat more slowly. When I watch TV I eat too fast! The tying and the clicking makes for a much better digestion!

The Sansa clip MP3 player is great too, it really runs all day on a single charge!

Day Three

Started off with a few miles of a street running parallel to 23, but ended up back on 23 after 10 miles or so. Ended up riding on 23 for 70 miles or so, then veered off to the west to reach Whitesburgh. This is coal country! After spending a day riding on a freeway I worked really hard at finding a nice “bike route” . I thought I had found it …..

Day Two

Day 2.

Duration:         8:21:01 (9:07:23)
Work:              4437 kJ
TSS:                369.1 (intensity factor 0.665)
Norm Power:   180
Distance:         210.74 km

 I was supposed to get to Paintsville, KY but I got lost in Huntington and had to make a 30Km detour to find a bridge to cross the Ohio, river!!!!!

The GPS pointed me on route 23, but it turned out to be a 4 lane highway similar to 21 in Massillon! Unfortunately there were no alternate roads! It seems that below Ohio the roads have all be replaced by highways while in Ohio they built the highways next to the old roads (so we can bike on old 30 or on old route 8 etc). I set off on 23 planning on getting to Paintsville before 8PM, as I was late from the detour. While riding south on 23 I got caught in a thunderstorm. There was nothing in sight so I kept on going hoping it would blow by. After an hour of riding in the pouring rain, it stopped raining and I immediately got a flat tire. After changing the tire and tube, I realized that I was not going to make it to Paintsville so I stopped at the first town with a Motel: Louisa, Ky.

Was I glad that I stopped! An hour after settling into my room a REALLY BIG THUNDERSTORM started and lasted for ever. The light went out the internet went out ….  On the news they mentioned flooding and tornados in the area!

The next morning the motel still had no internet so I went to McD’s next door to plan a new route trying to avoid 23.

Day One

Day 1: Home Athens,

Duration:               8:59:26 (9:52:03) the first number is moving time the second is start to finish

    Work:                4792 kJ

    TSS:                  372.4 (intensity factor 0.644)

    Norm Power:    174

    Distance:          236.8 km

Why does Ohio look so flat on a map? Trust me going south on 93 is anything but flat. It is a succession of short steep hills that really zap the energy from your legs. To day the ride was quite uneventful except for a little short cut I took that seemed great on the GPS, but turned out to be 3 miles of gravel. Not fun …..

Main goal is riding steady and eating a bite and taking a sip every 5 minutes. My favorite bike riding food are jam sandwiches. Two slices of bread and a tablespoon of jam in the middle. Slice it into 12 morsels and you have a bite every 5 minutes for an hour. Stopped in Zanesville for, water, Gatorade and 4 bagels. 

Stayed at a cheap motel close to a Super Wall Mart where I bought  food for the evening (chicken and precooked rice) and the next day ride (bread and Jam)

The Equipment

I will be doing the ride on my 2004 Giant TCR carbon.

I will  carry all my belongings in a Topeak bag with expanding panniers attached to a seatpost rack
 

I will also have a handlebar bag to store the necessities for the trip down south: food, cell phone, money, mp3 player.
In order to avoid as many stops as possible I will be carrying enough food for each leg.
I will also have 2 16oz water bottles and a 24oz cammelback. 

The IDEA

Last year I participated in the Assault on Mt. Michell in NC.
I live in Ohio and I am pretty adamant about riding and not DRIVING to rides.
One of my wife's friends heard that I had gone to NC for a bike race and thought that it was a pretty long ride .......
I had driven with a friend to NC .... but the seed was planted ....
The next time I would RIDE to the Assault!

THE PLAN

I will be riding my bike from Canton, OH to the start of the 2011 Assault on Mt. Mitchell in Spartanburg South Carolina.

I will be leaving Monday May 11 and arriving either Thursday or Friday.

I am planning on riding 220-250 Km each day for a total of approximately km 1000.

I will be traveling with very little belongings and will be staying in Motels. I chose motels that have a microwave and a fridge so I can eat simple meals.I plan on purchasing food at local grocery stores and eating and recovering in my hotel room. I envision about 8-9 hours in the saddle each day! 

The Trip: 
Monday May 9: Canton - Athens, OH ~230km

Tuesday May 10: Athens, OH Paintsville, KY ~ 240km

Wednesday May 11: Paintsville-Johnson City, TN ~230km
Thursday May 12: Johnson City, TN - Spartanburg, SC ~200km, but it also includes a mountain pass! 
Friday-Sunday: Mostly rest with a few recovery rides
Monday May 16: The Assault! After the race and some recovery, I might start the ride home by riding to Johnson City (or hitching a ride from someone going north!