I've not done this tour since I was about 14, but I ride parts of the route quite a bit as I can hop on it within 10 miles of home. Well, the route was changed. Five of my teammates and me took to the roads and quickly found some oddities...
Problem #1 - If you change the route, take black paint and paint over the old road markers!
Half of the team goes one way, half the other at one point. Yeah, I know we didn't preview the map. Never done that, never been an issue. Like I'm going to remember some obscure right turn 15 miles in?
Problem #2 - Don't put the turn markers that close to the intersection!
I understand the importance of placing markers close to the intersections if is dangerous, but it makes no sense to have them close when you're just making a right turn in the middle of nowhere.
Problem #3 - Rest stop
The first rest stop was great. The second rest stop (just over Horse shoe bend road) for the 62 milers was the first rest stop (I assume) for the 39 milers. Most of the food was gone save for some PB&J fixin's. I paid $17 so I can eat my weight in cookies, dammit. So I ate my own Hammer Gel. Completely disappointing when you want a cookie or four. Bike tours are really the only time I inhale cookies. COOKIES
Problem #4 - Route back
Holy Crap, the busiest day of the year in the town of Troy and cyclists of all abilities are forced onto the main road to the festival. Bumper to bumper traffic for the last mile. We had to ride single file between the cars and the curb at 5mph or less to get back to the school. The woman in front of me apologized to me for being a "wimp" where it came to riding in this situation. I told her not to worry about it and she was doing great. If you're not used to riding in traffic, I could see how it would be scary. From the looks of some of the riders, I don't think they spend much time on their bikes, let alone riding them on the street. BAD ROUTE ENDING
Ride irk #1 - A couple of yahoos thought it would be fun to draft us for the final 15 miles. Normally, I would be a complete pecker head in this situation, go into time trial mode and ride away. Well, wearing my team kit, with our main sponsor and team management riding with me, I kept my mouth and legs to myself. Then one pecker gave us the "thanks for the draft" comment. Fuck you.
Start to first rest stop (with about 5 miles of easy riding to get around the 'traffic')
Time 1:26
Miles 25.44
Watts 188
Norm 218
MPH 17.8
HR AVE 147
First to Second rest stop
Time 53:28
Miles 18.87
Watts 177
Norm 208
MPH 20.0
HR AVE 157
Second rest stop to end
Time 59:21
Miles 19.28
Watts 172
Norm 195
MPH 19.6
HR AVE 160
1 comment:
Hmm... good thinking with the team kit on. I'm gonna have to remember that when I wear mine on commute days and am tempted to give somebody an honest opinion of what I think of their driving.
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