Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Ride Reports


Victor Urvantsev and Kate Marshall's: "...We met volunteers, Judd and his wife, at the next control, and he mentioned “a climb” on the upcoming section.  Kate said, “You mean like the last few hundred miles of climbing we have been doing?” And Judd just smiled...... We continued on rolling terrain, and with each hill I wondered, “Is that the hill Judd was talking about?  It grew hotter in the sun. Then after crossing US-22 again, we made a turn on Sugar Grove Rd that had an “UH-OH” written right on the road. “This has got to be the hill then,” I said. The hill didn't disappoint, presenting some very steep sections. But it was darkly shaded and cool, bordered with mountain streams. Peter had a saying written on his bike club jersey and Kate started reciting the Robert Frost poem from which it came:  The woods are lovely dark and deep… but I have promises to keep… and miles to go before I sleep… miles to go before I sleep.  We met Judd and his wife again at the top of the climb, manning a secret control with a big, knowing smile.  He said we looked good, in a surprised sort of way. We had the cards stamped and gulped down some water, and were off to a rewarding downhill on the other side of the ridge. ..."
You can read the rest of the Victor's and Kate's report at;
http://psycles-kttrue.blogspot.com/2013/08/endless-mountains-redux.html

Eric Keller's:
"...The next section was fun, although I kept thinking, well, I just climbed up a really long way, now it's going to be downhill, right?  Well, after about 8 miles of climbing there is a warning about a downhill on the cue sheet, but it's not the last downhill.  In fact, it's not the only downhill where you have to be careful.  That section reminds me of my teenage years in Virginia -- massive rollers.  Keep your speed up as far as you can and the rest of the hill is only a lot of work instead of a major slog all the way from the bottom.  I swear they built that road with one blueprint.  House in the center of the turn on the right, barn on the left.  Very steep.  Finally, a long downhill.  And another long downhill.  More long downhills.  That was a welcome section.   Downhills never get old. ..."
You can read the rest of Eric's report at:
http://kellercycles.blogspot.com/2013/08/2013-endless-mountains-1240k.html

With the CAN-AM challenge in mind, several riders participated in both the Endless Mountains 1240k and Granite Anvil 1200k a week later.  But while most of these overachievers had the good sense to take a week off to rest, Jos Verstegen from the Netherlands audaciously planned a 800k recovery ride from the EM finish to the GA start, through some of the hilliest terrain in the northeast. "... The route was very challenging, wonderful rolling hills, steep climbs and some easy stretches when riding along a river or passing a gap. As a 'flatlander' I enjoyed every foot of climbing. Never a boring moment, very nice scenery along the route. ... The nice weather conditions, although I was not accustomed to it, made 
it a most enjoyable ride...."
You can read Jos' entire report at:
http://users.rcn.com/trosenbauer/JosVerstegenRideReport.pdf

Dan Diehn's:
"..Everyone had been warning us that the climb out of Lamar was a monster and really hard. Although they were right it was awesome. We left Lamar in the dark and started climbing almost right away. Although it was pitch black, I got the sense that I was climbing up a really beautiful gap. I could hear a rushing stream to one side and the woods were filled with the sounds of some other wildlife, I think it was some kind of tree frog or cicada. The first 3 or 4 miles portion of the climb was generally gradual and winding. We then rode out onto a plateau with a small settlement. The stargazing in this area was amazing. The stars were bright and the Milky Way filled a large section of the sky. After riding on the plateau for several miles, and passing a stream of Amish buggies with rando-style taillights, we made a couple of corners and started the second portion of the climb. This section was much steeper and difficult. But the stars were still out and it was a beautiful night. We then rode another 25 miles, including a long, gradual descent into the second overnight at Lewisburg.  442 miles down.. ..."
You can read the rest of Dan's report at:
http://danrando.blogspot.com/2013/08/endless-mountains-ride-report.html

No comments:

Post a Comment