The stage was set for drama about a month ago, when I suffered a bit of a tumble off the bike, getting banged up a bit. The skin loss was nearly non-existent, but I had enough bruises, sprains and strains to last a while. Time spent on the bike in the weeks leading up to this ride was less than ideal, not to mention the lingering doubt about my injuries being healed to allow a big chunk of mileage all at once.
There were nineteen that started this ride, with three riders quitting along the way. I suspect the oppressive heat, which was well over 100 degrees on the road at its hottest, had something to do with it, or perhaps these folks were lulled into some sort of Natchez Trace Trance by the eternal same-ness of this route?
Initially, there were about 6 or 8 of us together in a pack for the first 30 miles or so. I felt fantastic, and spent more than my share of time on the front of the pack, riding well within my means, but knew the pack would ultimately split up as the laws of physics applied themselves to bigger riders like myself.
Hey! What's he doing? Hitching a ride up the hill? Pushing? Nah, he's turning of the tail light of the rider next to him. A direct contrast to the crowd I race with. When we have a number pinned to our jersey, with keen eye we look out for our any sign of weakness in our competitor, and then work to exploit that to our advantage. The spirit of Randonneuring is to help your riding partners. There are no 'competitors' in a brevet.
Below is Jeff Bauer and I believe Taylor Kruse
Former pro racer Andy Albershardt and Anthony Watts. Both will complete their first Super Randonneur series at the end of this ride. A 'series' is comprised of a 200, 300, 400 and 600k brevets within the same year.
Thomas Trinidad and Taylor Kruse - Thomas looks like he really means business! Both rode straight thru, avoiding the heat of the 2nd day.
Crossing the Tennessee River again. This section is actually within Alabama.
While crossing the river, there were so many of these birds looking for a handout! I think they're a variety of swallow, which seemed unusual. I'll have to ass my teammate and Orinthologist, Scott Somershoe about this.
Approaching the 'Ten-Tom waterway'. A manmade waterway that most of its length is within Mississippi. It was the largest earthmoving project in history. Expensive. Controversial. Part of the TVA, it was designed to connect the Tombigee water system with the mid-gulf.
After crossing the Ten-Tom, I began to realize that my fitness was lacking from time off the bike, and the heat was really doing a number on me. I had been exchanging texts with one of my teammates, whom was the pillar of support and encouragement. It was around this time of day that I was beginning to inventory my fitness, will and ability to get this ride done.
I decided to to make no decisions until I got to Tupelo, MS and some food in my belly. The route had a designates sleep stop at Tishomingo State Park, which was about 50 miles after the turnaround point in Tupelo. The farther I got into Mississippi, the more I realized that the heat had really sucked the life out of me, and I needed some time to get my shit together. About 20 miles out from Tupelo, I decided two things. 1. I would have to be hauled out on a stretcher, as no way in hell would I quit this ride. 2. I would find a room in Tupelo and get some food and a few hours of rest.
I stopped at a gas station to get my brevet card signed and relax for a minute. When I asked the friendly fella behind the counter about a hotel in the area, he asked how far I had come. When I told him Nashville, his response was.... uh.. TENNESSEE? Yup. It is a long way away, but I'll make it back, I thought. After a few minutes there, I made my way to one of the seediest hotels I've ever stayed in. I didn't care. On my way there, while waiting for a light to change so I could turn left, some kids in a car next to me were eyeballing me in a big way. One of the kids was just grinning from ear to ear, with his gold teeth and embedded gemstones - I nodded and gave them a 'hey'. Curious, he asked how far I had ridden that day. When he heard the answer, I think he wanted to kick my ass either for playing him to be a fool, or lying to him. hahaha He could see I was serious and asked if he could help me in any way. Ahh, the surprises.
So, some pizza from Dominoes, shower and makeshift laundry in the sink, I laid down for a what turned out to be about 2 or 3 hours of sleep. I set my alarm for 11:45 PM and made everything ready to head out after some cold pizza and a couple of cokes for my 'morning' caffeine. I made my way back out at 12:10 AM.
The ride back to Tishomingo was slow, but with that bit of sleep and 'food', I felt renewed. I eased into a better pace to take advantage of the cooler temps (still in the 70's overnight), and hoped to catch up to a few riders. I actually did come across two riders, Dave Buzzee and Maria Cabal as they slept on the shoulder of the road. I could see the tail lights still lit on their bike as I slowly coasted up to them, my freewheel clicking enough to wake them up. After making sure all was well, I eased on down the road.
Reaching Tishomingo, I began to feel better and better. I changed clothes, refilled my bottles and camelbak (which I thankfully listened to Jeff Bauer and bought one specifically for this hot ride) and then teamed up with Dave Penegar to make our way north. After 90 minutes or so, Dave let me know he was going to slow up a bit, so I was free to ride at whatever pace I chose (slow).
Riding in the dawn twilight is one of my favorite times. As the skies brightened, we were treated to a misty, heavy fog of north east Mississippi.
The Natchez Trace northern terminus is at mile marker 444. I couldn't help but to stop and prop up the bike at 'tree fiddy'. Being a fan of South Park, Mike Kamenish and I used to kill the miles by reciting the below scene from South Park. I got a good laugh out of doing a solo rendition for old times' sake.
.... I need about tree fiddy.
So yeah - the temps on Sunday were toasty. Maybe not quite as hot as Saturday? I dunno. It was damn hot, though. Andy Albershardt's wife, Andrea was nicknamed the Angel Of Mercy for her ebullient demeanor, and always-on-time delivery of ICE and cold water. I'm sure her efforts prevented more riders from abandoning than did.
At one of the last rest stops I caught up with Dan Driscoll, Pam Wright, and Craig Matthews - all from Texas. They were a playful and strong group that helped me bring my pace back up to something more respectable. Ultimately they would regroup to shepherd in one of the riders that was struggling in the heat. In no mood to dilly dally, I made my way to the the finish, which was nicely situated atop the climb we just call McCrory. Not too long, but with a bit of steepness to it. After 385 miles, it's a bit tedious.
I think I snapped this picture while crossing "Marsha's Bridge". Teammate Marsha hates this bridge due to the typical crosswind on it.
Well, I made it to the finish! Thanks to some encouragement from a teammate, a flexible strategy, and the uplift from tree fiddy. haha The score with the Natchez Trace 600k is now even. For you data geeks, I somehow got my Garmin file split into two - so sorry for that.
