June 24, 2006
Blood, Sweat and Gears 100+ mile ride

Blood-lifeforce; fluid circulated by the heart.
Sweat-to create perspiration through the pores in the skin; perspire.
Gears-toothed machine parts, such as wheels or cylinders that mesh with another toothed part to transmit motion or to change speed or direction.

Blood, sweat and gears conjure thoughts of pain, endurance and intimidation. The name implies untold effort and determination.

The morning air was crisp, clear and cool. The hour and a half drive to Valle Cruscis went smoothly. More and more cars appeared with bicycles on their roofs.

The first hill was not steep but had several false tops. These false tops give a false sense of hope that the climbing is about to end. By the end of the day I would have experienced an abundance of these teasers.

With a thousand riders, bicyclists tend to be bunched up for quite some time. On the first climb, I was behind a group of about a dozen riders. A deer darted out into the group. Despite their close proximity, no one hit the deer. We were all stunned for a bit but then it was back to business. Century rides contain some play but more business.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic route and my favorite place to ride. I'd never ridden this stretch of parkway. The climbs weren't excessively steep but were definite lung burners.

Coming off the Parkway, things got a bit easier but we still climbed. The hills became shorter and not so steep. The road actually flattened for a few miles. This was a reprieve for the work we had done and a recovery for the intense work on the horizon yet to come. One more easy mountain and then on to Snake mountain.

Snake starts out slowly. It's a moderate climb which lulls you into overworking rather than conserving. Fortunately, I had been forewarned about the bite this mountain had. I felt strange riding in easy gears while others passed me but I figured this was the best course of action.

"The mountain was angry that day, my friends; like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli!"

"I tell you that mountain was a hundred miles high if it was a foot!"

The climb gets steeper on a straightaway-about ten percent. After a brief 2% grade, the really steep climb occurs. It wavers between 15 and 20 percent. After a couple of turns, the top is in view. About a quarter of riders are now walking their bicycles, making nearly as much time as I am. I finally reached the top and all of a sudden my leg muscles start to strangle me. It was like a blood pressure test gone awry. I'd never felt such pain in a muscle cramp. The big problem is that once you get muscle cramps, you have to deal with them for the rest of the day.

The descent was fine and gave my muscles a rest but I iced them down at the next rest stop. I hydrated profusely but to little avail. Fortunately, bicycle shoes allow you to pedal on the upstroke. That would be the only way I'd be able to finish.

This ride climbs a total of 13000+ feet, or about two and a half miles. The last three climbs, all 8 to 10%, had to be done with very little pushing or the intense pain would return. Unwittingly, I did push a bit and the cramps came back. Seven times I had to walk around until the pain subsided. One time, a redneck pickup stopped and the driver offered to toss my bike in the back and give me a lift to the finish. I declined and trudged on.

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed in the distance in the last ten miles. A summer rainstorm would have provided much needed relief from the heat but I didn't get rained upon.

The finish line came into view and I felt relieved from not having to deal with the pain any more. I came in at 7:45, a bit better than I'd expected for the 105 mile ride, especially with cramping so much. I was very pleased with the amount of energy I still had. On the way back home, I stopped at Linville falls and did a little running to work out the kinks in my legs.

Raging Bull