Holy Rollers Tour: Day 2 Staunton to Buchanan

Holy Rollers Tour:

Day 2

Staunton to Buchanan

72 miles

The gang ready to roll out

We arose about 6am to get ready for our ride to Buchanan. We were all moving a little slow from the previous day. Thank goodness, the day was to be a little cooler and the ride a little easier. We rolled out from the church and headed to Lexington. What a beautiful ride. I am not real sure what the route was but I would like to do parts of this again. Except for this very belligerent, angry motorists, the ride went very smooth. There was even a nice spring along the way on 252 Middlebrook Rd. We had a little break at a church that's not on the original map so I am not real sure where we stopped. But a big thanks to those that provided all the goodies.

We are led out by our support waggon Tizzy "Wilson" Walker

Out on an early attack.

A cool refreshment found along the way

After a nice break, Ray "The Rock" Stern, LW, The Kid, Hokieman, V-Twin and I lead the way through the rolling terrain. There was some fast section thru here and one S curve that I pulled a "Lance" move. Ray The Rock drifted from the inside to the outside where I was trying to move around him forcing me into a field to do a little cyclocross. Thank goodness there was no ditch, fence or holes, I managed to continue riding through the field bringing the bike back on the pavement. Too bad I didn't have that on video.

Ray "The Rock "Sterns

We came to Trinity UMC in Lexington where we were greeted with warm hospitality and more food. After a long lunch break, we headed out for the remainder miles to Buchanan. We were supposed to meet some kids after lunch for a little ride but we never found those kids. Where are those kids. Some of us noodled around looking for kids to ride with. Every kid we came across we asked if they wanted to ride. We had parents worried about their kids. Some even let the dogs loose upon our team.

Lunch break in Lexington. At this time I would like to thank my sponsor Ensure.

Excellent source of protein, carbs and cals. Plus it just taste sooo good!

Greg showing just how big the salad was from the night before.

This section of the ride was one of the most inspiring to me. I was riding with Lisa "Arabian" Moran, Julie "GI" Buchikos, Bob "Mr. Gadget" McDonald. Ok, I am trying hard to come up with some relevant names. Best I can remember, Lisa likes horses and rode strong and hard, Julie served in the Army and Bob had every gadget you could imagine with him. There was even a small satellite on top of his helmet:) The Pope remarked, "It takes Bob 30 minutes just to get his gear on." Lastly, Jeremy "Rocky" Hopkins. I'll share more on his name later.

Our biker chics, Lisa "Arabian" Moran, Julie "GI" Buchikos. You girls rock!

Basically, we followed route 76 and it was a wonderful road. Rocky continued fighting cramps in which he encountered the day before. He got a little dehydrated the day before. He was about 1 hr late into Lexington due to a flat tire. The crew wanted him to get in the sag wagon and skip 10 miles but he would have no part of it. He wanted to ride every mile. We got about 10 miles into the ride after lunch and he had another flat. I found a small thorn in his tire. Could have been there from the first flat. His legs were cramping the whole afternoon. Honestly, I didn't think he would make it. I thought we were going to have to call in the support wagon to pick him up. But he kept going. We all encouraged one another and continued heading towards Buchanan. We passed under Interstate 81 and turned onto Route 11 about 5 miles from the hotel. We all were tired and had no fuel left in the tank but kept pedaling. Legs were cramping and energy gone. Once again, we had a hilltop finish onto Watstull Inn off of I81. About 300 meters uphill. Rocky had nothing left and didn't think he could make the climb. He kept the pedals turning over and made it to the top without stopping. That is why I named him Rocky. He truly inspired me to try harder. He was knocked down time and time again and never quit but fought back triumphantly. I witnessed so much courage from the riders on this day and hope I can ride with the heart and tenacity they showed.

Jeremy "Rocky" Hopkins on the final ascent

We found a cool pool at the Inn and chilled out talking about the ride. We showed, hopped in back of David "4-cyl" Palmer's (he's V-Twin's dad) truck and headed to Fazarellis Pizzeria Restaurant in Buchanan. We felt like true rednecks downing our Big K cola cruising into town. Side note, The Kid violated the "Man Code" by eating only 1 slice of pizza almost causing him to ride into Roanoke in a skirt but couldn't find a skirt for him to wear.

Holy Rollers Tour: Day 1 New Market to Staunton

Holy Roller Tour

Day 1

Friday,

New Market to Staunton 67 miles

For me and most of the group, this was the hardest day. Remember the slight descent I had to New Market? Well, we had to slowly go from 900ft to 2000ft. The roads were greatly exposed to the a nasty headwind and 95+ degree temps, and it took its toll on the group.

We met at Mt. Jackson UMC where Pastor Flo Legg provided a light breakfast and a place of worship. Edward led us in Word and Holy Communion. He gave an inspiring message regarding the hand of God shaping this mountains and valleys that we are about to ride through.

I pimped my ride for this trip. I added a spider man boost pack for those tough sprints. Unfortunately I lost it on a fast descent.

The rally horn, sounded as our leader shouted, "Holy Rollers, Lets Roll"

We rolled out of Mount Jackson and the ride officially began. The group consisted of about 15 riders and 10 sag support. The riders ranged from young beginners to old veterans. I brought along a local youth, Greg Bartocci. Below is a list of participants

NAME
DISTRICT
PARTICIPATION

Bartocci, Greg Staunton Rider
Blinn, Bob Danville Rider
Buchikos, Julie Roanoke Rider
Carswell, Warren Staunton Rider
Conrad, Haden Charlottesville Support
Gravitt, Hugh Ashland Rider/Support/Photographer
Gravitt, Julie Ashland Support
Harris, Daiquan Charlottesville Support
Harris, Shortie Portsmouth Support
Hibbitts, David Charlottesville Rider
Hollar, Barry Penn Winchester Rider
Hope, James Charlottesville Motor escort
Hope, Carolyn Charlottesville Support
Hopkins, Edward Charlottesville Rider
Hopkins, Isaac Charlottesville Support
Hopkins, Janet Charlottesville Support
Hopkins. Jeremy Charlottesville Rider
Kirkland, Sandy Peninsula Support
Mather, Brett Winchester Rider
McDonald, Bob Roanoke Rider
Moran, Lisa Roanoke Rider
Moyers, Tony Charlottesville Motor escort
Palmer, David Danville Rider
Palmer, Joshua Winchester Rider
Pence. Jeff Rider
Purdy, Bill Lynchburg Rider
Randel, Emmett Winchester Rider
Reed, Ray Roanoke Rider
Stearns, Ray Peninsula Rider
Un, Won Ashland Rider
Walker, Tizzy Rappahannock Support

Rolling out. Notice the haze. It was to be a hot, humid day.

The ride started out slow and smooth for the first 10 miles. Then the youth started attacking. Ok, we are just a few miles into a 3 day journey and this isn't a race. But there is something about guys, testosterone, and bikes. From nowhere, Greg "The Italian Kid" Bartocci sprints up a slight hill. Ah, I'll let him go, then Brett "Hokieman" Mather, who is a grad student from VT and a triathlete. Man, I can't let this happen. So I respond and grab his wheel. Then another guy, Josh "V-Twin" Palmer took off. His style is a little unorthodox but he is extremely strong. We later gave him the name "V-Twin" because his legs moves like the pistons on the V-Twin engine pumping hard.

Tizzy "Wilson" Walker (have you figured it out yet?) and Sandy "Mercy" Kirkland preparing Kimchi for Won "Kimchiman" Un. Won, next year we will have Kimchi and crushed red peppers. I might can mix it together with my hammer gel. Maybe come up with a new endurance fuel "Kimchi Gel"

After several short, steep hills Brett and I broke away from the field and arrived at our next checkpoint, Donovan Memorial UMC located in Singers Spring. Barry "Ole Wise One" Hollar presented a historical note on how the town became named Singers Spring. It was so moving, I can't remember anything he said:) Maybe he'll read this post and provide some info.

UPDATE, THE WISE ONE HAS SPOKEN. BELOW IS THE CORRECT INFO

Hey, its "Singers Glen," not "Singers Spring." It got the name
because a Mennonite named Joseph Funk had a music school and printing business there in the 19th century. He taught using a "shaped note"
method and printed hymnbooks in German using the shaped note system.
It was called the Harmonia Sacra. Anyway, he was shipping out so
many hymnbooks, the authorities decided there needed to be a post office in the village. Until then the area had been called "Mountain Valley,"but Funk named the post office "Singers Glen."
Pay attention next time. There will be a test.
Barry

THANKS BARRY!

Once again, we had snacks and made a lap around the town with several of the local children. We refueled took some kids riding around the block and rolled on.

We had about 5 kids riding around the block with us. That was too cool. A few of them broke away on this little climb.

The day continues to get hot and the sun is beaming strongly upon our backs. Next stop Bridgewater UMC for lunch. I am beginning to like this stuff. Ride, eat, ride, eat, ride, eat! Below is a pic of Edward "The Pope" Hopkins and his son Jeremy "Rocky" Hopkins. I give Edward his title because he is our holy, infamous leader.

After more food and fellowship, we travel to our final destination, St. Paul UMC in Staunton. This last leg of the day was extremely difficult, hot and marred with mechanical problems. Ray "LW" Reed flatted. Oh yeah, LW stands for Lawence Welk:) Remember those sounds and bubbles? I think Ray was one of the oldest riders and was as strong as any there. Brett, Ray, and I worked hard to regroup with the peloton. The Bartocci kid was on a lone breakaway about to spoil the day but with just a few miles to go, Brett and I caught the Italian kid and were going to duke it out to the finish. We were exhausted and spent when we saw the hilltop finish to the church and The Italian Kid shouts, "sprint to the top." The hilltop finish was about 300 meters with about an 8% grade. I took the lead into the corner to get the job on the other two. I hammered hard hoping to discourage the Kid and VT, but the Kid was too strong. He took me in the last 100. VT was closing fast but his legs cramped before the line. We finished strong but exhausted. Shortly afterwards the rest of the crew came in. Some cramping and some pushing their bikes up the steep drive. BUT NONE QUITTING.

A photo from the top of the finish.

Man this final climb was steep! It goes up about another 200 feet then turns left. Ray and Ray battling it out.

Good job Kid, I'll get you next time.

The podium.

I am really not that short. Just standing on the low side:)

We showered and received a grand spaghetti dinner provided by the ladies of St. Paul. We were talking about how good the meal was and Greg responded, "I know why it is so good. It was made with love." Wow, what a statement from such a young lad. The ladies brought him extra brownies and ice cream.

We were blessed with a personal trainer Carol "Stretch" Hope who worked out the kinks and soreness from such a long, hot day. Well its about 9pm, lights out, another long day tomorrow.

Holy Rollers Tour: Intro & Prologue

Roll Holy Rollers Roll

Intro and Prologue

Thursday, June 7, 2007

What is the Holy Rollers you ask? Its a group of cyclists that have reached the highest spiritual level possible here upon earth. This group belongs to the religious right or left, just depends on the way you are facing. Its a group of some of the baddest guys and gals around. Below is a pic of our fearless leader Edward "The Pope" Hopkins. This is one bad dude.

Edward is the pastor of Hinton Avenue UMC in Charlottesville. He had a vision of riding a bike to the VAUMC Annual Conference to raise awareness of the Conference Offering that goes towards some fruitful mission work of the United Methodist Church. Initiatives of Hope is a project helping children in Mozombique, Brazil, Russia, and Alaska.

This is my perspective of the journey from Callaghan, VA to Roanoke,VA. My journey began from my house in the Callaghan area. Day 1, 115 miles to New Market. I arose about 5am and it was cold, 48 degrees on my porch and was supposed to reach a high of 85. Not wanting to carry any extra stuff such as arm warmers and base layers, I opted for the disposable versions. Old socks with the toes cut out make great arm warmers and T-shirts that were going to be used to clean chains work for warm layers.

I depart from the house about 6:30am. Ok, here is a little background. I am notorious for getting lost and forgetting to bring stuff. No matter how much preparation I make, it always happens. I get .5 miles down the road and realize I forgot my maps. That can't be good. So I kept going. No, turned around and got the maps. The route I choose takes me up Jackson River Road to 39 via Bacova. I get 20 miles into the ride near 39 and I hear a sound that resembles a broken spoke. Yep, a broke rear spoke on the drive side. I have never had a broke spoke on the road bike. And of all the times. I called RCO's fearless leader Ron at about 8am. Since Ron's bday was that night before, I figured he was sleeping in. I ride campy with standard DT spokes and Mavic Open Pro rims, so nothing fancy and easy to fix. But they are 28 hole instead of 32 so I was a little worried about continuing. I trued it the best I could, removed the broken part and continued north. Hey, I only had another 100 to go, I couldn't turn back.

Here is a cool pic on top of the Mnt in Warm Springs on 39.

Have you ever ridden in a car with the tire out of balance or bike with a wheel untrue. It isn't the most efficient and can create some vibrations. Down 39 I rolled or wobbled. I love that descent but had to keep it around 30mph:( Turned left onto 629 and headed towards Deerfield and West August. This is a great rural road and only saw about 10 cars for 30 miles. This pic is from Deerfield. You can't read the sign but it says "Horse Parking."





Do you ever have one of those days that everything goes right? Maybe slight grades downhill with a tailwind. From Deerfield on, the last 60+ miles was so easy. The elevation went from about 2000 to 900, plus a SW wind, WOW. I hopped on 250 then 42 and headed into Harrisonburg. Ron hooked me up with a bike shop in Harrisonburg, Shenadoah Bicycle Company, home of the grand Shenadoah 100. Interested in doing a 100 mile Mtb ride? check it out. The cool thing is that the shop was right on the route I was riding. I was a little worried about the shop being able to repair it on the fly. Arrived at the shop around 1pm and Thomas had me rolling in 30 minutes. WOW. Thanks Thomas! Look forward to our paths crossing again.

20 miles later, I rolled into New Market and feasted on a Blimpy sub. Total miles traveled, 117.6 with a ride time around 7 hrs. Met up with the Holy Ones that evening for dinner, stories, and planning for tomorrow.

See the lady on the far left. That's Tizzy "Wilson" Walker. Can anyone figure out why I gave her the name of Mr. Wilson? Continue to read for more clues

Day 2 on the next post.

Finding God--3 Easy Steps

I found this pic in one of my mtb magazines almost 15 yrs ago while I was in seminary. Being the preacherman that I am, I couldn't pass it up. It hangs on my wall.

March of Dimes Run/Ride

March of Dimes Walk

Sunday May 6th 2007

Seth and I felt like pros this weekend. We did a tri in Lexington on Saturday then the March of Dimes Run/Ride or walk Sunday. It was as close to a weekend of racing that I have been able to do. I asked Seth if he was up for a 5.5 mile bike ride. The route left Clifton Middle School to Alleghany High School and back. About as flat of a course as one can find around here. He said he was up for another race so off we went. We started in the back of the pack. It was a mad dash to the first turn. There were baby strollers, walkers, and noodlers creating havoc so we had to pic our lines carefully. I was running and Seth on his Lightning Blue crit bike. We made our way to the front of the pack by the first turn and he put the hammer down. I did all I could do to keep up.

We passed about a dozen high school students with one other guy in the lead. We made it to the turnaround in 2nd place. Well that is where we lost some time. See I forget that a little boy likes to ride through puddles and the parking lot was full of them. "Daddy, can I ride through the puddles?" No, I answered, the baby strollers are about to catch us. Of course I let him ride through the puddles--for about 10 minutes while I chilled and drank some water. Once he was done, off we went to the finish. Total time about 55 min. with a 10 min. break. Not too bad. And all for a good cause!

the course

Post race was funny. He went around telling everyone he did the entire course while drinking his gatoraide. There was another kid that looked to be about 7 on a bike with training wheels that kept teasing Seth for wearing a helmet and demonstrating all these cool tricks, ie-ride with one hand, turn circles slowly, and other tough trial manuvers. Seth responded, "Yeah, but you still have training wheels!" At a boy! Good comback.

one of my youth, kara, and her friend.

Lexington Road & River Relay

Lexington Road & River Relay
May 5 2007
Seth's first triathlon

Wow, what a day for a race. Weather was great and I had a strong "stoker" to pump us up the hills. First the equipment. This is Seth's new 29er ss. Well, not exactly a 29 but probably to scale for his size. This is an old school Motocross Mickey bike. Not many of these left. Most of the kids bikes you get now have all the fancy shocks and gadgets that brake in a few days and weighs 50 lbs. This baby weighs in at 32 lbs.







Keith Simpson let me use his Old Town Discovery Scout canoe. Great canoe for the river! Sturdy and no keel so that it handles the rapids with ease.





Boy does it take a long time to get ready. Not only do I have to remember my stuff but his too. I wasn't sure on the temps so I wanted to make sure I had the right extra clothing with us in case it gets chilly for the little guy. Sure we ride bikes in the park and play hard but he has never done a real tri. Here are the specs:

3.5 mile run

9.1 mile bike on pavement

2.2 mile canoe down the Maury

1.3 mile road/trail run to finish

Total of 16.1 miles

Notice we are sporting the El Toreo team jersey. We stopped by Ron's that week and picked him one up. He was really pumped that he was part of the Taco Team. Everywhere we went that day, he would tell everyone about the big race he was going to do. Funny thing is the night before, we were watching some survivor show on the Discovery channel. This episode was about a guy and gal who got lost in the Amazon forest for about 6 days. They reached a point where they wanted to quit and give up. Seth said, "They shouldn't quit, they need to keep trying." What a great opportunity for a pre-race lesson. Our motto for the day was:

NO WHINING-NO QUITING

I wasn't sure if we could finish and I wanted him to enjoy it and have fun. Maybe he might want to do another. The race begins around 10am and we take off. The first of the run was down hill to the river, then run along the river. Once he felt comfortable riding, he kept asking, "daddy, can I speed up and pass people?" I was trying to keep up with him.

He spots Keith and makes his move around him





crossing the bridge and about to head along the river.

It was all I had to keep up with him. He was flying along the river. The was one small climb I had to help push and we got to the top and he takes off again. We did the 3.5 miles in about :30. That has got to be the most he has ever ridden the bike and now we have 9.1 on the tandem.

Now for the new tagalong tandem. These things really rock. Great way to drag the kids around while getting a great workout, especially on the hills. I heard the course was a little hilly so I opted for a easier gear ratio. Plus I figured if I had to walk, then my mtb shoes would be better than the roads. After the first mile, the course has a 2 mile climb. Not sure the grade but it felt like 12% pulling an extra 70 lbs. Glad I had the granny gear. I like to stand climbing but wasn't able to do that because it would cause the tandem to rock back and forth. We nearly caught one rider at the top then a long descent. This is where I underestimated my speed. We hit about 12 and I hear, "daddy slow down I am scared." WHAT! I just carried you up hill and now we have a chance to get speed. Yeah, so I road the brakes all the way down holding around a 12 mph. The terrain was rolling hills and beautiful scenery. The main problem I had was he wouldn't stop talking. I am riding hard and all I hear is this chatter behind me asking me questions. AUGH. So I am trying to talk and pedal which I don't do very well. About the 40 min. mark I could tell he was getting a little bored. Not tired, just bored. So I sucked it up and played some games of I-Spy. Total 9.1 miles, 853 feet of climbing, 1:01, not too bad.

Oh yeah, at each transition, I have to remember to ask questions like, "are you hungry, thirsty, or need to go to the bathroom." Off to the canoe. We have been down the Cowpasture and the Jackson and he loves it. Especially the rapids. He uses my double end kayak paddle and I have the old school wooden paddle. The Maury was up which was nice, made the trip a little faster and we hit a few rapids. One small waterfall about 1.5 ft high, that was real cool for him. We paddled hard and reach the take-out in :45 min. Oh yeah, my canoe was the only one with a bike in it. I needed it to finish the final leg.

Out of the canoe, he gets back on the bike and I run. He can smell the finish and pedals hard. I think I didn't 'work him hard enough on the tandem. He had time and energy to find every pothole full of water to rider through. We came across the finish line with a total time of about 2:12. Folks were cheering for him and he like that part. He even started waving to folks during the last 100 ft. I thought he might wreck doing that. We were both pumped about the finish and performance. No whining and we finished the course.

Seth crossing the finish. Funny thing he would take his hand off the handlebars and wave to the crowd. He is working on the nohander over the finish. A big thanks to Claudia Schwab for taken the photos. She mailed me a few copies and the writeup from the paper. More photos available at http://www.thenews-gazette.com/photo_gallery/

Post-race nap.

Mountain Do Triathlon

What a glorious day for a race. Temps were in the lower 60's and a slight overcast. I did this tri last year and really enjoyed it. 10k trail run, 2k kayak, 20k mtb. Hungry Mother State Park is a great location and offers wonderful hospitality. VA has some of the best parks in America, but then again, I haven't been to that many parks outside of NC, SC, and GA.

Over the winter, I purchased a used Wilderness System Tsunami kayak. Great kayak for open water and local rivers. Not the best for whitewater but will handle smaller rapids, if you know what you are doing. The first day I tried it was in the upper Jackson. I rolled it in the first 100ft of putting in. No, I don't know how to roll it so I guess I flipped over. I wanted to get a feel of how it rocks side to side and I flipped it over. I didn't have a spray skirt at the time so I came out of it and that is some cold water. Pulled it up on the shore, dumped the water out and headed on. Since then I have done a little better. More on that later.

The run and mtb are done on the same 6.2 mile loop. The trails are non technical, rolling and wide which creates some fast times.

Gun goes off about 10am and off I go. Over the winter I started back running and snowboarding. Gee, I haven't posted my snowboard adventures. The winter running really paid off. I do not consider myself a runner and really don't enjoy that much. Why do it? I don't know. Anyway, my goal was to finish it in 50 min. Last yr I did it in around 56min. Ran the whole time and felt good, hey, I kinda enjoy this. Picked up the pace and worked the hills hard leaving a few folks behind. The last mile is on pavement, which I really hate running on, so I picked up the pace a little and finished right at 50 min. I am pumped.

Grabbed my hat and gloves and off to the kayak. Jumped in and a volunteer helped push me off the shore. Hey wait, I forgot my paddle! No, not really. Around the lake we go. The Tsunami has a slight keel to it so it tracks well and is easy to paddle. Slight headwind going out but it was nice heading back in. Back at the beach in about :36. Problem, after running hard then sitting cramped in a kayak, the legs forget how to move. I jump out of the kayak and almost fall. Man, my legs were tight and stiff. My calf started to cramp. That isn't good. Well, maybe the bike will loosen them up.

Now the fun really begins. Helmet and glasses on, and I take off. My legs felt like they weighed 100lbs each. Slowly getting the leg speed up and I start to pick some folks off. There is always someone in front of you so it is nice to have a goal of catching them. I continued to fight the right calf cramping but never locked up preventing me from pedaling. Continued to catch folks and feeling a little better. First lap in :27. I picked up the pace a little and the calves started acting up again. Maintained a good pace and picked off about 6 places on the mtb with 2 of them in the last 1/4 mile on the road. Now that was fun.

Finished with a total time of 2:26:07. 4th place in men's 39 and under 9th in individual men's overall. The turnout was a little lower this year with only about 40 participants in the men's division. Winning time was 2:05:22. Fastest run time 39:50 and mtb time 48:48. That is smokin. I picked up 8 places in my division and 16 places overall after the run. Maybe more running next winter.

Overall, had a blast and didn't get passed by a girl!

Next race this Saturday in Lexington. Lexington Road & River Relay

Another tri this time with my teammate Seth.

Middle Mountain Momma Pre Race Report

I often wonder how and who marks the courses that we race on. How many signs, staples, and time does it really take? I had a great opportunity to find out as I signed up for the new reality TV show "dirty jobs." Well there is already a show named that about but I want go there. So here was my time to give a little back to the racing community that I enjoy and Douthat Park. Dale Heath and I started out at the beginning of the race course with all material needed. Man, that stuff weighs a ton. 2 staple guns, 3 boxes staples, about 100 signs, 2 rolls of orange tape plus the needed nutrition to get us through the day. Notice the color coordination of Dale (very important) and that big suitcase under the saddle.After about 1 hr of making the list and checking it over and over, we were off, Time 10 am. Notice my prerace #78. Yeah I figured since I won't be able to do the race because it is on a SUNDAY, the one day a week i have to work, I would make this my race and see if I can crack Dale. Besides he is carrying the 20 lbs of material.

Off we go. I love the new Douthat Park Mtb shirts, on the back it says, "It ain't flat." Got to get me one of those. That might be a great logo for the race T. I won't bore you with all the details of aligning the arrows the perfect degree and height, but I will say a lot of thought does go into it. Dale demonstrating the proper technique.

ATTENTION ALL RACERS!

VERY IMPORTANT INTERSECTION.

XX RACERS BEAR LEFT

STAY ON MIDDLE MOUNTAIN TRAIL AND GO OUT OF THE PARK

ALL OTHERS TURN RIGHT ONTO SALT STUMP.

I THINK I CAN I THINK I CAN

Down off of salt stump across the road to Mountain top. I forgot how steep that is. Fortunately there was only 1 tree down on the down side of Mountain top. With the help of a little saw, the branches were cut away and it is now ridable but watch out it is on a fast descent. Notice the orange ribbon indicating the possible danger!

don't forget to take time and smell the flowers

what a blessed sight, no not me, the small structure marking the final descent to the finish.

It is now 6:30 pm. 7:30 hrs total time with 3:40 min of ride time at around 21.5 miles. 4k feet of climbing, 89 signs, 297 staples, 50 yrds of orange tape, 1 footlong subway club, 2 cliff bars, 100 oz of fluids, and 1 rice krispy treat, and we were done! Well, until after the race then it has to come down.

For those who help make racing possible, THANK YOU, its lot of hard work. Be sure to thank all the folks who help promote, put together, and volunteer to keep this sport alive! ps. for those that preroad the course last weekend and came across numerous trees down, most have been cut and removed by the park rangers, so give them a big hand too.