First of all this is just a game I play with myself.
I have no delusions of grandeur.
I am a "has-been" that "never was".
The last two winters have been spent running or in a gym.
Neither year yielded positive results on "Mitchell".
This winter was not spent inside a cabinet shop making minimum wage
and snorting laquer thinner and other great chemicals..
I've gone easy with "fire and rescue" training.
I didn't take welding at our local Mayland Community College.
Here's what I did do.
I've worked mostly on my "metal art" and rode more:
Cycling 2003
Jan 2- 23.28 m F&C loop clockwise
Jan 4- 20.01 m rollers- had to regrease bearings in rollers 15.3 av. Cadence 85
Jan 5- 100 m rollers 10 Am to7:30 pm ride time 6 hr 4 min 16.2 av
Jan 8- 23.02 m F&C loop clockwise 1hr 56 min av 11.6
Jan 10- 90 m rollers 5 hr 17.4 -10:15 to 4:15
Jan 11- 24m rollers easy
Jan 13- 90 m rollers 4 hr 34 min 19.3 (20exept warmdown)
Jan 18- 14m
Jan 19- 91 m rollers 4 hr 33 min 19.4
Jan 23 - 20 m 1 hr 2 min
Jan 25 - 90 m all day rollers
Jan 28- 91.17 m road ride SC(Cordova Rivers Bridge State Park, Govan)
Fred and Adam-3221 elevation gain 5 hrs
Jan 30- 20 m rollers
Feb 1- 20 m rollers
Feb 2- 90 m road ride with Mark Boyd- 45 miles out toward Asheville and turned
around. Headwind out- Tailwind back. Felt better than I have in years on the last
half of a century ride (tailwind). Registered 26% grade on Paint Fork(???).
3212 feet gain
Feb 5- 90 m rollers, 4hr 40min, 18.9 av.
Feb 8- 20 m rollers
Feb 9- 91.27 m SC, Cordova. Cope,70, Denmark, Olar, Rivers Bridge, Ehrhardt,
Hunters Chapel, Cannon Bridge, Cordova
Feb 11- 90.32 m SC, Canaan, Cope, Bolentown, twice
Feb 12- 32.71 m SC, Canaan, Cope
Feb 16- 90 m rollers-4 hr 52 min(ride time) av 18.1
Feb 18- 23.85 m F&C loop counter clockwise 1686 feet climbing 1 hr 38 min
Feb 24- 93 m SC, Cordova., Cannon Bridge, Hunters Chapel, Ehrhardt, Rivers Bridge,
Olar, Denmark, Cordova__Left lower back hurt (near hip).
Left knee hurt (bonecyst).
Feb 27- 90 m rollers-4 hr ? min(ride time) av 19___right lower back hurt (near hip)
Left knee hurt (bonecyst). Left knee has been hurting while walking.
Mar 2- 93 m SC, Cordova., Cannon Bridge, Hunters Chapel, Ehrhardt, Rivers Bridge,
Olar, Denmark, Cordova__computer didn’t work for the first 65 miles
Mar 5- 90 m rollers
Mar 8- 90 m Mooresville with Perry Reed, Wayne, and Christy. Had a lot at the end.
Mar 9- 93.26 m SC, Cordova, Four Holes, Elloree, Santee State Park, Lone Star, Ft.
Motte, Sandy Run, Clearwater, O’Burg, Cordova. Eric is getting in shape and
attacked on hills. Stayed with him on hills and pulled most everywhere.
Going into O’Burg Eric saw 2 riders coming from the rear.
We made a race out of it to the city limits of OB. We pulled away from them quite a ways, minutes.
Mar 12- 93 m With John Ende. Red Hill Green Mountain, Jack’s Creek, Cane River
School Road, (stopped at the Amish store), Schronce Creek, Bee Log, then
rode an out and back to Huntdale to get 90 miles in, Huntdale, Green Mtn.,
Red Hill, the Inn. Rode really hard up and down Schrince/Bee Log and the
rest. I pulled most of the day mostly around 20(John had ridden the day
before). 3592 ft. climbing.
Mar 14- 90 m With Cliff, Lisa, Brady, Greg. 11, 178, 215, Rosman, Saphire Valley,
Cashiers, white Water Falls. Rode in the rain half the day, cold, wet, and
after eating-pregnant with food. Rode more miles after others quit to get in
90. Computer quit at 80.61. Everybody else rode almost 83 to that point. I
had ridden back to the tandem a whole bunch. Hills or mountains all day.
9520 feet climbing?
Mar 17- 90 m rollers 18.1 av
Mar 19- 41.7 m SC with Eric
Mar 20- 90.1 m SC with Eric rolling hills, Head wind, Cordova, Orangeburg,Elloree, Ft.
Mar 20- 48 m Mark, Alice, Jack’s Creek
Mar 26- 23.46 m F&C loop counter clockwise 1719 feet climbing 1 hr 51 min (eye
“surgery” yesterday, removed metal sliver, gawd-awful day)
Mar 27- 67.14 m Roan Moan with Amy & Peter, 6026 ft. climbing, 5hrs ride time easy
Mar 29- 90.1 m SC with Eric mostlyflat & rolling hills, Head wind, record time for that
Course. Waited for an old friend I saw in Bamberg. Dean Haddock.
Gave Eric an eight minute head start. Didn’t catch but tried hard.
Then rode a few
Apr 2- 44.15 m Buladean, Hughes Gap, Roan Mtn. 5015 feet climbing. Couldn’t focus
Because of headache, neck ache. Stood on the pedals all day for hills. I know
It’s bad for form but I just couldn’t generate enthusiasm for anything else.
Apr 6- 60 m SC chased Eric rolling hills, Head wind, rain, Eric had 37 minutes.
Never saw him. Tried to spin, legs tight.
Apr 7 67.5 m Eric’s hub was dry, started grinding. We cut the ride short.
Dodged rain all Day.
Apr 9- 90 m rollers
Apr 12- 65 Randy
Apr 14- 39.25 Paul
Apr 15- 23.67 Paul
Apr 19- 67 Roan, Reggie &
Apr 24- 60 Major Taylor, Jed crashed, broken clavicle, some facial injuries, and road-
Apr 29- 52 Mt. Mitchell from LilSwit. Tried to set speedometer to mileage markers.
It was low at 2080. I’ve reset it to 2095
May 2- 51.58 Rode to meet Marion Foothills guys.
May 3- 107 63 on the River Road, 44 short Roan (6000 Ft. plus)
Could not walk straight. Bob Limone (physical terrorist) diagnosed bulging
May 10 56 Easy enough into the wind. Great ride back.
Eric and I always have a great time.
May 13 23.13 Frankie & Charlie easy, slow. Didn’t do McKinney Cove.
2304 century miles= 25 UMCA centuries (90 plus).
11 of those were on rollers. I definitely count them in my little “game” with myself as rollers are harder to do a century on than the highway.
3334.67 Total miles before the "Assault On Mitchell"
Because of so-so results, I decided to try to ride a century a week. After riding my first century on rollers I adopted the UMCA rules that apply any miles over 90 to your century miles.
It is so hard to ride the last 20 miles. It is excrutiating to ride the last few. The miles over 90 are also detrimental to your fitness and form.
January Photos
February Photos
March/April Photos
May Photos
