Is anyone still alive ?? I think I'm going to burn the Godzilla route sheet -- it was quite misleading. I saw you John on your way to lunch (you were going down the hill just past the store at the top of the major climb), but I don't think you saw me. I had just left Andy at the lunch stop as I knew I would be in trouble if I sat there too long. In hind site, I should have stayed there for another hour or so and then called my wife to come and get me.
The ride was tough for me after lunch from "Sunrise Summit" even though the route sheet showed the ride going down hill. (In reality, everything EXCEPT the road was going down hill.) The ozone seemed to be in pockets along the road there and even though I was able to stay in a paceline for about 30 minutes, my condition deteriorated rapidly. By Temecula (the next rest stop) I was badly "smogged". Symptoms included shallow breathing, cough, and nausea. From then till the finish of the ride, my heart rate stayed between and 100 and 115 bpm (normally its up around 145 on the flats). If I ventured over this I felt like I was starving for air and like I was going to throw up (all at once). This went on for the last 4 hours. I got MORE than my money's worth of pain.
I got back at the hotel at 8:40 pm (16 hours elapsed time). I didn't know where you guys were (if you were in front or back), so went home after spagetti. The ride was more difficult than Hemet for me because of the smog. Elapsed time was same as Death Valley. There may still be time to sign up for Central Coast (there is no smog there).
Charlie
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Hi guys,
I saw John climbing up the last grade to lunch, but didn't get to say hi. Charlie, I must have just missed you at the end. I got there at 9 pm, 16 hrs even.
I too was ready to burn that route sheet. I felt pretty bad between the bottom of Palomar and "Sunrise Summit". After a Coke and pudding there, things seemed better for me except that my left knee was getting sore, that didn't get better and I lost two good tandem drafts I should have been able to hold...
All-in-all, I was happy to finish my first double and we should console ourselves that it was really 211 miles - I know I would have been done about 40 min. earlier if it was ONLY 200. The total climbing I got was 11280', just a little more than the advertised 7000'.
Andy
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WHEW#?%!
What a ride. Other then the smog (which didn't bother me, I must be impervious to the stuff having grown up in the NYC area) I agree with Charlie. Peter Pop even said it was a difficult ride (it took him over 12 hours...)
I think the OCW need some new cartographers, or whatever. I had 210.7 miles and 11, 160 feet of climbing. This exceeds a double century by 5% and climbing was advertised around 6000 feet! Oh well, the views were nice and overall no real complaints.
I started about 5:15 and finished about 9:55 (16:45 ET??) My actual pedal time was 14 hours and 55 minutes. I got my new triple on Tuesday and put it on for this ride; it saved my butt. I went up the south grade slow (5mph) but I was able to keep my heart rate low (140-150) almost the whole way. I saw Peter at the rest stop at the bottom of the hill. He was coming in as I was leaving. Within a few minutes Peter came by me and we rode up the grade for about 20 minutes, then he took off (I imagine my speed was close to a cramp speed for him) that's the last I saw of him. He had started after 6 and said later that he finished around 7!!! Amazing.
Several bitches to share. The rollers and headwind after Lake Henshaw were unexpected. One, or the other would have been enough but both...! Add to this the fact that I had left my lights at the first rest stop (25 mile mark figuring I'd pick them up at the 175 mile mark on the return not realizing it's really the 185 mile mark on the return!) Around Sunrise Summit (130 miles?) I realized I probably wouldn't get to my lights before dark. People were piling into the SAG wagon at that point and I was tempted to throw in the towel. I figured if I worked hard (ha-ha after that climb and 130 miles...) and kept about an 18-20 mph pace I'd make it. So in spite of wanting to take a 30 minute break I just got in and out quick. Got to the Temecula rest stop at 5:45 and figured there was no way I'd make the next 32 miles (to my lights) before dark (sunset about 7:15). I talked to one of the OCW support staff and explained my situation, and that I didn't want to get SAG'd in a few miles short of my lights (I could just see getting to mile 183 or something and having to get SAG'd.) He said he had a spare light/battery and hooked it up for me. He said I could leave it at the next stop with his name on it (his name is Kermit and he is responsible for me finishing the double.)
Turns out that bastard headwind became a lovely tailwind going back to Elsinore and I was all of a sudden getting back on track to get to my lights by dark. About 3 miles before my lights, and about 5 minutes before dark, a truck on the other side of the road flagged me down. Turns out they were OCW folks and had all the light bags and were taking them to Temecula. They asked if I had a light bag and sure enough, there it was. Put my lights on, gave them Kermit's to take back to Temecula and asked them to thank Kermit again (although I hadn't used his light.) The rest of the ride, although in the dark, was uneventful.
Pulled into finish one tired pup.
Two down, one to go!
John G. ----------