Date: 2009-09-05
To: "SunRise Century" - Clarksville,TN
Miles today: 0.0

Sat. Sept 5 2009Today is the last sponsored ride of the CYCLING SEASON for me...the "SUNRISE CENTURY" in Clarksville, TN.I get up shower & grab my cycling bag & a mug of COFFEE (of course) & jump in the car @ 5:30am....& head NorthWest (from Springfield) to Clarksville...abt a 45 minute drive...Listening to my favorite radio station, Lightnin'100...& theyre playing an oldie by Delbert McClinton ("Never been rocked enuff")...love Delbert!I pull in the ROSSVIEW High School parking lot shortly after 6:15am....many other CYCLISTS are already here...I go in & check in...grab my "GOODIE BAG" (complete with "GLOW-IN-THE-DARK" YELLOW T-SHIRT!) & head back to prep the bicycle...my trusty 2005 TREK MADONE 5.2SL...pump the tires...wipe the bicycle down...put on my shoes....then back to the school to grab a couple energy gel packs...(theyre selling for $1 each...sweeeeeet!)I see "TeePee" as i exit the school again....I also see fellow Veloteer, "CYBER DAVE",fellow TN SENIOR OLYMPIANS, Thomas ("the FASTEST MAN IN TENNESSEE") Gee, & Phillip & Sandra Davis."TeePee" & i are gonna ride the first fewmiles together...he has decided to ride the 33-mile course today.7am....Mass start...approx 700 cyclists are off onto the streets of Clarksville....(Sorry, motorists!)Out onto RossView Rd...then thru the Industrial Park...up Charles Bell Rd (this area was formerly usedby the Senior Olympics as a Race Course)...onto Webb Rd....then onto Port Royal Rd....TeePee & I are riding the whole time together...(miles go by faster when your talking & riding with someone!)...Mile 13...1st REST STOP.i dont normally stop @ the 1st rest stop....but i DID drink a lot of coffee on the way up....so, TeePee...heads to the right on the 33 miler course & i head Left following the 100 miler course arrows....up Ky 181 to Graysville Road...pedal...pedal...pedal...i've said many times...how much I hate to climb hills....welllll....there are NO HILLS on this course...but, the bad thing about that is....you have to continue PEDALING.....CONTINUOUSLY!pedal thru TylerTown (rd) on KY 104 then to US 41....all the way into TRENTON,KY...a nice little town...& the 2nd REST STOP...this is a very nice rest stop...with PORT-A-JONS & plenty o' water & gatorade & snacks....i rest a few minutes...talk to a fews of the other cyclists & i'm back out on the road...taking a right outta TRENTON & we make a big loop up to the HERMON communitybefore we comeback into Trenton...i take a few photos of an old church here...back on US 41 after a brief REST STOP (#3) on the Northside of Trenton...pedal up to KY highway 475 up to a main highway US 68...this is a main road...with major traffic....luckily it has a BIG, WIDE SHOULDER for us CYCLISTS....& luckily we werent on this stretch of road for very long...then off to the side road, Davis Mill into Elkton,KY...round the square...then onto Ky highway 102....for a ride down to the little town of Allensville,KY....(a spot in the road)...then back out...Hwy 102...then we turn onto US 79...another busy, major road...lots of cars & trucks...pedal...pedal...pedal....i'm getting very tired....& my feet are starting to hurt...maintaining a 17+mph average speed is wearing me down...still have ab t 30 miles to go!pedal...pedal...pedal...Rest Stop...gives me a chance to get out of the pedals...& massage the feet for a few minutes while downing some H2O....ahhhhhhhhhhh!after the short REST....back on the bicycle...down to KY 848....pedal...pedal...pedal...pull into Guthrie, KY...weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ;0) REST STOP (just long enuff to gulp down a half bottle of water!)ONLY 20 miles to go...jump on the bicycle....& because my feet are aching now....(& this might sound stupid to a non-CYCLIST) i crank @ a higher rate of speed to get the ride over with...less than 15 miles....Onto old Guthrie Rd then onto Port Royal...then to Dudley then to Buck...back onto Charles Bell Road...thru the Clarksville Industrial Park...& onto RossView Blvd....& into the RossView Parking Area & the FINISH LINE!There was even a small crowd ofabt 10 people surrounding the TIME CLOCK that were applauding as each CYCLIST finished!My time wasnt record breaking by any means...in fact not even good...5 hours 53 minutes....if my math is correct that means i averaged abt 16.7 mph for 100 miles....i AM BEAT!this was probably my LAST 100 mile ride...this ride simply wore me to a frazzle.we'll have to see...wait til next year...who knows.I'm gonna take a few days off the pedals...& just relax...see ya'll UP the trail!