Date: 2008-05-24
From: Home

To: Clarksville,TN-CRAM 62 mile Bike Ride
Miles today: 60.7

Sat.May 24thJust 2 weeks after returning from the Appalachian Trail "Adventure"...i head to Clarksville for the Clarksville Rotary Annual Metric Bicycle Ride.I wake @ 5am to head Northwest (from Springfield)...i dont know why i always get there so early...it only takes 35 minutes to get to RossView School (in the Southern corner of Clarksville).i Load my bike on the travel rack & was heading down the road when i felt like i was missing something (ever had that feeling???)...lessee...(me thinking)...i got my shoes...my bike is on the rack...got my paperwork..helmet, sunglasses, camera, cell-phone...my air pump...HEYYYYYY!!!where's the pump?....i pull the car off the side of the road....NO AIR PUMP!I turn around & drive back to the fhouse & grab it & throw it on the back seat & we're off....ahhhhhh...now i feel better...complete...stop by Mickey D's for a Large,Black coffee (what else?) & stop for gas....OUCH! almost $30 tofill up "Silver Bullit" these days (my Chevy Metro)then NORTH to Clarksville...i get to RossView school...head into confirm registration (with paper in hand...they NEVER ask for it...i alwzys register ON-LINE)hit the Mens room...& go out to prep the bike...while talking with other Cyclists...etc...i see several other VELOTEERS jerseys as i prep my bicycle (2005 Trek Madone 5.2SL)lots of fresh, new bicycles out today for the ride (known as one of the "flatest courses around")...i'm riding the 62 mile course today (100 kilometers)the organizers have added a 100 mile course in the last couple of years too...i usually only ride the 1 one hundred miler...to close out my riding season in the fall...We start @ 7:45am...seems like mot of the riders took off on the 100 mile course...(i overheard one of the organizers say they had about 600 riders total for todays events (100 miles, 62 miles, & 25 miles).I'd guess probably about 100 or so cyclists in our 62 mile riders corral.I meet fellow Veloteer Jim & a friend of his, also named Jim.we ride together for the 1st couple miles...then they ride ahead....We ride up an Industrial drive across Port Royal road then onto Tylertown Road(Rest stop here...i didnt stop)lots of back roads...pedal,pedal,pedal....i'm mainting approx 17 mph average...thus far...then the rolling hills...lots of great scenery...old barns, old farm houses...horses, wheat fields & tobacco fields...pedal, pedal, pedal...into Trenton, Kentucky...& a rest stop ( i stop)...hit the munchies table (get more SUGAR into the system & some Gator-ade)...back on the bike & pedaling thru downtown TRENTON...then out on Hwy 181 to Hwy 848 for a few miles...then we turn onto Hwy 79 which heads us up to Guthrie, KY...& a REST STOP...(i need one by this time..i'm running out of ENERGY!)I stop for the facilities & some more SUGAR-POWER...i spot another VELOTEER here...his name is "TED" from LaVergne, TN...we talk for a few minutes & compare notes on bicycles, etc....i head out alone..but, Ted catches me in a few minutes & we ride the last 8 or 9 miles together...complaining about the uphills, weather etc.,etc.Good ride...i'm tired....i'm gonna go soak my feet!                           60.7 miles today