Date: 2010-05-29
To: CRAM 2010
Miles today: 62.0

Saturday May 29thToday i travel to Clarksville's RossView high School the Start/End site for the Clarksville Rotary Annual Metric...(known affectionately as "the CRAM").If all goes well...i plan on riding the 62 mile course today (Metric Century).Steve & Paul Hayslip plan on being there too & have signed up for the 62-mile route as well...I arrived @ the High School @ 6:45am...checked in...(got my T-shirt....weeeeeee ;0)As I was leaving I grab a course map...(& directions)...& i see Steve & Paul...they register & we line up for the start...The cyclists riding the 100-mile course are off @ 7:30am...Us 62-milers are held til 7:45am....(dont wanna overcrowd the roads...too much!)I was a bit concerned about riding this ride today...since my ankle & knee havent fully recovered from their injuries in my recent hiking trip....but decided to give it my best shot today...This ride has plenty of SAG wagons (Support & Gear help trucks/SUVs) along the routes...so, if i DO get into trouble...i can call it quits & be picked up & driven back...The weather forecast is for 50% chance of showers...but the skies are blue & its probably abt 70 degrees when we start...expecting a high in the mid-80s today....Sunny!....YEAAAAAAA!I ride with Steve & Paul for the first few miles...but, I can tell Paul is chomping @ the bit....he is wanting to "ZIP-OUT" a bit....(from us older riders...)We stop after 10+ miles @ the 1st REST STOP @ the junction of Port Royal Rd & Ky 181I get some GatorAde & Water & get back on the pedals....Paul has left me & Steve now...he is riding ahead of us & will wait for us @ the next rest stop...Make the turn onto Tylertown Road...then Big Pond Road...then onto some old back roads...with plenty of wheat fields (still flooded from the recent floods) corn fields, cattle farms...complete with cows lazing by the fences...& beautiful old farm houses...At mile 26...our 2nd REST STOP....in Trenton,KY...(US 41)I re-water here & grab some munchies...for the sugar spike...i need...Paul leaves before us...but, we head away from the rest stop a few minutes later...turning onto KY 848 then over old Railroad Lane....then onto Hermon Road....thru Pinchem & then we ride into Hermon...(a small community in Todd County, KY which is populated by several groups of Mennonites...in fact,...we saw several Mennonites driving their tractors down the roadway as we were cycling!)At mile 40...Steve is doing well...he said his thighs are burning a bit..he is doing fine...me, on the other hand......my feet are beginning to hurt a bit...& the knee feels a bit weak & sore...(am I getting too old for this, huh???)We ride across KY 79...a little bit of traffic on this road (a major road)loads more farms...We havent encountered a load of traffic on the ride...just other cyclists...including one rider that had missed his 100-mile course turn & had rode an extra 20 miles on the 62 mile course...At mile 46...we roll into Guthrie, KY...a nice, quaint little town...a friend of mine & Donna's (my wife)used to live here & commute to Nashville everyday to work @ the TV station...We stop @ this REST STOP (the last one on the 62 mile course)I take my shoes off here...because my feet are killing me...i massage them for a few minutes while i take on some more GatorAde & Water...Paul is here...he waited for us...& has probably been here for abt 15 minutes when we arrived...We take a few photos here & talk with one of the local bike shop techs abt bicycles, etc...Paul leaves...we stay a few more minutes...Steve calls his wife, Kathy,...I load up on some more water & hit the pedals...only 16 or so miles to finish...out of Guthrie onto Port Royal Road...then back into Tennessee & Montgomery (Clarksville)County...we ride on...the last few miles Steve & I talk about cycling, etc...we get back to RossView School...i am BEAT!!!I take off my shoes & put on my Crocs....ahhhhhhh...feels better....I head inside with Steve & we grab some sphagetti...mmmmmmmmmm-good.We eat with Paul...who is almost done with his lunch...Steve talks with Kathy to tell her we are finally done...heheheheheGood Ride...I'm very tarrrrred! 62 miles