Monday, February 4, 2008

Lexington 200K -- Ground Hog Day


The Ground Hog Day Lexington 200k began with freezing temperatures and promises of a heat wave into the 60s. The adventure really began the evening prior as Dean, Byron and I met at Sridhar’s house and carpooled to Lexington, NC. I arrived at an address provided by Google maps unfortunately it wasn’t Sridhar’s. After a phone call I was back on track and soon we were in the fully loaded Prius and on the road. One note, this little car is very comfortable. We were able fit 4 adults, gear and bikes without feeling cramped.

Byron and Lin at start

Tony giving instructions from truck. Mike Dayton(right)

Saturday morning Tony gave last minute instructions and we were off. In the first couple miles, I looked at my cycle computer and realized it was not registering any data. I had a decision to make. I could hang on with the pack; I realized I would get dropped at some point and I would have no clue how far I’d gone. Not a good combination for navigation. I opted to stop and fix the problem. This meant I would not have any company for hours.


When I arrived at the second control (mile 55) I was surprised to see Dean, Byron and Rob D. waiting. They decided that Sridhar had the keys to the car and they might as well wait there rather than at the finish out in the Lowe’s parking lot freezing for an hour. I was very happy to see them. It is far more fun to ride with a group than solo.

Decal on Rob Dayton's bike

We kept a brisk pace after the control; I felt energized. As we rode the group would be splintered into 4 and regroup at the turns. This pattern continued for 70 miles. At one regroup, Dean had a puzzled look on his face. He said, “I want to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Did you see the camels back there?” He was the only one that saw camels and we told him he was absolutely hallucinating. Actually, it was confirmed at the next control, there are camels at one of the farms. This means Dean isn’t crazy!

Beautiful afternoon

Numbers:
Distance: 126
Ride Time: 9:22
Total Time: 11:30~

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