They did a better job than I could telling the basic story......now for the drama! :)
I got there @ 9:00 am and parked in the first parking lot to the right. Unloaded the bike and walked up the the ranger's station to register, only to find out I was at the wrong parking lot. Oh well, I'll just ride down to the next lot on the bike, register and check things out. I told a few guys parked around me that we need to go down two lots to register and they invited me to ride down in the car and dumbass me got in with them....bike shoes and all. We get to the lot and it is full, so the driver lets us out and drove off, back to the first lot! I register and warm up by walking back to my bike. I figure if this is all that goes wrong today, I'm good to go!
I get the mud out of my cleats and roll to the start area, meeting wolfpack on the way. We get started a tad after 10:00 am at a good clip. I just did not want to get dropped on the first hill! :) Not to far along a buddy dropped a chain and we (me and another guy) pulled over to wait till he got rolling again. Saw wolfpack again and headed in to Clover, SC
slowhand
04-15-08, 09:24 AM
Got on Ridge Road, and it was my turn to pull the group. So I kick it up a notch to bridge the gap to the next group and only Big Red goes with me. He's back there telling me "GO" "Get them before the hill" and I'm cracking up in more ways than one! We catch the group and then he tells me I can rest now, hell I can't even breathe!
It worked out that I stayed with this group until the entrance of King's Mtn State Park @ 50 miles. A long hill busted us up and from there on out just two of us were left kinda in the middle...seemed like no man's land. Pack in front we could not catch and a pack behind that could not catch us. Got to the road OUCH hill is on and lost the other guy. It was the best feeling in the world (at that moment) to top that hill and head back to Crowder's Mtn. parking lot.
Overall for my 2nd big group ride, I had a blast, learned alot, met some great folks. Looking foward for the next ride!!!!
slowhand
04-15-08, 09:30 AM
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/suziebarry/IMG_13933.jpg
these are from 1st rest stop
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/suziebarry/2-1.jpg
Big Red!!! fast guys and gal
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/suziebarry/IMG_139442.jpg
me in hi-vis
slowhand
04-15-08, 09:34 AM
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/suziebarry/IMG_140222.jpg
wolfpack and group
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/suziebarry/IMG_1401.jpg
cold water
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa276/suziebarry/IMG_1396.jpg
ready to go
wolfpack
04-15-08, 09:42 AM
sweet! it was nice to meet you & ride with you, if only briefly. i liked the ride and will probably be back next year to ride it.
cnickgo
04-15-08, 10:31 AM
Looks like it was alot of fun. Sorry I couldn't make it.
I think I see red tires wolfie... want pic!
Velo Vol
04-15-08, 11:11 AM
Is there an actual mountain? Not pictured?
Kostritzer
04-15-08, 01:08 PM
Well, you could say there were two mountains on the ride, Kings Mountain and Crowder's Mountain, but in reality there are many hills that are bigger than both of them. The road at Crowder's mountain doesn't even really go up to the mountain. Still, it's a good route and there is about 3,000 ft climbing for the 60. For anyone that missed it, they do the same route in the fall but then the ride is called the Carl Anderson Memorial Ride or something like that.
wolfpack
04-15-08, 01:50 PM
Well, you could say there were two mountains on the ride, Kings Mountain and Crowder's Mountain, but in reality there are many hills that are bigger than both of them. The road at Crowder's mountain doesn't even really go up to the mountain. Still, it's a good route and there is about 3,000 ft climbing for the 60. For anyone that missed it, they do the same route in the fall but then the ride is called the Carl Anderson Memorial Ride or something like that.
good to know...i really enjoyed the ride, except the gawd-awful indian camp road or whatever it's name was...terrible pavement.
PAlt
04-15-08, 06:27 PM
Sorry I didn't know to meet up with y'all. Both jppe and myself showed up to ride. Got the opportunity to meet his brother as well as some other riding friends. Good ride and generally quality surface. Just one gripe, HATE IT when you're grinding up a hill or finishing a long distance and someone feels the need to remind you just how hard you've worked or just how few miles you need to go;)...
PAlt
04-15-08, 06:30 PM
By the by, slowhand...do you know the rider in the "Hokies" jersey, I rode with him and a number of others for quite a while. I was the guy riding the black Guru
BikeWNC
04-15-08, 07:13 PM
I had a good ride and enjoyed the weather. It was nice to get out on a new route and worth the drive down from the cold mountains.
WheresWaldo
04-16-08, 06:03 AM
I am sorry I missed this ride. I couldn't do two hard rides in a row since having two stents put in just 5 weeks ago. I did the Carl Anderson Memorial last fall and it is a nice route, even though I live just south of Charlotte, Gaston and York Counties are different for me and I remember enjoying the scenery, even if some of the roads are less than perfect.
Velo_Vol, Kings Mtn is just a long grind but it is almost entirely within a state park. You actually go around the back side of Crowders Mtn, another long but gradual climb. The thing is both these are near the end so that is the challenge, you start fast and try to stay fast since the beginning is fairly easy, then it hurts at the end to do any of the climbing.
Glad you guys enjoyed the ride.
slowhand
04-16-08, 07:44 AM
By the by, slowhand...do you know the rider in the "Hokies" jersey, I rode with him and a number of others for quite a while. I was the guy riding the black Guru
I don't know him, but I only saw one black Guru and if that was you we rode together in the same group for a while. I did not stop at the first stop for fear of losing the pack on Hwy 161. I knew I need to stay with them for the long ride down 161/55.
PAlt
04-16-08, 05:45 PM
Probably me. Blue /gray jersey and knickers, grey helmet. Ksyrium wheels. Who else in the group (description)?
slowhand
04-17-08, 08:28 AM
Probably me. Blue /gray jersey and knickers, grey helmet. Ksyrium wheels. Who else in the group (description)?
Great to ride with you! The riders in the first three photos were in the group, plus the guys in the Speedplay & Hokies jerseys.
Kostritzer
04-17-08, 11:10 AM
Was this the first group? The group I was with got split at an intersection and could never catch back up.
slowhand
04-17-08, 12:11 PM
Was this the first group? The group I was with got split at an intersection and could never catch back up.
My wife was at the first stop, she said the first group looked like a team (all kitted alike), then we were the second group to pass through the rest stop.