Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - I'm in...
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manifestiny
09-29-09, 10:31 PM
I jumped head first into your long distance world...
I completed the 250km Ride Across Tennessee this past Saturday.
After 80 rainy miles, 5 flat tires, and two long stops at the controls, my friend and I rode across the Alabama state line at 10pm.
I hadn't ridden more than 100 miles in 2 years, so I am kind of surprised that I could finish it...
I'll be back for more. IT WAS AWESOME!
CbadRider
09-29-09, 10:40 PM
Congratulations!
erdim87
09-30-09, 01:29 AM
I currently live in AZ and I'm about to attempt my first century with El Tour de Tucson. However, my plans are to head out to MTSU for grad school and I have no idea what the long distance biking is like out there. Have you done any other Tennessee rides? What was the climbing like on the Ride Across Tennessee? Coming from a mountain town, I'm a sucker for the big climbs. I'm guessing Tennessee is pretty flat?
USAZorro
09-30-09, 10:00 AM
...I'm guessing Tennessee is pretty flat?
Not really high mountains like in the Sierras or Rockies, but Tennessee is definitely not what I would call flat.
I'll be back for more. IT WAS AWESOME!
Bring it. There's many more challenges where that came from. Welcome to the club!
skiffrun
09-30-09, 06:42 PM
. . . Coming from a mountain town, I'm a sucker for the big climbs. I'm guessing Tennessee is pretty flat?
Out west, the mtns are taller, but the roads tend to have one % grade to the climb. Get in rythm with that grade, and the climb is not so bad.
Back east, the mtns are not as tall, but the % grade changes constantly, continually, frequently, every few feet, or maybe every 50 or 100 yards if you are REALLY lucky. Get in synch with the grade, oops, grade change, in synch, oops, grade change, in syn, oops, grade change.
I forget where Middle Tennessee State is located, but if it is in the middle of the state, no mtns there. Just hills. Big hills. And in between those hills, or scattered throughout the plain are many, many, many creeks and rivers. Every creek has a valley. Somtimes more like a gorge. Steep down and then steep up. Bring bike, have fun.
Go to Knoxville or a bit farther east and you'll likely find sufficient climbing. Not too far into NC is Boone. Some guy went there to train / test himself after he had some cancer treatments a few years back. He went on to do pretty well, I understand.
The highways and especially the backroads up to the Blue Ridge Parkway are little more than asphault laid on top of whatever the natural topography is. I.e., not much, sometimes no, "engineering", resulting in the grade changing referred to above being even more frequent.
The BRP itself is pretty mild. Engineered. Sweeping climbs. Seldom over 6% (or is it 8%) on the BRP.
Richard Cranium
10-01-09, 10:29 PM
Yippee -get better tires...
erdim87
10-05-09, 06:48 PM
...I forget where Middle Tennessee State is located, but if it is in the middle of the state, no mtns there... Bring bike, have fun...
It's in Murfreesboro outside of Nashville. I'll definitely have my bikes when I head out there. This Ride Across Tennessee sounds like fun if the land is how you describe it. Now about this thing you people call "humidity"...