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    • Dan76 wrote:

      On one of my first MS 150s, I drafted on a slip of a woman keeping an average 24mph pace. Later she said she was a member of a local university road racing team. We did the entire 150 miles the first day and caught a ride back to the overnight town. The MS 150 officials were not pleased when we finally showed.
      150 miles in one day, yikes 8o
      I haven't done that since I was a much younger man
      Some friends and I used to do a ride we called Montauk Madness, each year.
      We'd ride a 100 miles from our town to the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, and return.
      We usually had a 4AM departure, showered and ate at the state park in Montauk, and then arrived home at O dark thirty.
      Then it would take a couple days before I could walk right and my butt stopped hurting
    • the Cheaha. Challenge ultra is 124 miles. There are shorter rides with in that race 100 miles and some others.

      The two above actually get to Mt. Cheaha. The Ultra goes up twice. The 100 mile riders go up once. The rest don't go that far.

      The race starts at Jacksonville, Alabama at 7:30 am. And ends about 4 pm. When the riders cross the finish back at the start line. The first place guy last year finished a bit after 3 pm.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • its about a 300 foot climb from the entrance of the park up to the high point. Hard to tell but looks to be less than a mile. The road down from the peak to the back of the motel is steeper with a sharp turn at the bottom.

      Some breeze through it and some struggle. The guy that was first last year seemed rather bored by his competition. This year will see larger numbers with some outside US riders.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      On one of my first MS 150s, I drafted on a slip of a woman keeping an average 24mph pace. Later she said she was a member of a local university road racing team. We did the entire 150 miles the first day and caught a ride back to the overnight town. The MS 150 officials were not pleased when we finally showed.
      150 miles in one day, yikes 8o I haven't done that since I was a much younger man
      Some friends and I used to do a ride we called Montauk Madness, each year.
      We'd ride a 100 miles from our town to the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, and return.
      We usually had a 4AM departure, showered and ate at the state park in Montauk, and then arrived home at O dark thirty.
      Then it would take a couple days before I could walk right and my butt stopped hurting
      150 miles...my butt hurts just thinking about that.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • found out in our most recent ham radio club meeting that the Cheaha. Challenge is now an early bicycle event that can lead to the Tour De France.

      The biggest group of riders will be the 100 mile group. We could get triple the number of last year. Over 100 riders came all the way to the park last year. We have had to get more volunteers. Most of Europe will be represented. Others countries could be there to.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by JimBlue: Typos and info. ().

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      On one of my first MS 150s, I drafted on a slip of a woman keeping an average 24mph pace. Later she said she was a member of a local university road racing team. We did the entire 150 miles the first day and caught a ride back to the overnight town. The MS 150 officials were not pleased when we finally showed.
      150 miles in one day, yikes 8o I haven't done that since I was a much younger man
      Some friends and I used to do a ride we called Montauk Madness, each year.
      We'd ride a 100 miles from our town to the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, and return.
      We usually had a 4AM departure, showered and ate at the state park in Montauk, and then arrived home at O dark thirty.
      Then it would take a couple days before I could walk right and my butt stopped hurting
      ....ahhhhhh, 100 mile days..........how do I get in that kind of shape again?!?!?


      .....I have often thought of packing up my bike and getting on the ferry in New London! I need to explore the east end. I have never been east of Commack.
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • CoachLou wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      On one of my first MS 150s, I drafted on a slip of a woman keeping an average 24mph pace. Later she said she was a member of a local university road racing team. We did the entire 150 miles the first day and caught a ride back to the overnight town. The MS 150 officials were not pleased when we finally showed.
      150 miles in one day, yikes 8o I haven't done that since I was a much younger manSome friends and I used to do a ride we called Montauk Madness, each year.
      We'd ride a 100 miles from our town to the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, and return.
      We usually had a 4AM departure, showered and ate at the state park in Montauk, and then arrived home at O dark thirty.
      Then it would take a couple days before I could walk right and my butt stopped hurting
      ....ahhhhhh, 100 mile days..........how do I get in that kind of shape again?!?!?

      .....I have often thought of packing up my bike and getting on the ferry in New London! I need to explore the east end. I have never been east of Commack.
      Coach, if you do want to ride Long Island's east end let me know. I can suggest some routes.
    • My plan is to set this back up to ride 'Rail Trails'. The C&O, The Creeper, 'Pine Creek' in Pa., and forest roads.

      Bike packing is cool, and when I bike packed before, I had not learned to fish 8o , and rail trails run along rivers..........and bike packs carry fishing rods, and lots of food, and wine :whistling:


      Just sayin' :thumbsup:
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • CoachLou wrote:

      It is down from the rafters.
      It is clean, the 44 year old Suntour V-GT derailleur is tuned up.
      I need to true the wheels get some rubber, cables and a chain!
      Is that a Brookes saddle?
      I keep thinking about getting one for my touring bike, but never do since I don't know when I might use that bike again.
      The rail trail idea sounds like a good idea.
    • Yes, 35 years old. It was dirty and had a little mold on it. I started to clean it with that foaming hand soap....... it looks brand new. Today I will polish the rivets with some dura-glit.
      I always get my chops broken about spending so much on gear.......... I knew this bike would still be around when I turned 60 :thumbsup:
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • I even have a second frame, which is actually my 3rd. The original 720, I crashed, 6 stiches in my head, bent top and down tubes. Chris Zane (Zane's Bike) got me a new one. 6 months later he tells me he has another one for me ...no charge! I guess a customer bought a factory assembled 720, he insisted it was the right size for him......................................he later paided Chris for his correct size......and I have it in a box, up in the rafters of the garage.
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • CoachLou wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      On one of my first MS 150s, I drafted on a slip of a woman keeping an average 24mph pace. Later she said she was a member of a local university road racing team. We did the entire 150 miles the first day and caught a ride back to the overnight town. The MS 150 officials were not pleased when we finally showed.
      150 miles in one day, yikes 8o I haven't done that since I was a much younger manSome friends and I used to do a ride we called Montauk Madness, each year.
      We'd ride a 100 miles from our town to the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, and return.
      We usually had a 4AM departure, showered and ate at the state park in Montauk, and then arrived home at O dark thirty.
      Then it would take a couple days before I could walk right and my butt stopped hurting
      ....ahhhhhh, 100 mile days..........how do I get in that kind of shape again?!?!?
      start with 10 mile days.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • CoachLou wrote:


      ............I always get my chops broken about spending so much on gear..........
      Me too. People gasp when I tell them how much I paid for the winter sleeping bag.
      And I paid about the same price for my hybrid bicycle.
      The only one who never criticizes me for paying for top quality gear is my wife, she knows.
      Am I the luckiest guy in the world, or what? :)
    • LIhikers wrote:

      CoachLou wrote:

      ............I always get my chops broken about spending so much on gear..........
      Me too. People gasp when I tell them how much I paid for the winter sleeping bag.And I paid about the same price for my hybrid bicycle.
      The only one who never criticizes me for paying for top quality gear is my wife, she knows.
      Am I the luckiest guy in the world, or what? :)
      And she is the other person in the world (other than you) that really matters.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I have to fix the sister-in-law's bike this week.
      After that I think I'll dust off the touring bike and see what it needs.
      It's a compilation of parts.
      The main frame was from a Dawes Super Galaxy.
      The front fork from a very early Cannondale.
      It's got half step plus granny gearing with a low of 31 gear inches and a high of about 88, if my memory is right.
      It's equipped with bar end shifters and a stem that gets the dropped bars up to a comfortable height.
      And it's finished off with a couple of bottle holder and racks front and rear to carry panniers and gear.
    • Dan76 wrote:

      CoachLou wrote:

      LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      On one of my first MS 150s, I drafted on a slip of a woman keeping an average 24mph pace. Later she said she was a member of a local university road racing team. We did the entire 150 miles the first day and caught a ride back to the overnight town. The MS 150 officials were not pleased when we finally showed.
      150 miles in one day, yikes 8o I haven't done that since I was a much younger manSome friends and I used to do a ride we called Montauk Madness, each year.We'd ride a 100 miles from our town to the eastern tip of Long Island, Montauk Point, and return.
      We usually had a 4AM departure, showered and ate at the state park in Montauk, and then arrived home at O dark thirty.
      Then it would take a couple days before I could walk right and my butt stopped hurting
      ....ahhhhhh, 100 mile days..........how do I get in that kind of shape again?!?!?
      start with 10 mile days.
      It stopped raining yesterday! I did 12 road miles on my mtn bike. More today, I will tune up my road bike today. :thumbsup:
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • Three of us did a challenging mt bike ride this past week end, a bit more than expected, 9.2 miles was extremely rocky, 10 & 11* grades. We got to a paved road and decided we'd rather ride a few extra miles to get back rather than fight the rocks another 9.2 miles of rocks, even the road section was tough with long steep hills, total distance was 23 miles....one of those rides you're glad you did it but glad it's over. Bought a road bike and we're discussing doing some bikepacking when the weather cools.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Got up at the butt crack of dawn to ride my bike 25 mi from Townsend to Cade's Cove. My legs were shot after hiking last weekend so had to stop three times on the last hill. The descent was awesome and I would have hit 40 mph except I chickened out and tapped the brakes.
      Scariest descent, yet highly exhilarating

      [IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Family/Summer-Break-06/n-GJ3Rv/i-zwWFbxk/0/003d37d0/M/i-zwWFbxk-M.jpg]

      I ride full gear on my motorcycle but I push a twitchy bike to it's limits on a long downhill with nothing but lycra between me and the road. Go figure...
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • CoachLou wrote:

      My plan is to set this back up to ride 'Rail Trails'. The C&O, The Creeper, 'Pine Creek' in Pa., and forest roads.

      Bike packing is cool, and when I bike packed before, I had not learned to fish 8o , and rail trails run along rivers..........and bike packs carry fishing rods, and lots of food, and wine :whistling:


      Just sayin' :thumbsup:
      Pine Creek Rail Trail is very nice. I don't know if the restaurant is still in operation at the Blackwell trailhead, but it was a welcome stop after a long ride up to the PA Grand Canyon and back.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • StalkingTortoise wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Got up at the butt crack of dawn to ride my bike 25 mi from Townsend to Cade's Cove. My legs were shot after hiking last weekend so had to stop three times on the last hill. The descent was awesome and I would have hit 40 mph except I chickened out and tapped the brakes.
      Scariest descent, yet highly exhilarating
      [IMG:https://photos.smugmug.com/Family/Summer-Break-06/n-GJ3Rv/i-zwWFbxk/0/003d37d0/M/i-zwWFbxk-M.jpg]

      I ride full gear on my motorcycle but I push a twitchy bike to it's limits on a long downhill with nothing but lycra between me and the road. Go figure...
      I had my fully loaded touring bike at 46 in Vt. once. It was very smooth, I was also 30...........I just don't need that road rash at 60!
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Got up at the butt crack of dawn to ride my bike 25 mi from Townsend to Cade's Cove. My legs were shot after hiking last weekend so had to stop three times on the last hill. The descent was awesome and I would have hit 40 mph except I chickened out and tapped the brakes.
      I love goin' down hill real fast, and the front end starts gettin' squirely where ya can't feel the road...said no one ever, okay maybe a few of them whack-o's that do that kinda stuff, but not this boy!
    • Due to personal circumstances, this year is a bad hiking year for me. It's highly doubtful that I'll complete the BMT. Admittedly, this circumstance gets me really down so I'm trying to focus on the things I can do, like biking and running.

      I'm signed up for a 50 mi ride in a few weeks. It's not the first time riding that distance but has been a few years. My comfort zone is under 40. Anything after that really wears me out.

      The problem isn't necessarily the distance, it's the hill climbing, and this route has a lot of hills. Add in July heat and humidity and I'm getting worried. I don't want it to be a miserable experience...last time I stopped and cried a mile from the finish (and I don't cry very often).
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Due to personal circumstances, this year is a bad hiking year for me. It's highly doubtful that I'll complete the BMT. Admittedly, this circumstance gets me really down so I'm trying to focus on the things I can do, like biking and running.

      I'm signed up for a 50 mi ride in a few weeks. It's not the first time riding that distance but has been a few years. My comfort zone is under 40. Anything after that really wears me out.

      The problem isn't necessarily the distance, it's the hill climbing, and this route has a lot of hills. Add in July heat and humidity and I'm getting worried. I don't want it to be a miserable experience...last time I stopped and cried a mile from the finish (and I don't cry very often).
      The BMT will still be there next year for you. :)
      I wish you well on your bike ride, and here is to hoping the last 10 miles are downhill, or at least flat.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General