Enjoy the read,
Sheri
When it’s time to kill the Groundhog
We’ve all been moaning and groaning about spring taking its
own sweet time getting here and that Punxsutawney Phil must go. In late March,
Mitch and I looked at each other and said we need to get outta here!! So we
pulled out a map and looked what was a day’s drive from Chicago. Tennessee,
Kentucky and North Carolina all looked inviting. I got to surfin’ the internet
looking for invitationals and bike clubs. I found the Burnsville Metric Century
in NC but it wasn’t until April 30th. Too long to wait, need Spring
NOW!!! I emailed the contact listed on the site asking if we could get cue
sheets ahead of time and if there was a club to ride with. Immediately I
received this wonderful email from Marc offering maps, cue sheets, himself as a
guide PLUS bikes if we needed them. Wow, that’s southern hospitality.
Next I asked him to suggest places to stay since it was
pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He provided a handful of suggestions
running the gamut of prices and “luxury”. We opted for this cute cabin 3,400ft
up in the mountains flanked by national forest. Marc had said that one of the
owners, Mary, was a cyclist, so we booked the place for a few days. Mary, was
beside herself we were bikers and insisted on taking us on rides each day. Not
to mention she was a native Chicagoan. Bonus!!!
We had the first half of the week figured out. Next was
where to go for the second half. I contacted the Louisville, KY bike club. But
did not get warm and fuzzy responses about riding with them or lodging. So we
opted for the Bluegrass Cycling Club in Lexington, KY. First off, the Event
Director for the Horsey Hundred is also a Pearl Izumi Ride Champion with me.
Second, she’s a member of the Bluegrass club. Third, they had rides day and
evening just like the Wheelmen. So done deal. Arrangements made.
A few days before departure, Mitch found out he wouldn’t be
able to get off work. So since I really needed a vacation, I decided to head
out on my own. So began Sheri’s Quest to find Spring.
Day 1:
Weather in Chicago
was low 30s and sleeting. So it was a lot easier to head out on the 650 mile
drive across five states to reach Johnson City, TN. I wasn't sure how long the
drive would take me so I opted to stay overnight in TN and take the remaining
50 miles across Iron Mountain the next morning when I was a little more fresh.
Day 2:
Ate a good
breakfast at the hotel knowing Mary had planned a climbing day for us. So I
took the narrow winding road over Iron Mountain into Bakersville, NC. The speed
limit was 55 mph and all I could think of was WTF? There's no way to take some
of these switchbacks at anything more than 20mph. I also started to get a
little freaked out thinking this was the type of road we'd be riding on for the
next few days.
Arrived at
Bakersville, literally a one stop light town. Yep, I was in the middle of
nowhere and that was just perfect. I found Bird Town Cabins at the end of a windy road and Mary was already in her cycling gear ready to
roll. I continued up this gravel road to Little Bird cabin. Yikes, it was like
straight up the side of the mountain. The cabin was beautiful. Full kitchen,
sitting area, bedroom and indoor plumbing. The view was breathtaking.
I quickly got
changed and we were off for our first ride. No time to get acclimated to the
altitude or warmed up. Three mile climb off the bat. The scenery was beautiful
until I turned the bend and there were two armed Sheriffs with a chain gang
picking up garbage on the side of the road. Not something we see on our WW
rides.
The ride was 35
miles with 3500 ft of climb, including three CAT 4 climbs. I definitely felt
the altitude which was another thing I had not accounted for.
We had a quick
rest stop at a cemetery that even had some Civil War veterans buried. Took a
selfie by the sign and headed home. Post ride I got to feed their 3 goats and
then enjoyed a hot tub to soak my quads.
 |
| Elevation chart of the ride |
Woke up to rain.
Crap there goes my 10 years of vacation karma. But by 11am the sun came out,
vacation karma still intact, so Mary, Alli and I planned to meet Marc for a
ride along the Cane and Toe rivers and then a 6 mile climb they call Spivey
Gap. I was thrilled to meet Marc since he started this whole adventure. Very
sweet man who's retired and training for RAM. Very strong cyclist, racer and
for you men, has 20 bikes.
The first 11 miles
we did about 1000 ft of climb. Then some downhill to the rest stop. The store
we stopped at had everything a girl could want, live bait, ammo, a burn permit
and indoor plumbing.
The 6 mile Spivey
climb boasts CAT 2, 3 and 4 sections. I just put it in a small gear and started
up. Marc would ride ahead and then do track stands in the middle of the road
waiting for me to catch up. Only 2 cars passed us the whole time so he was safe
to hang out there. Once at the top we were at the Tennessee boarder and the
Appalachian trail head. We stopped for pics and then turned around and headed
down the mountain. A little eventful for me as I tried not to wipe out on the
sand and gravel that peppered the pavement from the earlier rain. But I also got
chased by a pack of 3 dogs and dive bombed by a kamikaze wild turkey trying to
make it across the road. The count was now chased by 8 dogs and 1 wild turkey
in two rides.
Final stats for
the rider was 53 miles and 2,600 ft of climb.
 |
| Elevation Chart |
Day 4:
I decided to skip the ride today and just start my 5+ hour drive to
Lexington, KY. I said goodbye to my new
friends and cute cabin in the woods and headed northwest. I arrived in Lexington about 4pm and went for
a walk on the Legacy Trail.
It's a multi-use paved path that is about 15 miles with plans to expand.
I checked Yelp for a place to eat dinner and found where the locals go.
Nestled in between horse farms, was an amazing BBQ joint with a fun vibe.
Day 5:
I decided to hook up with the Bluegrass Cycling club. They boast 1000
members and have a huge offering of day and evening rides. Today's ride was 5
minutes from the hotel and ended up being 12 guys and me. They split into
groups depending on speed. One racer guy, Chuck, said just get on my wheel. So
I did and about 7 of us set out as the fast group. They were a great group of
guys and dialed it back a bit for me on some of the climbs. Had a nice paceline
going through quiet country rollers flanked by huge horse farms. There were
tons of foals out in the pastures which really added to the beauty.
Towards the end of the ride the guys asked if I had ever been to the
Kentucky Horse Park. So we took a detour at the end and sauntered through the
massive grounds. There are polo fields, arenas, cross country courses, you name
it. It was a nice way to end the ride. Stats for the ride were 36 miles and
1700 ft of climbing.
That afternoon I went to Keeneland Race Track. It's always a rest stop
for the Horsey Hundred but the racing season is over by then. So in seven years
I've never seen the track open. After that I headed to downtown Lexington for
dinner and Thursday night live music fest. I met up with a couple of the
Bluegrass members and had a lovely evening.
Day 6:
This was my last ride before heading back home. David's Fork Baptist
ride reminded me of our Honey Do. About 50 riders of varying speeds, going
different routes and distances. A couple
of the guys I rode with the previous day told me to come with them. Some gal
Sarah had a 26 mile route she wanted to try. They said the pace would be 17mph
average and they wouldn't drop me. BTW, there was no cue sheet or map so they
better not drop me.
Well, there were about 20 riders in a double paceline screaming down
these country rollers. The first half of the ride we averaged 19mph. Thankfully
they dialed it back a bit on the second half to 17/18 mph. Another beautiful
ride with a great group of people. But my legs were tired and it was time to
head home.
I'd say my Quest to find Spring was successful. The groundhog is dead
and Spring has finally arrived in Chicago. This past weekend we had back to
back 70 degree days, sunny and low winds. Couldn't ask for anything more.
Enjoy the ride,
Sheri
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