Event:
bicyle ride in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Date: June 9-10, 2012
Location: Zelienople, Pa to Conneaut, Oh
Time: 5hr:15min on Day 1
(14.4 mph pace) + 4hr: 9min on Day 2 (15.5 mph pace)
Overall, this was the best experience I've had so far in 2012. The event had
1300 participants and was very well organized. There was an extraordinary number
of volunteers that staffed rest stops every 15 miles, controlled traffic at
intersections, drove Support & Gear Vehicles, and cheered us on. I rode with
a good friend of mine, and we mostly stayed together on the route. We became
very comfortable riding side-by-side, and if we wanted to pass someone, we'd
just read each other's body language and pass as a team. A third friend was
frequently behind us, but we waited for him at the rest stops where we ate free
snacks, filled up our water bottles, and re-applied sunscreen.
Day 1 consisted of a ride from Zelienople, Pa., to Meadville, Pa, a distance of 75.8 miles.
Miles 1-16 featured a lot of shade, which was mostly nice, but given that it
was in the upper 50s, it was a little chilly! There were so many hills on this
route, I don't remember them all. But I do remember the first Category 5 hill
where some cyclists had dismounted and were walking up the hill. And it was a
big hill. Still, I thought "if they are walking and I don't have to, this means
I'm in good shape to finish this!" At the rest stop at Moraine State Park, Mike
took advantage of the free bike maintenance tent and had some adjustments made.
Miles 16-33. There was a second Cat 5 hill, but I don't remember it. Our rest
stop was at a church. It was hot already! (This church needs more trees in their
parking lot!). Anyway, there were some volunteers with horns and bells that
cheered for us as we entered the rest stop. Nice gesture. Dan and I then waited
for Mike who pulled in with a flat front tire. Mike hadn't noticed that (I guess
it was such a gradual leak...), so we spent some more time at the bike
maintenance tent.
Miles 33-47. There was almost no flat land anywhere along the route, but if I
had to choose what section was flattest, this would be it. Here, we were on
un-traveled country roads, many small enough that they didn't even have yellow
lines down the middle. Very enjoyable. At the end of this section we had lunch
at a Elementary School. A lot of cyclists sat on the ground to eat their turkey,
PBJ, or cheese sandwiches, but the school cafateria room was open for our use,
so the three of us ate there. The medics were motherly and told us to hydrate
and use sunscreen.
Miles 47-61. This leg was uneventful for me. The elevation profile shows we
had a steep descent to the rest stop at a local park. The gossip was going,
though. Word was that a steep hill was about to begin. In fact, it was so steep,
that the next rest stop was perched at the top, in just 4 miles.
Miles 41-45. This was the third Cat 5 hill of the day. It wasn't terrible,
though. The steepest section was very steep--maybe a 25% grade--but it was short
and I never had to walk like a lot of folks were doing. The rest stop was
outside at a small country church. They had run out of ice but still had water
and Gatorade. I enjoyed watching barn swallows fly under the eaves of the church
to tend to a nest. Cyclists sitting immediately below the nest were oblivious.
That was probably fine with the bird parents.
Miles 65-75. Home stretch! Very hilly, and I was feeling tired at this point.
But after going 65 miles, what's another 10? The first day's route ended at
Allegheny College where Dan and I shared a dorm room. There were several things
to do on campus: pick up your bag from the luggage truck, leave your bike in the
campus gym secured for the night, have dinner, enjoy a band concert with beer
garden, swim in the campus pool, and get a massage. Dan and I inteded to enjoy
all these activities but we ran out of time and energy. We didn't get to the
pool or even have a beer. At 9pm everyone was packing up and heading to their
sleeping quarters. Some of the cyclists had brought camping tents and camped on
the campus green. I'm glad to have had a bed to sleep in, but I didn't really
sleep well. I was still too excited about my trip.
Day 2 distance = 64.1 miles
The second day of the MS 150 ride to support the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society began at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., and continued to the shore
of Lake Erie in Conneaut, Ohio. We awoke at 6am, took our bags back to the
luggage truck, and were eating breakfast in the college dining hall by 7am. Dan
and I had shared a dorm room but we wanted to meet Mike (who stayed at a hotel)
for breakfast. The 7am meeting time was my idea, but it wasn't a very good one.
Our event actually started at 7am (I thought it started at 7:30), so while we
weren't the last cyclists to leave the campus, we were almost last. It wasn't a
big deal; we were still cycling with a group of about 100 people!
Miles 1-14. Dan and I were feeling good and sped rather quickly through the
leafy neighborhoods of Meadville. We encountered the first Cat 5 climb of the
day at mile 6, and I don't remember it. That's a good thing, isn't it? The rest
stop at mile 14 was at a volunteer ambulance service where we applied sunscreen.
A woman about our age came over and asked to use some of our (Dan's) sunscreen.
Dan said "sure," and this started a bit of conversation that started up again at
later rest stops. That's one thing that was so neat about this
experience--everyone was friendly and supportive.
Miles 14-27. This section was really rolling. Somewhat steep hills were
followed by equally steep descents, and so on. Was this the section where a man
with bagpipes stood on the roadside, playing for cyclists as we rode by? I
forget exactly where that was, but he deserves mention. There was a Boy Scout
Troop in charge of refreshments at the rest stop (picnic shelter in a local
park), and they walked around asking if you needed anything. I kind of hated to
turn them down, but I was still able-bodied enough to refill my own water bottle
and grab a delicious slice of cinnamon raisin bread. Mmmmmmm! Mike was waiting
in line at the restroom and he told Dan and I to go on without him. We agreed to
leave him but then decided it would be fun to secretly hang back, give him a
head start, and then pass him on the road. And that's what we did. I think Mike
appreciated the fact that we didn't actually leave him, even though we said we
would.
Miles 27-42. This section featured the fifth and last Cat 5 climb of the
trek. Then after the climb, the elevation map shows we decended quite a bit.
However, I didn't notice the decents because I was starting to get a sore back.
And once you feel pain, you get tired (or maybe it works the other way around).
Anyway, Dan kept going strong and so I pushed forward, too. Lunch was provided
at the next rest stop (another local park), so it was good to sit at a picnic
table and eat a lot of food. I took some Tylenol, too.
Miles 42-54. The route was in open farmland and we steadily climbed some
more, but the slope was very mild. My back was better and since there was very
little traffic, Dan and I rode side-by-side for almost all of this section.
Miles 54-64. The last stretch! I was back to feeling sore at this point, but
what's another 10 miles after doing so many already? Despite any back pain I was
feeling, I think I might have had the most fun in this last section because
after we entered Ohio and got closer to the finishline, local residents started
to be very vocal in their support for us. People in cars coming the opposite
direction would wave or give us a thumbs-up sign. People put signs in their
yard, welcoming us to Conneaut. Folks on porches would wave and cheer. In the
neighborhoods close to the lake, there were actually some folks lining the
streets watching us ride by. Wow! This wasn't the Tour de France but it sure
felt like it.
Lake Erie was at the finish line, along with pork barbecue sandwiches, ice
cream, and soda/pop. Music played, and an announcer would occasionally read the
list of corporate sponsors. After the meal, Dan and Mike and I loaded our bikes
onto a tractor trailer truck, picked up our luggage, changed into street
clothes, and boarded a charter bus heading back to Zelienople, Pa.
Two-day total = 140 miles. Elevation gain = 3,638 feet.
