Elephant Rock Ride June 5, 2011
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David Williams
Apr 27, 2011, 7:13:09 AM4/27/11
to Newton ks Cycling
I am training for the Elephant Rock Ride in early June. It is in
Castle Rock , CO and I would love some training partners to ride with/
talk to while riding. The ride is 62 miles but is pretty high in
elevation north of Colo Springs. I have not ridden in the mountains
but am looking forward to it. Need some training and some dry
weather... Saturday and Sunday rides will happen other than Sat May 7
since I am on a trip to Topeka. Please email me or reply back to this
message.
Castle Rock , CO and I would love some training partners to ride with/
talk to while riding. The ride is 62 miles but is pretty high in
elevation north of Colo Springs. I have not ridden in the mountains
but am looking forward to it. Need some training and some dry
weather... Saturday and Sunday rides will happen other than Sat May 7
since I am on a trip to Topeka. Please email me or reply back to this
message.
tarmac.rider
Apr 27, 2011, 7:20:02 AM4/27/11
to Newton ks Cycling
I ride by the High School every evening with precious fews days
missed. You want to ride? Let's do it. I'm usually available after
5:30 p.m.
missed. You want to ride? Let's do it. I'm usually available after
5:30 p.m.
tarmac.rider
Jun 14, 2011, 6:45:58 AM6/14/11
to Newton ks Cycling
So, it's been a week now. No ride report? Come on, share with the
rest of us. How was it?
rest of us. How was it?
David Williams
Jun 14, 2011, 7:11:24 AM6/14/11
to newton-k...@googlegroups.com
Sorry,been really busy with directing a show and now I am in Dallas for our national debate tournament. I was hoping to talk to most of you because I was on information overload from all the amazing scenery and experiences.
--
David Williams
http://misterbeefenator.blogspot.com/
______________________________________________________________
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Mark Twain
I left for Colorado Springs on June 2nd and we got into town that evening. My son's 21st birthday while we were there was way more tame than I had envisioned and we called it an early night. friday morning I went with my brother in law to his gym and we did a quick trainer ride. I know all this beautiful scenery and I start off watching a video screen in a health club. Kinda glad I did as I COULDN"T BREATH...I never thought I would have to re-learn how to breathe but I did. 40 minutes and loss of about 4 lbs of water later, we headed back. He had to work and he is a very novice cyclist. He didn't think it was safe to ride on the normal streets even though this place has bike lanes everywhere I looked. Cyclist are literally around every corner.
Did some sight seeing and would recommend taking your bike to the Garden of the Gods for trail or cross riding. Really fun but my children didn't want to wait on me to play on my bike and had to cut it short. Saturday morning we went to the Air Force Academy. It has a really popular 14 mile loop with some challenging (for this ks boy anyway) climbs. My brother in law assured me we were supposed to ride in this bike/running lane but it was on the left side of the road. Needless to say the other cyclist let us know he was wrong. It was his ride route so I just blindly followed him but learned quickly he needed guidance on all things to do with cycling. There were 75 or so cyclist training on this one short loop. I thought this was cool to be around so many riders. I had no idea what I was in store for the next day. We finished the ride and even though I thought there was no way I would be able to without having a stroke. My lungs and chest hurt from expanding them so much trying to get more air.
Sunday morning came finally and picked all the guys up and got to Castle Rock by 6:30 am. There was a line at the interstate exit backed up along I25. Cops were directing traffic and we did not have to think once. From interstate to parking place no problems. We get set up and are top off our tires and convince my brother that you are not supposed to wear underwear with cycling shorts.( he thanks us later!). A lady needed help airing up her tire. She had a $3000 bike that she had never ridden before today and had no pump. She had presta tubes but no nut to hold the stem in place. We gave up and told her to go to the ride support area and they could help her.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH SPANDEX/LYCRA IN MY LIFE!!
Our route had over 4000 riders on it. I had no idea they made bike shorts this large. i admire these folks for attempting and most finished. I will give the blow by blow about the route in chapter 2 but I have to get breakfast and find my room I am judging in this morning.
--
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--
David Williams
http://misterbeefenator.blogspot.com/
______________________________________________________________
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Mark Twain
David Williams
Jun 22, 2011, 3:07:21 PM6/22/11
to Newton ks Cycling
We had to park about 1/2 mile from the start of the ride. Most of the
guys had picked up their ride stuff (tshirt, bottle, and sticker pack)
earlier but Aggie and I had to go get ours that morning. This went
well but then we had to go back to car to put it away. The stickers
had our name and a number on them. A helmet sticker, top bar sticker
and a wrist band we had to wear. It was cool so there was no way to
confuse your bike for another because when we hit the aid stations
there were literally more than a thousand bikes littering the side of
the road.
We rolled up to the start and a bunch of people were handing out cliff
shots gel packs and other snacks. Castle rock is sort of in a hole
which means we have to ride up and out of it. About 2 miles into the
ride we hit the first climb of any substance. Looking up the hill I
could see several hundred cyclist jammed up together creeping up the
climb. The climb was about a mile long and pretty steep. I stopped to
wait with one of the guys and thank goodness since I could not breath
at all. I recovered very quickly and got on up the hill. This was the
only big climb before the first aid station. Some smaller hills and
many rolling hills but no bigger climbs and the aid station came up at
about 18 miles into the ride.
I stopped for a bit at the aid station but it was so packed, I waited
untill the next station to get any "break" and "aid". We took off
again but it was a little later in the morning and the wind kicked up.
We were riding a steady uphill climb into the wind for the next 15
miles. The 62 mile and 100 mile course separated on this leg. I never
stopped passing people the entire ride just like a steady stream of
cyclist passed me. Many giant pace lines usually following a tandem
bike for some reason were usually leading the pace lines. We headed
south for the most of the ride but then took a right onto county line
ride AKA "Roller Coaster Road". You can probably guess why it is
called that. Very steep uphills followed by screaming downhills. I hit
49 mph and 50 mph once on the downhills. WHAT A RUSH!!!! The highest
point of the ride actually happened on this part of the ride. I had to
stop about 20 yards shy of the top of the highest hill. My legs were
on fire!! I walked up the rest but went faster than anyone riding on
this very steep hill.
We hit the 2nd aid station right after the roller coaster. THe aid
station was in a little town at the very middle point of the ride.
This was the most popular station. Here there was a live band, lots of
food, port a potties and a place to get water and electrolyte drink.
Took off again. We had about 2 miles of climb and then 15 miles of
screaming downhills!!! My body needed the break and was able to
recover pretty well.
Final aid station and no food or water as I had plenty left. 2 miles
after the aid station we had our final climb. This climb was 5 to 6
miles long and seemed to go on forever. I would go around a curve
thinking it was the last one only to see another. I crawled up this
thing. I was passed by a guy on single speed!! To be honest everyone
was being passed by him. He was a stud...Then the part that was
embarrassing. A 60 year old lady helped "encourage" me up the last
part. She was really nice but she talked the entire ride up. I didn't
want to seem rude but I could talk or I could breathe....not both. I
made it to the top. A guy was sitting in a lawn chair yelling at us
with a cow bell in hand. "THis is the TOP!!" "IT is all downhill from
here." After the top I hit 50+ mph on the downhill but this time it
was straight road. A few curves made it very exciting. We then got
back to I-25 but instead of heading into town, went the opposite
direction until we could cross over the interstate. This was into the
wind and very demoralizing. Once we turned around it was amazing. WInd
at my back, slight downhill and I caught and passed a couple of the
guys on our ride. They drafted behind me since they were out of gas. I
was rolling about 27 mph coming into town. I lost my friends when a
short steep hill came out of nowhere on the edge of town. I rolled in
about noon. 4 hours of ride time and 5 hours of clock time. Averaged
was about normal around 16 mph.
The end was capped off with bbq chicken sandwiches and cake! Hit the
booths at the expo for about 20 minutes then changed. My kids picked
me up and we drove back to Kansas.
I love this ride. It was so much fun even if it was tough. I felt a
real sense of accomplishment. Next year....100 mile route!! ouch...
guys had picked up their ride stuff (tshirt, bottle, and sticker pack)
earlier but Aggie and I had to go get ours that morning. This went
well but then we had to go back to car to put it away. The stickers
had our name and a number on them. A helmet sticker, top bar sticker
and a wrist band we had to wear. It was cool so there was no way to
confuse your bike for another because when we hit the aid stations
there were literally more than a thousand bikes littering the side of
the road.
We rolled up to the start and a bunch of people were handing out cliff
shots gel packs and other snacks. Castle rock is sort of in a hole
which means we have to ride up and out of it. About 2 miles into the
ride we hit the first climb of any substance. Looking up the hill I
could see several hundred cyclist jammed up together creeping up the
climb. The climb was about a mile long and pretty steep. I stopped to
wait with one of the guys and thank goodness since I could not breath
at all. I recovered very quickly and got on up the hill. This was the
only big climb before the first aid station. Some smaller hills and
many rolling hills but no bigger climbs and the aid station came up at
about 18 miles into the ride.
I stopped for a bit at the aid station but it was so packed, I waited
untill the next station to get any "break" and "aid". We took off
again but it was a little later in the morning and the wind kicked up.
We were riding a steady uphill climb into the wind for the next 15
miles. The 62 mile and 100 mile course separated on this leg. I never
stopped passing people the entire ride just like a steady stream of
cyclist passed me. Many giant pace lines usually following a tandem
bike for some reason were usually leading the pace lines. We headed
south for the most of the ride but then took a right onto county line
ride AKA "Roller Coaster Road". You can probably guess why it is
called that. Very steep uphills followed by screaming downhills. I hit
49 mph and 50 mph once on the downhills. WHAT A RUSH!!!! The highest
point of the ride actually happened on this part of the ride. I had to
stop about 20 yards shy of the top of the highest hill. My legs were
on fire!! I walked up the rest but went faster than anyone riding on
this very steep hill.
We hit the 2nd aid station right after the roller coaster. THe aid
station was in a little town at the very middle point of the ride.
This was the most popular station. Here there was a live band, lots of
food, port a potties and a place to get water and electrolyte drink.
Took off again. We had about 2 miles of climb and then 15 miles of
screaming downhills!!! My body needed the break and was able to
recover pretty well.
Final aid station and no food or water as I had plenty left. 2 miles
after the aid station we had our final climb. This climb was 5 to 6
miles long and seemed to go on forever. I would go around a curve
thinking it was the last one only to see another. I crawled up this
thing. I was passed by a guy on single speed!! To be honest everyone
was being passed by him. He was a stud...Then the part that was
embarrassing. A 60 year old lady helped "encourage" me up the last
part. She was really nice but she talked the entire ride up. I didn't
want to seem rude but I could talk or I could breathe....not both. I
made it to the top. A guy was sitting in a lawn chair yelling at us
with a cow bell in hand. "THis is the TOP!!" "IT is all downhill from
here." After the top I hit 50+ mph on the downhill but this time it
was straight road. A few curves made it very exciting. We then got
back to I-25 but instead of heading into town, went the opposite
direction until we could cross over the interstate. This was into the
wind and very demoralizing. Once we turned around it was amazing. WInd
at my back, slight downhill and I caught and passed a couple of the
guys on our ride. They drafted behind me since they were out of gas. I
was rolling about 27 mph coming into town. I lost my friends when a
short steep hill came out of nowhere on the edge of town. I rolled in
about noon. 4 hours of ride time and 5 hours of clock time. Averaged
was about normal around 16 mph.
The end was capped off with bbq chicken sandwiches and cake! Hit the
booths at the expo for about 20 minutes then changed. My kids picked
me up and we drove back to Kansas.
I love this ride. It was so much fun even if it was tough. I felt a
real sense of accomplishment. Next year....100 mile route!! ouch...
> On Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 5:45 AM, tarmac.rider <lloyd.shel...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > So, it's been a week now. No ride report? Come on, share with the
> > rest of us. How was it?
>
> > On Apr 27, 6:13 am, David Williams <misterbeefena...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I am training for the Elephant Rock Ride in early June. It is in
> > > Castle Rock , CO and I would love some training partners to ride with/
> > > talk to while riding. The ride is 62 miles but is pretty high in
> > > elevation north of Colo Springs. I have not ridden in the mountains
> > > but am looking forward to it. Need some training and some dry
> > > weather... Saturday and Sunday rides will happen other than Sat May 7
> > > since I am on a trip to Topeka. Please email me or reply back to this
> > > message.
>
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "Newton ks Cycling" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to newton-k...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > newton-ks-cycl...@googlegroups.com.
> > For more options, visit this group at
> >http://groups.google.com/group/newton-ks-cycling?hl=en.
>
> --
> David Williamshttp://misterbeefenator.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
>
>
> > So, it's been a week now. No ride report? Come on, share with the
> > rest of us. How was it?
>
> > On Apr 27, 6:13 am, David Williams <misterbeefena...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I am training for the Elephant Rock Ride in early June. It is in
> > > Castle Rock , CO and I would love some training partners to ride with/
> > > talk to while riding. The ride is 62 miles but is pretty high in
> > > elevation north of Colo Springs. I have not ridden in the mountains
> > > but am looking forward to it. Need some training and some dry
> > > weather... Saturday and Sunday rides will happen other than Sat May 7
> > > since I am on a trip to Topeka. Please email me or reply back to this
> > > message.
>
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "Newton ks Cycling" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to newton-k...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> > newton-ks-cycl...@googlegroups.com.
> > For more options, visit this group at
> >http://groups.google.com/group/newton-ks-cycling?hl=en.
>
> --
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