Crusty Cassette

While lying in the hospital last winter with a broken back wondering about the prognosis that I'd likely make a full recovery, I found myself longing to do another double century should that recovery happen.

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Largent and I waited out many a rainshower while having lunch at Zoe's in Kendrick. But no more. That for sale sign in the window is gone and the glass sports a new sign.

Mike and Nicki on the Tandem, Chris, Corrie and Linda, and Debbie started out for Kendrick this morning at 10 under blue skies and comfortable temps.

I was feeling the effects of having raced I Made the Grade on Saturday. Starved. I ate a bar before we left, another at the top of WebRidge, a banana and a bottle of V8 at Lapwai before I began to feel better. By Kendrick I was feeling good.

Part of that was the good old Flat Master was back in form. Chris hit something which flatted him but didn't puncture the tire. He patched the tube without removing it.

Linda had gone on ahead and now I found myself trying to keep up with Cruel once more. He jetted off but waited on the trail and we rode in together at 19mph. I don't know what Chris thought, but I impressed me.

Linda impressed me too. When the tandem and Debbie turned back at Arrow, Linda was game to go on to Kendrick promising not to hold us up. I knew it would just be Linda and I for most of the way.

Chris hung back with us for a time bringing up the rear while Linda gamely held on to the 15 mph pace I was setting when faster was called for by the terrain. But it wasn't long before he popped out up front and pulled away into the head wind.

Chris had asked back on Tammany whaat the forecast was. I had told him he should count on headwinds all the way so as not to be disappointed. In passing, he noted that I had been right so far today. I warned him not to expect tailwinds for the return.

I was wrong. Chris's tire was low again when we left Archie's. We pumped it up but he stopped at the end of the trail to put in a new tube telling us to go on. I handed him my pump just in case since I figured he had only one more CO2 cartridge.

Linda was concerned at leaving Chris behind but I told her he'd catch us probably before we got to Arrow. Wrong again. We had a great tailwind to Arrow and once again Linda held my wheel running at 20 to 23 mph.

I didn't mind being wrong about the wind here nor even about when Chris would catch us. He didn't show up until we approached the Casino store on its frontage road. He'd been hitting 23 to 27.

It was good to get my pump back though.

Back at the boat launch I needed another 11 miles to go with the 15 I'd done before the ride to make my century so I found myself going back and forth on the Greenbelt to get just the right mileage to put me at 100 atg my garage. By now the wind was seriously out of the west and the trail was thick with families with small children on trikes, bikes, skates. I gave up the trail and hit the road back to 22nd.

44 miles and I'm done for the day. On a Saturday?

Seems like more though. There's a difference between climbing the grade and racing the grade. Ask Bill Arnold.

He rode the grade three times this week getting ready for the race--I know, I know. Said he couldn't muster more than 15 coming in from Timothy on the highway against a headwind but found 21 mph easy in tghe paceline this morning.

I remember when this racd haad 500 riders and I didn't know any of the leaders. Now Bill McPherson, Matt Morra and son Brian,as well as our own youngster, mJake and Ben Jain. Seems like I know most of them. Even Lance lead on the highway coming in a couple of times.

Two of the top ten finishers.

Chris showed up holding back politely refusing, as usual, to accept anything but the least part of the draft on the front pack while I hung on desperately swearing at every surge by the leaders. Of course, Chris happily scooted on by when we came to Separator Grade. For me the race is pretty much over.

This year Lance has been training by racing so I did have to trade back and forth with him a couple fo times. And Bill Cone has been rumored to be doing lots of miles. The rumors are true. Somewhere on the flat before the Oasis he passed me back for the last time. Kathy says he's having a good year and he's got a new bike.

I'm having a good year. do I need a new bike. Easy Sean. No. I'm quite pleased with perhaps the fastest time I've ever done at 1:05.

Other TRCers: Tibbals on his recumbent. Lee Bauer, Bill Arnold, Marcia, Debbie with her wrist still wrapped. Doug reminds that he, too, rode the grade. He's been complaining about over-training and not being able to climb hills recently. Didn't keep him from shooting out in the first pack. I didn't catch him until half way up the grade. Must be something to his complaints, though. He let me pass him.

We dropped the barbecue but some of us met at Fazzari's at noon. Seems like this ride has diminished both in numbers and interest. I think it will continue to be the premier racing draw for our community. Still, we are planning our on little tour which also includes the Spiral Highway for September 2009.

A few more pictures

--Corrie

Check out a video of the Southfork on Flickr.

"This isn't a century," Roy said as he mounted up in Kamiah.

Okay, Roy. Will 95 miles and 4800 feet of climbing do?

Actually Roy really wasn't looking for a century. Neither he nor Jim McCracken have been paying proper attention to their cycling fitness this spring so I was a bit surprised that these two were the only ones who accepted my invitation to ride the Southfork. Doug had accepted but got called into to do server maintenance keeping him off the bike until 11am where he made do with a ride up Hubbard Gulch.

For me this was a revisitation of the worst ride of last year. After Dean tried to freeze me to death on Memorial Day last year, Jim tried to boil my brains by taking us from Kamiah to Hoots on the hottest day of the year to date. I said then that we should have turned back at the top of the White Bird Summit, headed down Mt. Idaho and enjoyed the Southfork.

So that's what I called for this year. How could I have known that the cold, drizzly weather we've been having would clear up miraculously leaving us with a disturbingly pleasant day for cycling on the Southfork?

Green everywhere you looked

Green, Green everywhere. Everywhere that is except for the blue, cloudless sky. Shirt sleeve weather at start time, a light cool breeze for climbing Harpster, chilly in Grangeville for standing about but just perfect for cruising along on your two-wheeler.

Despite severe undertraining neither Jim nor Roy was willing to call it quits at Subway so we got to climb those switchbacks through the trees to the White Bird Summit just for the hill of it.

I like this climb despite the bad memories of Steve Largent's having dropped me here like a bad headache when we first began riding together. REally, Steve, I wasn't challenging you to race.

Roy has his own memories. Having lived in Grangeville and only recently moved to Lewiston, he regaled us with tales of having time trialed this route. He showed us what he meant on the descent. Deep shadows, the sound of grit beneathe my tires, lots of twists and banks--all this kept me slow while Roy sank like a stone down the slope. "I know which turns have the worst gravel," he apologized.

No need to apologize, Roy. This day made up for everything including the nasty cold I had this time last year.

Roy suggests we could make this ride more doable by riding from Kooskia to the bottom of Mt. Idaho and back. That's be about 50 miles with very little climbing beyond 2 percent. The Southfork is definitely worth the trip to Kamiah.

Corrie.

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