New rule: pre-drive any cue sheet I am unfamiliar with.
The new rule leads into my Ugly, but first, here's the Garmin.
Ugly is being essentially lost, on your own, with tired legs and maybe not enough time to make it to the car before dark. Funny thing, Google maps. On at least 2 named roads in the cue sheet and on Google I found road signs that said something entirely different. My 1st excusion was in taking the left turn up Dickinson Mtn Rd during the descent from Futz Gap.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/va/harrisonburg/798125410984168721
Here's the ride cue that lost me out in West By God Va. No, I did not finish the ride. I got lost is what I did.
I had the text of the cue, not the map. So that cost me a little time and leg. Then I got lost where Halls Hill Rd turns into Smith Creek. I should have turned left but the road name was different. After 4 miles and the twilight zone feeling where the lost feeling hits the gut I turned around, went back past the suspect road and asked a guy in his yard. Yep, that was my turn. 8 more extra miles and several stops trying to figure out what to do.
Then shortly thereafter the cue says take a left on Johnstown Rd off of US220. Problem is the road sign said something different again. And it went uphill. I do not want to guess my way around WVa at 2:30 PM in late Oct with 55+ hillfest miles in my legs. I did bring my light in case of emergency, but since I nearly got killed on US33 in daylight conditions I honestly feared for my life when I considered blasting down US33 to Harrisonburg in the dark which was the bailout plan I was considering. Some guy was Eastbound and passed coming towards me. He flew by me within arms reach at 80 mph probably. I saw many crosses on trees too on that stretch, very reassuring...not. So I called my better half and she came out to rescue me.
That was the bad and ugly. Now the good.
The downhill onto WVa on US33 was a hoot. Super fast, tight sweepers, like 40 mph. Fear made me brake a bit. And the climb up Futz Gap was awesome. I need to find a road that steep in Northern Va. JB says 21% grade and I believe him. I rode the whole way although I did stop to take my long shirt off and let a couple of cars pass. And I had a freshly refilled camelback and 2 bottles and still pulled it all with 34x28 gearing. SWEET, looking forward to redemption on Lincoln Gap in May at 6 Gaps. I have gotten alot stronger this year. No Cramps! It was a good day. Lastly my new 700x25 Michelin Krylions, 90 psi, were superb. Futz is dirt/gravel/rock and I only slightly slipped the back tire while track standing the steepest parts. I think I am now a 25c fan. Little extra weight, much extra comfort.
Hammer on!
1 comment:
I always take multiple references with me on rides like this. I use Topo 7.0, Google and my GPS. Nothing ever agrees. In Vermont, many roads are named as state route numbers in Google, but signage is by historical name, not route number. So is Main St really Rt 100c? You have to guess sometimes, unless by chance you brought a reference that might actually match signs on the ground in this case. I've had good luck using GPS tracks from trusted sources. If somebody else rode the loop they actually recorded with GPS, it is a safe bet. Not all GPS tracks you download from the web are actual measured data. Some are wishful routes, unverified.
I haven't explored a new route in a while. Hope to this weekend in the southern Appalachians. Plan to hit a segment of the Sheltowee Trail in the Daniel Boone NF and loop back on dirt roads which I hope are real. Also plan to hit more established riding areas like Tanasi and maybe a loop in Pisgah. Weather looks mixed. Hope trails are rideable when wet down that way.
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