June 26, 2010- Chatham County Habitat For Humanity 3 Ring Cycle Bicycle Ride
The first annual "Chatham 3 Ring Cycle" ride was held Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Central Carolina Community College campus in Pittsboro, NC. We had a choice of 30, 60, and 100 mile loops along rural roadways throughout beautiful Chatham County, Proceeds went to benefit Chatham Habitat for Humanity.
http://www.chathamhabitat.org/3RingCycle/
As you're "touring" the pictures you might crank up a little "Chatham County Line" with the video below:
Chatham County Line At Jools' Later
Chatham County Line is an American bluegrass musical group. They began in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1999 from members of the band Stillhouse. They are fast becoming popular in Europe as well as the USA. Their most recent tour took in numerous European destinations, including the prestigious Lowlands rock festival in the Netherlands. Chatham County Line made their canadian debut in July 2009 at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, where they performed beside The Del McCoury Band and The Punch Brothers.
The court-house is getting a "redo"!
Here's a Marine that went to something called a "Desert Storm"! Sounds pretty windy! Semper Fi Brother!
I get to the ride in plenty of time- for a change.
I actually got rest all day Friday and slept early so I was up at 3:30 AM.
The Bicycle Chain bike shop gave their support.
"Walk-ons" were welcomed. This is the inaugural ride. I imagine it being very popular in the future. There was a great turn out for the opening ride!
They had a lot of volunteers who were very nice.
There were at least two photographers.
Here's another!
Barbara was all set!
The storm gathers!
And- they're off!
There was a good crowd for the Century (100 miles).
It was serious enough quick enough!
I may have pulled through a few times in the beginning just as a formality.
This is TJ Dude! TJ worked with Habitat to get it rolling.
06 26 10 Chatham 3 Ring Cycle Bicycle Ride
I hope you're listening to Chatham County Line. You might turn the volume off or down for CCL or the Video above. The video above was taken on the ride.
It was serious enough quick enough!
Hey- deja vudoo!
I'm a bit limited as to who is in the picture. I see a house and try to include a cyclist or many cyclists in the picture.
Chatham County Line - "Let It Rock" Video
You should crank this video up too! These guys get better and better!
The picture above was a tad blurry so I put some photo magic on it.
I may see a pretty view in front. I get the camera out of my jersey pocket, take the frontal picture and in the same motion twist the camera back to get a rear view.
Some times I miss a shot because of paying attention to riding the bike in a group. Safety is most important!
Sometimes I may miss a shot because I'm tired or just brain-dead!
I have been really falling apart on some short rides and long rides because of shoulder pain, neck pain, back, hip, leg pain and numbness.
If I don't monitor and try to control pain I can lose everything with a change in pace ilke a sprint or any strong effort like a hill.
I'm not "excusing" myself. These are flaws and I don't care for them.
I can sympathize with others in more pain though.
I ride really well for an eighty year old man. Unfortunately- I'm only 60!
We passed many of these and our group stopped at three and I would pass up the last stop and I'll explain later.
We had a very cordial group. Early on I explained that I was concerned about "pulling my fair share".
I had blown several long rides really badly lately and was very capable of scrfewing this one up.
After the first 20 miles of hills, Katie ,on the left here, said, "This ride is pretty flat!"
The group was very cordial and waved my pulling duties.
So I hung around the back for most of the day. There would be enough hills to tax me really good.
I was going to have to be careful and pace myself.
It was very hot!
The water started boiling in my water-bottles!
The pavement was melting!
So were my brains!
If I can think quick enough and my tongue isn't hanging out too bad, I might be able to capture some road-side trees like these.
Here I was trying for the hose and barn- and cyclists.
This was better.
Might as well take a frontal while I'm at it.
The whole ride was pretty!
It was a hard ride. Two insects flew into my jersey and flew back out. Whew!
Tod is smiling because it's just another 140 mile day for him!
Tod and others rode over from Carrboro.
Hours roll on!
Chatham County Line - I Feel Good - James Brown
Now, of course, nobody can do this song like James Brown! But- give it a go. If you don't like it at first, try altering your consciousness a wee bit with your favorite alcoholic aperitif or legal pharmaceutical of your choice until you do. If you like it you don't need anything!
There were four women on this ride and except for being beautiful- they were more of a man than I was!
Katie is one of my favorite subjects. I have to take a picture of her rear most of the time as she's always in front!
There was another lady named Kim that was strong.
There were two Bianchi/BMW ladies who pulled a lot and hard!
There was a couple of mechanicals that we stopped for and one crash.
I was in front of the crash but saw the aftermath so I sprinted up to the rest and passed the word. It was nice that the group stopped to check out the victim.
This was our first stop and we really needed it!
We settled back to some smooth riding except for some harder rises.
I saw this hot early and was able to get the camera out soon enough.
Yep- I liked it enough to do it again!
I saw this barn coming up too and I was conscious!
Sometimes I try to get a shot across the road and it comes out, well- like this.
Corners and curves are great because the riders are spread out but visible. But I take the pic fast and put the camera up before I go through.
This lady was super strong as was her team-mate.
There were a couple of these seed "plants" in the area.
I like the cows and water here.
This was our second stop and we were running low on food and fuel.
These are the two Bianchi/BMW dominatrices. They beat me up all day.
Well I kind of blew this shot. Even though one subject is great!
I cropped my jersey out of both of these pics.
I can't remember the communities we rolled through.
Chatham County Line - Crash On The Levee - Bob Dylan
The pace of the Chatham County Line quickens.
Go ahead- check them out! No really!
And the miles roll on!
At this point maybe we have 18 miles or so to go.
Our group want to stop once more.
I'm concerned a little about how I'll be dropped as the end nears. But 15 miles or so I can do. No problem.
Well- One lady Kim keeps going at the rest stop. I assume there is a hill in my near future that I'll wish I had gotten up. So I follow Kim but too late. I don't catch her wheel and she even pulls away more. She gets out of sight.
I miss a turn. I continue on Hiway 87 for miles and miles. I get whiplash from twisting my head around as I anticipate "the group" catching me.
My shoulder, hip, and right leg have center stage! Miles go by. Only a couple to go! I reach a hundred miles- no sign of Pittsboro. 102 miles- no sign of Pittsboro. The group should have caught me long ago.
I'm dead. I'm now fried to a fair-thee-well. No water. I'm gone!
I see a house. There's what looks like a faucet on the side of a building in the drive. It's electrical not a faucet. I look at the house. I see no faucet. I walk over into the shade of big trees. I don't know what kind. I don't care. I'm a goner! I look at the brick home. I see a dot. Is it? I look more. Maybe. It's got to be! It is! It's a faucet! I take the long walk over to it. I clean the spider webs from the nozzle. At least I think I do. Later at home I will see that I didn't clean it well as stuff is floating around. But while that water was coming out of that faucet, I was about as happy as I could be expected to be! I let it run over in my bottles. I poured the bottles over my head! I put my head under the faucet! Over and over again! I fill up all bottles. I even have an energy mix like a "Gator-Ade" type drink to pour into a bottle!
I return to the flaming asphalt. I've turned around as signs were pointing to Burlington which should be an hour away by car. On my way back I see a road veering off to the left. I had checked my cue sheet and I saw that I was to turn in that direction way back. I take a chance. It has terrible hills. I look at the speedometer and I'm going less than 7 miles an hour.
I come to an intersection and the signs are crooked. I figure out, maybe, that I'm supposed to go straight. Miles go by. I see a sign that says "detour". The road is out ahead! I can't make "detours". I take a chance. miles later the road is blocked. I can do this. I stoop under a backhoe and drag my bike along. The area is torn up but this is fine!
I get to an intersection in some town. I ask where Pittsboro is. I'm told, "This is Pittsboro."
Could you tell me where the Community College is? "It's about a quarter of a mile down there."
God bless you Sir!
I have no idea what a 60 year old man looks like that had just ridden through the fires of hell so I can only imagine as a young lady came over and asked if I would like some water!
Yes Ma'am! Thank you!
I drove back for an hour toward Hillsborough before I finally took my cycling gloves off. I looked at them at stop lights and just looked. I didn't want to bother!
I failed to turn my speedometer/odometer (Garvin GPS) on for the first 7 miles. I asked a rider (head down) what my mileage was and I would always be 7 miles out of reality. We went 4 miles the wrong way when we left a water and food stop. So my mileage should have been 103 miles at the end. The wrong way brought my odometer more in tune with the cue-sheet mileage.
My odometer reads 112.8 miles.
Add that 7 miles that were missing from my not turning my speedometer on and I rode about 119.8 miles!
It felt like 120 miles though!!!
At most times we were riding at well over 20 mph and often approaching 30 MPH on what seemed like level road. The stronger riders gave me a lot of encouragement! I was really reluctant to leave them at the last rest area. But, as I saw with the disappearing "Kim" I would have been dropped somewhere. I'm thankful for these friendly riders! They were stronger but didn't make an effort to really drop anyone.
These next photos are repeats that were in the running for the "top-billing" candied-up photo that I put at the top of a lot of my hubs- like this one.
I really like all four! So- here they are!
For more cycling stuff click yourself down right here!
An Ode To Tarwheel! And The Union Groovers Meet the Mebanites! June 23, 2010
Squirrel Nut Zipping to Saxapahaw-Tarwheels Ride Again! June 16, 2010
June 12, 2010 Tarwheels & The Ken Har Memorial- Rawhide Bike Ride
June 9, 2010-Tarwheels-Union Groovin' And Listening To The Fiddleheads On Lemon Grass!
Micky's Dominatrix-And A Tarwheel Saturday Bike Ride May 5, 2010
She'll Follow Me Anywhere! A Poem And A Saxapahaw Bike Ride June 2, 2010
Cycling-May 26, 2010 Union Groovin'- Crawford Dairy Loop! With Cue Sheet
Assault On Mount Mitchell 2010-A Virtual Tour
Cycling-May 12, 2010 Union Groovin' and Mebane Espressin'
Cycling-May 9, 2010-Hillsborough To Yanceyville-79 Miles
Cycling-May 5, 2010-A Ode to-Union Groovin' To Saxapahaw!
Cycling-May 2, 2010-Raven Rock Ramble-107 miles
