| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
52.25 miles
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Altitude Gain:
3,536 ft
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Avg Speed:
17.04 mph
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Route:
Adam's Apple North Route
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Avg Grade: 0 %
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Max Grade: 0 %
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Max HR: 163 bpm
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Avg HR: 134 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Hills
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Bike: custom built Cipollini RB800 Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Overcast 58 F S wind @ 4 mph |
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Journeyed down to Gettysburg, PA for a rolling fifty-mile ride. Had a slight delay getting to the site due to an onramp being closed, but it wasn't a mass start event and just a show and go so no damage done. Pre-registration had been fairly light but there were forty to fifty riders milling around when I arrived. There were three courses available two fifty milers and a shorter twenty-five. The north fifty had more climbing and that's the one I did. You could start the route between 8:00 and 8:45. By the time I got registered, dressed, inflated, calibrated it was near 8:30 and there were only a few riders left in the lot. Hopes of riding with a group looked dim. I started the route using a GPX file on computer. The ride had started in a gated community. The route I believe was intended to take riders on a loop through some model homes before heading out into the countryside. Unfortunately, some of the gates were still closed. Spent a few minutes going to dead ends before finally getting out of the maze and onto the road. First few miles were quite pleasant and very scenic as there were many well maintained stone houses. First fifteen miles was a rolling climb to the north to get to the climbing section of the course. Wind was light, it was overcast, and temperature was a cool forty-eight at the start. There were three rated climbs all coming in the first half of the route and all fairly close together. The first was a couple miles of steady twisting climbs at two percent with an occasional five percent sections. I caught a group of four checking their cue sheets at a turn near the top. Would not recommend doing this ride without a GPX file or knowing the area as the roads were not marked and there were numerous turns. There was a short steeper section after leaving the main road, but the climb was done easily in the big chainring. The next two climbs came back-to-back, so after a brisk downhill from the first started up the second. It was a little short of two miles long and climbed around three hundred feet. As I got near the top, I saw four riders spread out ahead of me. I was climbing well and caught the lagging rider easily. Said good morning and he just kind of grunted back. Either most unfriendly or perhaps he was struggling. Caught the other three near the top of the climb. I was still spinning the big chainring. At the very top the was a stop sign and a right-hand turn. Rounding the blind corner I hit a very short twelve percent section. It turned out to be a bit much for the big chainring, but I struggled through it though took some damage. Another fast downhill and the third and last climb started. Computer nanny gave me a profile and it showed a lot of red. The climb was a little over a mile with a long ten percent section. Legs were still sore form the twelve percent section so decided to spin the last one in the small ring. Got about halfway up the steep section when I heard a rider coming up fast behind me. Then I heard gears clunking in an awkward shift. Guy must have tried to hammer by me in the big chainring and ran out of leg. Got out of the saddle and finished the steep section, then accelerated as the grade decreased. Pretty much maxed out my heartrate and was still being pursued by at least one rider. He didn't go by me though, and I thought he was either tapped out or was shadowing me and was going to blow by me at the top. I rolled over the top and started downhill but wasn't joined by the mystery climber. I think he most likely waited at the top for his group to reform. After the final downhill I rolled into the rest stop at the halfway point. Actually missed a turn down an alley and had to backtrack to get to the stop. There were a couple riders at the stop that I chatted with as I collected some drink and snacks. Thought they might join up with me, but they appeared to be camping out. The last half of the ride was rolling terrain that weaved about before retreating from the hills. Caught one last fast mover in the last ten miles. He was very fast on the downgrades, but I kept reeling him in on the upgrades. Friendly fellow but he couldn't stay in my draft or chose not to. I kept missing turns in the last few miles and kept getting the off-course message from my nanny and had to do a little back tracking. Most were caused by missing a parallel secondary road next to a highway as the course tried to stay off the main drags as much as possible. Legs started to get a bit heavy over the last five miles but was still able to get a seventeen average. Thought that was a good time as I had lost some in wandering around at the start and another mile or so of backtracking. So did fifty miles and thirty-three hundred feet of climbing in three hours. The course was great, sag was abundant, organizers were very friendly. On the negative side was the lack of riders. Still had a good time, climbed well and had a good snap on the first half of the ride.
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