| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
66.13 miles
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Altitude Gain:
5,313 ft
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Avg Speed:
18.26 mph
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Route:
Farm Fresh Metric
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Avg Grade: 138 %
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Max Grade: 160 %
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Hills
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 65 F W wind @ 7 mph |
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Drove down to State College yesterday afternoon and stayed at the KOA for today's seventy mile Farm Fresh tour in Millheim, PA. Didn't work out as well as I had hoped as was kept awake until three AM by the comic rants of some drunken Delaware fishermen in the adjoining campsite. I was not entertained. We had a short drive to the start in Millheim for what I was under the impression was a fairly flat tour. Website revealed that there were going to be three climbs spaced over the tour with around two thousand feet of climbing. They showed profiles of the climbs, two Cat V and one Cat IV, but not the course and from the profiles it looked like other than the climbs the course must be pan flat. Registration went well and paid my forty-five dollars day of entry fee and got a map and cue sheet and a meal ticket for lunch after the ride. There were several rides of various lengths and no real organization after registration. An 8 AM start was advertised but people just sort of rode out in small groups as the mood struck them. Had driven down with IronDoug and the plan was to hopefully ride with a good sized group and do some serious drafting. It started warming up quite rapidly and while Doug returned to the parking lot to shed a layer of clothing a group of fifteen or so riders rolled out. Waited several minutes for him to return and then we started our pursuit. Course started right out with a two percent grade and I set my tone for the day by tucking into his draft. We caught the pack within the first three miles and easily cruised by them on a short climb as the group appeared to be keeping a very slow touring speed. IronDoug kept the speed high and I tried to stay on his wheel for as long as I could but finally cracked big time on a short eighteen percent grade just five miles into the ride. Body hadn't felt up to riding at a fast past but really had no desire to drop back and ride at ten miles an hour with the tour group so settled into a comfortable solo pace and soldiered on. By mile eight had already racked up eight hundred feet of climbing and the thought there is no way this ride can have only two thousand feet of climbing. Although the early terrain was tough it was great riding. Road was always rolling through short steep hills and there was seldom more than a half mile of straight to be found. So it was climbing hard and riding fast twisting descents through woodlands, stone fences and an occasional small hamlet. Stopped at a rest stop around in the first twenty miles and had high hopes of partaking of the abundant advertised well stocked aid stations. Grabbed some sort of energy bar that was advertised as all vegetable or all natural but didn't see much else of interest. Not really a big fan of orange slices,bananas nor peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Really disappointed in the location of the stop as it was in a park up a long gravel driveway. So lost nearly a half mile off my average speed wheeling the bike up and down the hill. Did a few more small climbs before breaking out of the woods and hitting a highway through some cornfields. Road was almost perfectly straight for five miles and had a slight rise to it. Saw a few riders up ahead and put it in the big gear and tried to reel them in. Must have had a good tailwind as kept speed into the low thirties over this piece. Caught and passed several riders and chatted with one as we pulled off the highway and headed into the hills near the twenty five mile mark. He said that this was the big climb. I asked if it was steep or just long and he replied - both. He did say there was a six mile descent on the backside. Really enjoyed this climb as it weaved its way up Big Kettle Mountain. Legs felt great on the climb and was able to keep a good rhythm around the switchbacks and up the fifteen percent grade sections. Climb was around two miles long and was actually a little disappointed when I rounded one short, sharp bend and saw a downhill ahead sign. I have no doubt that the woods surrounding the descent are haunted as it had a definite spooky ambiance. It was really weird that as I was descending I kept looking at the downgrade and my speed and it seemed I was going way too slow for the conditions. Thought maybe I was getting a bad GPS signal or something but talked with IronDoug after the ride and he said he the same impression during the section. The descent through the haunted wood went from the highest point of the ride to the lowest. Looked at my elevation profile and noted that the two thousand feet of advertised climbing was well behind me and still had to get out of this valley. Climbing out started soon enough with a gentle grade along a river through a state forest. I recognized the road from the Lock Haven Century I had done before so knew pretty much what to expect. Started to occasionally glimpse a couple riders up the road and focused on catching them. After five miles of climbing I almost caught them as they pulled into a rest stop. I stopped and filed my water bottles and got a couple of fig bars and headed back out. The two riders I was chasing lingered around so I pedaled off alone. Road continued to climb and my speed dropped a good bit without any bait ahead of me for motivation. Scenery was good as I worked up the side of a broad farmland valley. Road steepened a little around fifty miles in and I thought this must be the final climb. Wasn't really climbing very fast but kept a steady pace and rolled up to a rider. He asked if he could steal some draft on the climb but he didn't stay on very long. Stopped the station near the top of the hill and chatted with one of the attendants. He asked about the winds and climbs and I said the wind wasn't bad and that I had loved the climbs but the steep rollers at the start of the ride had really chewed me up. He said I was in for a treat as once I descended off the mountain there were a series of eight more steep rollers to go. While I was eating potato chips the rider who I passed on the climb went by as well as the two riders from the last rest stop. Bid farewell to the attendant and started off again. I caught the two riders before the descent got steep and was coasting down at an easy pace. Figured he must know the descent so accelerated after him and followed him down the hill as he picked the lines. When we got to the bottom the other guy was nowhere in sight. Thought then first guy would wait for his partner but he hopped on my wheel instead. We hit the first of the eight rollers and it was indeed a tough little late ride climb. My partner stuck tight on my wheel and didn't seem interested in taking any pulls. We caught the first rider who passed me while at the rest stop and he was concerned we were off course. I was pretty sure we were okay as the rollers fit the course description I had gotten on the hill. Lost the pair on one of the successive rollers and focused on counting down the remaining climbs in a really nasty headwind. Couple more miles of headwind followed the rollers. Made a turn and caught good downhill tailwind back into Millheim. Looked at my odometer and saw I was still a couple of miles short of seventy and was hoping that I didn't have to do any more loops around town, as my legs were tired after a mile of climbing and the last few miles of wind. Lucked out though as the course ended back at the parking lot at just sixty-six miles. IronDoug had ridden the course at over twenty miles and hour and was waiting back at the truck. I packed up my stuff and we went to check on lunch and found it was not ready. Turned out that lunch was to be either one taco or an eggplant sandwich. We decided to opt out and headed home. Really liked the course today but will be hesitant to return. Forty five dollars is a rather hefty fee for a one taco lunch and some chips at a rest stop.
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