This was one hilly son-of-a-gun. The "star" of the longest 3 routes was "Cherry Pie Hill", and it lived up to its billing with 400+ ft of elevation gain in about 1.2 miles. Picture me and Don chugging along at 5-6 MPH for almost 15 minutes straight. Check out the "Elevation" tab of the MotionBased stats. I know the Garmin ForeRunner 305 isn't 100% accurate in the elevation area, but it says almost 4,000 ft of elevation gain/loss - and this matches well with what Don's (more accurate) Garmin Edge 305 says.
GPS info: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4280509
Weather-wise, the day started out very chilly (it was 60 in Keller at 5:30 AM, but when we got to Mineral Wells at 7:00 AM it was only 48!). Thankfully, the ride T-shirt was a long-sleeve; I actually wore it for the first hour. It was also a fairly windy day. There were times when Don and I were going DOWNHILL and pedaling just to keep it at 13 MPH!
There was nothing special about the ride. The starting line had NO porta-potties - just the one toilet + one urinal bathroom in the park (What were they thinking?!?). The rest stops had friendly volunteers and homemade cookies and pickle juice (from the pickle jar), but no crackers, no Soy Joy/Clif Bars, no PBJ sandwiches, etc. The ride was not crowded, but after the initial "blastoff" and some cones and a cop at the end, there was very little ride support.
Also, the maps need some "truth in advertising" - the "100K/65-mile" route was actually 70+ miles and the "37 mile" route was more than 40. Don and I rolled into the last rest stop (and got "lei-ed" :-) and the tripometer said "60" so I was like "only 5 miles to go, right?" The volunteer helpfully said "oh no, this is the turnaround for the 22 mile route - 11 miles to go!" Bitterness ...
Like I said, nothing to write home about.
But this is one tough, but nice, course. And some of the REALLY steep hills that Mike, Don, and I rode down the 100-milers had to ride UP. If you are looking for a challenge, this is it.
As we were driving out to Mineral Wells, I was complaining to Don that next year I'm "never" going to drive more than an hour for an event, but after doing it, I HIGHLY recommend putting the Kiwanis Crazy Kicker on the 2008 calendar and training all summer long to be able to do the 100-mile in a decent time. Goatneck and Hotter Than Hell have nothing on this ride ...
Ride Review:
- Course: 4/5 - fast fresh blacktop on Highway 4 and 180; other roads were rougher, but manageable; course was fairly well marked and there weren't too many turns (and none on minor roads); roads were fairly straight; minimal traffic control but traffic was not too bad.
- Rest Stops: 3/5 - very limited selection - some fruit, homemade cookies, and water/Gatorade - nothing to write home about. "Real" pickle juice from the pickle jar - Don appreciated that. Stops were easy to see.
- Logistics: 3/5 - online registration broken/missing; no issues with race day packet pick-up - packet was weak (pain reliever tablets and Jolly Ranchers); only $20 for pre-registration; not enough porta-potties (zero at the start/end; only one or two at the rest stops and they were usually a bit of a hike from where you parked your bike); plenty of parking at West City Park considering the number of participants.
- Overall: 3.5/5 - a pretty bare-bones ride, but I will definitely do it again for the challenging course to make for a good "end of season" ride; more bathrooms are a must
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