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Hot but Good Ridin in Knox County

6/11/2012

2 Comments

 
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Have you ever been invited to a gathering about a week after a big event like Thanksgiving, sit down and been served turkey and related food and suspected what you were really being served were week old leftovers?  Happens to me all the time.  No real reason to bring this up other than I was reminded by it Saturday.  Bruce Rogers hosted the "Rolling Thunder" ride out of Gambier while promising it would be an epic experience.  Bruce was nice enough to send me the route and I forwarded it to a few people.  Subsequently, I was sent comments suggesting, "Hey, what's up with this?  It's nothing more then the KCBC route in reverse."  I was shocked.  It would be similar to if I took Mitch O's "Rocky Ride", reversed the direction and renamed it "Bumpy Butt Tour".    Purely out of concern for maintaining integrity of central Ohio cycling, I asked Bruce about this and his reply was this: Thank you for bringing this matter to light.

As a result of rigorous analysis and comparison of the two bike routes in question (using non-scientific methods), it has now been determined that the Knox route bears every indication of having imitated the “Rolling thunder” route, albeit with several significant modifications.

Please be advised that the proper authorities will be notified. Again, thanks for your vigilance and dedication.

Nevertheless and despite the sense the wool was being pulled over our eyes, we made the long drive to Gambier for a 9:00am start on a hot and somewhat humid day.  We departed via the Kokosing Bike Trail but not before Poobah surveyed the parking lot and.....
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....found one willing woman to allow a kiss on the cheek for the camera.  Flyin T was was more than willing, more like eager to participate while....
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....Amy was much less so, later overheard talking to her attorney about assault charges being filed.  The good news is Poobah is off to Florida for a week, sans bike he says, to spend time at the beach.  He's promised to send me some images.
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If you tire of riding the same roads, you would have liked this ride.  There were some late arrivals that missed the roll out but around 22 of us reached Howard and got onto regular roads including Marty S, Randy Brown, Poobah, Kendas Janet, Paul & Dave, Bruce, Cindy B, Brad the Dentist, Canal Susan, Scott, Suzanne B, Eric, Andrew C, Kevin K, Amy, Fred, Mark V and a few others I did not recognize.    Marty took one for the team, riding at a pace to keep most of us in the game until we hit a longish hill on 514 and then he pulled Randy, Eric and I the remaining miles into Glenmont where I showed my appreciation by taking the uncontested sign sprint. 

This was at mile 25 and we enjoyed lounging in front of the market.  I told Marty what a class act he was to pull for 25 miles but he admitted at some point he'd have to start pedaling with both legs and maybe wouldn't be around much longer, which was understandable.  Leaving Glenmont, we started up the climb on 206 where Marty took the KOM points after spotting those in front a sizable head start.  Randy confided to me that Marty had been first up and I asked him if he knew Marty.  Saying he did not I filled him in.  Last I saw of Marty, he was way ahead and Randy was hanging in there but not sure for how long.
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We reached 215 and the 100 mile cutoff.  The group was spread out for miles so not sure what most people did but Cindy and Kevin took the long route intending to cut down Rt.60 and finish with 80 miles, while I rode with Janet, Andrew and Paul all the way down to 541, passing the baseball field with a game in progress.  We eventually rolled into Bladensburg but ignored the temptation of pancakes, refueled at the gas station and headed back to Gambier.  I took a different route to add some miles and finished with 71.  Great views and good roads.  Think I had around 4200' of climbing.  On Sunday, I pioneered a new route to and from Zanesville that included the Vickers Hill climb out of Frazysburg.  Could be a good roving ride route in the future.
2 Comments
Mark V
6/11/2012 09:46:36 am

I rode the entire 100 and appreciated riding KCBC backwards. I'd long wanted to ride the climb south out of Glemount and have always been concerned about finding water in the middle part of the ride. So this was the day to try it. Marty, with Randy in tow, blew by me on a climb on Rt 206. I reached Nellie and was looking for some extra water. Not a water emergency, but just in case. Folks hanging around the abandoned Nellie school provide me with an ice cold bottle of water. That was great because the bait shop I remembered east of Nellie was closed. After a 20 minute lunch at Subway in Coshocton, I headed into the west wind of Rt 541 at 1:30. I estimated 30 miles from Coshocton to Bladensburg - 2 bottles of ice cold water should be plenty. 541 consisted of a) uphill, b) into the wind, and c) uphill in into the wind. Any downhills were of such short duration to be unmemorable. I found that I had finished my first water bottle after only 10 miles. This could be trouble. So I pulled into the country store at New Guilford, only to find a biker wih his head laid on the table. I didn't disturb him going into the store to buy a Mountain Dew where the clerk said he had been there for some time. I woke up RANDY - I hope he doesn't mind my telling the story. He said Marty dropped him on the last climb before Coshocton and he was having trouble with his asthma. I asked if he ate lunch and didn't really get a reply. So I assumed not and then saw him pull out a powerbar to eat. I spend 20 minutes at lunch so Randy may have been at that store for nearly 30 minutes. With Randy willing if not exactly ready to go, I promised the store clerk that I would babysit him home. Let me tell you a fact that may not be well-known: babysitting a rider who is stronger than you is rather easy. Randy would power up the rollers and I would proceed at my pace only looking up periodically to ensure he hadn't toppled into the ditch. There's not much flat road for drafting on 541, but I did spend a bit of time in front of him. I also spend a little time behind him, too. Bladensburg turned out to be 26 miles from Coshocton. We spend 15 or more minutes there sitting in the shade with ice and water before I was able to coerce Randy back on his bike for the finish. We rode a comfortable pace for me: sometimes side-by-side, other times one or the other in front some distance. Babysitting a stronger rider is a rather easy chore. We returned to the Gambier caboose with 97 miles. I rode 3 more bike path miles for a round 100. Randy was gone when I got back. Starting at 9, riding 100 with rather lengthy stops made for a very long day. I finished about 4:30. The place to get water on the KCBC route is probably Warsaw, 1/2 mile off the route at 36 & 60. Has anyone ever been there?

Reply
Andrew C
6/11/2012 10:59:07 am

It was a long drive to Gambier, but it's always nice to get to ride on different roads. I took the 66 mile option and it was very nice and scenic, with a good bit of hills. I ended up with 64.5 miles and 4300 feet of climbing, while enjoying the summer heat I have been waiting so long for! Mark W earned the 'King of the Hill' jersey among our small group, as he pulled away from us on the climbs on the last 40 miles. Also, big kudos to Mark W for ADDING on to his route instead of subtracting!!!! New leaf or fluke? Time will tell. I'm resting up the rest of the week and heading up on Friday to Michigan for the annual Michigan 24 Hour Bicycle Challenge for my 21st year in row. I'm hoping to break my record and not come home with my tail between my legs. So, have fun everyone this Tuesday and this weekend and I'll be back to Canal next Tuesday!

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    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

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