NEC 2006 Day 4
[backdated to the date]
I failed today. It was a brutal, savage day that was supposed to be 106 miles, but I made only about 70.
It started off okay. I must stop with the Ibuprofin, though. The drug interaction warnings are coming to pass.
Got up pretty early, had a fantastic breakfast (this place really knows how to do it). Had some trouble checking out. Karl got a massage and charged it to the room and they were trying to bill me for it since I was checking out first. They didn’t tell me what the charge was for and asked only if it was to be charged to the tour, so I said “yes.” I’m not paying for it. Later, when they told me what it was for, I told them to ask Karl when he checked out, but they don’t seem to be able to handle a room that checks in and out separately. Karl is such a fast rider, that he doesn’t have to leave for hours after everyone else and still finishes early. So if there’s an extra $40 charged to the tour, ask Karl about it.
Crawford Notch started at around mile 12 and ended at around mile 16. It was both easier and more difficult than I expected. It was harder in that the grades were steeper than I was expecting (several were upwards of 13%), but it was easier in that it was shorter than I expected. All the sudden you’re at the top and it’s like, that’s it? It’s a tough climb, though, but I think the Kanc is harder.
After eating, I rode with Jim B. and Steve O’C. and crossed into Vermont at Wells River where we were stopped by a thunderstorm. We spent about 1/2 hour or more waiting on the porch of a combination massage therapist and ice cream place. It was a vicious storm and there was one report of a tornado at nearby Smuggler’s Notch. Luckily, it rained hard enough to wash the oil off the roads, but it did delay us. We got back on the road and the rain started steaming back up off the road. And I thought it was hot before! We finally got to the next rest stop right as the next wave of thunderstorms hit. And I mean hit. No delay between lightning and thunder. Flash! Boom! That lasted an hour or more. By that time, I just couldn’t make it any further. I’d “cooled down” three times and had warmed up three times and shoulder and legs just wouldn’t go again, so I sagged in. I still regret that, but I really don’t think I could have done it. As it turned out, those that didn’t sag from the rest stop only made it 10 miles further when they, too, were forced to sag. It was either that or miss dinner and Norwich College is not near anything, so there’s no opportunity to go anywhere else for something to eat.
That last 30-mile stretch is also one of the worst of the ride. The drivers in Barre and Montpelier, Vermont are some of the meanest on earth. Don’t let that earthy crunchy reputation of Vermonters fool you. They’d be just as happy to run you over.
The cafeteria at Norwich was a disappointment. It’s normally very good, but they seem to have gone on a growing spurt with buildings popping up all over the place. But to do that, they demolished half (Half?) of the cafeteria and gutted the other half. The makeshife cafeteria was in the cellar of the gymnasium or something and it was pretty terrible. When you ride long hours over multiple days, your day pretty much revolves around food.
We are a week later than usual this year, so the boy’s hockey camp wasn’t there. Instead, there was a girl’s soccer camp which had pretty much the same effect. The girls don’t drink as much Poweraide though.
I talked a bit with Karl to find out what’s going on with him. After 20-some years as an IT manager in New Jersey, he and his wife quit their jobs, sold the house, moved to Oregon, and he’s now working as a bike mechanic. Way to go. Life your dream, dude. You’re the envy of half the riders.
They sagged a lot of people in today as a result of the storms. But being delayed by up to two hours or even more on a 100+ mile day over that sort of terrain is hard to overcome, especially when there’s no chance to eat if you finish later than 6:30.
