2013 12 Hours of Zombie Apocalypse

Note the message on my number plate.

Some friends of mine like to talk about being struck down by the "cycling gods" on certain days or events. It's our version of karma. Although I don't believe in karma or luck or any other superstitions it's fun to banter back and forth about the rotten things that go wrong in cycling and mountain biking. My recent posts about the Fort Yargo 6 Hr mountain bike mud bowl and the glorious Gran Fondo New York that could have been are supreme examples of cycling god smite.
But not this post. This race follows the path laid out the weekend before by the Jackson Brevet. It happened in perfect weather and with the best of friends. It was yet another great time on a bike.











The 12 Hours of Zombie Apocalypse is the brain child race of Chainbuster Racing's Kenny Griffin. Backed by his sponsor and friends at Nite Rider lighting systems he put on a night race from 9PM Saturday night until 9AM Sunday morning. Just shy of crazy. And to make it that much more fun he called it the Zombie Apocalypse and had a zombie contest and a zombie zone on the course so the undead could spook the riders. My girls loved it!

They were also upset that I didn't bring our tent so they could spend all night being crazy. We'll do that next year for sure. Kenny also had a food truck there from Smiley's serving great food for dinner and breakfast. Add to all that the fact that the moon was full and the closest it would be to the earth all year and you've got the potential for fun that can not be beat!

Randy Hemphill still having fun at 2AM.

Racing on my team of four were David Shabat, Randy Hemphill and Trent Smith. These guys were pumped and ready for action. At least three of us knew exactly what we were in for because we'd done the 24 Hours of Georgia together. Randy was happily ignorant about what 3AM in a mountain bike race means on the miserablility scale.

Our tactics were simple; have fun and don't leave your team mate looking for you in transition. We do well if we eliminate the simple things that cost valuable seconds. Randy was all about being focused and having fun. I like him.

The Start was AWESOME!

I've started many mountain bike races. I've felt the butterflies of nervousness, the excited adrenaline, the focused determination and once I even puked. I don't get nervous anymore, just focused determination but this start was all together different. At this starting line I felt like a super hero! I could hear my family and my team mates yelling my name! Once we turned our lights on we became rock stars! We launched from the smoke at the starting horn to the cheers of the crowd. It was awesome! Looking at the pictures I can see why folks were so excited.

The photos were taken by H&H Multimedia. Great job!

I rode away from the start with a small group of guys but we were all chasing some 95 pound kid I've never seen before. He took off like a rocket but I wasn't about to chase him because he started looking back. Looking back is a tell. It tells me you're tired. But tired or not he hammered far enough away that when we finally made the single track I couldn't see him anymore. I moved past the two guys in front of me and ended up dropping them. So I was alone and chasing the kid. Right up until I crashed. On the first downhill section at the power lines I came into the turn back into the woods too hot and slid down. It would've been ok accept that my chain was off and twisted. By the time I got it back on I'd been passed by 5 people. And evidently a link was twisted badly enough that with each pedal stroke it would catch on the cog above. It created a skip in my pedal stroke that would've really angered a lesser man. All I could do was finish as fast as possible.

I came through the transition area second and handed off to Randy. The girls were over at the Zombie Zone which is where the zombies gathered until midnight to stagger toward the racers as they pass. They were having a blast. I ate and drank and filmed the transition of Randy to David.

I want to say a special thank you to Todd Fisher. He didn't come to race, he actually came to support Dustin Mealor's solo effort with all his tools and a bike stand and positive energy. They set up a tent right next to us and Todd handed Dustin bottles all night.
When I returned from my first lap I started telling the tale and Todd grabbed my bike when he heard about the chain. Before I knew it he had removed the bad link and put it back together. After that I didn't have another problem shifting or pedaling all night. Many thanks Todd!!

We raced past midnight and bounced between 2nd and 3rd. Then at one point we actually moved into 1st place. We thought our averages and our strategy would win the day... or night... as it were. I went to the timing table to inquire about our competition and here's what I learned. The team in 1st was a father, a son, an uncle and a friend. So they thought. The only thing they knew for sure was the father/son part. The son was their ringer. He's the kid I chased at the start. Probably weighs less than 100 pounds and is fast as lighting. They would put this kid out there for two laps at a time and then each of them would do one. So the kid would put them back into 1st every time he went out. His name was Jake Morman. They were very smart to work him the way they did.

Around 3:00AM things began to deteriorate. Our bodies were starting to get tired and our minds played tricks on us. The best quotes came from David. He was convinced of the presence of Unicorns. If you hear him saying weird things in the videos don't worry... it all makes sense to him.

I realized then that we had been violating one of our rules, have fun, by worrying over the opportunity to get 1st. I expressed my desire to stop talking strategy and start talking nonsense and pick on each other. The guys were all about it and so in the waning hours before daylight we settled into a campfire and friends sort of mood.

Finally the dawn. The morning always brings a sense of relief and anticipation. All the family members who slept in tents and campers started coming out to see how the race was going. And to get something for breakfast from the Smiley's truck. There was a heavy dew on everything that wasn't directly under a tent. The air was heavy with humidity but the temperature was nice and 60 degrees.

This video shows "the kid" waiting next to David. He's going to leave and do two laps before turning it over to a team mate for one final lap. At this point our only hope was if they had a mechanical. So we just rode hard and hoped for the worst... for them.

It all came down to the final lap I would be making. We already knew that I couldn't possibly make up the minutes we were down but there was always the possibility of a mechanical or crash on their part so I got jacked up for one more round of mash hysteria.
Before I went to transition I ate two mustard packs (for cramping) and a double caffeine gel. It would be daylight the whole time so I didn't need lights. Trent came flying in and off I went to see what the cycling gods had in store.
The course was much different in the daylight. You could see the lines you should take. You could negotiate the bridges better and avoid the poop mud. It was my best lap of the race. I beat their guy by 2 minutes but that didn't put a dent in their overall lead. That kid single handedly whipped our tails.

A fine 2nd Place in the 12 Hours of Zombie Apocalypse!

 After the fun of the awards we packed up and went our separate ways. David and I went to Cracker Barrel for some "mama's" and coffee. We talked about the race and our great families and how stinking tired we were. We enjoyed the stares from folks looking at our freaky Zombie shirts. People listened intently as we answered our waitresses questions about what we'd been doing. Both of us knew that in the days after this we'd look back on the 12 Hours of Zombie Apocalypse and be grateful for the fun and competition provided by mountain bike racing. We both agreed that Chainbuster Racing must do this race again next year. Can you hear me Kenny!

________________________________________________________________________

Now I give you the short and sweet tale of woe from Dustin Mealor who despite being as under trained as I've ever seen him in recent years signed up for the Solo Expert Category. Hmm. Whatever dude. Dustin lasted half the night. His tale begins now:


It's interesting to notice things in races.  I can honestly say that I had no idea how bad I would perform this weekend due to just not being mentally ready to race all night.  Had this race been a day-time affair I honestly can't say things would have turned out differently, but I was shocked at my inability to soldier on like the "me" of the past.  I ate poop mud hard on the first lap.  It was one of those slower crashes, which always seem to be the worse.  I tried to go up and over a rock formation and caught the lip just right.  Threw me up and over the bars and flat on my face, which had the blow lessened by my hand which I, in a newbie-like fashion, reached out to stop my fall.  After that the rest of my lap was fine.

The second lap I ended up behind the dude that went to the hospital.  Seriously, this dude passes me at the top of the climb and I think to myself "man I hope this guy is a fast downhill".  Not that I'm a bomber on the descents, but I can hold my own (thanks to the teachings of Craig Tinsley).  No sooner do I think this to myself than crashes in spectacular fashion and I end up ditching via a slide to not bulldog his face with my front tire.  In a not-so-me fashion I ditch my bike and run over to him to make sure he's fine.  I stayed with him for probably 2-3 minutes until he convinced me to get back on the bike and go.  I found out later that he went to the hospital with a separated shoulder.

The rest of the race was just weird.  It's weird in that I was on the bike and I was racing, but I made so many small mistakes everything just seemed to run together.  I know better than to take breaks in these races.  In the expert class every lap and every minute matters.  Yet, I seemed to stop almost every lap to grab bottles that I had not laid out for myself and food that I just had piled up and not planned well.  I really thank Todd Fisher for being there and supporting me, but this race just didn't happen for me.  I never could quite get into a groove.  After five laps I just got tired of being on the bike.  I think at that point I just mentally said "forget this" and gave up.  Really not my style, but if you're not feeling it you're not feeling it.  Next year will be different...

Dustin Mealor

So there you have it. Another great adventure with friends and family. The next few months will be primarily road racing so not as much fun. But we'll do our best and not take ourselves too seriously. It is just a hobby after all.

Can't wait to see you all out there!!

Chad Hayes

2013 LAP Century

The 10th Annual Lula Assembly of Praise Century was another great success. These folks really know how to put on a ride. I've lost count how many of these I've done (less than 10) but each one is special and always well supported. This year my plan was to ride with the birthday boy Stephen Sisk. He's 40 years old!! Just like me. And he's is in some seriously great fitness. We set a new Chad and Stephen record on this course which I'll tell you about later.

There were lots of guys and gals that I know there. This is kind of like a home town ride for me because it takes place on the border of Hall and Habersham Counties in Lula, Georgia where men are men and the deer run scared. It's always funny to me the people from the church. They seem grateful but there's definitely a lack of understanding of why we would do this. Cycling is well outside the norm in some of these households. One lady told me she wished she could do something like it but she was too... heavy. I laughed and told her I used to weight 300 pounds.
It was a lie but the look on her face was worth it.

At the start were many of my favorite people. Pictured on the right is David Latty (Protagonist cyclist). Mr. Latty likes to hammer on the flat roads at such a pace that you start looking around to see who it is that's messing up your drafting relaxation. If there's only three or four of us his accelerations can hurt.
I like David but sometimes he hurts me.

Also at the start were John Lilly, Duane Mahon, Kim Turpin, David Shabat, Kim and Dylan Cantrell, Star Bridges, Dustin Mealor, Craig Tinsley, Sean Philyaw... that's all I can think of right now.

Here's some other photos from the start...

Joe made his announcements and the ride began with a lead out from the Hall County Sheriff's Department. That's always very cool.
As we made our way toward Maysville I snapped a few pictures of the main group.

Once we made the right hand turn in Gillsville the lead group picked up the pace. Led by a bunch of guys from BluSky and BikeTown the pace was more than some of us wanted since we weren't racing. So we backed off and rode quick but enjoyable. In our newly formed group were Stephen Sisk, David Latty, David Shabat, Kim Turpin, and Kristen Weinacker. We were having a great time!

The day was perfect and our pace soon overpowered what the ladies wanted to do so it ended up just us guys around mile 50. To that point we had been averaging 19+ mph which is well above the norm for this ride. And the infamous climb up Apple Pie Ridge Road still loomed.

There's a point in every century ride where you start wishing you were done. For me that point is around mile 80. As we pressed on toward Apple Pie I told everyone that I felt we were riding toward purgatory. I thought back to what the lady at the start said and used it as motivation. And yet again channeled my inner Jens Voigt.

On the road there we picked up young Dylan Cantrell. He had been with the lead group but was suffering from cramps. We gave him some enduralytes and hitched him up to the train. When I learned he'd never climbed Apple Pie I told him how to attack it... you don't attack it. It fights back once you get about halfway up the climb. Hurts very much.

At the top there is a SAG where you can have some food and claim yourself a delicious Jaemor Farms Apple Pie. Of course nobody actually eats it after climbing that thing. I always get one and stuff it in my jersey for later in the day when I get home. It's like fried victory!

We gathered our group and basically climbed our way back to Alto, Georgia. That's right, the climbing didn't end there.
We pushed on toward Lula and the great meal that awaited us. I found Sean and the rest of the leading group already enjoying the spaghetti and brownies. We all sat around and talked for a while and then headed home to our families.

The Pie.

This is always a great ride I love with people who appreciate it as much as I do. Thanks to all the volunteers from Lula Assembly of Praise who make this ride special every year!

See you next time!

Chad Hayes

Very Dirty Spokes

This picture explains all you need to know about this race. It was the Dirty Spokes Productions 6/9 Hour Mountain Bike race at Fort Yargo, Winder. It was raining cats and dogs. I still don't know why I went ahead with this race. It trashed my brakes. I spent 1 hour with a hose in the driveway cleaning the bike, my clothes, my shoes. Lisa still had to wash my clothes twice. I was picking mud out of my ears and eyes for two days. I was chilled to my bones for two days. But I take some solace in the fact that a whole lot of others started and finished this race with me. We are all crazy.

Randy Hemphill

Joining me on my team were Trace Nabors and Randy Hemphill. Two great guys that kept smiling all day long. Even while they were shivering. The temperature was in the upper 40's and it never stopped raining. We would look at each other and shake our heads. This is crazy.

Trace Nabors

I got there early to set up a tent and figure out how to race this thing. While I worked on setting up I saw many regulars doing the same. I also noticed some people parking, walking to registration, getting the goodie bag and shirt and then driving on back home. At the time I scoffed at the thought of doing that but now I feel there was some wisdom there.

I crashed on the first lap. Smacked a tree with my body. I was chasing the lead group and we headed down a hill in the single track. I could see what needed to be done and decided to scrub some speed in order to make a left hand turn. This is where I learned what conditions like this do to your brakes. They tend not to work like you want them to. So when I didn't get the desired response I squeezed a little harder. With that action my front wheel locked up and I started sliding uncontrollably toward a nice healthy pine tree similar to the one in the background of the first picture. I was carrying a great amount of speed but there was enough distance to my undesired target for me to think through just how I wanted this crash to end. I shoved my bike to the left and away from me and it sailed on down the trail. In my mind that should have caused my body to skip off the other side of the tree and I would land softly in the pine straw. Physics, the only real problem with any split second ideas men have, helped me separate the bike from my body but did nothing to change the trajectory of my body. I managed to turn my shoulder to the tree and hit it perfectly with the entire right side of my body. All the air left my lungs and I bounced off the tree back onto the muddy trail. I immediately jumped up and grabbed my bike.

Are you kidding? No I didn't. I crouched on all fours trying to re-inflate my lungs. Then I hobbled back to my bike like an old man chasing the kid who stole his cane.
I still have a large bruise on my right leg and some knee pain.
I'd be happier with a scar.

Trace and Dustin Mealor consider their decision.

Each of us got in a lap before the talk started. The talk centered around how the trail was being demolished and our bikes were failing. Injuries were growing. People were considering abandoning because there was no end in sight to the weather. In fact the radar showed a serious storm on the way. The race organizer, Tim, walked around trying to get a feel for what the racers wanted to do. At the time Randy was on course and I would be next. We got the word that the race would go on for another hour and 15 mins. Enough time for me to get in another lap? Yep. And since we were in the lead I didn't want to give that up so I headed out knowing it was my final lap.

Dustin discovered they were the sole Expert 2 Person Male Team

Expert 2 Person Male, Rob and Dustin

For the next hour I used every muscle in my body to balance my bike in the soup mud. Parts of the trail were like riding through a river. My brakes sounded like metal on metal but that was the only thing wrong with my GIANT. I love that bike!

I passed a lot of frustrated people. I made sure they knew the race had been shortened but it didn't seem to matter. I think they were done regardless. I realized while climbing up the power line climb that in this race, on a day like today, the climbs were the best part. I could be sure of where my bike was going. I could see the trail and know that if I did fall over it would be soft landing. Obviously I resolved to not crash again. I figured the time I lost by being careful was the same as the time I'd loose if I crashed again. Now that there's wisdom.

Me and the boys scored another victory for ourselves. It was a real tough day to try and race a mountain bike and I'm not prepared to say it was worth it. We had some version of fun that isn't defined. It exists in the future at a place where I'm sitting around with friends and we're talking about the time we raced at Fort Yargo in a monsoon. A "fish" story in which you only need credit for starting the race. For attempting the race. For being crazy.
We were all... crazy.

How fun!

Three Person Male 6 Hr MTB at Fort Yargo. Cinco de Mayo!

Things I learned about mountain bike racing in the rain:

• If you have a beater bike with rim brakes... ride it. But brake early to make sure you can.
• Wear glasses. Snow ski goggles if you have them. Your eye lashes don't stand a chance of keeping the grit out.
• It's not popular but I wore a helmet cover. It was a little heavy but it shielded my face and head at times. It was nice to only have to wash my mouth and nose. Plus my helmet stayed clean.
• Ride in the center of the trail no matter what. The edges are soft. The center is hard underneath the thin layer of mud.
• The same rules on single track are more important; brake before the corner, lean the bike not the body, stay on the trail, keep straight up on the bridges or you'll slide right off.
• Don't wear boots. They just fill up with water.
• Wool is your best friend. Unless you can afford Goretex.
• If you're on a team, keep from getting cold while you wait. Change clothes each lap or use an old blanket to stay warm. Physically you're fine once you get back out but mentally you'll want to quit before your next lap.
• Bring plenty of water. It's weird but we needed water for things other than drinking. A big water cooler is best.
• Don't bring the family. Misery does not love company. Girl friends either. Crazy isn't fun to them. It's just stupid.

And so ends another adventure in North Georgia. I heard there were some road races going on this same weekend but nobody told me any cool stories so it must have gone well.

Next up is the LAP Century in Lula, Georgia. I love this ride and can't wait to tell you all about it.

Thanks for reading!

Chad Hayes

2012 Six Gap Century

It's a terrible thing to loose fitness and your brain not know it until it's too late. The past few months I've had to back off on my normal insane amounts of training. I've noticed that instead of dictating the pace on rides I've been more content to just sit in. But that's all that has changed since I last raced my bike. Well this Sunday I put power to the pedals for 104 miles in the mountains of North Georgia and learned what my body is currently capable of doing. It was good. But not to the level that my brain thought we were still at. A fact that became painfully obvious after 50 miles of riding at a top end pace.

Some people I know have a way of convincing themselves that reality isn't the truth. They say things like, "Awe that'll never happen" or "It'll all turn out OK". Point of fact they are lazy. They deal with things after it happens to them. I can't be that way. I'm too hyper focused. I need a plan. I need to understand the obstacles before me and eliminate the problems before they hurt me or the ones I love. I hate the idea of being reactive instead of proactive.
But I understand that God made us all different. I don't judge others. Just don't expect many sympathies from yours truly when stuff happens to you that you could have prevented. I don't mean when you make a bad decision. Heck I make plenty. You have to try things sometimes. Some folks never let ignorance stand in the way of making a bad decision though or just cross their fingers and hope nothing bad happens? But me...Negative.

However, I allowed myself to think I could press on through an event like Six Gap with the same ease and happiness that I did last year without doing all the work and preparations I normally do. I focused on other things and suffered the consequences. I knew the date was coming, I just treated it with costly disregard. And boy did I pay for it.

The first 50 miles were the usual blissfully strong riding I'm accustomed to. My friends Benny Bohanon, David Shabat, and Craig Tinsley were there. Craig had been riding like crazy the past few months. Two weeks earlier he rode the Bridge to Bridge ride in North Carolina. The day before this he competed in a 6 Hr mountain bike race at Jack Rabbit Trail. So I felt the need to shepperd my friend if he was going to "do the double". As you'll read below it turns out he didn't need the help. But I channeled my inner Christian Vande Velde and paced my leader (Ryder) up the climbs. At least that's where I derived my enthusiasm.


By the time we reached Hog Pen I could feel the error of my ways. Despite eating and drinking everything I needed to, I could feel the power slipping away from my legs. It was too far, it was too much, it was too bad because I had no way out accept to climb three more mountains. I went into damage control mode. I ate electrolytes like candy. I even tried some fruit dates from Craigs zip lock bag. And like any good endurance athlete I worked on some positive phrases in my head. "You are powerful!" "You are strong!" Things like that.

Robert Loomis in the lead group on Unicoi

My problem wasn't the dreaded bonk. It was a combination of dehydration and plain old lack of training. I hadn't been drinking water all week. The cramps started to hit me on the Wolf Pen climb. I nursed them in the back of my legs, the back of my arms, and of all places in the center of my left foot. The toe beside my pinkie toe was missing in action for the entire climb. And the thing is I never really panicked. I felt like crap but it was nothing I hadn't felt before. I had a long way to go but I knew I could get there. It dawned on me while I made my way up the climb that this feeling of quasi confidence can only be learned through experiences. Bad experiences. And when I make things really easy for my kids and never let them fail, I rob them of this kind of confidence. So I added this to my damage control phrases and pushed to the top of the climb; "This will make you stronger!"

When I rounded the last turn on Wolf Pen I could hear my good friend David at the top yelling words of encouragement. David was fighting his own demons which he skillfully details in the story below I stole from his Facebook page. It's dedicated to his Endurance Athlete friends. He too has placed himself in demanding situations and understood my pain.

Anyway, I pushed on through the ride knowing that I would finish. I needed to look back and say I did my best because it sucks to think you could have done more. There are details I could share but they've been covered in the stories from my friends I've posted below. Bottom line: I had fun and felt successful. Thanks guys!

2012 Six Gap Century

Story by David Shabat

How many times have you heard from at least one person you know:  "Why do you do that stupid stuff?  You run or bike all the time.  You're always working out.  You're hardly any fun to be around anymore."  I haven't heard it in a while, since I've surrounded myself with people who have come to appreciate why I do what I do, and a lot of folks who are right there with me.  Yesterday, I was saying those words to myself. As I was ascending Hogpen Gap, the most brutal climb on the Six Gap route, I just blurted out "I am having a serious case of "I don't give a crap!".  Yes, there I was, 60 miles into the 104 mile century, just out of my mental game.  I've done the climb several times.  I've run it as well as biked it.  My brain wanted to melt down.  How many times do you have to climb Hogpen before you stop caring about getting to the top of Hogpen? How many times? You never stop caring.  You watch your buddies suffering with you.  You turn the cranks or put one foot in front of the other and you remember who you are.  You are the one who gets things done.  You may be different, but you are the "white sheep" of the family.  You know that the pain is temporary.  You know that the climb will end and you'll never forgive yourself if you give up for any reason other than physical.  You keep turning the cranks.
*   *   *

I was up at 4:15.  Coffee was brewing and I was loading the truck by 4:25.  It was a perfect day for a bike ride - with arm warmers.  Lenka and I drove to pick up our friend, Ann, and drove to Dahlonega... there around 6:15.  The parking lot was already full.  Amazingly, Chad and I parked just a few cars away from each other, so we could talk shop early and get the day going.  We prepped and were on the line in plenty of time to be near the start line, but not at the line, since this year, they corralled us into "sub 6 hour expected finish" and "more than 6 hour expected finish".  We planned to finish in around 7 hours, clock time, including stops/breaks (mind you that means off the "race/ride clock", not our bike computers, which measure ride time).  Chad, our buddy Benny, and I were lined up together.  Six Gap starts are kind of home town, since it's not a race, per se, but it's just fairly laid back if you're not in the "sub6" group.  So, we got off to a good start and picked up our ringer for the day, Craig.

We kept a nice, relaxed pace for what I'll call the prologue. Chad led our pack and was our team leader for the day.  He called the shots, set the pace, and was the overall motivator to keep us going all day long.  I had to stop and use the restroom at an unexpected point on the way... the corner before we begin the ascent up Blood Mountain to Neels Gap - first ascent of the day.  But, you can't climb well if you can't use your ab muscles without having an accident.  Craig, Chad, and I kept a tight pack up to Neels.  Benny caught us in no time at the top, and we headed out to Jack's Gap.  Again, we held a tight 3-man formation, but the climbs weren't so easy for me; at least they didn't feel as easy as they did last year.  Benny caught us on Jacks, and I took a turn to pull, though it was was mostly downhill, to the base of the climb to Unicoi.  I had a few "challenges" from other riders, who were "inertially enhanced", but for the most part, we kept a great downhill pace in the high 20s and low 30s.  The climb up Unicoi was a struggle, but we enjoyed it, like we always enjoy Unicoi.  When we reached the gap, we recovered, but Benny told us to go on, that he'd take things at his own pace... which was really not much different from ours, but just slightly out-of-sync enough to make him choose to send us on our way.  Chad had 3 rules: 1) Have FUN 2) Try to break 7 hours clock time 3) Don't let rule #2 get in the way of rule #1.  We may have a chance to break 7 hours on the clock if we pull the now smaller pack into order.

As expected, we flew down Unicoi.  Chad was on fire.  He has such grace on the bike, I had to keep my head straight because I knew I couldn't keep up with him AND maintain safe control of my bike.  I also still felt skittish about my crash a few weeks ago.  I had a post-Goose/ Maverick feeling when I hit hard downhill curves.  But, I still kept Chad within my sights.

HOGPEN
What can you say about Hogpen?  At least it's not Brasstown?  Be thankful you have the ability to climb?


As we began the primary ascent, I had a mental meltdown.  I didn't care about Hogpen anymore.  I have climbed it on foot and on bike.  I think I had more fun on foot.  But, today, we're on bikes.  This is where Craig's year of training and racing has really paid off.  After the primary ascent, I got my head right.  I had no choice.  For the past 5 years, I have been the guy who does stuff outside his comfort zone on purpose.  I was not going to let a bout of the "I don't give a craps" get me.  So, I downshifted to my 28 cog and just spun my way up with Chad... while Craig pulled away until he had at least 30 seconds on us.  We kept sort of quiet.  Nobody wants to huff and puff because it does you no good.  No one would dare complain... we're salty veterans on this climb.  So, we just kept turning the cranks until we got to the top and were greeted with cheers and some of the best food on the ride. But then I got that sinking feeling about the descent.  Last year I hit 67 mph on the back side of Hogpen.  This year, I held a VERY conservative pace and got it to around 50 mph and held steady.  The curves were not nearly as in-my-face as last year.  There was no snap decision on when/how to execute a curve.  I saw everything coming and had plenty of reaction time.  My stomach settled just in time to turn the corner and realize...I was completely out of gas. We still had to climb Wolfpen Gap, which is the "Winding Stair" of road riding in Georgia.

Again, Craig was looking great, and he took a pace that was comfortably faster than me and Chad. Chad had his nose to the wind for us 95% of the time.  He gave the rest of us the option to take it easy while he pushed a great pace on the flats and rollers.  We were both on the suffer train.  But, Chad had an extra joy... a full-size (39/53) racing crankset, while I had a compact (36/50) crankset.  Those three teeth in the front make a HUGE difference when climbing.  But, Chad, just kept turning those cranks.  I know he was suffering right there with me, with an even more difficult climb on the bigger crank.  My hat is off to Chad.  Wolfpen was our toughest climb of the day. Chad led us out from Wolfpen to our final major ascent, Woody's. We had to take it a little easier.  Although we ate well and hydrated well, we were just wiped out compared to Craig, who was still as froggy as a SEAL on his first mission.  We cranked it up Woody's without a wasted moment.  By then, my wits were gone, I started blaming the bike for not shifting right, I had not completely bonked, but I was on my way.

Then an angel appeared before me.

I went to the refreshment area and said "I have an odd request.  There was this angel who saved my skin last year with an ice cold Coke Zero.  Is she here this year?"  They pointed me to the lady in her blue jacket... she waved her hands at me "What else have you got?  OK, I'm an angel, I've heard that before".  So I showered this lady with every compliment I could muster from my oatmeal brain.  I think that when I started getting incoherent, even to myself, she went to her truck, and pulled out a Coke Zero from her PERSONAL COOLER and gave it to me.  I offered her cash.  She would only accept my gratitude.  Finally, after a few minutes of chugging the coke, the caffeine kicked in and I started feeling like a person again.We pushed our way down Woody's, again with our captain, Chad in command of all the turns... which made it easy for us, since we could follow his line.  We caught up with a young lady who was also flying down the mountain. But, we got stuck behind some cars who were waiting on other cyclists who didn't have our "sense of adventure".  On one hard curve, there was a cyclist down.  He lost it in the curve, a left hand curve with a cliff.... JUST LIKE MY CURVE.  My stomach was a little sick looking at him at the side of the road.  He wasn't going to be riding home like I did.  I felt such a mix of luck and sadness and gratitude in my heart.  We held pace until the traffic fixed itself and we went back to our high 30s pace down the mountain.  There was another crash on the road into the "offshoot development" turn we had to make.  So, we had one last moment of excitement before the "worst part of the ride".

The last 10 or so miles of the ride is the kick in the teeth.  We had constant high-pitch rollers the whole way.  We had a few miles of open road, but even that was on an uphill grade.  Otherwise, we were either downshifting or upshifting.  Then we finally got onto Black Mountain Road, and received our last kick in the teeth of the day.  We passed the 7 hour clock time and tried to just shrug it off.  We had done more than 100 miles within 7 hours on the clock.  No one got hurt.  We shared our suffering.  And I got another day of cycling with my brother Chad.  So, we eased the pace and cruised in to a 7:04 finish.  We changed out of our very used up gear, and went into Lumpkin County High for what is always one of the best meals of the year.

I was extra thankful that Lenka and Ann drove with me, so Lenka could drive us home.  I fell asleep in the back seat of the truck, before we even pulled out of the parking lot, and didn't wake up until we dropped Ann off in Toccoa.  I am truly grateful for my friends, for the ability to ride, and for the underlying mental persistence that refuses to fail me, even when I wish it would.

David

2012 Six Gap Century

Benny Bohannon

The bike ride today was a lot of fun, but I sure am tired! It's called the 6 Gap Century, and takes place in the mountains near Dahlonega.
I started out this AM meeting up with 3 of the guys from Habersham Cycles. Chad Hayes, David Shabat, and Craig Tinsley. Those are some of the guys I ride with on Tuesday Nights. I do good on Tuesday nights just to stay in sight of the lead group. We even had on our matching jerseys. 

Their goal was to finish the 104 mile ride in less than 7 hours.... I told them I knew I couldn't do that, but they insisted I could, and that we would all hang together and "Have Fun". So we hung together. We left the start at the school at 7:30 this morning. We got there at 6 AM, so we could line up at the front and get a good start. There were almost 2800 riders lined up behind us! When they opened the gate, we lit out flying, like the Tour de France! We were the fastest of the fast, right up there in the front.

Occasionally I would catch a glimpse behind me, as all the other riders crowded the road, their shoulders undulating as they moved in one big mass, like a river of multi-colored jerseys. Pretty cool stuff. We probably averaged over 26 mph for the first 18 miles before the first Mountain, Neel's Gap. I knew I couldn't keep up that pace for very long, so I let them lead up the first mountain. After a while, I dropped into my own pace, and they slipped away. They got to the top about 5 minutes before me, but were all waiting on me, and said it was no problem. We all rode together again until the next mountain (Jack's Gap), where they waited about 7 minutes for me. I knew they wanted to finish in under 7 hours, but they kept saying to stay with them anyway. On the way up the 3rd Mountain, Unicoi Gap, I started cramping. My muscles were letting me know I was going way beyond my abilities. When I got to the top, I told them in no uncertain terms to go on, and finish, and that I would have to ride at my own pace to finish the 104 miles. So we all did the fist-bump, and they went on. I didn't see them again until the end. I enjoyed the rest of the ride, talking to people, suffering up the climbs, and flying down the mountains. The other mountains include Hogpen Gap, Wolfpen Gap, and Woody's Gap. Hogpen is the granddaddy, with over 8 miles at up to a 16% grade. Whew!  

I finished in 7:35, which was about 45 minutes faster than last year. I guess the fast start really made up some time. The other guys came in at 7:05, which really wasn't too bad either. I saw some of the guys from Apalachee Cyles in Dacula, the other group I ride with. A couple of them finished in 6:34-6:39 ! That's an hour faster than me! Wow.
Others finished after I did, so that was fine too. Everyone was just happy to make it in. It was a lot more fun after it was over, that's for sure.
They fed us a big spaghetti supper afterwards, so now I am full, sore, and sleepy. And I also got a cool "T" shirt out of the deal.

Benny
______________________________________________________________________________

Thanks guys for taking time to write it down! I look forward to seeing you at all the rides coming up for the rest of 2012. Check them out at the top of the page.

And now here's some crazy facts about the Six Gap Century:

• There were 2,595 cyclists that participated in the Six Gap Century & Three Gap Fifty Bike Ride this year! 
• An estimated 4,000 man hours went into the planning and execution of the Ride by Chamber staff and over 350 volunteers.
• Almost 3,000 gallons of water and Heed/Gatorade were used at the 9 rest stops.
• Over the course of the Ride, cyclists consumed 1,200 lbs of bananas, 300 lbs of apples, 250 lbs of grapes, and 200 lbs of oranges.
• Our rest stop volunteers made an estimated 8,500 PB&J sandwiches. 
• The Lumpkin County High School cafeteria staff fed our riders over 2,600 lbs of spaghetti