Fried Green 50

The Fried Green 50 is the longest, most grueling - and most fun! - gravel ride I do each year.  My friend Monte Marshall and other volunteers with the Ocmulgee Mountain Biking Association (OMBA) do a fantastic job putting together this ride.

Fall is definitely here.  I'm a warm weather lover, and so I'm still adjusting to the dropping temperatures.  However, I was quite comfortable on today's ride wearing a base layer, long-sleeved jersey, and leg warmers.  Whatever the temperature, the view from our staging area next to the Ocmulgee River was just beautiful:

The first few miles supposedly were a neutral roll-out until we got to the dirt part.  I knew Frankenbike and I wouldn't be part of the front group anyway, but I'm not sure how neutral that start was - they took off like rockets!  The Fried Green 50 is kind of a ride and kind of a race; you can ride it however you want.  I was a little ambivalent about my ride.  I wanted to enjoy the day and remember that I don't always have to compete.  At the same time, I couldn't help but try to keep track of where the other women riders were.  I decided to ride as hard as I felt comfortable and let the chips fall where they may.

One way I reined it in a little was by stopping to take a few pictures.  We rode primarily in the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge (PWR), one of my favorite places to ride.  The PWR is prime habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species.  I had to settle for a picture of this sign rather than an actual bird:

A number of picturesque beaver ponds dotted the PWR.  Fall foliage provided a backdrop to several of them.  This beaver pond at SAG 2 is surrounded by pines, also making a serene landscape:

There were plenty of SAGs, but because I was carrying my own food, I only stopped at a couple of the SAGs to refill my water bottle.  I had good momentum and rode steadily.  Except for a few brief hellos with some of my fellow riders, I did the whole ride by myself.  I didn't mind, though.  I'm usually in church on Sunday, and so today I worshiped in God's outdoor cathedral instead:

The road more graveled

There were six creek crossings throughout the route.  On the first one I forgot to downshift before I went through the water.  Therefore, I had to get off of Frankenbike and push it up the opposite hill.  I remembered to downshift on subsequent creek crossings.  Roaring like a lion helped me ford them, too.  On the climb after the third creek crossing, my legs started being a little stubborn.  I don't know why they picked that particular time.  That climb from the creek wasn't the toughest one of the day by any stretch.  Well, I just channeled my inner Jensie and thought, "Shut up, legs!"

My legs listened, cooperating for the rest of the ride.  However, my overall energy level started to fluctuate for about the last 10 miles.  For a while I felt like I could almost fly.  Then, in about the last two miles, I nearly bonked.  I thought I had planned my nutrition well, but I should have eaten one more thing toward the end of my ride.

Actually, I was kind of out of it right at the end.  Monte had this fun little dippity do at the end, featuring a hairpin turn and lots of brush.  I assume just about everyone had to push their bikes up like I did:

My brain was so fuzzy that I didn't even notice this guardian of the trail, right next to the path! (I went back later to get this picture.)

I made it to the end - yea!  As quickly as my tired bones would allow, I changed clothes and headed for the food line.  This year Monte arranged for a spaghetti dinner, provided by Jeanine's in Macon.  It was most welcome!

I heard that there were some fried green tomatoes, too, but they were all gone by the time I got there :(

I enjoyed hanging out by the campfire with everyone:

Lots of my cycling friends were there today.  Since I'm primarily a roadie, I especially enjoyed seeing my friends who are off-roadies.

When I arrived at the gathering area, several people asked me if I was the first female finisher.  I had no idea but figured I would find out eventually.  Then, as I was chilling by the campfire with my RecreationAle, my husband Robert came and tapped me on the shoulder.  Monte was looking for me to present the award for the first female finisher.  Woo hoo!  I received a deluxe, 16-oz. Fried Green 50 Styrofoam cup (bigger than the 12-oz. Fried Green 50 Styrofoam cup that each person received at check-in), and a large, green gazing ball - what fun!

Celebrating with Monte, Fried Green 50 organizer extraordinaire!

Robert and I headed for home.  Before we left Juliette, however, we had to visit Il Porcellino (Italian for "piglet"):

This is a replica of a famous Florentine sculpture created in the 1600s.  According to tradition, visitors to the original Il Porcellino rub its snout to ensure a return visit to Florence.  I hope that my rubbing this Il Porcellino's snout ensures my return visit to Juliette and the Fried Green 50.