1066 Ride

I played a fun game with myself to complete the 50K series in the 2020 Virtual Brevet Series. History is a weak point for me; therefore, several months ago I decided to read about the Norman conquest of England in the book 1066: The Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry.  Around the same time, I realized that there’s a cool looking dirt road I had never ridden, Forest Service Road 1066.  So, I decided that as soon as I finished the book, I’d do a dirt ride to include F.S. Road 1066.  I did both yesterday - loads of fun!

On the surface, the Bayeux Tapestry appears simply to commemorate the Norman victory over the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.  However, the premise of the book is that the tapestry has hidden English and non-Norman French viewpoints - quite intriguing.

The Bayeux Tapestry is believed to have been created within a few years of 1066.  Amazingly, it is one of the few relics from that time to have survived the centuries.  The book conjectures that the tapestry had been stored in a crypt in the Bayeux Cathedral fairly soon after its creation.  The crypt was damaged and not reopened until the 1400s, when the tapestry was rediscovered.  This likely led to its survival through the Middle Ages.

Yesterday I sat in the sky chair on my front porch, which is one of my favorite places, to finish the book.  Then it was time to ride.  I donned my Rouge Roubaix jersey for its French ties.  I would have worn my PBP jersey, but I was saving it for a Zoom presentation I made today to the Macon Rotary club about my PBP adventure.

As an obscure connection to the book, I also wore my scream socks.  The artist who created the painting The Scream was Edvard Munch, who was from Norway.  One of the lesser contenders for the English crown was Harald of Norway.

To get to F.S. Road 1066, I rode on another dirt road I had never been on, an extension of Apt-to-Miss Road in Jasper County.  It leads into the Oconee National Forest and becomes Poplar Road in Putnam County.  It’s a pretty connector to Hillsboro Road in Putnam County, not far from F.S. Road 1066.  I reached the eponymous road!

The Black Knight accompanied me, riding in my jersey pocket.  He was glad to get out for some fresh air at the photo opp.

This was the Black Knight's first ride since the 2016 flèche I did with Audax Atlanta.  My team's name was It's Just a Flèche Wound, and the Black Night rode pinned to the back of my jersey.  I named him Nigel, a good British name.  My rando buddy Ian, who is from England and was on another flèche team, was scandalized.  He said, “The Black Knight doesn’t have a name!”

After the photo opp, I felt enchanted as I started down F.S. Road 1066.  It would be a dream to have a dirt road like this that was 50 miles long - or even 50K long.

Holy Grail Trail

F.S. Road 1066 does get gravellier toward the other end, but overall, this is one of the most delightful dirt roads I’ve found near my house.

In addition to the 2020 Virtual Brevet Series, I'm taking the 2020 Library Challenge.  In January I picked up a calendar from my local library with 50 categories of books.

I'm an avid reader anyway, and this has been a fun way to challenge myself with books, particularly during pandemic time.  I've worked through about half the categories so far.  1066 allows me to cross off “A Book with a Number in the Title” and “An Author's First Book.”

Ride on and read on!