Stuckey's Bird Dog 100

The Bird Dog 100 - another tough but fun gravel race sponsored by Stuckey's!  And this time I completed the pro option (no time cutoff).  The Bird Dog 100 was a few weeks ago in Waynesboro, GA.  Despite the cold and wind, I enjoyed riding in this part of Georgia that I rarely visit.

Robert and I left work a little early on Friday afternoon for the two-hour drive to Waynesboro.  We stopped in Milledgeville for dinner on the way.  We went to Amici, a regional pizza chain that's very good.  The sunset was lovely as we continued east.  When we got to Waynesboro, we went to First Liberty Market to pick up our race packets.  This was also the race staging area.

The race hotel was the Hampton Inn.  However, when I had looked into making a reservation there, rooms were about $250!  I wasn't going to spend that much for a Hampton Inn in Waynesboro, and so the Econo Lodge it was.  I joked with Robert that he was traveling with me rando style.  When I get a motel room for myself before a brevet, I economize.  I typically get to my room just in time to go to bed, and then I have to get up early - no need for anything fancy or expensive.  But perhaps the Econo Lodge wasn't the optimal choice...

After a crummy night of sleep (I never sleep well before a big cycling event because I'm too nervous), I got up when my alarm went off.  I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  What the?....

The right half of my lower lip was swollen!  Otherwise, I felt fine.  I wasn't in pain, and I wasn't having trouble breathing or swallowing.  I Googled my symptoms, which is always a mistake.  But I got a grip and convinced myself I wasn't going to die.  Even so, I couldn't definitively determine why my lip was swollen.  Was it a food reaction?  I hadn't eaten anything weird the night before, just pizza and salad.  I did have an unusual beer.  Could I be having a reaction to some spice?  Maybe I had bitten my lip in my sleep.  That seemed the most likely cause until I mentioned it to a friend later.  He thought it probably was a spider bite.  Yikes!  Come to think of it, I remember waking up in the middle of the night and feeling a sharp pain in my mouth on the lower right hand side, the same area where my lip was swollen.  At the time I assumed something was going on with my teeth and retainer, but I didn't give it much more thought.  Now, I'm thinking maybe a spider did bite me!  Oh, well.  It wasn't a big deal in the end, and my lip went back to normal size by that afternoon.  FYI, the Econo Lodge doesn't charge extra for spider bites.

At least we were just down the road from the start line next to First Liberty Market.  My group (pro, 98 miles) started at 7:30 AM, and Robert's group (intermediate, 86 miles) started an hour later.  Sixteen women had signed up for the pro race.  Although not all of them showed up, it was good not to be the only woman like I was at the Valley of the Giants race.  There were a few dozen guys in my group, too.  It was the last day of Daylight Saving Time, and so it was just light enough not to need a front light as we rolled out.  The police escort for the first few miles also helped.

The first of three timed sections was only five miles into the race.  It started right after we turned off of the pavement onto the first dirt section.  It didn't play around, either.  Almost immediately we hit loose sand.  I knew there would be loose sand on the course, and so I was prepared.  Each time I encountered it, I went as fast as possible, which makes it more maneuverable.  Also, I didn't freak out when my bicycle wobbled; I sort of let my bike do what it wanted, keeping as much forward momentum as possible.  I'm pleased that I didn't have to walk my bike through any of the sandy sections.  That helped because a lot of people walked, particularly on the first section before they got acclimated to the sand.  I passed a couple of women, and so for a while, I was out front.

When the road changed to hard-packed dirt, I picked up my speed.  I rode at a good tempo pace, remembering that I still had many hours of riding.  A few miles later, a woman flew by me!  No way I could go that fast.  She looked younger than me, too.  No worries, though - I reminded myself to race my best race and let the chips fall where they may.

The first timed segment was about 21 miles long.  I felt like I raced it pretty well.  I was glad for the first aid station, located just after this timed segment.

It was nice to ride at a more moderate pace for a while - no need to go hard in the sections that weren't timed.  About an hour and a half later, I got to the second aid station.  What a nice surprise to see Robert!  Even though he had started an hour after I did, his route was a little shorter than mine to this point.

Robert crossing McCroans Bridge, the only non-state road across the Ogeechee River

I fueled up and mentally prepared for the second timed segment just a few miles farther.  More wind, cold, and sand.  This timed segment was about 20 miles long.  Again, I rode as steadily fast as I could.

Although I knew the approximate locations and lengths of my three timed segments, I hadn't paid as much attention to where the aid stations were.  I was expecting one before the third timed section.  I knew I was getting close to this last timed segment...no aid station.  My energy was getting low.  Good thing I had brought a Clif Bar with me.  Even though the last timed segment was less than four miles long, I would have been toast if I hadn't eaten something beforehand.

Whew!  The racing part was over.  The aid station was right after the last timed segment.  Nom, nom, nom.  Then, it was a 13-mile roll to the finish.  I was about 2.5 miles short of 100 miles, and so I rode up and down several streets to make it a full century.  Of course.

Robert finished about the same time I did.  We changed clothes and went to First Liberty Market.  On the way inside, I was so excited to see a real, live bird dog!  Her name is Patches.

The post-ride BBQ hit the spot, and the beer wasn't bad either!  Next, Robert and I walked around town a bit while we waited on podiums.

When we got back to First Liberty Market in Waynesboro, I was pleasantly surprised to see my rando buddy Brian!

At last it was time for podiums.  Thanks to real-time results, I knew I had come in second for women.  Yea!  I was very happy with my performance.  The 38-year-old youngster who won was named Morgan.  She had come all the way from Nebraska.  It certainly was worth her while :)  Third place on the podium was Paula.  She was very nice, too.

One of the goodies in my goody bag was a giant Stuckey's pecan log roll!

You hypocrite, first take the Stuckey’s pecan log roll out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Over the next week, Robert and I enjoyed eating slices of my pecan log roll for dessert.

They moved right into the raffle, and so Robert and I stayed for that.  Just about everyone one something.  I won a cool pair of gloves.

Oh, yeah - there was a cash payout, too!  I think that was only the second time I've won money racing.

Cycling Quests, the race promoter, did a great job this year with their inaugural events, Valley of the Giants and the Bird Dog 100.  I highly recommend their events for anyone who enjoys gravel racing.  Next year they said they probably will have these races in the spring, and they hope to add three additional races.  Something to look forward to!

I definitely need to go back to Waynesboro.  After the race I looked back at the route and saw that the third timed section went right by the entrance to the Bird Dog Cemetery.  This is the resting place of more than 100 bird dogs owned by Henry Berol, heir to the Eagle Pencil Company.  Each headstone has an epitaph describing the dog's character.  I would love to go back another time to see the cemetery when I'm not in the middle of a race.