Coffeeneuring 2021

The 2021 Coffeeneuring Challenge is complete!  This was my second time participating in this fun and simple activity.  Mary Gersemalina, a fellow randonneur who lives in the Washington, D.C. area, created the Coffeeneuring Challenge 10 years ago.  The basics are to ride your bicycle to seven different locations over about six weeks.  Each ride has to be at least two miles long, and you have to drink a coffeeneuring approved beverage along the way.  In addition to coffee, other acceptable beverages are tea, cider, and coffee porter or stout beer.  Even coffee flavored ice cream is OK in moderation; after all, it’s a beverage-focused challenge.

Because I don’t like coffee, I drink tea during my coffeeneruing rides.  Additionally, I usually stop at a Coffee Shop Without Walls, i.e., somewhere outside along my route where I drink tea that I brewed at home beforehand.  I’m grateful for this option because I don’t live near a plethora of coffee shops, unlike most of the other coffeeneurs who live in urban areas.

Mary has a theme each year for coffeeneuring.  This year it’s c+1.  She leaves the meaning of c+1 open to interpretation.  It might be always one more ride than what you’ve done so far.  I chose c+1 as noting each location where I enjoyed my tea using both latitude/longitude and the what3words app.  I discovered what3words right before the 2021 Coffeeneuring Challenge began, when I downloaded it for the Stuckey’s Valley of the Giants race (see my blog post from 10/17/21).  And I have another c+1!  I wrote a haiku for each ride.

Thank you, Mary, for coordinating this fun event, and thank you to all my fellow coffeeneurs for sharing all your adventures on the Coffeeneurs Facebook page.

 

2021 Coffeeneuring #1 (10/18/21)

This year’s challenge ran from October 18 through November 30, 2021.  I jumped right in on the first day.  It was a great way to decompress after a busy workday.  I rode an out-and-back route to a bridge on a nearby dirt road.

Distance: 10.0 miles

Tea: Tazo Passion (because I’m passionate about cycling!)

Latitude/Longitude: 33°13’24” N, 83°37’52” W

what3words: drummer.birdcage.spooked

Haiku:
Summer is gone – sad
But all is not gloom and doom
Coffeeneuring – yea!

2021 Coffeeneuring #2 (10/24/21)

I rode south to visit Smokey Bear at the Georgia Forestry Commission office.  This time, in addition to my tea, I had a snack, which was a Little Debbie peanut butter oatmeal creme pie (OCP).  There’s a slight story behind the OCP.

Pumpkin Peloton was the day before.  This time it was on dirt roads.  The out-and-back route went to a campground in the Ocmulgee National Forest.  Because it was a remote area with no store stops available, Robert and I stashed some water and snacks at the campground ahead of time.  OCPs are a Pumpkin/Peach Peloton favorite.  However, my local Ingles grocery store was out of regular OCPs.  (Supply chain issues?)  So, I substituted peanut butter OCPs.  I didn’t have one on the Pumpkin Peloton ride, and there was one left.  That’s how it became my snack on the next day's coffeeneuring ride.  I missed the regular OCP creme filling, but the peanut butter variety was still pretty tasty with my chai.

Distance: 30.4 miles

Tea: chai

Latitude/Longitude: 33°07’12” N, 83°37’32” W

what3words: contributing.eels.vacuums

Haiku:
Smokey Bear picnic
Tea – the perfect refreshment
No campfire to douse

2021 Coffeeneuring #3 (10/30/21)

I'm an introvert and enjoy my alone time, but this day and ride reminded me that community is important, too. Normally, I would have gone to Pumpkin Peloton on this Saturday, but it was Haunticello. Haunticello is trick-or-treating on the Monticello square. This was my 24th year being The Mad Doctor. It's based on the only Scooby Doo villain that scared me when I was little, Dr. Coffin, a.k.a. The Mad Doctor. Haunticello is usually on Halloween itself, but this is the Deep South, and people freak out about trick-or-treating on Sunday. Regardless of the day, Haunticello was a lot of fun. We had a bonus farmers market on the square in conjunction with Haunticello. (The seasonal farmers market had ended the previous month.)

Dr. Seuss characters and pork skins: an obvious juxtaposition

My neighbor Joe and his grandson with some of the very large sweet potatoes they grew

The Mad Doctor offers free psychiatric evaluations.

The Mad Doctor and Ms. Frizzle. The Magic School Bus was also on the square and gave out books to the kids.

The Mad Doctor and Tyra. I don't know Tyra, but she seemed pretty excited to take our photo together, too.

I also used the day's unusual Saturday schedule to do a coffeeneuring ride to an actual coffee shop! After Haunticello I went home and got my bicycle. I rode back to the square for lunch. There was a food truck there.

Alas, they didn't have turkey legs, and so I got ribs.

I sat on a bench on the square to eat them. They were pretty good, but I don't expect ribneuring to become a thing. I wish I had realized that there was a fish guy set up on the square, too. Oh, well.

Before I got back on the road, I went to The Vanilla Bean, which is a really good coffee shop on our square. We're lucky to have it in our small town. I always get tea there, but today I discovered that they blend several loose teas of their own! I got peach ginger tea, which was delicious. They also have wonderful baked goods. I got a slice of pumpkin roll to go with my tea.

There was a very nice couple named Mike and Doyce at The Vanilla Bean. They were visiting from out of town, taking a Saturday drive. Mike said that in June he had a ruptured aorta and open heart surgery. Doyce told me how grateful she is that they could be out for an enjoyable day together today. I was happy to celebrate with them for a few moments.

Then, my ride was underway in earnest. I did a loop north of town. On my way back into town, I saw a bouncy house at the fire station. I rolled in to check it out. They were just finishing setting it up for a haunted house that night. One of my bucket list items has been to stop at a bouncy house while riding my bicycle. Check!

I noted the big warning label on the entrance into the bouncy house.

Absolutely no adults permitted!!! Good thing I’m just a 12-year-old trapped in a 51-year-old body. Besides, it was the fire station, not the police station, so I figured they couldn't arrest me.

Distance: 22.5 miles

Tea: peach ginger

Latitude/Longitude: 33°18’17” N, 83°41’02” W

what3words: elegantly.springing.coupons

Haiku:
Blustery fall day
Haunticello, ribs, tea, friends
Bouncy house – bonus!

 

2021 Coffeeneuring #4 (11/7/21)

I had done the Bird Dog 100 gravel race the day before, and so a chill coffeeneuring ride was perfect. Also, the extra hour of sleep (going back to Standard Time) was a great excuse for second breakfast!

Actually, I just had regular breakfast with tea, and second breakfast was the thermos of Irish breakfast tea that I brewed to take on my ride a few hours later.

My route was a mixed surface loop of dirt and paved roads. I enjoyed seeing several deer along the way. I stopped for tea at the Hillsboro Hilton, which is an old hunting camp. It has been used until the last few years but has become dilapidated. The surrounding property is also not as pretty as it used to be because it has been timbered. I wanted to sit on the front porch to drink my tea, but the building has been fenced off, and there’s a no trespassing sign. So, I sat on the grass in the right-of-way next to the road.

My what3words location reminded me of my niece Sylvie, who is a freshman at Georgia Tech and is an avid birder. I texted her and told her that my location sounded like an elective she might be enjoying.

Distance: 17.2 miles

Tea: Irish breakfast tea

Latitude/Longitude: 33°11’19” N, 83°37’42” W

what3words: introductory.mathematical.birdseed

Haiku:
Hillsboro Hilton
Make sure to bring your own tea
Awful room service

 

2021 Coffeeneuring 5 (11/14/21)

This was a trail work day in the Oconee National Forest near the Ocmulgee River in south Jasper County. Some of the horse people and some of us cycling people helped out. Robert, our friend Bill, and I worked together. They used a Billy Goat (heavy-duty mower), chainsaw, and bush axe to do the clearing, and I handled logistics like carrying supplies and moving the truck and trailer from one trail end to another.

A turkey tail mushroom that has gotten so big that it looks feathery

Wise Creek, a tributary to the Ocmulgee River

Bill putting the chain back on the chainsaw - just like putting a chain back on a bicycle

Some fallen logs were cleared with the chainsaw.

A beautiful hardwood hillside on the Oakfuskee Trail. This trail was on a route connecting Charleston, SC to New Orleans, LA that Native Americans used for hundreds of years before white settlers arrived.

Hardwoods and pines live in the Oconee National Forest.

Robert with the Billy Goat

After we worked several hours, Bill headed home, and Robert and I had a picnic lunch sitting in the back of the trailer.

Robert was a lot happier to have this pb&j sandwich than he looks in this photo.

Then, he worked a while longer while I rode home on dirt roads.

Trailhead near the horse camp where everyone gathered

The Ocmulgee River from River Road

I rode on some of my favorite roads in the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge, stopping at Natural Rock Crossing for my tea and an oatmeal raisin walnut Clif Bar.

Distance: 34.4 miles

Tea: lemon ginger

Latitude/Longitude: 33°08’17” N, 83°43’05” W

what3words: pictures.scorpions.rearrange

Haiku:
Trail work, then a ride
Forest and wildlife refuge
I love public lands

 

2021 Coffeeneuring #6 (11/22/21)

The end of the Coffeeneuring Challenge was drawing nigh, and so I was glad to get coffeeneuring #6 in after work that Monday evening. It was a great way to slow down after a lot of riding over the weekend (the Sasquatch Ride), followed by a long, busy workday. What would be a good spot to stop for the day's tea? I decided to ride in honor of my beagle Shelly and stop at the spot where Robert and I found her almost 16 years ago, on December 26, 2005. She was skin and bones. We think she was a hunting dog who got lost and that she was about a year old at the time. That makes her about 17 now.

Shelly holds her own in the Land of the Giants; all the other dogs we have had during her tenure have been greyhounds. She has been the benevolent dictator during most of her time.

As I approached the spot where we found Shelly, I saw a rabbit cross the road. I decided that that must be the exact spot! I sat on the side of the dirt road, drinking my tea in the dark and enjoying the peace and quiet. I thought about how grateful I am to have had such a great dog for so many years. (I’m also grateful that no one drove by and wondered what I was doing!) Shelly is still doing terrific, thankfully. Here’s to Shelly!

Distance: 5.7 miles

Tea: cinnamon spice

Latitude/Longitude: 33°16’49” N, 83°39’00” W

what3words: challenger.registrar.twitchy

Haiku:
Lost, starving beagle
Needed to find her a home
We did – it was ours

Shelly says, “Can I go back to my nap now?”

 

2021 Coffeeneuring #7 (11/28/21)

For my grand finale, I rode to the giant wooden Sasquatch about 20 miles south of where I live. For perspective, the butterfly is about 2 feet tall.

Sasquatch kept me company while I drank Earl Grey tea (my favorite tea) from a thermos and had a couple of homemade pumpkin cookies.

There is an annual chainsaw carving festival called Chaptacular at this location. The last time it was held, pre-pandemic, the participants created Sasquatch as a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis. I discovered Sasquatch only about a month ago when we rode by during Pumpkin Peloton. At that time I didn't have any money with me. I made a mental note to ride back another time to make a donation. I set aside an amount of "mad" money each month for charitable purposes. I was glad to give some mad money to Sasquatch during my last coffeeneuring ride of 2021.

Distance: 45.6 miles

Tea: Earl Grey

Latitude/Longitude: 33°05’00” N, 83°33’13” W

what3words: pure.zebras.cuddled

Haiku:
Last coffeeneuring
Found the elusive Sasquatch
Stomping out disease

Peach Peloton - Dirt Edition

Peach Peloton started on November 6, but this past Saturday was my first one for the year.  I did the Stuckey’s Bird Dog 100 race on November 6, the Journey Ride for Autism on November 13, and the Sasquatch Ride on November 20-21.  It was great to be back with my Peach Peloton peeps!  And this time we did a dirt edition – very fun!

Last year Robert led a Peach Peloton on mostly this same route, which includes some dirt roads near Culloden and Musella that I had never ridden.  Last year I missed the ride because I had a brevet.  I’m so glad I got to experience these roads this year.

The 10 of us were a bigger group than most of us expected.  It was very cold at the start, but we knew it would get more comfortable later on.

It’s a lot harder to draft on dirt roads, and so I really had to work to keep up with the guys.  On the dirt sections, I pretended I was racing in the Bird Dog 100 again.  The paved sections gave me some respite as I got to draft again.

I laughed to myself because about the only time I got to look at the scenery before the store stop was when I took a nature break.  Here’s a pretty view from my first one:

At my second nature break spot I saw some raccoon tracks.  I love their handprints:

The store stop was at about mile 47, more than halfway into our 71-mile ride.  The guys dropped me about two miles before the store stop.  You’d think it wouldn’t bother me after all these years, but I was kind of irked at their testosterone-driven egos.  I rolled up while most of them were inside.  I had enough water probably to get me through the rest of the ride, and so I stopped only long enough to open a Clif Bar.

Continuing the next few miles by myself, I was still kind of mad.  That evaporated when I got to an unusual dirt road through some peach orchards.  Robert had mentioned some peach orchards, but I figured they would be the usual type, visible from the road.  This was so different.  Although it was a named road, it was really a farm road.  In some places it wasn’t even much of a road, just some ditches.  It was adventurous, almost magical.

Peach season is still a ways away.

These peach trees belong to Dickey Farms in Musella, the iconic destination for peach ice cream.

Now in a better frame of mind, I continued riding.  I reminded myself that I know the guys are always going to ride hard, and it’s great training.  I played a game with myself, trying to make it all the way back before the guys caught me.  I made it by two minutes.

When I’m riding hard, often I get a snippet of song stuck in my head.  I don’t choose it; it just happens.  This time it was from REM and was particularly appropriate:

Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination
But we’re still a ways away, but it’s still a ways away

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.

Stuckey's Valley of the Giants

Hello there!  I haven't written in a while.  Not that I haven't been riding - I've had all kinds of great adventures since my last report, like the MACC One Love Century, A Century of Brevets to commemorate the first brevet in France 100 years ago, mountain biking at Kolomoki Mounds during a weekend trip to White Oak Pastures, Pumpkin Peloton (October precursor to Peach Peloton), and lots of regular rides after work and on the weekends.  I've just been super busy at work and trying to keep the house in decent order whenever I'm not riding.  But I simply have to write about the Stuckey's Valley of the Giants gravel race.

A new race promoter has teamed with Stuckey's for a series of gravel races, Stuckey's Gravel Roll.  Yes, that's the same Stuckey's with the iconic stores along the interstate throughout the South that sell pecan log rolls.  Stuckey's Valley of the Giants race was last Sunday in Blairsville, GA.

They had three options: short (37 miles), intermediate (75 miles), and pro (117 miles).  With considerable trepidation, I signed up for the pro option.  Robert, thinking I was crazy, signed up for the intermediate option.

Blairsville is about a 3-hour drive from my house, and so I needed to find lodging for the night before the race.  However, I didn't think about it much until about a week before the race.  It totally didn't occur to me that fall is the busiest season in the mountains of North Georgia.  There were no motel rooms available in Blairsville or any town within an hour's drive.  Eek!  Fortunately, Robert reminded me of Airbnb.  We found a nice place to stay in Brasstown, NC, about a 30-minute drive from Blairsville.

We drove to Blairsville on Saturday afternoon and picked up our race packets at Grandaddy Mimm's Distillery, the race staging location.  Blairsville was our best option for finding vittles, and so we ate dinner while we were in town.  A quick Google search yielded Lucky's Taqueria.  It was great!  It wasn't the typical Speedy-B-combo type of Mexican restaurant.  It tasted fresh and authentic.  Not that I have anything against cheese, but the key to good Mexican food in Georgia seems to be finding a place that doesn't cover everything with it.  Robert's tamale and my pozole were both excellent.

We drove north through the early evening sunshine to our Airbnb in Brasstown, NC.  It was clean and comfortable - just what we needed for the night.  The owner also left some homemade cookies and scones, which were delicious.

Then next morning after a quick breakfast, Robert and I loaded up at 0'dark thirty to head back to Blairsville.  I was ready to ride well before the pro start at 7:30 AM.  We lined up in front of Grandaddy Mimm's.

One of the race promoters, me, and a volunteer

I was the only woman in the pro race.  There were 15 men.  We had a police escort as we rode out of town.  I stayed with the group for about the first 10 miles, which were paved.  Not long after we turned onto dirt, however, most of the guys dropped me.  I wasn't worried, though; I knew it would be a long day in the saddle.

It was an interesting race in that the whole course wasn't timed.  Only certain sections were timed: one for the short course, two for the intermediate course, and three for the pro course.  The intermediate and pro courses had the same first timed segment, which started about 12 miles in.  It was nearly nine miles long, climbing Duncan Ridge Road to the top of Wolfpen Gap.  I've climbed Wolfpen on the paved road several times, but this was my first time climbing it on this unpaved road.  I'm a good climber, and I'm used to endurance events, but this was extra tough because the road was covered with rocks.  I'm so glad I experienced the rocky conditions on Robert's and my mountain bike ride in Costa Rica a few months ago, even though that didn't have nearly as much climbing.  Otherwise, Valley of the Giants would have been much more of a surprise to me.  I discovered that my cyclocross bike was undergeared for this type of climbing.  I had to grind, grind, grind the whole way in my lowest gear.  My lower back was killing me, which I had never experienced.  It was all I could do to get to the top.  At last I made it!

There had been an aid station at mile 12, just before the timed section, but I didn't need to stop then.  However, I did stop at the second aid station at the top of Wolfpen at mile 21.  While I didn't wolf down my food and drink, I don't think I stayed very long, either.  Surely, it wasn't more than about five minutes.

The purpose of the timed sections was to encourage people to enjoy the surroundings rather than having nose down 100% of the time.  I tried to follow this intent, descending Wolfpen and riding the next 20 miles or so at what felt like a moderate tempo pace.  I don't think I could have ridden much faster regardless.  The climb up Duncan Ridge Road had taken a lot out of me.

Even in the middle of a race when I'm toast, I can't help but mug for the camera.

Then I got to a stupid steep climb that wasn't timed.  It was a few miles long - less than Duncan Ridge Road - but it was much steeper.  In fact, I had to walk up a good portion of it.  I don't think that slowed me down because I couldn't have ridden it any faster.  It was crazy!

Although I had gotten something to drink at the second aid station, I had forgotten to fill both my bottles.  I thought I could eke by to the next aid station.

I reached a crest, got back on my bicycle, and started climbing again.  I knew I was close to the turn for the extra 43-mile loop for the pro race.  The rider packet had indicated that making the time cutoff assumed an overall speed of 11 to 18 mph.  I was averaging a little over 11 mph, and so I figured I was OK.  I started looking for the timing mat; you had to roll over the mat at the beginning and end of each timed section.

I saw some volunteers.  One had a large, orange flag.  He waved me through the turn.  I saw a sign that said "Intermediate Course."  I stopped for a moment and called out, "This says 'Intermediate Course.'"  The volunteer called out, "You have to go that way!"  I didn't know exactly where the split was between the intermediate and pro courses, and so I rode in the direction I was told.

A couple of miles later, I saw another aid station.  Great!  I needed water, and this way I could fill up before the big, extra pro loop.  The friendly volunteers greeted me enthusiastically and said that I was the first one through.  Incredulously, they asked if I had just finished the 43-mile pro loop.  Confused and somewhat in a panic, I said, "No!  Did I miss a turn?"  Their faces fell, and they said the turn was about two miles back.  As I mentally started preparing to ride back as quickly as I could, I also got angry.  I told the volunteers that I had seen a sign for the intermediate course, and the guy with the flag said I had to go that way.  Then, these volunteers realized what had happened.  I had missed the time cutoff to continue on the pro course, and so the guy with the flag had me continue on the intermediate course.  My stomach dropped.

I felt terrible that I had missed the time cutoff.  It couldn't have been by much.  At the same time, I hadn't been lollygagging.  Had I stopped too long at the aid station at the top of Wolfpen?  Surely not.  And my only other stop had been for about 30 seconds for a nature break.  Well, there wasn't anything I could do about it now.  As a consolation, I didn't have any more difficult climbs like the two I had already done.

I asked the volunteers if I might be included in the scoring for the intermediate race.  They weren't sure.  So, I headed on and decided to make the best of the remainder.

Can you believe that I forgot yet again to fill my bottles at the aid station?  I guess I was too focused on having missed the time cutoff.  At least I drank a Coke while I was there.  And fortunately, it was only about 10 miles to the Coopers Creek Store.  We stop at this store on the Secret Gaps 200K brevet, and so I knew that I could get water in the outdoor restroom without even going into the store.  I was in and out within a couple of minutes.

The second timed section was approaching.  (It would have been my third timed section if I had done the extra pro loop.)  I felt energized after refueling and from the adrenaline of my frustration.  So, I decided to keep racing.  I crossed the timing mat at the beginning of the section.  This one was about three miles long and didn't have much climbing.  Zoom!

The last aid station was right after this final timed section.  My cycling buddy Donald was the volunteer here.  I told him that I had missed the pro time cutoff.  He sympathized but said that the extra pro loop was a death march.  Remembering how hard the two earlier climbs had been, I started thinking that maybe I was better off for having missed the time cutoff.

It was what it was.  I rode the remaining 13 or so miles back into Blairsville.  I felt surprisingly strong, all things considered.

Riding into the middle of town, I entered a roundabout and exited toward Grandaddy Mimm's.  This street was closed for the race.  The finish was on a downhill.  I whooshed across the finish line, rode a few hundred feet, and turned around to take my timing chip back.

One of the volunteers congratulated me enthusiastically, informing me that I was the first woman finisher.  I thanked her but noted that I had missed the pro cutoff time.  She said, "But you beat the intermediate women!"  I replied, "That's because I started an hour before they did!"  "Oh...yeah," she said.  Still, I was grateful for a safe race and that I felt OK.  Plus, they gave me a Stuckey's pecan turtle at the finish line :)  It hit the spot.

I changed clothes and got something to eat.  Then, I claimed my free post-race beverage at Grandaddy Mimm's.  They make various types of moonshine and vodka.

I got a Dirty Hillbilly, which includes Mimm's Blackberry Moonshine, Owltown Raspberry Guava Vodka, and cran-blackberry juice.  I can't think of a better way to relax after being wrung through the wringer.

Robert crossed the finish line about an hour after I did.  I was perfectly content to keep chilling while he had his post-race meal and beverage.

Later I found out that I had missed the cutoff time by only 7 minutes!  Only 9 of the 15 men in pro made the time cutoff, and 8 of them finished.  I was the fastest on both timed sections among all of us who missed the pro time cutoff.  Also, I had the fastest women's time in both of the intermediate sections, but I didn't get any credit because I had registered for pro.  It was a great (if tough!) learning experience.  One of the volunteers at the end noted that they underestimated how long it would take everyone.  It sounds like they will increase the cutoff time for next year.

I think this was the toughest single-day cycling event I have done.  Even so, I still had a good time.  Robert has already ordered me a new crankset that will give me a higher gear ratio on my cyclocross bike.  It's too early to decide if I want to go up against the Valley of the Giants again next year.  In the meantime, I'm gearing up for the next Stuckey's Gravel Roll event in a few weeks: the Bird Dog 100.