Paul did this 300K in less than 12 hours, but the rest of the local recumbent group (I mention local because there was a Corsa and Tour Easy from New Orleans – I only saw them at the first couple of controls and talked briefly with them early in the ride) had no intention of turning this ride into a race. Greg was on the heavy and not-so-aerodynamic V-Rex, and had said that the only way he could ride with us was if we kept a reasonable pace, and that was already what Steve, Peggy, and I had planned, this being our first 300k.

I did want to try and reach the last control before the end, Dixie’s Little Stop at mile 157, by 7:00 pm. This place is known for its good food, and I figured after a longer break than usual, and rigging up all the lights, we would be ready for the last stretch in the dark.

Shortly after leaving Italy, this route turns onto FM667 which is new chipseal. There are rollers here, but no really tough hills, and the wind hadn’t really started blowing yet. Five miles before the first control at Dawson, this route turns onto SH31. This is a short break from the chipseal, but with the route’s new detour, it stays on SH31 all the way to Hubbard, and the shoulder past Dawson is ……… you guessed it, rough chipseal.

At Hubbard, the route turns southeast on SH171. This highway shoulder is still rough chipseal; the new detour seems to have added even more chipseal to the route. The southeast wind really started to pick up while we were on this road. There are also a couple of pretty tough hills on it. We had passed an upright paceline on the flatter part of this highway, but every bicycle on the planet passed me on that second hill, I think.

We pulled into the next control in Mexia at mile 57. We spent more time at this control than I intended, but everyone seemed a bit tired from the chipseal and wind. It was at this point that I discovered that inhaling part of a Clif bar doesn’t work very well. I thought I was going to choke to death on the spot. From Mexia, the 300k route travels east to Teague on RR1365. This is a tiny road, but it’s well worn chipseal that’s not as rough as what we’d been on, and there are so many tall trees that the wind doesn’t bother you as much, either. At the control in Teague, we were joined by Ken from Colorado. He had made a wrong turn for a couple of bonus miles, and was doing the 300k like us, so we added one more to the group for the rest of the ride.

We headed south out of Teague on FM80, bound for Jewett, 27 miles to the south. It’s an almost steady gradual incline from Teague to Jewett, and with the south wind really blowing now, this stretch was brutal. Greg fell back, and thinking that he was worn out from going against the wind on his heavier bike, I dropped back to pull him. It turned out it was just severe foot pain that was slowing him down. The 300k route turns around at Jewett, and we saw Paul going the other way about 6 miles before we reached Jewett.

We took a nice long break in Jewett, and as we went to leave, Mark Metcalfe made a quick stop at the store. He was doing the 600k, which goes another 21 miles past Jewett, then turns around, so while we had 97 miles at this point, he had 140 miles already! And he was doing it by himself; no one else had stayed with him.

Headed north out of Jewett, we were flying. A steady slight downhill and a tailwind was just what the doctor ordered. We dropped Ken. Even pedaling at a very easy recovery pace, there’s just no way an upright could stay with us on this stretch. The next control stop was at mile 127 in Groesbeck. Ken pulled in a few minutes behind us. Peggy told Ken she had told us all she felt bad about dropping him. Steve pointed out that she never stopped pedaling while she was saying that.

For the second stop in a row, I pulled my shoes off. That chipseal definitely takes a toll on feet, and my body was telling me that it had already done a 200k, it was time to drive home. I knew that pedaling another 68 miles was going to be a chore.

We left Groesbeck and were back on more familiar roads. The remainder of the route is part of the 200k which I have done several times. The roads are smoother on this stretch, too. It has some rolling hills, but nothing too tough. We arrived at Dixie’s at exactly 7:00 pm. Everyone was tired, but in good spirits. I usually just eat sports bars, Payday candy bars, and fruit on these rides, but on a 300k, something more substantial seemed necessary. About 25 miles before Dixie’s, I started thinking about a cheeseburger, and by the time we arrived, I was ready to order mine. It must have seemed like a good idea, because everyone else ordered one, too.

We took our time at Dixie’s, rigged lights and reflective devices, and took off for the final 38 miles in the dark. With 5 bikes, the road was very well lit. This stretch has lots of rolling hills, and I took the lead. I out-coast everyone on the downhills, and am the slowest on the uphills, so up front seemed to be a logical place for me in this stretch, so I wasn’t constantly passing or being passed. It occurred to me that this turned out to be a great time for a 300k. It didn’t get too hot during the day, and it wasn’t too cold now that it was dark. It was truly great riding weather. We made a quick stop at a closed store in Mertens, about 11 miles from the finish. Greg sat massaging his feet as he had a conversation with a toad. I don’t think the toad was too happy that Greg had scared off all his bugs.

On US77, about 4 miles from the finish, Steve zoomed by me to claim the Italy city limit sign, then Peggy came flying by, too. Just like I had good sense, I sped up for the final 4 miles, too. I finished at 10:17, with a total time of 15:17. I had an on the bike average of 16.3 mph. With the route detour, the total miles were 195.6, so after getting our brevet cards signed, Steve, Peggy, Ken, and I decided to get back on the bike and ride 5 more miles to claim our first double century.

My first 300k and first double century, on the same day, and with good friends, I was a tired but happy camper. Thanks, Steve, Peggy, Greg, and Ken. It was a special day.

Peggy and I.

Steve and Peggy at Dawson.

Greg, Peggy, me, and Steve.