LSR hosted 200k and 300k brevets out of Italy today. I took off with everyone at 7:00 am to ride the 200k. Rumors about other recumbent riders showing up were greatly exaggerated. Bryan and Shellene were the only other recumbent riders I saw. It was 40 degrees with the north wind already blowing at start time, and I struggled to keep my fingers warm, even with chemical packs inside my glove covers.
I ended up with a group that included Val, Robin, Vicky, Mark Thomas, Gary, and Charlie. It was a nice tailwind and we made great time on this part of the ride with very little effort. In our group, only Charlie and I were riding the 200k, so everyone else stopped at the Mexia control while Charlie and I headed on to Groesbeck. We caught Debbie Breaud on the way to Groesbeck, and joined her.
I made it to Goesbeck, almost the halfway point at mile 63, in less than four hours, with an 18.0 mph average. That dropped quickly once I left Groesbeck, though. The remaining 68 miles were mostly against the north wind. And the further we got from Groesbeck, the harder the wind blew.
By the time we got to Dixie’s at mile 93, I was fading fast. Bryan and Shellene were still at Dixie’s when we arrived. Shellene left right after we got there, but Bryan, having knee issues, joined us for a slower pace finish.
The Dixie’s stop seemed to rejuvenate me for a little while, but by the time we turned straight into the wind on FM 308 at mile 101, I was slowing down again. It wasn’t long before I was just turning the pedals. And just turning the pedals against this kind of head wind will get you nowhere fast. It ended up being one of those rides where I made pretty good time for 80 miles or so, then just seemed to pedal forever to ride the last 50 miles.
Somewhere along the way, Bryan started feeling better, and I watched him disappear off into the distance in front of me. The temperature really started dropping on the last part of the ride, and my toes got cold. The insole chemical pack I was trying out worked well, but like me, faded before the ride was over. I did manage to eventually pedal myself back into Italy.
I ended up with 131.5 miles, with an overall time of 9:45, finishing at 4:45 pm. After a very unhealthy dinner at the Grandy’s inside the last control with Bryan and Shellene, I called it a day and headed home, a seriously tired camper. It’s funny how often these long rides end up being tougher than you thought they would be. But I had extra incentive to ride today. Tomorrow, I officially become a two year lung cancer survivor. Doing a 131 mile ride the day before was my own little way of celebrating.
Italy 200K brevet route
