# -2007 Mountain of Misery- Roll Call



## bas

Who's already signed up?

I haven't signed up yet..but trying to get into shape for it. I got about 10-15 more lbs to lose before the ride. (191lbs currently).



https://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/MoM.html


century:










double century:


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## RHRoop

I did the route on my own a few weeks ago when I was in town visitng my parents. Its a great route. My favorite part was the switchbacks at the top of John's Creek Mountain. I was wishing I had a something bigger than a 25 on the back but it was all fun!

Lovely thing about that part of the world is that you are either going up hill or down. The only level ground is at the top and bottom of the hills.


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## Legend911

*MoM*

I would join you on that painful endevour, but I am signed up the Bike Jam already. that is on the 29th and a painful century like that would kill somebody of my stature with under a week of rest.


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## bas

Legend911 said:


> I would join you on that painful endevour, but I am signed up the Bike Jam already. that is on the 29th and a painful century like that would kill somebody of my stature with under a week of rest.


I feel A LOT stronger come Tues/Thursday rides after subjecting myself to this torture.


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## Legend911

*Torture*

Ah I don't do tuesday and thursday rides to get stronger anymore. I have had a cycling coach since december and a monthly schedule to follow to improve my abilities and fitness. It is working very well. I can't let other people dictate my rides anymore. I have to do what is right for me. When I am not busy I will come out there and whoop some butt!!!! :thumbsup:


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## VaughnA

I'm not going to make it this year. Had surgery a couple of months ago and between that, the weather and work I'm just not in shape this year. I'm planning on doing the Wilderness ride on my SS with the wife and some friends. Good luck, I hope the heat isn't as bad as it was last year.


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## spin150

*4th time*

I'll be there, hopefully a bit fresher than previous times, as I am not doing Mt. Mitchell the weekend before.


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## pbird74

*Where to sit to get good pics during MoM...*

I'm wanting to get some good pictures during Mountains of Misery. Where would be some good places to set up?


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## MarkS

pbird74 said:


> I'm wanting to get some good pictures during Mountains of Misery. Where would be some good places to set up?


Depends on how you define "good pictures." If you want some good pictures of lots of cyclists riding together, set up somewhere between the start line and the 30 mile mark or so -- people will spread out after that point. If you want to capture suffering, be near the summit of the John's Creek climb or the final climb. If you are interested in nice scenery as a backdrop for your photos, I can't help you there. I have done the ride every year since 2002, but I have been suffering so much during the ride that I really have not paid too much attention to the surroundings. Well, that's a slight exaggeration, but not much of one.


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## HikenBike

I was seriously considering it until I saw the $80 registration fee. Plus, I would have to get up at 4 AM.

I plan on saving the $80 and riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway instead. It's still good training for Marion/Mt Mitchell.


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## bas

HikenBike said:


> I was seriously considering it until I saw the $80 registration fee. Plus, I would have to get up at 4 AM.
> 
> I plan on saving the $80 and riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway instead. It's still good training for Marion/Mt Mitchell.



Thats only because you are like a week late. It was $55 otherwise.

I didn't flinch twice and thought it was worth it paying that much last year.

I'm going to wait till the last moment and see how the weather is.


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## MarkS

bas said:


> Thats only because you are like a week late. It was $55 otherwise.
> 
> I didn't flinch twice and thought it was worth it paying that much last year.
> 
> I'm going to wait till the last moment and see how the weather is.


I have done the MoM every year since 2002. It is an incredibly well supported ride and well worth the registration fee (even if you have to pay the late fee).

bas: What kind of weather are you hoping for? I have done the ride in extreme heat (2002 and 2006) and driving rain (2004). Given that the odd numbered years (2003 and 2005) had great weather, I'm counting on good weather this year. That being said, I would rather do the ride in the rain than the blistering heat that we had last year.


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## bas

MarkS said:


> I have done the MoM every year since 2002. It is an incredibly well supported ride and well worth the registration fee (even if you have to pay the late fee).
> 
> bas: What kind of weather are you hoping for? I have done the ride in extreme heat (2002 and 2006) and driving rain (2004). Given that the odd numbered years (2003 and 2005) had great weather, I'm counting on good weather this year. That being said, I would rather do the ride in the rain than the blistering heat that we had last year.


2006 was my first year, and that is as hot as I'll go. I had to really cool of on mile 80 and lay down some. I suspect it will be cooler this year.

I'd rather not ride in the rain.. it's ok for a little bit, but gets annoying after a while. soaking wet shoes, feet slopping around, etc.


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## Coolhand

For those looking for a later in the year event, the 4th annual Blue Ridge Extreme Century is open for registration on Bikereg.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=4415

www.blueridgeextreme.com

As a bonus I will be doing the event this year myself!


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## bikeboy389

*Wilderness Road Ride?*

Anybody here ridden the Wilderness Road ride the day before the MoM? Girlygirl and I were considering it because my sister lives in Radford and it would be a good excuse to visit without being underfoot all day. It looks like it stays in the New River Valley, so we're thinking rolling hills, which would be OK for us, but there's no profile on the website so we don't know for sure.

Anybody know about this ride?

http://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/WRR.html


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## VaughnA

bikeboy389 said:


> Anybody here ridden the Wilderness Road ride the day before the MoM? Girlygirl and I were considering it because my sister lives in Radford and it would be a good excuse to visit without being underfoot all day. It looks like it stays in the New River Valley, so we're thinking rolling hills, which would be OK for us, but there's no profile on the website so we don't know for sure.
> 
> Anybody know about this ride?
> 
> http://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/WRR.html


WRR is a GREAT ride. There are about 10 of us from Lynchburg that do it each year. We'll be there again this year. 79 miles of beautiful scenery with excellent support. There are 3 small (< 1 mile) climbs but otherwise it is just typical rolling Virginia riding. The 55 miler only has one of the 3 climbs and is also great. I recommend it. Come and join our little group if you like. It is one of our no-miss rides.


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## AllUpHill

bikeboy389 said:


> Anybody here ridden the Wilderness Road ride the day before the MoM? Girlygirl and I were considering it because my sister lives in Radford and it would be a good excuse to visit without being underfoot all day. It looks like it stays in the New River Valley, so we're thinking rolling hills, which would be OK for us, but there's no profile on the website so we don't know for sure.
> 
> Anybody know about this ride?
> 
> http://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/WRR.html


Great ride. I might be biased since I live on the route. I especially recommend the 50 miler -- the nice long, low bridge over Claytor Lake rounds out the scenery nicely. The 70 mile route is nice too. Actually, the bridge is only a couple hundred yards from the 70-mile / 50-mile fork. Enjoy.


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## bikeboy389

Well, it looks like we're taking a miss this year. I had completely forgotten that my sister is in Italy right now! She sent me an email shortly after VaughnA responded.

It looks like something we will be quite interested in for next year, though, and maybe we'll come down later in the summer and ride it on our own.


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## MarkS

bikeboy389 said:


> Well, it looks like we're taking a miss this year. I had completely forgotten that my sister is in Italy right now! She sent me an email shortly after VaughnA responded.
> 
> It looks like something we will be quite interested in for next year, though, and maybe we'll come down later in the summer and ride it on our own.


Sorry to hear that your will not be able to come this year. I checked my Polar HRM data. My 2006 data is screwed up. But, in 2005, I rode 59 miles and climbed a total of 3200 feet. No climb was more than 400 feet.


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## bas

The weather keeps changing.. was 75F on sunday

http://www.weather.com/outlook/homeandgarden/pets/weekend/USVA0068?from=tenDay_topnav_pets

now up to 86F.

Saturday now has chance of rain. that'll probably shift to sunday and change to 80%. ugh.


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## bas

bas said:


> The weather keeps changing.. was 75F on sunday
> 
> http://www.weather.com/outlook/homeandgarden/pets/weekend/USVA0068?from=tenDay_topnav_pets
> 
> now up to 86F.
> 
> Saturday now has chance of rain. that'll probably shift to sunday and change to 80%. ugh.


Looks like it is going to stick.

Fri
May 25

Sunny
85°/60° 10%
85°F
Sat
May 26

Partly Cloudy
85°/61° 10%
85°F
Sun
May 27

Partly Cloudy
85°/63° 20%
85°F


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## MarkS

Looks like it is going to be a little cooler than it was last year. My Polar HRM recorded a max temperature of 97F last year on the Mountains of Misery. I can take rain (like in 2004) or cold, but the heat really kills me. Looking forward to Sunday.


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## sicjoy

Hey all, I just found out about the ride and wanted to ask if a 25 is all right. I know it's a personal prefrence, but I don't want to make it _THAT_ bad. Also, what makes the support so good? How far away are the starts from Christiansburg (both Saturady and Sunday)? Thanks for all info and hopefully we'll met there!:thumbsup:


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## bas

MarkS said:


> Looks like it is going to be a little cooler than it was last year. My Polar HRM recorded a max temperature of 97F last year on the Mountains of Misery. I can take rain (like in 2004) or cold, but the heat really kills me. Looking forward to Sunday.



I just signed up. My legs have turned into jello at my desk.


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## AllUpHill

sicjoy said:


> Hey all, I just found out about the ride and wanted to ask if a 25 is all right. I know it's a personal prefrence, but I don't want to make it _THAT_ bad. Also, what makes the support so good? How far away are the starts from Christiansburg (both Saturady and Sunday)? Thanks for all info and hopefully we'll met there!:thumbsup:


The 25 should be more than all right. Are you doing the century or double metric on Sunday? I rode the double metric last year with a 39/23 and had no problems. The century is significantly flatter, so a 39/21 should work there. 

Yes, both starts are close enough to Christiansburg. I live there and ride or volunteer both events often. You'll be 10 minutes closer to Saturday's start than in Blacksburg, and 15 minutes further from Sunday's start than in Blacksburg.


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## bas

AllUpHill said:


> The 25 should be more than all right. Are you doing the century or double metric on Sunday? I rode the double metric last year with a 39/23 and had no problems. The century is significantly flatter, so a 39/21 should work there.
> 
> Yes, both starts are close enough to Christiansburg. I live there and ride or volunteer both events often. You'll be 10 minutes closer to Saturday's start than in Blacksburg, and 15 minutes further from Sunday's start than in Blacksburg.


You are a monster!

I was dieing in 30x25, especially on the last climb. I kept blowing up and having to rest and catch my breath. :mad2: 

I'm bringing the 12-27 on the rear this year. I should survive the middle climb in 42x27 at least 3/4 of the way up..


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## MarkS

bas said:


> You are a monster!
> 
> I was dieing in 30x25, especially on the last climb. I kept blowing up and having to rest and catch my breath. :mad2:
> 
> I'm bringing the 12-27 on the rear this year. I should survive the middle climb in 42x27 at least 3/4 of the way up..


All Up Hill definitely is a monster. I just looked at the results from 2006. If AUH's real identity is what I think that it is, he finished the double metric century over an hour before I finished the wimpy, "significantly flatter" century. 

I have a triple and only use the small chain ring two or three times per year. One of those times is the final climb on the MofM. One of my riding buddies is putting mountain bike gearing on the back of his bike this year -- I think that he has a 32 on the back (and a compact on the front). The MofM is not a place to be too proud to use every easy gear that you can get your hand on.


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## bas

MarkS said:


> YoAll Up Hill definitely is a monster. I just looked at the results from 2006. If AUH's real identity is what I think that it is, he finished the double metric century over an hour before I finished the wimpy, "significantly flatter" century.
> 
> I have a triple and only use the small chain ring two or three times per year. One of those times is the final climb on the MofM. One of my riding buddies is putting mountain bike gearing on the back of his bike this year -- I think that he has a 32 on the back (and a compact on the front). The MofM is not a place to be too proud to use every easy gear that you can get your hand on.


His double metric was 2 hours quicker than my century.

There was this teenage girl on a mountain bike with some what thin tires.. she *almost* made me look bad on climbs. haha.. she was barely breathing. but I did ride past her on both climbs.

22x34 would be awesome, i think  .


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## sicjoy

AllUpHill said:


> The 25 should be more than all right. Are you doing the century or double metric on Sunday? I rode the double metric last year with a 39/23 and had no problems. The century is significantly flatter, so a 39/21 should work there.
> 
> Yes, both starts are close enough to Christiansburg. I live there and ride or volunteer both events often. You'll be 10 minutes closer to Saturday's start than in Blacksburg, and 15 minutes further from Sunday's start than in Blacksburg.


Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it, but I cannot afford the ride and lodging:cryin: . Hope it's great and that you enjoy it.


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## AllUpHill

bas said:


> His double metric was 2 hours quicker than my century.
> 
> There was this teenage girl on a mountain bike with some what thin tires.. she *almost* made me look bad on climbs. haha.. she was barely breathing. but I did ride past her on both climbs.
> 
> 22x34 would be awesome, i think  .


Listen, these hilly rides are all in your head. If you have trouble, you just need to meditate more. I'm serious. Practice getting super relaxed and loose while you climb. 

There used to be this guy here who would literally big ring it all day, every day, including Mtn Lake and similar. 53x25 was the lowest he would go, didn't matter if the grade was 12%, didn't matter if he'd already been out 6 hours. Eccentric but cool.


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## bas

AllUpHill said:


> Listen, these hilly rides are all in your head. If you have trouble, you just need to meditate more. I'm serious. Practice getting super relaxed and loose while you climb.
> 
> There used to be this guy here who would literally big ring it all day, every day, including Mtn Lake and similar. 53x25 was the lowest he would go, didn't matter if the grade was 12%, didn't matter if he'd already been out 6 hours. Eccentric but cool.


:idea: 

I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...
I am Lance Armstrong...

:thumbsup:


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## bas

bas said:


> :idea:
> 
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> I am Lance Armstrong...
> 
> :thumbsup:


I weight 30 more lbs than Lance..Ummm.... I'm in trouble.. :mad2:


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## MarkS

AllUpHill said:


> Listen, these hilly rides are all in your head. If you have trouble, you just need to meditate more. I'm serious. Practice getting super relaxed and loose while you climb.
> 
> .


You may be right. I used to be the master of the death grip on the handlebars on long climbs. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from another rider was to loosen up on my grip. That being said, even if all of us could meditate like buddhist monks, you still would beat most of us up those hills by a significant margin. 

If you are riding tomorrow, good luck. And, save some food for those of us who will be coming in at the back of the pack.


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## bas

MarkS said:


> You may be right. I used to be the master of the death grip on the handlebars on long climbs. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from another rider was to loosen up on my grip. That being said, even if all of us could meditate like bhuddist monks, you still would beat most of us up those hills by a significant margin.
> 
> If you are riding tomorrow, good luck. And, save some food for those of us who will be coming in at the back of the pack.


Only 4 hours sleep the night before.. ARGH. I'm just about falling asleep driving the 278 miles to blacksburg the whole way - as it is a pretty monotonous drive. So I goto bed 10:30..and am awake until 12 ..sweating with the air conditioning running in the room. I remember waking up 4 am too. My alarm was off a 5 am and I felt pretty awake. I also had only 4 hours of sleep the night before last year.. I don't know what it is.


This year's time was 8:55... last year 9:05. So I saved 10 minutes...I got to the birdeye view camera crew 30 minutes faster this year. I cut out rest stop #1, and tried quick pee breaks, water, some food and get back on the bike. 

I think I sucked big time on the second half. I had no power in the first climb and was keeping my heart rate under 170. Having it start to beat outside your chest isn't a good sign, so I backed off..  went up it in the 30x27.. same with the final mountain - except I had to stop so many freaking times .. so I saved reststop time I think - and ended up paying for it on the final climb. 7:30 was the ride time.. 

I was cramping during the final climb - found that sitting further back on the seat help delay and prevent hamstring cramping - I think by allowing it to fully extend more. And why is it always my left hamstring?? 

I was some where before 250 finisher out of the 500 they said they had??... which suprised me.

I heard and came upon a crash.

Ambulance in the morning went flying by - saw them putting some guys neck in a brace. I later heard - and think he was the guy that hit a deer or the deer hit him. 

I also heard about a deer that jumped over a pack of 25 or something - and caused a crash in that group?? Not sure if any one was hurt on that one.

1 dude almost lost it going to the second rest stop on the bridge - he rear tire flew out from under him and he was going sideways but managed to stay upright. I congratulated him "nice save dude".. "thanks - i thought i had lost it for sure".. .

before mile 83 - ambulance, fire truck (1970's era machine?!), and fire chief? (1970 caprice?) - (it was like an old movie - I'm amazed the stuff is still working) went flying the other way towards the railroad - and also another EMT. not sure if it was cyclist related or other.

going down the hill past mile 83.. there was a bridge that could have been marked sooner given the speeds people could approach it at (i was on the brakes).. it was the rough bridge with all the orange on it.. some dude in VT kit - came upon him and he had wiped out or something and was bleeding all over the road - the other guys in front of me thought maybe he hit some sand or something.. there was a kid on his cellphone and a yappy dog running around - maybe he was avoiding the dog?... this OLD beat up truck stopped and gave the guy a lift back up to mile 83. He seemed pretty pissed and just about threw his bike into the bed of the truck. I saw blood coming down from his head. yikes.

The one strangest thing was this guy - his friends and I dropped him before the first rest stop. Later in the ride - I pass him. I pass him 1 more time - and say "how you'd get in front of me again?" - he said "I don't know.. but I know I'll be behind". I think I passed him 2 more times - and was walking his bike each time. completely strange.

I also realize that a lot of people cut out the 11 mile loop before the starting point rest stop. That's why some people end up with skewed times. That saves over an hour. I did think about it today with all the heat.. at least the breeze was nice. It didn't feel all that humid at times.

Couple nice looking ladies on the ride.

There was a bride and groom on the ride too. He was in a tux shirt, and she had on a top part of a veil on her helmet. I think I heard they were married yesterday.


Did come across 1 guy in "roadbikereview.com" cycling shorts. I asked him if he still goes to RBR.. "HUH?". "Road bike review?? yer shorts"... "Oh - I just bought these online or something". Oh well :/


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## VinPaysDoc

*The Deer Hunter*



bas said:


> I heard and came upon a crash.
> 
> Ambulance in the morning went flying by - saw them putting some guys neck in a brace. I later heard - and think he was the guy that hit a deer or the deer hit him.
> 
> I also heard about a deer that jumped over a pack of 25 or something - and caused a crash in that group?? Not sure if any one was hurt on that one.


bas,

I was with the double metric lead group when they saw the doe come across the road. It went down the embankment on the left and was out of sight for a brief second before it jumped back up on the road and tried to thread the needle between me and the guy behind me. We were doing about 30 mph when the guy T-boned the doe. There was no time to react or place for him to go. When I looked back you could see the doe and the rider in the ditch to the right. The rider reportedly broke one (possibly more?) cervical vertebrae but had no spinal cord injury. The doe was injured and was reportedly shot (I'm guessing by the police).

Greg


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## bas

VinPaysDoc said:


> bas,
> 
> I was with the double metric lead group when they saw the doe come across the road. It went down the embankment on the left and was out of sight for a brief second before it jumped back up on the road and tried to thread the needle between me and the guy behind me. We were doing about 30 mph when the guy T-boned the doe. There was no time to react or place for him to go. When I looked back you could see the doe and the rider in the ditch to the right. The rider reportedly broke one (possibly more?) cervical vertebrae but had no spinal cord injury. The doe was injured and was reportedly shot (I'm guessing by the police).
> 
> Greg


Thanks for the update. I would have been definitely spooked after that if I had seen it.. 

How'd your ride end up otherwise?


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## VinPaysDoc

bas,

Other than the sheer pain finishing Mountain Lake, my ride went well. I don't ever recall having so many different muscle groups sending out little twinges like they could completely spasm at any given moment. These guys riding this with a 39/25 are pure studs.

Greg


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## MarkS

bas said:


> This year's time was 8:55... last year 9:05. I was some where before 250 finisher out of the 500 they said they had??... which suprised me.
> 
> There was a bride and groom on the ride too. He was in a tux shirt, and she had on a top part of a veil on her helmet. I think I heard they were married yesterday.
> 
> Did come across 1 guy in "roadbikereview.com" cycling shorts. I asked him if he still goes to RBR.. "HUH?". "Road bike review?? yer shorts"... "Oh - I just bought these online or something". Oh well :/[/QUOT
> 
> We must have been riding together. I finished just over 9 hours (I came in right behind the bride and groom). I would have finished about 10 minutes sooner, but I flatted just after the railroad crossing around the 90-95 mile mark. For several years I have finished around 8:40-8:50. So, I guess that I am not getting any better, But, it is some consolation that at 48, I am not getting worse, The RBR shorts guy was riding near me for a good part of the ride. When we were on the loop just before Newport, I said to him, I am MarkS, what is your handle and I got a blank stare.
> 
> I felt that I was doing well until the the last 10 miles. For some reason, the flat just demoralized me and my stomach started to feel really bad with around 2 miles to go on the final climb. I tried to follow All Up Hill's advice to meditate on the climbs. It really worked on Johns Creek Mountain -- I actually was passing people on the way up. But my feeling like I was going to barf, made it impossible to meditate on the final climb. I could not eat anything at the finish line because my stomach felt so bad and I used all the mental energy I could muster not to barf in the van on the ride down the mountain.
> 
> I have done the ride every year since 2002 and have finished every year except for 2004 with I tried the double metric and quit at Newport after riding 108 miles, many of them in the rain. The MoM is the best orgainzed ride about which I know and my hat goes off to James DeMarco and the many volunteers that make the ride possible. An example of how well orgainzed and responsive the organization is: I had emailed James Demarco after last year's ride with some suggestions, including my liking to drink CocaCola near the end of a long ride. This year there was Coke available at the later rest stops. I said something about it and one of the volunteers said: "Some people requested it, so we decided to provide it this year." Another example of the organization: After I had flatted, I was fumbling with my minipump and CO2, when a sag pulled up and a volunteer jumped out with a floor pump -- she probably saved me 5-10 minutes and waited after I started again to make sure that I did not flat again.
> 
> I cannot say enough good things about this ride.


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## MarkS

sicjoy said:


> Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it, but I cannot afford the ride and lodging:cryin: . Hope it's great and that you enjoy it.


There is a municipal playing field about a mile from the Newport Rec Center (the starting point of the ride) that is used for overflow parking. When I parked there, I noticed that there were several people who had camped out there in tents. Although there are no showers there, there is a real bathroom at the site. It may not be as comfortable as a motel room, but if your budget is an issue, you may want to consider camping.


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## bas

MarkS said:


> I had emailed James Demarco after last year's ride with some suggestions, including my liking to drink CocaCola near the end of a long ride. This year there was Coke available at the later rest stops. I said something about it and one of the volunteers said: "Some people requested it, so we decided to provide it this year."
> 
> I cannot say enough good things about this ride.


There was even beer there.. 

Anyways - I hate you now MarkS (j/k). That was my first soda in 4 months!!! 
I got about 3/4 the way through it and didn't feel like anymore.. 

I did King Size my soda @ burger king on the way home though... No more for a while.


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## bas

I got stuck at the train for 3 minutes or so at the rail road tracks - right before the climb. That sucked having to wait.

I was in the bride and groom pack until our 3rd official rest stop (mile 30-43?). (with #4 being the stop before the climb). We had maybe had about 10 riders there. RBR dude was before mile 73 and our group had dropped him.... 

I had on the Amgen Tour of California leader's jersey from 2006 (Floyd Landis) and Nike 10/2 shorts. I had brought my Disco TdF Yellow Jersey and Disco shorts - but felt unworthy to wear it just yet. haha (maybe come Mountain Mama I'll change my mind).





MarkS said:


> We must have been riding together. I finished just over 9 hours (I came in right behind the bride and groom). I would have finished about 10 minutes sooner, but I flatted just after the railroad crossing around the 90-95 mile mark. For several years I have finished around 8:40-8:50. So, I guess that I am not getting any better, But, it is some consolation that at 48, I am not getting worse, The RBR shorts guy was riding near me for a good part of the ride. When we were on the loop just before Newport, I said to him, I am MarkS, what is your handle and I got a blank stare.
> 
> "Some people requested it, so we decided to provide it this year." Another example of the organization: After I had flatted, I was fumbling with my minipump and CO2, when a sag pulled up and a volunteer jumped out with a floor pump -- she probably saved me 5-10 minutes and waited after I started again to make sure that I did not flat again.
> 
> I cannot say enough good things about this ride.


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## MarkS

bas said:


> I got stuck at the train for 3 minutes or so at the rail road tracks - right before the climb. That sucked having to wait.
> 
> I was in the bride and groom pack until our 3rd official rest stop (mile 30-43?). (with #4 being the stop before the climb). We had maybe had about 10 riders there. RBR dude was before mile 73 and our group had dropped him....
> 
> I had on the Amgen Tour of California leader's jersey from 2006 (Floyd Landis) and Nike 10/2 shorts. I had brought my Disco TdF Yellow Jersey and Disco shorts - but felt unworthy to wear it just yet. haha (maybe come Mountain Mama I'll change my mind).


Did you pass me while I was fixing my flat tire halfway up the climb from the railroad tracks? I crossed just before the train came; while I was fixing my flat, some riders who were caught by the train passed me. I definitely remember seeing your jersey at various points along the route. I was wearing a solid blue jersey and a white Giro helmet (a lot less memorable than your jersey).

I don't want to get this kicked over to the Doping forum. But, assuming that you are not using performance enhancing drugs, you are a lot more worthy to wear a yellow jersey than most of the riders who have worn it on the last day of the Tour in Paris since at least 1996.


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## bas

MarkS said:


> Did you pass me while I was fixing my flat tire halfway up the climb from the railroad tracks? I crossed just before the train came; while I was fixing my flat, some riders who were caught by the train passed me. I definitely remember seeing your jersey at various points along the route. I was wearing a solid blue jersey and a white Giro helmet (a lot less memorable than your jersey).
> 
> I don't want to get this kicked over to the Doping forum. But, assuming that you are not using performance enhancing drugs, you are a lot more worthy to wear a yellow jersey than most of the riders who have worn it on the last day of the Tour in Paris since at least 1996.


Can't say I remember you. I'll have to write BAS - RBR.COM next time on my tag.

There were 2 riders that were pulling off to the right of the road, and some car was backing up the mountain to pull onto the our side of the road, but I think they may have been from my group that was stuck at the train. I had to yell 'car back' as some car was coming up the mountain and wave my hand for that driver to stop so we all didn't get squished. 


The only blue I remember is some guy named Casey in a solid blue that I road with in the mile 73-83 loop for a little.


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## VinPaysDoc

Guys,

If you want to see what each other looked like, go to BirdsEyeView, check out your picture, and then post a link here.

This was me before I was soaked in sweat:

https://www.birdseyeview.net/cgi-local/store/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Cycling/20070527_MOM/Passed%20Clock%2005_30%20to%2005_59&image=MOM_2351.jpg&img=&tt=&tfile=tn_MOM_2351.JPG

Greg


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## bas

VinPaysDoc said:


> Guys,
> 
> If you want to see what each other looked like, go to BirdsEyeView, check out your picture, and then post a link here.
> 
> This was me before I was soaked in sweat:
> 
> https://www.birdseyeview.net/cgi-local/store/imageFolio.cgi?action=view&link=Cycling/20070527_MOM/Passed%20Clock%2005_30%20to%2005_59&image=MOM_2351.jpg&img=&tt=&tfile=tn_MOM_2351.JPG
> 
> Greg



The toughest part on the final climb was that even though my water bottles were emptying - the bike was not getting any easier to pedal.


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## spin150

*Getting slower*



MarkS said:


> There is a municipal playing field about a mile from the Newport Rec Center (the starting point of the ride) that is used for overflow parking. When I parked there, I noticed that there were several people who had camped out there in tents. Although there are no showers there, there is a real bathroom at the site. It may not be as comfortable as a motel room, but if your budget is an issue, you may want to consider camping.


I stayed at the Newport Ballfield every time since 2004. Can't beat $10 for lodging.

Set my best time the first time at 6:42, this year I am down to 7:10. Can't use the "old age" excuse as the second place finisher was 50 years old and one of our local masters racers finished top 20 at 55.

On to Mt.Mitchell in two weeks!


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## VinPaysDoc

Spin,

Mitchell, eh? Yet another ride where I will collapse over the handlebars after crossing the finish. Somehow the 34/27 I run just never seems like enough those last few miles. 

It took me 10:44 to do the DM at MoM last year. Of course, I was in the group that went over Peter's Mountain into WV and added some 28 miles and 2 mountain passes to the DM. I improved my time this year to just under 8 hours. Amazing what staying on course will do! Old age will catch up with me sometime soon (48 now), but I'm not going to go without a fight.

Greg


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## MarkS

Here's one of my pics:

https://www.birdseyeview.net/cgi-lo...MOM_1741.jpg&img=50&tt=&tfile=tn_MOM_1741.JPG


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## bas

MarkS said:


> Here's one of my pics:
> 
> https://www.birdseyeview.net/cgi-lo...MOM_1741.jpg&img=50&tt=&tfile=tn_MOM_1741.JPG


I don't remember you.. but the 2 guys ahead of you COMET (i was with them in the bride and groom group from 30-43), and the 1 guy after you I think I was riding with before 2 stops before the climb (43-53). He was rather talkative.


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## bas

bas said:


> I don't remember you.. but the 2 guys ahead of you COMET (i was with them in the bride and groom group from 30-43), and the 1 guy after you I think I was riding with before 2 stops before the climb (43-53). He was rather talkative.


I definitely remember the girl on the left.

https://www.birdseyeview.net/cgi-lo...e=MOM_1718.jpg&img=&tt=&tfile=tn_MOM_1718.JPG

Definitely a sight for tired eyes on the road. :thumbsup:


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## MarkS

bas said:


> I don't remember you.. but the 2 guys ahead of you COMET (i was with them in the bride and groom group from 30-43), and the 1 guy after you I think I was riding with before 2 stops before the climb (43-53). He was rather talkative.



Maybe next year all of us should wear RBR kits so we can identify ourselves.


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## bas

MarkS said:


> Maybe next year all of us should wear RBR kits so we can identify ourselves.


Team RBR.

I guess I need to order some kit first


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## Spongedog

*Personal Moutnains of Misery yesterday*

While I did not do the official ride, my buddy and I set off on a double century yesterday at 4:20 AM, and returned at 11 PM. 208 miles. 14,000+ feet climbing! My Garmin crapped out at 190 miles, so used my friends backup computer to mark the final miles. (I tried to figure the best way to get the most hours out of the Edge 305. I brought the charger with me and plugged it in when we grabbed lunch and dinner.) 

We started in McLean, VA, crossed over the river at the Chain Bridge, and went up the Clara Barton to McArthur Blvd, and up to Falls and then North on River. Took that up to the mountains in Montgomery and Frederick County, and then over to Sharpsburg and West Virginia out to Martinsburg. Then up to Falling Water and back down to Sharpsburg and straight on down to Harpers Ferry and then to the W&OD. I have great respect for those who did the MoM because we planned our route so we would have the (semi) downhill W&OD at the end so we could fly on home...you guys had the giant hill to kill at the end.

One problem with going on an un-organized ride like this is that our map stank and we ended up crossing a huge ridge just to find that we went down the wrong side of the mountain. We turned around and crawled back up and went the right way.


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## MarkS

Spongedog said:


> Took that up to the mountains in Montgomery and Frederick County, and then over to Sharpsburg and West Virginia out to Martinsburg. ]


Where was the OUCH? Harp Hill? Or, was it on what appears to be one of your many crossings of South Mountain?

I did several rides in Frederick and Washington counties in preparation for the Mountains of Misery. Given the ride that you did and your average speed, you would have done a lot better than I did at the Mountains of Misery. You should try it next year.


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## Spongedog

Here is the link to the actual MotionBased page. I don't know the names of any of the hills. We bought one of those local bike maps, and pieced together the trip. From your description of South Mountain, I have a feeling that is where we were. If you recognize any of the terrain, please post.


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## Spongedog

Oh yea. We had decided to do a double century this year just to see if we could. I have been reading the posts here about MoM, and I am definitely going to do that next year.


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## MarkS

Spongedog said:


> Here is the link to the actual MotionBased page. I don't know the names of any of the hills. We bought one of those local bike maps, and pieced together the trip. From your description of South Mountain, I have a feeling that is where we were. If you recognize any of the terrain, please post.


I recognize some of the terrain in the Maryland part of your trip. It looks like you climbed to the Civil War Correspondents' Arch from Burkittsville, descended on the other side and then reclimbed it. The ridge that you crossed at the Arch and when you climbed again from Middletown is South Mountain. I do not like the traffic on Route 40, but it does have a nice shoulder when you climb from Middletown. I had thought that you may have climbed Harp Hill Road or Hamburg Road, both of which are slightly to the east of where you were riding. Both of them are quite steep.

This book has three good rides in the Frederick, Maryland, vicinity, and other good rides in Northern Virginia. http://www.snjrides.com


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## Spongedog

hehe, you noticed one of our map reading mistakes. We did not see the turn at the top of the hill with the arch, rode down the other side and up the street before we realized our mistake. We turned around and rode back up the hill and turned left down the other side of the hill like we should have done the first time. 

I was pretty impressed with the grade on the ridges and mountains. I am jealous that you can train in those hills. I have a little 250 foot hill behind my house and when I need to train for hills, I just ride up and down it over and over and over and over.....


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## MarkS

Spongedog said:


> I was pretty impressed with the grade on the ridges and mountains. I am jealous that you can train in those hills. I have a little 250 foot hill behind my house and when I need to train for hills, I just ride up and down it over and over and over and over.....



You probably live as close to those hills as I do. I live in the suburbs of Baltimore. When I want to ride up hills that are more than 200-300 feet, I put the bike in the car and drive to Frederick or Thurmont. If I were to ride to those hills from home, I would have to put in 50 miles before I hit the hills. A few years ago, I did ride from home to Thurmont, climbed South Mountain and returned for a round trip of about 117 miles. But, I am no MB1 or Miss M.


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## bas

Spongedog said:


> Oh yea. We had decided to do a double century this year just to see if we could. I have been reading the posts here about MoM, and I am definitely going to do that next year.


Mountain Mama is calling for you.

http://www.bikemountainmama.homestead.com/

August 4, 2007

Century -- 2 states, 3 counties, 9 mountains, over 100 miles and 13,720 feet of climb!!


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## bas

VinPaysDoc said:


> bas,
> 
> I was with the double metric lead group when they saw the doe come across the road. It went down the embankment on the left and was out of sight for a brief second before it jumped back up on the road and tried to thread the needle between me and the guy behind me. We were doing about 30 mph when the guy T-boned the doe. There was no time to react or place for him to go. When I looked back you could see the doe and the rider in the ditch to the right. The rider reportedly broke one (possibly more?) cervical vertebrae but had no spinal cord injury. The doe was injured and was reportedly shot (I'm guessing by the police).
> 
> Greg


I was talking to a guy in my group ride tonight (WWVC), and he said the doe has poked its eye out on the handlebars and had bent the left side crooked and the police shot it to death.

Out of curiosity - how many people stopped, called for help, waited, etc?

Psychology studies that kind of behavior - groups tend to help less, diffusion of responsibility or something I think it is called?

I mean I'd feel kind of useless and would want to stay out of the way if some people who at least appear to know what they are doing are helping. 

I turned around for another rider down on the road after another rider commented to me about it - 2 drivers were stopped trying to help the guy (I think he was just sandwiched between the cars and wasn't really hit). I asked if anyone called for help and the drivers said he said he was alright (but was still lying on the ground) and the rider eventually got up and said he was ok. Then I took off.


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## VinPaysDoc

bas,

When I turned back it looked like most of the peloton behind him had stopped to help. I had no cell phone with me and figured he had plenty of help. We pressed on and told the next SAG support we saw.

Greg


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## bas

VinPaysDoc said:


> bas,
> 
> When I turned back it looked like most of the peloton behind him had stopped to help. I had no cell phone with me and figured he had plenty of help. We pressed on and told the next SAG support we saw.
> 
> Greg


On the rider information sheet, it said 90% of the area has no cell coverage. it also says to use your cell to call 9-1-1 then alert sag.. Ummm.....


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## Spongedog

Wow...that one looks like a killer! I have to say that after the 200 miler on Monday, I am going to be riding my couch-like mountain bike for the next couple of weeks.


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## Lifelover

Coolhand said:


> For those looking for a later in the year event, the 4th annual Blue Ridge Extreme Century is open for registration on Bikereg.
> 
> http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=4415
> 
> www.blueridgeextreme.com
> 
> As a bonus I will be doing the event this year myself!


Blue Ridge Extreme is a great event with a couple of very tough climbs. However, the hotel where is starts and ends from (The Afton Inn) is a complete Dump and the breakfast is a Joke!

There are some nice places to stay a mile or two down the hill.


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