# CRAM Ride in Clarksville, TN: 26 May



## tuck

www.bikethecram.com

Has anyone done this ride? If so, details?

The offical site is more lacking in information than a blonde with a labotomy. 

First century I've seen that promotes itself as being the flattest.


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## drumguy_01

I believe this is the same route, or very close to, the Clarksville Sunrise Century on Labor Day weekend...if so, the route is extremely flat. I rode the Sunrise Century in 2011, it's a nice course. Enjoy.

clarksvillecentury.com


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## tuck

*******! Thanks for the informtion. 

If nothing else, it starts/ends at the same schrewel.


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## drumguy_01

FYI....if you're a fast rider, you can attempt your fastest century ever on this course 

I rode with the Elite group last year at the Sunrise Century and was dropped at 86 miles with an average speed of 26.2mph!! I finished the century in 4:06 hrs, still with a 24.5mph average. I did my fair share of work, so I was happy to hang on as long as I did 

connect.garmin.com/activity/111637982


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## tuck

drumguy_01 said:


> FYI....if you're a fast rider, you can attempt your fastest century ever on this course
> 
> I rode with the Elite group last year at the Sunrise Century and was dropped at 86 miles with an average speed of 26.2mph!! I finished the century in 4:06 hrs, still with a 24.5mph average. I did my fair share of work, so I was happy to hang on as long as I did
> 
> connect.garmin.com/activity/111637982


I'm really disappointed with the website for the ride. Very little information. When I visit the Rotary site, there is no contact information, i.e. phone numbers to call and actually ask questions.

I'd like to get some real details about the ride before I drive all the way to Clarksville. Based on what I see, I'm very interested in doing it, BUT... I'd feel better with a little more info (i.e. number of SAG, hours of operation, etc, etc, etc.).


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## tuck

Signed up for the full century. This will be century #3 for the season. 

Clarksville here I come!


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## tnladywolfe

I will be doing the CRAM for the first time this year. I did the Sunrise Event and loved it and the Sunrise will be my first century. I'm just not prepared to do a century right now.


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## tuck

tnladywolfe said:


> I will be doing the CRAM for the first time this year. I did the Sunrise Event and loved it and the Sunrise will be my first century. I'm just not prepared to do a century right now.


Ahhhhhh. Come on! I haven't been riding this last week or two like I should have to get ready for this, but I'm still going to do it. We'll suffer, but in the end, it'll be worth it. 

Seriously haven't been riding as much as I should to get ready. Been doing boat related stuff and the weather hasn't been too cooperative the last two weeks. But, I figure that, with this being my third century this year, and if it's as flat as I hear, I'm hoping to have no problems. 

The 3S3M was HUGE...about 2,000 riders alone. Not including the support groups, on-lookers, etc. How many people usually participate in this CRAM?


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## armybikerider

This will be my 4th CRAM and I've done the Sunrise ride for the last 3 years also. Both of these rides use the exact same start/finish location and exact same route. The routes, as advertised are really flat and fast through the cornfields and pastures of Southern KY and Northern TN....boring some would say. It's likely to be the fastest century you'll experience. The rest stops are OK and spaced appropriately with the usual supply of packaged granola bars and sliced fruit, water and sports drink. Nothing spectacular but not too bad. The routes are pretty well marked, with color coded arrows painted on the road at the turns. Petty good road surfaces too, with low traffic.

I've not seen anything "official" but judging by the parking lot and the size of the group of riders at the start, I'd guess between 300 - 500 riders participate - at least in years past. You should be able to find small groups that are riding your route at the pace you want to ride.

I'm not much into centuries. I prefer rides of 3 hours or so, where I can ride at a little faster pace rather than spending all day on my bike. I'll be doing the 62 miler, hopefully in 3 hours.

The start is at the Rossview High School with the sign up inside the building. In years past they've allowed use of showers which is really cool - especially if you have a drive ahead to get back home. The spaghetti lunch after the ride is nothing to look forward to. Watered down canned sauce ladeled over over-cooked noodles has been nothing to write home about and easily something that you won't miss if you skip it. I've only eaten it once and now just get a scoop of ice-cream and forego the meal.

The forecast is for dry conditions, but hot and likely humid especially in the morning. The high for Saturday is predicted to be near 94 and you can bet the humidity will push the heat index much higher than that, so come prepared. Wind usually isn't much of a concern, but the wind for today is supposed to be gusty to over 25 mph. Saturday's forecast doesn't call for high winds, but if it is windy, the flat terrain won't give you much of a break.

It should be a good ride and a good time. Have fun!

Dave
hope you have a good ride!


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## tnladywolfe

I agree with everything that the above poster said but I don't know about the lunch/dinner part cause I've never ate it. Yes, it will be hot this year so be prepared for that. I'm looking forward to it and maybe making new cycling friends. I will not be doing the 62 in 3 hours this year. I'm still recovering from a injure so am I taking it a little slower this time around.


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## tuck

Decent, yet inexpensive, places to stay close to the start?

I'm not familiar with the area, and have no clue where to look to make a reservation.


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## heidelj

www.clarksvillecentury.com/ has links to nearby hotels. I don't know if the route is the same (it seems like they are), but they both start at the same school.


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## armybikerider

Yes Heideij.......the routes for the Sunrise and for the RAM are exactly the same.

Tuck - wish there was something more to do in the area. Why not just drive home? There certainly aren't any other attractions or cool things to do in Clarksville. As soon as I retire from the Army in 2014, I'm beat feeting it outta here!


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## tuck

After ride report, so to speak....

Did 100.8 in 5:15:11. I was shooting for 5 hours, but I just couldn't do it with the heat...and the wind after the day heated up didn't help. :mad2: 

Will be back next year for sure, and probably be back for the other century in the fall. Great course, but I have to admit, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be...and I think that's a good thing. :idea:

Clarksville Rotary did a GREAT job with this! LOVED the spacing of the SAG stops, especially for us century riders. With the heat being as bad as it was, I think the spacing of the stops, literally, was a life safer for some. 

Kudos, CRAM people!!! :thumbsup:

And just for funsies, here I am trying to get my legs back just after the ride. (Wish I would have asked for the name of the lady who took the photo for me...she was preeeeetttttyyyyyyyyy.  )


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## armybikerider

Dude.....black jersey on a 94+ degree day....doesn't look like a lot of "funsie" to me. Lighter colored jerseys reflect heat better than dark colors.

Just sayin'!


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## tuck

Yeah, I didn't think that far ahead.  I'll be wearing white next week for Harpeth.


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## tprice14

I did the CRAM last weekend. Great ride. Did the 62 mile route. It goes from Clarksville, TN to Trenton, KY to Guthrie, KY and back.

The guthrie stop had ice cold wet towels and some aspirin which I thought was nice.


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## tuck

tprice14 said:


> The guthrie stop had ice cold wet towels and some aspirin which I thought was nice.


I'm not sure where the stop was, but on the century route it was at mile 85ish, and it sounds like this (probably is the same).

The iced towels saved my life, I think. I overheated muhself BIG TIME...I was pushing myself hard to make it in under 5 hours and wearing a black jersey, as Army pointed out, wasn't the smartest move either. Long story short, once I got off the bike at the stop, I felt as though I was about to pass out. Needless to say, I stayed several minutes at this stop before moving on. 

The stop at mile 70ish was EXCELLENT as well. The Best-Buy crew did a great job, but what made that stop EXCELLENT was the two girls passing out the water cups. :thumbsup: I just wish the really cute one would have stopped calling me "Sir". :mad2:


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## tprice14

I am still new to cycling. Just wondering, on the spectrum of complete newb to professional cyclist, where would you say you fall, Tuck?

I ask because I consider myself athletic and usually do well in all sports and while I wouldn't say I'm doing awful at cycling, I definitely struggled to finish the 62 mile course. Had there been hills I would've been in trouble. I am just wondering how long it takes to become decent and conditioned. I want to be able to hold my own with the big kids!


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## tuck

tprice14 said:


> I am still new to cycling. Just wondering, on the spectrum of complete newb to professional cyclist, where would you say you fall, Tuck?
> 
> I ask because I consider myself athletic and usually do well in all sports and while I wouldn't say I'm doing awful at cycling, I definitely struggled to finish the 62 mile course. Had there been hills I would've been in trouble. I am just wondering how long it takes to become decent and conditioned. I want to be able to hold my own with the big kids!


Not sure what to say on this one, brother, for I still consider myself to be a noob. I just started cycling (again) last August, and what I did before that was nothing (just mucking about doing about 6 miles each go on a mountain bike along a paved path) and it was YEARS ago. 

Let me say this...in all seriousness: I'm NOT athletic. At least I don't consider myself to be. I played football and baseball when I was a kid, and a little in college (for my fraternity), but never was really any good at it. To the point I dreaded doing it, to be honest. And I'm sure as hell not a fitness freak...still don't consider myself to be. I hate going to the gym, would rather have you beat me with a pipe than run, and can't do situps because I just hate 'em. Why have I done so well with cycling? A lame and overly simplistic answer is "it's mental", I think. 

I'll spare the whole bit about why I started doing this again, and the steps that have lead to this point, but I can honestly say that it's simply something I like to do. 

It's good for me, which is a major plus (I like the way I feel after punishing myself on a quick 20 miler (My daily ride, WX permitting, is a 20 mile loop on which I race myself each time out. Have gotten it down to about 59 minutes.), and especially after a long day in the saddle doing a long club ride or, even better, a century.), AND again, I like it. It's not easy to find something that does both. Plus, I've managed to drop a buttload of weight (This time last year, I was at 250. After my ride tonight, I was at 188.), and that motivates me to keep going as well (Although I probably can't really drop much more and not look like a stick figure...I hate that)..

That's a long winded and probably lame answer to your question, but that's the best I could do...because it's the truth. I'm still learning as I go...learning something new just about every time out. The difference between myself and a total noob, as I see it, is I have the legs to keep up with some more experienced riders...but I'm still a noob.


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## tprice14

I was afraid that would be your answer. I guess it doesn't matter how fast you get the hang of it or get comfortable, it's all about the legs and putting the miles in. 

Thanks for the reply and congrats on the weight loss. Feel free to share why you started riding again. A burning hatred for running and a dozen pounds or so from college induced alcoholism got me going. Cycling has been one of the more gratifying sports I have participated in. Although nothing matches the feeling of scoring a goal, or puck handling so well it completely embaresses your oppenent (talking hockey here folks) the numbers you can rack up on a bike in a given week/month/year is impressive, simply put.
When I first began, I was on my dads hybrid and would do 10-15 mile stints. Equating this mileage in my head to running miles (I am aware that is an entirely different conversation!) I thought I was killing it. As I progressed and was able to go longer distances and ride with clubs, I was quickly put in my place. That being said, finishing my first metric century was extremely rewarding. I am aware a 62 mile ride isn't anything crazy to the biking community but it is a HUGE deal to me.

Of course if you asked me how much I enjoyed it immediately following the ride I would have likely offered you my bike for $5 and sworn off riding for the rest of my life


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## tuck

Yeppers. There's no getting around putting in the miles. And that, as much as the mental attitude (as you have to have the right attitude to do the miles), is what makes it work.

There's a point to this next bit, so hang in there...

Last August I started out with the old Royce Union Mtn Bike. After a few days I moved to a Trek Katai hybrid which I kept for about six weeks (Wasn't sure if I wanted a Mtn Bike or a Roadie). After deciding on road cycling, I moved to a Trek 2.1 for about two weeks, and then went ahead and bought my Madone in mid-October. I didn't have a computer on the Royce Union or the Katai, so I have no record of the miles I put in on those two bikes. I did have one on the 2.1, but I left it on the bike when I sold it, as I was getting a wireless Node 1 computer for the Madone. 

As of last night's ride, I have 3,255 miles on the Madone.

Point of all that cyber-babble is... Miles.


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## tprice14

armybikerider said:


> Yes Heideij.......the routes for the Sunrise and for the RAM are exactly the same.
> 
> Tuck - wish there was something more to do in the area. Why not just drive home? There certainly aren't any other attractions or cool things to do in Clarksville. As soon as I retire from the Army in 2014, I'm beat feeting it outta here!


Too cool for Jazz on the lawn?



armybikerider said:


> There certainly aren't any other attractions or cool things to do in Clarksville


I hear people say this all the time. I dont get it. Okay, our night life is a bit lacking but other than that what do other towns have that we dont?

We have easy access to a river for boating. Parks everywhere. Short drive to a metropolitan area (Nashville), access to a college and all that entails. Maybe I am the ignorant one for liking Clarksville but considering the number of soldiers who choose to retire here I doubt thats the case.


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