I survived the Covered Bridges 200K.
Stats:
- Miles ridden: 125.3 (201.8 km)
- Covered bridges ridden through: 2
- Near-maulings by Corgi: 1
- Frolicking newborn goats at a yard sale: 1
- Yard sales I resisted stopping at: many
- 400K riders who followed me when I split off on the 200K route: 2
- Times stopped on the “The Wall” to rest: 2
- Agricultural parade routes ridden: 1
- Sore knees: 2
- Times I should have applied sunscreen: >0
- Donut-like-pastries consumed: 2
- Clif bars consumed: 3
Longest I’ve ever ridden, first time over 100 miles. I started riding consistently May of last year, and I’ve come a long way since.
My knees gave out at about mile 90, so I had to gear down and pedal slow enough that they wouldn’t hurt. 35 miles is a long way to go that way. After the Snoozeville Populaire, I felt really strong. This time, limping in like this, I feel more like I just outlasted the course in a war of attrition rather than actually conquering it on my own accord.
Rolling into Scio, the Lamb and Wool Festival was going on, so the normally quite crossroads was full of people waiting for the start of the parade. A bunch of lycra and/or wool clad cyclists was probably not what many of them were expecting. At the Covered Bridge Cafe, I had a Hog Back Maple Bar after seeing Joel outside with one. A perfectly-cooked slice of bacon on top of a maple-glazed bar– fantastic.
Overall, a nice ride, over some beautiful country.
That bacon/maple bar thingy looks revolting!
I am sure the Corgi only wanted to be your friend (okay, as the owner of two Cardie Corgies I may be a little biased)
You gotta watch them Corgies!
How long did it take for the 400K riders to notice their error?
About 6 miles. The 200K cue sheet was marked with “Say goodbye to the 400K riders” but the 400K sheet didn’t have a similar warning. I did think it was a bit peculiar when one of the others asked, “Shouldn’t we have hit another bridge by now?” and there weren’t any more on my cue sheet.
The maple-bacon bar. Omigosh. Wow. It sounds positively treyf*-a-licious.
(*treyf: Yiddish. Pertaining to forbidden food; opposite of kosher)
Seriously, you should feel great about your accomplishment, knees and all. Congratulations on your 200km. I am jealous and hope to do one of my own someday. Happy riding! –Beth