I received this ride report from David who is a co-worker in DC. I had sent him my previous ride reports and must have inspired him to go out and suffer on a very hilly ride. David told me he was riding his first hill event and was traveling to eastern Maryland to hit the big hills in Appalachia and I wished him good luck and asked for a ride report when he returned. This is in the same area as Mountain Momma and Cheat Mtn. Challenge rides, although a little further north. David signed up for the Metric, which at 8,000 ft in 60 miles is pretty challenging.
http://www.winthefight.org/granfondo/
Options were:
- The “Diabolical Double” – the feature event of the Garrett County Gran Fondo, the Diabolical Double is a true, extreme epic on par with European climbing classics such as Etape du Tour, la Marmotte, and the classic Italian Gran Fondos. At 125 miles and 16,500 feet of climbing, the Diabolical Double is an all-day affair that is an extreme challenge for even the most fit rider. Included in Rapha Continental’s 2009 tour of the Top 25 Epic Rides in North America, and called by the Rapha riders “one of the most demanding and stunning rides of the summer”, the Diabolical Double is destined to become a true North American cycling classic.
- The “Savage Century” – at 102 miles and 12,700 feet of climbing, the Savage Century is a very challenging century ride in its own right despite playing second fiddle to the Diabolical Double. The Savage Century shares the first 59 miles and final 15 miles of the Diabolical Double route.
- The “Masochistic Metric” – at 62 miles and 8000 feet of climbing, the Masochistic Metric can stake its claim as the toughest metric century route in North America. The Masochistic Metric shares the first 47 miles of the Diabolical Double and Savage Century routes and includes some of the most stunning rural scenery and vistas you are ever to encounter on a bike as well as the vast majority of the steepest climbs encountered in the Savage Century and Diabolical Double routes
- The “Garrett’s Greatest 25″ – A beautiful 25 mile ride through the rolling Garrett County farmland with a challenging 3 mile climb to the finish atop Wisp Mountain.
Event and ride report on the Gerrett Fondo
The Garrett Fondo is an amazing ride. I think I was way overtrained for the challenge of the course I signed up for but underprepared with supplies. At the hotel the night before the start, I was certainly intimidated by the other riders. There were all these grim, skeletal gentlemen who looked like they spent their lives climbing l’alp.
The fondo was all wooded lanes, farms and alpine meadows. The course was steeply up or steeply down at every inch of road, but the longest climb was not more than 4 miles. Still, at what a pitch: we must have been climbing 20% grade for 2 miles on Bowman Hill, the biggest climb. At another point on one flatish stretch of road, I looked at my elevation meter and saw we were still climbing at 10%. And at the steepest points, even the people crawling back-and-forth across the road were probably climbing at 15%. I was glad I had learned how to eat on sheer descents, because there was no way I was going to do it climbing.
There weren’t that many riders, although the fondo did sell out. Each group was around 80 riders, and we left from the mountain of the Wisp ski resort in three heats separated by thirty minutes. I started with the 3rd and last group who looked totally unprepared for this 60-mile route (or any 60-mile route), except for their amazing bikes. Does everyone else but me have a R2 Cervelo or Dogma at home? (There were also tri bikes!)
I was riding all alone after two climbs up Shingle Camp and White Rock Road, when the route took me down into the wooded valley below the ski resort’s summit. And on your good advice, I rode by the first checkpoint without stopping. And then the real climbs started: a 1,200 foot ascent up Morgantown Rd, and several 500+ climbs up Everly Rd and Collier Rd and Pig’s Ear Rd and the Devil’s Half Acre. My only moment of pain came about 20 miles later with 2 miles left to the last checkpoint, where I cramped up suddenly somewhere between Pig’s Ear and Devil’s Half Acre. I had run out of electrolytes 15 miles back, and I had no idea what they would have at the checkpoint. People I passed just minutes before came along and zipped by me only offering a few sharp remarks. But I recovered, feasted at checkpoint 2, and gingerly rode through the Savage Forest area and up to the summit finish with a few heat 1 riders who had cut their 125 mile ride short.
Do no families come to these events to see the riders finish?
When I crossed the line there was Melanie and Bea cheering for us with no one else around besides a handful of volunteers. I never did see the real climbers, the walking skeletons who spooked me at the hotel the night before. They must have still been enjoying the double century when I packed up my bike and drove off. The food tables were still piled high when I finished, and my toddler and I feasted on Goldfish and Heed.
For my first organized ride, I was happy with my pace, although it was not much to talk about. Before my leg cramped up, I was riding around 16mph/well under 4 minute miles. At the end, my average pace had gone to 14.2mph or so which is around a 4:15 minute mile.
