Photos taken on the day of our ride are below.
Click photos to enlarge.
A group of six that managed to stay together for about the first 100 miles
Jeff Bauer, Steve Phillips, George Hiscox, Steve Godbey, Ian Flitcroft, Kevin Warren
12 riders beginning the day
Sunrise 6:00 AM
Sunrise 6:00 AM
Starting the first climb
On Saturday, April 25th, twelve riders set off to tackle the Manchester Tennessee 400k Brevet. A very challenging loop that
includes stops in Beersheba Springs Tennessee, Cooper Heights Georgia, and Stevenson Alabama.
Temperatures were in the low 60's at the start but quickly climbed into the mid 80's, making for a very warm afternoon.
The 256 mile route has seven climbs of over 1000 feet each. A couple of which include some very steep sections. After the first climb of the day - up to Beershera Springs,
I found myself with five other riders, with whom I would spend the next 50 miles in a fairly organized and efficient paceline. This allowed me to get a much quicker start to my day than I had anticipated.
All five of the other riders in the group were stronger than myself, so roughly 100 miles into the brevet I was unable to hold their pace and fell off of the back and found my own rythym.
At South Pittsburgh I was surprised to see a large gathering celebrating the "National Cornbread Festival". As good as that sounded, I just grabbed a chocolate milk and kept moving. I did stop for a couple of quick photos of the bridge as I left town (see below), before beginning the climb back up from the river and on into Georgia.
I bumped into Jeff Bauer and Steve Phillips as they left the control in Cooper Heights Georgia, but I would not see them again before the end.
At this point I was mentally counting down the climbs - I would tell myself, "OK, 4 down, only 3 to go.", somehow it seemed to make the miles pass quicker. Before I knew it, I was in Stevenson Alabama (mile 179). I pulled in just before dark, grabbed a quick energy bar and changed into my reflective gear. I soon found myself cursing the Alabama road department (which must consist of a dozen kindergarteners with a bag of quickrete),
and fending of dog attacks (they evidentally followed me from Kentucky).
After topping the final climb of the ride, I bumped into Steve Godbey and Ian, but my energy was a bit low so I found a nice patch of grass and
kicked back for a few minutes to eat and rehydrate while they went ahead. As I was lying there Wendy rolled by. I shouted hello, which I believe scared the wits out of her. I explained that I was fine and just in need of a break, so she continued on her way. Once I recovered and got moving again,
the rest of the ride was uneventful. The road surface finally smoothed out a bit and after a short stop at the Winchester control, it was a peaceful ride to the finish.
All twelve starters successfully finished the brevet. The results are posted
HERE.
It is a great route, and the weather and the company could not have been better!
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Steve & Jeff climbing to Beersheba Springs, TN
Control at Beersheba Springs
South Pittsburgh - Cornbread Festival
Bridge leaving South Pittsburgh
View from the Bridge
View from the Bridge
Manchester 400k = 14,500 feet of climbing
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