Getting Lost

One thing that's going to be a given while out riding in a new area is that you are sure to make a wrong turn.  Even on an established ride, that is reasonably well marked, a missed turn is bound to happen.  I had it happen to me recently, and it got me to thinking of how to be better prepared, especially when leading a group.



The ride was simple, and one that I had done previously.  Leave from a well established start point, and ride ~60mi up to the top of Ceaser's Head Mountain.  My wife and kids had gotten extra water and some snacks to bring, I made up a gallon of home made drink mix that I'm experimenting with, and I met a few friends for the ride.  Everything went well until I missed the turn off the well established "Wheels for Meals" route to head up to Ceaser's Head.  It took several miles for me to realize we were off course and heading to Calahan Mountain instead.  We took a break and I pulled out my phone to get my bearings, and we adjusted the route to get back on track.  We then made it to the top without incident.  We knew we were dealing with shifting weather, and the rain clouds peaked the mountain just as we were leaving.  The trip back was going to be dicey, and we needed to be quick if we wanted to remain somewhat dry.

At the top, with clouds coming over quick

The route back was a different story.  I missed the turn to put us back onto the return route (it's the same road I missed on the way out, btw).  By the time we realized it we were prety far off course.  We decided to follow a busier than we'd prefer road back, set our course and went.  We then found the original route back, and decided to change course.  We did okay with that, until the final "major" turn, where we once again missed the marker and headed right back up towards Ceaser's Head.  We tacked on another ~5 miles before we realized where we were, and at this point we were going to get rained on no matter what.  I was tired, upset, concerned, and mostly emotionally drained.  I actually called my wife to have her come pick us up, but she was already pretty far back towards home.  

I consulted my phone's mapping program, and selected the route that I thought may get us back safely, while in the meantime working to set up a place to intercept my wife just in case.  I made the decision to keep the route my phone had set up and not deviate even if we got into familiar territory.  It added a few extra miles once we were back closer to the start point, but they were definitely easier miles than the "direct route".  We got rained on, although it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  It seems that the storm was at it's worst where we had started our journey, and since it blew over us along the way we dealt with the results more than the storm.  As we rode back on the Swamp Rabbit Trail for the last couple of miles, we encountered a lot of water and saw several down limbs.  By the time we made it back to the cars the rain had mostly passed as well.  

This event left my confidence more than shaken, and I am still determined to improve on knowing my routes and determining the best way to make sure I'm on track.  I always have my Garmin GPS with me when I ride, but the mapping features on the Edge 305 are very rudimentary.  The mapping feature is a "bread crumb" style map, with no streets or directions overlaying the map.  I need to spend more time to get used to how it displays routes, and it doesn't adjust automatically very easily.  An obvious solution would be to upgrade to the new Edge 810 that Garmin released late last year.  It has full mapping and turn by turn navigation, as well as connectivity to your phone so that your friends can know where you are.   At a retail price of $499, it's an expensive upgrade for me to justify at this point, though.

The other options are things that I can definitely do better on personally, without the need to spend a lot of money.  First is to know the route that I'm leading people on.  This means spending more time on the roads personally, without having others on the road.  After reviewing the Ceaser's Head trip, I knew that the area around Dacusville was where we had the biggest issues, and it's an area that I can ride to after work pretty easily.  I crafted a route, and decided to go up and explore.



I did manage to miss a turn, but I corrected for it and spend a lot more time getting a feel for the area.  This is going to be the biggest gain for me as I'm looking to lead out groups:  If I know the area, I can tailor the ride to accommodate the group better.  The original route back is challenging, as the climb back into Traveler's Rest is a lot of climbing.  After riding for 50 miles, having a few hard climbs left in your legs is often times rough.  As I'm learning this area near Dacusville, I'm finding new roads that may be more appropriate for this leg of the journey.

Secondly is that I can trust my instincts more.  Way too often I get to a place and I start wondering if I've missed a turn.  Things look almost right, but I have a sense that I'm not where I should be.  I second guess that instinct and just believe that I've not remembered the route properly, or that I've just zoned out some and I'm not clear on where I am exactly.  Whether this is pride or insecurity, I need to make a better point of making sure I'm confident on where I am and that we are on the proper course.  If that means a couple of extra water breaks, I don't think this is a bad thing.  Also, having the breadcrumb map on the Garmin at this point would help confirm where we were on the route without having to pull out my phone.  

Lastly, and as a big part of the other points, is to be more prepared.  While I typically work out the route on Garmin Connect, I need to make sure that I craft up route sheets more, so I can mentally work out all of the turns, and have them clearly marked.  Even if I don't use the bread crumb map on my Garmin, I should have it uploaded to use as a reference.

The ultimate goal is for me to become more confident and more capable as a ride leader.  Being able to keep my cool and overcome issues without losing confidence in myself, or causing others to lose confidence, is going to be a big key in this.  The more I can utilize tools that I have available today, as well as keep on the lookout for new tools in the future, to improve my experiences, the better off I will be.

How to be a good group member

I'm not sure if this is purely because I'm becoming more aware of it, but there seems to be a decline in general group riding abilities this cycling season.  I've spent most of this year training relatively hard for the Assault on Mount Mitchell, and the organized rides that I was participating in had a major emphasis on good group work.  What I've noticed on several of my regular group rides is that many folks are not doing some basic things that make group rides fun, enjoyable, and most of all safe.  I think they can be broken down to a set of 5 "Be's".


Be Informed:  

I believe that a group ride technically starts before you leave to go to the meet up point.  If I'm going to a new ride, I treat the prep work like an event.  Do your homework.  Before going out to a group ride, try to get as much information about the ride as possible.  Ask the ride organizer about the planned route and expected strength of the group (speed and effort required).  Print out a cue sheet if applicable.  Be aware of the elevation of the ride and know if there are climbs what amount of effort that you'll need to keep up.  Note if the ride is going to have a planned store stop, and if the organizer is planning on the ride having hard stop regroup points.  What additional equipment is required for the ride (like lights)?


Be Prepared: 

Before the ride even starts, there are things I do to make sure that I am effective and safe on a group ride.  Make sure you have everything you need.  Water bottles, food, spare tubes, air pump (or cartridges).  Make sure your chain is lubed and is functioning properly beforehand.  Don't hope (or expect) that others on the ride are going to be able to (or want to) help you with mechanical issues.  If your bicycle requires special equipment, longer than standard stem tubes for example, make sure you have the proper supplies.  No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road waiting to hopefully get picked up by someone else on the ride.  Make sure if you have a cell phone that you have it charged, just in case.  Keep your emergency contact information (including insurance information) on you, just in case.  

Make sure you have what you need to ride.

Be Attentive: 

This is the point where the ride actually is starting.  Many group organizers have multiple leaders to help them  with keeping the size of the groups reasonable.  The organizer may give some basic instructions at the start of the ride, but the ride leaders are the ones that you are entrusting to keep you safe and have everyone return back to the start point.  Listen to what the organizers and leaders have to say.  If there are special instructions, make sure to pay attention and be aware of the situation.  Typically the leaders are well versed in the routes, and they know where the technical portions of the ride may be.  You are trusting your health and safety to the people around you, as the people around you are trusting you with their own health and safety.  

Are you listening to the group instructions?

Once the ride starts, make sure to pay attention to the instructions being called out.  Turn, traffic, and road hazard information can be displayed as hand signals as well as spoken commands.  I've found many groups have their own vocabulary ("Passing" vs "Comming around" for vehicles passing is one I've personally noticed).  Make sure that regardless of the communication, you are paying attention and being aware.  Make sure that notifications are making it through the entire group.  There is no need to have "car back" shouted 24 times, but there is a need for everyone in the group to know that there is a car that may wish to pass behind you.  I personally make a small exception on this with hand signals if I feel like the conditions require me to have both hands on the handlebars at a given time.  Personally I'd rather have to eat a pot hole than have the person in front of me wipe out trying to point it out to me.  

On the ride, be aware of the conditions in the group.  One of the big issues here is keeping yourself in the proper location in the ride.  On a typical ride, the group is either single file or side by side.  In both of these situations you should be sure to be directly behind the person in front of you, with an appropriate level of gap between the back of their rear tire and yours.  This is called "keeping your line".  There is no reason to have your front tire overlapping the rear tire of the person in front of you for any length of time, and there's really no reason for you to be spaced in between two lines.  

Riding side by side

The amount of gap that you have between you and the person in front of you should be enough for you to properly handle any sudden changes.  Most of us are used to the "2 car length" rule while driving.  In cycling this gap is not nearly as large, as you are attempting to use the slipstream of the person in front of you to reduce the amount of effort it takes to keep up an extended effort.  There is up to a 30% increase in pedaling efficiency to be gained by being in the slipstream of the person in front of you.  Keeping a distance where you are comfortable with the reaction times need while still getting the benefit of the reduced wind resistance to me is something that varies from group to group, and can often change during a group ride depending on conditions.  I attempt to allow the gap to grow if I know there is a downhill section followed by a climb.  This is where the group will "accordion" or "rubber band":  that is, where the front of the group will slow down significantly while the back of the group is still accelerating to the bottom of the descent.  These situations can be a breeding ground for dangerous interactions as folks attempt to maintain effort on the climb. 

Be Considerate:

This one I think goes hand in hand with being alert.  In general, you shouldn't be participating in actions that are detrimental to the safety of yourself or the group.  The last time I checked, no one in any of my local group rides were named Cadel Evans, Ted King, George Hincapie or Eddie Merckx.  Not letting someone in does nothing to improve your status in the group.  Passing someone by crossing the middle of the road (and thus riding in the oncoming lane), weaving through the middle of the pack, or jumping onto the shoulder is not going to earn you points for a fictitious green jersey.   Flying downhill at 40mph to climb the next hill at 4mph isn't going to get you a KOM.  Rolling through stop signs/lights/traffic intersections doesn't get you a stuffed animal.  These random people have entrusted you with their health and safety in the hopes of an enjoyable ride.  

As proof - I am NOT Ted King.

Bad behavior likewise shouldn't be handled by a non-ride leader cussing out a group member, or attempting to retaliate.  I have actually heard "the next time someone passes me on the left after I finish pulling I'm going to wreck them" on a ride.  NO ONE should be riding with this attitude, let alone in a pack of other cyclists.  Reacting negatively to others behaving badly does several things, the very least of them is make what is supposed to be a recreational activity for fun into an un-enjoyable experience for everyone around you.  It may cause other riders in the group to likewise react, at best ruining their ride.  

Be Together:

In a law of averages, mechanical issues happen.  Someone is going to have a flat tire.  Chains can give out and break.  It's going to happen on a group ride every so often.  You hope that if the previous topics are done by everyone that the chances of a true mechanical issue are slim, but things happen with moving parts.  It's a terrible feeling to get into the "hammer down" section of a ride just to hear someone yell "mechanical!  soft pedal!".  Just as bad of a feeling is when you are the one that has the mechanical issue, watching the rest of the group that you are with pedal off into the sunset.  If you have taken good precautions, you hope that you have everything that you need for most minor repairs, and you are skilled enough to quickly change that flat and be back up and running. Most minor issues take less than 10 minutes to fix, and you can be on your way again.  

No one wants to watch the group ride away

One of the listed responsibilities that ride leaders typically take on is making sure that the person with a mechanical issue has what they need and can get back on the road.  This puts a lot of pressure on the group leader as they have a responsibility to the people around them beyond just making sure that everyone stays safe.  The ultimate goal is for everyone to make it back to the meeting spot and safely head home.  People often make excuses for not waiting on a mechanical, and the most common is "some folks have to get home".  The simple fact is that everyone has to get home at some point, but these people have determined that their departure time is important enough to leave someone stranded by the side of the road.  You make the assumption that they, along with any good Samaritans that happen to actually stop, can make the repairs and assist them getting back.  You make the assumption that if the people that stop cannot make the repairs, the person is able to either walk back to the starting point, or someone else is available to help get them back to the starting point.  Personally I hope that when the time comes that I have a mechanical issue, as I've had in the past, people are willing to stop and help get me back on the road, or at least not just leave me.  

Conclusion

The ultimate goal for me as I go out to ride is to challenge myself and have a good time.  I've only been riding for a short time comparatively  but the landscape of group rides is very diverse.  Everyone rides for their own goals, and their own reasons, with their own skill sets.  My take away from all of this continues to be to learn the nature of rides, and determine the rides that fit my abilities and personality.  The extreme end to many of the situations above is that someone does not return from the ride.  This is a condition that I would hope no one would want to participate in.  To that end, each individual has to do their part to make the group experience smart, safe, challenging, and fun.  When others in the group start putting themselves first, and acting poorly, the group becomes a dangerous place to be.  I've taken the stand that I will do the things that I know are proper in the hopes that others will likewise look at their own actions and adjust what they are doing as well.  

Ride 4 Animal Care

Preface:  This is going to be a rather difficult ride recap for me this time around, as one of the folks that we were riding with ended up having to go to the Hospital instead of making it back to the starting area safely.  It's difficult for me to be upbeat about a ride the ride, and to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it when I'm still struggling internally with the memory of watching another cyclist, especially someone that I know, go down and not be able to continue.  I still have her in my prayers today, and I have a lot of things to re-evaluate in my own personal riding after having to be a supportive friend to her while EMS were attending to her wounds.  

The day started out relatively cool, but you could tell that as the sun finished coming up it was going to be a warm day.  I was a bit shocked to see the number of folks that had signed up to ride in the event, which was a charity ride for Animal Care - a local rescue organization that also provides assistance to animal owners for discounted veterinary care.  I haven't heard the exact numbers, but I would guess there were between 150 and 200 people that showed up to ride.  Having the ride start at 7:30am was a good choice, as we'd be done before the relatively warm heat of the day got going.  

More folks at the start than I was expecting

There were three rides organized:  20, 43, and 67 miles.  The highlight of the big ride was Green River Cove, which is a challenging stretch that includes more than a dozen switchbacks.  I have riden that section of road a few times, but never when it is technically in season for the tubing and kayaking people.  While I signed up for the big ride, I hadn't fully decided if I would take that route as the trip down Holbert's Cove to Green River Road is not an easy section.  Secondly, this would be the first real test of my knee since the Assault on Mount Mitchell.  Lastly, several of my friends that I ride with out of Brookwood on Sundays had signed up to ride.  I enjoy riding with friends more than just going on a route, so I had already been swayed to just do the shorter route and enjoy myself.  I figured I could make my final decision at the point where the 43 and 67 rides diverged later in the route.

Ken had a feeling that he forgot something...

The first surprise to me was that we were actually climbing Calahan Mountain.  When I had reviewed the route online, I didn't catch that we weren't taking Dividing Waters all the way to the watershed, but instead would do the ~1mi climb.  While the climb isn't very long, it definitely is more challenging than many people might realize.  I personally had never gone this way to climb Calahan, and it is a challenging approach.  The bonus here is that the descent is awesome, and if you know where to stop you can see the historic Poinsett Bridge.  I missed the place to stop, just one of my navigation errors of the day, so we ended up regrouping at the first rest stop which was placed at the start of the climb up the watershed.

Poinsett Bridge from Jan 2013

After regrouping, we rode together up the stretch of Old Highway 25 known as the watershed.  This is a 6-7 mile trek at a relatively low pitch to get to the NC/SC state line heading towards Saluda.  It's one of the first "real" climbs that I did last year and one that I enjoy riding when I can, especially with friends.  We made it up to Saluda, NC and stopped at the second rest stop without any incidents.  By this time I had already convinced myself that I didn't really want to attempt Holbert's Cove, mostly because I was enjoying riding with friends.  I have been training so much this year that I feel like I've missed out on adventures like this a bit.  

The view from Saluda was fantastic

The ride started getting a little more interesting after Saluda.  The route took us down what is known as the "Saluda Grade", which is a 2 mile segment that has nice long sweeping curves that is a real joy to descend.  Typically I feel like I can let loose on this section, and enjoy some speed.  This time, however, in one of the left hand curves I got too close to the edge of the road and had to make a very quick decision.  I wasn't turning fast enough to potentially stay on the road, and there was a large grassy median to my right.  I was either going to have to attempt to cut harder to stay on the asphalt, or I was going to have to attempt to navigate offroad.  I chose the softer grass to the harsh asphalt as my potential landing area, and went into the median.  I was told that I looked fantastic as I rode through the grass, coming to a stop further down the curve, but I think I'm glad that I do not have video evidence of that little endeavor.  It definitely got my adrenaline flowing, and I didn't have any issues finishing the descent, but it definitely was the first of the eye openers for me on this day.  

We made it down to the bottom of the grade, and regrouped.  This was another tricky area, as there was a lot of gravel on the ground near the turn off.  Enough gravel that Ken even decided to go past the turn and loop around to avoid having to take a higher speed turn into it.  The next section really was the interesting climb of the day - Fork Creek Road.  This is the section that I wrote about a few months ago where we were passed by a truck in one of the curves that really was a bit nerve wrecking.  I hadn't gone up this section since that incident, so I was a little on the lookout for cars behaving badly as we rode along.  What was awesome is that we were going at a pace where I could enjoy a lot of the littler things as we went, including some great views and sounds of a stream a fair ways below us.  This climb is a great primer for Ceaser's Head, and we were all attempting to get Kimberly's confidence up for a trip over that way later this summer.  From the turn off on Pearson's Falls Road to the top of Fork Creek is approximately 7 miles, and while it's not quite as much climbing as Ceaser's Head, it's one of the few places where you have that length of climb to get a feel for just sitting in the saddle.

At the top of the main part of the climb is a good place to regroup again, so we made sure we were together and continued on Fork Creek.  It wasn't more than a mile later that Sheila ended up crashing.  I was far enough behind her that the actual incident is a bit of a blur, but if I close my eyes I can still see her falling.  She ended up hitting the pavement hard.  We all rolled up, and she was sitting there, definitely in shock and also in a lot of pain.  She stated that her hip hurt a lot, and her wrist definitely looked injured.  We urged her to stay seated while we gathered up the items that went flying (water bottles, cell phone, etc) and called for medical attention.  The issue we had was that the cellular reception up in the mountains was not good.  The SAG truck showed up, and between the 5 of us we managed to get enough cellular signal to get EMS dispatched.  The ride coordinator also showed up and we helped get an accident report filled out.  It took a little while for the Ambulance to show up, and after tending to her wrist they put her on a stretcher to bring her to the Hospital.  All in All we sat there with her for over an hour, and I am amazed at how strong she was through the whole ordeal.  We got her car keys and loaded her bike up on the SAG truck to bring back to the start, and we told her that we'd take care of making sure to contact folks and get her car back to her house safely.  

Not the people you want to meet on a bicycle ride

We got back on the road with heavy hearts, and went to complete the ride.  The section of Fork Creek and Mine mountain that we had left to go was difficult both because we were saddened by the accident and because we had taken the hour off the bike in middle.  We ended up having a little dog that had wandered over during the event keep us company for a few miles, running along side us and being our mascot.  It was cute, but Sam had to be careful when she decided to change directions quickly and almost met up with his front wheel.  We made it back to Mountain Page Road without any additional incidents, and started out way down the Watershed.  



Typically going down the watershed is a point where you let loose and really pick up a lot of speed.  This section of road is not technical, nor steep, so you can really have a lot of fun.  This day, however, we took it much more calm than I think I've ever taken it, being overly cautious as we went.  We stopped at the rest area in front of George Hincapie's "Le Domestique" resort, and refilled our water bottles for the rest of the ride.   The ensuing section is a nice distance on Chinquapin Road, back to Tigerville.  We continued the trend of being overly cautious and making sure to stay together well.   

After we got back to the start, I changed clothes quickly so Ken and I could get Sheila's bike and car back to her house.  Ken followed me in his car so he could give me a ride back to get my vehicle.  It made for a much longer day than I intended, not leaving Tigerville until mid-afternoon, but I would have traded many more hours than that to be able to say we all made it back safely.   I found out later that Sheila was going to have to have surgery that evening to repair her hip and her wrist.   I continue to keep her in my prayers.

The important lesson that we all got given today is how much we need to be careful when  out riding.  I fee terrible that there isn't more that I can do to help her at this point, but even with knowing the route I couldn't have predicted that accident.  We all know that there are risks involved with cycling, but unfortunately too often it takes situations like these to remind us that we are mortal.  I'm joyful that Sheila will recover, and I'm joyful that my off-road experience didn't end in disaster.  I can tell that this day is going to live with me for a while, and that my downhill speed will definitely be slower.  I hope it's not a lesson that I ever have to re-learn.