Life on the Ohio, in Kentucky and Indiana

Sunday was a travel day, but the shortest leg yet. All we had to cover was the 3 hours from Mt. Vernon, Illinois to our eastern most destination, Louvull, KY. Aside from a burning semi-tractor trailer on the side of the I-64, a man asleep? passed out? drunk? slouched upright on his pick up tailgate that was parked just on the highway median a foot inside the number one lane being approached by an officer with weapon drawn, the family picknicking in the grassy median in what looked like a 3 car pile up, and the motorcyclist doing wheelies, taunting a following truck by dropping his pants and wheelie-ing some more – it was an uneventful drive. Right up until some kind folk were trying to help some other stranded fellas change a flat tire – on the other side of the highway. Rather than wait for the lane to clear, or even to take the next exit and double back and park behind those in need, they just pulled over on the opposite side, sauntered across 4 lanes of 75 mph traffic, rolling a spare truck tire and causing braking, swerving and 4 near collisions. Dem dars some kind harted folk doin’ some dumb deeds. Darwin awards await.

First order of business was to preview the TT course, and ride the TT bikes. I know there are harder, longer, hillier races, but the TT is the most painful version of racing. I don’t care if it’s a 1 km pursuit, a 112 mile iron man leg or a 40km national championship, that f-in race is all about pain and suffering. The course was windy, rolling, and right along the Ohio River in southern Indiana. Roads narrow, pavement smooth, rollers rolling, we had seen enough to know what to expect the next morning. So it was off to the check in. The Galt Hotel is a splendid house high on the river in downtown. It’s home for these 4 days in Louie.

The next morning Craig popped outta bed as though he has missed his start (I made mine with 15 seconds to spare). And we arrived at the course with plenty of time to true wheels, place numbers and warm up nervously. Metcalfe and Innes of Team Specialized are here with us, each looked to have a good day and a shot at the stars and stripes. As it turns out, they had two very fast times and each earned bronze medals as the 3rd fastest soloist in the country in their age groups, impressive rides with podium finishes. I was more out to suffer for the camaraderie aspect and perhaps to set a time to beat in future years. In my particular case, my glute was hurting like nobody’s business. That muscle is simply not well developed enough for hard efforts in the TT position. I rode as hard as I could, for an hour, in the rain and stiff wind and finished not last. I couldn't walk after the race, literally.

As for Craig, he put in a great ride, a PR to be exact. And no one can say he doesn't put safety first in the shower. In the TT he put out a consistent high amounts of power, averaged 30 more beats per minute than I could muster and put a good ten minutes into me. Ouch. His great ride, however, was good for no better than 7th. Turns out about six fellas in his category were just faster yesterday. That’s the way it is some days. The afternoon focus was a coffee stop and a road race course preview. Some words and descriptions for Thurdays epic RR; this course is classic (pdf to course map), and for those (me) who aren't pure climbers, it is a blast. Not a single flat section, fast, technical descents and sharp, short power climbs - trust that the winners of RR Nat's may not be the purely strongest riders in the country, but to win on this course you need an excellent combination of power, savvy, patience, descending and bike handling skills. It should be fun, fun, fun.

Having pedaled for all we were worth in the morning and an awesome recovery ride slash road race course preview in the afternoon, we were 50 miles of calories burned and all set for a pub feast of beer, seared ahi, curry chips, salads, codfish and chips, Sheppard’s pie and tall tales of the day’s seconds lost.

Tuesday was a true vacation day. After breakfast, we had ride plans. But at breakfast, Sharon was pure entertainment. She asked what I wanted to drink, oj, coffee... I asked if she had any bourbon (this is Kentucky after all), and she was thrown off.

"It's a bit early, dontcha think?"

"Well it's 4 o'clock somewhere."

"Where?"

"London."

"Is London that far away?" she wondered. She asked where we were from and proudly let us know that she knows California, it cost her $200 in gas to drive her Geo Prism out there one time... to Riverside. I let her know that Riverside was not representative of California. That took us to a lively discussion about what we were doing here.

"Ya'll came all the way out here, to ride bicycles?"

"Sure."

"Don't ya'll have to work?"

"No, Craig's taking 6 months off, I'm taking two."

"Well, ya'll must be rich, I dunno how ya'll can afford to do that." I think she's right.

Another 50 mile spin along the Ohio River. We did most all of it single file due to lack of shoulders, presence/speed of cars and perhaps less than stellar route choice.

But when all you have on your agenda for the day (Billy also had digging for gold on his agenda) is sleeping in, eating breakfast with coffee, riding, showering, having lunch, having another coffee and laying around the pool reading a great book, then you know it, you know it is a great day. .

"The last clear definite function of man – muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need – this is man. To build a wall, to build a house, a dam, and in the wall and the house and the dam to put something of Manself, and to Manself take back something of the wall, the house, the dam; to take hard muscles from the lifting (riding!), to take clear lines and form from conceiving. For man, unlike anything organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments. This you may say of man – when theories change and crash, when schools, philosophies, when narrow dark alleys of thought, national, religious, economic, grow and disintegrate, man reaches, stumbles, forward, painfully mistakenly sometimes. Having stepped forward, he may slip back, but only a half a step, never a full step back. This you may say and know it and know it."
– John Steinbeck

All you feminist out there don’t fret a second, the heroine of this story, the strongest, wisest and lovingest person, is, as we might expect, a woman.