It's time for another ride report chronicling the exploits of someone who is apparently too dense to know when enough is enough. The one thing I've learned in my years of long distance cycling, is that I feel more inclined to write a report when things have gone wrong than when things go right. So, I'm feeling all article-y right now. Please enjoy my trip through some of Arizona's best.
Where should I start? I could start at the end because that's where my current memories lie. One usually remembers that which had the greatest impact on their soul. The last 20 miles had me digging very deep into my reserves to finish under my own power. Or, I could start from the beginning and fill the pages with flowers, blue skies, and rainbow sprinkles. For me, the contrasts in this ride are vivid. In honor of Teddy Roosevelt, for whom Roosevelt Lake was named, I think I'll rename this brevet "Ride hard and carry a backup motor."
The Mines to Pines 300k brevet encompasses a route that I've wanted to ride for a long, long time. It starts in the historic section of the copper mining town of Miami. Calling an area "historic" conjures up thoughts of an area proud of its history and renovated to showcase it. I saw little of either there. The start location was at the "Miami Memorial Park in Historic Downtown Miami," reported to have a restroom with running water. Sounded noteworthy. I need to report that that potty room was so gross that riders drove 2 miles down the road to find other facilities. You just have to love it when marketing gets involved in naming things. It did have running water, so technically speaking, truth in advertising was upheld. But I digress...
The weather was nearly perfect at the start. It was 55 degrees and no wind to speak of. The forecast was for temperatures to rise into the 90s and the winds to pick up. That's what weather.com said and, really, who believes that pile of drivel? Note to self here: never think that the weather Gods will be merciful when you use words like drivel to describe their forecast. Check! For now, though, it was bliss.
From the bucolic Memorial Park, we almost immediately headed north on SR-188. For those who have never ridden this road, you're missing one of the best cycling roads in AZ. It really is wonderful. We mostly climbed for the first 14 miles, but the climbs were relatively small, especially compared to what was to come! When we reached the Salt River Peak Pass (el. 3883'), we were treated to a 6 mile, 1600' descent. Did I yet mention that this route is an out-and-back? Keep this thought in the back of your mind.
After the descent, we rode along the shores of Roosevelt Lake for 20 miles or so. That is one big and beautiful lake! The terrain undulated with small rollers, and there was very little traffic. The lake was dotted with fishermen getting an early start and enjoying the serenity Teddy had set aside for us. I was making great time and feeling exceptionally well. Our first control was located at the Roosevelt Lake Visitor's Center. I arrived 5 minutes before it opened and took the time to look around and enjoy the grandeur of this man made marvel.
After getting my brevet card stamped by Ranger Susan, I was again on my way north. SR-188 remains relatively flat along the shores of Roosevelt Lake. After the lake, it starts a gentle climb of about 1200' to the Beeline Highway. 70 miles down, feeling good, blues skies, all systems go! It was a quick descent into Rye and then the much anticipated climb up to Payson. This was the climb I was most concerned about. Every time I've ever climbed it, it has been oppressively hot. This time, however, temps were moderate and the winds were picking up. The wind direction didn't matter to me. As long as there was a breeze, it felt good. Onward and upward.
I reached Payson and thought, "wow, that was a lot easier than I expected. I feel great and will be home before dark to have dinner with Cindy." Um, knock, knock, hello McFly. We rode through Payson and after a couple miles made a right turn onto Houston Mesa Rd. This was a friendly looking road in the pines. I had never ridden it and was looking forward to it. I was a bit surprised, correction, I was way surprised at the difficulty of this 20 mile out-and-back. There were a number, maybe 3000, very steep hills with no flat terrain to speak of. Ouch! I was still doing great, but starting to think dinner might be after dark tonight. That's ok, I like candle lit dinners.
We rode Houston Mesa until the pavement ended. There was a church there where we had to write down the Sunday School time on our brevet card to prove we endured that torture clinic. I decided to just take a picture of the sign and head back. I would write in the time later. The coolness of the pines there really enticed me to lounge for a while. But, I was getting hungry and I knew Ronald McDonald in Payson had a couple burgers waiting for me. I decided to stop at the fire station on the return to fill a water bottle. I was starting to suck down liquid like a sponge.
I made it to Mac's Steak House* about 1 pm, just the perfect time for an epicurean delight - 2 hamburgers. Yum! I just put them in my jersey pockets, filled my bottles with lots of ice and my powdered potions, and was on my way down the hill. Yippee! It's all down hill from here. Um, hello, McFly! I ate one of the burgers on the ride out of town. It really hit the spot. I was feeling great.
I finally made it to the big descent out of Payson. I was concerned about this stretch of road. I had never descended this road, but have driven it many times. I never thought there was enough space for cars and bicycles, but I was pleasantly surprised. The road and shoulder were very good. The one thing that happened on this descent, though, was that the reality of living in the desert southwest was rearing its ugly head. Heat! The 2000' descent was significant. The temperatures, all of a sudden, topped 90 degrees and weren't done rising.
No problem, though. I still felt good. Oops! I had forgotten about that stupid climb from Rye back up to the SR-188 turn. It was along in here, somewhere, that I could tell things were starting to change. There was nothing dramatic, and certainly no cause for alarm. But that "superman" feeling was now just a memory. By now, the winds were blowing strongly directly into my face. Surely they would change. weather.com is never right, are they? Gulp.
The gentle descent on SR-188 was severely marred by the imposing winds. It was 20 miles to the control, and I was looking forward to stopping and resting for a few minutes. I didn't feel hungry, but was still consuming liquids in mass quantity. Since my bottles did contain "food", I assumed that I was getting enough calories. That may have been a mistake in judgment, but I'm not sure. I finally reached the blasted control store. It was a slice of Heaven at the far north end of Roosevelt Lake. I took a few minutes to sit in the shade and enjoy the breeze while rehydrating.
I was soon on my way. I carry 2 - 32 oz water bottles and had planned to make my next stop at the store just prior to the last big climb. That was 28 miles distant to this particular store. I found myself consuming my bottles inordinately quickly. By the time I reached the Visitor's Center (only 19 flat/rolling miles!), my bottles were nearly empty. I knew I had to stop there to "recover". By now, I knew something was wrong. I was starting to cramp pretty severely, and I very rarely experience any cramps whatsoever. Was it dehydration? electrolyte imbalance? calorie deficit? overworked muscles? I just didn't know.
I laid on a shady bench at the Visitor's Center for about 20 minutes while downing some electrolytes, calories, a soda, and some more water. None of this made me feel any better. I took a quick peek at my thermometer, which was in the shade, and it registered 96 degrees. Well, this certainly wasn't helping. On the road, it went up to 100 degrees. I stopped looking at it then.
I finally made it to the Spring Creek store, at the base of the 1600' climb. "Only" 20 miles to go. I've never felt quite so apprehensive about a climb. I was in full blown cramp mode now. My feet, calves, thighs, and hands were all cramping. I had to hold the bars just right, otherwise my fingers would curl and lock up. I had to sit on the saddle at just the right location and angle, with just the right pressure on the pedals, otherwise some part of my legs or feet would cramp up. Oh, this is going to be a fun climb! I was still thinking about dinner with Cindy. But now I was thinking I'd heat up the leftovers and sit with her while I ate.
Onward and upward, mostly upward. I knew this climb would be a challenge when I had descended it earlier in the morning. I had no idea, however, that it would be this kind of challenge. I needed a spare motor, for my pistons were shot. I didn't time it, but I think it took me about an hour. I was relieved when I finally did get to the top. It was still daylight and I was pretty sure I'd still get back to Miami in the daylight so as to enjoy more of its {ahem} rustic {cough} beauty.
I sure thought the descent back to Miami was more than what I experienced. It turned out that after the nice descent off of Salt River Peak Pass, there was climbing to do to get back to Miami. I'm sorry, but getting back to Miami didn't seem worth the effort of the climbing. I hit a stretch with about 5 miles to go where my legs were cramping to the point that I had to stop. I tried the Artie G trick of chewing an Endurolyte to get the cramps to stop. It had zero effect. This led me to believe that electrolytes weren't my problem. Hmmm. Now what? Just pedal and shut up.
Somehow, I made it back to Historic Downtown Miami and registered a perfectly fitting completion time of 13:13 (Mockingbird Lane?) With visions of buzzards hovering over my head, I managed to get my bike put in my truck, endured the vile restroom to change clothes, and then called to leave Cindy a message telling her that I wouldn't be making it home for dinner nor leftovers. I headed to Taco Bell to get myself some sustenance. After 1 burrito, I felt almost human. I had another awaiting me, but decided to eat it on the way home.
By the time I got home, I was feeling pretty ok. I still felt the urge for my feet to cramp, but they weren't severe. I showered and went to bed. When I awoke, I felt amazingly good. I had no nasty remnants of the day before. So, what happened? I honestly don't know. I thought I was doing everything right while on the ride. I was consciously trying to give my body what it needed, but I never figured out what that magic element was. It is indeed a mystery.
All in all, it was a very good ride. I really liked the route. There are plenty of stores and resources to ride this route self supported, which is how we all rode it. The Houston Mesa Rd. stretch was also fun, but difficult. I think that if the temperatures had been about 10 degrees cooler, I would have felt good enough to not even write this report. So, for good or bad, those are my experiences. Thanks for reading!
P.S. I almost forgot the numbers: 190 miles, 11,500' climbing.
*McDonald's