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Well Folks, let me first say that this trip was very timely and God sent...in the sense that the weather was perfect, the environment was perfect, the owner Mike and his wife, Paulette were perfect and our ride up Mt Roan was perfect!!! This ride, at least for me, was truly and inspiration and simply one of the best places to go to absolutely "unplug" from the rest of the world! In other words...."No Vibrations" from the daily routine of city living. Ok, now that that is out of the way, ya know there is always a story...so here we go!!!
Thursday, we sent out to ride Mt. Roan. As far as I knew and understood from the stories and description of the ride, here's what I had envisioned: Mt Roan was to be an awesome 8 mile ride of a continuous leg busting climb that takes 1 to 2 hours to climb. And that was what I had in my mind!! But what they didn't tell me until the night before, was that it was 60 miles to get to Mt Roan!!! And they certainly didn't mention anything about "IRON MOUNTAIN"...let's just say I saw God near the top and asked him for his blessings!! So after we climbed IRON MOUNTAIN, we descended to a very nice rolling hill area with great scenery and a chance to regroup and ride together. Very nice, very much needed after IRON MOUNTAIN. As we rode through this scenic area along side a river, listening to the sound of running water and the ever present sound of our bikes "free wheeling", we took it all in before the next big climb, when all of a sudden , I'm right behind the Prez and there's this hissing sound and it is his rear tire going flat. (STOP HERE & FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THIS EMAIL OR YOU WILL NOT GET THE FULL EFFECT) 1. Remember a couple of weeks ago, the flurry of emails we were getting and discussing about the new Tufo Clincher tube tires that the Prez wanted us all to try?? He had contacted Elvis about them, did research on them and then , the weekend before NC, he rode them and said they were "sweet"? Remember?? OK, BACK TO THE STORY. So, as I hear this hissing sound, I begin to feel some sh**^$t on my face. It was the sealant coming out of the tire and flying back into my face!! I said hey, man your stuff is leaking bad. So we all stopped. The Prez said, "It should seal itself." So we waited for the sealant to do its thing but noting was stopping the leak. So we shot some air into it and it held a little of it. Just enough for us to get to the store at the foot of Mt. Roan. 2.FOLLOW THIS CLOSELY NOW!! There was no way for the sealant to seal such a large hole in the tire, so it was looking pretty bad for the Prez prior to climbing Mt Roan. At the store, we looked for maybe a tire or hoped some one had an extra clincher....nope. The tire was not holding any air. Things were looking pretty bad for the Prez and his Tufo tires!! Mike Davis says, "well George, I can call my wife, and she can come and pick you up." Well, for the rest of us, we knew we had better ride on if we wanted to climb Mt. Roan in a decent part of the day. So, we left the Prez and Mike Davis at the store, at the foot of Mt. Roan feeling kinda bad that the Prez wasn't going to make the climb that we all came there for. FOLLOW THIS CLOSELY NOW!!
We ride toward Mt. Roan and it is every bit of what they told me it would be. Long, steady and a m*&^^%$@ker
At about 4 miles to go to the top, here comes Mike Davis, climbing like this was on a neighborhood ride on a Sunday afternoon, the man can climb and he says to me as he passes, "Ya have to attack it!" I say what? And he's gone!! Just like he was riding a flat.....but there's no Prez! So, I assume that Mike's wife had picked up the Prez.
I make it to the top...no one's there, no vending machine, no lodge, NOBODY!! I say what kind of park is this where at the top there is nothing!!!??? Damn, I'm spent and no one's here!!
But just ahead, there was the much talked about decent back to the Bicycle Inn that I knew was coming up soon. What a descent!!!! I make it back to the Inn and took great pride in the fact that I had just completed riding IRON MOUNTAIN and Mt. Roan with less than 200 miles total, prior to this. The fellas gave up the kudos for the ride!! I was happy and honored and very pleased with my accomplishment!!! SHORT LIVED, HOWEVER !!!
NOW FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE- Remember the flat at the store and the effort on the part of the Prez and others trying to help fix the hole in the tire? Well, nothing was holding the air and so we thought that the Prez was done!! GO TO THE 1st ATTACHMENT BELOW!! OPEN
As I sat at the dinner table, I looked out the window and here comes the Prez, not in a car, not with Mike's wife , but on his bike!!! The Prez had ridden MT Roan on a flat tire ya'll!!!! In the word's of Snoop Dog, "This is some legendary sh*!t!!" Hey, after that feat, I immediately said, my short lived accomplishment was much more appropriate for the Prez as he rode Mt. roan on a flat....did ya hear me ya'll? As for the Tufo tires, I'll let him tell you what he thinks of them!!
This was a great time for us all and I'd like to thank each of the fellas for making my first trip to Mt. Roan an enjoyable and unforgettable event!! I will be right back there next year!! There are other stories to follow but I want to be first with
This is what he used to put air in his Tufo tires, the ones that seal themselves, right
John T
Here is my recap of the NC trip. Man what a horrible trip down. Traffic, weather, toxic fumes from the back of the van. We took alternate routes to get there and nothing looked familiar in the dark. With great teamwork (as this club is known for) we finally found ourselves climbing up over Iron Mountain. At approximately 2:45 am we arrived at the Inn. For the next hour we sorted bags and sorted out the beds and finally at near 4:00 am we settled down to get a little sleep.
Now Greg is usually ready to ride at 9:00 am, but with the late arrival, we pushed to start time back to near 11:30 am. After a great breakfast, or brunch as it was, and a lot of clothing options to match the weather, we lined up for the group photo. <
The pace was casual as we exited downtown Bakersville and remained mostly compassionate all the way to Bueladean. We paused to regroup before starting the climb up Iron Mountain. Jed and I climbed together telling stories and taking in the sights. We conserved for we knew the route and knew what was still ahead of us. The stop at the top of Iron was almost non-existent as everyone seemed eager to drop the descent. Lemar got some great shots of the guys coming down the switchbacks. He flatted shortly after and we waited for him on the turn onto Old Iron Mountain Road.
The next section was the rolling area between Iron Mountain and the Tweetsie RR grade. It was Greg that got things heated up (or was that Michael that attacked). Yeah he said we rode HIM hard. Well Greg was on his wheel quick as was Jed and myself. The four of us punched it up taking turns at the front. I remember coming around Greg one time and pulling into the wind that felt like we were going 40 easy. It was a sweet section and a lot of fun. Nice work gentlemen!!!
We calmed after that as Matt paced us up the 2 mile incline to the start of the RR grade. The grade was a perfect smoothness and we passed the old man on the porch. "Better hurry up before it gets hot." That is what he said. I think he said the same thing last year. Michael said he says the same thing every time he goes by. The next hill was one that I had forgot about. It was steep and gave me my first burning leg sensation of the day. We dropped down to the valley and Michael went up ahead and got a good picture of all the Majors coming through the valley. <
The pace quickly jumped up again with David at the front. Jed came flying by and we all had a fast pace line going into the store right before Roan.
Ahh the store. The bathroom, get all your snacks and get ready for Roan store. Man that store has everything a cyclist could want. For me it was Coca-Cola and Fig Newton's. For Jed it was Diet Coke and Ensure. For others it was every good snack you could think of. And George, it was Fix-A-Flat and Super Glue. Like I said everything a cyclist could want.
We messed with the Tufo the best we could. It was a good idea to try the Fix-A-Flat and super glue, but it just wasn't meant to be, but hey a little flat tire isn't going to stop our Prez.
Ken led the pace to the foot of Roan. It was a tempo that Major himself would be proud of. We rounded the last bend and the rise was in sight. The gears clicked. Chains jumped to higher cogs and the wind quieted over my ears. Ken led on with Greg on his wheel and David, Jed and myself in tow. The first mile went by this way and we were truly into a climbing groove. We surged on and it was down to David, Greg, me and Ken. I was feeling hot so I took of my helmet and put it over the bars. The cool rush that I felt gave me a rejuvenation. I surged forward putting in an acceleration, not an attack. I just picked up the pace. Greg went with me and we gapped David and Ken by about 50 meters. They held the gap consistently as Greg and I climbed together for the next 4 miles. Greg was toying with me the whole way. He would stretch out about 2-3 bike lengths and look back as if to say, "Come on big guy what do you got." When I replied with nothi! ng because I didn't close the gap he would drop back and give me his wheel again. This continued until about 4 to go and then he vanished up and around the next corner. I think he say Larry coming, because he was the next person I saw. We climbed together for about a quarter mile and then he slowly climbed away. I knew I was in survival mode so I didn't try to stay with him.
Then loneliness. The climbing loneliness that everyone here knows about. Fortunately tactful Ken had slowly climbed back up to me and he came around. I tried to hold his wheel, but again thought of survival and backed off. He gapped me by the same 50 meters that I had gapped him and I stayed there for about a mile.
3 to go. Ken found his pace again and opened up even more. 2 to go and Ken is now only visible is the long straights. 1 to go the view is spectacular but I can only see in tunnel vision and I focus on the road. Then the top. I did what I came for. I wanted to put in a climb that would make Andrew Allwein proud. The top. Thank you God I'm at the top. We waited and very shortly came David and then Matt. Bo and Larry from MACC. Then Jed. We were going to wait for the rest, but it was cold up there as it was getting late in the day.
Ken and the MACC fellas went on down the mountain to the Inn. Good ol Ken wanted to get back and start dinner. Now that is a Domestic!!!
Matt and I decided to go down as well. I was looking though tears as the cold wind hit my face. I caught a dump truck in a straight. Came right around him and continued down the mountain. What a descent. I love speed.
Matt and I continued in together all the way.
One by one the fellas rolled in. We counted down. 3 left on the road. 2 left on the road. 1 more, 1 more, 1 more. Man where is Comacho? It turned dark. No Comacho. It got darker. No Comacho. I drove the route all the way back to Roan. No Comacho.
He ended up knocking on doors (all the doors that didn't have a Confederate flags on them) until he found a couple of nice ladies to bring him back to the Inn. Just in time for dinner. Hey, it's a good thing that everyone around those parts knows Michael and the Inn.
What a day, what a journey. And yet the weekend continues.....
Russ
Guys, I was swamped yesterday so I did not get a chance to make any comment. Most of what has been said is accurate. However, let me say this....
John T had secured the "Rider of the Day" award on the day we rode Roan Mountain... The brother was excellent.... But for the Prez's effort on a flat tire, John T was right there. T out shown all the 1st timers, all of which were younger. Of course all the big dogs did their thing. The Masters represented..... & T killed the rookies... :-)...
We had 2 new riders from Cleveland..... Rob & Lamar..... They both learned a lot over the weekend. Eyes were certainly opened, to say the least... They both were very impressed with the Majors and how we hung out... All for one and one for all....
Now...... some other issues... Paulette is Michael's wife and prepared breakfast and a dinner on the day we did Roan Mountain... Well she had chilly on the menu..... We all wanted to watch the videos of Paris Rubay .... we were all gathered in the room watching then it began...
First, Russ..... then the Rumora brothers chimed in and took over... Mike entered the room and asked "was it safe?"... "is everybody O.K?"... Then he wanted to know if these guys were damaging his furniture..... Mike then left the room and got a roll of toilet paper and placed it on the table.... He again asked had his couch been spoiled..... The symphony kept going on for the rest of the evening.... What I am talking about here is flagellation~!.... You got it FARTS~!!
Finally, the next day ..... the ride up Mt. Mitchell Jed used his secret weapon to actually help him climb the mountain.... The brother would fart and his cadence would increase.... Thereby, keeping the tempo up. I will say that he showed some compassion and would move to the left before ripping one off.... That was a good thing...
All in all.... The best 3 days of bike riding I have had in a very long time.
Some had religious experiences on the day we rode Roan Mountain... I heard comments about seeing the "burning bush"..... "talks with God"..... & delirium.... :-) You know the roll was great... The vistas were unreal.... surreal... awe-inspiring.... frightening...
I love you guys~!.....
Dr. Spoke
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