Group Finish

Has it really been a week since we finished? Thanks to all from New Bern who were a part of CNC and made this CNC a great experience.

(Photo left to right: Paul, Bonnie, Tim, Nancy, John, and Bill Jutz.)

Road Cycling with Jim

Blog Stats

It is not usual to post stats on a blog.  But since this is a team blog, I thought my fellow contributors would be interested,

Page views by country since inception:

United States 2,628

Russia 58

United Kingdom 4

Page views today                                                                    151


So does one of us have relatives in Russia?

Finish Line Celebration

The Champagne celebration carried over to the Hoffman's cottage.  I would be remiss not to mention the fantastic meal they provided.  Many thank go to Paul and Lisa and the other that provided it.

Thanks all.

Finish Line Celebration

Thanks to the Kleckers for the Champagne.   We made it.

Bill Sadler
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Bill Sadler
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Day 2 was a COLD start

I was told it got down to 39 degrees on the second night.  It was cold getting out of the tent that morning and the heater on my bike was slow to warm up. 

You asked how cold was it.....

It was so cold that I had to push my bike up the first hill.

Something was wrong with my drive train. (legs)

Day 1and Pilot Mountain

It was a cold start on day 1 of the CNC, but by the time we got to Pilot Mountain it had warmed up nicely.  Maybe that was because I was huffing and puffing up those mountain roads.

Second email blog test

 Sailing a Bay River Skiff on Kiwassa Lake in the Adirondacks in the summer of '11.  Mount Ampersand in the distance

Email Test

This is a test of the email posting feature

George and Carol Myers

Joanne's photos

 Here are some pictures sent by Joanne Somerday

Dave, Bill, Joanne and Cal at Bodie lighthouse

Last man to finish

Joanne and Cal at finish

Pilot Mountain Day #1

Nancy Alexander, Bonnie Refinski-Knight, Joanne Somerday, Mark Masser, Cassandra Crowder, George Myers

The picture above was taken with Pilot Mountain in the background using Bonnie's camera.

Sherpa Carol

Our ride experience, and that of many others, was certainly enhanced by having my wife Carol along for the adventure.  She did a lot more than just drive the car.  She scouted out opportunities and restaurants in each town, found the best way to cycle from our hotel to our daily route and networked with people at each campground before our arrival.  I think she also enjoyed socializing with the early riders and other spouses of riders.

I have done the camping bit before (for 4 days) and for me the only way to do CNC is hotels and private sag support! Thank you Carol!

Cassandra, Carol, George, Mark

Day #7 Corolla

For me, Saturday's ride was the nicest.  It was again sunny and cool with a northeast breeze.  But there were enough trees and buildings to block much of the wind.  We biked through parts of the barrier islands you normally don't see traveling by car on NC 12.  Lots of nice residential neighborhoods and parks along with some surprising hills.  Riding in the vicinity of Jockey's Ridge, we had a couple of nice climbs and coasts.  These roads were mostly traffic free allowing riding two or three abreast and actually talking casually with your fellow riders.  Very nice!!  We arrived at our destination in Corolla at 11:00 and were able to take the first shower after the shower trucks were set up.  Then for a barbecue lunch and the drive home.  Carol and I got home around 6:00 after dropping off Joanne and Cassandra and stopping at Harris Teeter for some steak and salad fixings.  All in all one terrific week.  On the ride home Cassandra was trying to generate interest in the Jasper Ride this morning.  Joanne said she would do it, I can't print was Mark said by cell phone, and I said NO!  We'll check Dave's website later to see if Cassandra and Joanne actually show up.

Mark, Marshall,Cassandra, Betty, George at the end of a very nice ride

Finished

Marshall rode everyday. I think this is now marked off our bucket list. Good times.......

Welcome

Part of the Carola welcome committee.

End

We made it.  Yuppie!!

Day 7

Last day.  Last rest stop.  18 miles left.

Masser takes the plunge

Proof that Mark went for an ocean swim after his ride today.  Taken from our  hotel room.

Friday night.

Our hotel for tonight.  Bubu's, it's not!  Water is nice and cold.  Fancy restaurant across the street. Ahhh.  I am in "happyville".

A Manteo Night

Yes... we chose another night with inside bathroom. We can see Bubbaville from our second floor room at the Scarborough House Inn. It is like staying in grandma's house when I was much younger. Each room has its own bathroom, apartment fridge, microwave, toaster and continental breakfast in the fridge. It is very nice and I recommend The Scarborough House Inn to all.

Mateo campground.

Made it to the Mateo Campground.  Fought the headwinds again, all day today.  The circling buzzards have been replaced by circling sea gulls.

Last bridge.

Six miles to go.

Day #6 Ocean Swim

Refreshing and salty

Alligator river.

Crossing the Alligator river.  Mosquitoes are more prevent than gators.

Tarboro

Forgot to post this nice rest stop yesterday in Tarboro.

Day # 6 We see the Ocean

When you decide to cut your ride short it's a slippery slope.  So at 32.xx miles I decided I'd had enough biking for the day and called Carol to pick me up and take us to our Ocean Front hotel.  Going to a brew pub for lunch and then a cool ocean swim in the breakers. Life seems pretty good to me and I won't be tired tonight.

From our 6th floor balcony at the Comfort Inn South

Day 6

We see the sound.  :-)

Eastern nc

Eastern bc farmland.

Rocky Mount to Plymouth

The day started out ok with no wind. The picture is from the first rest stop in Tarboro.
Later... things changed. The head wind came in. After finally rolling into Plymouth, I decided this CNC ride was done for me.
I feel good about completing the mountain portion (or most of it) and day 3, 4 & 5. I still have one more day of vacation this week and I'm going to do something that doesn't involve a bicycle.
Happy ride blessings to all that are riding tomorrow and Saturday.

Day #5 Plymouth

This day started out very nice in Rocky Mount with  cool, but not cold, air. We had a great rest stop in Tarboro at an historic house.  We traveled another 20 miles to Robersoville Lyons park for a rest stop and it is still a great day to be biking.  After a snack and potty stop we peddled 11 miles to the next rest stop and it is now a little after 11 and our little group (George, Mark, Cassandra) are thinking about lunch other then PB&J.  We decide just to ride on the route and stop at some local place that looked good. A few miles down the road at 11:30 we encountered the The Service Station Restaurant.  One pick-up truck and one bike out front wasn't too promising but we decided to take a chance. The staff was super friendly and competent. Our meals came quickly and by noon the place was pretty full with locals and bikers.  Mark posted a photo from the front of the place and from the text you can tell he was happy.  So this was about mile 50 and so far the day was nearly perfect.  Then the head winds came up and we eventually got onto Highway 64 and, for me at least, it stopped being fun.  We struggled to ride the remaining 27 miles and with frequent rest stops finished by around 4:30.  No happy finish line photo's today.  Mark posted several nice pictures of us on our way today.

Tomorrow my plan is to repeat the terrific morning and ride 50 miles on the short course to the Alligator River Marina.  Carol will meet me there and we will have lunch at Miss Wanda's.  Then I plan to avoid the afternoon head winds and load the bike on the car and drive to our hotel on the beach at Nags Head and maybe go for a swim in the Ocean.  Doing the Century Option never entered my mind, and completing every mile of the route simply is not a big deal for me.

Rest stop.

We found a nice, shady rest stop.

Day 5 - Plymouth

Day 5 lunch.

Forget PB&J.  Best chicken & rice and Club sandwiches in the WORLD!!

So far this morning...

Day 5 at 6:30 am, I have dressed, packed up sleeping bags and pads, taken down 2 tents, loaded the truck, had a cup of Rosie's coffee, and checked my email.

Okay, maybe I've done part of that...

Bill and Dave just rode out. It's a clear but chilly morning, and high temps should be around 75°.

See you in Plymouth.

Cherry Hill Plantation

Had a nice break from riding today at the Cherry Hill Plantation. After removing our shoes, we toured the inside rooms with 12 foot high ceilings. They said the original land owner had 10,000 acres in the 1800's.

Henderson to Rocky Mount

We had a good ride today. Had to take off the long sleeves around noon. The hills were not that bad, but still had to use the granny gear on some.
Bubba is good, but as you can see from the picture everybody in our group thought a warm bath and a soft bed would feel good tonight.

Day 4.

Another wonderful day cycling.  It was a clear, brisk 51 when we started this morning.  Gently, rolling hills through beautiful, country farmland.  Light breeze rustling through the dried corn stalks.  Roosters calling out as we passed.  The delightful smells of the morning dew, rich earth, Bengay and Bag Balm.  Only worries are potholes and rednecks in pickups.

Day #4 Photo from Bonnie

Nancy and Bonnie somewhere along the ride today

Day #4 Finish at Rocky Mount

We finished at 2:19. My stats were 78.6 Miles and 14.8 MPH Average. So the average speed is increasing as the course becomes more downhill and uphills more gentle. But compared to the rest of our group, I had a pretty bad day. I was left behind on the hills between rest stop 3 and 4 and had to stop numerous times to rest. But to my surprise they all waited at stop 4 and allowed me to rest some more. Then they pulled me all the way into Rocky Mount at a speed I couldn't have dreamed of alone. What a great crew!

George, Todd, Bonnie, Cassandra, Mark, Nancy after a great pull from rest stop #4

Day 4, Cherry Hill Plantation.

Rolling through the countryside.  Sunshine and rolling hills.  Wonderful morning.

Day #3 from Bonnie

Cassandra and Mark saying hello to the horses. Picture from Bonnie

Day 1 winery

One of the many wineries we passed Sunday.

Bubba

Bubba is treating us real good.

Day 3 Henderson

Four of us rolled into the Henderson "Y" at about 3:30 today.  My stats were 71.76 Miles and 13.3 MPH Average.  Average is creeping up a bit. Today felt the best for me so far and I was blessed with an energy burst at the end which enabled me to catch up and finish with the group.  I rode the last half of the day with Nancy Alexander and we both closed about a .3 mile gap at the end of the ride.  Again another perfect cycling day!!!!!!!!!  Fewer clothes and more freedom on the bike.

Here we are at the finish.  Mark, George, Cassandra, (Bill who finished earlier), Bonnie (my nutritionist) and Nancy

We are all excited about a great ride for tomorrow.

One Way To Post on the Blog

By Android phone: Go to the main page of the blog. Near the bottom of the page, click on the full website version. If you're signed in on your phone, you should be able to press "compose" on the upper right side.

For some reason, I had trouble getting my keyboard to display, but after I pressed "preview" and then "edit html" it worked fine.

Mark Says Hello

Posting from a smart phone seem to be a challenge that is beyond me.  I had no luck helping either Joanne (I Phone) or Mark (DROID).  I think we need to meet up with Allen who seems to have it figured out.  Anyhow, here is a picture Mark took yesterday along the way.  Thanks Mark.

Along the road on a terrific day

Day 2 - Mebane

Here are a few updates from people who haven't posted on their own.

Joanne emailed me early this morning. Her bike crashed (apparently totally on its own), and she needs a new mirror. Be sure and call out "on your left" really loud until I can get there with a new mirror from Flythe's on Wednesday evening. She says she and Mark and Cassandra were riding together this morning and enjoying the ride.

Mark is enjoying the whole wine and cheese theme. He did manage to scare up a deer on today's route, but Mark is fearless, and the deer was probably pretty startled by all the people on bikes. Mark described today as "wonderful." (Mark, I want some of what you're having).

Bill and Dave also had a really good day today. Bill says he didn't have to do any walking, and his hip is feeling a lot better. Once again, Dave Whitlow patiently waited for Bill until Dave had a chance to ride with Cassandra near the end of the ride. Then Dave dropped Bill like a hot rock and left with the cute cyclist.

Nancy and Bonnie discovered that today's winery rest stop would deliver a case of wine to New Bern for only $7.50 shipping charge. Even better, Bonnie told me that the winery would deliver wine and cheese to their hotel with no delivery charge. I wish I was at a hotel in Mebane.

Everyone who contacted me said today's ride was just great. The route was more about rolling hills than steep mountain roads, and it's just a big relief to be out of the mountains so quickly.

Cassandra's Ride

What a great ride today from Eden to Mebane  with Nancy, Bonnie & myself. Great weather with wonderful friends. Also Mark, George, JoAnna, Bill & Dave Can't for the ride tomorrow. Life Is Good. By Cassandra

Wine and Cheese in George and Carol's Suite

Cassandra, Nancy, and Bonnie at the winery rest stop

Day #2 Mebane

Today was a lot nicer.  56 Miles @ 12.7 average.  We shaved off about 20 miles because our hotel was that far from the campsite.  Gorgeous weather -almost perfect cycling conditions and a pretty country side.  Vineyards seem to be the theme this year.  Here is a picture of us sampling some local wine and cheese at a rest stop.

Joanne, Nancy, Bonnie, Cassandra, George, and Mark drinking wine  in  the  morning at  rest stop  number  3

CNC Bags

Some people have to search for their bags at the CNC overnight stop.