Bridge to Bridge Challenge - September 16, 2007

Bridge to Bridge Challenge - September 16, 2007
Lenoir, NC to Grandfather Mountain

Some Background

The Bridge to Bridge Challenge is one of ten toughest century rides in the U.S. The course is basically 50 miles of rolling to flat terrain followed by 50 miles of climbing, with a final two miles that can only be described as insulting. The ride starts in Lenoir, NC and finishes on top of Grandfather Mountain, a privately-owned tourist spot and the highest peak in the Blue Ridge at 5924 feet. The final two miles consist of the access road to the top of the Grandfather Mountain. The entrance to the access road from Hwy 221 is at 5000 feet (100 miles into the ride), so you gain the final 924 feet in less than 2 miles of relentless switchbacks. The final 700 feet of the ride is a 22 percent wall. Many people fell over on this stretch as they succumbed to cramps.

Redemption Story

I last did this ride in 1991 when I was in law school. I was new to riding then and had done only one century ride. The night before the B2B ride, I slept too close to the motel air conditioner and woke up with a lung-wrenching cough. Although I wanted to quit about halfway into the ride, there was no easy way to do so because the ride was a point-to-point and I had driven down by myself and didn’t know anyone on the ride. So I soldiered on, stopping at every rest stop and hacking up a lung. In finished that ride in just over 8 hours, completely wasted.

This year would be different. The secret to getting a good time is to find a fast-moving group and suck wheel for the first 50 miles. If you can get to the 50 mile point (when Hwy 181 starts) in just over two hours, then you have a good shot at a sub-six hour finish. My goal was to roll with a good group and then find my own pace during the climbs. I also planned to stop as necessary to refuel, etc. during the last half of the ride. I had no specific time goals, except to beat my previous finishing time.

I ended up finishing in 6 hours, 21 minutes. That is a solid time, but this year it was only good enough for 254th out of 500 because a significant number of the lead riders missed a turn on the course, cutting off at least 3 miles and a significant climb. The turn was not well-marked and the big group I was in missed it as well, but we almost immediately turned around and got back on course. I knew we were on course because my PowerTap mileage matched the course markings. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell who missed the turn and who didn't. But the guys who missed it will always have a mental asterisk next to their results.
http://www.rmssports.com/results/07Bridge.txt

An Inauspicious Start

The ride went exactly as I planned, except for a few minor mishaps at the start. I lined up toward the back which meant I had to slalom my way toward the front to get into a fast group. But then I dropped my full water bottle just out of Lenoir. I stopped, turned around, and scrambled to pick it up without getting mauled by passing riders. I then gunned it to get back toward the front. I was also struggling with my PowerTap - its display was fading with a weak battery and it was giving off insanely high power numbers. I finally got it zeroed and prayed that its battery would last until the finish. Note to self: replace batteries before long rides!

At this point, I had no idea where I was in relationship to the front pack. So I kept bridging from one group to the next before I settled into a decent 20+ group with some strong riders. I took pulls along with the other experienced riders (obviously racers, but not in team kits). With the aid of the group, I made it to the halfway point (and the start of the climbing) in 2:20 with an average speed of 23mph. A little slower than I would have liked, but a decent start.

Let The Climbing Begin

I stopped at the rest stop to refill my bottles and then started climbing. According to the other riders, Hwy 181 is the hardest part of the ride (except for the final two miles). Hwy 181 climbs for more than 11 miles with little or no respite and the gradient is steeper than on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My peak 20, 30 and 60-minute power levels were on this stretch. I basically rode for more than an hour at L4, just 10 watts below my functional threshold power.

I did most of this stretch on my own or in the company of a few riders, many of whom I passed or repassed multiple times following rest stops or descents. I kept leap-frogging with one girl, a semi-pro mountain biker, who’d been in the paceline with me at the beginning. I was chatting with her as we climbed and we discussed how we were both starting to cramp. My calves were twinging and my right hamstring was on the verge of seizing. I had only a few Endurolytes left and was drinking constantly. She suggested that I chew them instead of swallowing them to get them into my bloodstream faster, a trick she learned from an ultra-endurance racer. I thanked her for the advice but thought that I’d never do that! But about 10 miles later I was really starting to worry – the twinges were getting worse and there was still miles of climbing to go. So I grabbed 3 at once and bit into them. Bleh! An explosion of salt and nastiness! I grabbed my water bottle to put the fire out. I thought my mouth would be glued shut and my lips would start bleeding. But after I choked it down, the twinges stopped and the cramping subsided. I thought later that she made up the whole story to punk me, but the cramps stopped, so maybe there's some truth to it.

After 181 we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was really spectacular. A portion of the road is suspended on rock ledges with gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The gradients on the Parkway were less severe than on 181 so I was able to ride at a decent pace but well below threshold. I had the leg strength and lungs to ride harder, but the rate-limiting factor was the lurking threat of cramping. After the Parkway we turned onto Hwy 221 and encountered some rolling terrain with a stretch of tailwind. I caught on with some guys and we had a paceline going for a few miles, nicely breaking the monotony of climbing.

At mile 100, we turned off of Hwy 221 and into Grandfather Mountain. At the base of the Mountain is McRae meadows, the staging area for the ride finish. Because parking on top of Grandfather Mountain is limited, they shuttle everyone (and their bikes) down from the mountain to McRae Meadows. From there you can take a bus back to Lenoir or your personal Sherpa can pick you up. Because my Sherpa was doing the ride with me, Jean and I would have to take the bus back.

More Cowbell

The final two miles were insane and are what give this ride the reputation as one of the hardest centuries in the country. The road contained multiple steep switchbacks with gradients over 15 percent. At the one-mile to go mark, you could look up and see the switchbacks towering above you, kind of like a mini-Alpe de Huez. Many riders were tacking back and forth like paper boys in an effort to keep up their momentum. Some had stopped altogether. Fortunately, my legs were holding up and my gearing (50/34 and 12-27) allowed me to hold a reasonable 60 rpm. As I rounded the final switch back I was confronted with the ramp to the finish. The ramp is about 700 feet of 22 percent gradient - as steep as any of the switchbacks below. A large crowd of spectators and fans were perched on a group of rock outcroppings near the top of the ramp. As I mentally girded myself for the final effort up the ramp, I heard my name being called. How can that be? No one here knows me .. . my fame can not have spread this far south yet . . .. But as I cranked the final pitch out of the saddle, I saw that Jean was there and had persuaded everyone around her to yell my name. Even as I wondered what became of her ride, I appreciated the cheering. I floated to the top and crossed the timing mat, stopping the clock at 6 hours 21 minutes.

Some Nits

Ride organization left a little to be desired, especially one poorly marked turn that a lot of riders missed (cutting out a 3-mile climb) and poor logistics for getting riders and bikes down from the mountain. Immediately after finishing I was stuck shivering in line to drop off my bike for transport down to the meadow. The security guys wouldn’t let spectators walk over to us, so I couldn’t get to Jean and the warm clothes she was carrying. Once they took my bike, we got in line for the shuttle down the mountain. Unfortunately, they had run out of food at McRae Meadows and we were stuck there again for almost two hours while we waited for the next bus to Lenoir. The hour-long bus ride to Lenoir was tough on the legs, but more tough on the bladder as I suffered the after-effects of my manic drinking to stave off leg cramps.

End Notes For Power Geeks

The whole ride was a mind-blowing 446 TSS points, which may be my highest total for a single-day ride. My 20, 30, and 60-minute peak efforts were only 10 to 15 watts below my functional threshold [my best 1-hour power], so I was definitely riding well. The Intensity Factor for the entire ride was 0.88 – again an indicator of an intense effort.

Bottom Line

This would be a great ride to do as a group. Sharing the work during the first 50 miles in an organized paceline would get everyone to the start of the climbing quickly and in good condition. With some Sherpa support, you could take feeds during the ride and avoid having to stop altogether. Support is critical post-ride to get back to Lenoir without putting yourself at the mercy of the provided transportation. Finally, having some company during the climbs and at the finish would really make a difference. I hope to return next year, but with a group of teammates in tow!