The Great Challenges (Mark Sachnik, Feb 07)  

First of all, Thank you George Evans for sticking with me throughout the ride and thank you Daniel and Sharon for encouraging me to come out and do this! This is the first time I ever attempted a 300K ride and despite all the residual stiffness and soreness, this was a great experience. George summed up the ride very, very well. Here is a listing of all the great things about this ride and the challenges I faced throughout the ride.

The Great;

1. George Evans giving me tips and encouragement throughout the ride.

2. This ride was done in my favorite area in North Texas. Most of the roads we traveled were the very same roads I used on numerous motorcycle trips I took to the area 20 or so years ago!

3. The feeling of accomplishment I had when I conquered Apple Pie Hill at mile 80 of the ride!

4. There was very little if any traffic on all the roads we traveled.

5. Despite the bitter cold 23 degree start, the weather could not be any better for this time of year. One of the locals at one of our rest stops told me the high temp in Graford was approx 60 degrees.

6. Watching the moon slowly rise over the horizon soon after night fell.

7. Actually seeing the lights of the towns we approached on a crystal clear winter night.

8. The since of survival and accomplishment I felt when we finished the ride.

The Challenges;

1. The painful icy feel to my face for the first 25 miles of the ride which was done in sub freezing weather.

2. A combination of brutal head winds and constant climbing from Lipan to State Hwy 108 just about beat the life out of me. By the time we made the turn up 108 to Gordon for our rest stop, I had very little left. As I learned later, the reason was that I was overheating badly despite the cold. Too many layers. This issue came to a head when after climbing Apple Pie hill, I was sweating like I do in a spin class. Once I stripped off the extra layers, I rejuvenated enough to get the second wind needed to handle the brutal beat down US180 stretch through Metcalf Gap.

3. The mental games that go on during a long hard ride. Mainly a sense that the stretch will never end and the endless wonder of where in the hell is the rest stop.

4. The usual aches and pains one gets during and after a long hard ride.

Things I can do to make things better for the next Brevet ride.

1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate; especially the night before.

2. Get plenty of rest. I wound up not going to bed until late; I put off cleaning and adjusting the bike late enought that I did not finish until 11.

3. Don't carry so much stuff in my back pack. I wound up doing this ride with almost 20 pounds of stuff including my camelback, food, tools, tubes, and the extra clothes on a 300K ride with lots of climbing.

4. Stretch, stretch, stretch before and after the ride.