Today was day two (June 6th) of the 2011 Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG). Okay, this is posted two days after the ride but do not read anything into the timing. The ride from Oxford to Milledgeville covered 63 miles bringing the two-day total to 120 miles. Today was the second longest ride I have ever pedaled and the longest was 64 miles with no hills. Cannot say the same for today’s experience.
Everything felt good when we rolled out at 6:20. About five miles in, we encountered one of the longest climbs of the day. The only good thing about this was it came early in the day while the energy level was still high. Just after the climb, a young man rode up behind me, and noticing my BRAG license plate, said he heard about the ride being a fundraiser through the UGA Wesley Foundation email list. He was a graduate student and though he didn’t know Michael he knew of him. We talked for a few minutes and then I settled into about ten miles of mostly downhill riding. This early morning was much different from yesterday’s stroll through downtown Atlanta. Birds chirping, roosters crowing and dogs barking as compared to the sound of trucks backing up, trash cans being dumped and just general big city sounds. We crossed over the Yellow River just before the first rest stop at the 17-mile mark.
Arrived at the rest stop just as three of the people I’ve been riding with (Rip, Bob and Buck) rolled out. The other three in our group today, Doug, Lee, Mark and I then left together and rode as a group for most of the day. The next stop was 14 miles later at town square in Monticello. The courthouse in Monticello was featured in the movie, My Cousin Vinny.
The next 12 miles were a series of climbs and declines before another stop at the 43-mile mark at St. Paul’s AME Church in Eatonton. This was followed by 10 miles of a general decline peppered with five good climbs and a nice view crossing Potato Creek before the last rest stop at the 54-mile mark. This rest stop was not very relaxing because we couldn’t miss the big climb waiting when we resumed the ride. At the beginning of the first climb, I saw the last of Mark, Doug and Lee. I finished the last 10 miles as I had started the day, riding alone and enjoying the scenery as I rolled into Milledgeville, the capital of Georgia from 1807 to 1867. After 30 years as the hub of politics in Georgia, the need arose to establish the State Sanitarium in Milledgeville as well. No time in this post to pontificate on the relationship between politics and mental health, maybe another day.
I finished the 63 miles at around 11:20, hot, tired and really ready to eat. We were able to check in the Hampton Inn and get a shower before going to eat at Chili’s. The shower and food perked me up. Lisa dropped me off at the hotel to rest and then left to find the mall. She has been trying to buy things for various upcoming youth trips. We had a nice dinner at Aubri Lanes where we presented Rip with a yellow t-shirt as he was the first rider to arrive at the end-point for today’s ride.
Today’s ride didn’t seem as tough as yesterday though it was a little longer. There were spots that were challenging and I was told the cumulative climbs were about 4,500 feet. However, there was plenty of time to notice the tags on the back of the bikes as I passed folks and passed by others. I saw tags from California, Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana, Illinois, Florida and Connecticut to name the states I can remember. Obviously, the majority of the tags were from Georgia and the towns represented covered the State: Peachtree City, Lawrenceville, Savannah, Thomasville, Tybee Island, Clarksville, Roswell, Athens, Forsyth, and Americus to name a few. Most people also write their name on their tag but a few have their nickname. At some point early in the day, Super Fly passed me but I’m not sure if he was related to the great Superfly Jimmy Snuka.
Looking forward to moving on to Dublin tomorrow. Shorter ride with more hills but a day off on Wednesday.