TNGA: Part 2

Day Two
I awoke at dawn Sunday morning to a sore throat and sinus congestion. Allergies (or something) that would last the rest of the ride. I was also feeling pretty stiff and sore; a picnic table doesn't make the best bed. After a few handfuls of trail mix, I packed up and was off, heading up Wolfpen Gap. About halfway up, I was suffering. It's a paved road, but it's an awfully big, steep climb - not the best way to start the morning. I was starting to get emotional when I realized I was just hungry. I'd eaten a lot at Woody's the night before, but all of that had been used up by my body repairing itself while I slept. I pulled over and sat down on the side of the road to eat some more trail mix and a Clif Bar.

Once the pavement topped out, I turned onto Duncan Ridge for more climbing on gravel. When the road turned downhill, I decided to open up the suspension for a much smoother ride and left it that way for the rest of the trip. After that, it was an easy cruise to the convenience store at Cooper's Creek where I ate a chicken biscuit, chilli dog, chips, and half a pulled pork sandwich, saving the other half for later.

I pressed on and soon found that my underwear wasn't drying well (actually still damp from the day before) and was beginning to get uncomfortable. So, I made the bold move to ditch it and go commando for a while. It felt great to get some airflow, but I was concerned about additional chafeage.

After a couple more hours of paved, dirt, and gravel roads, I came to Iron Bridge Cafe where I stopped to eat again. This time I went for a chicken wrap, chips, and a Coke. By this point, I was completely filthy, smelled like a goat, and was probably alarming to the two young mothers there with their herd of kids. I ate my chicken wrap while walking up the short but ridiculously steep hill down the road from the cafe. Then, it was off to the Aska Trails and infamous Stanley Gap.

Stanley turned out not to be that bad. It had been described to me as a 45 minute to 2 hour hike-a-bike, but I managed to ride up a good bit of it with great effort. Once again, I found myself riding through a cloud. The rocks and roots were slick as could be, but I made my way down the backside, took a hard right onto the gravel road, and started blazing downhill. After a few minutes I checked the map on my phone only to find that it said I was a ways off course. How could this be? I was certain that I was on the right road, and I did NOT want to ride back up that giant hill. I said a few choice words, rode in circles for a minute, then started back up the hill, hoping the GPS was wrong. After a couple minutes, it updated and said I was indeed on route. I turned around again and booked it to Cherry Log and the Pink Pig BBQ.

At the Pink Pig, I ordered a hamburger steak with peppers, onions and mushrooms, sweet potato fries, a baked potato, and lemonade. I went back outside to tinker with my gear and get my phone to study the upcoming route. Some locals started asking questions about my ride and probably thought I was crazy for riding such long distances. I set my gloves out to dry, only to have it start raining once I went back inside. I got some chocolate ice cream for dessert, topped of my water, and took my baked potato to go.

Some more paved and gravel roads led up to Watson Gap, where I turned onto FS 64 - practically the final stretch to Mulberry Gap. The sun was starting to sink and I had a goal to get through the South Fork - Pinhoti Loop (a cruel, unnecessary loop that pops out back onto FS 64) before dark. I wanted to be in familiar territory before I had to use my lights, so I put the hammer down as much as a I could. I bombed down the muddy South Fork Trail with no hesitation, then turned and pushed/rode my way up a muddy stretch of the Pinhoti, back to the gravel road. I rode along the familiar ridge until reaching the start of the climb up Potato Patch Mountain where I walked and finally brought out my lights. After another 2 hours of sweet singletrack, I finally rolled into Mulberry Gap at 10:30pm.

After a chocolate shake, I went to shower, and this is when all the pain caught up to me. My feet had been waterlogged all day, so it hurt to walk. My core, chest, and neck hurt from holding myself in riding position for 2 days. I had a bit of chafeage that I hadn't noticed before, and my sinuses and throat weren't any better. I didn't see how I could keep going in this condition. I slept on a cot in the barn, getting up twice for a painful walk to the bathhouse down the driveway.

Day Three
I awoke Monday morning with less pain but still exhausted. I hung out for awhile, drinking coffee, talking with other racers, and contemplating quitting. Reading a book in my hammock sounded much more enjoyable than more riding at the time. The problem with quitting is that I'd have to come back and race it again. And that sounded even worse. So after eating breakfast and charging up my lights, I had nothing better to do, so I got back on the bike at about 9:30am.

The trail leading away from Mulberry Gap is familiar enough that it went by quickly despite being a huge climb. After that it was back to unfamiliar sections of the Pinhoti which inlcuded some awesome downhill singletrack. The trail popped out near Ramhurst where I stopped at a gas station for a chicken sandwich and a Sprite. My throat was still bothering me, so I got some Halls and started eating them like candy.

A long flat road section led to Dalton and Bear Creek Bikes where I stopped to rest and escape the heat. It was mid-afternoon by this point and my allergies/sickness wasn't helping. The bike got a much needed tune-up, and I learned that I had a freehub bearing going out. I had noticed an occasional rattle previously, but it was louder and constant once everything was lubed up. The next section was fairly remote, so I stocked up on food and topped off my water. I wanted to make it at least partway through The Snake before crashing for the night.

I did make that goal, but the first part of The Snake kicked my ass. It's an extremely rocky and technical singletrack trail along a ridgeline just west of Dalton. Maneuvering through and powering over rocks on a 50+lb bike is not easy. I was starting to feel overheated when I hit the downhill to the trailhead midway through The Snake. The trailhead consisted of a gravel parking lot and a pit toilet next to a somewhat busy highway. I stopped here to eat dinner - a turkey sub and pretzels. The sun was setting, but I thought I'd lie down for a few minutes to let that food digest. The concrete next to the pit toilet was warm - I assumed from the sun shining on it earlier - and felt good now that I was cooled down.

I quickly fell asleep for a few minutes before getting up to pee. Suddenly I felt feverish - weak, shaky, chills, and just generally sick. I checked my phone, no service. I thought about the Spot Tracker and the button that sends the message, "I'm ok but quitting." For some reason I decided to give it more time. It wasn't even fully dark yet, but I wrapped up in my rainfly and went to sleep on the concrete by the pit toilet.