Sunday, June 11, 2006

Where the sidewalk didn't end


Today, for no particular reason I decide to set a new cycling record. I decided to ride to the end of the paved area of the Silver Comet, which their website assured me existed. It gives the impression that the end is in the 37 mile area. My previous record was 60 miles.

Much to my surprise, the paved area did not end at 37 miles, which is a little beyond Rockmart. It keeps on going in fine order, I assume to the Alabama border, which will be a ride for another day. I make it out to the 40 mile mark before I realize how late it's getting.

I prefer using the die in place method of setting distance records; it's going out a long way in one direction and then back.

I wound up going a little over 80 miles, averaging 15.2 miles an hour, with an average heart rate of 151, which is surprisingly high for a ride that lasted over five hours. I have the heart rate monitor set to mute, but if you go far enough over into your maximum, which I did when I came across a sharp hill at mile 38, it beeps at you.

I spent the last 20 minutes or so in darkness as I underestimated the daylight. The forest canopy does a good job of eliminating ambient sunlight.

On the whole, it was a pleasant and scenic ride. The one exception was when I ran out of water for a 20 mile period and that brought all of the symptoms of fatigue very quickly. Once I got some more (at around mile 11 on the way back) I felt much better.

Below are some photos I took with the camera phone on the ride.

A very large factory that seems to make concrete forms. It's somewhere around mile 12.


More of the above.


I have no idea what road this is.

A very long and chilly tunnel. I need to take some more fiddler photos here.


This one wasn't on the ride, but I did see it yesterday and found it funny.

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