BNBB 2022 - Wind-o-rama!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Looking ahead to this year's HCR 1000K, Jeff and I worked hard to ensure the routes would have the most updated changes. In particular, we had to route around the Samsung construction near Taylor. We also worked to add cues to the sheets to help riders with more information. We also cleaned up the routes for known issues and to make sure there was consistency on how riders leave and return to the hotel so that all 3 days had the same routes for entry/exit. We figured by day 3, you would just be glad that the return route was the exact same as days 1 and 2.

Map cleanup took about 3 iterations and Jeff then generated the cue sheets from the RWGPS files. He then posted everything to the web site so that sign ups could start and the cue sheet and map links were set.

A week before the ride, I finally broke down and paid double price to order a new cassette for my bike from Merlin in the UK. The cassette was delivered 2 day FedEx express and it was worrisome when I saw on day 1 that it was stuck somewhere in the UK. However, when I checked on the proposed delivery day, a miracle had occurred and the package had cleared customs in the UK, made it Memphis, then to Austin, and was on a truck out for delivery. Wow, the logistics of that were incredible I bet. Either that, or the status updates were laggy. Who knows, but my cassette arrived and I was able to take V to the bike shop and have the new cassette, new chain, and a new front tire installed. Speaking of the tire, I opted to buy a 700x35 tire since I have continued to run my bike without a front fender. I hoped the new tire would be a bit more comfortable for me on chip seal and rough country roads.

The week of the event arrived and I started to have that nervous feeling about the ride. 2021 had not worked out and I wanted to be confident in 2022 but knew that this was only partly under my control. I started checking the weather mid week and saw the expected temperatures rise from 70s to 80s and the chance for rain push out to possibly day 3 of the ride. The biggest thing I saw was the wind prediction. 2022 seems to be making up for 2021 with the wind intensity. It's almost like Mother Nature gave us a break in 2021 (for wind) and then doubled down in 2022. Wind was expected to gust to 30mph with sustained winds in the 15-20 range. Some good news was that humidity was predicted to be low (at least on Saturday and Sunday).

Friday afternoon, I loaded up the van with the bike and all my gear and headed over to the hotel. I was sharing a room with Ian and I told him I would get there first and check-in. Ian planned to arrive later in the evening around 6:30 or so. I got to the hotel, unpacked the van and then bumped into Denis who was joining us for dinner. He was not riding the 1000, but planned to ride with us to the first control on day 1. I also found Vinny and Bill at the hotel. Vinny shared a big hug and I got introduced to Bill who I don't believe I had ridden with before this brevet. Jeff showed up and we all put our orders in at Home Slice. I realized I had left my bottles at home so Jeff and I headed to my house to grab bottles and then to Home Slice for the pizzas. We also stopped and picked up beer for Bill at the Duval Market near Home Slice.

Back at the hotel, we gathered at the picnic tables in the shade. Jeff handed out bags with swag including a shop rag with logo, a BNBB sticker, a commemorative brevet card, and cue sheets. We enjoyed the pizza. Chris from Houston showed up and then Amy from Waco. A little later, Ian arrived. No one was sure about Dustin, but we figured he would show up for the ride in the morning.

Bill, Ian, and Denis at dinner

Thin crust veggie with light cheese from Home Slice.

After dinner, we took our leftovers back to the room for consumption on ride days. I set out all the things I would need for the day 1 ride including my rain jacket and balaclava since the temperature at ride start was expected to be high 30s. We turned out the lights around 8:30 and made sure the alarm was set for 4:50 AM the next morning. Surprisingly, I slept soundly. I woke up just before the alarm was set to go off feeling rested. No anxious dreams or tossing and turning like on other rides. Whew!

At 5:45, I carried my bike down the steps and met up with the rest of the riders under the portico in front of the hotel office. A surprise was finding David Baxter at the start. He had signed up to ride day 1 as a brevet. Dustin arrived as well. We took a few photos and then the 11 of us rolled out and started our various rides.

As I predicted, a faster bunch was off the front early and I settled in to my normal pace figuring that I would catch up at some point when pace was less chippy. As we exited the last big climb on Red Bud, I saw Vinny in my rearview mirror. That would be the last time I would see Vinny on the course (until day 3 when he rode the day 3 perm).

At the first control, I caught the group. Jeff asked about Vinny, but I relayed what I knew which was I had not seen him since Red Bud. Here, we waved goodbye to Denis as he headed back. As we left, the pace was still brisk and I found myself riding with Ian a bit at the back. As we approached Marble Falls, I found Dustin on the road dropped from the lead pack. He claimed he was starting to cramp. When I asked what he had for that, he said nothing. I reached in my bag and handed him a Saltstick tablet and told him to find a solution at the Marble Falls store. That would be the last time I would see Dustin on the course.

As I reached Marble Falls, I was near to the peloton, but not yet joined up. As I departed Marble Falls, I saw Bill from Seattle changing a flat tire. I asked if he needed help, but he said no. This would be the last time I would see Bill on the course (until Day 3 when he rode the Day 3 perm).

Along the way to Florence, Ian dropped back and I figured he was about 10 minutes behind most of the rest of the brevet. I finally caught up with Jeff, Amy, David, and Adam. As we rolled towards Jarrell, we discussed the choices of ordering a pizza to share or just foraging. The decision ended up to forage. Now, I have been to JTC many times and have learned the pizza by the slice there is a risky choice. It has a thick crust, usually heavy with cheese, and often undercooked. Despite all this, I picked a slice of pepperoni as I knew I needed calories to go the windy, hot miles to Rockdale. I ate the pizza and avoided the crusty edge which looked bready and a bit under done.

We departed Jarrell and headed toward Bartlett. In Bartlett, we bought some water and refilled our water bottles and added ice. We then mounted up and headed to Rockdale. I stayed with the group until we got about 7 miles from Rockdale. I fell back and started having stomach pain and indigestion. I got a couple miles further and decided I desperately needed to use the bathroom. However, there was no store or services for another 5 miles. I finally pulled over and threw up a bit and then had to relieve myself off the side off the road with a very uncomfortable discharge. I left a soiled shop rag in the ditch and got back on the bike feeling unsteady. I rolled towards Rockdale and found my vision was blurry. When I got to Rockdale, I relayed my condition to my friends and Jeff offered me Tums and and an anti diarrhea pill. I bought an ice cream sandwich and ate it slowly. I drank a full bottle of water to attempt to rehydrate. I then texted my wife and said I might need to be picked up if things did not improve.

As we left Rockdale, I worried about the long ride to Taylor where I would be heading with just a single ice cream bar of calories. The good news is that there was a little tail wind and I felt better as we made our way towards Taylor. I still had a headache, but I kept drinking water and hoping hydration would help. I texted my wife that things were going better.

Adam riding into the sunset on the way to Taylor.

We arrived to Taylor and stopped at a C-store to refill bottles and take in some calories. We departed again knowing we were on the final leg to end day 1. As we got close to Austin, Amy offered to give me some potatoes to eat when we reached the hotel. I agreed that would be better than anything I had in the room. I got back to the room, showered, ate the potatoes, and put in my ear plugs. I fell asleep quickly. I woke up briefly for a few minutes to chat with Ian when he got in.

Day 2 I woke up in a start. I glanced at my phone and saw the time was 5:11 am. The alarm had been set for 5am, but I either slept through it or my phone on DND was not making the expected sounds at 5am. All the same, I woke up and used the bathroom and then grabbed a pastry from my bag for breakfast. Ian woke up and we got ourselves dressed and ready to ride. We took our bikes downstairs a few minutes before 6 and met Amy in front of the hotel. Jeff showed up a few minutes later, but Adam was a no show for day 2. Jeff said that Vinny and Bill had gotten in late but had no news about when (or if) they were rolling out. We later learned they both decided not to go out on day 2 though there was some confusion about whether or not Bill was on course or not.

The 4 of us rolled out and headed towards Fitzhugh Rd. Jeff pointed out the taco restaurant there would not be open on Sunday so we would have to make do at the store. There is quite a bit of climbing in the start of day 2 and we lost Ian along the way to the Fitzhugh Rd store. At the store, we opted to pick up burritos. I ate a burrito that I microwaved and ate that with a chocolate milk. This hit the spot and I felt much better as we departed towards the Subway in Dripping Springs.

We reached the C-store/Subway in Dripping Springs and all of us opted to order a sandwich. A nice lady who was in line said we should go ahead of her as she had a larger order. We sat down at the tables inside the store and enjoyed a long stop before heading out to tackle the heat and hills between DS and Canyon. On the way to Canyon, we encountered more head wind and more hills. We arrived to Canyon and I bought a F'Real vanilla shake for calories. We only stayed a short while and then continued along our way to New Braunfels by way of the river road and Gruene.

In New Braunfels, we stopped at the Burger King to eat. French fries and a junior BK hit the spot. Before leaving New Braunfels, Ian caught up and we stopped in the shade next door to help Jeff fix his front wheel which had shorted out again on the hub connector causing unwanted friction from the hub.

We departed New Braunfels and prepared for more headwind as we headed east towards Lockhart. Along the way, we stopped briefly in Fentress and then pedaled the last 12 miles into Lockhart and the What-a-Burger.

Jeff and Amy outside Fentress

We ate a meal here and I usually enjoy stops here. However, they messed up my order and I didn't quite get the sandwich I wanted. We left Lockhart and made our way back to Austin. Along the way, we found the fierce headwind again. We got back to the hotel together. The plan was to depart at 6am the next morning. Ian and I were both bone tired. I fell fast asleep as soon as I got into bed.

Day 3 started with the alarm going off and me still feeling very tired. I lamented there was no coffee service in the room or at the hotel. I ate another pastry and then grabbed some pouches of chamois butter to use over the last day. Despite where double shorts each day, I had developed a bruise on my right side. Outside in the parking lot, we found Vinny and Bill dressed to ride. They signed up for the permanent that followed the same route as Day 3. Vinny and Bill were fresh and riding a bit faster than I wanted to go. We had some tail wind for the first few miles en route to Coupland, but we then hit the stiff crosswind for the final 12 miles into Coupland. The faster riders were ahead. I carried Ian with me for a bit, but lost him as we got closer to Coupland. We got in just ahead of the control close time. I felt wrecked having ridden much harder than I wanted to. Next time, 5:30am start time would be better option. I skipped eating a taco and opted for an ice cream and soda.

I left the Coupland control a few minutes before the rest of the riders. The group caught up to me just before we reached the turn at TX 112. Just before the turn, a bee flew into my helmet and stung me on my forehead. Amy had some topical Benadryl which I put on the sting. The bee sting made my headache worse, but we pushed on towards Lexington. On the way into Lexington, I let the faster group go and fell back to ride a more comfortable pace. I reached Lexington and ate some food to build strength for the 34 miles into Burton. In between Burton and Lexington is a store in Dimebox to look forward to. At each stop during day 3, I used the pain reliever cream, the chamois butter, and also some ibuprofen to manage the pain.

Vinny and Ian in Dimebox

Amy in Dimebox

On the way to Burton, we were pleased to find a period of wind relief. Usually, we fight hard to go southeast to reach Burton. But this day, we had little trouble with wind. We reached Burton and did the loop around town and then stopped at the Burton Short Stop. Sadly, the restaurant was closed. We ate chips and other snack food. Amy ordered a salad that was pre-made but looked delicious. At the control, we took time to diagnose a flat tire on Ian's bike. Thankfully, we would get a tail wind on the return to Taylor. The wind was expected to pick up again so headwind was in our future.

We departed Burton and said goodbye to Bill and Vinny who had to pedal faster than us on their permanent to finish within the time limit. As the rest of us rolled, we again lost Ian behind us as we reached Lexington. Jeff said we should visit Subway here instead of the Cefco. We ordered sandwiches and Amy and I split a full size sandwich. Everything I had eaten since my Day 1 problem had given me indigestion. I bought some Tums at the grocery store adjacent to the Subway. Ian caught up to us here and also ate dinner with us.

We left Lexington and rode on towards Taylor. I had to stop a couple of times to stretch out my shoulder and also get off the saddle for some relief. As we reached Taylor, Ian caught up to us and we all rolled in towards the McDonald's together. Sadly, we found out the Mcdonald's dining room was closed when we arrived. The manager came out and let us in to use the bathroom which was nice. We left McDonald's and stopped at a C-store where I drank a Mountain Dew took my last caffeine tablet before heading out.

Leaving Taylor we found the headwind again. It had picked up strength again and was a challenge. Amy and Jeff were ahead most of the way but I rolled with Ian and helped pull him along towards the finish. As we got close to the end, I had an urgent need to use the bathroom. First, I stopped at the Speedy Stop at 51st and Berkman. The bathrooms were closed and no amount of arguing with the manager on duty helped. I then got back on the bike and rode fast as I could towards the hotel. I got to my room and found my key card didn't work. I walked downstairs and headed to the office. Amy rolled up and found me and offered me her room while the office fixed my broken key-card. Much to my chagrin, using the bathroom proved to be difficult once I reached it. I was apparently dehydrated and things were just not moving well.

I got my replacement key and Ian arrived as well. We went up to the room and I eventually was able to take care of business, get showered, and then collapse into a deep sleep. So glad to be done and not have to sit on the saddle any more.

The next morning we got up and made arrangements to meet Jeff, Vinny, Amy, and Bill for breakfast. I loaded up all my gear into the van and then I drove Jeff and Amy while Ian drove Bill and Vinny. We had a lovely breakfast at Cherrywood. We took some photos and swapped stories.

We eventually said goodbye and I took Amy back to the hotel and Jeff back to where he was staying nearby. I then headed home to unpack the van, get another shower, and put in a few hours at work from home.

All photos from the 4 days are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nABDAge85GqmsfNY7